Page 25 of Her Elemental Mates

Laughing, I look at Kaedyn and shake my head as I stare at the female, keeping the glow from my eyes. “Who the fuck do you think you are?” She makes the mistake of getting in my face and my grin turns even more feral.

Finally, I allow the glow to encompass my eyes and the shadows whip around wildly in my hair. “No one of consequence. Just the future Queen of the Shadow Court Belladonna Fenrisulfr.” The minute my full name and title fall from my lips, every female within earshot drop to their knees.

The female before me looks me up and down smugly. “What Hollis and I have is real. You’ll see. He will always choose me.” She flips her hair over her shoulder and walks away, heading toward the stairs.

Unfortunately for her, there’s a dark area right in front of the stairs leading up to the patio. Kaedyn motions to the shaded area and I am already way ahead of him. I step back into the shadow of the tree behind me, only to manifest directly in the female’s path. “You know it’s rather rude to walk away during introductions?” She shrieks when I appear in her path and falls backward.

“Your Highness, can we please get the evening started? I’m restless.” Bowing slightly to Idris as he tries to maintain his composure.

“Ladies, the object of tonight is to go hunting and bring back the best possible kill. For our entertainment, there’s a golden pheasant and a white elk loose in the woods.” He holds the starter pistol over his head and, without warning, fires a shot.

In an instant, the females all shift, and I watch them run in all crazy directions. Even the arrogant bitch took off like a shot. “A pheasant? Really?” I look up at Idris, then back toward the woods.

“It’s the hardest thing to find and has the most value,” he says, and I look at Kaedyn and Hollis. “What do you two want me to hunt?” I look between them, waiting for an answer.

Kaedyn smirks. “I already know you can take down a moose, so let’s get the pheasant,” he says confidently. Glancing over at Hollis, he nods in agreement.

“Pheasant it is.” Shifting quickly, I turn and run into the woods. It’s like the woods near my home with all the swamp cedars. Remembering where I would normally find the pheasants in my territory, I head toward the edge of the swamp.

Prowling the edge of the wetlands reminds me of being home and I relax a little. The wind shifts and the scent of birds catches my attention. Raising my nose to the wind, I change direction and cross the quagmire. I see another she-wolf tip toeing around the edge of the water, afraid to cross. Several well-timed leaps, I make it to the small island in the center. On the island, not only is the golden pheasant there, but a flock of pheasants. Shifting the shadows quickly, I use them to capture the pheasants and kill two plus the golden.

Not taking any chances, I shift through the shadows and use them to make it back to the castle with my kills in my wolf’s mouth. Emerging from the shadows on the edge of the garden, I step out and stroll towards the castle. Kaedyn runs down the stairs and literally jumps, clearing the last few steps to get to me. All they can see is bird feet sticking out of my mouth. The princes arrive at Kaedyn’s side, and I spit out the three pheasants onto the ground, then shift back. “Mission accomplished.” Smiling broadly, I cross my arms under my chest.

Just as Idris reaches us, his phone rings in his pocket. The royal livestock breeder is calling, complaining about a wolf attacking the stock of, you guessed it, golden pheasants. Idris remains on the phone confirming what color wolf was spotted as well as if there was a video of the break in. Lucky day, they had the video surveillance up and running. Idris gets off the phone and within a matter of minutes they send the video to him. Gathering around Idris, we watch the video with him. The video clearly depicts Bernie’s wolf breaking into the golden pheasant cage and killing one. I would love to say I’m shocked, but I’m not. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

Walking back over to my pheasants, I pick the three of them up and place them in the presentation circle. Now it’s a waiting game. Hollis paces anxiously back and forth, waiting for the hell he knows is about to erupt the minute the other she-wolves return. Several other females arrive within minutes of each other carrying rabbits, squirrels and other small woodland creatures. Just as we were giving up hope, Bernie comes prancing up with the golden pheasant in her mouth. She moves to stand before Hollis and drops the pheasant at his feet before backing away and shifting back. “I told you I would return triumphant. First round goes to me!” she exclaims as she makes direct eye contact with me.

“Like shooting fish in a barrel, huh?” My smug tone catches her off guard and she pales slightly.

“You didn’t return with anything. For all I know, you didn’t hunt at all, Princess.” Venom drips from her every word as she bends down to pick up her bird. Looking at her bird closely, it still has the guard in its nostrils to keep it from pecking at the other birds.

Raising my hand, I use the shadows to pick up and bring my three birds to me. I hold my golden pheasant out to her and make it a point to show her its face. “There’s a vast difference between a released bird and a caged bird.” My canines elongate as the glow returns to my eyes. “A caged bird wears blinders to keep it from attacking its pen mates. A released bird needs to see everything.” Realizing her folly, she throws her bird to the ground.

I glance over at Kaedyn and out the corner of my eye I see her shift to a rust-colored wolf. She doesn’t hesitate to charge me. I laugh, looking at her as she closes the distance. Hollis is yelling at the guards to detain her and Kaedyn leans back against the pillar, waiting to see what I do. Her wolf leaps up and I catch its throat in my hand. My nails elongate and dig into her flesh as she kicks, growling, trying to get loose.

Her hind paws are on the ground, and she leaps around, trying to break loose. With the aid of the shadows, I use them to shove her away from me. Once I have ample room, I shift and my wolf dwarfs hers. Raising my head high, I lock eyes with her and crush her with my alpha power. The authority rolling off me subjugates the other females as far as thirty yards away. The bitch before me is curled in a tight ball, defecating all over herself and emptying her bladder. The princes all waver on their feet as well does the king and queen.

Kaedyn, because of the mate bond, comes over casually and threads his fingers through the fur near my ear. “Love, I believe you’ve made your point.” His soft tone breaks through the anger, and I slowly release the pressure I have on her, allowing everyone to breathe easier.

Hollis hesitantly walks over and stands before me, looking into my wolf’s eyes. “You are amazing.” He leans forward and kisses my muzzle before walking away.

Standing there, I’m stunned. He showed no fear, nor did he hesitate to kiss my wolf. She’s pleased he accepts all of us even before a bond is in place. Shifting back slowly, I turn and hug Kaedyn tightly, looking around the gardens at the other she-wolves. “Day one and it’s already a blast!” I say sarcastically as he leads me back into the castle. Tomorrow is the equestrian event. That should be just as wonderful. I can hardly wait.

Chapter16

Hollis

Yesterday wasa cluster fuck to end all clusterfucks. Bernie went above and beyond, trying to cheat her way into my bed. I can only assume that she’s in denial of the fact that males know their mates on sight and by scent. For the last five years, she’s acted like a beagle after a rabbit following me everywhere. As if magically one day I’d change my mind and claim her. Not a bloody chance in hell. That girl puts the p in psycho.

Walking down the stairs, I head toward the back patio to have breakfast and who do I find there? Belladonna, standing there looking more like a goddess than the Queen that she is. She has her crown on her head and a delicate cup in her hand that she’s sipping from. By the way she’s dressed, I can tell she’s ready for the equestrian event today. Her clothing choice screams dressage right down to the fancy leather boots she has on. When she turns, I spot the book that father gave her resting on the wall.

I’m nudged from behind and I spin to find Kaedyn standing there, smirking at me. “I’d say she doesn’t bite, but that’s a lie.” He moves his collar and shows his mate mark on his throat. Then, to my surprise, he moves his shirt to the side to show the one on his shoulder.

“Dude, she claimed you twice?” If my eyebrows raise any higher from shock, they will be embedded in my hair line permanently.

Kaedyn drags me back into the house behind the soundproof glass. “Dad said it was unusual for a female to make a second bite. It’s also uncommon for a female to be born an alpha.” He pauses, letting that tidbit of information sink in.

Pacing back and forth, I stop and stare out the window at Bella, then back at Kaedyn. “That actually explains a lot, to be honest. An alpha female has a take-no-shit attitude. The will to drive anyone and everything into submission just so it doesn’t come to a physical battle.” Shrugging my shoulders, I glance back out the window and Bella is gone. Turning quickly, I almost knock Bella over when she manifests before me. Shrieking like a little girl, I leap back, grabbing my chest, trying to catch my breath.

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