Page 10 of Protected By the Wolf Prince

“She is mine!” I growl.

My muscles ripple beneath my skin, preparing to shift into my wolven form as my inner wolf howls in protest at my father’s words.

“My inner wolf has already chosen her,” I grind out. “Ihave already chosen her. She is mine.”

“What?” my Father stares at me in shock. “This cannot be right. She cannot be your fated one.”

“She is,” I insist.

“Her father will never agree to such a match. Neither will I.”

“I did not ask for your blessing.” I meet his gaze evenly. “If she will have me, I will claim her as my mate.”

“Then you will be exiled from our pack,” Father says, and Mother gasps.

“So be it,” I snarl and turn on my heels, stalking back to the doors and out into the hallway.

Fredrik runs up behind me. “Mal, wait!”

I turn back to face him.

“Just give it some time,” he says. “Father will surely see that he is wrong. After all, he married Mother, did he not?”

“He won’t change his mind, Fredrik. If she were not a citizen of Avalor, he might. But he hates them. You know he does.”

“Yes, but—”

“Prince Malak,” one of the servants calls out, walking briskly toward me. “I have a letter for you.”

He hands it to me and I recognize the wax seal immediately. Eagerly, I tear it open and scan the contents.

The plain message reads that Luna and her family are traveling to the next town over, to stay at their country home for a few weeks. A smile crests my lips when I read the hidden message she has encoded.

She wants me as her mate. I know she does. If she didn’t, she would not ask me to forgo participating in the mating chase.

I lift my gaze to Fredrik. “I need you to lie for me.”

He frowns. “About what?”

“Tell Mother and Father that we are both going to the woods tonight for the chase.”

“You’re not coming?” he asks incredulously. “We’ve been looking forward to this all year.”

“I know,” I tell him. “But that was only because I thought Luna would be there also. I meant to claim her this night.”

His mouth drifts open. “You do realize that you would have had to fight your way through several male wolven to do so, right?” he teases. “Every male would have tried to entice her to be his.”

I growl and narrow my eyes, and he puts his hand out in mock surrender. “Not me, of course,” he quickly adds. “She is my friend, and I know she is yours. But others,” he points out. “She is desired by many.”

My inner wolf bristles. “She is mine,” I snarl.

“Then go claim her.” He grins. “I’ll lie for you on one condition.”

“What is that?”

A sly smirk twists his lips. “That you name your first pup after me.”

Playfully, I punch at his shoulder, and he quickly ducks out of the way, laughing.

---