Page 6 of Protected By the Wolf Prince

“And you’ve been asleep at your post,” the man counters.

Ambassador Falen’s head jerks back. “What are you talking about?”

“Your daughter, Ambassador Falen,” he says darkly. “Do you know that she spends time with Prince Malak?”

“They are friends,” Falen says dismissively. “What of it?”

“Did you know she stayed out with him last night at the bonfire?” Luna’s father blinks several times, and the man continues. “I lost track of them after they snuck away into the city gardens together.”

“What?” Her father’s face reddens even further. “I—I do not believe this. Luna knows I forbade her to go to the bonfire. And she most certainly would never do anything that might compromise her honor.”

My claws extend as ice-cold rage floods my veins. How dare this man spy on us. I will rip him apart.

“She was there. They both were,” he insists. “And if you do not want her honor questioned, then I suggest you do something about this situation immediately before she becomes a Wolf-Shifter’s bi—”

“Enough!” Luna’s father shouts. “I’ll not have you speak of my daughter like this. Do you understand?”

A low growl rumbles deep in my chest. My inner wolf rages beneath the surface, demanding to be freed so he can rip this man apart, limb from limb.

“Leave!” Her father gestures angrily toward the garden gate, that leads out onto the street. “Anddo notcome back. Do you understand?”

The man narrows his eyes. “Perfectly.” He walks toward the gate and slams it shut behind him as he disappears into the city.

Luna’s father runs a hand roughly through his hair and grits his teeth as he stalks back toward the house. Anger is easily read in his features, and I cannot bear the thought of any of it directed at my mate. I cannot leave her to face him alone.

“Ambassador!” I call out, sprinting toward him from the bushes. “Wait!”

He spins to face me, his eyes wide. “What are you doing here?” Panic flits briefly across his expression. “How long have you been here?”

Judging by his question and the worried look in his eyes, I know better than to answer that honestly. “I only just arrived.”

His shoulders sag forward slightly before he narrows his eyes. “Why are you here, Prince Malak?”

A plan forms in my mind. It’s not ideal, and I haven’t discussed it with Luna, but I am relatively sure she feels the same for me as I do her. It’s a risk I must take. Especially if I want to shield her from her father’s wrath. “I have come to ask you for your daughter’s hand.”

His jaw drops.

I meet his gaze evenly. “I understand you are entertaining offers for betrothal, and I would like to submit my own.”

When he does not answer right away, I wonder if perhaps I am doing this wrong. “This is… how humans choose their mates, is it not?” I ask, studying him intently. “I was under the impression that this is the way to—”

“It is.” Her father cuts me off. “But you are not human, Prince Malak. Surely you understand that such a pairing is not… ideal.”

“It is not unheard of for Wolf-Shifters to take human mates,” I point out. “I may be a second son, but I am still a prince of Winterhold. Luna would have a comfortable life, and—”

“No,” her father cuts me off once more. “I’m sorry, but I will not give you my blessing.”

I stare at him in shock for all of a second before the blinding rage of my inner wolf floods my veins, turning my vision red. “And what if she chooses me?” I challenge. “Would you not consider her wishes when it comes to a mate?”

“It is not her decision,” he states firmly.

“It isherlife,” I grind out. “It is not foryouto dictate who she will spend it with. If I ask her for her hand, and she accepts me, would you truly refuse her choice?”

He blinks several times. “You have not asked her yet?”

“No.” I would have if not for the interruption this morning when her mother came to her door, but I do not tell him this. To do so would confirm what his companion told him earlier: that she was out with me all night.

Her father opens his mouth as if to speak, but instead clamps it shut again. His brow furrows deeply as he drops his gaze to the ground, contemplating something before he finally returns his attention to me. “I will consider your proposal.”

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