Fighting Destiny (Royal Bloodlines)

Chapter 14 - Theo

Chapter Fourteen

Theodoros

Watching Iris in the shower beside me from the corner of my eye, I have to remind myself that my parents are here. My mate is truly a beautiful woman. Her long, caramel toned brown hair is silky soft to touch, as is her flawless porcelain skin. The lavender shade of her eyes, sparkles and glows when the light catches in them just right. Then there are her curves. The hourglass shape created by her voluptuous breasts, thin waist and wide hips makes Tadeo and I both drool like fools.

Negative feelings keep popping up from her though, making me nervous about her running again. Her doubts and anxiety radiate off her in waves, pushing at me. Reminding me that things are not perfect between us and we have a ways to go before I could claim such a statement.

I know most of it stems from my need to hide the fact that we are mates from everyone. I can understand why that would bother her, however she needs to remember it is to protect her. If I could claim her and not put her at risk I would. She will just have to understand that.

My hands are tied, there is no way to claim her and announce her my Luna. There just is not. Too much is expected from me and without knowing her bloodline it would cause too many issues for both of us.

She will have to learn to trust my word. I can't have her run from me again. Between Tadeo's persistent howling in my head and my own feeling of grieving loss, I know that I would not survive if she left me, permanently. The bond has grown too deep, to cut it would kill us both.

Part of me was ecstatic when I walked into that bedroom in Portland. Originally, I had planned to let her go. It would most likely be safer for her and I could have eventually found a Luna to appease the Elders. When I heard her growl along with Bear's, I had feared the worst.

The strength and speed from my wolf put me inside the bedroom of that house in less than a minute. Pride had filled me at the sight I walked into, along with disgust and happiness. It was a weird mix of emotions for me.

Call me selfish, but seeing what that pathetic human had done while disgusting, also made me happy. It meant she no longer had human attachments and I could take her. She could be mine and not have any guilt or negative thoughts about herself. She may not completely understand our bond yet, but I do and I know that I will always mean more to her than that pathetic human.

That thought reminds me, I had told her while she was starting to shift that we live longer but she had been so overwhelmed at the time. She would still be young while he had withered away like humans do, she would have at least asked Sawyer about it if she remembered. "How old do you think I am?" I ask her, stepping out of the shower and wrapping my lower half in a towel from the heated racks.

Iris laughs. "Based on your looks, maybe twenty-five. Considering you successfully run a major business quite well, probably closer to thirty."

I smirk. This will be quite the surprise for her. I had been right in assuming she wasn't listening to everything I had been saying that night. I grab another towel and turn off the water. She steps out of the shower and I wrap her in the warm, fluffy eygtptian cotton then grab a second towel and wrap her hair in it. "You are very incorrect, Love." I say, continuing to dry her.

"Really? Oh no, was that insulting? I just can't believe you'd be younger. I mean, I'm just twenty-three and have barely started getting my career going. I didn't mean to -" She frets, her brow furrowed into a line of concern.

"Shhhh." I say softly, cutting her rambling off with a light touch of my fingers to her soft, kissable lips. "We live extraordinarily long lives in comparison to humans. While we are not essentially immortal like Vampires, we are not prone to disease and heal quickly making it hard to die from an injury. It is not uncommon for a wolf to live past four hundred years old."