The Prince's Mate

Chapter 44

It wasn't like a switch flipped or anything. Things didn't just magically get better. I found Christmas time quite awkward. My family came up to see me since I spent my college break with Bennett in the palace. My dad loathed Bennett, but Ben tried to push on by making casual conversations about nothing and trying to be a good host. I gave up on explaining things to my dad, he just wouldn't listen so I figured he would just have to judge Bennett's character for himself in time.

Thankfully, Christmas came and went and I ended up back in college for four years, finishing up my degree. I came home almost every weekend, as promised. Being a part put a bit of a strain on our relationship. We didn't talk about everything like we used to because so much happened when we were apart and Bennett had to make a lot of decisions without me. We fought sometimes, and there were times where I felt like bursting into tears and leaving all over again. But then the former queen's voice rung in my mind, reminding me that I was his mate first. So when we fought and it became more of a heated screaming match than an intellectual argument I would kiss him softly, or grab his hand for a brief second, then walk away. Sometimes we would have to stay in separate rooms for hours to calm ourselves down, and other times it was only a few short minutes. Then, when we felt like we could handle it, we would try again, talking softly and slowly, even if some of the topics were incredibly personal to us. It took some time and so practice but we eventually got really good at making calculated decisions and compromises together.

I ended up getting my degree and I couldn't be more excited. Had I been human I wasn't sure if my degree would've amounted to anything, but now I understood so much more than I had before. Sure, I had lots of courses that didn't affect me every day, like astronomy, but I had other courses I could use to my advantage like psychology, sociology, and political science. I felt like I had an advantage when distraught werewolves approached me with their problems, because I had a little bit of insight.

Bennett had been right when he had told me that change doesn't happen overnight. It took me a long time to become more stone faced in public. I used to show my feelings on my features all the time, but I had learned that some people had used this to their own gain. If they saw I was torn or sympathetic tears often came out, making me crack and go against my gut because of pity. There were days where I wanted to throw my crowns in the trash and scream at the top of my lungs, and days where I didn't want to do any of the queen duties at all.

And male werewolves were not super keen on their beaten mates getting rights. But the transition came easier when we passed one little law at a time, slowly giving women more and more rights while giving their mates time to digest the changes.

But I learned how to be a proper queen and a good mate. I learned that you had to endure the bad days and fight through the terrible days to get to the wonderful ones. I knew that no argument or law was worth losing Bennett and no selfish act was worth my people's safety. I felt like I finally had a firm handle on how to live my life as a strong queen and a loving mate.

Then another torrent came when I found out I was pregnant.

I felt like I was walking into another world completely blind and Bennett wasn't much more confident than I was. The pregnancy was stressful enough by itself, constantly wondering if I would be a good parent or not, if my child would continue the legacy of feminism or not. I worried about how much pressure my baby would be under since he was going to be born royal, and I worried that someone would try to take him away from me, use him as leverage to abolish the rights I had helped put in place.

But then little Avon was born.

Avon was the best baby. He slept much of the time, unbothered by everything and he didn't cry into all hours of the night. He would move around the house curiously, investigating, but never moving too far away from Bennett and I.

Bennett was a good father. The second Avon was born there was a shift in him. He became gentler, softer, and less concerned with his work. He would come home at the same time every day, picking Avon up and the two of them would nap on the couch. He read cheesy books and was more than willing to get up in the middle of the night when Avon actually did cry.

What I actually ended up grasping through my life was that you can never stop learning. The world has a weird way of sending constant curve balls and it's easy to accept them than it is to fight against them. I also learned that you can never give up on someone you love, no matter how bad things get. And finally, I figured out that there is beauty in everything, sometimes you just need a different angle to see it.

5 D$C

**Well, that's the end of it folks. Sorry if you wanted more. For those of you who read She's The Alpha, can anyone remember who Avon grows up to be?**