Chapter 1 - Skylar
Banging my head against the car window for the umpteenth time, I sigh out in frustration. I hate being stuck in small spaces, and a minivan is one of those. For the past million and a half hours, I've had to endure the pain of my four brothers and parents bickering. The Goddess blessed me with earphones, but even those don't cut out all the noise of loud, obnoxious werewolves.
Being an overgrown hairy wolf that howls to the moon to scare little kids at night is my specialty. It is not my fault that my town is small and boring. If only we had a nightclub to get all hot and sweaty while grinding on males, we have no intention of fucking. I definitely don't need the extra stress of being hunted by another male who isn't my soulmate.
Normally I have my two best friends to keep me out of trouble, but for the past week, each family in the pack has been heading to a secret location that only our parents know about. I don't consider that secret if each adult in our pack knows, but who am I to utter common sense out loud?
The so-called reason for traveling this great distance is because our prince has found his freaking soulmate. Whopped d' freakin do! It happens all the time. Maybe not when you want it to, but it still happens. For example, a man named Chris in our pack found his soul mate while on vacation three weeks ago. Of course, being the female, she had to uproot her whole life and move in with his smelly ass. Saying goodbye to her parents, family, and friends for a man she knew nothing about, probably still knows nothing about! His body probably, as wolves tend to mate within the first three days of meeting, if not the first sighting.
Male wolves are too much drama when it comes to their females. You can't do this or that. You can't leave the house without letting me know where you're going. No talking to unmated males.
At the age of twenty-five, I crave my freedom to explore the world.
Mother calls Emma, Nicole, and I the three musketeers since we are stuck at the hips. That is why in three weeks' time, we will be heading out to discover the magic of Europe. No hostels or trains booked. Nothing is planned out, and that's how we like it. We will trust our trusty maps, hiking boots, and backpacks. Of course, we might stay if we find a hostel for the night. It depends on if trees are nearby.
As wolves, we love to sleep outdoors. If I could, I would sleep outside for life, but with a certain stalker, it's unsafe for me to be outside alone.
Having a mate would deter my stalker as long as he's an alpha. If not, I pray his pack is on the other side of the country, and his alpha allows my parents and siblings to join his pack.
If neither of those options is true, I see no other action than killing my alpha's heir. The sick fuck deserves the worse death imaginable.
Thinking about the prick has my blood spiking and my hands shaking. Mark, my twin, twines our fingers together while shoulder bumping me softly. He knows when my mind begins to spiral. It occurs often enough it's not hard for him to see the signs. Clenched fists, tight shoulders, and pursed lips, to name a few.
"I know you're secretly hoping you find your mate, Sky. You may fool everyone else, but I'm your twin. I know you like the back of my eyelids while sleeping. It's the fear of your man being anything like your stalker that has you pushing the idea of finding your mate this weekend away," he links with me, not once glancing in my direction. Mark's attention is solely on the passing trees.
Mark isn't wrong. Not that I will admit that to him. I doubt I'll reject him if I find my mate during the royal gathering this weekend. Unless he's just like my stalker, then he can die a cold hard death. There will be no remorse given.
"What will you do if Emma or Nicole find their mates?" He continues to nudge my mind, not daring me to go down a dark path. I was in one this morning when we left the house. Secretly, I believe my family packed everything of value in case I found my mate and could leave the royal grounds with them.
"You know we are sticking together, Mark," Emma sneaks into the conversation. "We aren't breaking up this family for a blessed fucking. If my mate wants me, we will all live in the same pack."
Nicole snorts, barging her way in too. "Damn straight, our males will. If they don't and try to split us up, they won't know where their nuts have located too."
"I fear for your males. I honestly do," Liam interjects himself with a shudder. "They have no idea the psychos they will be mating." He's quick to lean away, missing my fist. The jerk.
"I'm not a psycho," I pout. When no one responds, I grunt in annoyance. "Fine, I'm a little bit of a psycho."
My brothers and best friends snicker at how easily I give in when it comes to my mental stability. It's all because of my stalker. The fucker.
"Want to talk about this morning?" Mark asks softly, not wanting to freak me out.
Clenching his fingers, I stare out the window, the taste of copper in my mouth. When I relieve a nightmare, my lips because enemy number one. Maybe one day they will look healthy and full. My family prays this weekend will be our saving grace. The Goddess has to bless her wolves once in their lives, right?
Biting into my lip, I try not to replay the horror I felt while in the shower this morning. A numbness slithers over my soul, clenching my heart in its icy hands. It's the safest way to retell what occurred.
YOU ARE READING
Claimed by the King
Werewolf"You know the answer to that question, Skylar." His right hand lifts to my face, the pads an inch away from brushing my skin. He hesitates, not wanting to push his luck. "You're it for me. I don't have to know you as a person to know your soul. It b...
