Acceptance

Chapter 39

I woke up before almost all of my mates except one. I noticed Qin wasn't in bed anymore. Feeling stiff, I slipped from bed and shifted before leaving the bedroom quietly. I followed the bond till I found Qin at his brothers' graves. It had snowed last night, a good two feet. I placed a paw in the snow and hated how cold it felt. I swallowed my hatred towards it and kept walking towards him. I had to practically hop and jump in the snow to get to him since the snow was pretty high when I'm in my wolf form. I made it over to him and saw he had silent tears streaming down his face. "I didn't want this," He whispered. He dropped to his knees and I moved to be in front of him. He wrapped his arms around me and buried his face in my fur. He shook as he cried, soaking my, but I didn't care. My mate was in pain and there wasn't anything I could do except let him cry.

I could feel the temperature start to drop as snow began to fall heavily. I nudged him, Let's go inside where its warm, I mind linked to him. He let me go to wipe his face, before he scooped me up into his arms. "You didn't have to come out here, I know how you feel about the cold," He told me. I can always warm up, you and our mates come first over my comfort, I told him via mindlink.

When we got to the castle he sat me down and I shook the snow out of my fur. We walked back to our room and I saw Pyrus holding Cindy who was crying. "What's wrong," I asked her once I shifted back. "I have to wear my royal clothes to meet with the person who is to help with the coronation, but I'm so fat now," she cried. Hormones, I thought. "You don't have to wear it honey, you have plenty of beautiful outfits that you can wear," I told her. "But its tradition," she sniffled. I raised an eyebrow, "Its freezing cold outside, I wouldn't let you leave the room showing so much skin incase you get sick. So if anyone wants to get pissed off at you for not wearing it then tell them it's my fault. I'm not wearing that stupid scrap of fabric in this weather. I just froze my furry ass off outside, I'm not freezing my flesh one off too."

Pyrus kissed her cheek, "Plus, you're not fat." She sniffled, "Really?" "Of course not," I assured her. She wiped her eyes and smiled brightly before she got up to go get dressed. I threw on some clothes and went to collapse back into bed when Qin's mother knocked on the door. "Yes mother," Qin asked her. "I need to give your mate Alice some lessons on how to be a royal," She told him. I burst into laughter, "I don't think so. I'm telling you now, it's a waste of time." "You have no idea on how to act during royal gatherings," She told me.

I stood on the bed, "We royal women stand off to the side, lips sealed shut, with a stupid smile plastered on to our faces. We are to be seen and not heard, and to never leave our mates sides. Royal women are to never speak of war or politics, only of children and they good things they're doing for the kingdom. We are to never use vulgar language or speak against our mate either. Also at all times are you to look presentable. Did I miss anything?" "You covered it for the most part," Pyrus told me with a nod.

I dropped down to the bed, landing with a plop as his mother sighed. "There is so much more than that," she told me. "Please Alice, just take the lessons," Cindy told me. "Why," I asked her. "So you dont embarrass Qin during the coronation. Speaking out like you did during dinner our first night here can't happen again. When its just us it's fine, but in front of our other kingdoms is another story," Cindy explained to me. Qin and Pyrus looked at Cindy in shock, as if they couldn't believe she just said that. However his mother seemed to be in agreement, "Precisely."  I saw her point, it just stung.

"Fine I'll take the lessons," I told them. Both women smiled happily while Qin and Pyrus seemed at a loss for words. I sighed and left the room with his mother to begin my lessons. Let the hell begin.

Qin's POV

I sat in the bedroom reading a book, trying to distract myself when Drake and Cindy came in. It was clear she was going through a mood swing and taking it out on him and he seemed annoyed with her but was biting his tongue. I tried to focus on the page I was on, but I gave up when Nathaniel and Pyrus came in arguing like normal. Last to arrive to add to my new headache was Shelton who seemed shocked. He tried to get Nathaniel and Pyrus to quit arguing but a snap from Pyrus set him off.