Page 3 of Simon

The queen shook her head. “Lucy, it is not your problem to deal with. People don’t need to be pushing themselves on you when you haven’t shown interest. You are not Dutton’s mate or anyone else’s mate on this trek. They would have made it known by now. Not trying to hurt your feelings in any way.” She sighed. “You are a gorgeous woman, and yes, we have mates here, but some decide to date and do… other things before they meet who belongs to them. I highly discourage it because it gets messy, but I cannot control people’s lives. I do emphasize consent, though, and that’s what Kane is reminding them of.”

I nodded in understanding. She hooked her arm around mine and led me closer to the bustling marketplace. The trees stood tall. They were thick with branches that overhung the area, with beautiful vines that cascaded downward. It kept the area cool, and the breeze was ever constant. It wasn’t humid, and the thick mosses and damp soil filtered all the dust, allowing my lungs to expand to their fullest extent.

Goodbye, asthma!

“We are so excited that you are able to do this. It was fate. I truly believe it was. You are meant to be here.” She gave me a side-eye and a wink.

I looked everywhere but her after that statement. I hoped she didn’t think that someone was going to think I was their soul mate, because soul mates was a strange concept for me. How can you just fall for someone so fast? Was it like lightning? How could you truly know?

None of it made sense. Was it a biological chemical in the brain? Was it a scent the body released? Did it have to do with reproduction? There were too many questions, and for now, as a human, I did not find it logical that it could happen to someone like me. Interspecies relationships did not seem that common. The humans I had seen here were single.

I swallowed again as we stopped at a food cart. They were selling something similar to a hot dog, but instead of those buns with infected chemicals, it was on freshly baked bread with spices that didn’t even need ketchup and mustard. The meat was a large sausage that I knew I wouldn’t be able to eat all on my own, but every portion of food was shifter-sized.

Big. Everything was big.

Clara handed it to me and motioned for me to start eating.

“I want her safe,” my father chimed in as he grabbed his Bergarian hotdog and took a bite. “Oh, that’s good stuff,” he mumbled around the food. “And I know this Dutton character is the head of security, but I swear if he puts one hand on my daughter...”

Clara put a calming hand on my father’s shoulder. “She is in excellent paws. Five males and five females; all top warriors. Then, two orcs will accompany her when they arrive. Sugha is extra excited for you to be there. His brothers have all found mates, and he’s hoping you might be his.”

The food I just shoved in my mouth went down the wrong pipe, and I choked. Immediately, my hands went to my throat. My father came up behind me and immediately did the Heimlich maneuver. It wasn’t necessary. It only took one good jerk of his fist into my stomach, and it flew out and hit the bottom of the cart.

The people around us looked in horror, and my face turned so red, I was sure I could make a car stop. If there were cars around here.

Father kept doing the Heimlich, and I pushed away from his hold. “I’m fine!” I squeaked and wiped away the spit-dribble on my chin. “And what do you mean, an orc as a mate?”

Clara giggled. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. Sugha mentioned he was hoping you were his mate. He may not be, you never know. Those orcs are very eager. They won’t touch you,though, just like the rest of the wolves traveling with you. If you aren’t theirs, they won’t bother. Trust me.”

My mouth opened and closed while my father studied Clara. He said nothing but picked up his cane. “These mates, they can just steal my daughter if they think that she belongs to them? If they think she is their soul mate?”

Clara nodded cheerfully. “Yes, and they will take care of her, love her, and make sure she is satisfied in all ways. It’s truly romantic.” Clara swooned and looked toward the king in longing. The large king was currently yelling at his warriors, his shaking fist coming close to their faces. They all looked like they might pee their pants.

I swallowed and rubbed my throat. I grabbed a paper napkin from the cart and patted the corner of my lips.

“That’s it; I’m going with you.” Father shook his head and hobbled with his cane back toward the wagons. From there, he would find the road back to the palace.

Clara watched me as I took several steps to catch up to him, and I tugged on his arm. “Father, no. I am fine. I can do this. Please, let me do this.”

He stopped and pursed his lips.

I didn’t believe in divine intervention, but I did believe I was here for a reason. Who knew, maybe by the end, I might believe in something.

“Father, as noble as you are trying to be. I am an adult.” I tried to reason with him. His brows furrowed, and the already deep lines in his face further deepened. “You are here to learn about shifter anatomy. You won’t be able to handle the terrain in the Monktona Woods. I will draw as many pictures as I can and tell you everything when I get back.”

My father swallowed. “You will come back. And be safe.” He said, more to himself. “You will.”

My smile trembled. “Of course I will. You taught me everything I know for the last twenty-nine years of my life.”

He let out a shaky breath and ran his fingers through his hair. “Right.”

Father wasn’t one for emotion. He was logical and practical and always looking at things from a realistic point of view. But standing in this mystical land of shifters, fae, elves, and who knew what else, anything seemed possible. With the mysteries of the unknown all around us, I thought it must all be hitting him right now.

Clara, with her gentle smile and wise eyes, stood beside us. “Your father will be safe here, too, Lucy. He will learn much from our healers and scholars, while you embark on your journey through the Monktona Woods, and you will bring us just as much knowledge as we have been wanting to know about that place. Orcs aren’t great at explaining things. They are a little”—she bobbed her head back and forth—“basic. They just aren’t great with words.”

I stared up into the sky, which was a canvas of pastel shades, a watercolor masterpiece blending pinks, purples, and blues in a harmonious symphony, each shade swirling and dancing with the others in a cosmic tie-dye.

It was beautiful.

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