Page 11 of The Wolf King's Demand

ADDISON

Tyler smiled at the enforcer’s proud words of his queen, which made Addison blush. She never thought it that big of a deal to subdue a rogue female, but maybe it was to the shifter men.

“Addison, could I speak with you privately?” Tyler’s expression was somber. Addison picked up on it right away.

“Yes, of course.” But as soon as Addison uttered the words, the little waif, Cassia, clutched onto Addison’s skirts even tighter and hid her tiny face in the folds.

“Ah, yes. This is my little shadow. Tyler, Louis, meet little Cassia. This is the source of the friction that caused me to have a showdown with the nasty woman in the corner.”

Addison bent down and unwrapped her charge, then looked her calmly in the eye. “Now, sweetie, I need to talk to the king. You will be safe and sound here until I return, okay?”

Cassia’s face had a mix of trepidation and fear, but she seemed to trust Addison. The little girl nodded and peeked at Declan, who smiled and held out his hand. Cassia followed him to the fireplace, where he patted a blanket for her to rest on.

Addison smiled at the big, burly wolf shifter caring for the little girl. Then she followed Tyler outside to a wood-hewn bench near a wildflower garden overlooking another side of Turtle Lake. The cabin was only one room, so there was no privacy. Addison was still a little apprehensive about being alone with Tyler, but maybe having alone time, however short, was what she needed to get accustomed to her king.

Tyler brushed away fallen leaves and twigs from the bench with his hand, then offered a seat to Addison, who gracefully nodded. The two gazed out at the glassy surface of the water for a time. Addison waited to speak. She knew something was on the king’s mind.

After a time, Tyler cleared his throat and turned to Addison. “Addison, I know you’ve told my guards and enforcers you’re okay. But are you? Truly? You can be honest with me. That skirmish and rescuing the children, especially that little tot from her abusive mother. It must have been traumatizing for you. Not to mention your battle with that awful woman.”

Addison jerked her head to Tyler. Her expression was anything but sweet. She knew her immediate change in demeanor would shock her king, but no matter.

“What exactly are you inferring here, Tyler? That I’m too mentally and physically weak to hold my own. I’m not some sort of useless wallflower, you know? How dare you assume such a thing.”

Tyler leaned away from her, his face blanched with shock.

“Not the answer I expected. I’m not sure you understand why I care so deeply for your welfare.” Tyler grabbed both of Addison’s arms and looked straight into her eyes.

“In a nutshell, Addison, I simply can’t lose you to rogue attacks or by any other means. You are my fated mate. Maybe we have kinks to iron out in our relationship, but you, dear one, are my present and future. No one else but you. And, so, your life will be my primary concern until the day I die.”

Addison opened her mouth as if to speak, but no words formed. The shock was too great. She needed time for Tyler’s admission to sink in.

Tyler put his finger on her warm, moist lips and continued his heartfelt confession.

“Addison, it’s been clear to my heart ever since I first laid eyes on you and we signed the mating contract. Your inability to fully shift matters not one iota to me. It’s what is in your heart that counts. You live a just life and are a warrior for good. There is no evil in your being. What more could a king ask for in a mate?”

Addison heard his words, but she wasn’t ready to digest or accept what Tyler had said. She closed her mouth and stared out at the glassy lake.

How could I not see this? How did I not know? And why didn’t I feel the attachment so strong coming from Tyler? To be a fated mate, should I have sensed this?

She turned her head to Tyler. The more she thought about what he said, the more his words found a home in her heart, and the more it all fit. Her feelings of trepidation simply melted away, and her fondness for the man deepened in their place. Addison’s heart was finally ready to receive all from her king, her fated mate.

Her smile was warm again. Tyler breathed.

“So, now, do you appreciate my worry? My care?”

“I … I do … but, Tyler, I need time to digest this. It’s something I never thought you would say or feel. This is huge, you know? For me, surely, but especially for you. Do you understand my hesitancy? My need to take this all in?”

Tyler smiled, reached out, and cradled her hand.

“Dear one, we have all the time in the world, don’t we? Fated mates have a lifetime to settle in. For my part, I will do or say or promise anything to get your heart where mine is today. And once it is, our lives together will be golden.”

Addison’s defenses, what was left of them, fell away. She sat closer to her man and let a lighthearted mood overtake her. Finding her fated mate had never occurred to her. Maybe as a little girl, one could dream. She’d always understood she had a royal duty to marry whoever her parents had selected, regardless of what it meant for her. But for that selection to also be her fated mate, to still have a chance at love, the fact simply took her breath away.

Her mind raced. She thought about shifter pageantry and royal events. She imagined being by his side to help the pack and kingdom rise to bigger heights. Regal images swirled in her brain of ladies-in-waiting, of finery never before seen, and of no end to the happiness because she had found the man she was always meant to find.

“Tyler, I am afraid to accept all this.”

“Why?”

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