His Lost Queen by Annie Whipple

BELLE

073% 11:43

I couldn’t stop bouncing my leg as I sat waiting for Minnic to show up with Liam at my

side.

It was a beautiful July day, so waiting outside a coffee shop for one of my best friends with another one of my best friends, sipping an iced latte wasn’t the worst way to spend my morning.

But I couldn’t get my anxiety under control. I kept repeatedly replaying in my head on a constant loop the conversation Grayson and I’d had in our bedroom four days before.

The entire situation had been absolutely mortifying. Having your significant other turn you away the bedroom wasn’t exactly fun.

And to make matters worse, I had barely even seen my mate for the past four days. Sure, we had spent the night together, but that was it.

in

Grayson was gone early in the morning before I was able to pull myself from sleep, and then I didn’t see him again until late into the night.

He had told me after that day that this week was going to be extremely busy for him.

He had a lot to figure out after dropping the ball with his king duties because he had been putting all his energy into finding me.

So I couldn’t exactly blame him for not being able to spend time with me, but I also missed him. Desperately.

That, and I was intensely paranoid that he was avoiding me after everything that had happened.

Ugh, I wanted to slam my head into a wall.

Fingers snapped in front of my face. “Belle!” Liam called out, trying to get my attention. “Have you been listening to anything I’ve been saying?”

I found it amusing that Liam didn’t call me Luna. He was the only one besides Grayson who still called me Belle.

And, although I knew

kind of liked it. It feyson would probably murder him if he heard him calling me by name, I

kind of liked it. It felt normal. It felt like home-a place that I still didn’t feel like I had found yet.

When I had been living in Minneapolis, nothing ever felt sure or stable. I was in and out of hospitals while I took care of my sick dad.

Emergency calls only

Ob

073% 11:43

We lived in a house, then an apartment, and as money started to dwindle and medical bills started to pile up, an even smaller apartment, and, finally, on the couch of one of my dad’s coworkers.

my own and f

After my father died, I was on a new home again. I was always rushing around, never standing still or taking a moment to breathe.

Minneapolis didn’t feel like home. And Grayson’s pack house in Minnesota definitely didn’t feel like

home.

The closest I had come to feeling like I was home was the little while I stayed at Liam’s apartment in Evergreen. Liam, Laila, and I made a small family.

And even though I eventually made the choice to move out for the sake of my independence, I definitely missed it. I still miss it.

I shook myself out of my fog of insecurities and looked up at my friend sitting across from me. He had been telling me something, and he was right; I hadn’t been listening to a single word he’d said.

“I’m sorry. I’m paying attention now. Say it again?”

Liam studied me with concern and maybe slight annoyance. “You’ve been spacey lately. Is something going on?

Yes, there was something going on, but telling Liam about my sex life was not something I wanted to do. Minnie was another story. I told Minnie everything.

I spent the last several nights on her couch with a bucket of ice cream, giving her all the dirty details of everything that had happened between Grayson and me. I just needed someone to talk to about all this.

“No, I’m okay. Just didn’t sleep well last night,” I explained. “Tell me what you were saying.”

Liam sighed. “I know you asked if we could hang out tonight, but I’m hoping I can take a rain check. Something came up.”

H

“Oh. Oh, yeah, that’s totally fine. Don’t even worry

Enjoying this story?

“Oh, Luuunaaaaa! I got you a present!” Minnie sk ipped toward Liam and me, holding a giant, pink, sparkly bag in her hands that was nearly half her size.

It was all wrapped up like a gift. with colorful tissue wrapping coming out of the top and a huge Chapter 43 of 59: Chapter 43

Emergency calls only b

OD

D73%

“What’s this?” I asked. It was heavier than I expected and filled to the brim. “Is today a holiday I didn’t know about?” I looked at Liam, who just Shrugged.

1143

“No, silly!” Minnie laughed. “You said you didn’t have a swimsuit so…” She shrugged, gesturing at the bag.

I smiled and started to tear through what seemed like endless amounts of tissue paper until its contents were revealed. My brows shot up. “So you got me twenty?”

Inside were swimsuits in every fabric, style, and color imaginable.

“I just got everything that I thought you might look good in,” Minnie explained, her giddiness never leaving her tone.

“Which also just so happened to be basically everything. But, hey, a girl’s got to have options, right?”

I laughed. “I think this is enough options to last me a lifetime. I mean, seriously, how much did this even cost you?”

She waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t even worry about that. My dad paid.”

I shook my head in amusement and reached in to grab the first thing I saw.

“Minnic,” I said, smiling as I held it up. “This is perfect!”

It was a black bikini top, simple and practical. And I could see the matching bottoms, too, exactly what I needed.

In fact, it was really the only thing I needed, but I was so touched by Minnie’s kind gesture that I wasn’t planning on complaining.

Besides, it wasn’t like Grayson and I didn’t have room in our absolutely enormous walk-in closet.

Minnie clapped her hands and jumped up and down. “Yay! I put that one on the top because I thought you would like it best. Keep going! There’s more!”

She was right; there were lots more. For the next several minutes, I pulled out swimsuit after swimsuit, exclaiming with the proper oohs and aahs with each one.

I wasn’t much of a fashion person, especially when it came to something as abstract as bathing suits, but I did have to admit Minnie had good taste.

And, as far as I could tell, they were all my size too.

Chapter 43 of 59: Chapter 43

காட்

Emergency calls only

–

2073% 11:43 “I have a great eye for size,” Minnie explained when I asked her if she had secretly measured me at some point.

Liam watched us from the side with an expression of total disinterest on his face. I even glanced over at him once and laughed when it looked like he was about to fall asleep.

but

I had just finished admiring a blue one-piece, the ninth suit I had pulled out, and thought I was done

gave an exasperated sigh when I reached into the bag again and found more hidden beneath the tissue paper.

“Minnie, have you mistaken me for someone who lives on the beach?” I laughed, pulling out the paper. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with all of these. You really did get me twenty, didn’t you?”

Her smile took on a mischievous glint. “Actually…”

I didn’t have time to try to figure out what she meant by that because I was already reaching in for the next thing.

And that’s when I noticed all the lace on the other bikinis-and the lack of fabric on the bottoms. I immediately slammed the bag shut, my eyes wide.

“Minnie!” I shrieked. “Please tell me you didn’t.”

I couldn’t even look at Liam. I could only hope he hadn’t seen what was really at the bottom of the bag.

Minnic giggled, totally and completely unashamed. “I did!”

“What?” Liam asked, suddenly interested for the first time in the last twenty minutes. “What did she get you?” He stood from his chair and leaned over the table to try to look in the bag.

I moved it away from him, holding it to my chest so no one could see.

“You know in Twilight when Bella and Edward were on their honeymoon and Bella puts on all those se xy outfits to try to get Edward to…well, you know.”

Minnie winked so dramatically that it nearly made her look like she was having a stroke.

“And that’s my cue,” Liam cut in, backing away from us. It seemed he finally started to understand the general idea of what Minnie’s gift to me had been.

“If you need me, I’ll be way over there, far, far away from this conversation.” He turned and, in a flash, was several blocks down the street.

Chapter 43 of 59: Chapter 43

Emergency calls onlyMu Ob

I would have been amused by his reaction if I wasn’t so embarrassed myself.

073% 11.44

I groaned. “Minnie, you got me”-I looked around, lowering my voice so no one could hear me -“lingerie?”

“It’s not a bad word, you know,” she replied. “You don’t have to whisper it.

“I mean, come on. You’re trying to get the most powerful man in the world to sleep with you, you can’t even look at lingerie without blushing?”

“I just…” I slowly opened the bag, looking down at all she had gotten me. Just like with the swimsuits, she had really gone all out. Although, there were probably twice as many options.

“What am I supposed to do with all of this?”

and

“Girly, I think you know what you’re supposed to do with it. And if you don’t, then we have other problems.”

She clapped again, squealing. “The alpha is going to die when he sees you in these. Just you wail. Ugh, I’m a genius!”

I wasn’t so sure about that. Grayson saw me naked nearly every day, and he didn’t even bat an eye

anymore.

In fact, when I got dressed in the morning, I would usually find him turned away from me, doing his own thing. I didn’t think he was consciously doing it, but that kind of made it worse, didn’t it?

It was like he was bored with me. How the hell was covering myself with bright pink lace going to help with anything?

I must have been making a face because Minnie gave me a sympathetic look and said, “Okay, look, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.

“You don’t have to wear any of it if you don’t want to. I just thought you might like to have the option.”

I sighed. Minnic had gone out of her way to do this for me. My internal conflicts had nothing to do with her. I was being ungrateful.

“Thank you, Minnie. Seriously, this is one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done for me. You’re the best.”

She smiled widely. “I know.” She shrugged and put her arm through mine.

Chapter 43 of 59: Chapter 43

JE W

Emergency calls only-

073% 1144

“Now, come on, let’s go get Mr. Grumpy over there and get out of here: We’ve got things to do and people to help. It’s going to be a busy day.”

“Sounds good to me,” I replied. We put all of my new swimsuits back into the bag before linking arms and starting our walk to Liam, who had somehow gotten even farther than before.

I laughed. It made me wonder if he could hear Minnie and my conversation from where he had been and scrambled to get farther from us.

My hand gripped the handles of the bag tightly as we walked, nerves flowing through me as I thought about all the possible ways I could use its contents. Anxiety ate away at my stomach.

I looked at Minnie. “Do you have plans tonight?” I cringed at how desperate my voice must have sounded to her.

I continued anyway. “I don’t really feel like being home alone tonight, and I know Grayson will be working late.”

Minnie hesitated. “I so wish I could, but I actually have plans tonight…”

My stomach fell a bit.

“But I can always change my plans if you need,” Minnic continued quickly. “You’re more important.”

I smiled. Minnie was always putting other people before herself. “That’s okay. I’ll be fine. You do whatever it is you have planned. I’ll be fine on my own.”

go

When Minnie still looked unsure, I quickly added, “Really, Minnie, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. We’ve hung out the last several days in a row anyway.

“I can’t expect to get you all to myself every single night.”

“I promise I wouldn’t be blowing you off unless it was something important,” she explained.

“Why don’t you go to the hot tub and put on one of the new swimsuits I got you? I could even let you borrow my copy of Twilight if you wanted!

“Then you could really get into character for when you decide to try to seduce your mate. Channel your inner Bella Swan.”

I laughed. That wasn’t actually a terrible idea. The hot tub part, that is. Although, I suppose reading Twilight wasn’t a terrible idea cither.

Chapter 13 of 50. Chapter 43

92%

Emergency calls onlyML