The Rejected Werewolf Princess by Didiadeyemi

CAMILLA'S POV

There was silence for two minutes before Christine spoke. “I don't like this feeling.”

“What feeling?” I had an idea what she was talking about but I wasn't going to put words in her mouth.

She had always had an issue with expressing herself. It was easier for her to use logic, I think it was one of the reasons she got along with Ryker so well, they were two very logical individuals but this was something that even logic couldn't fix and she couldn't understand it. She was getting mated today and it was as emotion as it got. For someone like her who didn’t put much stock on emotions, I could only imagine how different it was for her to wake up to the myriad of emotions in her chest.

“My chest,” she touched her hand to her skin as if it would explain it. “It feels weird, I don’t like how it feels. It's tight I can't breathe.”

“Christine, I'm sure you can put into words how you're feeling or would you prefer if I broke down emotions to you the way I would with Audrey?”

She rolled her eyes and flipped me off. “You know what I mean.”

“I do, but you have to say it out loud or I will continue to pretend like I don’t. You woke me up at an ungodly hour of the morning so you better believe that we are going to have this conversation whether you want to or not”

She made a show of exhaling loudly before lying back in bed. I honestly thought she was going to ask me to forget about the entire conversation and try to leave but instead, she spoke with a voice softer than a feather.

“l can't pinpoint exactly how I feel. I feel too much and I don't like that. It's easy to deal with one thing. maybe two but this is a lot more than that. To avoid an incomplete reading experience, visit Jobn'i’'b.com.It feels like an entire box of emotions just exploded in my chest.”

“Do you want to go ahead with this?” I asked and she didn’t hesitate before nodding.

“Of course, this is all I've ever wanted. Why would you even ask me that?’

“So that you would know the answer to whatever question brought you here,” I dragged myself out of bed. “You want this, so you don’t have to worry about anything else. It is normal to feel emotional and you're pregnant no less, I would be surprised if you don't end this day in tears.”

She looked horrified by the mere thought. “That will not be happening.”

“We'll see about that,” I mumbled before going back to the original conversation. “You'll be fine, you have an entire t yourself to take your mind off things. The ceremony isn’t until the evening so relax and take things one step at a time.”

She nodded slowly. “Okay, I like the sound of that. What's the plan for today then?”

“l am going to be making sure everything is perfect while you are going to go back to your bed and you are going to fall asleep,” she started to protest but I held out a hand to stop her. “That was not a request, it was an order as your cousin and as your Queen.”

She mumbled something under her breath about abuse of power but at the end of the day, she dragged her feet out of bed and left.

By the time I was done with breakfast and the girls, I was pulled into a handful of meetings. Christine didn’t want anything over the top and that was fine but we still needed to make a little decorations and that was proving to be just as difficult as if the ceremony was large. I didn’t mind the stress, it was going to be worth it at the end of the day when I saw how happy she was, what I did mind was the fact that Riley walked up to me when I was talking to the decorators.

“Can you excuse me for a minute?” I announced once I had noticed her standing by the door. They looked at me with concern. “I think we have gone over everything major. I will come to check on it outside once you start setting up but don’t forget, Christine is not to see it until it is done. I don't care if you have to call Juan to drag her out of there but make sure she doesn't see.”

They filed out after that and I waited until the door shut behind them to look up at Riley. She didn’t speak, she just stood there fiddling with her fingers. I realized she wasn’t going to speak first so I leaned back into my chair.

“Is there something I can help you with?” I tried to keep the annoyance out of my voice but it was not very easy. Our last conversation had ended poorly and it wasn’t something that one easily forget. “There is a chair if you want to-" “No,” she cut me off. “Why didn’t you tell Ryker about our conversation? He came to me last night, he didn’t know a thing. I thought for sure he was going to rip me a new one and ask me to leave. You could have gotten me out of here if you had just told him.”

“I don't need your brother to kick you out. I can do that on my own if I wish. That sound be an indicator that I don't want you out of here. I told you before and I will tell you again; the idea that everyone is against you is insane. No one is trying to keep you out of anything.”

“So you want me at the ceremony?”

“It isn’t my ceremony, it is Christine's and yes, she asked to invite you as long as you don’t make a ruckus. She just needs some peace and stability in her life right now and this is it”

She sighed. “I'm sorry that I was rude. I just- I think it would be better for us if we left after this. Anytime we come here, it always ends up badly. I think we should just go.”

“Riley, no one is-"

“I know,” she cut me off. “This is my choice. Besides, I have a pack to run with Damien and we have left them unattended for too long. I need to go back. I just wanted you to know first.”

“Thank you for telling me.”

The room went silent and the air stretched thin between us. I could tell there was still so more that she wanted to say but she decided against it. “Is there a dress code?”

“No, just wear something cute but casual. I know if Christine had her way, she would be in riding gear.” She snorted a that. “Now that would be a sight to behold.”

After Riley left, the rest of the day went by smoothly. The decorations were perfect, it was a simple arch situated righ at the center of the little path behind the palace. There were flowers thrown all around the pathway Christine was to walk and there were six little chairs for us. It was the definition of simple and I knew Christine was going to love it. Tiny unlit candles surrounded the little area and I could only imagine how beautiful it was going to be when the sun went down.

I was grinning from ear to ear as I walked through the walls of the palace and I was so happy that I didn’t notice Ryker walking up to me until he was standing directly behind me. He placed a hand on my shoulder and I nearly jumped.

“I'll take it from that smile that everything is going according to plan,” he mused and I nodded. “I think we all needec this, something happy and fun to combat everything that had happened.”

I nodded in agreement. “It just feels right. I can’t wait to see them get mated. You should see the decorations, it looks perfect.”

“I can't wait to see it but I think you are heading in the wrong direction,” his hands on my shoulders stopped me in my tracks and he turned me around so I was facing the other way. “That is where you should be going.”

“I have to get the girls ready.”

“l am sure it is a feat I can pull off on my own. What you need to do is to be with Christine so that you both can get ready together. She needs you today.”

“But-" I began but he cut me off.

“I can do this, Camilla. I can handle our daughters, go and be with Christine right now.”

I waited one minute to be sure that he was going to be fine and then I rushed over to her room. My knuckles had barely hit the wood when she pulled the door open and dragged me in. her dress lay on the bed, it was an off white color and I knew it would look gorgeous on her. Right next to it was my pale pink dress, I wasn't sure how it got there and she must have noticed me staring at it because she spoke.

“Ryker brought it a while ago,” she explained and I couldn't help but shake my head with a small smile. “I tried to keep my mind occupied but Camilla, I couldn't. My heart feels like it is about to beat out of my chest but I am excitec at the same time.”

I led her to the bed where she sat down. “It happens, you are excited but you are also nervous. It is a nerve wracking experience to stand in front of people and mate with the person you love.”

“That's why I wanted a small ceremony. I couldn't imagine doing it in front of the whole world. I don’t know how you managed to do it”

I led her to the bathroom where her bath water sat untouched. “Today isn’t about me, it is about you. You are going to go out there and officially be mated to Juan, are you ready?” She didn't hesitate. “Yes, I am.”