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The stars twinkled above me, and I was connected to them like companions in the night. My wolf and I were in sync, not just with one another, but with the earth. There was nothing in the world quite like it.
Except… there was. I’d felt it tonight. When I’d found her—when I’d found Liza. She would be mine, my fated mate.
An electric current coursed through me, giving me strength as I ran. My heart raced with excitement and joy. For the first time in a long time, I felt truly alive. Nothing else mattered but this moment: me and nature intertwined in harmony.
I would have to court Liza, and that worried me. I wasn’t what anyone would call a romantic. In fact, they’d call me whatever the extreme opposite of a romantic was. Here I was, the prince of the south, and I had no idea what I needed to do to convince her that we belonged together.
I was a good fuck—I’d been told that a couple of times—but I didn’t excel at wooing women, and any woman I’d ever been involved with could attest to that.
I forced air into my lungs with long, deep breaths, trying to calm the fire raging inside me. I was desperate to be with her, so much so that I couldn’t catch my breath. But I had to do this the right way. I had to take the time to get to know her and prove my intentions were genuine.
All I knew for sure was that she could either be my salvation or my downfall, depending on how she reacted to my pursuing her.
Time would tell whether I’d made the right decision by going against my parents’ wishes and trusting my wolf.
* * *
The next morning, I rushed down the stairs, anxious to eat breakfast and plan how to woo Liza.
I wasn’t surprised in the least to find my best friend, Bryce Fulton, lounging at the table in my dining room—it was much smaller than the one at the country club—with his feet crossed.
I could take a lot, but I would not be taking heat from Bryce. Not today. “Lose the cheesy grin or I’m kicking your ass.” I rolled my eyes and pulled up a chair next to him.
“Touchy, touchy.” He dropped his feet and sat forward, resting his elbows on the table. “I come bearing breakfast and many congratulations for finding your fated mate.”
I stared at the platter of pastries and fruit. “Where’s the meat?”
“I wasn’t sure how long you’d be, so your cook stuck it in a warming drawer.” Bryce, asshole that he was, snapped his fingers in the air to call for one of the kitchen staff. “My man’s ready for his meat.”
“Really?” I didn’t treat anyone the way he did. “What are you really doing here, Bryce?”
“For the scoop, obviously.” He put an appropriate amount of boredom in his tone, then popped a grape into his mouth. “What the hell was up with your parents last night?”
“They don’t approve of fate’s choice of mate for me.” Softer, I added, “Liza.” I took a sip of orange juice, then looked at him. He was wearing his dumb expression, with the arched eyebrows and pursed lips. “Liza’s the waitress.”
“Yeah, I got that. Saw it up close and personal. We all did.” He cleared his throat. “You are all anyone’s talking about.”
“Damn it.” I should’ve figured the rumor mill was churning. Nothing was sacred in this fucking town. By now, mouths were running and stories were being concocted. Truth would be a minor factor in this game. “Fuck.” The last thing I needed was some tawdry story spreading through the community.
“You can’t really blame them.” Bryce’s lips turned up into a sly grin. “They’ve all been anxiously awaiting the moment the prince of the south finds the one he’s destined to be with. And if you didn’t, there were about a thousand women ready to pounce on you as soon as you gave them the go-ahead.” He shook his head and clicked his tongue. “You broke a lot of hearts last night, buddy.”
“Whatever. Doesn’t give anyone the right to discuss my relationship, or lack thereof, with Liza.” I cracked my knuckles, then grabbed a pastry and bit into it. “It’s no one’s fucking business.”
Bryce nodded. “Agreed, but you have to admit, this is a juicy piece of gossip. Especially since Liza is a waitress and you’re…” He paused. “Royalty.”
“Yeah. Such is life.” I wasn’t complaining as much as stating a fact. No matter what I did it would be newsworthy, simply because of who my parents were. “I hate that it fucking matters.” I looked around for the bacon and sausage that still hadn’t arrived. “To my parents and the rest of the pack.”
Bryce nodded again. “Look, I don’t presume to tell the great prince of the south what to do, but my advice is that if you want her, you have to prove her worth to them. Show them that you’re serious about Liza and that she’s worthy of being your mate.”
I shouldn’t have had to prove anything. I was their son, the future leader of our pack. This was a crock of shit and a whole lot of ridiculousness for no reason. No one else had ever had to prove the worth of the mate fate chose for them. It was decided and a done deal. It might sound like a poor little rich boy problem, and maybe it was, but as the poor little rich boy, it pissed me off. “Easier said than done.”
He narrowed his eyes. “What did your parents say about her?”
I sighed. “That she isn’t good enough. Not the woman they would’ve chosen.” I shake my head. “It’s bullshit. They’re hiding something, but I told them I was moving forward, with or without their permission.”
“Aww, my little Tyson is all grown up.” He reached across the table and patted my hand.
I jerked away. “Don’t be a condescending prick.”
