BELLE
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A huge bang sounded, and then the sound of splintering wood. Grayson was growling, followed by Liam’s grunts.
I jumped off the counter and sprinted across the room, throwing the door open in a panic. It had been barely thirty seconds since I heard the fight break out, and the room was in total ruins.
The dining table was completely broken, split down the middle.
There were claw marks along the couch cushions, artwork torn off the walls, and shards of glass all over the floor from one of the balcony doors shattering.
The two of them were moving in a blur across the room, so fast that I could barely even follow their movements. They growled and hissed as they plowed into the walls of the suite’s living room..
“Stop!” I yelled in a panic. “Grayson! Liam! Stop! Please!”
They completely ignored me, smashing into the large wooden table and demolishing it. They were making so much noise I was surprised the hotel staff wasn’t alerted.
I did the only thing I could think of. I ran through the broken doors to the balcony. My legs were shaking as I climbed onto the railing overlooking Evergreen, nearly twenty stories up in the air.
I slowly stood and turned, balancing on the thick but terrifyingly high–up rail. I had never been super afraid of heights, thank goodness, but even this had me faltering.
“Stop!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. I was sure even the people beneath me on the road could hear my plea.
Both men finally stopped in the middle of the room, panting, their gazes swinging to land on me. It was then I noticed Grayson had shifted into his wolf.
My whole body filled with emotion and longing as I looked at him. I hadn’t seen Grayson’s wolf since Paris. It made me realize how much I had missed him.
Just like Grayson’s human side, he had grown much bigger since the last time I had seen him, but somehow still managed to make me feel safe and comforted just by being in the same room.
“Belle, thank God. You’re alright,” Liam said. He scanned where I was standing. “What the fuck are you doing? Get down from there! You’re going to fucking kill yourself!”
“It’s the only way I could get your attention. Neither of you were listening to me.”
Chapter 33 of 59- Chapter 33–
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Grayson’s wolf crouched low as he approached me, almost making me think he was hunting me until I noticed the way his ears were folded up in a non–threatening way.
His eyes were wide and worried. I realized with a start that he was coming to get me down.
“Wait,” I said, holding my hands out and looking down behind me to ensure I didn’t accidentally fall to my death. “Don’t come near me, Grayson. I mean it. I need you to listen to me.”
Grayson ignored me, continuing to move toward me slowly, trying not to scare me. He was now only five feet away from me.
“Grayson, seriously-”
I shrieked when he suddenly pounced, leaping up and chomping down on the front of my shirt and forcing me to go falling.
Liam called my name simultaneously, just as shocked by Grayson’s actions as I was.
I thought my face would smash into the concrete beneath me, but Grayson quickly flipped around, so instead, I went flying onto his back, encased by his fuzziness, totally unharmed.
That didn’t mean I wasn’t still pissed.
“What the hell, Grayson?” I demanded, hitting his side as I pushed off him. “Did you not hear me when I told you not to come near me, you big oaf? You could have killed me!”
Grayson shot several quick growls back as if saying, “I almost killed you?”
“Belle, are you okay?” Liam asked, now standing in the doorway with a worried expression.
It was the first time I noticed that his eyes were bright red and his fangs and claws were out, his vampire side in control.
I couldn’t help but freeze as I observed him, still not used to seeing red eyes anywhere but in my
nightmares.
Grayson turned and growled at him, crouching down in a hunting pose for real this time, probably angry with him for scaring me.
To his credit, Liam stood his ground even as Grayson’s wolf–who was an admittedly terrifying creature and larger than a horse–bared and chomped his teeth at him.
I slapped Grayson’s side again. “Quit it,” I scolded him. Grayson backed down a bit. I turned my gaze back to Liam. “I’m fine. Annoyed but fine.”
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$021% 12:40 Before I could stop him, Grayson turned back to me and began incessantly licking my face, making me giggle and shove him away from me.
“Yeah, yeah, I missed you too, big guy.”
Grayson gave one last lick to his mark on my neck, causing a shiver down my spine, before settling his huge head and paws on my lap, nuzzling his head into the side of my knee like a sweet puppy.
It was almost comical, and I couldn’t help but giggle and run my hand over the soft fur of his head.
When I looked back up at Liam, he was watching us with confusion and shock written all over his face.
It occurred to me that he had never witnessed mates interacting before, so it must have seemed odd to him. My face brightened a bit.
“What are you doing here, Liam?” I asked him, clearing my throat. I tried to get up, but Grayson pushed me back down with his massive jaw. I huffed.
“I came here looking for you, obviously,” Liam said, keeping one eye on Grayson at all times. “I got back yesterday. Where have you been?“”
“Where have I been? Where the hell have you been?”
“Canada,” he answered, glaring at the wolf in my lap who was paying absolutely no attention to
him.
“Canada? Why w
you in Canada?”
“Your mate told me to go there.“T
“What? Grayson told you to go to Canada?” I looked down at my mate, but he ignored me and licked his paws, acting oh–so–innocent. Oh, he was so lucky he was a wolf right now.
I tried once again to shove Grayson off my lap. He whined but let me roll him away. “Go shift,” I told him. “You have some explaining to do.”
He looked up at me and huffed unhappily. When he tried to set his head back down on my lap, I quickly moved my legs, so he landed with a thump on the hard ground.
“I’m not kidding. I need to talk to you. Go shift,” I repeated.
Grayson threw an angry glance at Liam and then looked back at me as if he were saying, “You think I’m going to leave you alone with this idiot?”
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“Liam isn’t going to hurt me. He tried to protect me from you, remember?”
Grayson didn’t look convinced.
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“Look, the sooner you get back, the less time I’ll end up spending alone with him,” I tried again.
If wolves had facial expressions, then I swore Grayson would have looked bored. He plopped his head back down on his paws.
My jaw clenched. “Fine. How about I promise not to fight you on going to work tomorrow if you shift right now? We can do whatever you want for the entire day.”
That got his attention. His black wolf eyes peeked open and then narrowed on me for a few seconds before he finally lifted from the floor.
He slowly licked me once on the cheek–thoroughly grossing me out–growled loudly once at Liam, and then went bounding off to the bedroom.
I sighed as I stood up, facing Liam. Now that Grayson wasn’t in the room, I didn’t hesitate to hug him tightly to me, embracing my friend, who I hadn’t seen for several days.
He embraced me back with a relieved sigh.
“I missed you,” I told him, releasing my hold and stepping away from him before Grayson came back and got all growly.
“You have no idea how worried I was when I couldn’t find you the day Grayson found me.”
“I know. I saw all of your texts and missed calls. Are you okay? Has he hurt you?”
I shook my head. “No. No, he would never hurt me. Everything that happened between us was just one huge misunderstanding. Everything is okay now.”
Liam narrowed his eyes. “Why do I find that hard to believe? Am I the only one who remembers how upset and broken you’ve been for the last few months?
“That doesn’t sound like a misunderstanding to me. He hurt you, Belle. And I need to make sure you remember that and don’t just give in to the mate bond after everything he did to you.”
I licked my lips. “I know. I know how it must seem. But I promise you I’m fine. And I’ll explain everything to you later.”
Liam’s frown grew. “Belle…”
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“How are you?” I asked quickly, trying to change the subject.
I didn’t want to have to explain myself to him right then.
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Especially when my mate would be back any second and definitely wouldn’t be happy to hear me talking about our relationship with the man he had just been fighting.
“Want to explain to me why you just up and went to Canada?”
He crossed his arms over his chest, annoyance quickly taking over his expression. “Your stupid werewolf mate told me to walk there after I tried to protect you in the diner.”
Frustration welled inside me. I knew Grayson had done something to Liam. Oh, he was so getting an carful later,
“He told you to walk to Canada?” I asked. “And you listened to him?”
“Well, I didn’t exactly have a choice, did I? I know you said your mate was powerful or whatever, but you didn’t think it was worth mentioning he was King Grayson fucking Stoll?”
I nearly laughed, put off by that statement. “Grayson isn’t a king. He’s an alpha. There’s a big difference.”
“Uh, no,” Liam continued, a groove in his forehead appearing. “That’s not ”
“If
you want to keep your fucking head on your shoulders, you will shut your mouth now, vampire,” Grayson said, cutting him off.
He joined us on the balcony once again, wearing only a pair of jeans, leaving his upper half completely bare. Of course, he made a beeline for me, grabbing me by my waist and pulling me far
from Liam.
Liam’s brows furrowed at the threat. His eyes widened. “Hold on. Does she not know? That’s kind of a huge ass secret to keep from-”
Grayson was suddenly in front of Liam and had a tight grip on his throat, slamming his back into the wall behind him. “Speak another word, and I’ll tear your red eyes out of your head and feed them to you.”
I scampered over to them, quickly ducking under Grayson’s arm so I was between the two men. I placed my hands on Grayson’s chest.
“Stop,” I begged. He looked down at me but only seemed to tighten his hold. Liam sputtered behind. me. “Please.”
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Having flashbacks of the flight to Paris when I met him, I rose up onto my tiptoes and pressed my lips to his.
Grayson immediately started to purr, and I heard Liam gasp for air behind me as Grayson released him. Relief swelled inside of me.
Grayson pulled away seconds later, breathing heavily. He peered down at me, gripping my waist tightly. “You are the only person I will ever risk looking weak for.”
I swallowed, trying to get my emotions in check. “Will you stop trying to murder my friend?”
“Probably not,” he replied mildly, scowling at Liam, who was still a mess on the floor behind me.
Frustration consumed me even as I turned from Grayson and crouched in front of Liam to ensure he was okay. He couldn’t stop coughing. His throat was bright red.
“Are you all right?” I asked.
He nodded, glaring up at Grayson as he continued to cough.
“What was he talking about?” I looked at Grayson. “Why did he call you a king?”
His square jaw made a grinding noise. He hesitated for a moment before answering. “He called me at king because I am one.”
My brows tugged together. Well, this was news. “A king of what, exactly?”
“King of the supernatural. And, soon, you’ll be queen.”
I blinked. “I’m sorry,” I shook my head to clear my thoughts. “I think I must’ve misheard you. Did you just say you are the king of the supernatural?”
Grayson nodded, taking a hesitant step toward mc like he was afraid I would run at any given
moment.
“Yes. It’s a very long story that I planned on telling you when I thought you were ready“-he glared at Liam-“but, yes, it’s true.”
Feeling a little betrayed, I asked, “Is…Is this a new development, or has this always been the case, and I just didn’t know?“”
“No,” Grayson said straight away. “It’s a new development. Of course it’s a new development.” He reached for me, his chest already vibrating with quiet purrs as he pulled me to him.
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021% 12:41 “I would never keep something like that from you. I was only an alpha before everything happened, I promise. It’s a long story, but I swear I plan on telling you everything.”
I nodded, leaning into him a bit despite the fact that I knew Liam was watching us. I needed the comfort Grayson provided and didn’t care what Liam thought of me.
“Bullshit,” Liam snapped. “Are you gonna believe a single thing he says to you, Belle? He’s in the middle of a war with a Mortar. He used you for the power you provided him with once.
“What’s to say he wouldn’t do it again?”
“You’re on very thin ice, vampire,” Grayson spat. “If I were you, I would swallow my tongue before I lose it. You have no idea what happened between Belle and me.”
The two of them were squaring off, Grayson moving in front of me as if Liam would ever consider hurting me.
It was almost comical how much bigger Grayson was compared to Liam, and it almost had me feeling insecure about what I must look like next to my huge mate.
“I’m not afraid of your threats. You are no king of mine,” Liam spat back.
“You wanna test that theory? Fancy another hike to Canada?”
I rolled my eyes. Men. “Okay!” I squeezed myself between the two of them, placing a hand on each
of their chests..
“When you two are done comparing dick sizes, would anybody maybe like to hear what I have to say?”
“Stop touching him,” Grayson demanded, tugging me into him so harshly that my head banged against his bare chest. I gave him a dirty look, but he was too busy glaring at Liam.
“You’re lucky I didn’t snap your arms in half for hugging her earlier.”
“You two are being ridiculous!” I shouted. I looked up at Grayson. “Especially you. He’s only trying to help. He’s the only reason I wasn’t homeless for the last few months.
“He and his sister were there for me when I was at my lowest and thought I had no one. I don’t know where I would be if it weren’t for him.”
I turned to Liam. “And you. This is my mate. I know I told you that he treated me terribly and that I never wanted to see him again, but I was wrong.
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“There were things I didn’t understand. And I…I really think Grayson does love me.”
Grayson pulled me closer at those words, a slight vibration coming from his chest.
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I could feel his intense happiness surging through the bond. “So I know you’re super protective of me or whatever, but I’m fine. I promise you I’m fine. I’m safe with Grayson.”
“And you’re sure he didn’t just use the power of the Mortars on you?” Liam asked.
“What even is that? That’s the third time you’ve brought that up,” I noted.
“The power of the Mortars is the ability to persuade any person to do whatever I say,” Grayson explained softly. “I developed the gift after Azazel left my body, and I became king.”
“Oh. Oh, that’s…” I let out a humorless laugh. “That’s great. Because it’s not like you didn’t have enough power already. Now you can control every living creature. That’s truly perfect.”
Grayson turned me around so that I was looking at him. “I would never use it unless it was totally necessary. And I would never even consider using it on you unless it was a matter of your safety or health.
“You know that, right?“*
“You better not use it on me. And you better not use it on my friends either. Was sending Liam to Canada really ‘necessary,‘ as you put it?”
“Yes,” he growled back, glowering at Liam.
“Why?”
“Because I don’t like him.”
I elbowed him in the gut, then immediately regretted it when it ended up hurting me more than it hurt him. He didn’t even flinch. Jeez, was this guy made of rock or something?
“Stop hurting yourself,” Grayson reprimanded, already rubbing at my definitely–bruised elbow. I huffed, yanking my arm out of his grip out of spite.
Then something occurred to me. “Wait a second. You’re not expecting me to become some sort of werewolf queen or something, right? Because you’re a king?”
Obviously put off by the question, Grayson hesitated for a moment, opening and shutting his mouth. like a fish out of water, then he glared again at Liam as if blaming him for having to have this conversation right now.
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“Well?” I prompted. My breathing was picking up, and my mind was racing. I couldn’t even be the luna of a simple pack.
I wasn’t even sure I wanted to go back to Grayson’s pack in Minnesota, even after finding out that his pack didn’t actually hate me.
They were just under the influence of some stupid vampire telling them not to talk to me. And now he wanted me to rule with him over an entire kingdom? There was no way.
No one would take me seriously.
“Belle, I can feel you overthinking,” Grayson spoke, pulling me from my thoughts. “You’re freaking yourself out, and there’s no reason for that.
“You know I would never give you more than you could handle. And I would never force you into something you didn’t want to do. All I need from you is to be by my side.”
Although his words helped to calm my racing thoughts just a bit, I still couldn’t help but imagine all of the terrible scenarios and ways I could mess up as the queen of the supernatural.
The human queen of the supernatural. Oh, God.
Without any warning, I was scooped up into Grayson’s arms and set back down in his lap on the ripped–up couch. I leaned into his purring chest, sighing at how good the vibrations felt running through my body.
“I hate that I keep putting you through so much stress. It’s killing me. Please calm down,” Grayson
said.
His words were somewhat taken over by his purrs, making his voice sound husky and deep and sexy.
“I’m okay,” I tried to reassure him. “This is all just a bit overwhelming, you know?”
Grayson growled at that.
Liam watched us with his arms crossed over his chest, and his eyes narrowed, still skeptical of Grayson and his intentions.
He seemed to have calmed down a bit, though, when he had seen that I was in no real danger.
“I heard about King Elijah Viotto being able to purr for his mate,” Liam said, “but it’s strange to hear it done in person.”
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“Can all vampires purr?” I asked.
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“We can hiss,” Liam explained. “But only when we feel threatened or upset. Just like wolves with growling.”
“You need to rest,” Grayson cut in, addressing me. “You’ve been through a lot the last few days.”
“The last few months,” I corrected without thinking. The comment only seemed to sour Grayson’s mood even more. “I’m fine though, really,” I quickly amended.
Grayson hugged me tighter to him. He looked at Liam. “Leave,” he snapped.
My irritation spiked. “Don’t tell my friend what to do.”
But when I looked back at Liam, I was shocked to see him already marching to the door without saying a single word. And then, just like that, he was gone..
My jaw dropped. “Did…Did you seriously just use your stupid powers on him?”
Grayson just shrugged, looking down at his hand running up and down my arm. “He wouldn’t have left otherwise.”
My head fell back. “I can’t believe this is my life. My werewolf boyfriend just told my vampire best friend to leave using his supernatural powers.”
“I’m your best friend. He’s irrelevant.”
Before I could respond, Grayson threw me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and walked straight to the hotel room door.
“Hey, wait! Where are you taking me?” I demanded.
“Different hotel room. We obviously can’t stay in this one anymore.”
With a sigh, I looked back at the ruined hotel room as he carried me out the door, slumping down
on his shoulder because I knew it was pointless to fight anyway.