Carlisle

　　As soon as I teleport Damon and the other wolves, I feel my body weaken and go numb. I only have the strength to let out one sentence before I allow myself to go under.

　　When I wake up, I am back in Damon’s room and it is dark out. Damon is staring out the window and I stop myself from alerting him to the fact that I have woken up and just take the time to stare at him. My heart breaks as I remember that I cannot allow myself to become his mate if I want to protect him, myself and our unborn child. I don’t know for how long I’d be able to keep the secret of my mother’s plan for him and I know he has a lot of questions.

　　I saw how he looked at me in shock when I spoke to my mother. As I think of my mother, my thoughts immediately shift to her and her actions. I’d spend all those years wanting to meet my mother, praying she was safe and then I finally met her and she was despicable.

　　It breaks my heart. She’d had all the chances to meet me and take me with her and she’d instead chosen to use me as a pawn and even go as far as trying to use my unborn child as a pawn too.

　　I doubt even the authenticity of the story she told me about why she had to leave my father or why she didn’t take me with her when she left.

　　She’d probably known about the prophecy a long time ago and decided to leave me there so she could watch her sick plan play out without disturbance. I’d almost hated my father because of her. I don’t realize I’m sobbing until a handkerchief is held to my face. I look up and see Damon staring at me somberly. I try for a smile to assure him that I’m okay but he just stares at me with questions in his eyes.

　　Ensuring that I’ve wiped away the tears from my eyes, I sit up on the bed and nod at him to do the same, he looks at me as if he wants to say something but says nothing and just sits down instead.

　　“How did you escape the trolls?”

　　As though the question sounds funny, he begins to laugh. I give him a puzzled expression and he schools his expression back to a serious one.

　　“We were captured on a blue moon night. Wolves were gifted blue moon nights by the goddesses as a day of strength and courage. By the time we were trapped, the moon was almost at its highest and as the Alpha, I’ve always had to power to speak to my pack through my mind by sending messages to their wolves, so I told my men that when the moon was at its highest, they should break out and use the burst of strength given to us by the moon goddesses to escape the trolls but not to tie down the trolls, just for us to escape and run off. The trolls, seeing that we’d escape, would run back to their home to inform their king and we’d follow right after them and allow them not only lead us to their kingdom but give us safe entry into it.”

　　“Safe entry?”

　　He grins and I’m stunned again by how handsome this man is, my chest constricts again at the thought of refusing to be his mate to protect him, myself and my unborn child.

　　“It depends on your idea of safety. To us at that moment, it was safe to attack the trolls right as they opened the barrier to their place so we could go in.”

　　Nodding my head, I realize his plan worked, regardless of how safe it may have been or otherwise.

　　“How about you, did you find out why you were taken?”

　　My heart skips at his questions and I struggle with how best to answer him. I think of the most shocking discovery I had while I was in the troll kingdom and it all revolves around my mother.

　　“My mother is the queen of the night walkers.”

　　Damon

　　I stare at Carlisle waiting for her to say that she’s joking but the look in her eyes is sad and I can tell she’s trying to stop herself from breaking down. So my mate was the princess of the fae and also the princess of the guardians.

　　Finding out her lineage must have taken a toll on her and I suspected that she found out new information that she didn’t need. I wanted to ask but I didn’t want to pressure her into discussing it, but I needed her to start the conversation so we could talk about what I was told by the old witch.

　　“Did you find out anything new about yourself?”

　　She smiles sadly, biting her lips and my wolf growls at the action. I press my nails into my palms to stop myself from grabbing her and kissing her senseless. It had been on my mind since I’d seen her standing in that throne room. I'd wanted to kiss her and tear her clothes off so I could know what she tasted like. Thinking of it again made my cock throb and I forced myself to think of other things.

　　When I got myself to refocus on her, Carlisle was staring at my lips too and she quickly put her head down as I caught her stare. I wanted to believe that was a sign that she wanted me as much as I wanted her but I couldn’t let myself have too much hope, we were still almost strangers and I needed to give her time to process. I see her lips moving and push myself out of my head, when I hear what she says, I wish I didn’t.

　　“I can’t be your mate Damon. I don’t know you and after meeting my mother, I’m not sure who to trust. I hope you understand that.”

　　I know I probably have a look of shock on my face so I swallow and try to process what’s been said to me, “You don’t want to be my mate?”

　　“Yes. I’m sorry. Thank you for your kindness, I’ll just stay here till I’m well rested and leave. I’d like to avoid my mother ever finding me.”

　　My wolf is growling at me and fighting to come out so I get up from the bed hurriedly and race out of my window overlooking the forest, letting my wolf free and howling out the pain I feel in my chest.