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“Majesty? Is everything alright?”
I glanced at Walter. “Who’s that young man? The one that’s not a member of the pride. His scent tells me he’s a prey shifter, a rabbit if I’m not mistaken.”
Walter nodded. “Yes, sire. His name is Brian, and he’s Owen’s best friend. And you’re correct. He’s a giant Flemish rabbit. From what Mike tells me, don’t call him a bunny or prey princess. He gets pissed off.”
“Who dares call him that?” I asked, my blood pressure rising.
“Uh…. it’s just a joke, your majesty. Mike plays around. You know how he is. He says Brian is a good man, not your average prey shifter.”
I exhaled loudly and calmed my racing heart. “I apologize. I—” A tidal wave of rage surged through me. I wanted to kill a particular young lion. Talon was chatting and flirting with Brian, his body language confident and playful. Brian was smiling back. He wasn’t supposed to smile at another man like that. I couldn’t watch it anymore.
A surge of jealousy propelled me forward as I stormed toward them. How dare that impudent lion flirt with my mate? With each step, my inner lion roared, wanting to assert his dominance. He wanted to destroy the interloper. “Brian, I need to speak with you. Now,” I said, interrupting their conversation.
Talon and Brian snapped their gazes toward me, their faces etched with surprise and shock. Talon’s eyes filled with fear, and he bowed his head, clearly not understanding why his king would act so aggressively. While Brian’s eyes were wide with surprise, his expression held both understanding and a hint of annoyance. Before either of them could reply, I grabbed Brian’s arm, practically dragging him away from Talon and toward my nearby study.
Hayden called out to me, and the lingering pride members watched on. I could feel their surprise, but I ignored them all. I needed to talk with Brian. I needed to get him away from anyone else.
Once inside, I firmly shut the door behind me and spun to face Brian, who was still looking stunned by my actions. My stomach rolled and churned with the unease of acting like this. I hated feeling out of control. I was king of my damn pride and CEO of a multibillion-dollar company, and I was acting like a jealous fool, not using my words. Unable to contain my emotions any longer, I confronted the elephant in the room head-on.
“We’re mates,” I said plainly. “You’re my fated mate, and I can’t stand the thought of anyone else flirting with you, or vice versa.”
Brian’s brow scrunched, and his expression shifted from shock, confusion, and, lastly, anger. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
His outburst made me wince, feeling a sting of regret. It appeared he was going with the last emotion—anger. I opened my mouth to reply, but he lifted his hand, stopping my words.
“I’m not finished,” he said. “I am not a member of your pride. You have no right to manhandle me the way you did. I don’t care if you say we’re fated mates or not. You don’t get to control me or make decisions for me. Period.”
“Are you denying the connection we have?” It sounded like he was. The way he said, ‘I don’t care if you say we’re fated mates.’ rubbed me the wrong way. There was no denying what I was feeling. We were mates. My lion knew; I fucking knew.
Brian released a heavy sigh. I could see the tension release from his face, and the fire in his eyes didn’t blaze as brightly. “I don’t know what the fuck fate was thinking.” Brian paused before continuing. “This won’t work. It sucks to be us, but it won’t,” he finally said, bowing his head.
His voice wavered, carrying the weight of defeat and resignation. I hated it. Stepping closer to him, I gently touched his arm. Brian raised his gaze to meet mine. I stared into his eyes.
“Why?” It was the only word I could say. Yes, I knew we had some challenges, but surely we could try.
Brian shook his head. “For one, you’re a predator, and I’m a prey. I’m a prey princess, a diva, and you’re more than likely an alpha dumbass that needs to be in control.”
“Those are stereotypes and are not always true. I judge the person. And I’d never call you a prey princess. Yes, you’re a prey shifter, and I’m a predator shifter, but we’re different from our animal counterparts; we’re also human. We don’t need to conform to those stereotypes. We can get to know each other, and I can prove I’m not an alpha asshole.”
Brian released another sigh. “Even if I wanted to give it a try. There’s my second point. I’m in a committed, loving relationship.” Brian straightened and headed toward the door before looking over his shoulder. “Fate made a mistake. I’m not looking for a mate.”