Chapter 37 - Prince Reagan

Reagan

I slam the door of the bedroom behind me, with the loud sound resonating through the whole house. But I could care less. Storming downstairs, I see everyone present in the kitchen for dinner, Lexi, Danny, Adrian, Janet, even Joanna. Their heads whip to me in confusion as I walk in.

Muttering for Joanna to go clean the mess in my room, I ignore everyone's questioning gaze as I head for the elevator. Adrian is already beside me with his usual poker face on and his suit that always seems to look flawless.

Like a dog to its master, Adrian always remains by my side whenever I step out of my home, even when I don't want him to. It's sometimes infuriating, but I've learned to live with it.

He doesn't ask what's wrong with me, though, as he probably already has an inkling since I came from upstairs where my mate is. It seems that's everything she does to me, push my buttons, and piss me off nonstop.

My body is taut and rigid, with waves of anger rolling off from me. I need to let out some steam before I end up disfiguring the next person that says shit to me. My beast wants to be let out, and this time, I'm not going to stop him.

"The woods." I briefly order as Adrian, and I hop into my Mercedes, one of the many cars of mine parked in the lot. With him in the driver's seat and me in the passenger's, he nods in acknowledgment before starting up the engine.

I already started undressing even before we got there. Not that I care about ripping the clothes, but I couldn't afford to go back home naked.

I'm left in my underwear short when Adrian pulls up into a dirt road in the middle of the woods. I hop out without turning back and begin to run bare feet deep into the woods. It is during this time that I start to phase into my beast little by little.

Shiny golden fur begins to seep out of my skin as my body heights increases. My ears elongate, turning pointy, and my nose transforms into a snout. Long sharp canines protrude out of my mouth with my brown eyes turning to bright gold and my fingernails turn to sharp long claws.

I'm still on my feet with my shorts on as the transformation takes place, but I feel little to no pain phasing into my beast.

I arrive at the edge of a cliff when the transformation stops, with the moon shining down on my shimmering golden fur as I take in the view of the city before me. It was breathtaking from up here, and I wish Ellie was here to see it with me. I crouch to watch, and with my heightened senses, I can see and hear things clearer from up here. Car horns, a dog barking at police sirens, and even murmurings from different people.

I stare back up at the moon before letting out a loud howl from of the shattering pain in my chest.

My mate wants to leave me.

I've done everything I could to make her accept me, but she keeps finding ways to stay away from me. First, she had left for Red Moon pack, now she wants to leave for her parents'. I just don't get it. What had I done wrong?

I didn't want to mark her when she had asked me to earlier because something seemed off. I know she's still trying to process the fact that she's mated to a Lycan, and not just anyone, a Prince, and that's why I was still giving her time. At first, it was because of Brad, the alpha mutt, but she has gotten over that. I just don't want anything to be between us when I finally take her. I want her to have given herself wholly to me and not because she was pushed to it or forced to.

But why had she seemed so...desperate in the room? Had someone said something to her? I am not sure. Something isn't right, but I don't know what it is since she won't even fucking talk to me! Maybe she was still mad because Janet was here, but I have reassured her over and over again that I'm hers and no one else's. I don't know how else to prove that to her.

Janet hadn't even been that important to me before. I had only tricked her a couple of times to come back to me only because she had disappeared for a long time. Even her parents had been worried. And she was the one who always threw herself at me. And because I was a lonely male and she, an available female, I always took her up on her offer. But all that changed after I met Ellie. I finally found my other half, something I had thought would never happen.

Maybe she's still a bit insecure because of what Brad did to her. Does she think I'm going to abandon her as that mutt had done? But why? All I've done since having her is shower her with love and care...sort of. I may have locked her at home and kept a tight surveillance on her while she was at school, but all that was so she wouldn't have any bright ideas. And immediately as she found out I truly was her mate, I had released my hold over her knowing she wouldn't even think of leaving me.

But here we are right now, with her wanting to put some distance between us. And I can't even lock her back up again as it would only ruin the little trust we had built for each other. She would only get more upset, and that wouldn't solve anything. So maybe what she needs is to understand herself that leaving me is a bad option.

Maybe when she gets to her parents and her wolf constantly demands for me, she would finally realize her mistake. She would feel the pain of being without her mate and will come running back to me. She just has to understand that leaving me isn't an option. It won't be easy either for me, but I'm willing to do anything to keep her with me. And if this was how, then so be it.

I'll give her the damn space she so desires. But if she doesn't come back quick, I'll just have to catch her once more.

I run through the woods all night until my beast gets tired, which was a long time. It was almost morning, and I doubt Adrian would still be waiting for me. But when I walk back to where he had parked earlier, I'm surprised to still see him there, waiting patiently in the car, not even a wink of sleep present in his eyes. How does he do it? Being the perfect bodyguard, that is.

I'm in my human form now, with my shorts ripped from my phasing. I take off the damn thing and toss it away before dressing back into my clothes. I'm dripping with sweat, my skin flushed from the exercise. And without saying a word, Adrian drives us both back to the penthouse.

I check the time to see it's almost five in the morning. I'm exhausted from running all night and the lack of sleep. I just need a little shower before flopping on the bed. I know I'll have a hard day ahead of me apart from the part where I would be separated from my mate.

There was still a lot of investigation going on with the pack ambush situation. We already have a lead that werewolves are definitely involved, maybe rogue, and some hunters secretly helping them with weapons. But we still are unable to catch any of them.

Ellie had mentioned she wanted to join me, and I had been excited to hear that since it would mean we would be together all the time. But now she wants to visit her parents instead? Bullshit!

I may have tired myself out, but I still am seething with anger. Why does she always have to piss me off? I thought we were doing better now.

I'm lost in my thoughts when I walk into our room only to see Ellie on the bed in a sitting position with her back resting against the headboard behind her. Her eyelids are closed, but she doesn't seem comfortable in her position.

My lovely mate must have been waiting for me and slept off during the process. I feel slightly guilty and walk over to her, crouching beside her as I brush a strand of hair from her cheek, careful not to wake her up. She's so damn beautiful....and all mine. She just doesn't know it yet and still thinks I would leave her for another. But she's so wrong there. I'm never letting her go, no matter what. She's tied to me for life, and nothing's going to change that.

I gently help her lay back on the bed with her head on the soft pillows before placing a kiss on her forehead. A smile appears on her lips as she turns over to her side, facing me. But her eyes are still closed in comfortable sleep, now that I accommodated her.

Before I could take my hand back, she grabs it and mumbles, "Reagan..." But she's still asleep. Probably having a sweet dream about me.

A smug smile appears on my lips before I gently take my hand. She might fight me every time, but she can't get me out of her head. I've begun to ingrain myself in her heart; if only she would trust me a little more.

Sighing exasperated, I walk over to the bathroom to have a cold shower to cool my heated skin. I walk back out to wear a pair of grey sweatpants before joining my mate on the bed. I'm careful not to wake her up, cuddling her from behind. She's small in my arms, like a little kitten. Soft and adorable. And she smells fucking amazing. The sweetest fragrance I've ever smelled.

I can only hope that when she wakes up later, she forgets her earlier request about leaving for her home. But if she does bring it up, I'll let her go. Hopefully, she would realize her mistake real quick and come running back to me. This way, she won't think about staying away from me ever again when she remembers the pain she once felt.

Staying away from your mate for long is like having a part of your heart ripped out of your chest. Excruciatingly painful. The last time Ellie had left me, she didn't feel much considering she still didn't known I was hers then. But now, things were a bit different.

She shuffles a bit in her sleep, leaning in deeper into my chest. I watch her tiny form clutch me before she goes back into her deep sleep.

I'll give her the freedoms she desires, but that doesn't mean I would let her go. I'm never letting her go, and she will soon realize that she's bound to me for life.

However, later in the morning, I wake up to the angry glare of my sweet mate as she regards me with her jaw clenched. I can only imagine what the hell I had done now to piss her off.