Chapter 5: Realizations

GIANNA

Diego and I stared at each other in my room. He looked down nervously, shuffling his feet. “Gia, I’m so sorry.” He looked up at me sheepishly, and I saw it.

Kol had obviously landed one on Diego, right in the eye. That shiner would take days to go down.

I couldn’t help but feel a rush of pride knowing my mate could easily take on my overprotective brother.

I laughed. “I see your pride got wounded tonight,” I said, pointing to his eye.

He rumbled, eyes darting to the side. His jaw was clenched. I’d touched a nerve, clearly. “Yeah, he got me good.”

“You deserved it,” I huffed, walking over to my bed. I heard him shuffle farther into my room behind me.

“Gia, I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t know what was wrong with you, you—you looked like you’d gone crazy or something. I thought he was hurting you.”

I snarled, “~Stop lying, Diego. You’ve been through enough hazes to know what had happened to me; you just couldn’t take it~.”

Now he was pissed. “~Couldn’t take what~?!” he snarled back, his lip curling, fangs at the ready.

~Yeah, brother, come on~, I thought. ~Piss me off. I’m in the mood for a fistfight.~

I tensed up and clenched my fists. I was ready for this to get messy.

~“That I mated before you did. You’ve always hated me. Why else would you terrorize every goddamn male in this town into staying away from me?!”~

His eyes widened, and he straightened up. “Is that really what you think, Gia? That I hate you? Why would I hate you? You’re my sister!”

His sudden concern shocked me. I looked at him, baffled. “Because, Diego, you beat up everyone who shows me any form of attention; you’ve terrorized every wolf and even human in this town!

“I can’t even go to the club with my girls without looking over my shoulder! You’ve always hated the fact that up until tonight, I was Dad’s favorite!

“You want the throne, Diego; you can have it! I don’t want it!”

He stood glued to one spot, his mouth open, eyes wide in shock. I stared at him for what felt like forever before growing impatient with him.

“SPEAK!” I roared at him loudly enough to shake the whole room.

He closed his mouth and gulped. “~Gia, that’s not it at all~,” he whispered.

I crossed my arms and glared at him. “~Then what is it, Diego~?!” I snapped.

RAPHAEL

I paced the room furiously, ignoring my wife planning a ceremony in the corner. I loved my mate; I really did. She was so powerful and beautiful and such an amazing mother to our children.

I loved her eccentric ways and how she allowed our children to freely be themselves, which, I sighed, closing my eyes, was why Gianna was so wild.

How could she not be? She was powerful beyond measure; she didn’t even know how much. How dangerous it was for her to find a mate before she was ready.

I cursed myself for not having had this talk with her sooner. She should have been more prepared, but I’d just thought if I put it off, I’d have more time.

I began pacing again. That was why I’d had Diego spread the word the only way he knew how, the only way a brother could. Fear.

Fear to touch the king’s daughter. It pained me to see their relationship change. They had been so close as children, but it had been necessary. Diego had understood this. Once I’d explained it to him.

“Frieda, darling? How do we handle this? This—this boy, this alpha, will want to see her again. She will want to see him.

“We are in the beginnings of the haze; and if it’s true, if she’s experiencing it, it will”—I paused and took a calming breath and looked my wife dead in the eye—“it will change everything.

“Frieda, tell me honestly, is our daughter ready for this?!”

My wife looked at me, such beauty and love in her eyes. I was a very lucky king. She smiled at me; I felt calm.

“Darling, I don’t know, but I do know we can’t stop this. Gianna will just have to be ready for what’s about to happen.”

I took a deep breath to calm the rage building inside me at the thought. She was right. I just clenched my jaw and nodded. Gianna would just have to be ready.