Chapter 4

-------------

Evelyn sat in the car and grunted in un lady like fashion.

She was still feeling sore from the morning exertions with Jeff. It was the best session she ever had, even Jeff was taken aback by her performance in the morning.

Main reason for this progress was her wolf who had been extremely peaceful and cooperative, no mood swings, she had been extremely focused and in turn she helped Evelyn focus. It was as if for the first time her wolf acted like her true partner.

She knew why. Mate. She know why she never felt in sync with her wolf, her wolf in a way was indicating her dislike from being kept away from her mate. For her wolf very little else mattered except for the fact that she was being kept away from her mate, her animalistic instincts driving her to be close to her mate and finish the incomplete mate bond. The emotional aspects she left to her human side.

She started the car and started driving towards the school and promptly an SUV pulled up behind her. This she had started noticing from a month ago. An SUV would follow her to school and be parked near school all the time she was there and would follow her home. She also had an idea who was in the SUV, Roma wolves. What she wanted to know was why? She did have her own deduction in place.

They were protecting her, but from what? It was not like she had enemies, but her mid rationalized that Roma did and if they could not hurt her, maybe her enemies would target her people and now she was part of her people wasn't she? She was the mate of one of her men and by harming her they would indirectly harm her mate.

That thought led to her second conclusion. Her mate was someone in the inner circle of Roma, this conclusion she arrived to by deducing various facts. Number one, he was not a part of her security detail, the guards who had been guarding the hotel, she had pretty much seen every guard in the hotel and he was not one of them and maybe there was a chance that he was a part of the guards but she missed him but she was sure he was not for one simple reason.

The way he reacted to Alex when he saw her with him. If he was just a guard there was no way he would have simply thrown him across the room without any fear of consequences. She had seen how the guards reacted to Alex & Adrian, the guards treated them like authority figures that they were, that too pretty up in the hierarchy and to deal with Alex so violently he had to be an equal to Alex if not more.

Who was he? This was the first time she bothered to face that question. She was not sure, but what worried her was the higher up an wolf was the more controlling and domination he would be and she was not sure the kind of life she could lead with such a wolf, she would suffocate.

But what reassured her was the fact that when she asked for time, he had complied. He could have refused and there was very little she could have done about it. But he respected her wishes, which gave her hope, there were many factors she needed to consider, she had no idea about her mate and this one month would help her know him and create a working relationship with him. May be one day even love him.

With that thought she reached school and parked her car or rather her mother's car and as she got out she saw the SUV coming to rest across the road, where it would remain until she left school. She gave a mental shrug, there was very little she could do about the SUV. She clearly did not know the entire aspect of her security detail, if she had she would have been shocked. She did not know because she saw what she was meant to see, just one SUV what she did not know that there were four more SUV's. Two of them where there since early morning, parked on the other side of the school and out of sight. Two more a street away parked near a rented building that had been set up as security post to co-ordinate all her security detail. Inside the pack compound it was a much relaxed environment and with all entry and exit points to the pack compound secured by Roma wolfs she was very safe inside. But any time she stepped out she had a security cover thrown in she knew nothing about. The only person who know was Nick and he knew better than telling anyone about it.

***

Jeff was lounging in Nick's office chair when he walked in. Nick settled down in his chair which was across the office table.

"So, what's happening?" Nick started, these days they were busy rebuilding their pack.

"The second installment of the five million came through yesterday" Jeff said, their pack banker had called Jeff early in the morning.

"Good" Nick said. They needed the money. "Do we have a plan on what we want to do?" Nick asked his beta.

"Want to make repairs to the houses in the compound and the pack house and other houses, some of them have basic things like a leaking roof and heating that have to be taken care of, some families have been living together and some houses we need to tear them down and rebuild." Jeff stated and Nick nodded.

"Also, we need to upgrade our compound better fencing, cameras" Nick just raised his eyebrows at Jeff's suggestion. Jeff had been not a big fan of technology.

"What?!" Jeff said defensively "You have seen how efficiently Roma used technology against the rogues, it only makes sense we leverage the same."

"I know" Nick said in appreciation at his beta, at his willingness to adapt. "Let's do it" Nick agreed, its time he restored some balance to his people. "Also provide $2000 cash to each family for them to buy things they need" Jeff readily agreed. Not all families had savings and some of them had ran out long ago. They would appreciate this.

"What about other packs?" Nick asked about the remaining Colorado survivors.

"Some of them want to join us" Jeff said "Others have banded together to make two packs. I think we can approve the formation of two packs" Jeff suggested.

Roma had left Nick in charge of Colorado so currently he was the final word in what goes around there.

"Ok, let's make it happen, I will inform Roma later of this development." Nick said.

"Speaking of Roma" Jeff said wriggling in the chair to find a comfortable spot.

"Evelyn's mate might be coming back today" Jeff informed. Evelyn had informed Jeff of her phone call with her mate today morning.

"Oh" Nick said, sitting up a little straight. "Good" he added a moment later.

"So this mate of her's, who is he?" Jeff asked and now Nick looked uncomfortable.

Jeff read his Alphas hesitation and was alarmed "She is my daughter in every sense Nick, I need to know if he is worthy of her, if he can take care of her."

Nick let out a resigned sigh. He know Jeff meant every word. He would give his life for the girl if need be. May be it was time to let him know just to ensure no untoward incident happens while her mate was here. Jeff had a temper and he did not want him to pounce on her mate.

"I need you to swear to me that you will not let Evelyn know." Nick said.

"Why?" Jeff asked concerned.

"Because she deserved to know it from him." Jeff paused contemplating "all right" he agreed, it made sense but his curiosity in him raised.

Nick leaned back in his chair "He is a very important man in the Roma hierarchy" he declared.

"How important?" Nick asked.

"Very" Nick added, stressing on the word.

"His name is Maxwell" Nick said pausing to look at his beta "Maxwell Roma"

His beta was busy collecting his jaw from the floor.

***

"You are telling me that my daughters mate is the prince of Roma?" Jeff asked in a ridiculous tone.

"Yes" Jeff deadpanned.

"Are you serious?" Jeff asked still with disbelief.

"Look at me Jeff" Nick said with all seriousness "Evelyn's mate is Maxwell Roma" there was no doubt in his tone or voice.

Jeff's head was recoiling for shock as he slumped in to his chair.

"And she has no idea?" he asked.

"No. And remember you promised, she deserves to know from him." Nick remained.

"Don't you think she deserved to know by now?" Jeff asked incredulously.

Nick simply shrugged "I don't think she gave him a chance" he said referring to their separation.

"Maxwell Roma" Jeff said as if he had swallowed a lemon.

"Do you understand what it means Jeff?" Nick leaned forward "She is heading in to a vipers nest."

At Jeff's alarm he added "I don't mean to say that the Roma family is bad, anything I have seen so far is that they take care of their own and now she is one of their own. What I do mean is that she is going in to a position where people will try to take advantage of her, she is politically naïve Jeff, even more than most as she never paid attention to the werewolf world. Now she will be the target of many. She will be perfect to manipulate. And she will be the primary target of all enemies of Roma, a soft target. Do you understand Jeff why this needs to be a secret? Why we need to have her trained and need to get her up to speed on things that matter."

The enormity of it all crashed in Jeff "My god, she is not ready, she is just a baby!"

"And a mate to the successor of the most powerful werewolf family in the world. She is a princess now Jeff, her official title is Princess of Roma. She just does not know it yet and it's up to you and me to ensure that she survives in this new world she had been thrust in to." Nick urged.

Jeff nodded with an invigorated determination. She might not have signed up for this but clearly fate thought she was a perfect fit, otherwise no way she would have ended up as the mate to the heir of the royal family and it was up to him to prove that fate was right.

***

Evelyn felt weird.

She was feeling something was off from the time she returned from school, this was due to the way Jeff treated her. He was acting all weird around her, looking at her when she thought she was looking away, as if he was trying to decipher her or something.

But his trainer was extra focused, his comments extra critical and overall more rigorous if was as if he was preparing her for a war or something. And by the time he was finished she had been all disheveled, sweaty and groaning in pain.

He had given a curt not at the end of training and disappeared. Today's session was about combat in human form so they didn't have to shift but they were tears in her cloths due to the heavy duty session. The shirt she was wearing had to be disposed off, one of its sleeve was completely torn off. She presented a sorry picture indeed.

She started her trek back to her house imagining a long warm bath and then she needed to get ready. Her training had shifted to the pack training ground from today. She paused as she saw a commotion.

A convoy of SUV's were entering the pack grounds and they stopped near the pack house. The pack training ground was opposite to the pack house so she was standing opposite to the pack house when this convoy arrived.

Her stomach fluttered.

Some guards got out of the SUV's and scanned around and one of them opened the door to one of the SUV's.

She took a deep breath.

His back was to her as he was facing the pack house but she instinctively knew.

The convoy drove away dropping his entourage. He seemed to have straightened his cloths out and stepped over to the pack house.

She stood their transfixed, unable to move when a gust of wind whipped over her face...and carried her sent over.

He froze, inching his head up smelling the air and was standing frozen for a moment.

She was praying he would not turn and look. She did not want him to look at her after two months in her sweaty disheveled look. She had wanted to dress up even her wolf was in despair. She closed her eyes and prayed for gods to have pity on her.

She slowly opened her one eye and peaked and her spirits crumbled, he had turned and was now intently looking at her. She opened her other eye before he found her even weirder.

As she soaked in his look her wolf came forth, denied of her mate for the last two months she broke free. Evelyn's eyes turned black, with her wolf firmly in driver's seat.

She started slowly walking towards him as if gravity was pulling her and he in turn started walking towards her. They met halfway and everything around them disappeared.

He was looking at her so intently as if nothing else mattered.

"Hi" She whispered.

"Hi. Back" He smiled at her also a little wary as he saw that her wolf was in control.

She came closer to him almost bruising against him. She took a deep whiff of him, closed her eyes, soaking in his scent, enveloping herself in it, familiarizing herself of his uniqueness.

She opened her eyes and looked up to him. Standing close to him she realized she only came up to his chin.

He looked down at her with an intensity that unnerved her. Her eyes were still black her wolf still in control of her body he gave her a smile and his eyes automatically drew to the crook of her neck where his mark rested.

She bent her neck to give him a better view, for him to view his mark of ownership.

Her eyes against her will drew to his neck where her claim would rest on his neck, her mouth salivating at the very thought of claiming him. Her wolf was fully tempted and even Evelyn had trouble controlling, she stood still trying to regain her control.

He saw where her eyes darted to and what she was thinking and involuntarily he bent his neck exposing it to her.

Her mate offing his neck to her did the trick. The animal instincts kicked in and in front of the pack house, in front of her pack members, who had gathered in front of the pack house after seeing the convoy earlier. She leaned in, stood on her toes and buried her head in his neck and after taking a whiff again opened her mouth and sank her teeth in to his neck.

Completing the mate bond.

bߟ:5�2