Dimitri’s POV
She was a Lycan.
She was really a Lycan.
I was in shock. I could tell that Oliver asked us a question, but I couldn’t hear him. I only saw his lips moving. I could only hear my blood pumping through my veins and my heart hammering against my chest.
If it was true then she was the rightful heir to the throne. If it was true then she was the most powerful wolf in existence.
If it was true then she was in bigger danger than ever.
“Alpha Dimitri?” Oliver’s voice finally reached me.
I flinched and looked at him. I tried to force my body to calm down a little so I could hear what he was saying.
“Who else knows about her ability?” Oliver asked.
I cleared my throat and shook my head.
“The four of us and the pack doctor,” I mumbled.
I glanced at Will and Ellie. Both of them were staring at Oliver with shocked expressions on their faces.
“Let’s keep it that way,” Oliver said sternly. “No one else needs to know and no one else can now. If I am right then she is…”
Oliver stopped talking and looked at Maddie.
“She is the heir to the throne,” I said, making him look back at me.
He nodded slowly.
I finally looked at my mate. She was pale and I wasn’t even sure if she was breathing. She was staring at Oliver wide-eyed.
“Princess,” I called her as I cupped her cheek and turned her head toward me. “Breathe, my love. Everything is going to be okay.”
I wasn’t sure if she heard me.
I pressed my lips against hers and pulled her even closer to me.
“Breathe, Maddie,” I mumbled as I rubbed her back. “Come on, my love.”
She gulped and shook her head a little. I could tell and feel how confused and scared she was.
I looked at Oliver, Will, and Ellie.
“Could you please give us a moment?” I asked them.
I knew that Maddie needed space. I could tell that she was overwhelmed. I needed to help her. I needed to calm her down a little bit.
“Sure,” Will mumbled as he stood up. “We will wait outside.”
I nodded and watched as the three of them left my office. Will glanced at Maddie one more time before he closed the door.
I looked at her as soon as they were gone. Her eyes were on me, but I could tell that she was completely lost in thought. Her eyes were on me, but she wasn’t looking at me. She was somewhere else.
“Princess,” I called her softly as I leaned in and kissed her cheek. “I need you to focus on my lips on your skin, okay? I need you to come back to me.”
I started leaving soft pecks all over her cheek and jaw. I kept my eyes on hers the entire time. I finally reached her lips and kissed her as softly and as gently as I could.
She grabbed the back of my shirt and buried her head in my neck.
“Oh, princess,” I mumbled as I kissed her temple. “It’s okay. I’m here. Nothing bad will happen, I promise. I won’t let anyone or anything hurt you.”
I rubbed her back gently and took a deep breath, letting her scent soothe me.
“I am not a threat,” she mumbled. “I promise. I won’t…”
Her voice broke and she stopped talking.
I furrowed my brows. A threat? What the hell was she talking about?
I made her lift her head and look at me.
“A threat?” I asked. “What do you mean, Maddie?”
Her eyes widened and she shook her head.
“I am not a threat,” she said, her voice trembling. “I won’t do anything, Dimitri. I promise. I don’t care about it. I never have to shift. No one has to know.”
She sounded more and more panicked with each word she spoke. I could feel her trembling.
I was so fucking confused. What the hell was she talking about?
“A threat to who, Maddie?” I asked, caressing her cheek.
She furrowed her brows a little.
“To you,” she mumbled, making my heart stop. “I won’t take your throne, I promise. I am not a threat. I don’t need it. I don’t want it. I want you. I only want you. Please, please don’t be mad at me. I didn’t know. I really didn’t know.”
She was sobbing and shaking by the time she finished talking.
I was in shock.
What the fuck was she talking about?
She buried her face into her hands. I was too shocked to move.
Did she really think that I saw her as a threat?! Did she really think I was angry at her?! Did she really think that anything between us would change?!
The only fucking thing that would change would be the number of guards she would now have. The main one would be me. I was going to glue her to my side and never let her out of my sight.
I didn’t give a fuck about the throne. She could have it all. All I cared about was having her.
I forced myself to move. I had to tell her all that. I couldn’t just keep it inside. She had to know.
“Princess,” I said as I moved her hands from her face. “I am not angry. I don’t care if you are the heir. I don’t care if you have more right to that throne than I do.”
She gulped and I wiped the tears from her beautiful face.
“All I need is you,” I said softly as I leaned in and kissed the tip of her nose. “I don’t see you as a threat, Maddie. I don’t care about any of that. All I want is you. All I need is to keep you safe.”
I pulled her into a hug and kissed her temple. She wrapped her arms around me tightly.
“I love you, Madeline,” I added as I tangled my fingers into her hair and held her close to me. “Nothing will ever change that. Nothing is more important to me than you.”
She sobbed and tightened her arms around me even more.
“I was so scared,” she cried out. “I thought that…”
Her voice broke and another sob escaped her.
“I know, princess,” I mumbled as I kissed her temple again. “But there is nothing to be scared about. I would never choose that throne over you. I would never choose anything or anyone over you.”
I leaned my head on hers and took a deep breath.
“You are my heart and my soul, Maddie,” I added quietly. “You are everything and I don’t need anything else in this world.”
