Chapter 23
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Then the beep of his voice interrupted me.
“Sh it, I made you snickerdoodle cookies, they’re ready to go out of the oven now,” He said and I
could hear the hurt in his voice.
He told me he would be back to finish me rejecting him. This led me to be a little shell-shocked but
soon I figured he didn’t want to burn the house down. It was very kind, but because he never asked
me and just started baking cookies without asking anything. Now a good batch of cookies would go
to waste, a silent reminder of my second ruined matebound. Only it took him far too long toe
back if he had just got the cookies out and turned the oven off. He was still in the kitchen I could
sense him and when I peeked through the open door I was met with a sight I never expected to see.
There in the kitchen was the Crown Prince of all Werewolves in the United States, in my Grandma’s
bright and frilly apron. Pushing the center of the cookies down with a spoon, royally sprinkling them
with the cinn amon sugar after. All while he was furiously wiping his eyes. As I paid more attention
to him, I noticed he was actually crying, no doubt about the uing rejection. Wanting to know
why he was doing this I walked into the kitchen. I suspected he wanted to dy the inevitable, but
that couldn’t be further from the truth. He heard me walk into the kitchen and he looked up at me.
With his deep brown eyes still glistening with tears.
“I’m sorry A! I am sorry if this is weird. I am sorry I keep messing up. I am sorry that I got so
excited to know my dream of finding a fated mate came through with someone as insanely beautiful
as you that I made you ufortable. I just wanted to finish these cookies before you reject me.
Do one sweet thing for you as your mate” He told me.
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Poor guy, I wish he hadn’t pushed me this far, I wish I had met him. before, I wish he was my first
fated mate. That we’ve met when I still had the trust in matebounds that I had growing up. Things
would have been so different between us then, now I was about to reject a man giving him the same
pain as I had experienced myself. Not saying anything about his apologies, I opened my mouth to
reject him. But I couldn’t the words seemed to be lodged in my throat. Looking around I saw my
favorite cookies he had made me. The boxes of books he brought back to his home and then to me
without a promise I would ept him as my mate. And I couldn’t anymore I could not reject him and
I could not keep telling myself he was just like David.
“Since you seem so eager to put timelines on our mating process, I will give you one chance,” I told
him.
The only reply was the spoon he was using ttering as it sl*pped from his hands and fell on the
floor. He watched me intently, waiting for me to finish what I was telling him before he would answer
me.
“The six months you and your parents agreed on, I’ll give you those but I have been through the
wringer and I want to take it slow. Slower than any wolf in the history of our kind have ever gone. I’m
not epting you yet and I can’t make any guarantees I ever will.” I told him crossing
my arms.
“Yes, of course, whatever you need, I just want to show you I am
nothing like him. I actually want to make you so happy. Can I take you out on dates, ande to
see you? Can we exchange phone numbers? Anything really” He mumbled thest bit.
I couldn’t stop myself from smiling, it was cute. And if I were to give him a chance, an honest
chance I would have to spend time with him too. The first step would be to just talk with a cup of
coffee and freshly made snickerdoodle cookies. After all, it would be a pity to let those go to waste.
The first thing he told me was about Jessa, how she was
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settling in how she had yet to find an upation. Until Gerald asked if she would just want to be a
homemaker. Since they both wanted a lot of pups it made sense. I smiled the Jessa I know would
love to be just a stay-at-home mom. Taking care of her pups and mate.
Then we chatted a bit about his, baking turned out a pinch of cinn amon in the dough was his secret
for Snickerdoodle cookies. Which happened to be his favorites. He was so excited about it that he
couldn’t be making it up just to please me. We never breached the big topics. I wasn’t sure if I
avoided them on purpose, to not upset again. Or if this was his way of talking it slow. Regardless of
that it suited me, it was nice just chatting with him and getting to know him better. How he was an
introvert, and that after his parents spent thousands and thousands of dors on mentors and tutors
he still hated social interactions. He would prefer to go to his bedroom and y some games. Or
just go to the woods on the packground so he could go for a run. Preferably alone or with his
closest friends, I learned about his general ns for the future of our people.
An hour had gone by and we were still chatting, and above all I was still enjoying. Still, I couldn’t
help to look at the boxes filled with my books. I was dying to see which books Mom packed me.
Three boxes would never be enough to carry them all.
“You know, we can get the other two boxes out of my car if you want to. And I’ll even help you put
them away?” Griffin offered.
And I wish I could take him up on it, I already got up to get the other two boxes out. It meant I
probably had all of my books here now. I never expected them to be here this fast and that’s why I
hadn’t bought bookshelves now. There was a bookshelf hack I had seen going around on social
media. People turned cheaper IKEA bookshelves into these built-in floor-to-ceiling bookshelves that
I adored. I wasn’t great at building things, and I would start my new job on Monday. Sure I still had
my parent’s credit card but I wasn’t going to use that on anything
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else but the bare necessities.
“What’s the matter did I say something wrong? You can just say know if this is going too fast but I
saw you eyeing up these boxes” Griffin asked awkwardly rubbing his neck with his hand.
“No that’s not it.” I confessed.
I went into more detail as to why I could not fully take him up on his offer. Secretly I loved the
interest in what job I got in the pack. Never looking down on the fact that I chose to be a librarian.
For me being surrounded by books was the dream.
“I’ll tell you what, we get thest two boxes out of my car. We’ll clean the kitchen and then we will
drive up to the IKEA and get some bookshelves. I’ll pay for them as a gift to my mate. And if you
decide you will not ept me at the end of the six months you can pay me back okay? He asked
me.
I tried to protest and tell him I could never ept this. But he wasn’t having any of it.
if
“Please A, how can I prove to you just how happy I can make
you you won’t let me do the things I want to do for you? And before you say something along the
lines of me not respecting your boundaries. That is why I said you can pay me back if it doesn’t
work out. I’ll call my father now and have ourwyer draft up a contract” He said already getting his
phone out of his pocket.
I couldn’t imagine how embarrassing it would be if the king would have his finestwyer draft up a
silly contract. I didn’t know what to think of this guy, but still despite rolling my eyes. I agreed to go to
IKEA with him. I was sure to mindlink my grandparents, and boy were they happy. More so when
Griffin told me to let them know to help themselves to some Snickerdoodles. If anyone had told me
at the end of the afternoon I would be sitting in the Crown Prince’s SUV to go
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get lunch and shop for bookshelves, I would haveughed in their
faces but here I was. Hoping this didn’t turn out to be a huge mistake.
Griffin 24Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.