Chapter 7

Matteo’s POV

“Freya’s joining,” he said, and that shocked me. How the hell would she fight without her wolf? I glanced at Calvin to see if he was serious. The look on his face told me he wasn’t joking. Who am I kidding? When has Calvin ever joked?

“I don’t think you should go to the site now. Go to school instead,” he added, and I nodded. I needed to make sure she stayed safe. I’d already announced that anyone who signed up couldn’t back out—partly to make sure she wouldn’t mess around with Clay and Alec or back out at the last second.

We rushed to the school, and I was glad I asked Calvin to stay hidden. If not, I don’t know what I’d do if I found her in the middle of a fight tomorrow. I wasn’t 100% sure she was my mate, but my instinct said yes, and I wanted to believe it. My Lycan was okay with that—he hadn’t snarled at me in my mind after I realized it. Normally, he’d growl and try to stop me from thinking about it, just like when I planned on taking a chosen mate for what the royal adviser wanted. My Lycan warned me that he’d rather die than take any female Lycan who wasn’t our mate.

Everyone was seated, listening to Beta Jack when I arrived. I searched for Freya but couldn’t spot her—she was small, and without her scent, she was hard to find. Then I saw Clay and Alec. Both were huge, and wherever they were, Freya had to be nearby. I wasn’t wrong—she was there with them, hidden by other she-wolves.

Her head was still down, and I noticed her glaring at the future alpha and another she-wolf. That made sense—the two were known bullies, though their behavior had eased since we arrived.

Beta Jack handed me the mic so I could give a short speech. I planned to give Freya a way to withdraw during the fight. I wanted everyone to take this seriously, but I also needed to confirm if she was my mate. I didn’t know why I thought of that, but my instincts said it was the right move.

The opening ceremony was supposed to end with a pack run I’d lead, but I changed my mind and told Daniel. He agreed.

“Don’t worry. I’ll stay back and make sure everyone participates,” I told him.

“Okay, Your Highness,” he said. Then I looked for Freya. She was still with Clay and Alec, and I felt uneasy. I didn’t want her around them, so I ran toward them in human form. She was probably preparing to shift, too.

“Why aren’t you ready to run?” I asked. They jumped a bit, but Freya didn’t. That meant she could smell me. But Clay and Alec hadn’t noticed me, so why could she?

“Your Highness, we’re about to shift now,” Clay said, then looked at Alec and Freya.

“We’ll just shift there,” he said, pointing to a nearby tree. She nodded and smiled.

“Freya,” I called. She stiffened and turned toward me, head down. “Look at me,” I said. That made her freeze more. “I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to see your face. I don’t want the pack to fear me when they haven’t done anything wrong,” I added.

“Uhm, I don’t think it’s right to look at you, Your Highness. That would be disrespectful,” she replied. Before I could answer, Eunice appeared.

“You’re here, Matteo! I’ve been looking for you,” she said, wrapping her hands around my arms. Then she looked at Freya. I shook Eunice off. “Prince Matteo,” I corrected. She blinked, then collected herself.

“What?” she asked.

“I said, address me as Prince Matteo.” Her eyes widened, then she said, “I called you Matteo when you were—” My Lycan went ballistic, and I had to stop myself from ripping her neck out. I saw Freya clench her fists, then relax, flinch, and breathe in sharply.

“Calvin!”

“Your Highness?”

“Take her away!”

“What are you even doing here? You waited for Matteo to tell someone to take you?” Eunice snapped at Freya, trying to control her anger.

“Eunice, let’s go,” Calvin said. She glared at him.

“What are you trying to do?” she demanded.

“His Highness said to take you away,” Calvin replied.

She yelled, “He’s talking about that worthless bitch!” toward everyone. I felt my blood boil. Freya was about to snap, but Clay got in front of her. Alec helped, and they escorted her away after bowing to me.

I was furious at what I’d just seen. “Shut up, Eunice!” I growled. “You’re going back to the palace right now!”

“No way! I’m not leaving you here with all these sluts around you!” she screamed. I grabbed her by the neck, ready to teach her a lesson.

“Your Highness, let me take her,” Calvin said. I looked at her; her head was down in submission.

“Make sure I never see her face here again,” I said, scanning everyone around.

“I’m sorry someone disrespected the event. Please continue,” I said, then looked for Freya. I needed to see her eyes. Lycans believed you could recognize your mate through their eyes before scents were discovered—seeing the soul through the eyes. I’d have to wait for another chance. The tournament lasts a week; there’s still time to meet her gaze.