The beast and the blessed novel by Ashley Breanne

One Hundred Three: Natalie

Natalie's P.O.V.

Killian seemed highly amused by me as we ate our lunch together. I would find him staring at me with a small smile or chuckling to himself while I was nibbling on my food.

I was happy my mother was here, and she was safe. But the bigger part of my mind was stuck on whether my father had returned with her. Did she tell him about me? Did he want to meet me? "You have barely touched your food, my love. Did I not do a good enough job to help you work up an appetite?” His words sent a wave of warmth to my core, and I shifted as I picked up half of my sandwich and took a dramatically large bite out of it. He had absolutely done his job to work up my appetite, but it was still tempting to tease him and tell him no. Maybe then he would ensure I was thoroughly ravished and christen the study like he suggested. "You're distracted.”

I shook my head as I swallowed, not wanting to talk about it on our date. He was right that I had been distracted, and I didn't want to bring him down when he had taken time out of his busy day to have a lunch date with me. It had been sweet, and, at least to me, it had been needed. Just time for the two of us to be together and alone without interruptions. Even if we sat in silence, having him near me was like having my soul recharged.

"I didn't mean to be distracted by other things. I'll go down and visit my mother after our date. Right now, it is just you and me." I insisted, wiping my fingers on the napkin and reaching for my glass of wine. The bitter yet satisfying liquid was delicious, and Killian immediately refilled my glass once I placed it back down.

We had it once before, and his remembering that I loved it made me incredibly happy.

"You have every reason to have your mind occupied.” He said before gesturing with his head toward the door. "Do you want me to come with you to meet him?"

I bit my lip, debating if I wanted an audience to this. "No, that's okay. I know you have a lot of work to do. Do you... Have you ever met him before?"

Killian nodded, his eyes never leaving mine as he rested his hand on my thigh, rubbing it soothingly. "Yes. You have nothing to worry about. He is a good leader, one of the few wolves I respect.”

I had other questions. Questions that I needed to ask my father directly.

From what I had seen, Killian's respect was hard to come by, and I was proud that this man had earned it.

"Go ahead.” Killian moved to grab another grape, popping it into his mouth as he smiled at me with his heart-stopping grin. "I know you are dying to go see them. You know where to find me, my love. I'm not going anywhere.”

I pressed my lips together as I debated, but I was eager to get this over with, so I could know the truth. "I changed my mind. I think it would be nice if you were there.”

He nodded, taking one last bite of his food before getting to his feet and holding a handout for me. I appreciated that he didn't give me a hard time or question my decision. He simply supported me, and it meant the world.

"Right now?" I asked, my nerves swirling what little I ate around my stomach. "We haven't even finished eating.”

Killian laughed, raising an eyebrow at me in disbelief. "You aren't even eating, and there is no time like the present. Let's do this now so it won't hang over you anymore.”

I grabbed his hand, allowing him to pull me up. "You're too positive now. What happened to my grumpy, bossy mate? Where did he go?" "He is still here. Now do what I say."

I narrowed my eyes at him as he pulled me in front of him but jumped when he smacked my ass as I walked by.

There was a low murmur of voices in the private sitting room on the first floor, but the doors were still open to the hallway, letting the sound carry out for anyone to hear.

"You saw something, didn't you? Your aura has changed since the mountains. What did you see, my dear?” My mother's voice was low but easy to pick up with my wolf hearing. She sounded very concerned but firm. It was interesting how she voiced her words in a way that sounded like a question but was delivered as if she were demanding a response.

As we rounded the corner, both women looked our way. Joselin seemed almost relieved to have us join them. I wanted to ask what they were talking about, what Joselin saw that had been bothering her. But the man standing by the fireplace immediately had my interest. He stepped toward us as he stared at me, and I felt myself moving closer to Killian as we entered the room

Joselin glanced from us to the man with a raised eyebrow of curiosity, but I had no idea where to start. Seeing him drop into a bow was the last thing I expected, and an uncomfortable laugh was forced from my lips.

"Natalie, how are you feeling?" My mother asked, standing from her seat next to Joselin. She rushed toward me, her long black hair swaying as she approached and pulled me in for a hug.

I was stunned by the unexpected show of affection, and Joselin smirked at me over my mother's shoulder in a "now you know how I felt’ look. I stuck my tongue out at her, happy to see it made her smile, but I quickly collected myself when the man moved forward again. My arms wrapped around my mother, and she held me tighter for a minute before letting me go.

"I am fine. I should be asking you that.” I said, holding her elbows as she pulled away and scanning her over. Her injuries seemed to be gone, but maybe she was just really good at hiding them.

"I am as good as new." She said before turning and gesturing toward the couches for us all to sit together.

The sound of footsteps coming down the hallway made me pause, and I bit back a groan when Rona appeared. "Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't realize anyone would be in here."

I glanced over my shoulder with a forced smile as she narrowed her eyes at Joselin. "We are having a private family discussion, but you are free to use the room when we are done.”

The redhead turned to me, dipping her head slightly before turning back to Joselin.

"Not a problem. Joselin and I will just be on our way then.” Rona turned until her body was perpendicular to the door, raising her eyebrows challengingly at my friend.

"Nonsense," my mother chimed in. “This is a family discussion; she is family, so she will stay. Please close the door on your way out, dear.”

I pressed my lips together as I could hear Rona grinding her teeth before she turned and stormed out, closing the doors harder than necessary behind her.

"l hope you don't mind,” Aurora said, sending me a small smile over her shoulder. "That girl just rubs me the wrong way."

I shook my head, too distracted by the man still staring at me to respond. In this lighting, his hair was undoubtedly the same shade as mine.

"Henry, welcome,” Killian said, extending his hand and stunning the Alpha, who promptly shook it. “I don't believe you have met my mate. Queen Natalie Amery."

The man turned to me, his pale green eyes boring into mine as he smiled widely. Water lined his lids, and he cleared his throat before responding. “No, but your mother has told me a lot about you over the past few days. I really look forward to getting to know you."