PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR NOT UPDATING SOONER. THE TRUTH IS I HAD A HARD TIME FIGURING OUT WHAT I WANTED TO LET LEWIS KNOW. FOR THE LONGEST I WASN'T GOING TO TELL HIM ANYTHING BUT AS THE STORY DEVELOPED I FELT LIKE HE NEEDED TO KNOW SOMETHING. THE NEXT QUESTION IS HOW MUCH DOES HE NEED TO KNOW. WELL THAT'S WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO FIND OUT.

OH YES THE PICTURE AT THE SIDE IS OF MARIA

© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED UNDER THE COPYRIGHT LAWS OF 1988 FOR SHERRY E MONTGOMERY

CHAPTER 18 THE TALK

DAVID'S POV

Bill should be bringing my daughters human mate in any moment. Yes I look at Maria as my child. That's just the way I am with her. I had 1 son who was born to me and the mate I was forced to mate with, then by my true mate we have the 1 daughter who was stolen from me and 3 boys.

My oldest son is royal but he did not receive the High Alpha gene and was not born of the Queen. He did receive an Alpha gene just as all my sons did but none of them received the High Alpha gene. My oldest son is like my older half brother and sister. My mother mated and married her first mate (my great uncle) who was murdered along with my grandparents, she took over the kingdom because she was a royal until the rightful heir was old enough to take the throne. Mother ruled but with an Elder Alpha Counsel. No one knew that my mother could read their minds and then influence them. It was a well kept secret. Most of mother's powers were. Any way when my dad was turned 21 he had to do two things. On Dad's birthday he had to chose his mate and once they mated then his coronation took place. He had been in love with my Mom from the day his Uncle Tom brought her to the castle. I remember sitting at Dad's feet as Uncle Tony would tease him about verbally claiming Mom when he was 7 and mated to Tom. Now somehow and we don't really know the details Uncle Tony ended up being part of the mated royalty. I was told that once Mom conceived me with Dad, Uncle Tom had to seal me with his powers or Mom would have miscarried. Anyway I have a half brother and sister who are also my cousins. Talk about confusing. Well just to continue the confusion, my forced mate was the daughter of my Dad's cousin. Talk about drama that's what goes on with the royal lines.

My daughter was born with the High Alpha birthmark showing she carried that gene, but then she was stolen within hours of her birth. The birthmark was on her left butt check but mine is on my left shoulder, so Maria's could be anywhere but I'm guessing it is somewhere on her left side.

Truth is I don't know for sure that Maria has the marking but as I have always had to take calculated risk to keep my people safe I with be will to risk everything in saying she does. I may need to get Eve to check this out or maybe my granddaughter who is her doctor would know.

EVE WHAT ARE YOU DOING? I link her.

I'M HELPING MARIA. SHE IS NURSING THE BABY SO I AM PLAYING WITH DENICE. WHY? She links back to me.

WELL I JUST REALISED WE DON'T KNOW FOR SURE IF MARIA HAS THE HIGH ALPHA BIRTHMARK. DO YOU THINK YOU CAN FIND A WAY TO FIND OUT? I link her again.

I hear laughter through the mind link as she says OH SHE HAS IT ALRIGHT. THE CROWN BIRTHMARK IS ON HER LEFT BREAST JUST ABOVE HER HEART. I SAY IT WHEN SHE PUT DEANN TO SUCKLE AND ASKED HER ABOUT IT. BABY ITS NOT LIKE YOURS THOUGH. HERS IS AN ACTUAL GOLD COLORED MARKING. SHE SAID SHE WOULD GET TEASED AS A TEENAGER FOR HAVING A TATTOO OF A GOLD CROWN ABOVE HER HEART. SHE ENDED UP WITH THE NICKNAME PRINCESS MARIA. I could hear the laughter across the link.

CAN'T HELP BUT WONDER WHAT THOSE TORMENTORS WOULD THINK IF THEY KNEW SHE REALLY IS A PRINCESS. I say a little gruffly. Just the thought of my baby being unjustly teased makes me mad. I wonder why that was never reported back to me. Hmmm. I wonder if it was reported to Bill. Guess I will have to ask him later.

I hear a knock at the door to my study as Bill links me telling me he and Lewis are about to come in.

"Congratulation my boy" I say rising from my seat to welcome them into my office.

"Thank you sir. She is a beautiful little girl if I do say so myself." Lewis said.

"She looks just like her mother and grandmother." Bill said.

At that Lewis gave him a funny look.

"I've seen the pictures of them." Bill quickly says to cover his mistake.

"Well son I know that before you married Maria a lawyer had you sign that damnable contract and that is one of the things I want to talk with you about." I say to Lewis.

"Sir are you the family that would have chosen someone for her." Lewis asked getting a little upset.

"Calm down Lewis" Bill says.

"Yes I am. I have to say I regret that contract." I say.

"Well let me tell you something. First and foremost I love my wife. She was my second chance at happiness and yes we are very happy but because of that damn contract she felt trapped. She could either marry me who she has known and loved as a friend for years or be forced into marrying someone she knew nothing of. She has a soul mate out there that if she ever comes across him will break her heart because you forced her to marry someone and we don't believe in divorce, plus she would never leave and take my kids from me. So yes you screwed up big time and I will do everything in my power to make sure my girls find their soul mates so they don't feel the same pressure that My Maria did." He said fuming.

"Look Lewis we really do need to talk. No one will choose your daughter's mates for them. I sincerely regret my actions. I messed up but I know you must sense that there is something different about us." I say.

"I know you aren't exactly human and I know that I carry the gene that makes you what you are." Lewis says.

"How do you know that?" Bill asks.

"Well my grandmother Cindy was whatever you are. She gave me her journal the day she died and it told me she was of royal blood in a special breed of half humans and half shifters. Because my first love was killed by wolves I can only guess you are werewolves. She also told me I was her mate and was on her way to me when she died. I know that Mary talked about all of you. I can only conclude from my grandmother's writings and what has been happening around us that Maria must also be a shifter." Lewis tells us.

"Wow I can see Cindy in you. She was always the smart quiet one but if she was every riled watch out." I said.

"Did you know my grandmother?" Lewis asked.

"Yes son. Cindy was my half sister. After her wolf mate was murdered she chose to leave our world and find a human mate and live as a human. My wife tells me that she had the gift of sight and knowledge. She knew you would be important to our world long before I knew anything according to her best friend." I tell him.

"Oh my if grandma Cindy was your older half sister then your wife Eve was her best friend." He says as he begins to put things together.

"Yes you are right." I tell him.

"My grandma told me there might come a day that I would need to listen to you and follow your instructions. She told me to do otherwise would condemn not only her race but the humans as well. I will listen and do as she said but I just want you to know I am not your subject and never will be. I will still have to do what I think is right for my family not what you tell me to." He growled at me. That's right he growled.

My wolf doesn't take disrespect well and I can tell he is prancing in my head. I am just surprised he hasn't tried to fight me for control.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME my wolf said to me. THIS MAN WAS CHOSEN TO HOUSE ONE OF THE ROYAL ENFORCERS. ITS NOT HIS FAULT HIS MATE MADE A BAD DECISION AND IF THAT WAS NOT ENOUGH HIS SECOND MATE IS THE ROYAL JUDGE AND HE HAS ALREADY FATHERED TWO OF THE OTHER ROYAL JUDGES. WE MIGHT NOT LIKE HIS TONE BUT WE DO KNOW OUR PLACE. I have never heard my wolf speak to me in that manner. NOT TO MENTION HE IS RIGHT. HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THAT CONTRACT. HE WOULD HAVE HAD HIS SOUL MATE AND AT HIS WEDDING MARIA WOULD HAVE MET HERS. I HAPPEN TO KNOW THAT MARIA WAS TO HAVE BEEN HER MAID OF HONOR AND MICHAEL WOULD HAVE BEEN A GROOMSMAN. THEY WOULD HAVE MET. BUT NO YOU HAD TO COME UP WITH THAT TERRIBLE CONTRACT.

I couldn't believe I just got chewed out by my wolf and basically told I'd better show this man some respect.

I guess he does carry not only a werewolf gene but a royal gene same as I do. Too bad Mary made the decision to let the rogues kill her because Lewis would have made one heck of a wolf. No human has ever been able to stand up to me and of course no wolf has. My respect for this man just jumped because he was letting me know that for him his family came first.

"First of all I want you to know right up front I respect you for everything you have just said and could not be any prouder for my granddaughter to have found you as her human mate. For our world I really wish things had been different and your soul mate had lived. You would have made a fine wolf." I pause in what I am saying so it can sink in.

"But you are not a wolf because only your soul mate can give you a transforming bite. " I continue.

"Sir Maria is not a wolf and even if she finds her soul mate she will not leave me. So what is it you have to say because I really want to get back to wife and children and I have I saw Michael here on my way to your office. I would like to see him before I am forced to leave and get back to work. I have talked with the doctor and she says that Maria will need to stay here for at least another week. I hate that but because of somethings going on at work I guess it will work out for the best and just as soon as she gets home I will be taking a month off to spend with my family. So please let's get to the real point of this meeting." Lewis says.

I can see Bill is taken back because he has never seen anyone stand up to me and me not put them in their place. I link him and let him see what my wolf has told me and his eyes just grew.

"Please listen to me very carefully and don't get upset by what I am about to tell you. We are wolves and can smell things a long time before illnesses manifest themselves."

"Okay Sir. I am listening." He says

"Maria's soul mate has found her. He came to me because he found her when you were in Houston, TX. He saw your family at a restaurant. He realized she had a family and as we believe in the sanctity of the family he came seeking our advice. He also told us he could smell that your diabetes had already done some major damage to your organs and therefore you will not live to be an old man but by the same token you should live long enough to see your children raised. He has agreed to stay away from her as long as you are alive. This is his penance for not finding her before she married. However, her wolf has now shown itself to him, her and me. Her wolf cannot come out until he claims her but it is no longer dormant. It will help her in training your pups."

"What do you mean my pups?" Lewis asks.

"Well we know that her daughters are pups. Truth is both of your daughters' pups are awake. That means somewhere they have already come in contact with their mates. But because they are royal females their wolves cannot come out until their mates claim them. We have a search going to try and find out who the girls mates are so that they can receive the right training.

"Which leads me to the next thing. I would like to get my girls ... I mean your girls to spend time here so that the can learn about our world. Maria and the girls in that line have always had secret guards around them. I would like to increase these because the one who stole our daughter is still out their and he is a threat to Maria and the girls."

"Do I get a choice as to who the guards are?" Lewis asks.

NO my wolf says in my head. MICHAEL HAS TO BE THE PRIMARY OR ONE IN CHARGE.

"Well Lewis they have to be part of the royal guard or at least have the same or better training. Who did you have in mind?" I ask him.

"Well I have a friend who I know lived here and I trust him." He says with a smirk.

"How do you know someone who has lived here?" Bill, who has been quietly watching chimes in.

"Well, I just do and I would like him at least as a liaison. " Again I notice the smirk.

"Well who is it?" I ask and about that time there is a knock on the door.

Bill goes and answers it.

"Michael" Lewis says and I'm not sure if its because that was who was at the door and it was a greeting or because that is who Lewis Knows.

"Hello David, Bill and Lewis," Michael says with a slight bow of his head. That is the way he must greet us when humans are present.

"Lewis that little DeNice is something else and I can only imagine what the newborn is like." Michael says in greeting Lewis. "You will have to introduce me to your new one."

"Gladly. Michael I have a favor to ask of you." Lewis says.

"Lewis you know you can ask me anything and if its within my power I'll do it." Michael says.

"Well David and I have been having a nice little chat and I know about the werewolf thing. I sorta already knew you were one. But I'll tell you about that later. What I was wondering is ...well...there isn't anyone I would trust my Maria with and our children more than you. David was explain that he needed to increase the guards around them and I would like for you to be the one in charge of their security. I mean that is if you have time. Does he meet with your approval?" Lewis turns to us and ask.

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CAN YOU IMAGINE LEWIS ASKING HIS WIFES SOUL MATE TO BE AROUND HER?

WHAT WILL HE SAY?

CAN HE DO IT AND STILL NOT CLAIM HER?

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