Bennett and I continued our charade for several days. It was almost impossibly easy to be the mate he wanted me to be. Hell, I wanted to be that mate for him too, but when we went back to our palace I was frequently reminded of why we were acting and not genuinely in love. He was cold and distant on good days and on bad days he was demanding, ordering me around constantly. I suddenly missed those quiet lazy days that I spent in the barn and in front of the television instead of at meetings.

Then came this massive celebration everyone referred to as 'The Reveal'. It was apparently my big entrance into the world as a princess, no longer an ordinary werewolf. I thought it was foolish, I was still just a normal werewolf, I had hardly stepped into the world of royalty, but I remembered my promise to Bennett and I allowed women to tutor me, to try to impress me with incredible hairstyles, and my seamstress to constantly undress and redress me.

By the time the celebration actually came I was exhausted and ready for it to be over.

Bennett was no where to be found the day of The Reveal though.

"Oh, no Princess, he mustn't see you until you are ready." My hairstylist murmured, "It's almost like a human wedding." She explained as she wrapped my hair around a curling iron, "But it must be hard for you now, you're probably a bundle of nerves and he would comfort you."

"Yes." I said blandly, wishing someone in this kingdom wasn't completely fooled by my adoring and loving act. But I suppose that I had signed myself over to this.

Eventually my hair was curled and pinned up into an elegant up do of twirling hair, braids, and bobby pins. After my hair was complete another woman came in to do my makeup. My eye shadow was smoky, yet light and natural looking with a bold burgundy lip that matched my dress and cheeks that glowed in the light.

"You look amazing." My make up artist whispered, grabbing at my hands, "Now come on or you're going to be late." She giggled, tugging me to my feet. And just like that I was rushed out of my room, out of my home and into a vehicle that drove me to the gala's location.

Once I was there two men helped me out of the SUV which I was thankful for, I wasn't terribly used to wearing heels and snow had begun to fall in the past few days. The last thing I wanted now was to slip on ice and ruin everyone's hard work. Luckily, with one guard one each arm, it didn't seem likely that I would tumble and I entered the building without a scratch.

The guards led me through an empty room then instructed me to wait while my arrival was announced. It was slightly awkward standing between two of these men who boasted elegant uniforms while I felt more glamorous than a model. But, as usual, the guards were blank faced and quiet, listening for the announcement to be made before they pushed open the double doors and nodded, signalling me to walk forward into a room of strangers.

Applause filled the room as I moved forward and I kept a smile glued to my face though I felt nervous and nauseous. I nodded my head at the people I past, some I knew from meetings, other I had never seen before and cameras flashed blindingly all around me. I continued to walk until I was only a couple feet away from Bennett who was facing away from me. As he heard my heels stop clicking against the tiled floor he slowly turned around.

He was wearing a traditional uniform, it looked similar to a guard's uniform but his was navy blue instead of red and it was decorated with a handful of medals and sashes while a decorative sword was strapped to his side.

I paused briefly to take in his form, he looked amazing and I was very attracted to him despite our constant tension. But when his eyes met mine I remembered the procedure and curtseyed deeply, bowing my head in submission. When I rose back up Bennett met my eyes briefly before he bowed gracefully.

When he straightened he grabbed my hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it gently before he grinned at me. His amber eyes looked dazzling and I had never seen him look so happy though I wasn't sure if it was an act or not.

A voice in the distance boomed, "I give you Princess Brooklyn."

The crowd erupted into another round of applause and Bennett pulled me against his side, still grinning. "You look gorgeous." He murmured softly.

My cheeks flared despite the fact that I assumed he was just saying it for show. "You look quite handsome yourself." I whispered back.

He shot me a smile that was too cheeky to be prince- like and pulled me tightly against him as the music began playing. I tried to look relaxed yet I was anything but. My dress was gorgeous, I knew that when I saw it, but it was horribly revealing. The v between my breasts plunged dangerously low, the straps that held the burgundy material up were amazingly thin, and those tiny straps hardly covered any skin as this criss-crossed on my exposed back. I had to step carefully to prevent the high slit in the skirt from revealing too much as my brain worked immensely hard to remember the basic steps of the waltz.

After our first dance there was more clapping, then the king got off his throne and walked onto the open floor to express how happy he was for his son. He constantly mentioned how thrilled he was that I wasn't actually "a disgraceful mutt" and that I had been "tamed down like any good queen". From the corner of my eye I could see the queen sitting almost deathly still, frowning deeply at his words and my heart went out to her.

Soon enough the king's awful speech was over and all the guests were taken to another room for dinner. Bennett and I ended up seated at a head table which was decorated with stunning roses and romantic centerpieces. I riddled my mind to remember which fork was used for which course and I forced myself to keep my elbows off the table as I sipped my champagne daintily, allowing the alcohol to ease my nerves. At least I didn't have to make a conversation, the king talked for the majority of the meal and his words were only for Bennett though the whole room could hear his loud voice.

After the feast there was more dancing, this time I was passed from person to person as opposed to only being Bennett's partner. I thought I would feel relief at this part, but I hated it more than dancing with my mate. All of my partners now were old with wrinkled skin and grey hair. Their hands were cold and scaly on my back, making me shudder, and several of them stepped on my toes. To help keep myself calm I would pretend to sneak over to Bennett for a quick kiss on the cheek, but I would grab another champagne flute and drink as much contents as I could before another man would ask me to dance with him.

At about midnight the gala was over and Bennett's hands were on my waist while he thanked the last guests for coming.

"Well, it's a good thing you kept your mouth shut." Bennett mused with a slight smile.

"And why is that?" I demanded, leaning against him as I swayed slightly.

"Because you can barely control your tongue when you're sober, I can't imagine what you would say to my father when you're this intoxicated."

"I'm not drunk." I denied, allowing him to help me walk out of the ball room and out of the complex.

"Really?" he challenged. He clung to me tightly as we walked down few cobble stone stairs.

"Yes, really." I mumbled.

He just laughed and assisted me as I tried to climb into the SUV.

It was a similar story when we got back to our palace. He kept a tight arm around my waist when we climbed up the stairs to our bedroom, but once we got to our room he let me go instantly and began undressing.

"I hope the night wasn't too painful for you."

"I hate high heels." I whined, disregarding him entirely as I leaned against the wall, trying to kick them off.

"Come here, let me help you." Bennett whispered.

I pouted as I sat down on the bed, frustrated and exhausted. Bennett gently lifted my leg and undid the buckle on the side of my shoe before he pulled it off and moved on to the next one.

"I hate your father." I spat. I stood up and began groping at the thin straps on my shoulders, trying to undo them, "He's such an asshole."

"You aren't the only one who hates him." Bennett replied. He watched me struggle for a little while longer before he rolled his eyes and moved behind me. "I don't really think anyone truly likes him, they just fear him too much to say anything about it."

"Does your mom hate him?"

"Oh yes, absolutely." He answered.

"Do you hate him?"

Bennett paused, his hands no longer trying to find the clasp on the back of the straps.

"Yes." He said after a few seconds.

"But he's your dad, he's part of you, how can you hate him? I couldn't imagine hating my dad, I love him so much, even if he didn't do everything right when I was growing up." I slurred.

Bennett finally got the clasp undone and my dress fell to the floor, leaving me in nothing but my panties, but in my drunken state I hardly cared.

"My father didn't make a couple mistakes." Bennett whispered, "He ruined his mate, the only person that could ever possibly love him, then she made her have his child. Shit, if I had been a girl I don't know what would've happened to me, or if I would even be alive right now. And then, when I found my mate the first thing he does to her is put her in a collar."

"What do you care what your dad does to me? You hate me anyway."

"I don't hate you. I would if you weren't my mate because you challenge everything I was raised to stand for, but I truly don't hate you. If I really hated you and wanted to make your life miserable I would be like my father, force you to stay with me and have my kids. But I won't. I just need you to help me get the crown so that bastard doesn't have it for much longer. And once I'm free I'll force him to let my mom go so that, maybe, she can be happy again." Bennett took a deep breath as if he was trying to calm himself down then he placed a gentle kiss on my bare shoulder. "Come on, let's get your drunk butt into bed."

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