Amaris frowned when both men extended their hands to her. She looked at Zion, then at Alwyn. Then she looked at their hands, thinking if she should choose Zion.
Amaris knew that choosing Zion was the right thing to do. He was her mate and her Alpha. But she didn't want Alwyn to get offended. She was his mate, and she also felt something towards the Elven Prince. It wasn't as strong as what she felt towards Zion, but she had something in her heart.
To everyone's surprise, another hand reached out to her. When she looked at who it was, Amaris saw Grakar. She smiled and held on to the minotaur instead.
"Thank you, Grakar." She whispered.
"Anytime, princess." Grakar answered.
Amaris turned to both men and sighed.
"I think I have to ride with Grakar for now. But before we continue our journey, I want to make something clear to the both of you." She started.
Amaris looked at Zion first.
"Love, you know I belong to you. My heart already belongs to you. But we have to consider Alwyn's feelings. You know how the mate bond would hurt him, seeing you and me together. I hope you understand that."
Then she turned to Alwyn.
"Prince Alwyn, I'm sorry if I cannot return your feelings. I was surprised that I am your mate. I'm still confused about how it happened, and I want some answers. But I will be considerate of your presence during this journey. I belong to Alpha Zion, and I cannot be apart from him. I hope you would also understand that we have to do something a normal couple does."
Alwyn nodded. "Princess, I don't want you to worry about me. I understand that you are fated to the Alpha of the Blue Moon Pack. I am here to serve and protect you from anyone who would cause you harm and want to hurt you. I also want to remind Alpha Zion that if he makes you cry, I won't spare him either."
Zion smirked. "That's good then. You know your boundaries, and I like that everyone around my Luna wanted to protect her. But I want to remind you as well not to forget your place. I won't let anyone touch my woman."
Amaris didn't say a word and had a flushed face. She turned around and got on the horse to ride with Grakar. She was flattered by what Zion said, and her heart fell for him again.
'Why do you have to ride with Grakar? You know I won't do anything in front of others.' Zion commented using a mind link.
'I want to be near you, but we have to consider Alwyn's feelings. Don't tell me you are also jealous of Grakar?' She teased.
'I don't get jealous. I know that you are mine.' He pouted.
Amaris chuckled enough to be heard by everyone. Zion glared at her, so she bit her lips, trying not to smile.
"Let's go!" Zion ordered.
They had been traveling for more than an hour, but Zion didn't talk to her. She was beginning to get pissed at him.
It was noon when they reached the boundary of the Elven Territory and decided to stop for a while to eat lunch in a nearby tavern.
"This is the boundary of our territory. Beyond those fences, we won't be safe anymore. We might encounter some Night Howlers or creatures hired by the enemy." Alwyn said.
"Let's eat and rest, and then we'll leave around two in the afternoon." Zion coldly answered.
They all got off the horse to go inside the tavern. Grakar supported Amaris then Maxine and Zoila immediately approached her.
"Are you arguing with my brother?" Zoila asked.
Amaris pouted. "He's mad because I didn't ride with him. He's jealous of the crown prince and Grakar."
Maxine frowned. "Grakar? Seriously?"
"You can't blame him. Werewolves are territorial creatures regardless of gender and kind. Besides, Grakar may be a minotaur, but his affection towards Amaris was the same as every man in here." Zoila said.
Amaris was surprised when Zoila said those words. She looked at the men in their group. Zion, Alwyn, Damien, Cole, Grakar, Diana's husband, and her son were the men around her.
"I don't think Diana's husband and son feel the same." Amaris commented.
Zoila laughed. "Of course, but Diana cares a lot about you, so I think your safety is their priority."
"Just talk to Zion. His bad mood affects all of us." Maxine commented before getting inside the tavern.
From the outside, the tavern looks comfy, captivating, and pleasing. Stone pillars make up most of the building's exterior design.
It was hard to see through the curtained windows, but the voices and music inside could be felt outside.
They were welcomed by dancing elves, and they felt a sense of home as they entered the tavern through the decorated metal door.
The bartender was pretty busy but still welcomed them with a smile.
It was as lovely inside as it was on the outside. Rounded stone shafts support the upper floor and the attached torches. The walls were teeming with signatures and written messages, clearly from happy customers.
The tavern was crowded as tourists seemed to be the primary customer, which usually shows excellent food. Satisfied, enthusiastic groups of people occupied several long tables. Some were dancing on the table, while others cheered them on with applause and shouting.
The other, smaller tables were also occupied by people playing games and, considering their laugh, they were either telling jokes or perhaps embarrassing tales. Even most of the seats at the bar were occupied, though nobody seemed to mind joining in with different groups.
They heard rumors about this tavern. And judging by the music and how many people were dancing, it must be the live band who just started playing and the energetic staff serving the customers.
They managed to find a table and settled on it. A smiling waitress wearing a short red dress with a white apron approached them.
"Hi. My name is Carrie. I will be serving you today. Here's our menu." The waitress introduced herself while handing them their list of menus.
The waitress' eyes widened when she noticed Alwyn and the rest of the group.
"Oh my goodness! Crown Prince!" She exclaimed.
The customers inside became silent and suddenly bowed, paying their respect to the crown prince. Then a middle-aged elven woman came rushing towards them.
"We apologize for not recognizing the crown prince of the Elven Clan." She greeted.
"It's fine. I am traveling with my friends right now. No need for formal greetings. You can continue with whatever you were doing." Alwyn said with a broad smile on his face.
The crowd continued their cheers, dance, and lunch while Zion's group started to order food. Amaris was glancing at Zion, who wasn't paying attention to her ever since they left the castle. She was pissed, so she stood up and went to the toilet to take a quick break.
The tavern had two toilets, one at the back and one inside. The toilet at the back was located outside, and no one seemed to go in that area, so Amaris chose that because she wanted to be alone.
She looked at the mirror and sighed. She was thinking about Zion because she knew he was offended by what she did. It wasn't her intention, but she pitied the Elven Prince.
'You are his Luna. Everyone knows about it, so you shouldn't be thinking of your other mate.' It was Hikari.
Amaris was surprised. Her ten forms never spoke to her. Maybe they did when they were on the moon.
'Why do you think we have another mate?' Amaris asked Hikari.
'You are different from the other creatures. You have ten forms, and maybe that was one of the reasons. Having two or more mates wasn't really new to demons like you. Some just chose to have one like your father.' Hikari answered.
'I don't want to have another mate. I only love Zion, but I feel guilty for Alwyn.'
'He already knew you belonged to someone else. There's nothing he can do about it. Are you saying you didn't want to hurt the Elven Prince, but it's okay to hurt Zion?' Hikari asked.
'No! I don't want to hurt him either.'
'But that's what you're doing right now. You are hurting him by showing your concern to your other mate.'
Hikari was right. Zion didn't argue with her when she decided to ride with Grakar, but she knew he didn't like it. He was ignoring her the whole time. She sighed and fixed herself before coming out of the toilet.
She was startled when she saw Zion standing outside. She frowned when she saw him look so worried.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
Her heart melted seeing his worried face. She hurt his pride and feelings, but he was still concerned about her.. Then, she bit her lips and suddenly grabbed Zion's hand, pulling him inside the toilet.