Daniel’s P.O.V. I knew I had to tell them the truth, but feeling Aspen get insecure because of it was not my intention. I pull her on to my lap as I wrap my arms around her and I am happy to feel her emotions settle down. “Hunter, what do you know about the Lycan King?” I ask her, because if anyone here can answer that it will be her. She looks at me and I get this feeling she knows more than I would like. “The last Lycan King was King Edward and even though everyone was told he had a child, no one ever saw him or her. When his Heir took over he or she stayed in hiding and till this day no one knows what he or she looks like. No one knows if the new King or Queen has an heir and whether it is a male or female, if he or she has an heir that is. There are a lot of rumors flying around as to the reason why no one has seen the new King or Queen so far, one of the biggest being that there never was an heir to the throne. The runner up is favored by people to scare the shit out of children, namely that he or she is a monster that can’t control their Lycan.” I stare at her as she speaks and I know about those rumors, making me laugh every time I hear them. “What do you think is true, Hunter?” I ask her tentatively and for a moment she thinks about how to respond. “I think neither one is the truth, Your Majesty.” She says and I see Aspen’s jaw drop, while Brent and Gabe laugh their ass off. “Hunter, that is not funny.” Aspen scolds her. “Daniel is not our King.” She says adamantly and Hunter looks her in the eyes before she says, “Then please explain to me why I sense my Step-brothers at the Palace and not at the Pack where they are supposed to be?” Aspen looks confused as she hears Hunter talk and Hunter points out to her where my Pack’s territory is located, after which she points out where the Palace grounds are. She points in the direction of the Palace as she says “They have been there ever since I first tried to sense them and they haven’t moved.” “Alpha Malcolm is on his way.” Victor says through the mind-link and I ask Aspen and Hunter to wait with their questions until the coast is clear again. Both of them nod their heads and Aspen gestures Hunter to follow her in to the cottage. Aspen’s P.O.V. My Mate is the Lycan King, what the fuck! I need to calm down as I know that Malcolm knows me well enough to notice something is going on. Hunter doesn’t argue with me and follows me inside with her mug in her hand. “Mom, are you okay?” She asks as we walk into the kitchen. “I just need to process this.” I answer her and then she starts laughing, I wait for her to include me in to the joke. After she slows down she gets another coffee and sits down at the island on one of the high-stools. “You always told me that Grandma said that you would end up in the gutter. I wonder what she will do when she finds out that you are the Queen.” I look at my Daughter in shock and slowly her words sink in, hitting home hard and I burst out in laughter. Hunter is right, my Mother and my former Alpha were cruel when I told them I was pregnant and it almost destroyed me. Just the thought of a life growing inside me is what kept me going and Alpha Malcolm’s acceptance of my situation is what saved me. When she finds out who my Mate is, she will try to take advantage of that and she will make it look as if I was the one in the wrong. “We better warn Dad about Grandma.” Hunter says and I start laughing even harder. “I hope you are willing to have that conversation. I am afraid I will not be able to get a word out, because I will be seeing her face in my mind when she finds out.” “Don’t worry, Mom. I will tell him every horrible detail there is to know about Grandma, but I will wait until we get home. I think my Brothers would like to hear this as well.” We both laugh as I try to imagine the look on their faces when they hear about my Mother. “Aspen, are you okay?” Daniel asks as he walks into the kitchen. I look down the hall at the front porch and he tells me that the coast is clear. “Well, I think I am okay. It is not every day a woman hears that her Mate is the Lycan King.” I tell him. Hunter is still laughing, but she has calmed down considerably and then all of a sudden she stops as her jaw drops. “GeeGee, I am going to kick your ass.” She yells as she rushes towards the front porch. We hear Gabe shriek as she exits the cottage and Daniel looks at me with confusion written all over his face. I shrug my shoulders, because I have no idea what has her so upset with Gabe. Laughter from Victor and Brent has us walking out the front door, we see Hunter chasing after Gabe and the look on her face is murderous. “Hunter, will you come here for a second?” Daniel asks and to my surprise she actually listens to him. She turns towards us and Daniel opens his arms so she can jump into them, he hugs her as he walks back into the cottage. Gabe looks at me and I tell him that I have no idea what was going on in her head. Daniel’s P.O.V. I don’t know what set her off, but something Gabe did or said has pissed her off and I need to find out what happened. “Okay, Princess….” Her hand covers my mouth and she is staring daggers at me. I start laughing when I realize it is the word Princess that ticked her off, she wants to say something and I just shake my head. She slowly lowers her hand and I ask her if she will hear me out. “Gabe and I don’t use that word as a title, even though others will. We use it because you are special to us, Brent will use it in the same way and so will my Sons.” I say and I see her eyes water. “I always wanted a Daughter, not to turn her in to a spoiled Princess, but to show the world that a girl should always be treated like a Princess. That a woman should always be treated like a Queen. Gabe, Brent and my Sons feel the same way I do, a female is the most important being in the world. They keep us sane, they are our comfort, our home. My Sons have seen the way I treated their Mother and they have always known that she was the most important thing in my life. They can take my title, my money and my home, but with my Mate by my side I will always be the richest man in the world.” She looks into my eyes and nods her head. She jumps up and walks out of the cottage as I follow her, curious to find out what she is going to do. Gabe realizes to late that she is heading for him and I see a look of horror on his face, but she just crawls in to his lap. “I’m sorry, GeeGee. I remembered that you called me Princess and I hated that you would call me by my title and not my name.” She has her face in the crook of his neck as she speaks. He laughs at her words and says “It is just a nickname, just as you call me GeeGee. You should start to worry when I call you Your Highness.” Her head snaps up and tells him he better not dare to call her that. Aspen and I laugh as we listen to their conversation, I know I have to explain a few things to both of them on the way home and I tell Victor through the mind-link that I need Brent and Gabe in the car with us.