Our Surprise Mate

**~Valentina~**

"It's okay, Hazie. It was only a bad dream." Hazel woke up gasping for air, sweating profusely. It scared the shit out of Tae and me. "No, Val. It was real. I swear it was so real." She's shaking with fear in Tae's arms.

"Can you tell us what it was?" Tae soothes her by running his fingers through her silky hair. Hazel tells us what her dream consists of, and my heart sinks to my stomach. There was too much detail for it to be only a dream. Hazel was able to recall the smell in the forest, the chill of the wind, and the taste of iron in her mouth as someone tried to kill her. It was a message from the Tribrid herself.

"She's just messing with your mind. She wants you to believe you are a threat, so that you will be more willing to give yourself up. Nothing you do will cause the deaths of so many people, Hazel. You're a good person." I try my best to ease her mind, but I'm lying to her. A Tribrid cannot project a false vision, and Tae knows it too. I can tell by his expression that he isn't happy about me lying to her, but she's trembling uncontrollably. I'm afraid she'll go into a full-blown panic attack. "Even if people die, it isn't because you killed them. War happens all the time, and it's ugly, Hazel. Mortal Ground's Royals always keep their citizens in the dark. I could tell you so many messed-up things that happened right under your nose. I know it's hard to think about right now, but life was not what it seemed. Keeping you in the dark won't protect you." Lying has never been Tae's strong suit, and I'm thankful for it.

"What went on under my nose?" Tae managed to distract her a little from the vision.

"What do you think happens to the homeless? Or the orphans who age out of the foster system?" She doesn't take long to respond.

"They are sent to the outskirts to do jobs that no one wants to do because it's so far away, and the labor is worse than factory work. They have shelters out there, though. I guess it's better than sleeping on the ground." She sounds so sure. "No, babe. They only give them so much time to find a stable home and income, or an agent comes to collect them. Once collected, they're taken to Nosferatu Dominion and used as servants or blood donors to keep the vampires fed. They're at least given decent clothes, a roof over their heads, and their own money. They are still allowed to have families of their own. I just think the sick part is how they're ripped from their community against their will just because their leaders don't care about them. It's scary to fall on hard times in Mortal Grounds." A flash of hurt crosses her face, and we give her time to process this information.

"How are they getting away with this? How are they able to keep it secret? Oh my god. I had a friend who was sent to work in the outskirts. I offered him a place to stay, but he declined my offer. I think I'm going to be sick." Hazel jumps out of bed, rushes into the bathroom, and locks the door behind her. Maybe Tae should have kept his big mouth shut.

"Way to go, King Asshole. Too soon, don't you think?" I whisper-yell.

"It's better than being Queen Liar. Hazel deserves to know the truth. If she is going to be a queen, she will need thick skin. Sparing her feelings won't protect her." He whisper-yelled back. "She has had nothing but pain since she got here, Tae. Cut her a little slack." Men are so insensitive.

"I think she's also had quite a bit of pleasure too, so maybe stop treating her like she's fragile. She's a Lycan queen who lived in the worst territory her entire life. She'll be okay." This is the quietest argument we've ever had. I want to flick his forehead.

"Making her cum doesn't solve her problems." I go ahead and flick his forehead.

"Ouch!" He flinches and looks at the bathroom door to ensure it's still closed. "Well, maybe it doesn't solve her problems, but it makes it easier to cope with. Holy shit, woman. You flick hard." He rubs the red welt that formed.

"It'll be gone in a few seconds. You're fine." Having strong nails comes in handy when you need to keep your man in line. Hazel finally comes out of the bathroom, looking better than she did when she went in.

"You guys can stop arguing and assaulting now. You seem to have forgotten my hearing isn't what it used to be, so go ahead and tell me what I need to know. Thank you, Val, for trying to calm my nerves. Tae is right, though. You can't lie to me and protect me at the same time." She looks at Tae with a small grin. "The orgasms are definitely helpful, too."

Tae gives me an 'I told you so' look, and I roll my eyes at his dramatics. "I'm sorry for lying. I sort of freaked out. Come sit; we'll tell you everything you need to know and answer any questions."

An hour and a half later, Hazie is full of new information, some good and some bad. Like always, King Asshole was right. Hazie isn't as fragile as I thought she was, and I should have had more faith in her. She told us more about her homeless friend, Ryan. They were in the same grade and shared almost every class from their fourth-grade year to senior year. She doesn't know how he lost his job and home, but she saw him sleeping on a bench near the factory she worked at about a year ago. She said he couldn't work at the factory because they didn't need any more employees and other places haven't offered a position yet. It sounds like Mortal Grounds forces their people into poverty and throws them out when they get too poor. It doesn't make any sense to me. This is the territory we swore to protect, and it sickens me. They don't deserve protection when they're the real monsters.

"I'm so glad you left that place. We can find Ryan for you and let you know how he's doing if you want. He's young and in good health. That means he more than likely is working closer to the Royals." The Royals are a lot of work, so they require fast and efficient services. Elderly or less healthy servants go to lower-class citizens for lighter work.

"You can do that? It would make me so happy. He's one of the few decent humans I know." I will call Queen Emilia to see if she knows anything about Hazel's long-lost friend.

"Sure. I'll make the call after breakfast." Just in time, Lucas opens our bedroom door and climbs into the bed with us.

"Good morning, sleepy butt. What do you want to eat this morning?" I scoop him up to sit on my lap.

"Ice cream." This boy could live on ice cream. I could too, if it was considered acceptable. I would be lying if I said I never let him eat leftover birthday cake for breakfast the day after his party. It was one battle that I chose not to fight. "Not for breakfast. We will get you some after lunch again." He was about to throw a fit when Tae pulled him from my lap and put him on his shoulders. He started laughing while he held on to Tae's hair.

"Don't you want to be big and strong?" Tae asks Lucas.

"Yes!" Tae spins Lucas in circles, making the perfect distraction. Tae always knows how to avoid a tantrum.

"Well then, we eat a good breakfast and lunch before we eat sweets. Do you want pancakes with strawberries?" He stops spinning and puts Lucas on the floor. He's unsteady on his feet, but he thinks it's hilarious how the room spins. As soon as he gains control over his little body, he says, "Yes, please. And a pickle."

Lucas loves pickles, but he always eats them at the wrong times. Now is a good example.

"That's disgusting! But I'll allow it." Tae picks him back up with a look of disgust and takes him to the dining hall. Life is never dull with these guys.