The Lost Lycan Princes: A Journey Home

Meeting Her Brothers

Jonathan POV

When we got back to the motel, both of us were still hyped up from being around Chrissy. She’d allowed us both to hug her goodbye, which made Damien do a happy dance inside my head. And the Chinese food hanging on the doorknob had a note on it apologizing for the wait – apparently it had only been hanging there for about fifteen minutes, so it was still good. So, all in all, it was a pretty good night.

As we ate, Jameson and I talked about the events of the day. We were both beyond excited that we’d not only met our mate, we’d also be able to shift in a few days and see what our Lycans looked like and what they were really capable of.

“How big do you think they are?” I mused out loud, mostly to myself but also curious about Jameson’s response.

“Pretty big, from what I read while we were researching,” he replied.

‘Where do you think the rumors of Sasquatch come from?’ Damien piped up. ‘Most people who claim to have seen Sasquatch – or Bigfoot, whatever you want to call him – have actually seen a Lycan. They never find him because as soon as the Lycan realizes he or she has been spotted, they shift back to human.’

‘Really?’ I was surprised. ‘I guess that makes sense.’

I told Jameson what Damien had told me, and he nodded.

“That does make sense,” he replied. “I don’t suppose anybody would think ‘Lycan’ when they see something like that running.”

“Exactly,” I told him. “It also makes me wonder if some of the so-called Bigfoot hunters are actually werewolf hunters in disguise.”

Werewolf hunters – well, technically they hunted all supernaturals, not just werewolves – were, from what I’d read, technically humans but with special abilities. They could sense supernatural beings, and their job was supposed to be to keep us in check and ensure that none of us went crazy and started killing humans. The problem was that they often forgot or ignored the fact that most of us weren’t bad and killed any supernatural they saw without even trying to find out if they were bad.

“I would say so,” Jameson replied. “And Donovan agrees.”

‘I do too,’ Damien told me. ‘I’ve heard that they’ve actually managed to kill a couple of Lycans, claiming that they were shooting at Bigfoot. They hide or destroy the bodies, and if anyone hears the gunshots and asks about them, they either say that they shot Bigfoot and he ran off, or that they shot at him and missed.’

I relayed that to Jameson. He nodded and told me that Donovan had said the same.

Just then, both of our phones dinged, indicating a text message. When we both pulled our phones out to look, we realized Chrissy had created a group chat with the two of us and her and had sent a message letting us know that her brothers wanted to meet us. I was immediately hit with a bout of nerves. Not because I was scared of them. For Pete’s sake, the both of us were Lycans and each of us was stronger than five men put together. The reason I was nervous was because I was worried that they wouldn’t like us. I doubted Chrissy would want to go with us if her brothers didn’t like us. It was important to make a good first impression on them.

After some discussion, it was decided that we would order some pizzas and have them delivered there, to our motel room. Chrissy and her brothers would come there and we would all have lunch together. That way, we didn’t have to worry about anyone overhearing what was being said.

Both of us had a hard time sleeping that night. I was tossing and turning all night, and I could heard Jameson doing the same in the other bed. It wasn’t just being nervous about meeting her brothers. It was also because I felt a strong longing for my mate. Damien kept whimpering in my head, and I’m sure Jameson felt the same. I couldn’t wait until we were fully bonded and mated, so that she wouldn’t ever have to be away from us again.

I finally managed to get a couple of hours of sleep, and somehow we were both energized in the morning. I’m pretty sure that it was the realization that we were only a few hours from seeing our beautiful Chrissy. She may not have officially accepted the mate bond yet, but in my heart and mind, she was already ours.

It was nine o’clock when I woke up. Chrissy and her brothers would be there at noon, so I still had plenty of time. I looked over at the other bed and saw that Jameson was already up and had left a note. It was just letting me know that he couldn’t sleep anymore and had gone to take advantage of the motel’s continental breakfast. It said that he’d left thirty minutes before.

I glanced at the pamphlet laying on the nightstand and saw that breakfast was until ten, so I decided to grab a quick shower before joining him. Even though we’d be eating in just three hours, I was already starving. Damien informed me that I would likely have a voracious appetite over the next couple days, as my body was preparing for my first shift. Great. Jameson and I already ate about twice as much as the average teenage boy. If it weren’t for the fact that I wanted and needed time with my mate, I’d find the nearest all-you-can-eat buffet and set up camp there from morning until night.

After my shower, I made my way to the motel lobby, where the breakfast was set up in a corner. There was, among other things, batter for making waffles and pancakes, so I made myself five big, fluffy pancakes and 3 waffles. I would’ve made more, but people were already staring at me. But I did also grab myself a couple of the small boxes of cereal – Cap'n Crunch and Fruit Loops, my favorites. I then joined my brother, who was still chowing down on some pancakes.

“Morning,” I greeted him as I sat down.

He had a mouthful of pancakes, so he just nodded in return.

“Are you as nervous as I am about this whole ‘meet the brothers’ thing?” I asked him while I drowned my pancakes and waffles in syrup.

He nodded again. After taking a swig of orange juice, he could finally speak. “There’s so much riding on this meeting. If her brothers don’t like us, it’s going to be hard to convince her to go to the cas – I mean, to Maine with us.”

I noticed he had stopped himself from using the word “castle” and I knew why. There were several people in the breakfast area with us, and we never knew when someone might be watching us. And while we could’ve just mind linked the whole conversation, we’d found that mind linking for too long left us both with headaches.

“I wonder if Damien and Donovan can still come out even if she doesn’t accept things?” I mused. I knew that he would know what I meant.

“Yes, they can,” he replied. “I asked Donovan last night.”

“But if she doesn’t accept, things just stay the same for her, right?” I asked.

He nodded. “Yes. That’s what Donovan tells me, anyway.”

‘Donovan is right,’ Damien responded. ‘If she doesn’t accept it, she doesn’t become a Lycan. But either way, we will shift the day after tomorrow.’

“I can’t believe Damien and Donovan will be here the day after tomorrow,” I said aloud. “I don’t know about you, but I’m excited to see them.”

Jameson smiled. “Me too.”

We continued talking while we ate, and Jameson waited for me to finish before we walked back to the room together. I shaved while he showered, then, while he shaved, I went online and ordered five extra large pizzas from the local pizzeria that Chrissy had told us was their favorite. She’d told us that they would eat any sort of toppings except anchovies, so I ordered three with pepperoni, sausage, bacon, mushroom, and green olives, and two with pepperoni, sausage, bacon, bell peppers, and black olives. It was a little over a hundred dollars, and I added a pretty heft tip because it was such a large order. I also added a few 2 liters of various soft drinks, since I was unsure what everyone liked. Expensive, yes, but if Chrissy accepted the mate bond and came with us, it would be money very well spent. Even though I had just eaten a huge breakfast, my stomach was already growling just thinking of pizza.

‘Please tell me our appetite won’t always be this bad,’ I told Damien.

He laughed. ‘No, not quite. Lycans do eat a lot, but the days leading up to the first shift are brutal as far as appetites are concerned. Your body is getting ready to go through a lot of major changes, and it needs fuel for that.’

‘Good,’ I replied. ‘Because I was beginning to wonder how any of them afford to feed themselves if they always eat like this.’

He laughed again. I had never heard him laugh as much as he had the last several hours, even though he’d spent the past night longing for his mate. And I knew the reason that he was in such a good mood was because we’d found our mate, and he would soon get to shift into his true form and not be confined in my head for a little while.

Somehow, it seemed like both forever and no time at all before it was time for Chrissy and her brothers to get there. The pizzas got there about five minutes before they did. I had just set the pizzas on the table and gotten all the plates and napkins out of the bag when there was another knock on the door. Jameson stepped over to answer it since I had my hands full. Even before he could open the door, the intoxicating scent of cinnamon and vanilla hit my nose. I quickly set everything down that I was holding and walked over to stand beside my brother.

He swung the door open, and there she was. The most beautiful woman in the entire world was standing there, smiling up at us, her arms already outstretched for a hug. I was so enthralled by her, I didn’t even noticed the three big men standing behind her at first.

“Hey, guys!” she greeted us as she pulled us into a group hug.

“Hey, beautiful!” Jameson replied, and immediately got a hard stare from one of the men behind her.

“Good morning,” I replied with a smile.

Jameson opened the door wider to allow them all in, and that’s when I finally got a good look at her brothers. They were all blonde haired and blue eyed like Chrissy, and even though they weren’t as tall or as big as we were, they were still pretty good-sized guys.

Chrissy started introducing us. “Jonathan, Jameson, I’d like you to meet my brothers. This is Carter, Cash, and Charlie,” she told us, pointing to each of them as she said their names. “Guys, I’d like you to meet Jameson and Jonathan, who are apparently my mates.” She pointed at each of us as she said our names as well. I was still amazed that she was able to tell us apart so quickly.

Jameson and I both shook hands with all three of her brothers, and I could sense them sizing us up just as we were sizing them up.

Figuring it would help to break up the tension a little, I told them the pizza was already here and invited them to have a seat. Seeing where the pizza was from, one of them – Carter – finally cracked a smile.

“Pete’s Pizza!” he exclaimed. “I see Chrissy clued you guys in to our favorite pizza place.”

I grinned at him. “Of course she did. We weren’t about to try to guess and just leave it to chance and end up with something you guys hated.”

They all laughed, and it broke up the tension I knew we all felt. After that, we all loaded our plates up pizza slices, and Jameson, playing bartender, poured everyone whatever they wanted to drink.

“So,” Charlie started the conversation, “you guys are Lycans, huh?”

We both nodded.

“Apparently so,” I told him. “We didn’t know until a few weeks ago. We were kidnapped as toddlers, brought up by a human family, and they had no more clue of what we were than we did.”

Their eyes all widened. “Wow!” Cash replied, speaking for the first time since they’d arrived. “You guys really had no idea that you weren’t human?”

We both shook our heads.

“Not a clue,” Jameson confirmed. “And neither did our adoptive parents. As far as they knew, we were toddlers whose parents had abandoned us.”

He told them the whole story, with me interjecting various facts here and there. We’d talked it over the night before, and decided that they were on the need-to-know list about us being royalty. After all, their sister was going to be the queen if she accepted us. When we finished, all of their jaws were almost on the ground.

“So let me get this straight.” That was from Carter. “You guys are not only Lycans, you’re long-lost royal crown princes on your way home to reclaim your titles. And my sister is your mate, and if she accepts that, she will not only become a Lycan, she’ll be the queen of Lycans and have to move to Maine with you. Does that just about sum it up?”

We both nodded.

“I know, it all sounds pretty far-fetched,” I admitted. “But I swear it’s true.”

I added the last part because all three of them were eyeing us suspiciously, and I knew they were having a hard time believing it all.

“Can you prove it?” Charlie asked bluntly.

We nodded again. We’d been prepared to have to prove it all to them, so Jameson reached into his luggage and pulled out the copies of the newspaper articles from when we were kidnapped, along with the copies of our “adoption” papers. He handed all of it over to the three brothers to look over.

After they’d spent a few minutes looking them over, Carter handed them back to us.

“Well,” Charlie said, “it all looks legit, but I still have questions. Like, if Chrissy does go with you, will we still be able to see her? Will she be safe with you guys? Can we trust you guys to take care of her? And that’s just off the top of my head.”

Chrissy rolled her eyes at him. “I’m not a child, you know,” she informed him. “I don’t need someone to take care of me. I can take care of myself, thank you very much.”

He sighed. “I know, I know. But we’re your brothers, Chris. This is what brothers are supposed to do.”

“What? Forget that their sisters eventually become adults who don’t need looked after any more?” she asked him. “I know you guys are just trying to protect me, but give me a break. I’m not stupid, you know. I can look after myself.”

“We don’t mind answering questions,” Jameson spoke up, trying to head off an argument between brother and sister. “To answer those questions, yes, of course you would still be able to see her. We would never keep Chrissy from her family. And yes, she’ll be as safe as can be with us. I know you guys already know about werewolves and other supernaturals, so I’m sure you’ve been told how strong the mate bond is. From what we’ve been told, once the mate bond is accepted, if Chrissy feels pain, we feel pain. If she feels joy, we feel joy. And if she dies, there’s a very good chance that we’ll die too. So yes, she will be loved and very much cherished if she decides to go with us.”

The three of them seemed pretty happy with those answers, although I could still see the worry for their little sister in their eyes. And I completely understood. I would’ve felt the same way if some guy – or guys – had shown up trying to claim Sarah and take her away. She may have been technically our older sister, but ever since we’d surpassed her in height and weight, we’d become very protective of her.

“I understand your concerns,” I told them. “We have a sister. We get it. Anyone who hurts her answers to us, even though she’s older.”

Cash raised an eyebrow. “I thought only males were born as Lycans.”

“Our adopted sister,” I clarified. “She’s human.”

The three brothers all nodded in understanding.

“That must’ve been quite a shock, to find out that you weren’t human,” Carter remarked, going back to the story we’d told them.

Jameson and I both laughed.

“Shock is an understatement,” I told him. “I thought I needed to go commit myself to the loony bin.”

Jameson nodded in agreement, and all four of the siblings laughed.

“I would imagine so,” Chrissy told us. “At least if I turn, I’ll be expecting it. You guys had no warning.”

We shook our heads. “Nope,” Jameson replied. “Not even a little one.”

We sat and talked to Chrissy and her brothers for a little while longer before the three guys needed to leave, saying that they had plans with a friend later on. After some discussion, it was decided that Chrissy would stay and hang out with us, and we’d bring her home later on. Damien was elated that we were getting to spend some time with just Jameson and our mate, and I was sure Donovan felt the same way.

The more we talked to Chrissy, the more I realized she was not only beautiful, she was also funny, and very smart. She had Jameson and I both cracking up several times. She was telling us stories about growing up with three older brothers, and the many pranks they’d all pulled on each other.

“Even my parents get in on it,” she told us. “For instance, I don’t dare to take a shower without locking the bathroom door. If I leave it unlocked, my mom will come in there, reach around the curtain, and throw a glass of ice-cold water on me. Heck, sometimes even if I lock the door, she unlocks it and does it anyway. That’s OK though. I get even. Last week, I filled the shower head with grape Kool-Aid. When she turned it on, she started screaming because she thought the sewer was backing up.”

We both cracked up. From what I was hearing, it sounded like she was definitely the perfect girl for us.

“So what do you think so far, Chrissy?” Jameson asked suddenly. “Have you given any more thought to this whole mate bond thing?”

She nodded slowly. “I have. I’m leaning towards accepting it, but there are two things I want to happen first. One, I want you guys to meet Shadow and his pack. Oh, by the way, I told Daya my brothers were coming to meet you guys at noon, so she rescheduled with Shadow and he said 4:00 is a good time for him. Hope that’s ok with you guys.”

I facepalmed. “I’m so sorry. When we scheduled this with your brothers, I totally forgot we were supposed to go there today at noon. Yes, 4:00 is fine.”

She smiled. “It’s ok. You’ll find that Shadow is generally pretty easy going and doesn’t get upset about much, unless someone messes with Nadie. She’s his Luna.”

Jameson nodded. “Totally understandable.”

“What’s the other thing?” I asked her.

“I want you both to meet my parents. They’re free later tonight.”