+15 bBONUS /b

bTrial /bband Error /b

bDas/b‘ bp.o.v. /b

We bgave /bElder Zane enough time to leave the Pce grounds before we allowed the Alpha bto /bbreturn /bbto /bhis territory.

I don’t regret anything that happened at the trials and I will work with Benton on finding any and allws that got buried all those years ago. We stay in our private wing for the rest of the evening and bturn /bin

early after the exhausting two days we just had.

My office has been cleaned and all the broken furniture has finally been reced. I did most of my bwork /bin Uncle Vaughn’s office, but I am d I can finally work in my own office.

“Get out of Captain Joshua’s office. He has no use for a lowlife like you.” I hear someone say and keep walking until bI /breach his office.

It surprises me to see a Servant scowling at Marsha, Joshua’s second connection. None of the Servants

should be in our offices at the moment and she isn’t even wearing her uniform.

“Excuse me, why isn’t Masha allowed to be in here?” I ask as I step into the room and I already know the

answer as the Servant turns toward me. “Masha is Captain Joshua’s second connection and I doubt she appreciates your presence in his office.”

“What is the problem, Das?” Aunt Eliza asks as she walks into the office, but I don’t answer her as I step

aside.

Neither one of us speaks; we wait until we hear the heavy footfalls approaching the office and secondster, the office is filled with four Guardians and Joshua.

“Put her in the dungeons. I will deal with herter.” Aunt Eliza says before turning to Masha. “I am bso /b

sorryb, /bDear. Some women have no idea how to keep their dignity and stay away from another woman’s

connection.”

“Princess Das, there is someone to see you. She is still at the gate, but I thought you might want bto /bbtake /b

time bto /btalk to heri./i” I hear Vern say and I know who he is talking about.

I invite Masha and Joshua to sit in on this meeting. I could use some outside bperspective /bbto /bbdeal /bbwith /b

bLucy/b,

“bLucy/bb, /btake a bseat/bbi./i/bb” /bbI /bsay as she walks into my office and I gesture at a chair on bthe /bbother /bbside of my /bbdesk/bb. /bI am assuming that byou /bare here because of what Vern told you and you have a few bquestions /bbfor /bbme/bb./bb” /b

b“/bbYou /bbare /bright. I do have ba /bfew questions and one of them is why.” Lucy bresponds/b. b“/bbYou /bbhate /bbme /bbifor /i/beverything bI /bbput /bbyou /bbthrough/b, bfor /bstealing byour /bMate from you.”

b“/bI thought that I hated byou/bb, /bbbut /bI bdon’t/bb. /bHating you means bthat /bbyou /bblive /bbrent/bb–/bbfree /bin bmy /bbhead /band I chose

b1/4 /b

Trial and Error

not to allow it. I have more important things to think about and one of them is about the best interest of all Shifters in this Kingdom.

If I allow Nico to take your position without exining it to you, I would do Shadow Valley Pack a disservice. I don’t like you, but I like Nico even less.” I respond.

We discuss the training Walker gave her, and she seems more than capable of filling the position of Shadow Valley’s Beta. I’d rather deal with Lucy in the future than with Nico, but she needs to understand

a few things.

b“/bbIf /byou give your position to Nico, he will use it to undermine his baby Brother. You will also have another scenario to think about. At the moment, Nico has nothing, and he knows that he needs you to maintain a

certain status within the Pack.

When he bes the Beta, he will most likely reject you and take another Mate. If they have offspring, that child will be the next Beta, because you gave up those rights and that includes your children.” I

tell her.

“I couldn’t understand why Nico asked me to give him the Beta position, but your exnation is solid. I know I can’t change our past and it will be difficult to forget, but I hope that one day you can forgive me.”

Lucy responds.

Masha is looking from me to Lucy and back again; it is like she is aware of something that we are not.

“Your bond hasn’t been broken yet. It will take time and a lot of talking to heal, but I have no doubts about the two of you seeding.” Masha says. “I believe that you both split your anger between your Father and your sibling. If you had put all your anger on one person, the bond would have been broken.” Masha

says.

She understands more about bonds than I do and I will take her word for it, at least for the time being.

“I can isee /ithe bond that connects the two of you. It is fading, but it is still there. Give it time and you might be able to have a somewhat normal rtionship.” Masha exins.

“Can you isee /ithe connection before a bond is formed? Or can you only see the bond between family?”

Daxton asks after Lucy has left.

“I can see all bonds, but a Mate–bond only after marking. I can even tell the difference between a true

Mate–bond and a chosen Mate–bond.” Masha answers.

I am going to take advantage of this, because sometimes you suspect a chosen Mate–bond and no way of proving it.

“You do realize that King Vaughn and Crown Prince Quin will take advantage of it as often as you

allow it.” Darius says and Masha nods her head with a small smile.

She tells us how she discovered it, but never told anyone about it, not even when it could have benefited

Trial and Error

her the most. We find out that Joshua is also her second connection and she’s thrilled to be moving to the

Pce to be with her Mate.

Aunt Eliza has already recruited Masha’s Brother to be our personal chef and her Mom is assigned

to assist Caitlin with our Servants.

Our family is growing each day and I can’t wait for any children I might have in the future. I will give them the childhood I never had. I will be there for them when they need me and allow them to make their

own mistakes.

You learn by trial and error, not by someone holding your hand and fixing all your mistakes. However, you also need to understand that it is okay to ask for help.