The Royal Mark-Chapter 112: Already Mated

The wedding day approached fast and Elsa was not able to rest for the last two days since her ladies-in-waiting and Valeria kept her busy with the wedding preparation. Chris, too, was occupied with his own tasks, resulting in the couple not crossing paths for the last two days, despite their rooms being merely adjacent.

"I’ve packed plenty of clothes for you, princess. Is there anything else you’d like to bring?" Laureen inquired.

Seated in front of the mirror with Lexi and Rylie tending to her hair and face, Elsa furrowed her brow and asked, "Clothes for what?"

Laureen, Lexi, Arla, and Rylie exchanged astonished glances. "Has no one from Arcanis or the prince informed you, princess?" Lexi inquired.

"Inform me about what?" Elsa’s impatience grew as the girls maintained a suspenseful silence.

Arla spoke up, "The prince requested a secluded place from the king for you to stay during the mating ritual, in exchange for agreeing to proceed with the wedding before the next full moon."

"You’ll need to stay there for five days after he marks you. After your wedding, there’ll be a ritual to activate the groom’s wolf mating instinct, as if it were the full moon," Lexi explained.

"That’s a lot for just marking. We will stay there for five days and then do what?" Elsa commented.

Laureen couldn’t help but giggle, "As you know, princess we already smelled you, and what you’ve encountered with the prince before will be different on your wedding night."

Arla and Rylie wore expressions of confusion, prompting Elsa to address it immediately, as she was determined not to withhold anything from her ladies-in-waiting. "The prince and I have already spent the night together," she revealed.

Arla’s jaw dropped, while Rylie joined Lexi and Laureen in a bout of giggles. "So, tell me more about what I should expect, aside from the marking," Elsa pressed Laureen.

"His wolf will be animalistic and wild, almost out of control. All it will desire is to mate and form a strong bond by locking with you before the prince marks you," Laureen explained.

"What do you mean by ’locking with you’? Is the prince going to tie the princess?" Rylie asked with curiosity.

Lexi, Laureen, and even Elsa burst into laughter, surprising everyone. "What Laureen means is that his ’best friend down there’ will grow a knot when it’s inside me, and we’re locked with each other because he can’t take it out until he’s done. You know, like how it goes with dogs. So I guess the marking will happen around that moment. Am I right, Laureen?"

"How did you know about the growing knot?" Laureen asked, utterly surprised.

"It happened on our first night, and I was shocked and crying. I wanted to knock him off that time so that it would stop. It hurt so much. Will it feel the same?" Elsa shared.

"You’ll get used to it. It’s like that every full moon when you are—wait! No mating ritual was done when you did it, right? And he didn’t mark you?" Laureen inquired.

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"Then it’s impossible; it should not grow a knot, and you two would not lock. It only happens when the mating ritual is done or if the mated couple does it on a full moon. Are you sure he did not bite or mark you before?" Laureen questioned.

"I am sure he did not because if he did, there should be a visible mark, right? The only person I know he bit was my mother, and it was to save her." Elsa then showed Laureen her right wrist and added, "He bit her around this area—"

Laureen quickly grabbed Elsa’s arm with a shocked expression. "Where did you get this from?" referring to the scar from her glowing mark on the wrist.

"It first appeared before I met Chris. It was the day that I accidentally hit him. Why? What’s wrong with my scar?"

"Look closely, princess. What does it look like?" Laureen asked.

Elsa found herself so overwhelmed with everything happening that she couldn’t gather her thoughts. Fortunately, her creative ladies-in-waiting took the initiative to envision what creature resembled her mark.

"It looks like a wolf sitting on angel wings," Arla remarked.

"Hmm, now that you mention it, it does resemble the pterolycus that Chris gave me," Elsa acknowledged.

"Exactly! And who awakens the mythical creature?" Laureen chimed in.

"Chris said its egg hatched when he touched it," Elsa replied.

Lexi offered an explanation, "The mark differs for every couple, but it will always take a form based on what symbolizes their life or family. People in Arcanis believe that the awakening of the creature means that the prince was the one in the old story of our ancestors.

It says that when the winged wolf finds its alpha, then the golden age begins. The alpha of the winged wolf and its luna will bring prosperity and peace to our kingdom. They will be the key to our kingdom’s freedom."

"That’s quite a fascinating story," Elsa casually remarked.

"This is something significant, princess. And I know just the person to ask! The prince awakening the pterolycus means that it’s something that could symbolize his life and therefore his bite mark. And I just happen to know the person to ask! Wait for me, I’ll be back," Laureen swiftly exited the room before anyone could react.

Elsa stared at her wrist, pondering the truth in Lexi’s story.

"If it’s really a mating mark, then how did it end up on the princess’ wrist? Plus, isn’t the mark supposed to be between the neck and shoulder?" Rylie asked Lexi.

"Yes, anything is possible in this world, you know that. So perhaps, that’s what Laureen was thinking," Lexi replied.

After a few minutes, Laureen came in with her grandmother and her mother. "Princes, show them your scar."

"You have good eyes, Laureen. This is indeed a mating mark. You are already mated, Your Highness." Laureen’s grandmother said to Elsa.