The Tiger Prince's Witch
Chapter 50 - Jarek's Mate

Jarek looked around the room he was in and took a sigh of relief. He was glad to be out of the dungeons, but he was humbled enough to know that he was lucky they hadn't killed him. The first thing he did was head for the shower. He felt like he was covered in a thick film of dirt and grime. It wasn't until he got out of the shower almost an hour later that he realized he had no clothes to put on.

When he left the bathroom, clothes were on the bed. He went to the closet and saw there were more clothes in there as well. Jarek was so surprised he almost missed the scent that was lingering in the room. His wolf Taran perked up as well. They sniffed the air, and the smell made their hearts race. It was amber mixed with a hint of gardenias.

He started to run out of the room to find the source, but Taran reminded him he had nothing on. After quickly putting on his clothes, he opened the door and was met by a guard. When Jarek tried to pass him to follow the scent, the guard stopped him.

"Where are you going?" He asked gruffly.

"Who brought my clothes into the room?" He asked frantically while looking around. The guard looked at him in confusion.

"Is there something wrong?" He questioned the lycan.

"No, I just need to find the woman who was in the room. Please help me." Jarek was desperate. The scent was fading, but he knew the guard had orders to stay with him.

"Why do you need to find her?" Todd asked. He was still leary of Jarek after what transpired at the princess' crowning.

"I think she's my mate. Please, you have to take me to her." Jarek fell to his knees. He was rocking back and forth, trying to keep Taran from taking over and going lycan on the guard.

Todd mindlinked Kamryn to let him know what was going on. He said he and Anna would be there in a minute. They found Jarek on his knees, almost in tears, when they arrived.

"What's wrong?" Anna asked softly. When he heard her voice, he jumped to his feet to look at both her and Kamryn.

"I believe the woman who brought clothes into my room is my mate. Can you take me to her?" He begged. Anna looked at Todd.

"Who was it that came into the room?" She asked. She could feel Jarek's desperation and could tell he was ready to shift to find the woman.

"It was Marcella," Jarek's heart started beating faster. His mate's name was Marcella. At that moment, he had never heard a more beautiful name in his entire life.

"Jarek, go back into your room, and I'll get her. Let me explain to Marcella what's going on. She's rather shy, and I don't want to scare her. Kamryn will stay with you, okay?" Anna smiled at him, and his eyes lit up. He would do anything she wanted if she was going to get his sweet mate. He hadn't even seen Marcella yet, but she was already the most beautiful woman in the world to him.

"Thank you," Jarek walked back into his room, and Kamryn followed. Todd took his place next to the door.

Anna went downstairs to the first floor, looking for Marcella. She was one of the palace's few staff that remained working. She was young and extremely quiet. Anna liked her and had gotten her to open up a little in the short time she'd been at the palace. When she got to the end of the hall, she saw Marcella coming out of a room. When she saw Anna, she smiled.

"Hi, I was looking for you," Anna said.

"You were looking for me?" Marcella wondered if she'd done something wrong. No one ever looked for her. She tended to blend in with the background because she was smaller than most weretigers, so no one noticed her. "Yes, can we talk for a minute?" Anna smiled, letting her know that everything was okay.

"Sure," Marcella answered nervously. Anna led her outside to a bench in one of the gardens.

"I brought you out here because I just came from Jarek's room. He was trying to find you, and I stopped him so I could talk to you first." Anna stopped to gauge her reaction.

"Did I do something wrong? All I did was put his clothes in his room." Marcella felt like crying. The last thing she wanted was for someone to be angry at her.

"You didn't do anything wrong. He was looking for you because he thinks you're his mate." Anna watched her eyes get big in surprise.

"What? Are you sure?" Marcella couldn't believe the lycan king thought she was his mate. She was nineteen and had hoped to find her mate soon, but she never thought it would be someone as powerful as Jarek.

"Yes. When I got upstairs, he was on his knees, almost in tears, desperate to find you. Are you okay with being mated to him?" Anna asked, not wanting either of them to be hurt. There was almost a twenty-year age gap between them, but that wasn't unheard of in the shifter communities where they could live for hundreds of years.

Marcella thought about what Anna said and asked her tiger Zavia what she thought. Her tiger said to go for it and meet him so they could decide.

"I'm fine being mated to him if it's true. Can I go up and meet him?" Marcella felt her heart beating loudly in her ears.

"Let's go," Anna took her hand as they got up. They walked into the palace and up to Jarek's room. When they got to the door, she looked at Marcella, and the girl nodded while biting her lip nervously.

Jarek could smell Marcella's scent through the door. He and Kamryn had been talking while they waited for the women, but as soon as he caught her scent, he looked at the door anxiously. When the door opened, Jarek stared at the beautiful vision in front of him.

Marcella was just as small as Anna but had shoulder-length curly black hair. Her eyes were dark green emeralds accented by her golden tan skin. Jarek saw her avert her gaze to the ground, and she was wringing her hands. He stood up and walked over to her. He remembered what Anna said about her being shy, so he didn't want to scare her.

"It's nice to meet you, Marcella; I'm Jarek." He spoke hoarsely while trying not to drown in her intoxicating scent. When she raised her eyes to look into his, he saw her face was turning red.

"Hello," She answered softly. Marcella was trying to stop her heart from beating out of her chest. Jarek was the most handsome man she'd ever seen, and she couldn't believe he was her mate.

"We'll let you two get to know each other. If you need anything, mindlink me, okay?" Anna asked her. Marcella hugged her and whispered in her ear.

"Thank you," When she backed away, Anna and Kamryn walked out of the room, leaving them alone. Jarek wanted to touch her, so he reached for her hand.

"Will you come and sit with me?" He asked, and she nodded before taking his hand. When they touched, both gasped at the tingly feelings that ran through their bodies. Jarek felt like his heart would explode when she squeezed his hand tighter. He led her over to the small couch in the room, and they sat still, holding hands.

"Are you okay being mated to a lycan?" He asked nervously. What would he do if she rejected him? Just the thought of it made his heart hurt. She looked down at their hands and then up at him with a small smile that made him melt. "Yes. Are you okay with being mated to a tiger? I'm nobody special just part of the palace staff. I was an orphan. Jeana, the palace's clothing designer, took me in when I was only an infant." Marcella stated honestly. Maybe he wanted someone closer to his status. He reached over and lightly touched her cheek, making her close her eyes from how good it felt.

"Sweetheart, I love that you're a tiger. Don't ever say you're a nobody. You're my mate and the next queen of the lycans and werewolves. You're perfect." Jarek was surprised to see tears in her eyes when she opened them. Did he say something wrong?

"No one has ever said anything that nice to me. I lived in the shadows here until Anna arrived. She's the first one that paid any attention to me. No one was mean or unpleasant; I was just scared of everyone, but I'm not afraid of you." Marcella smiled the biggest smile she'd ever had. Jarek took a chance and reached over and hugged her against him. When she wrapped her arms around him, he knew everything would be okay. He had his mate, and nothing else mattered. "We can take things as slowly as you want. I'm just happy that I finally found you. I have been waiting a long time for my mate, but I never gave up hope that you would come into my life." Jarek ran his fingers through her glossy curls. She pulled away slightly, and he saw her face was flushed.

"I've never been with anyone before. I'm still a virgin. I've never even kissed anyone." Marcella said in almost a whisper. She saw a huge smile spread across his face.

"That's the best news you could have given me. I'm not a virgin, but no one has satisfied me. When we make love, I promise it will be incredible." Jarek bent down and gave her a soft kiss on her full beautiful mouth.