Chapter 9 Mate
nine
Mate
*MARCELLUS*
Micah and Sheila prove to be the reliable companions I hoped they would be. None of them picks a fight with the vampires. They have probably realized, themselves, that the group isn’t in any shape to cause trouble.
The man with the baby hands the child to Micah, relief on his face. “She isn’t mine,” he explains. “We just saved her from death.”
“You were attacked?” Sheila asks.
“We were in a battle,” the man adds. “I am Lucian, Lord Silas’s general and his friend.”
“Silas?” Micah asks while rocking the baby.
“Our prince and leader,” the man explains.
“And who attacked you?”
“That was Silas’s brother,” he says.
He doesn’t tell us much, just the basics.
Apparently, they are from a coven of high-ranking, pure-blood vampires.
All of them are of nobility, but didn’t want to follow the rules of Silas’s crazy brother.
Silas himself was his co-ruler, but couldn’t bear his antics anymore.
The dude was on a mission to kill any babies of his former lovers, because he wanted to keep his bloodline clean. Or something similarly disgusting.
“Please help His Highness,” one of the female vampires begs me. “He was hurt the most.”
I had been waiting for an opportunity to sneak away and talk to my mate.
He is currently resting inside the cave. When I approach him, he is awake and looks at me thoughtfully. “A wolf’s mate…” he mutters. “Here I am, running from a brother who betrayed me and a lover who betrayed me, and I meet a wolf.”
“You know?” I ask him, once again, stunned by how beautiful he is.
“Comes with experience and age,” he says quietly.
“I ran from betrayal, too,” I say shortly. “From my brother and my ex-mate. It’s not as gruesome as your story sounds, though.”
Silas hums. “Interesting,” he says.
“They said you were hurt?”
I angle for Micah’s backpack and retrieve some bandages and antiseptic. “We only have the basics.”
“That’s more than we do,” Silas says.
“Allow me?” I ask.
“Sure,” he says, gently tugging off his robe and black shirt, revealing his back to me. The skin of his white back is torn to pieces, one bloody tear under another.
“What the fuck happened to you?” I growl, Amos pushing forward in a sudden surge of anger. “Who did that?”
“My brother dearest,” Silas says dryly. “Don’t worry, he can’t kill me. Quite literally. But he can hurt me. That was the worst whipping of my life. Are you done staring, or do I need to nurse myself?”
His whole attitude and casual way of handling both me and this conversation is truly mind-boggling. I have never met someone like him. If it’s true what he is saying, he just went through a whole traumatic experience, yet his eyes and expression remain calm and stoic.
When I disinfect his wounds, however, I see him flinch. I try to be as gentle as possible while I wrap his torso in a bandage.
“What’s your name?” he asks all of a sudden.
“Marcellus.”
“Is that your real name?” he wants to know.
“Yes.”
He turns his head to look at me. “I hate liars.”
“You are not the only one,” I say bitterly.
“I’m confused with you,” Silas admits thoughtfully, much to my surprise. If anything, I am the one confused by his attitude. “That’s the first time in centuries that I have encountered a wolf who finds their mate and doesn’t try to claim them instantly.”
“We are not that barbaric,” I grumble.
“Maybe, but you are holding back a lot right now.”
“Wait, did you say centuries?” I ask, stunned.
“Is that a problem?” he wants to know.
“No, just… unusual,” I muse.
“So is a wolf mated to a vampire,” he points out.
I look at him curiously, trying to read his expression and what he is getting at. “I don’t understand you.”
“That makes two of us,” Silas says. “I don’t understand myself either. Are you disappointed to be fated to me?”
“No,” I say promptly. “I am just surprised, and not ready for another mate.”
He smiles slightly. “You really carry your heart on your sleeve, don’t you? I admit, that’s not a complete turnoff.” He pauses. “If it helps, I’m not fully ready either. One betrayal a week is enough.”
“I prefer only one a lifetime,” I grumble.
Silas gazes at me. “Yes,” he agrees quietly. “So, what’s your story, wolf?”
“Do you truly want to know, or are you just trying to make conversation?”
“Both,” he says. “And I am bored and in pain, and I know my fellow vampires already told you what happened to us. So, enlighten me.”
“My father is an alpha,” I explain without further ado.
I see no reason to lie to my mate. “My twin brother and I were very close and were supposed to inherit the alpha rank together. However, on our eighteenth birthday, I realized I was mated to his girlfriend. He obviously didn’t like that.
She didn’t like it either. I’d liked her ever since we were children, but didn’t want to steal my brother’s girl.
My father has always favored my brother, so took his side, thinking I pretended her to be my mate. Like the liar I am!”
Silas stares at me. “You are really not making this up, are you? That could be the plot of a soap opera. Your brother lied about your role in this?”
“Yes,” I admit quietly.
“So, what happened next?”
“Parents found out that I didn’t lie. Brother and mate promised to stay away from each other, so that everyone could think about it.” I pause. “I knew she wanted him and not me, and I would never forcefully mark someone. I just wish they’d been honest from the beginning. They met secretly.”
“Of course they did.”
“The funny thing is, I was ready to let her go,” I confess.
“But my brother didn’t believe in me. I first thought the goddess was crazy to do this to us, but now I think she only did it to test our bond.
We were supposed to rule together and have each other’s backs.
I was ready to let her go and choose him…
but he didn’t choose me. Our bond wasn’t strong enough. ”
“That’s possible,” Silas admits. “And then?”
“My brother and I battled it out. He won.”
“How was it a fair fight with the mate bond weakening you?”
“It wasn’t.”
“And then, they kicked you out?”
“No, I left on my own terms, secretly at night,” I explain. “My family, aside from my father, wanted me to become my brother’s beta.”
At that, Silas bursts into laughter. I am confused at first, just watching him and how he almost doubles over laughing. Something about his reaction is so refreshing. “They didn’t think you’d agree, did they?” he finally asks, still amused.
“I believe they fooled themselves with it,” I say.
Silas looks at me thoughtfully. “You are interesting enough,” he muses. “But I’m not ready to even consider someone my beloved.”
“And I’m not ready to accept someone as my mate, at the moment,” I say. “But I don’t want to lose my second chance either.”
“Maybe you don’t have to,” Silas says thoughtfully.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, you have your own little pack here, and I have my own little coven. We stumbled over each other. Why not make the best out of this coincidence? Your weird goddess probably sent you my way on purpose, anyway.”
“You want us to work together?” I ask, stunned.
“It’s the only logical consequence,” he says. “And frankly, it’s the best shot of survival for both of us. We have a child with us who we saved from my crazy brother. He thinks it’s dead, and it’s best if we make sure he keeps believing that.”
“I could ask Sheila or Micah if one of them would be up to adopting it,” I think out loud. “But I want to make sure they are up for it first. I’d hate to spring something on them they wouldn’t want to do.”
Right at that moment, I hear laughter from the little clearing in front of the cave, where the others are gathered.
When I peek around the corner, I see that one of the vampires has fetched some water for everyone to drink.
Micah and another vampire are tending to the baby, while Sheila chats with the rest of the group.
She smiles and looks happier than I have ever seen her.
There is a tug in my chest, almost like something is nudging me and pulling me towards the group. I rest a hand on my chest. What is this?
We were born alpha, Amos says. It’s an instinct. You can’t just shake it off and run from it.
Silas has stayed quiet, just watching me while I battled with my own thoughts. When I turn around to look at him, I’m once more mesmerized by his beauty and his overall charm. I like that we share so much, despite being so different.
“So?” Silas asks.
I grab my wallet and take the little sheet of paper out of it. I had memorized it by heart, but glance at it to be sure.
“Time to make a call.”