The Lycan Mate's Souls

Chapter 4: Gamayun

August Point of View

Celeste… was my fated mate.

The very woman I had been promised to in my youth—

Bound to me not only by crown…

But by fate itself.

A bitter truth settled within me, sharp as any blade I had ever faced in battle.

What was meant to be a union of power—

Had become something far more dangerous.

Because now…

Everything I had done—

Stood against it.

A double-edged sword.

One that I had forged with my own hands.

And now—

I was to bleed from it.

‘Carajo… cabrón…’ Jose’s voice cut through me, low and unforgiving, our native tongue carrying the full weight of his disgust. ‘Did we truly ruin what was meant for us so easily?’

I exhaled slowly, though the breath did nothing to steady the storm within me.

‘I did what was expected of me,’ I answered, though the words lacked the strength they once held. ‘A King secures his bloodline. A ruler does not leave the future of his people to uncertainty.’

That was truth.

The truth I had been raised with.

The truth my people would accept without question.

Rose—

Was not a mistake in their eyes.

She was insurance.

Duty fulfilled.

A necessary act.

And yet—

My jaw tightened.

Because for the first time in my life…

Duty felt like betrayal.

Not to my kingdom.

Not to my name.

But to her.

Celeste.

The mate I had not yet touched—

Yet had already wronged.

‘Do not lie to yourself,’ Jose pressed, quieter now, but far more dangerous. ‘You may justify it to your people… but you cannot justify it to her.’

Silence answered him.

Because there was no argument left.

No crown.

No law.

No tradition—

That could silence the truth of what I felt.

I had faced war without fear.

Spilled blood without hesitation.

Ruled without doubt.

And yet—

The thought of standing before her…

And speaking the truth—

Shook me more than any blade ever had.

Because she would not see a King.

She would see a man who had already failed her.

Before even claiming her.

My hand curled at my side, tension coiling through me as something far more dangerous rose within my chest.

Not guilt.

No—

I had lived too long as a ruler to be undone by guilt alone.

This was something else.

Something far more primal.

I did not want to lose her.

Not to anger.

Not to disappointment.

Not to fate itself turning against me.

And that—

That was the cruelest truth of all.

Because for the first time…

There was something I desired more than power.

And I had already placed it beyond my own reach.

Knowing I must conduct myself as King only deepened the weight upon me.

Resolve did not bring peace—

It sharpened the blade I now stood upon.

And as I forced myself forward, I felt it.

Jose—

Withdrawing.

Not slowly.

Not with reluctance.

But with disgust.

‘I do not stand with you in this,’ he growled, his voice colder than I had ever known it. ‘I bid you farewell… you pendejo of a king.’

And then—

Silence.

Complete.

For the first time in years since welcoming my wolf…

I stood alone within my own mind.

My jaw tightened, but I did not falter.

I could not afford to.

Lifting my gaze, I turned it upon her.

My mate.

Celeste.

She stood before me, her presence brighter than any light within my halls. Joy had filled her expression upon seeing me—pure, unguarded—

Until it began to fade.

Slowly.

Subtly.

But unmistakably.

Her Lycan had felt it.

The absence.

The fracture within me.

And if I was not careful—

That small shift would become fury.

I knew the tales of her sisters well. Their loyalty, their ferocity… their willingness to burn kingdoms should their bonds be threatened.

Those were not mere stories whispered in passing.

They were warnings.

And I had listened.

Rose…

The scent of her still lingered, faint yet present, woven into the air like a quiet betrayal that had yet to be spoken aloud.

She carried my pup.

My blood.

And that truth stood between me and the woman I was meant to claim.

Lowering my head—not in submission, but in acknowledgment—I stepped forward and spoke, my voice tempered with a warmth I did not fully deserve.

“At last… my fated mate stands within my home.”

The words came carefully.

Measured.

“And now that our bond has revealed itself, I can say this with truth—”

My gaze did not leave hers.

“I have no home… if you do not grant me a place within your heart.”

For a brief moment—

Something shifted.

Jose—

Returned.

Not fully.

But enough.

A low, reluctant purr brushed against the edges of my mind, betraying what even he could not deny.

Our mate.

She felt it.

The pull.

The truth of us.

Yet not all present shared in that moment.

Behind her stood the younger one—

The red-haired girl clad in soft royal robes of pink.

Her expression was far from moved.

Far from impressed.

Until—

She heard the words.

Fated mate.

And in that instant—

Everything changed.

The young Princess glare shifted—

Not into anger.

But into something far more striking.

Her eyes widened, round and luminous, like that of an owl caught between caution and wonder. She seemed poised to speak… yet no words came.

And then—

Celeste did speak instead.

Her voice reached me.

Soft.

Clear.

And unlike anything I had ever heard in all my years.

“Thank you for your welcome, my King,” she said, her tone gentle, yet steady despite the weight of the moment. “I have not known a man to request such a place within a woman’s heart so openly…”

The words lingered between us.

And I found myself… undone.

Not in weakness—

But in something far more dangerous.

Truth.

I stepped closer, not enough to breach her space, but enough that she would feel it—

My presence.

My intent.

“My Queen,” I answered, my voice lowered, no longer meant for those who stood around us, but for her alone. “A King may command many things…”

A pause.

Deliberate.

“But a place within your heart is not one of them.”

My gaze held hers.

Unyielding.

Honest.

“And so… I ask.”

Not demand.

Not claim.

Ask.

“For it is the only crown I would willingly bow my head to receive.”

The words left me before I could restrain them.

And for the first time since she had stepped into my world—

I did not feel like a ruler.

Only a man…

Standing before the one thing he could not conquer.

Celeste looked upon me—

Not with fear.

Not with suspicion.

But with something far more disarming.

A softness.

A warmth that stirred something within me I had not known how to face.

It was the kind of gaze a mother gives her pup—

Protective.

Gentle.

Unjudging.

And I—

I did not deserve it.

Yet I stepped forward all the same.

As I reached for her hand, the world did not grant me silence.

The mind links came swiftly.

‘I shall escort the young Princess Beatrice to her chambers,’ Cassian’s voice cut through first, calm yet edged with intent. ‘Yet I have requested a private audience with my future sister Celeste. You will not interfere, should it occur… or if I seek it again, brother.’

A warning.

Disguised as courtesy.

Before I could answer, the connection shifted.

He was gone—

Departing with the Elf King, whose presence seemed already drawn elsewhere, perhaps with his wife in the grand ball room.

Awaiting with the rest of our guest for the wedding to begin.

My fingers closed gently around Celeste’s hand.

Warm.

Alive.

Real.

And then—

Liam.

‘It seems your plans have worsened beyond expectation,’ he spoke, his tone sharpened by something dangerously close to resentment. ‘We shall await you in the audience chamber, Your Highness.’

His displeasure was no longer concealed.

Not now.

Not after this.

The tension within my green bourse of a room began to rise, subtle yet present—

A fracture waiting to spread.

And so—

I answered.

Not with words spoken aloud.

But with command.

My will surged outward, carried through the bond, laced with the authority of my Alpha blood—the very power Jose had once stood beside me in wielding.

‘Hear me well,’ I sent, my voice echoing through each of them with unyielding force. ‘Every one of you—save Lady Rose, who will remain far from my mate—shall show nothing but honor and joy toward this union.’

No pause.

No mercy.

‘Fail me in this… and you will spend a year confined within the Dead Lands of the Caged Isle.’

Silence answered.

Immediate.

Heavy.

And then—

Compliance.

I felt it shift within them, their resistance bending beneath the weight of my command.

All—

Save one.

Liam.

His defiance did not break.

It hardened.

He turned sharply, his stride quickening as he led Rose away at his side, his silence far louder than any disobedience spoken.

I let him go.

For now.

Because my focus—

My attention—

Had already been claimed.

By the woman whose hand rested within mine.

And though I stood as King before all others…

In that moment—

It was her judgment that mattered most.

Her warmth in response to so simple an act—my hand upon hers—stirred something within me I had not prepared for.

She did not resist.

She did not question.

She accepted.

And in that acceptance… she embraced the truth of us.

Despite all that I had yet to reveal.

Despite the secrets I carried like chains beneath my crown.

“Will I be granted time to prepare for our union?” she asked softly. “Or shall I be guided by those within your court?”

Her question was honest.

Unburdened by suspicion.

She did not yet know the weight of my kingdom.

Nor the truths buried within its foundation.

And she had every right to learn them… in time.

For this was no longer bound by duty alone—

But by desire.

‘Continue as you are… and I will stand beside you,’ Jose’s voice returned, low and guarded. ‘But hear me well, August—should you bring harm to our mate… I will tear your soul from you myself.’

I did not doubt him.

Not for a single breath.

And yet—

My gaze remained upon her.

Upon the woman who had already begun to undo me.

“You shall be prepared by my staff to which will serves as yours after our union,” I answered, my voice steady, though softer now. “For your wedding… and for your crowning. I have seen to it that you will be attended with the utmost care, after you may do as you please, just remember to have me know before hand.”

I hesitated only briefly.

“For now, I am called to another audience. Yet when it is done, I shall meet you within the grand ballroom… where our union shall be made known to all.”

Her joy grew.

I saw it.

Felt it.

And to my surprise—

It began to take hold within me as well.

It spread through the servants, through the air itself, as though the very walls welcomed her presence.

She stepped closer.

And the bond—

Tightened.

There, within the space between us, I felt it fully.

A pull that could not be denied.

Having her so near—within my reach, within my hold—brought something I had not known I lacked.

Belonging.

Peace.

A quiet that stilled the chaos within me.

She was—

Beautiful.

Her emerald attire framed her like living royalty, her wild red hair untamed in a way that made her presence all the more striking. And her eyes—

Blue.

Clear.

They calmed storms within me I had never thought to quiet.

And still—

She drew closer.

Willingly.

As though she desired this nearness just as deeply as I did.

A gift I had not expected.

One I did not deserve.

Yet one I would guard with everything I was.

Drawing her into my hold, I lowered myself just enough to rest my forehead gently against hers.

A quiet gesture.

One not of dominance—

But of something far more dangerous.

Reverence.

She flushed softly, her breath steady yet touched with warmth as she spoke.

“I would be honored to meet you within the grand ballroom,” she murmured. “Do not keep me long from you… my mate.”

Her words did not merely reach me—

They settled within me.

Strength.

Purpose.

Something to hold onto amidst all I had yet to face.

And in that moment, I knew—

Whatever truth awaited me…

Whatever consequences would follow…

She deserved more than duty.

More than power.

She deserved a love unbroken.

And I would see it given—

Even if it cost me everything.

Taking her hands within mine, I lifted them slowly—deliberately—as though the moment itself demanded reverence.

And then—

I pressed my lips against them.

What was meant to be a simple gesture… became something else entirely.

Warmer.

Deeper.

A quiet intensity I had not expected to awaken within myself.

The touch lingered a heartbeat longer than it should have.

And in that fleeting pause—

I felt it.

Her.

A soft sound escaped her—barely there, yet unmistakable.

A purr.

Low.

Instinctive.

Primal.

It stirred something within me in return, something that answered before thought could restrain it—a pull, a recognition, a claiming that had nothing to do with crown or duty.

Only bond.

Only her.

My breath slowed as I lifted my gaze to meet hers once more, aware now of how fragile this moment truly was.

How dangerous.

And yet—

How impossible it had become to step away from her.

Releasing her hands proved more difficult than I had anticipated.

Yet I did.

Slowly.

Deliberately.

As though I could soften the distance I was forced to place between us.

But the moment I stepped back, I saw it—

The change.

The quiet hurt that crossed her features, subtle yet undeniable.

It struck deeper than I had expected.

And still—

I turned away.

For I had no choice.

If I lingered… if I allowed myself even a moment more within her presence, I would falter. And I could not afford weakness—not now, not when the weight of what I had done still lingered within these walls.

I had to ensure it remained hidden.

Contained.

That the truth would not rise before I was ready to face it.

That she—

My mate—

Would not be burdened by the shadows of my choices.

She deserved more than that.

More than the weight of a crown that demanded sacrifice without mercy.

More than the secrets that stained the foundation of my rule.

And in that moment, all irritation I had once held toward her arrival—her delay, her defiance of expectation—vanished entirely.

For she was not merely my Queen-to-be.

She was my fated mate.

And that truth erased all else.

Without another word, I made my way toward the throne hall, my stride steady though my thoughts were anything but.

My castle stood as a reflection of my dominion—

Not of cold stone and distant austerity, as many northern rulers preferred, but of life.

Of warmth.

Of power shaped by the lands I ruled.

The outer walls bore the strength of gray stone, unyielding and ancient, yet within, they were softened—hidden behind rich woods that carried the breath of the islands themselves.

Deep reds and vibrant blues adorned the halls, woven into banners and carvings alike, each shade speaking of legacy and pride.

Amapolas bloomed in careful arrangement, their colors blending with endless shades of green, kissed by gold that caught the light and held it, giving the castle a beauty that few beyond these lands could ever comprehend.

It was not merely a seat of power.

It was—

Alive.

And yet, as I walked its halls, that life felt distant.

For my thoughts remained behind me.

With her.

And the truth I had yet to speak.

As I entered the grand hall, I found my Beta Liam already within—his voice low, measured, yet strained—as he spoke to a trembling Lady Rose.

I did not interrupt.

Not at once.

Instead, I walked forward in silence, each step echoing through the chamber as I ascended toward my throne. And as I took my seat, their words reached me clearly.

“I will do anything to remain,” Rose pleaded, her voice breaking beneath the weight of her fear. “I do not wish to be cast aside, nor left alone. I will not be condemned for something that was not mine alone… it was shared—by both of us.”

A pause.

A breath.

“Please… I beg of you.”

Liam drew her close at once, his hold firm, protective, unyielding. There was no mistaking it—

He expected the worst from me.

They both did.

And perhaps…

They had reason.

Yet for now—

I had no cause to cast her out.

Not yet.

With a single motion, I raised my hand and snapped my fingers.

The air shifted.

And from the unseen, it came.

A Gamayun.

The great bird descended in silence, its presence ancient and watchful, its gaze carrying the weight of judgment itself. It perched near the throne, its feathers catching the light as though woven from knowledge and truth.

It would witness.

It would remember.

It would judge.

“Let us begin,” I spoke, my voice calm, yet absolute. “Step forward, Beta Liam. Lady Rose.”

Liam moved at once, placing himself beside his sister, his stance rigid—ready.

Prepared.

Rose trembled still, though she forced herself upright beneath my gaze.

As the Gamayun settled, I spoke again.

“This matter,” I began, “shall not be made known to the public. What transpired last night is of a nature too delicate to risk the stability of this realm.”

My gaze hardened slightly.

“The union with the North shall not be placed in jeopardy.”

No room for defiance.

No room for argument.

“Lady Rose has, in all prior duties, acted with loyalty and care. For this reason, she shall remain within the castle—”

A pause.

Measured.

“—yet away from the eyes of the court. And most importantly… away from the Queen.”

The words settled heavily.

For now.

“For now, I seek peace.”

I leaned forward slightly, my voice lowering—not softer, but more precise.

“If Lady Rose carries the future heir of this kingdom, then no harm shall come to her… nor to the unborn pup.”

A breath left Rose, shallow yet filled with fragile relief.

Liam, however—

Did not ease.

His protectiveness remained, coiled beneath his silence.

“But,” I continued, “truth must be known.”

The chamber stilled.

“Tonight, a Manananggal shall attend you.”

The name alone shifted the air.

“I will be present to ensure your safety. My warriors shall stand watch, alongside Beta Liam.”

No weakness.

No risk.

“If the pup you carry is a son… he shall be raised within these walls, as blood of this kingdom.”

A pause.

“And if it is a daughter…”

My voice did not falter.

“You shall remain within this island, placed at its center with those you choose to accompany you. You will not be cast out, nor abandoned. I will not see harm come to my people… not in their state.”

Rose’s composure faltered again, fear rising anew.

I saw it.

And yet—

There was no gentler path.

Only necessary ones.

Before the silence could deepen further, I spoke once more.

“This matter is concluded.”

My gaze shifted to Liam.

“Beta Liam—you will see my brother take responsibility over this matter should the child be a son.”

Then—

A final command.

“You will attend to Princess Beatrice, in place of my brother, until such time as she is to return to her father’s kingdom.”

No room left for refusal.

No space for protest.

“I have no further words on this matter.”

I rose from the throne.

“My duties now lie with the union to come.”

I turned without hesitation.

“Lady Rose may remain within her estate. Beta Liam—you will be present to witness the marriage.”

Their agreement came—

But it was not acceptance.

Not truly.

As they departed, it was clear—

They did not approve.

And yet—

They obeyed.

As they always would.