11 ~ I Have Two Mates!!!
JAYDEN’s POV
“Is he… is he going to mate with Beta Aurelius too?!” I heard a panicked whisper from behind.
Something snapped in me. My Wolf groaned.
Even my length twitched and my hole pulsed. But, nothing could be compared to the melting of my heart. There was a fire within me. Within every step Beta Aurelius took towards me.
Damn… What was happening to me?
My chest, it was growing bigger and I couldn't breathe. More like it was going to explode.
As he was a few inches from me, my heart rate quickened. And when he finally reached where I was, he went on his knees, brushed a deep smile at me. But before I could even think, his lips touched mine softly.
My body froze, but my heart burst into a frantic rhythm. His lips were warm—so impossibly warm—and I felt air leave my lungs all at once.
He tasted like mint and quiet promises. It was… everything I didn’t know I needed. A small sound escaped me—a sigh, maybe. Or something more fragile. Something closer to relief. Because in that kiss, I didn’t feel like a filthy Omega. I didn’t feel invisible or mocked or broken.
I felt seen and cherished.
When he finally pulled away, just an inch, his breath mingled with mine, and I knew I was trembling. Not from fear, but from something far more dangerous.
“You see that? Dad, you can see that, right? Is that the slut you want as my mate?” Rafael's voice echoed through the hall.
Shock gripped me and I withdrew myself from Beta Aurelius.
“Shut up!” Alpha Zane roared. “Shut up, I say. There is nothing we can do about it. We can't question the Moon Goddess’ wish. You are destined to have the Omega as your mate. The earlier you accept it, the earlier it would be better. For you. For us. For our kingdom.”
“Dad, I can't accept that.” Rafael growled, looking at me. “This thing. No way!”
He just called me a thing. That just thread through my sanity.
“Rafael,” his sister, Aurelia, finally spoke up. “We were taught not to say NO to our parents.”
“Not in this kind of situation, Aurelia.” Rafael replied, moving closer to the podium. “If you had been the one, would you have accepted an Omega to be your mate?”
Aurelia hesitated for a moment before she answered, “I-I-I would have.”
“Lies. Easier said than done.” His eyes flashed with rage. “And father, if Aurelia had been in my place, would you have said the same?”
“She’s a female. She needs protection.” Alpha Zane replied.
“And I don't get one? Because I would be the King?” Rafael asked.
“You would lead this pack someday. Is this how you will rule over it?” Alpha Zane thundered, pointing his fingers at Rafael.
The latter knew better to keep quiet than to shout.
“Your father is right,” Luna Iris spoke up, descending the podium. “I know it came as a shock. To you. To me. To your father. To every other person around here.” She finally reached where he stood, fuming. She placed her comforting hands on his shoulders. “You will be alright.”
“Mom—”
“Our family has a pact with the Moon Goddess. We don't get to choose our mates. She chooses for us and we can't reject.” Luna Iris emphasized.
~Wow! Is he still our mate?~
Damn, Kasper. Wrong time again.
Elder Mithra added. “In short, the rejection you made earlier is not valid. This Omega—” she paused, her eyes traveling in my direction, “is still your mate.”
“As the case may be, he is now mated to you both. Beta Aurelius and you. You both are his mates. Only the Moon Goddess knows what she's planned.” Elder Mithra concluded.
Now… I have two mates?
One Alpha. One Beta.
One hates me. And the other? He seems to care.
Beta Aurelius reached out to my hands, his fingers graced my skin—Soft, smooth and soul soothing. My stomach tightened as his deep eyes pierced into mine.
“I, Beta Aurelius Shadowfang, accept HIM, as my mate. Now. And. Forever.”
The words echoed in my ear like a thunderstorm.
I had barely had time to soak the words in when Aurelius helped me up and swooped me off my feet. I threw my arms around him and I remained there, watching him as the silent whispers of the audience faded away.
~~~~~
The hallway was eerily silent as Beta Aurelius walked beside me, his strides slow, graceful and calculated.
The light from the crystal sconces above cast golden streaks across the marble floor, but it was his eyes—those intense steel-gray eyes—that bore into me like fire laced with unspoken secrets.
Every few steps, I could feel his gaze drifting toward me, lingering on my bruised skin, my trembling hands, my parted lips. Not once did he break the silence. And yet, his presence spoke louder than words.
He stopped at a tall door carved with the Wolfsbane family crest—two silver wolves entwined around a moonlit sword. Without a word, he reached out and pushed the door open.
The room was dimly lit, a single lamp glowing on the bedside table.
“Sit,” Aurelius said gently, his voice a low murmur that rumbled through me like thunder trapped in velvet.
I obeyed without resistance, sinking onto the edge of the soft bed, wincing slightly as the fabric of my torn trousers brushed against my bleeding knee.
Before I could say a word, Aurelius was already kneeling in front of me. He grabbed a small basin and a clean cloth from the nightstand, then dipped it into warm water.
His fingers brushed against my skin—lightly at first, then with careful pressure as he cleaned the glass cuts. I hissed when the cloth touched an open wound, but his hand stilled me. A thumb brushing my thigh and the other palm on my other knee.
His brows furrowed as he dabbed at the blood. The concern in his eyes almost made me forget how the night had begun.
“There,” he whispered, tossing the cloth aside after wrapping my knee in a clean strip of gauze. “All better.”
He didn’t pull away. Instead, he leaned in closer, letting my breath seize. His face was only inches from mine now—his silver-gray eyes softening into something molten, something dangerous.
One of his hands slid up my thigh, his touch slow and intentional, his thumb brushing small circles into the tender skin.
“Beta Aurelius…” I whispered, unsure if it was meant as a plea to stop or an invitation to continue.
He didn’t answer. His other hand came up to cradle my face, tilting my chin slightly. My lips parted. My heartbeat quickened.
His lips hovered just a breath away from mine.
I could feel the heat of him. I could smell the faint trace of pine and midnight on his skin. My body tensed and relaxed all at once, confusion and longing swirling inside me like a storm.
Why did I want him to kiss me?
Why did my lips ache for him even after he kissed me earlier?
“Wanna make out?” He asked, softly. I didn’t answer. “In a slow, sensual way that will make him crawl back to you after he realizes you’re a gem?”
As I stared into his eyes, I knew my answer.
I pulled him closer, sealing my lips with his.