AWAKENING DREW

NEW BEGINNINGS

"So Dad, who is coming? Selene and Lene are going crazy in my head, and I have a splitting headache," I said, looking at my parents. Their expressions were heavy, filled with a worry that transcended simple parental concern.

"Hey, baby girl, calm down," Dad replied, his voice steady but firm. "The guest is named Damien. We have been tasked to protect and train him. We must keep his identity a secret for now, and you, my May, are the only one who can help him cloak his scent and his aura."

We stared at him, stunned, but the mention of the name 'Damien' sent a strange, primal thrill through me. Selene began purring at the name, a reaction so unusual I could only ignore it. Before I could process the surge of excitement, a violent banging shook the front door.

Dad bolted, throwing the door open just as a boy collapsed onto the threshold. "Help me," he rasped, his voice a ghost of a sound.

Mom and Dad rushed to him, hoisting the boy onto the couch. He was hauntingly thin, his ribs showing through shredded clothes, yet he looked terrifyingly familiar. As I drew closer, the air around me shifted. My senses flooded with a scent that made my knees buckle: Jasmine and pine.

"MATE!" Selene and Lene screamed in unison, their voices echoing in my mind.

I gasped, stumbling back. This couldn't be. Another mate? And he was so broken, so thin. My heart shattered for everything he must have endured. I found myself lost in his features—his long, silky black hair, the sharp, aristocratic lines of his face even in his weakened state. He was breathtaking.

"Okay, I have masked his scent and his aura. The walls are up—we can speak freely now," Dad announced, stepping back from the boy.

I turned to him, my voice trembling. "He is my mate. My second chance. But Father, what happened to him? Who is he?"

Dad let out a jagged sigh. "He is Crown Prince Damien Drew Walker. I have been waiting for his arrival since the last Guardian contacted me to say he had failed to protect him."

The revelation landed like a physical blow. I felt an animalistic, protective rage flare up, led by Selene—she wanted blood. "Who was his guardian?" I demanded.

"Hades has already dealt with him," Dad said, a small, sad smile touching his lips. Was that a tear in his eye? "The Goddess is with Damien now."

Mom finally spoke, her voice thick with emotion. "By the Goddess, he is alive. That night... I ran with him. The Moon Goddess told me to leave him at their border. Why would she tell me to put the Prince in such danger?"

"What are you talking about, love?" Dad asked, turning to her. Mom leaned into him, her tears falling as he rubbed her back, a silent language of shared trauma.

She told us then: she had been hired by the late Queen to protect the Prince, and she had taken the charge seriously. When she hadn't known where to hide him, the Moon Goddess herself had appeared, providing the path. She had followed those orders to the letter, never breathing a word to anyone. The Goddess had promised they would meet again when he was grown, and that she and a Guardian—my father—were fated to train him.

"He is the next Alpha King of all Kings," Dad finished, his gaze intense. "We have to protect him. And we cannot tell the King until the Goddess commands it." We all nodded, binding ourselves to the secret. Dad had been a Guardian all along, a truth he could no longer hide because our lives were now irrevocably tangled with Damien’s.

Drew's POV

We had been running for hours. I didn't know where I was going, but Apollo was guiding me, and I trusted him with my life. Along the way, we passed rogue vampires and werewolves; they didn't attack. They simply bowed their heads as I passed, silent spectators to my flight.

This only made me run harder. I reached a pack border and crossed it, ignoring the bewildered shouts of the sentries. They chased after me for a moment, then stopped, baffled, as if I had simply evaporated.

"What just happened, Apollo?" I mentally asked.

He didn't answer. He simply pushed us forward, straight into the woods and toward a hidden compound. It was as if he knew the way by heart. We hammered on the door, and the moment a man opened it, Apollo let me regain control.

"Help me," were my last words before the darkness of exhaustion claimed me.

When I finally woke, I was enveloped by a scent that made my wolf calm for the first time in years—jasmine and pine. Apollo was ecstatic, chanting something in my mind, but I couldn't focus. I was tethered to that scent.

I opened my eyes, the bright light stinging, and found myself in a room far grander than anything I had known in Wollet's pack. Everything was bathed in soothing shades of grey.

Then I saw her.

She was sitting on a love seat, watching me. She was beautiful, an ethereal creature with waist-length silver hair and eyes like polished emeralds that seemed to peer directly into my soul. She was perfect. By the Goddess, the scent was coming from her.

Could it be? Two mates in the same day?*** I cleared my throat, desperate to pull her back from whatever distant world she had wandered into—a world I secretly hoped I was a part of.

"Um… where exactly is this?" I asked, rubbing the back of my neck. I felt foolish, struggling to find the right words. For Goddess’s sake, she was my mate. My chest felt tight, flooded with a whirlwind of raw, overwhelming emotions I barely knew how to process.

"Oh! Hey," she stammered, blinking as if waking from a trance. "I’m Mayllyn. And this is my house. Well, I live with my parents. I’m an only child, so—please, don’t feel like you’re a burden. You’re my mate, after all. Staying here is perfectly fine. I don't mind at all."

She began to ramble, her nervousness coloring her cheeks. I offered her a soft, appreciative smile, hoping she could see how much her words meant to me.

"I’d be happy to stay, provided your parents agree," I replied gently. "Perhaps I can help around the house to earn my keep until I find a place of my own."

As soon as the words left my lips, the light in her eyes dimmed. I saw a flash of disappointment, followed by a sharp, jagged edge of hurt and fear. Why did that upset her?

“Our mate is hurting because she thinks we will reject her,” Apollo whimpered in the back of my mind.

The thought alone was agonizing. I looked deep into her eyes, steady and sure. "Love, I have no intention of rejecting you. You are my second chance at happiness. I wouldn't throw that away for anything in this world."

A wave of visible relief washed over her, and her entire posture softened. Inside my head, Apollo let out a triumphant howl of joy, basking in the warmth radiating from our mate.

Our quiet moment was interrupted by the arrival of her parents. They shared her features, and as they entered the room, my body instinctively tensed. Their auras were potent, radiating a power that felt ancient and unique.

"We’re glad you’re awake," the man said, offering a warm smile. "You had us worried, especially my little May. She hasn’t left your side for two days; she wouldn’t even let us near you."

"I’m Llinet, Mayllyn’s mother, and this is my mate, Drago," the woman added, stepping forward with a kind expression. "Welcome to the family. I know you have many questions, and we will answer them all. Just know that you are safe here, and we will take care of you until you are ready."

I could only nod, momentarily struck dumb by the sincerity in their voices. Deep down, I sent a silent prayer of gratitude to the Goddess for guiding Apollo and me to this place.

I braced myself for the hours that followed. We sat for what felt like ages as I pelted them with questions, and they answered with a patience that surprised me. To say the revelations were shocking would be an understatement; I felt myself teetering on the edge of a full-blown panic attack as the truth of my situation settled in.

At one point, Mayllyn reached for my hand, but when that wasn't enough to ground me, she leaned in and kissed me.

She kissed me.

The shock was a jolt of lightning that forced my erratic breathing to slow. It took a few minutes for my heart rate to stabilize, but inside, Apollo was turning livid. He was consumed by a primal rage, craving blood for the separation from his mother and the monster who had murdered her.

"You have to calm your wolf," Drago said, his eyes filled with concern. "You can't shift now—it’s too early. Talk to him, or he’ll kill you with a forced shift. Please, son, calm down."

Son. The word struck me with such force that Apollo’s rage faltered. I looked at Drago with newfound admiration; that single word acted like an anchor. Subconsciously, I dipped my head into the crook of Mayllyn’s neck and inhaled deeply. Her scent—earthy, sweet, and intoxicating—washed over me, instantly silencing the chaos within. Apollo, finally drunk on the scent of our mate, drifted into a peaceful sleep, and I felt the tension bleed out of the room.

"Thank you," I whispered, clutching Mayllyn’s hands tightly. "I will forever be in your debt, especially for raising such an amazing daughter. I am so happy you are mine."

Mayllyn looked up at me, a radiant smile gracing her angelic face. "Finally," she whispered, "new beginnings."

Double update ! Maybe there will be another one!