The Lycan Mate's Souls

Chapter 2: Last Night’s Mistake

August Point of View

I awoke to the weight of a night that had not yet released me.

Celebration still lingered in the air—thick, suffocating, clinging to the walls like a reminder of what this day was meant to become.

The day I would bind the North to the South.

The day I would become more than a king.

Yet as I sat at the edge of my bed, bare and unmoving, something within me refused to settle.

The union to come should have filled me with pride.

With certainty.

Instead… it left me hollow.

Uneasy.

Out of place within my own skin.

I had not been alone the entire night—my brother at my side, my Beta never far behind. Laughter, drinks, voices… they had surrounded me, drowned me.

And yet—

Here I was.

Alone.

With a scent that should not have remained.

My jaw tightened as I inhaled again.

Her.

A she-wolf I had known since youth… a scent buried in memory now lingering far too close.

Too real.

Dragging a hand over my face, I forced myself to breathe through it—to think, to steady the storm clawing beneath my ribs.

“How has it come to this…?” I muttered lowly, my voice rough with something I refused to name. “Have I no restraint left? No remorse?”

My hand curled into a fist.

“I cannot allow this. It cannot surface… and I will ensure it never existed.”

The words tasted like iron.

Like a lie I was forcing myself to believe.

The soft sound of movement broke through my thoughts—the garderobe door.

I stood instantly, tension coiling through me, and crossed the room. The moment I pulled it open, there she stood.

Rose.

My Beta’s sister.

Her smile came easily—too easily.

Wide.

Unapologetic.

And then I saw it.

The marks.

Fresh.

Claiming.

Visible against the curve of her exposed shoulder.

My stomach tightened.

‘We have crossed the line, and now we carry consequence, your royal ass.’

My wolf’s voice cut through me, sharp and undeniable, as the shift in her scent confirmed what I had already begun to fear.

Carrying my pup. Conceived by just one night of pleasure.

The words settled like a blade in my chest.

I exhaled slowly, but it did nothing to ease the weight.

Because beneath the concern… beneath the calculation…

There was something else.

Something far more dangerous.

Responsibility.

Desire.

And the quiet, treacherous part of me that did not regret her.

‘Do you truly believe our Queen will accept this?’ Jose’s voice followed, colder, grounded in the reality I could not escape. ‘Is it not her duty to bear your heir?’

My jaw clenched.

He was not wrong.

He was never wrong.

He was my wolf after all.

But duty… had never felt this complicated.

What if my Queen could not give me sons?

What if the future of my kingdom… had already been decided in a moment I could never undo?

And worse—

What if I did not wish to undo it? What if all my Queen gave were daughters?

‘Then we must learn of what Rose carries. It is within our right to choose what we need above what we desire.’

His words settled heavily within me, the same cold wisdom I had come to trust… and resent.

Duty over desire.

Always.

Swallowing the bitterness rising in my throat, I turned my gaze to Rose.

“What have we done… that I cannot recall?” My voice came out quieter than I intended, edged with something dangerously close to unease.

Rose hesitated.

Her fingers trembled slightly before she brought them to her lips, biting down as though bracing herself for what could not be taken back.

Honesty was not a choice here.

Not within these walls.

The castle itself breathed truth.

Its very bones were rooted in the ancient Oak—the same sacred tree that stood at its heart. Its magic pulsed through the stone, fed by the blood of my ancestors, binding every word spoken within it to truth or consequence.

There was no hiding here.

No lies.

“I recall…” she began, her voice soft, yet unwavering. “You had bedded me last night, my king.”

The words struck harder than any blade.

Not because they were false—

But because they were not what I had wanted to hear.

The air shifted.

The castle stirred.

And I felt it before I heard it—

Footsteps.

Approaching.

Heavy.

Deliberate.

I turned, and beside me, Rose stiffened.

Liam.

My Beta.

Her brother.

They shared the same dark complexion, same blue ocean eyes, carved from the same bloodline of strength and loyalty. Yet where Liam was shadow—silent, unreadable—Rose carried warmth in her features, her strawberry-blonde curls softening the sharpness of her beauty.

Liam, however…

Could disappear into darkness if he willed it.

And now, dressed in his blue colored royal uniform, he stood before us—eyes sharp, taking in every detail with terrifying precision.

His gaze dropped.

Her state.

The open dress.

The marks.

Then it snapped back to me.

“What is the meaning of this?” His voice cut through the room, controlled… but barely. “Did you both sleep together?”

A pause.

A breath.

Then the words that carried far more weight than accusation.

“Have you bedded my sister?”

The question did not echo.

It settled.

Heavy.

Unavoidable.

And in that moment, my head throbbed with the pressure of what was to come—not from guilt alone, but from the storm I could already feel rising beyond these walls.

Not scandal.

Not whispers.

War.

Because this was no longer a mistake.

This was a fracture.

And fractures… spread.

“Liam. Rose. We will convene a hearing to address this matter,” I declared, my voice steady—yet sharpened with command. “I hold no ill intent… but I require confirmation of what has been done.”

My gaze hardened.

“At the height of the sun, you will present yourselves for examination.”

A pause.

Cold.

Deliberate.

“My Queen will not attend.”

The words carried more than instruction—they carried warning.

“She is not to know of this incident.”

My aura surged.

Invisible—yet crushing.

The weight of my Alpha blood spilled into the room, pressing against their lungs, their bones, their very will. Power coiled beneath my skin, ancient and merciless, demanding obedience as much as it promised destruction.

“Or it will be off with each one of your heads.”

Silence followed.

Heavy.

Absolute.

“Am I clear?”

The air itself seemed to bow.

I did not need to release more.

Because I could.

Because beneath the Alpha—beneath the king—

There was something far older.

The blessing of the Fairy Queen.

A gift bound to my bloodline, passed through generations… and buried beneath secrecy.

If I unleashed both—

Alpha and ancient magic—

Even my Betas would not survive it.

A truth none beyond my lineage were meant to know.

‘If she carries our future, we will have no choice,’ my wolf growled within me, his voice sharp, relentless. ‘The pup must know. You cannot deny what has already been set in motion. This is madness, August.’

His words struck deep.

Because they were truth.

And truth… was far more dangerous than any lie spoken in this castle.

My jaw tightened as the weight of it settled in.

One night.

One moment of weakness.

And now—

A future I could not control.

What would that child become?

A son of mine… born of secrecy, of power unrestrained.

A creature carrying both my blood… and whatever fate had chosen to awaken within him.

‘If she carries our heir, you may wrestle with it later,’ my wolf pressed, quieter now, but no less firm. ‘For now, remain sane. This matter ends here.’

A breath left me slowly.

Measured.

Controlled.

‘Your Queen will arrive soon.’

That—

That alone steadied me.

Because whatever storm I had created…

Would pale in comparison to the one she would bring if she learned the truth.

And so I stood there—

King.

Alpha.

And a man caught between duty… and the consequences of his own desire.

Letting the pressure ease just enough for them to breathe, I turned my gaze to Liam, my voice cutting through the space with quiet command.

“Have your sister made decent to receive her Queen,” I ordered. “And see that all is prepared for her arrival… along with her young sister.”

My words lingered, heavy with expectation.

Then—

I shifted my attention to Rose.

She met my gaze, fear flickering within her eyes, yet something uncertain lingered beneath it—something she herself had not yet come to understand.

Liam, however, was far less composed.

I could feel it.

His restraint.

His anger.

The silent demand that I do right by his sister—that I claim her, wed her… or at the very least, acknowledge her as my Mistress, something much more than what she now stood as.

But I could not.

I would not.

Not when my path had already been set in motion.

Not when my wolf had already chosen the course I was bound to follow.

My expression hardened.

“Speak of this to anyone of the Gothel family,” I said, my voice lowering into something far more dangerous, “and I shall have your head.”

No room for misinterpretation.

No mercy.

Rose lowered herself into a bow, her movements careful, measured. Liam followed without a word, though the tension in his frame spoke louder than any protest.

And then—

They were gone.

Silence returned.

But it did not bring peace.

Turning away, I walked back into the depths of my bedchamber. The moment I crossed its threshold, the walls themselves began to stir—breathing, alive, as though the castle listened… as though it knew.

A pulse.

Then another.

And from within the ancient stone, soft blue orbs of light emerged—gliding forward like spirits drawn from the roots of the Oak itself.

Tot.

One of the fairy bound to this castle.

Faithful.

Watchful.

Dangerous in ways few understood.

“My king!” the small blue glowing being chimed, her voice bright against the heaviness that still clung to the room. “Shall I assist you with the wedding preparations… and the honeymoon, my lord?”

His tone carried an innocence that mocked the storm within me.

A wedding.

A union.

A future already unraveling before it had even begun.

Drawing in steady breaths, I spoke with each exhale, forcing calmness to settle within me.

“See it done,” I commanded, my tone measured yet firm. “And have the bathing chamber prepared. I would be cleansed of the remnants of last night’s actions.”

The need was not merely of the body—

But of the mind.

Of the weight that clung to me still.

Learning what the she-wolf carried would not prove difficult. Magic, when properly wielded, could unveil what was hidden with ease… even the simplest truth of an unborn pup.

Tot wasted no time, departing at once to see my will carried through.

Alone once more, I made my way toward the bathing chamber adjoining my master quarters. The stone beneath my feet was cool, grounding—unyielding, much like the thoughts I sought to suppress.

Undoing my robes, I let them fall without care, as though shedding the burden they had witnessed.

I stepped into the bath.

Water met my skin, and I washed—again and again—until the memory of the night before felt distant beneath my hands.

Yet not gone.

Never gone.

‘She is near,’ Jose’s voice stirred within me, edged with something I rarely heard from him—anticipation. ‘The walls respond to her presence. Shall we send for our brother to receive her?’

I stilled for a moment beneath the water.

So soon.

Finishing my wash, I stepped from the bath and dried myself with a linen cloth. The air kissed my skin as I moved, unguarded, unarmored—no crown, no steel, no title to shield what I was beneath it all.

Only a man.

Marked by war.

My scars stretched across my body, each one a story I no longer told.

And there—upon my chest—

The brand.

The gift of the Fairy Queen.

It lay against my tanned, battle-worn skin like a rising sun, carved into my flesh with purpose beyond my choosing. And when awakened…

It did not merely glow.

It burned.

Like the sun itself had taken root within me.

Opening the mind link, I reached for my younger brother, Cassian.

‘Brother, I require your service. The future Queen approaches with her little sister, and they are to be received by you before tonight’s union. See that she and her sister are given rest within the eastern wing. Attend to them as you would to me.’

Through the bond we shared, I felt it instantly—

The shift.

His calm unraveling into quiet irritation.

Sharp.

Unhidden.

Yet restrained.

He knew better than to refuse me.

‘As you command, Your Highness.’

The link severed the moment his words were spoken, leaving behind the echo of his displeasure.

He would obey.

Of that, I had no doubt.

But Cassian was not one to forget.

And I knew well that I would be made to answer for this later—one way or another.

A breath left me as I turned my thoughts forward.

I would reward him.

Whatever he asked, within reason… I would grant it.

For now, however, my focus had to remain where it belonged.

On her.

Princess Celeste of House Gothel.

The North.

The union.

I straightened, steadying myself as I prepared for what was to come as I allowed other fairies to assist me in dressing. I had to recall every lesson, every expectation placed upon me as king—to receive her not as a man burdened by the past night, but as the ruler she was meant to stand beside.

She would see strength.

Control.

Honor.

She would see a king worthy of her hand.

Not a man shadowed by doubt.

Not one marked by actions he could not fully recall.

I would give her no reason to question me.

No reason to turn away.

‘As faithful as you can be,’ Jose’s voice pressed into my thoughts, edged with suspicion. ‘I cannot make sense of it. Of all women… Rose. There is something amiss. Was there enchantment in our drink?’

My jaw tightened slightly.

Because he spoke the truth I had been avoiding.

Fragments of the night lingered… but not enough.

Not clearly.

Not fully.

And that alone was enough to trouble me more than the act itself.

“I do not know,” I admitted quietly, more to myself than to him.

“But something… is not as it should be.”

As my final words faded, my gaze lifted to the mirror before me.

There stood the King.

Clad in the royal colors of my dominion—crimson, white, blue, and gold—the very pride of my people woven into every thread and jewelry. The weight of my title rested upon my shoulders as heavily as the garments and jewelry themselves.

I saw what they saw.

A ruler.

Unshaken.

Unyielding.

And yet—

Behind that reflection…

Stood a man soon to be bound as a husband.

‘Charming our Queen will not prove difficult,’ Jose murmured within me, his tone laced with quiet confidence. ‘She is said to be one of the most blessed among her kind—gifted, as her elder sisters were, with a Lycan of great strength. Yet few of her lineage are spoken of as gentle… or as reasonable as our bride-to-be.’

A pause.

A flicker of curiosity.

‘I wonder what her Lycan is like.’

His words stirred something within me.

Because I, too, wondered.

I had heard the tales.

Of Queen Aldreda and King Daniel—their union forged not by choice, but by fate itself… and the fall of Bennu that followed.

Of her sisters—Queen Johanne and Queen Eda—whose destinies had torn them from their chosen paths and bound them to others entirely.

Each story whispered of power.

Of upheaval.

Of truths that could not be denied.

And now—

It was my turn to stand within that same storm.

This display… this grand assembly of power and image—

It was not for me.

It was for her.

To see a king.

To believe in him.

To accept him.

Yet truth be told…

I despised it.

The weight of it.

The expectation.

The version of myself I was required to become beneath these colors.

Perhaps—

Perhaps my future Queen would see beyond it.

Beyond the crown.

Beyond the image.

And not judge me for wishing to be more than the man I must present to her this day.

‘One can only hope,’ Jose replied, though his tone sharpened once more. ‘And we must uncover what transpired last night—without delay, August.’

I gave a faint nod to myself in the mirror, the motion subtle, controlled.

“Yes… we must.”

Turning from my reflection, I acknowledged the presence of my fairy servants with quiet gratitude, their magic already at work in preparation for what was to come.

For tonight—

I would stand as King.

And pray that it would be enough.

Stepping from my bedchamber, I descended toward the grand lower hall, my steps steady as I made my way beyond the stone corridors and into the inner grounds of the castle.

The garden awaited.

The sacred place where the Oak stood.

As I walked, my thoughts turned—unbidden—to the woman who would soon stand beside me.

My Queen.

I found myself wondering what manner of woman she would be.

Kind… or sharp of tongue when left in private.

Would she stand beside me as an ally—

Or become another force I must learn to withstand?

Celeste of House Gothel.

I knew her only through a likeness—an image gifted from her kingdom, drawn with care and precision. Yet ink could not capture truth, nor could it prepare a man for the presence of a woman he had never met… yet was bound to wed.

As I stepped before the Oak, set at the heart of the well-tended garden, I felt it at once—

Magic.

Alive.

Breathing through the air itself.

The fair folk moved unseen, yet their work revealed them. Light shimmered across the castle grounds as they adorned the halls and gardens for the union that would take place by nightfall.

A gathering had already formed.

Maids entered in quiet order, each prepared to attend their future Queen. Their posture was precise, their presence disciplined, as though they too felt the weight of what was to come.

To my right—

Liam.

Still.

Rigid.

His displeasure lingered plainly upon him, though he held his silence. He wished to speak—I could see it—but this was neither the time nor the place.

Behind him stood Rose.

Properly attired.

Composed.

Yet beneath her calm, I sensed the tension she could not fully conceal.

My gaze passed over them all, and through the bond I shared with my warriors, I felt it—

Peace.

Security.

The castle held.

My kingdom stood guarded.

And then—

The air shifted.

Power stirred.

The garden seemed to awaken as something ancient moved beneath it.

The Oak responded.

Light began to gather along its bark, soft at first… then growing, pulsing with a force that demanded silence from all who stood before it.

No voice rose.

No step faltered.

All waited.

As did I.

And then—

From within the glow of the sacred Oak…

A step.

Deliberate.

Certain.

A royal boot of deep emerald emerged from its threshold.

And with it—

She came.

Future Queen of the Borinken islands, Celeste of the Gothel house from the North.