Mated to you

Chapter 3 - Shift in motion

A large white wolf lurked beside her window as the car came to a stop. Thea’s eyes widened in fear. It was the wolf from her dream. She pressed a hand to her chest, forcing her breath to steady. It spoke to her through her mind. “Don’t return.” It said and the wolf tore through the window, shards of glass exploding inward as claws scraped across her chest. She screamed. Thea jolted awake, gasping. Viktor was at her side immediately. She was drenched in sweat, her heart hammering violently in her chest. “Thea, are you okay?” Viktor asked softly, concern threading his voice.

She sucked in as much air as her lungs allowed. “It was nothing, just had a dream of me falling.” She finally said peering out the window. The car was still moving; it was just a dream. She sighed in relief, silently and thankfully. Viktor stared for a moment, he didn’t want to push any further, but he knew it wasn’t nothing. Thea gave him a short smile; it was all she could offer to let him know she was okay. Viktor didn’t look convinced, but he nodded anyway, settling back into his seat. The road hummed beneath the tires as they both sat quietly. Viktor almost spoke a few times but restrained himself. He worried for her, from the moment he saw her at the ball, he was drawn to her, and the need to protect her continued to grow. He wasn’t sure why, but a part of him wondered if it were his human side. He glanced over at Thea for a moment. The warm breeze from outside, now rushing in. She needed air, he guessed, and lowered his window too.

The car followed a gentle bend, trees closing in on either side of the road. Thea allowed the warmth to consume her; it calmed her, reminding her of another life, the life before wolves existed. The scent of freshly cut grass drifted through the open window, and she closed her eyes for a moment, cherishing a memory of her father mowing their front lawn while she smiled and waved at him from the front porch.

When she opened her eyes, a small town appeared ahead.

There were wolves or humans living life as humans did.

She kept watching them as the car rolled closer, half expecting something to change, a pause, a look of fear, anything. But nothing did. They moved along with their lives, not acknowledging their Alpha’s presence. A group of elderly sat at a table sipping their morning coffee and waving to those who passed by. A mother chased her little one as he ran into a bakery, laughing as she followed, and school children played while waiting for their bus.

Viktor shifted slightly beside her, close enough that she could feel his presence without him crowding her.

“They’re human,” he said quietly.

Thea turned her head toward him, surprised and confused.

“Most of them,” he added. “Some know about us, and some don’t.”

“Some? doesn’t that put wolves and humans at risk?”

He shook his head once. “No. It protects them.”

After a beat, he continued, his voice low. “They live their lives as humans and wolves do. Fear isn’t how we keep order here. In fact, humans have a place on our council.” He paused, and the smallest smile touched his mouth. “My mother is human, remember?”

His handsome features softened as he smiled, smile lines deepening at the corners of his mouth, almost dimple like. Thea couldn’t help thinking he probably got away with everything, especially with his mother.

“Do they know who you are?” she asked curiously.

“Some do. Obviously, the wolves do,” he said. “But to humans, I’m just a military commander or prince, not their Alpha commander.”

Thea chuckled, but Viktor held her stare.

“Wait,” she said, blinking. “You’re serious? Gosh, just when I think I’ve learned about wolves, you tell me you’re a prince?”

He chuckled. “My mother is from royal lineage. She comes from the Kathiel line, she is,”

“What!” Thea cut in. “Kathiel? As in the Royal Kathiel family from Solmere?”

“Yes,” he said simply. “That’s them.”

“I’m from there,” Thea said, the words surprising even herself. “Well… at least I was.”

Viktor looked just as surprised as Thea felt. “Where in Solmere did you live?” he asked.

“Oh, nowhere near the city,” she replied. “I lived out in the country, in a little town called Oaktree. Helwren is similar to it.” She smiled, and this time she truly meant it, even if smiling reminded her of Reign.

“Oaktree…,” Viktor said, studying Thea. “Yes, Oaktree. You have to tell me how someone from Solmere ended up here as a Luna?” Thea said, curiously. “Well, my father at the time was Alpha of Helwren. He met my mother here. Her family were invited here by my father, it was a business invitation. My mother’s family ended up sending her on behalf of them and that’s when they met. My father made his intentions clear the moment he saw her, and my mother didn’t hold back either, she swears she was in love with him before he was.” He chuckled, at the thought. “She returned to her family with a new business partner and husband, and yes he told her what he was.” He added, before continuing, noticing Thea’s curious look. “When she told them, they weren’t against it, she’s sixth in line to the throne, so she was able to make her own decisions about who she wanted to marry. There are five cousins before her, but none have had any children, I never asked why. You would probably know them, with you being from Solmere?”

Thea laughed lightly. “I never really followed the hype around royals. My parents were lawyers by day and volunteers for those in need every other hour, so I wasn’t exactly encouraged to get caught up in it. Though,” she added with a small smile, “I did learn at school that the princes were considered to be quite attractive.”

Viktor laughed, clearly amused. “Yes, my uncles have quite the reputation.”

He paused, then continued, his voice softer now. “My mother shaped Helwren as much as she shaped me. You’ll see her influence everywhere.”

“So, you’ll see a bit of Solmere here and there.” he finished gently.

Thea smiled, though something inside her still ached. She missed Velmira, even now. But she couldn’t deny it, she loved the Solmere feel threaded through Helwren, having both what she now knows and her past in one truly felt complete. She quickly pushed that feeling aside as it felt like a betrayal to Velmira.

“You wear a lot of hats.” She leaned back slightly. “Must be exhausting having your country divided.”

“Not all humans need to know,” Viktor said with a slight grin. “Do you remember how long it took you to understand?”

Thea sighed at the memory.

“Sometimes things that have worked for generations shouldn’t be mended,” he said quietly.

Viktor’s expression shifted, less amused now, and more certain. “Allowing humans to just be what they are is how they continue to evolve,” he said. “The same with wolves.” He glanced at her, then added, steady as stone, “Alphas aren’t gods. We serve our packs. That’s our purpose.”

Thea went still.

In Velmira, the pack had gone above and beyond for Reign, as if his will was the centre of the world. Wolves moved around him like gravity pulled them into place, anticipating, obeying, sacrificing without hesitation. She’d thought that was what strength looked like. How all Alpha’s were.

But Viktor said it like power was a weight he carried for others, not something others carried for him.

She found herself looking at him differently.

Viktor continued, his voice low, careful. “Other packs see it the other way. They prefer to rule all, dictate what happens, when it happens.” His gaze flicked toward the window, toward the people outside living without fear. “Some have rid their countries of humans entirely. This belief and action divided wolves and to this day our relationships remain strained.”

Thea’s breath caught. “Like Velmira?”

Viktor nodded once. “Unfortunately.”

Silence settled between them, heavier than it should have been on a sunny day like this.

And suddenly Thea’s mind reached back, grasping at details she’d never thought to question.

She hadn’t met a single human in Velmira after knowing wolves existed. Not one. Not a visitor, not a worker, not a neighbour. And even within the pack, she’d only ever met the wolves Reign allowed her to meet. Faces approved. Interactions managed. Rooms entered only when she was meant to enter them.

A cold unease slid down her spine.

Had she even known Velmira as much as she thought she did?

Had she known Reign? His name still pained her.

With Diandra pregnant with his heir, her stomach tightened as a thought formed that she didn’t want to hold.

Was this the plan? He couldn't stand Viktor or Helwren, why would he create heirs like them.

Did she ever truly belong in Velmira or to Reign at all.