The Mate Inside

Chapter 3

My fingers that had been lightly grazing his inky fur paused their movement as I heard him say those words in my head. My eyes were locked on the wolf's golden irises.. They were staring back at me with equal intimation.

'Are you my mate then?'

I didn't know whether it was his gaze or the fact that we were both standing in the legendary lake meant to strengthen a mate's bond that had caused my voice to come out huskier than I had intended.

The wolf who had been swiftly answering my questions since he had appeared before me paused for the first time after hearing this query of mine. He hadn't broken eye contact with me but a blank look settled in his gaze. After a minute or two, he proceeded to answer me.

"A king can never have a mate, Starr."

I was aware of that. This was no new information to me yet I couldn't help the way my heart sank upon hearing those words.

In our world, werewolves were granted soulmates chosen by nature. Mate were two creatures born out of a single soul, and it didn't take long for one to recognize the other when they first met. The calming effect that their scent held, the sparks as they touched, the comfort that their presence offered to one another, nothing could even come close to stirring those feelings in a werewolf's heart.

Mates lived, mated and died together. Every wolf was given one mate at birth except for those who died at birth or those who were granted a king's crest.

Those two didn't have a mate and ironically, from what King Erebus had told me, I belonged to one of these categories.

"Were you not aware of it?"

I blinked back as the King's voice resounded in my head.

'I knew that kings weren't allowed to have a mate but I didn't know about all this other information you shared with me, about my near death experience at birth and you wanting to grant me the king's crest. You living inside me, it is all just very overwhelming. I mean we weren't even aware that something had happened to you.'

A thoughtful look covered the wolf's face as he tilted his head to the side, "Lucas must have hidden my body from the public eye."

'Beta Lucas?'

We were taught about the great war in our history class. All Alphas beside my father had taken part in it alongside the king to defeat the rogues. Betas on the other hand were left behind to protect the packs in their alphas' absence. Beta Lucas was King Erebus's beta.

"Have you met Lucas?"

'No. I haven't.'

There was a long pause following my reply.The huge wolf seemed to be in deep thought. He was standing deathly still among his dark surroundings, looking almost like he had dropped straight out of painting.

Suddenly a cold wind blew past me, scattering my hair all over my shoulders. The thin white dress I was wearing had done nothing to shield my body from its effects. As my teeth started chattering,I realised how cold my feet had gotten from standing in the cold for the past half an hour.

This didn't go unnoticed by the wolf as out of nowhere, the black wolf nudged me with its muzzle to step out of the water.

Pressing my lips, I let him drag me out of the lake. As soon as my feet touched the grass, I grabbed my bag, pulled out my shirt and patted my legs dry with it.

The wolf on the other hand after coming out of the lake has started strolling away from me making narrow my eyes.

'Where is he going?'

My query got answered almost immediately as I saw the wolf vigorously shaking his fur to get rid of the water droplets clinging to his hair. It looked like a wet dog at that moment. I couldn't control the small chuckle that escaped my lips upon witnessing him like that.

"What?"

'Do you know Clifford, the big red Dog?' I asked with a small smile dancing at the corner of my lips.

"No."

Only after hearing his monotonous reply did I think that I might have crossed the line with the king of werewolves.

Lowering my head in obedience, I mumbled under my breath, 'I apologise for the unnecessary comment.

Suddenly, I felt the tip of his nose nudging my cheek. He had walked closer and I hadn't even heard him move.

"Raise your head, Starr. You did not offend me."

The deep voice echoing inside my head had taken a much gentler tone, as if it were addressing a child.

'Okay.'

"Are you cold?"

'A bit.'

I watched him as he used his to pick my shirt up from legs and place it by my side before curling his body around me and engulfing me in his embrace.

I couldn't help the small squeal that left my mouth as I jerked in surprise feeling the warmth of his tail resting on me like a blanket.

"I'm trying to warm you."

'Oh.'

I had no idea what else to say to him. There, in the middle of a dark wilderness, a king's wolf thrice the size of an alpha wolf was snuggling me with his warmth. Any other wolf would've been terrified in my situation but I couldn't even if I wanted to. I was an Alpha's pup. I had been raised to handle every kind of situation with as much cool headedness as possible. I could lie to myself but I knew this deep inside of me that something was wrong with me. My late shift, my father's changed behaviour, Erebus' appearance had answered all my queries.

My father had considered me a miracle child born out of many years of prayers yet I had turned out to be an abomination.

'But can I really be blamed for any of this?'

"No, you cannot."

Hearing his reassurance, a warm set of tears brimmed my eyes. That's exactly what I had been wanting to hear for the past three years. I wanted someone reliable to tell me that I was not a burden on my parents. I wanted someone of a higher authority than my father to inform me that I, too, was a capable person and I didn't deserve the cold treatment I had been getting since I had turned eighteen.

'What happens now, King Erebus?'

I had dropped my head back into the wolf's belly as I asked that question.

"We shall have to find my body that holds the crest. I need to be in contact with the king's crest to perform the transfer ritual. Once I have it in my vicinity, you'll become the next crest holder."

'Why did you transfer the crest to me in the first place?'

"Because there was no soul alive in the battle ground except mine and I could only establish a connection with your father at that moment. Your father was the only Alpha alive after that battle. I knew he would do a good job at keeping you safe from the rogues."

'Didn't all the rogues die in that battle?'

I was mindlessly tracing weird patterns on his fur with my eyes still closed as I had shot my next question his way.

"No Starr. The leader escaped."

'The books didn't tell us that.'

"History doesn't always tell you the truth. Sometimes it just tells you what the Historian wants you to believe."

I liked his reply. He talked in a way that urged you to think and question your thoughts. I always enjoyed a person whose company broadened my views. I wanted to hear him talk some more. I wanted to learn more from him.

'You survived so you can transfer the crest to anyone of your choice. It doesn't have to be me anymore.'

I had let those words out with much hesitance and even after uttering those sentences, I was biting my lips in anticipation of his answer. I didn't want him to discard me after using me as a vessel for twenty-one years but at the same time I didn't want to become selfish and power hungry.

"I'm not an ungrateful man. The crest belongs to you and you'll have it but I need to observe your capabilities before that. I have to assess how much Alpha Adrian has taught you as an Alpha's heir. Furthermore, every new crest holder receives education and guidance from their preceding king so you will have to be trained by me as well."

A warm feeling spread inside my chest as I listened to his velvety voice ringing inside my head. That man was a king for a reason. He certainly knew how to talk.

'Yes, King Erebus.'

A long silence fell over us after that. Neither of us said anything. We just stayed there, lying in each other's warmth. He, a wolf that hadn't seen the outside world for the past two decades and I, who hadn't experienced acceptance for the past three years. Met for the first time and yet, we the odd ones had found solace in each other.

"Do you want to do something on your first shift?"

Hearing him once again, I uncurled my body, turning my head back to face the wolf's golden eyes staring

inquisitively at me.

'Hm?'

"Everyone's first shift holds a special meaning for them. Did you have anything planned for the day you shifted?"

'But I didn't shift.'

"Where do you think I appeared?"

His reply made me raise my eyebrows. Seeing him be sarcastic had come out as a surprise.

"You may not have shifted in the conventional way but you've achieved the end result nonetheless. You have a wolf now."

I didn't know what to say. It was a king's wolf not mine but I didn't want to sound disrespectful to him either. Respecting our leaders was drilled inside us since our birth.

'Run.... I'd wanted to go for a run in my wolf form."

The wolf stood up on all fours as soon as I finished talking, making me sit up as well.

"Let's go for a run then."

'How? I'm not in my wolf form.'

"But you're."

As he said this, the wolf lowered his huge forming front of me while looking expectantly at me. It was as if it were asking me to climb on it.

'That's a king's wolf.'

Even Alphas and Lunas did not allow one another to climb on top of their wolves. It was considered a sign of submission and neither allowed themselves to be viewed as the weaker one. I was scared of mistaking his actions and angering accidentally by making him appear submissive.

"I'm asking you to climb on me, Starr."

'Can I?'

I could have sworn that I saw the wolf grinning before he answered me in my head.

"Only you can. I'm your wolf after all, your future crest holder.