Theirs to Protect

Chapter2

Fated mates were a gift from the Moon Goddess. Ben had always dreamed of what his and Nate’s fated mate would be like. She would be beautiful and strong. She would be kind and gentle. Ben shook his head as he accepted that now they would never know. They were to be mated to the Fae Princess, and once a wolf marked a chosen mate then there was no chance that they would ever have their fated mate. Which was a joke really because the Fae Princess was not even a chosen mate. She was who their father was forcing them to marry.

Finally alone and able to talk, Nate, the older of the twins, looked at his brother Ben, “This is not okay. How can a father force us to marry? And for Mother to just go along with it. She has always been on our side. Every time, Father got a crazy notion about forcing us to be one way or another. She always put a stop to his madness. Now she suddenly agrees with him.” He sighed deeply before looking at Ben. The two of them were close. Very close. They shared a womb, so it was natural to share everything else—even a mate. But the romantic hearts that they were, hoped to find their fated mate and live happily ever after with her. Instead, their father, the King of the werewolves, had brokered a deal with the Fae King to have them marry the Fae princess.

A Fae. The wolves didn’t have any issues with the Fae. Not like they did the witches. But they also didn’t associate much. It was a known fact that the Fae were docile and gentle. They were not as strong and bold as werewolves. Like Ben had always imagined their fated mate would be. It had never crossed his mind that he wouldn’t find his fated mate and that she would be strong and beautiful, like only she-wolves could be. Now that dream was ripped from him. It was heartbreaking.

Nate fired up again, “We don’t have to do this. We can refuse flat out.” Ben knew that wouldn’t work. His father would have them disowned by the pack if they didn’t obey his order. So, this was it. They would wed the Fae princess and make some royal babies. They would suffer the loss of hope that one day they would feel the bond of a true mate. Ben felt overwhelming sadness as he thought about the agony of never feeling that unwavering love. He had seen it his whole life between his parents, and he wanted that for Nathan and himself.

“We don’t have a choice, Nate. Father had made it very clear. If we don’t marry Princess Whatever Her Name Is, we get kicked out of the pack.” Ben didn’t say how sad he was about being forced into marriage. He didn’t tell his brother he felt the same boiling anger at its unfairness. There was no point in saying any of it out loud. It wouldn’t change anything. So, he just turned and strode down the brightly lit corridor towards the stairs. He needed to get outside. He needed to let his wolf out. He would need to run off this desperate feeling of sorrow, or he would drown in it. As he galloped down the stairs, he pulled his shirt over his head. No sense in tearing perfectly good clothes just because he was upset. He tossed his shirt to the side, knowing that a servant would be by to pick it up. Then he jumped the last few steps, changing into his wolf mid-air. When he landed in the grassy courtyard, Nate’s wolf appeared beside him. They took off into the woods, both running from a feeling. Ben was sad, and he suspected that Nate was consumed by anger. They were alike enough to be twins, but Ben knew that Nate would wallow in anger while he himself would mourn the loss of what would have been.

They ran beyond the courtyard and into the woods. The forest consumed them. Trees and brush were just a blur as they pushed themselves as fast as they could run on and on for miles. Werewolves naturally had stamina and could travel miles in their wolf forms, but Nate and Ben were next level. Because of their royal blood, they could run further and climb higher than other wolves. Miles and miles flew by. They climbed the ridges of the mountains until they were on the edge of werewolf land. Together they sat panting and looking to the highest part of the mountain. There, you could see the tiny speck that was the Fae Castle. Ben knew that Nate, in his mind, was cursing the princess who would be their wife. And Ben understood. However, his nature wasn’t the same as Nate’s, and he found that he felt sorry for her. She would never be loved to the fullest. Nate and Ben would never be able to give her that. They would always be hung up on the fated mate they didn’t get to have.