Chapter 2
937 Words
Killyan's Pov
“My sweet boys are back!” Mom exclaimed, pulling us into a hug and ruffling my hair and Onyx like we were still toddlers.
“ Mom, stop! We are not kids anymore “ I grumbled pulling back.
“ You will always be my little boys.” she said with a nostalgic smile.
“ Welcome back sons.” Dad said, patting our backs firmly.
“ Thanks Dad, though let's not forget you threatened us to come back!” I shot back with a smirk.
“I think you two need to stop acting like horny teenagers and man up” he snapped.
“You are royal heirs,you have an entire Kingdom to rule, thousand werewolf packs are under your command.”
“ But Dad, why can't you just respect our choices?” I countered,“we don't want to rule the kingdom.”
“Leo could take over” Onyx chimed in.
“Sure, he's too soft and nerdy but he can manage,”
“Onyx,don't talk about your brother like that!” Mom scolded sharply.
“Enough!” Dad barked.
“It's final, in a couple of months,you will assume you positions and tonight I will announce my retirement”
The air thickened.
“What about your mates?” Dad asked suddenly.“ Did you find them?”
“ No, “ I lied smoothly.
“ You better start looking for your mates, or I will arrange a suitable chosen mates for you” he warned.
“Dad ! We don't want mates, fated or chosen “ Onyx snapped “we're good as we are.
“ You need to produce a heirs to the throne”
I clenched my jaw,biting back the words I really wanted to say.
Heirs to the throne.
That phrase always felt like a chain tightening around my neck.
What if I didn't want that life?What if I wanted something else?something more than a crown,a title,or a fated mate I had grown to resent?
I glanced at Onyx, his jaw was locked tight, fists clenched at his sides,we looked like royalty on the outside, commending,
polished, powerful but inside? We were just two boys born into a future we never chose.
Dad kept talking but his voice faded into the background.
Because the truth was,I had found my mate.
That it was the worst day in my life!
I don't want a mate!
I don't want destiny!
I didn't want some bond forced on me by a goddess I never asked for.
I hated the whole idea of fated mates,the way it strips away choice,how it ties your soul to someone without asking if you're ready or even willing.
I have seen what I did to my father.
I watched the strongest Alpha I ever know fall apart the moment Mom almost died,he was broken, lost,barely a shell of himself.
That is what the mate bond does.
It makes the fiercest man weak.
So when I find my mate.
I ran.
I rejected
Pretended never happened.
But the worst part?
I can't stop feeling it.
The stupid pull, the ache in my chest,
every time I think of her.
I hate it.
I hate her for existing.
I hate the way she makes me want something I have spent my whole life running from.
Because once you find your mate
There's no turning back.
Mom's voice snapped me back to the present.
“ Why do you go to your room and take a rest before the party?” She kissed me on the cheek, then Onyx
“ Okay” We said in unison and we returned and walked away, the weight of the day pressing on our backs like invisible armor.
Tonight, we have to wear a different mask,smile, nod and pretend we weren't suffocating.
Xander's Pov
I leaned back to my office,pressing my fingers to my temple, trying to rub away the pounding ache behind my eyes.
Moments later Gina stepped in quietly and settled onto my lap, warped my arms around her, burying my face against her chest.
I closed my eyes, enjoying her warmth that calmed the storm brewing in my head.
“You should go easy on them,” she murmured, running her fingers through my hair.
they are still young “
“ They're not kids anymore Gina,” I replied.
“ They are growing men, they have responsibility ahead, they're responsible for millions of lives depending on them,they need to start acting like it, and stop acting like a spoiled brats”
She remained silent.
“ I was nineteen when I took over the throne” I added, bitterness laced in my voice.
“ I didn't have time to drink,party,or run away of my duty,I became duty”
“ But they're not you,” she said softly.
I looked up at her, eyes tired “ maybe that's the problem”
“No” she said gently,brushing her fingers along my jaw “ they have their own character, they are not like you, Xander ,you should patient with them, guide them, they will come around sooner or later”
Her words pierced through my frustration,
She always had a way of softening me when no one else could.
I sighed and leaned into her touch.
“ Come on my king,” she whispered, standing and offering her hand with a small smile.
“ Let me draw you a warm bath, you need to relax before the party “ she leaned down and kissed me tenderly.
I took her hand without a word,letting her lead me, just for a moment,out of the battlefield that was in my mind.
- Writer
