The Alpha's Forgotten Mate

21. The War

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"There is nothing in this whole world that could ever douse my love for you, my princess." Hope's father told her as he cupped her face, his voice so long that even wolf-ears could not pick it up at a distance, and his face covered with his cloak. "I promise I will do everything in my power to get you out of this hell. I promise I will keep you alive and safe..."

He chuckled, biting his tongue.

"I guess that wouldn't be difficult."

Hope smiled at him despite the agony I felt. It sucked to be her but at least she was immortal, so no one could do her any harm.

"I will come back for you, my love, so have faith in me till then." He said as he stepped back into the shadows.

"I love you."

Those were the last words she had heard from her father.

And it had been four years since then.

Four years and no one had ever uttered anything relative to that in the past four years.

Why would they?

She was a menace.

A danger.

She was the plague.

"Thorn." She rolled her eyes as she heard her mate calling for her. He had nicknamed her that to express his despise towards her but, she found it rather childish and silly.

Who in their right mind called anyone - forget mate - 'Thorn'?

He said it was because she was the thorn in his path.

She thought it was because he lacked basic creativity.

"What brings you here?" She sighed and she got up from the swing on her balcony, straightening her white sun dress as she turned to him, her eyebrows knitted and her head tipped to the side.

Rowan froze for a moment, his words and thoughts forgotten for a moment, as he stared at the woman he despised the most in this world, his mate.

Her strawberry blond waves danced in the wind and the sun gave her a golden halo, her lips plump and red and sky blue eyes sparkling with innocence. She looked like an angel and that's all there was to it - the looks. She was no angel in practice. She was a sinner.

Some even called her a demon.

She was the biggest mistake of his life - a mistake the Moon Goddess had made towards him, and he had no way to redeem it. Not if he wanted to keep the alpha bloodline in his family.

"I am sure you have heard of it." He said, his voice clipped.

He knew her.

Though she was imprisoned in this estate, there was no news in the pack that did not reach her ears.

She was a witch, a siren. And she had everyone under her control.

Except for him - maybe it was his determination as an Alpha or maybe he was simply an exception to her boundless powers as her mate, but he was not enchanted by her. Of course, the mate bond messed with his mind all the time, but he did not devote himself blindly like the wolves that had worked for her in the past four years did.

"Of course." She shrugged. There was no other reason he would visit her while she was not on her heat. He thought he couldn't be too careful with her - what if she put him under her spell if he stayed too close?

So he kept a distance unless he was trying to make an offspring that would succeed him to lead the pack.

"The pack members are apprehensive." He said, looking anywhere but at her. He might not have been enchanted by her powers, but he still was a slave to the mate bond. How could he resist his mate who looked like she was handcrafted by the Moon Goddess herself?

"And rightfully so." Hope took a step towards her mate, the side of her lips turning up in a smirk as he took a step back.

Even after four years and countless nights in bed, her mate still was wary of her. He was wary of her even though he knew that she could do whatever she wanted to and he could not stop him, that if she was sitting back without going on a murderous rampage, it was because she chose to.

"Do you want me to enchant them?" She wriggled her fingers in a sprinkling action, giggling as she used the term he always used on her.

Rowan had to do a double take, he was distracted by her melodious laughter. "Huh?"

Hope raised a brow, knowing she did not have to repeat herself. She was used to how he reacted by now.

"What? No!" He was frantic as usual but then he took a deep breath and shook his head, understanding that he was overreacting and there was no way she would do anything like that.

And he hated that about himself - he was not supposed to trust her. He was supposed to despise her with everything he had got.

"What do you suggest we do?" She asked, the least worried about any danger. She was immortal - she could not be hurt.

"Orion-"

Hope gave him a flat look as soon as he took his best friend's name. "He-"

"Please don't." She put her hand up. "I can't let him experiment on me anymore."

"But-"

"They stink!" She exclaimed, all calm and poise in her demeanor flying out the balcony.

Rowan could not help but chuckle.

It was very rare to see his mate so upset.

"They are not that bad." He said.

"Then you drink them." She gave him a saccharine smile, picking up her phone and earphones before marching back into their home.

Rowan had to take a deep breath to compose himself.

It would have been easier if his mate was a mean, cruel wolf who looked her part. But she was not.

She was kind.

She was a sweetheart.

And everyone who knew her was convinced that there was more to her than the people she killed.

He had to constantly remind them that she was playing with them, pushing them into her trap of deception, caging and blindfolding them with her pretense.

But even with the knowledge of the same, they treated her like their queen, like their Luna.

And though he resisted her, there were times when he too forgot about it all and acted as any wolf would with his beloved mate.

"You have to, Thorn." He followed her inside, all the way to their bedroom. Her bedroom. Their bedroom only when they mated. He had moved to the guest room after he realized he could not last a week with her.

Hope dropped her phone on her bed and turned to him, deep in thought for a moment before her shoulders drooped, yielding to his wish and what she knew was the right thing to do.

"At least ask him to not make it taste like poop." She looked up at him with her puppy eyes. Her spells he could defer, her pout and puppy eyes he could not.

"I will." His voice came out scratchy and he knew that was his cue to leave before he got pulled into her sorcery.

His Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he took another long look at his mate, inspecting her from head to toe, filling his mind with her goddess-like features before wordlessly turning on his heels and storming off to his wing of his estate.

Hope bit down on her bottom lip to stop her laughter as she sat down, leaning forward and resting her chin on her palms.

"He is cute, isn't he?"

"No. He is an idiot."

Hope smiled, turning to her mother who was appearing out of thin air.

"That's your son-in-law." Hope grinned, knowing how much the ghost of her mother hated that term.

"Not until you are married."

Isn't soulmates the same as marriage?

"Only if you are a whole werewolf. But you are part witch... You need marriage to officiate your relationship."

Hope shook her head.

Her mother did not understand the extent of the mate bond, because she was not a wolf. But she did have a love as strong as a mate bond for her husband, didn't she? That's how they came together and stuck together till the very end.

"I think-" Hope stopped and watched her mother disappear and footsteps approached the room.

"Hello, my gorgeous!" Maria, the head housekeeper and the closest friend Hope had in the pack walked in, holding a bunch of water lilies. Hope adored water lilies, just like her mother. "I see that you are giving poor Alpha a hard time!" She grinned.

"You cannot blame me for the Alpha's lack of courage when it comes to claiming what is his." The Luna leaned back on the bed, propping herself by her backwardly outstretched arms.

"The day isn't far when he will." She winked as she divided the bunch of flowers into two and placed them on the two vases on either side of the bed.

"Sure."

"How is he taking the news?" She asked.

"He seems more worried about the peace in the pack than the war." Hope shrugged. "I mean, it's not like he has anything to worry about - the wolf hunters don't stand a chance against werewolves anyway."

"Is that a prediction?"

Hope rolled her eyes. Why does everyone think she is clairvoyant just because she is part witch?

"No, pure logic." She said, matter of factly. "Could you please prepare my bath?"

Maria nodded, skipping to the bathroom, her black curls dancing with her.

Hope's eyes faltered as she looked ahead at the open bedroom door.

She had a bad feeling about this declaration of war. The last time there was a war, it gave rise to an unfathomable power against the werewolves. She wondered if that power would die out with this war, or would another power arise, endangering the whole of life on Earth?

"Lavender or primrose?" Maria called from the bathroom.

"Jasmine." Hope replied, still deep in thought.

'Dad, where are you? I don't feel too good about this.'

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