Chosen by The Fates: The prophecy

Chapter VI - Home sweet home

The drive back to the headquarters was about three hours, even if there were about 350 miles between it and the Impartials Council House. The perks of living in the beast world. Magic changed the way we lived our lives. We improved engineering, architecture, science, medicine, everything that you could think of. Magic helped. A lot. Sadly, most of these improvements could never make it into the human world due to the nature of their essence or the nature of the materials. Nothing supernatural could pass through to the human world. There was a thin magical veil separating the human realm and the beasts' realm, allowing the two worlds to exist along each other, perfectly in sync, sharing the same timeline. A veil that ensured that humans would live their existence in peace, without the unfair supernatural advantage of the beasts. This was Circe's gift to Theo, in order to keep his creation safe. She knew humanity was the reason why Zeus chained Prometheus and wanted to give him something priceless: the complete protection of humanity. She constructed a veil that would only allow the beasts to cross the veil by taking their fully human form, meaning no beast form, no magic, no affinities. Purely human, meaning you'd be a lot more vulnerable in the human world.

Although there was no supernatural and no ousia in the human realm that didn't mean there weren't any humans in our realm. Beasts were given human mates by the fates, and some have taken on to continue protecting the humans in this realm by creating a new House dedicated to keeping a balance between beasts and humans. And most of them did a splendid job at it. Hunters weren’t all humans. Full-blooded beasts and halflings alike were welcomed by the Hunters as long as their focus was on ensuring equality between the species. Which is why Ben was an amazing addition to the headquarters. He was the bastard son of the soon-to-be ex-king of the Incubi. His mom had been the true mate of the King and was gruesomely killed shortly after Ben's birth. The tragedy and Ben refusing to take over the throne drove them apart. He recently decided to join my pack, after spending a year and a half as a hunter to spite his father.

The triplets and I have practically grown up with him, as the Vampire and Incubi Kingdom were allies, until we stopped seeing him around the age of fifteen, when his father sent him to the Witch Territory to learn how to control his magic siphoning. We haven't seen him since and he recently reached out to meet with me. He asked that I come alone and we met in a dingy diner. He was in a really bad shape, barely alive, and I got in deep s**t that night trying to save his ass from a group of rogue wolves. The triplets were going to meet him again tonight after almost ten years and I was excited to get the squad back together.

Kerbe was on my right, silently driving, while Kimmy and Larna were in the back seat watching some soppy drama on the tablet.

Have you told them Ben is going to be there when we arrive? I asked Kerbe through our mindlink.

No, I wanted it to be a surprise, they have both been quite moody lately, so I thought pet boy will be a distraction and earn us some peace and quiet. I couldn't agree more with him, the girls have been bored at the Council and couldn't wait to be back.

Good. Let them torture him for a while.

We approached the main gate of the pack land and Kerbe scanned his access card at the gate and patiently waited for the gates to open. He drove for another ten minutes, towards the packhouse, and as we were getting closer Kimmy was getting restless.

"What is that yummy smell? You think Mary cooked us a raspberry chocolate pie? I love her pies." She licked her lips and rubbed her stomach, which drew a laugh out of all of us.

Kerbe parked the car in the underground parking and we all shared the elevator up to the living room. As we got out into the living room, Kimmy tossed her bag on the couch and went to the kitchen in search of her favourite pie. We all tossed our bags in the living room and followed her into the kitchen, not wanting to miss Mary's cooking. When we got into the kitchen, we all looked around confused, not seeing any pie. Confused and disappointed, we went to pick up our bags from the living room when we found Ben sitting on the couch with a tray of raspberry chocolate cupcakes. I felt Kimmy stiffen up next to me at the sight of him, while Larna and Kerbe went over to properly greet Ben, only to find him staring back at Kimmy, equally stiff. In an instant, he held Kimmy's small body flush against his much bigger frame and buried his face in her neck, wanting to claim what was his.

What happened next was so fast I did not have time to react. In a split second, Ben's body turned to mine, emanating a very dangerous aura, and he landed a splendid hook on the left side of my face, powerful enough to send me flying onto the coffee table. I got up, growling at him. Jax was ready to pounce on him, shocked at the disrespect he was showing us.

"Wanna tell me why MY MATE is covered in your stench?" he let out a powerful roar and his eyes glowed gold, nearly giving in to his beast.

"KIM, GET HIM OUT OF HERE!" Kerbe shouted at his sister from across the room. She quickly put her hands on Ben’s arms and turned him around to face her. She grabbed his face, pulled him down and kissed him desperately, trying to calm him enough so that she could get him out of there. He visibly relaxed under her touch and possessively grabbed her hips and pulled her closer to him, letting a dangerous growl out of his throat. She pulled away and looked into his eyes.

"I'm yours. I'm here." She placed her forehead on his and closed her eyes. He kissed her forehead and turned to me, his murderous aura also returning.

"This conversation isn't done." He looked me in the eyes and walked away with Kim. When I heard the elevator closing, I looked at Kerbe and we both started laughing hysterically, with Larna still confused at what had just happened.

"You're royally f****d, my King." he chuckled and went over to the freezer and pulled out a bottle of vodka.

"We're gonna need way more than that to fix this shit." Larna added.

I woke up in my chair in my office, where me, Kerbe and Larna moved last night to “discuss” how I was ever going to get out of this messy situation. Larna was long gone, her scent no longer present in the office, while Kerbe was still snoring in the chair facing me. I woke him up to go to sleep in his room and then went to mine. Since morning was long gone and we were well into the early hours of lunch, I planned on showing my face to calm waters in the pack.

My bags have already been brought up to my room, not that there was much to unpack, as most of my things were already here. I took a shower and changed into a pair of clean shorts. I planned on going and joining the afternoon’s training and then checking in with patrol guards. Ben and Kim have not made their presence known yet and I was convinced it wouldn’t be today either. Not that I was particularly excited for that to happen.

Two hours of training in beast form went by pretty quickly and I went by the borders to check in with the guards, as I set out to. I shifted into Jax and allowed him to lead the way. When I got there, I saw Cody and Ajax, the best patrolling team.

Cody. Ajax. Good to see you again. How have things been at the borders? I asked them through the mindlink, knowing nothing major had happened. Ben had given Kerbe the report yesterday.

Alpha. Good to see you again too. A little rogue activity on the west border a couple of days ago, nothing violent. I think they can sense the new territory borders. They haven’t even tried to enter. Cody answered through our mindlink.

Alpha. It’s good to have you back. Ajax lowered his head in submission for a moment, before he continued. Although no rogues have given us trouble, one of the trackers has seen Alpha Cromus fighting a rogue pack of wolves aided by a witch next to the east border. He couldn’t fight all of them but he fought long enough to make them fall back. We have tracked the rogues and are currently surveilling them and the area. Would you like to proceed in any way? I liked Ajax for his efficacy. He was trustworthy, efficient and one of my best fighters. He was also a hybrid, one of the few we managed to help survive their ascension. He was part wolf and part witch. A powerful witch lineage on his mother's side and he was also the second born of his Beta Wolf father. He was extremely powerful but was still struggling to control his witch side when he was angry.

Do not proceed. Keep an eye out and report back if anything changes. Anything else to report? I looked at both wolves and when they both shook their heads I spoke again in their minds.

“Good. When you finish your patrol, let the whole pack know tomorrow morning at eight o'clock there will be a pack meeting in the yard. I want everybody present. The people that are awaiting to pledge their allegiance will be gathered in the ballroom and magically sealed in the room until the meeting is done. Communicate across the reasons and reassure them they are not in trouble. Tomorrow night we are going live.” I turned around and took off without waiting for them to answer. I knew they would do it.

I went back to the packhouse and ran upstairs into Kerbe’s room. He was still sleeping, so I left his room and went to Larna’s. I knocked on the door and when I didn’t get an answer I tried mindlinking her: You up? Nothing. I went back downstairs and found Miss Mary in the kitchen cooking dinner.

“Hello Mary. It’s nice to see you again.” I went over and gave her a hug. “Thank you for the cupcakes, they were delicious.”

“Killian dear, have you lost weight? Do they not feed you in the Council? It’s nice to see you too, Alpha,” she said, bowing her head. “The people were getting worried although Ben did a good job since he’s been here at keeping them in check.” Mary was the woman everyone in the pack loved. She was sweet and caring but she would put you back in your place if you became disrespectful. She was a pure-blooded vampire, turned by one of Ambrogio’s first ever sired children. She used to be an assassin, specialised in knives and stealthy attacks, and for some reason she was also quite possessive over me and the triplets.

“Yes, he has been in contact with Kerbe throughout our absence and he has been doing a great job around here.” I saw her smirking to herself, so I decided to confront her. “I guess Larna has already filled you in on what happened while we were away.”

“She did, yes. See, I used to think our future King would not let himself be brought down by a hybrid wolf with a latent succubus side. She also told me she went into heat and found her mate. All whilst she had imprinted on you. The fates really wanted to f**k with you.” She laughed this time and while I was happy to see her laugh, I couldn’t help but think it was at my expense.

“Yeah, well, what can I say… s**t happens, I guess. As much as Ben would like to kill me, we all know he’d be losing his head the minute he gets close to me.” I smirked back at her and I saw her looking behind me. Speaking of the devil…

“So, not only would you sleep with someone else’s mate, but you would also kill your childhood friend. Wow! No scruples.” Ben laughed loudly while pulling Kim closer to his side. Her hair was up in a bun and you could clearly see the fresh mark on her neck. I guess that was the reason for his laid back attitude. f*****g asshole.

“Unclaimed mate, with succubi powers that she had no control over. And most importantly, you were going to kill me first.” I protested.

“Don’t worry, Killian. She is marked now. She also explained everything to me. We’re good.” He patted my shoulder and shrugged. I nodded and carried on listening to the conversation around me.

“Hello, Mary!” Kimmy just caught a glimpse of Mary, went running to her and hugged her. “ I missed you so much, I have been so bored without you.”

“Looks like you had plenty of fun, Kimmy.” she smirked, looking towards Ben and me. “I missed you too. No one to get in trouble with around here.” She released Kimmy from her embrace and turned to Ben. “And you, you better take good care of my girl here or I will decapitate you myself.” Her eyes were glowing red as she threatened him and we all knew she was very serious.

"Don't worry, Mary. I would never hurt Kimmy" he snaked his arm around Kimmy's waist, pulling her closer to him, and kissed her forehead, "I will make sure she is always safe."

She looked at Ben and nodded, satisfied with his answer. She was happy that Kim had found her fated mate and so was I. Even if that meant more complications for me.

"Right, since we settled our concerns, I think it's time to call a pack meeting. We've been away from home for too long and even if Ben's done a good job at keeping things cool here, I think this pack has been missing his Alpha. First thing first, the pack is going to be officiated tomorrow at midnight, so I'd like the members that haven't yet pledged their loyalty yet to do so tomorrow morning at 9. We will announce the transition at 8 and then we'll have the ceremony." It was time to begin our reign. It has been delayed too long.

"Finally, we get some action!" Kimmy got out of Ben's grasp and jumped on my back excited to finally have some fun. As soon as she got on my back, a growl erupted from Ben's throat.

"You better get off him, little wolf, or you might start something you won't like." He growled again, letting her know he was playing, but it could turn serious if she didn't get off of my back. I straightened my back and put her down. She ran to Ben and put her hands on both sides of his face.

"I am all yours, my love. There is no need to threaten our King." in a manner of seconds, she was on his back, like she was on mine a minute ago, with her hands on his neck. She bent down to whisper in his ear, which was pointless due to our enhanced hearing."I love you like I have never loved anyone else." She started licking his neck, where her mark was, which made Ben shiver slightly "but if you ever threaten the King again, I will snap your neck so fast you won't have time to understand what happened." She let out a low growl and got back down, gave him a kiss and waltzed out of the kitchen like she hadn't just threatened to kill her mate.

Ben and I were left there stunned at her words, looking at each other. Mary's laughter broke us from our thoughts and we all started laughing together.

"That girl is something else. I don't know why but that almost gave me a hard-on." Ben finally managed to speak and we could understand why he was so lost in thought. I really didn’t need or want to know that. He started walking in the direction Kim went and Mary shouted after him.

"I mean it, Benny boy, if she ever has as much as a scratch on her body I will dismember you!"

"Even if she likes it?" he shouted back at Mary and we both let out a growl.

"Careful, Benny boy, this is not something you should gamble with. " I shouted back to him.

Mary went back to cooking and I watched her for a few minutes, enjoying the silence.

"Mary, why are we cooking, where is all the staff?" I asked her, thinking that they had left.

"I gave them the rest of the week off. I wanted us all to have a nice dinner together, you know, like we all used to before you all left for two weeks." She was not happy about us being away for that long.

"Don't worry Mary, we aren't going away anymore. This is home." I went around the kitchen island and hugged her small frame. "We got the staff so you don't have to cook for us anymore." I could see she wanted to protest and I continued before she could. "Not that we don't love your cooking, no one can ever surpass it, but you are needed elsewhere. I need you to train the men for close combat, stealth and all of the skills that will get them ready for battle. Okay?" I leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Okay. But first, we have dinner." She smiled mischievously, knowing she had gotten her way and continued. "Go get the triplets, I will mindlink the pack to come in for dinner too. When you get back you will help set up the tables."

"Yes, mother." I let out a defeated sigh and went out of the kitchen to go get Kerbe. I loved Mary, she was our mom away from home and nothing could ever change that.

I went up the stairs into Kerbe's room and the prick was still sleeping. How much sleep does he need? I shook his shoulder to wake him up and when he opened his eyes I could see the confusion written on his face.

"Mary cooked, we are to set up the tables and all eat together." He jumped out of bed faster than I had ever seen him and went towards the bathroom:

"I will be down in 5'. I wouldn't miss it for the world!" he beamed happily and closed the bathroom door.

I went to Larna's door and knocked. This time, however, she answered.

"What's up?" she said, as she opened her door and came out of her room. Something was off, I could feel it. It was almost like she didn't want me to come into her room.

"Mary cooked, we're to set up the tables. Downstairs in 5'. Ok?"

"Sound." she answered and closed her door. She was acting suspiciously and that was worrying me. I decided to leave it, whatever it was, Larna was smart and strong. If there was an issue she would let me know. I decided to mind-link the new couple, not wanting to get close to their room and hear something that I didn't want to hear.

Mary cooked and she wanted us to set up the tables. Downstairs in 5', please.

None of them answered but I assumed they got the message. I went back down and started setting up the tables. The triplets and Ben all came down shortly and started helping. The tables were set up in less than 15 minutes and dinner was served within the hour. Everyone was enjoying the food and conversation. A sense of relief was flowing through the pack bond and they were genuinely happy that we were back, and I had to admit it, it felt good to be back. Home sweet some.