The Vampire Princess and the mate curse

Chapter 5

-PIPPA-

I let my body drift on the water, eyes closed, soaking in the contrast of sensations—the sun’s warmth against the lake’s cool embrace, the serene quiet melding with the gentle rush of water in my ears, the weightlessness of my body at odds with the heaviness of my thoughts.

It was a warm spring afternoon. I spent most of the day helping Helios train the new pack members, something I did occasionally, particularly when recruits arrived with no combat experience. Helios was too rough, and Dawn too impatient for such careful instruction.

After learning about the sacred chalice from Dawn last night, I was eager to speak with her grandmother. But she was still recovering from a cold and was too tired for a conversation. So, I extended my stay at the Silver Moon pack a little longer, hoping for a chance to see her.

Sweat clung to my skin after hours in the training grounds, and all I craved was the cool relief of water. The Silver Moon pack had a large swimming pool, but the lake in the woods? That was my sanctuary. I loved water, but this place... this place was magic. The golden surface shimmered under the sun, the canopy of trees framed the surroundings like a masterpiece, and the breeze carried a melody only nature could compose. It was perfect.

I had been resting, letting both my body and soul unwind after a few laps around the lake, when I heard a sudden disturbance in the water.

I didn’t need to open my eyes to know—it was Helios. My body had sensed him the moment he stepped onto the shore.

"What are you doing here? Making sure I don’t drown?" I teased as he swam beside me.

Helios was always gorgeous. But when the setting sun bathed his golden skin in a warm glow and his green eyes mirrored the shimmering water, I completely forgot how to breathe.

"No, princess. I came to make sure you don’t get more freckles," he quipped, pressing his finger against my nose with a smirk.

"Ouch!" I swatted his hand away. "These are beauty marks, thank you very much."

"As if you needed any help in the beauty department…" he murmured so quietly that I wouldn’t have caught it if not for my enhanced Lycan hearing.

Does he think I’m beautiful?

The thought sent a pleasant shiver through me, and Helios frowned. "Are you cold?" His hands found my shoulders, rubbing warmth into my skin. "Let’s head back."

"No," I said quickly, maybe a little too forcefully. "I mean, it’s refreshing. I want to stay longer." To prove my point, I dipped my head into the water until my lips were submerged.

"Alright, but we need to go soon. My gram had just woke up from her nap, and you wanted to talk to her about her vision." He shot me a sideways glance. "Is that really so important to you? Finding the sacred chalice and breaking the curse?"

"You mean finding my fated mate?" I hesitated, tilting my head down as I gazed at him through my wet lashes. "I don’t know. Sometimes I think it’s a gift from the Moon Goddess…" My voice softened. "And sometimes I think I want to choose my own mate."

"I know the feeling."

"Yeah?" My breath hitched at the closeness between us. The lake was deep enough that only the tips of my toes brushed the bottom, while Helios, taller, stood planted firmly just a few feet away.

"Yeah. Sometimes I wonder if the Moon Goddess makes mistakes. How can she be sure our fated mate is truly the right person for us?"

"Maybe she can’t." I spoke too quickly, too eagerly. "There have been times when fated mates were terrible to each other."

Maybe, just maybe, he wouldn’t mind that we weren’t mates.

"But…" he continued, and I felt something heavy settle in the pit of my stomach. "When I look at both our parents, at how deeply their love for each other runs, I think she was right. Nothing compares to that kind of connection. Even with all their struggles, their love still found a way—until their bond snapped in place."

His gaze was warm, but somehow, it made me feel cold and I just kept my mouth shut. "I know it’s corny," he added, a small, wistful smile tugging at his lips. "But real love always beats the odds."

That weight in my stomach solidified into a boulder. A giant one.

I swallowed hard, forcing a light laugh that felt brittle in my throat. "Maybe you're right," I said, though the words tasted sour.

A part of me wanted to argue, to challenge the idea that fate always knew best. But what was the point? If Helios believed so strongly in the bond of fated mates, then anything less would never be enough for him. He would never settle for a chosen mate.

The truth slammed into me—rough, chilling, and unforgiving.

"Come on," I said, keeping my voice steady, as if the conversation hadn't left cracks in my chest. "Let's go. Your grandma is waiting."

Without sparing him another glance, I swam toward the shore as fast as I could.

_______________

"Hi, Gaia. How are you feeling?" I asked Helios’ grandmother as I stepped into her bedroom after I took a quick shower.

She was a woman in her sixties, her gray hair coiled in a neat bun atop her head, her warm smile ever present. Her blue eyes held the same shade as Uncle Hyp’s, though hers were much wearier.

She had nearly died when she was poisoned while carrying him. For years, sickness plagued her, lingering like a shadow, until Aunt Theia—a powerful healer—saved her just as she was about to die. Even so, her health remained fragile.

"I’m great. Even better now that I get to see your pretty face, sweetheart," she said with a smile as I sat beside her on the bed. "Sorry I didn’t call for you sooner. I had a nasty cold and didn’t want you to catch it."

I was never sick. But I didn't want to gloat, so I said nothing.

"Why didn’t you ask Aunt Theia to heal you?"

"Oh, nonsense," she scoffed, shaking her hand. "She has more important things to do than this. Besides, the pack doctor gave me some cold medicine that knocked me out until I was good again."

"But you’re feeling better now, right? Or do you need more rest?" I asked, studying the pale color of her skin. Gaia never complained about her health, but I could always sense the struggle beneath it.

"No, Dawn went to fetch me a cup of tea. Now, let’s talk about the vision—that’s why you’re here, isn’t it?" She placed her cold hands atop mine, the warmth of the gesture contradicting their chill.

"Yes. Dawn said you saw the sacred chalice. Are you sure it’s the same one my father used to curse himself to block the mating bond?" I asked, wondering why, after all this time, this chalice was only now resurfacing.

"It was the same vision I had years ago, when your father came to see me, asking about it," she said, her gaze shifting to the right, searching for her memory. "The same cave. But this time, the vision was clearer. There was an island—an unusual one—built atop the cave, and the chalice was there."

She started to cough, cutting her words short. I immediately rose and poured her a glass of water.

"Here, drink this."

She took it, sipping carefully before setting the glass down on the side table. "Thank you. Anyway, I wasn’t sure whether you truly wanted to break the curse. You seem to want to choose your own path…" She raised a brow at me, expectant.

Was she implying that I would choose Helios, even though my fated mate was out there?

Were my feelings for him that obvious?

"I think the Moon Goddess gives us a path, but it’s up to us whether we follow it," I answered vaguely, avoiding the topic.

"Anyway," she continued, "now that the vision is clearer, I can sense more details—like the fact that others are searching for the chalice."

"Really?" I frowned, deep in thought. Who else could benefit from it? "If more people are looking, shouldn’t it have surfaced by now?"

"But I haven’t told you the worst part," Gaia murmured, her gaze steady as if bracing me for the inevitable.

I held my breath. Sometimes, her visions were terrifying.

"It’s guarded by a dragon."

Her words made me shiver the same way it happened in the lake, but for a completely different reason. My fingers instinctively tightened around the sheets beneath me. A dragon protecting the chalice? Weren't they all extinct by now?

Of all the dangers I had imagined, this was something else entirely.

"Are you sure?" My voice was steadier than I felt.

Gaia nodded, her blue eyes sharp with certainty. "I saw its shadow—a red monstrous form curled around the chalice, waiting."

I swallowed hard, the weight of the prophecy pressing down on me like an unseen force.

This wasn't going to be easy.