Forbidden Mates

An Appropriate Bride

Nate watched as Eva and Marilee left the library. He couldn’t help still feeling irritated that she hadn’t returned his text and hoped she wouldn’t disappoint him with a lie. Despite his plans and how twisted they may be, he highly valued honesty, and needed to know he could trust her, for when she became his Luna. He disappeared back into the alley, and hurried to beat them back to the Hold, hoping to bump into them on their way in, and nonchalantly question her about the text message.

Back in the library, Ms. Gibson shuffled uncomfortably in her seat. She knew she had been careless allowing those young women into the basement, especially being fairly certain they were wolves, and then when she saw how the taller one had been drawn straight to that door. Almost as if she knew he was behind it. She remembered her from yesterday, sitting in the chair. She couldn’t recall why she had come in, though. She thought she vaguely remembered some sort of interaction between them, and the way she had looked at her when she left, hours later, made her feel as though she had hurt her in some way. She wanted to reach out to her as she sat in the chair, staring at what looked like a letter in her hand, but something had stopped her. Ms. Gibson almost felt as if she had been under a spell for some part of the day, with pieces of her day missing from her memory, and then the young woman mysteriously appearing in that chair and staying for hours. She needed to mention this to Dvartan, though she knew he would be angry. But first, she needed to get back downstairs and check on Castille.   

She knocked only twice this time, letting him know she was coming down alone. She wasn’t sure why he had decided to hide out here, but she had taken care of him his entire life. What was a few more weeks while he figured out whatever it was he was figuring out? In fact, she rather liked having him around again. He always brought her so much joy as a child, and he had grown into an exceptional young man.

“Castille?” She called as she got to the bottom step. When he didn’t reply, she looked around, noticing that the door in the far corner was still closed. She slowly approached the door and called out to him again. “Castille, sweetie, are you in here?” She reached for the knob and discovered it was still locked. “Cas, are you alright? Unlock this door.”

“I am in here. I cannot unlock the door.”

“What do you mean? Is it jammed? Not like you couldn’t just break through it if you needed to. Come on out here.”

“I am just going to stay here for a while.”

“Are you sulking because I allowed those two into the basement? I’m sorry for the unexpected guests. They fed me lines about Gothic architecture, and how they rarely have basements, and, well, you know I am a sucker for young, curious minds. But I’m surprised to see you so worked up about it.”

“She’s my destined beloved.” He said somberly.

“You… your what? Which one? Doesn’t matter… That simply couldn’t be. I’m fairly certain they were both wolves.”

“They were. It was the taller one… the one who approached my door. The one who smells of honeysuckle and sunshine.”

“Oh dear. It sounds like you just have a bit of a crush. Come on out, we’ll have some tea and you’ll feel better.” She heard him get up off the ground, and slowly unlock the door. She waited for him to open it, not wanting to force him out. He was rarely moody; in fact, he was one of the cheeriest, happiest people she’d ever known. He found joy in everything around him, so seeing him this way was a bit strange.

“I don’t particularly want tea. I just need to leave town. I don’t know why Father has required I stay here.”

“Well, I’m not sure either. But he said it’s absolutely imperative that you remain here in this city until he sends for you.”

“Then I must reject her. Otherwise I will not be able to stay away.”

“Reject her? The wolf? Stop being ridiculous. You cannot reject someone who is not your destined beloved. I must say though, while I’m not surprised to find you taken with her beauty, I’ve never seen you obsess over a woman you’ve never spoken to.”

“You’ve never seen me obsess over any woman, in any capacity. I have saved myself for my beloved my entire life, so that everything I have can become hers. And now that I have found her, I must reject her. What a cruel twist of fate...” Castille paused for a moment, letting out a deep sigh. “Neverless, a wolf will never be allowed to rule in our kingdom, so I must reject her to protect her. I will go tonight.”

“Tonight? Go where? Even if she were your beloved, she is guaranteed to be staying at the Hold. There is no way you can go there, and I’ve heard rumor that the wolves suspect a vampire is in the area. They will be on high alert, looking out for you.”

“I will be fine. But whatever you do, do not tell Father. He cannot know that my beloved is a wolf. It will break his heart. I will reject her and hope for a second chance. One who will make my father proud. If not, I will live as if I’ve never found my beloved, and choose an appropriate bride to rule beside me.”

“If that is what you feel you need to do, fine. But I would be cautious before making any rash decisions. And who knows, your father may be more understanding than you think.” With that she turned on her heels and walked back up the stairs, closing the door behind her, wondering if what he was saying could possibly be true. And if it were, the implications it held. She tried to shrug it off, and let her mind wander back to those young ladies and wondered if she might see them again. If what Castille had said were true, then certainly the young lady felt it, too. They say wolves have stronger pulls to their mates than any other being, and that they are wildly possessive. Since the young woman had so willingly left the building, she felt more certain that he must be mistaken. But she just couldn’t shake the way she had approached that door, as if she knew he was there.

Back out in the street, the girls were almost back to the Hold, but hadn’t had much conversation since they left the library. Suddenly Eva broke the silence.

“Ugh! Dang it. I completely forgot to text Nate back.”

“Um. So?” Marilee responded, “I’d be okay if you never responded, ever.”

“I know. But there’s a lot going on. I’ll just shoot him a quick reply.”

Hey – sorry, I’ve been super distracted today and completely forgot to reply. Sorry about lunch, I’ll see you around.

“There. I replied, without offering any other plans. Just a simple, ‘hey, sorry for not responding’ response.” Eva said, showing Marilee the text.

“Whatever. Anyway. I’m sorry about lunch too… we completely missed it, and breakfast, and I’m starving! Let’s stop at the café on the way back to the Hold and eat there. I don’t feel like eating the cafeteria-type food we have back there.”

“Sounds good to me, I could go for some of their fresh beef stew. Oh, and one of those toasted turkey and ciabatta sandwiches… Mmmm!!!”

“And I’m just going to order everything. Because that’s how hungry I am.” Marilee joked, and they both laughed as they walked in the door. The smell of soup, baked goods and coffee was enough to get both their stomachs rumbling, and they quickly made their way to the counter to place their orders.

Nate had made it back to the Hold with what he assumed was plenty of time but hadn’t seen them return. He figured they must have stopped somewhere on the way back. That was fine. He had all day to wait for her to turn up. Just then he felt his phone buzz, and took it out to see Eva had finally replied.

“Hey – sorry, I’ve been super distracted today and completely forgot to reply. Sorry about lunch, I’ll see you around.”

Well, it’s pretty vague, but she didn’t lie to me. She also didn’t suggest any alternate plans… darn! He thought to himself. He decided to reply.

Nate: No problem! Dinner? Something super casual? Maybe the café around the corner?

To his surprise, she answered right away.

Eva: Sorry, I’m actually at the café with Mari right now, so no thanks.

Nate: Is that a no to dinner, or a no to dinner at the café?

Eva: Both, I suppose.

Nate had to take a deep breath to calm his frustration before typing his next response.

Nate: Maybe just a drink then? After dinner. There’s that nice little bar right down the street from the Hold. It’s close enough to be safe, not too intimate that it feels like a date, and enough people around that we’ll never be alone.

Eva: Well, okay. I guess that would be fine. It is absolutely not a date, but after my last couple days, I could use a drink.

Nate: Perfect! I’ll meet you at the entrance to the Hold at 8.

Eva: Sounds good. See you then.

Nate checked his watch to see it was already 3pm. That gave him plenty of time to run off some frustration, have some dinner, get showered and prepare. He was going to make tonight count.

The girls had finally made it back to the Hold, and Marilee was hanging out while Eva got ready to see Nate.

“I cannot protest this date loudly enough.” Marilee said as Eva was getting dressed.

“First off, it’s not a date. Second, I’m not particularly excited, either. But if my mate was in that room and chose not to come out and see me, then, I guess I have my answer. He doesn’t want me. So I’m just trying to make sense of this situation with Nate. We’re going to be right down the street, I’ll have my phone, and we will be surrounded by other wolves. In fact, if you and Lukas need something to do, why don’t you join us?”

“I would rather rip every nail off every finger, than go out for a drink with Nate, Eves.”

Eva sat down on the edge of her bed and looked at Marilee in frustration. “Look, Mari, I know you mean well, and that you’re just looking out for me. But what if Nate really is my mate? What if something happened over the past 24 hours, that now the Mood Goddess has chosen him for me? What do you want me to do? Reject him? Would that make you happy? If I don’t reject him, will you be able to handle spending time with him? Because honestly, I don’t intend to reject my mate without a good reason, and I don’t want to lose my best friend over it. If the Moon Goddess has now chosen him for me, there has to be a reason.”

Marilee sighed and sat down on the edge of her bed, facing Eva, with a look of resignation on her face. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Why don’t you and Nate get a head start, and then Lukas and I will join you. That way, he doesn’t feel like we’re crashing your night, but I can still be there if you need me. And I’ll catch him up on everything that’s been going on, just so he knows the background of why you’re there with Nate.”

“Thank you, Mari. Plus, I kind of want you to watch how he interacts with me. He was almost… gentle with me earlier. If I’m being blinded by his scent and this weird pull, I trust you’ll be honest with what you’re seeing from the outside.”

“Well you know you don’t need to worry about that. That jerk steps even a millimeter out of line, I’ll be on him like…like… well I don’t know. But I’ll be on him!”

Eva laughed and nudged Marilee’s shoulder. “You really are the best friend a girl could ask for. Thank you for always being there for me, no matter what.”

“Yeah, yeah. You better get going, or you’re going to be late. I’ll text Lukas and tell him the plans. If you are having a great time and decide you don’t want us to come, just let me know. If you’re having a lousy time and need us there sooner, let me know that, too. Whatever you need, I’m there.” She offered with a smile.

Eva returned her smile and headed for the door. Before she walked out she turned to Marilee and said, “You know… you’re going to be an incredible Luna. The Moon Goddess blessed the Black Moon pack when she matched you with Lukas.” Before Marilee could respond, she closed the door and headed downstairs. Before she left the stairwell, she took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and prepared herself for whatever the night might bring her way.