Desired Fate

Beta's Visitation

•Camila•

Impatiently waiting on the stone steps of the Ray packhouse, the sun blazed down on her face. She nibbled on her bottom lip, bouncing on her toes in restlessness. Unaware of the door opening behind her, she didn't hear her husband's approach. It wasn't until he unfurled a parasol, casting a shadow over her, that she realized he was there.

She turned to Heath and shook her head. “The sun isn't that bright,” she told him, puzzled. He shrugged in response.

“I don't care about your thoughts,” he declared in a commanding tone. “As long as you're carrying my child, you need to take care of yourself. You're only human, Camila. I can't afford to take any risks.”

Laughing, she shook her head and turned her gaze from the Alpha behind her to peer into the distance again.

“You've been standing here for thirty minutes,” Heath grumbled, clearly displeased. “Whether you wait inside or outside, it won't make Jean-Michèl arrive faster or slower, you know that, don't you?”

“Let me be,” she said fiercely. “I haven’t seen Jean in years now…”

Heath grumbled in agreement. “Fine, I'll stop talking,” he acquiesced. She nodded, satisfied that the Alpha had finally learned he couldn't change her mind once it was made up, whether he liked it or not.

“Ah, there he is,” Alpha Ray announced, causing her heart to quicken its pace.

“Really?” she exclaimed, straining her ears to hear, but finding only silence. She took a deep breath and searched for Mowana, but found nothing but an empty feeling inside.

It took her a few minutes to see the car. A black, shiny Volvo pulled onto the lot. Camila immediately felt Heath put his arm protectively around her waist and she allowed him to protect her. Over the years she had come to know his little movements and insecurities and she knew that this was his way of showing love. He would protect her at all times; especially since the loss of Rue. And she loved him; so she allowed him to find security in her protection.

The car stopped in front of the pack house and Camila started to run down the stairs, but felt Heath's grip tighten. “Hold on,” he grumbled, and she understood why. The car door had to open, and Jean had to step out before Heath would allow her to approach her childhood friend. Heath was always cautious and vigilant.

Fortunately, the princess did not have to wait long. The door opened and a happy blond guy got out of the car. His curls were tied in a bun on top of his head, except for a stray lock that fell across his face. His dark grey eyes sparkled as he spread his arms in welcome.

Camila wriggled free from the grip of her unborn child's father and darted towards the royal Beta, who greeted her with open arms. With a chuckle, he lifted her up in his embrace and twirled her around. Camila breathed in his warm, familiar fragrance, feeling a single tear escape her eye.

“Welcome, welcome, welcome,” she repeated herself three times, with great enthusiasm, after he set her back down.

Heath descended the stairs, his steps slow and with less enthusiasm than Camila. The men shook hands in a comradely manner, and the young Beta placed his arm over Camila's shoulders.

“It's been way too long, Cam,” the guy uttered the words she thought herself as well. “And that while the ride is not even that long.”

Camila scoffed and tucked a strand of her straight dark hair behind her ear. “The distance is much too great,” she disagreed. “But our territory is getting bigger by the month.”

In recent years, Heath had successfully integrated more and more territories into Ray's domain. Since the king refused to acknowledge their existence, Heath had taken on the responsibility of merging the northern regions of the country into their territory. They still paid taxes to the royal family, but Camila was aware that Heath was planning to declare independence soon. He aimed to make the North a sovereign state, separate from the control of the royal family. Camila wondered how her brother would react to this development. It could lead to one of two outcomes - either Caleb would reveal himself and contact her, or he would continue to ignore their existence and offer them a piece of his kingdom. Either would be improvements to her.

Heath would not stop until the North was independent and he became the new regent.

“No politics, please,” Jean said. “Not yet, anyway. I'm here as a friend. Not as a messenger or a royal negotiator.”

Camila looked at him with sad eyes. “So you didn't get a message from Caleb?”

The boy shook his head and immediately cleared his throat; “Let's go inside,” he changed the subject. “Let me see that beautiful Ray pack house again and give me a glass of brandy. Then we will talk.”

Within an hour Camila had shown the Beta around the house and they were sitting in the large living room of the pack house. Both Heath and Jean had a glass of brandy in their hands, while Camila herself had taken a glass of water.

The living room of the Ray pack house was spacious, equipped with twelve large sofas, including two forming a U-shaped square, enough to accommodate at least twenty-five wolves at once. The room was not only designed for Heath and Camila, but also for other high-ranking wolves such as Ray Beta Andy and his Chosen Mate Hannah, Alpha's Gamma Mason, Heath's best friend Robin, along with their respective Mates, and a dozen or so strong warriors who also resided in the pack house.

Mason, Heath Ray's Gamma, had found his Fated Mate six months ago; a girl from one of the new territories. She was still very young; nineteen years old. And that while Heath and Mason had both passed their thirties. The girl had captivated the strong warrior from the moment he first laid eyes on her, entrancing him in a spell that he couldn't shake. She had straight, red hair and numerous freckles on her nose. She had been a regular Omega of the former Treyston pack and was not used to being among the elite; something that made her incredibly cute and sweet.

Robin, who, like Mason, had been brought up with Heath in the orphanage, had not found his Fated Mate, but owned a Chosen Mate. A girl who had been part of the pack since Henry Sullivan was Alpha. The girl, Nadine, had been a close friend of Rue's and was now one of Camila's closest and most trusted friends. Everyone knew that Nadine and Robin were madly in love; they had been for years. But Chosen is not Fated… and that caused a lot of arguments and impatience with both Robin and Nadine.

“How's the capital?” Mason asked, his arm wrapped around his red-headed Omega. The girl, Petra, had both hands folded in his lap.

“Good,” Jean replied, nodding his head. “The winter was harsh, but no one got hungry. The king has taken good care of his people.”

“What do you mean?” Robin asked.

“All the royal supplies have been scattered throughout the capital and even taken to nearby towns and cities. Caleb eats very little; he does not organize parties, eats frugally and returns all the donations and taxes he receives to the people.”

Heath shifted in his armchair, leaned forward and gave the royal Beta a curious look. “Does Caleb hunt his own meat?” he asked.

Jean shook his head. “He's not leaving the castle. And if he does, it's in the middle of the night and he’s back in a few hours.”

“What's he eating then?” Heath continued—and Camila looked up in surprise at the concern in her husband's voice.

“Bread. Crusts. Old leftovers,” Jean shrugged. “Some days he won't eat anything at all.”

“But he's an Alpha,” the Alpha continued. “He should eat three times as much as a normal wolf; his body needs it.”

Jean took a sip of his brandy, cleared his throat, and stared into his half-full glass as he muttered, “Caleb isn't your typical Alpha. His body.. Or his curse, if you want to call it that.. doesn't allow it to weaken. It doesn't matter much what he eats, his muscles don't diminish and his strength increases when he doesn't use his magic for a long time. He has to get rid of his energy by exercising a lot, moving a lot and he does this in a… worrying manner.”

Now it was Camila who bent forward. “What do you mean by worrying manner?” she interrupted. “Is Caleb hurting himself?”

She saw the Beta look up from his glass and knew right away by the look in his eyes that she was right. She let out a cry.

“Jean,” she called fiercely. “How?”

“You don't have to worry about it,” the Beta continued. “He can't die.”

Camila let out another cry. “You mean to say he tried to die?” she summed up cleverly.

Jean clicked his tongue, shrugged, and took another sip of his cognac. “Can't we talk about something other than Caleb?” the Beta went on in dismay.

“Have you found your Mate?” Nadine asked, sitting next to Robin, twirling a glass of white wine between her fingers. Because she and Robin had been Mates for a long time, she had met Jean more often on his occasional visits. Because of this, she had come to know him as a friend and could ask the royal Beta such questions.

Jean shook his head. “Nope,” he said with a smile. “I am lucky enough to still be able to enjoy life in all shapes and sizes. And believe me, the palace has the most beautiful shapes. And sizes.”

Camila chuckled; thankfully the Beta hadn't changed much.

“You're only thirty,” she said. 'You never know. Tomorrow could be your lucky day.”

Jean gave a shrug. “Whether I find my Mate or not is of little concern to me, and you know it, Camila. I'm not one for monogamy. I enjoy both men and women, and I don't feel like giving up my freedom just because the Moon Goddess wants me to reproduce. As long as I am alone and able to choose my own path, I am content.”

Camila studied the Beta. “Okay,” she said, but she knew that in her heart she hoped the boy would one day meet the love of his life. She wanted him to be happy so badly.

She herself knew she was Fated to Heath; there was no denying it. But because she didn't have Mowa-na, her wolf, she would never get to know the full euphoria of the Fated Mate bond… And neither would Heath. The first time she was physically connected to Heath, both he and Axl had admitted that the bond was undeniable; but Heath also knew that the lack of the princess’ wolf was hindering their physical connections.

Not that it made the s*x any less. Oh no. She had known many men in her life, but none brought her to climax more often and better than Heath.

“Do you think Caleb will ever talk to me again?” she asked the Beta, who sighed in exasperation.

“I thought the Caleb topic was closed,” he grumbled, but she insisted by staring into his eyes. “No, Camila, I don't think so. At least not soon. The king is too busy ruling the kingdom and, in the meantime, destroying his body and mind. He has no room to enjoy your attractive physique and sparkling eyes.”

A growl came from the Alpha, but Camila glared at Heath angrily. “You know that's how Jean talks,” she defended her childhood friend; the boy she loved like a brother. The guy who was currently the closest thing she had to her twin brother.

“That doesn’t mean he has to bring up your physique,” Heath said angrily to his wife. “That was terribly unnecessary.”

Jean chuckled and apologized, “I'm sorry Alpha, I take it back,” he said gently. Heath nodded, indicating that he accepted the apology and the incident was forgiven. Something he solely did to please Camila; and everyone in the room knew it. If it was up to the Alpha, and not his strong-willed wife, he would have been angrier.

“I have something for you, Jean,” Camila said, standing up. She knelt by the coffee table and pulled a black leather folder from the drawer. She handed it to Jean and watched him open it. Inside was Heath's drawing; the radiant portrait of Rue, he had made so many years ago.

She heard Jean sigh deeply and watched him run his fingers over the lines of Rue's face. “Do you think this is a good idea?” she heard the guy mutter, his eyes still focused on the drawing.

“I don't know,” Camila admitted honestly. “But would you please give this to him? If Caleb is really capable of injuring himself just to feel pain, then this drawing can't do much more damage. If we don’t try, we have failed in advance.”

Jean nodded softly and carefully closed the folder. “Fine,” he admitted. “I'll give the drawing to Caleb. Do you have a message that goes with it?”

Camila nodded. “Tell him I love him. That's the only thing. I miss him.. I love him. And I hope one day he will forgive himself.”

“I doubt it,” Jean said the words that cut her soul. “I don't think Caleb will ever get over losing Rue. But I will pass on your words, dear Camila. Who knows.”