Twisted Fate: The Future Queen’s Mate

The sky is bright blue with almost no clouds in the sky. The sun is shining hot and the breeze is soft and cool. The blanket I’m laying on is my mothers. It has been passed down for generations and it always brings me comfort. I can feel the grass poking through the woven texture as I run my hands across it. With my eyes shut and laying down with my ankles crossed, I feel at ease. Everything in this moment is quiet and peaceful, just the way I like it. I hear my name being shouted loudly disturbing my peaceful moment. “Evie!” I open one eye to see who it is even though I already know from their voice. “Evie! Come on get your ass up you’re missing out!” “Ugh.” I groan. “Seriously can’t I just get a moment of quiet around here?” I laugh and roll my eyes sitting up to see the tall man sauntering towards me. “Not on a day like today, not when we have no duties, no stupid classes to teach us how to be the ‘perfect kids’ who could never do anything wrong” he says with a sarcastic tone in his voice waving his arms about in the air for emphasis. He’s not wrong. Today was the first day in a couple of months that we didn’t have to attend etiquette classes or follow around our parents to learn the ins and outs of their world. I didn’t mind it so much, but on the other hand I didn’t have so many expectations placed on my shoulders like he did. After all, he was going to be the next Lycan King. Dante and I have been best friends for as long as I can remember. Our mothers were best friends and had us only a few days apart from each other. There’s not one childhood memory I have that doesn’t have Dante and his family in it. Our fathers are also close, I wouldn’t say friends exactly because Dante’s father doesn’t exactly have or even need friends. Being a Lycan King comes with great responsibility after all. He’s in charge of not only the Lycans who live in our territory but also all the werewolf packs across the United States. My father is King Edward’s second in command. He facilitates all the King’s orders, is in charge of our warriors and their training and also sits on the lawmakers council. I hardly see him much but my mother Evelyn reminds me how much honor he brings to our family and how we must always be proud and grateful for his hard work. My mother comes from humble beginnings. My father was on a trip to her pack for business when they met and mated. She followed him here and was immersed in his life immediately. Despite living here in the luxury that comes with being mated to the King’s second in command, she still remains soft and humble. I admire her and look up to her in many ways for that. “Come on! I said get your ass up! We’re all heading down to the river and if my father finds out I left you down here alone he’ll kill me.” Dante says with a sneer and a wink. He really is very handsome. I’ve always thought he was cute, even since we were kids. And now that we’re all grown up and turning twenty one in just a few weeks my attraction for him has only grown. Makes sense I guess since our families plan is for us to be mated to each other given our status. “Fine, I’m coming but don’t expect me to get in the water. All I want to do is sit on my blanket, enjoy the day and read my book.” I say slowly getting up from my comfortable spot and gathering all my things up. “Doesn’t surprise me. You’re never one to break out of that little shell of yours and have fun with the rest of us.” Dante says teasing me with his gorgeous hazel eyes as he turns to walk away and join the others walking down the hill to the river. I start to follow behind but keep my distance. I really just wanted a quiet day out in the field, a break from all the palace duties and expectations that have been placed upon us. I can see Dante’s outline head into the treeline of the forest. He’s tall, very tall and has the strong muscular frame of a football player, not an unusual sight for a lycan. We’re all tall and slender and I guess naturally blessed by the moon with great physical features. It’s crazy to think of him in this way since it feels like just yesterday we were school kids running around. I finally make my way down the hill, through the forest and down the little dirt path that leads to the river. I can already hear all of our friends yelling in the water and the sounds of clinking bottles. “About time you showed up Ev. We’ve all been waiting for you!”! shrieks my best friend Reina while slurring her words. I can tell she’s been drinking. She runs up to me dripping wet in her hot pink bikini and jumps on me as she hugs me and completely soaks my baby blue sundress. “Oh get off of me! You’re drenched in water.” I say practically throwing her off of me with a laugh. “Come on, lighten up and get in the water already. We’re not back at the palace where you have to be so uptight and regal.” She mocks me. “Forget it Reina, you’ll never get her in the water.” calls her boyfriend Scott. “She’s too good for all of us and rather sit up staring at her stupid love stories.” He’s referring to my knack for reading. It’s my one escape from reality to get immersed in a good book and I’ll admit I am a sucker for a great love story. It’s something I wish I could have in real life. I roll my eyes at him and ignore him. Scott isn’t particularly smart and most times I choose to pay him no mind. “Oh please Ev get in, I don't want to be the only girl in the water. Pleaseeeee?” Reina says tugging on my arms and trying to give me the puppy dog eyes. “Even if I wanted to get in, which I don’t, I didn’t wear a bathing suit.” I say, giving her a cheeky grin and a shrug. Then all of a sudden it feels like a bulldozer has hit me from behind and I’m flying through the air. Before I can get my bearings and figure out what’s happening I hit the water with a big splash. When I come up for air the first thing I see is Dante with his dirty blonde hair all in a wet mess across his face and those hazel eyes staring daggers at me. He slowly lets out a grin and a chuckle. I splash water in his face and he seems a little taken aback. “That’s it, now you’ve done it.” He growls with his eyes darkening to a deep brown color. He scoops me up bridal style and carries me out of the water. “Put me down!” I shriek flailing all over the place trying to get down and out of whatever he has planned. Being lycan I’m pretty strong but definitely nowhere close to the strength of a lycan prince. “Not a chance little Ev.” He says, staring down at me. I can’t help but meet his eyes. Something about them makes me melt a little inside. A small smile escapes my lips looking at his gorgeously sculpted face. “Like what you see?” He snickers at me before quickly planting a kiss on my lips. We’ve known each other our whole lives and known since we were 16 that our parents intended for us to be mated even though we were not true mates by the moon. We’ve only recently started exploring our romantic relationship due to the King’s command that his son stop fooling around and get serious about his title. Let’s just say Dante isn’t shy when it comes to girls and with his status and good looks the girls have never been in short supply. Before I realize it he’s made his way up the bank to a small cliff above the water. I don’t know how I didn’t notice where he was going until now. I guess I was so entranced by him and my own thoughts and feelings of lust to notice. “Hell no Dante. Do not throw me off of this cliff. Put me down now.” I say practically yelling at him while trying and failing again to get out of his arms. I can hear the group of people below laughing, yelling and encouraging him to do it. “Who said I was going to throw you? Oh no Ev you’re coming with me.” And before I can say anything or catch my breath we’re running and in the air. I clutch onto him tighter and shut my eyes just before we hit the water. When we come up all I can hear is clapping and his laugh. “You asshole! You know I don’t like cliff jumping!” I say smacking his chest hard with my hands but of course it has no effect on him. “Yeah but you love me so I’ll get away with it.” He says pulling me in close and grabbing my ass hard. If I wasn’t lycan it would probably hurt how hard he was squeezing me. We both lean into each other with our foreheads pressed together when we hear someone on the river bank clear their throat. “Shit.” Dante says under his breath.