The Betas Forbidden mate

forbidden fruit

Zion POV

Usually, I am cautious about letting anyone—or anything—see me, but something about this oversized wolf has captured my attention.

I first noticed the behemoth a few days ago near the tree line. Last I checked, this area was usually vacant, making it the perfect place to set up camp. Masking my presence, I observed the animal for hours on end. To my surprise, I found comfort in its company.

Every so often, it would glance in my direction as if it could somehow sense me watching. The thought alone made my pulse quicken. It lingered along the riverbank, pacing back and forth as though searching for something. It stayed close enough to study the ripples dancing across the water but never close enough to fall in.

When the wolf finally retreated, I was left with a strange sense of emptiness. The feeling unsettled me. My kind does not dwell on such emotions. We rarely express them, even when mourning our dead. Yet the absence of a creature I had never spoken to weighed on me far more than it should have.

In the days that followed, I found myself returning fron the depths of the river far too often. Every time my thoughts drifted back to the wolf, an unexplainable tremor stirred inside my chest. It didn't seem dangerous. If anything, it reminded me of an oversized pup—powerful but playful. Watching it had become the most peaceful part of my day.

Eventually, that peace turned into longing.

The possibility that I might never see it again wrapped itself around my chest like a vice. Days passed without a sign of the wolf, and I caught myself scanning the shoreline more often than I cared to admit. More than once, I lingered at the river long after I should have left, pretending I was simply enjoying the scenery. The lie was a poor one.

Now, after all this time, it's standing directly above me.

Staring.

At this depth, I know it cannot possibly see me, and yet I cannot shake the feeling that somehow it does.A loud cracking sound hums through the water.

The wolf's fur begins to retract.One moment there is a wolf.The next, there is a man.

Tall. Strong. Sun-kissed.

He looks like something pulled from an old story, a figure carved from stone by the gods themselves.

Without thinking, I begin to surface.This pull I feel has me acting on instinct rather than reason. The world around me fades into the background. The steady hum of the trees disappears. The river, the wind, the birds—everything falls away.

There is only him.

The man is saying something, repeating it over and over, but the language is foreign to me. I find myself wondering what he's trying so desperately to say.

This feeling is more than curiosity.I am drawn to him in a way I have never l experienced before.Without thinking, I reach for him. Pulling him into the river flesh against my skin.

The moment I touch him, a surge of energy races through me. The sensation is so powerful that it steals my breath. Every instinct I possess screams.

I hum an enchanting note, gathering what I need to understand his language. Learning through physical.When I pull away, I brace myself for his reaction.Instead, he simply stares.

Breathing hard.Looking at me as though I've become the center of his world.He keeps repeating the same word.

Mate.

Mate.

Mate.

I understand enough of the language now to recognize it, yet the meaning remains unclear.The word intrigues me.It feels important.

Important enough to make my heart race.

Xia POV

"Snap out of it, Xia. You're starting. your going to scare him." Onyx growls.

"Can you blame me?"

Wait.

Him?

I focus on the beautiful creature floating before me because clearly my wolf has lost his mind.

No way.

Our mate is a man?

After a closer look, I realize Onyx is right.

Bone-straight black hair drifts around him like silk beneath the water. His grey skin catches the sunlight and shimmers almost like polished stone. Long pointed ears frame a delicate face, while eyes as black as the midnight sea watch me with quiet curiosity.He's breathtaking.

I find myself reaching out before I can stop myself.My thumb brushes across his cheek.So soft.

The word slips from my mouth before I can think better of it.I have never wanted to keep looking at someone this badly.

"You've never looked at anyone this way," Onyx says, sounding entirely too pleased with himself.

That's why I've been restless. I could feel him."

Understanding slams into me.The anxiety.The pacing.The desperate need to get out.

It was him.

Onyx had sensed our mate long before either of us realized it.Now that he's here, my wolf is practically purring with relief.

"mine," Onyx rumbles.

Zion POV

The wolf-man appears to be having an intense conversation with someone who isn't there. His expressions change every few seconds. Confusion. Shock. Wonder.

It's oddly charming.

Then again, perhaps I'm biased.

His gaze suddenly lifts to meet mine.The intensity of it makes me unexpectedly self-conscious.He's studying me.As though he's trying to memorize every detail.For some reason, I find myself hoping he likes what he sees.The realization is embarrassing.

My stomach twists with anticipation while I wait for his verdict.When I release my hold on him, intending only to smooth down a stray strand of hair, he immediately sinks beneath the surface.Panic shoots through me.I grab him and haul him back onto the riverbank before he can disappear again.

"Can you not swim, wolf?" I all but scream.

His eyes squeeze shut.

Slowly, painfully, he shakes his head.

I stare.

"So you can shift into a wolf but you've never learned how to swim?"

His face turns red.

I press my lips together, trying—and failing—not to smile.

"Please don't tell anyone."

The quiet plea catches me off guard.A laugh escapes before I can stop it.

"There it is."

His brow furrows.

"There what is?"

"The first thing you've said to me that sounds genuinely worried."His groan is immediate.To my surprise, I find it endearing.

"Are you going to be okay?" I ask more gently.

He nods and finally lifts his gaze to meet mine.The look that passes between us lingers a little too long.Neither of us looks away.Neither of us seems particularly interested in doing so.Then my eyes drift downward.He follows my gaze.

His eyes widen.

"Oh."

A deep blush creeps up his neck.

"Oh, moon goddess.I'm naked."

The statement is so obvious that I nearly laugh.

"Very observant."

His blush somehow deepens.

To my horror, my face grows warm as well.

I've been staring.The realization makes me immediately look away.

Unfortunately, Not before he notices.

A grin tugs at his lips.

"Were you checking me out?", He ask while wiggling his eyebrows.

"No."

The answer comes far too quickly.

His grin widens.

"You were but dont worry for the low price of being my mate all this can be yours" He says smoothing his hands down his body.

"I was not."

"You absolutely were."

I hate how pleased he sounds.

Before I can think of a response, he clears his throat.

"Give me one minute."

He jogs toward the tree line where, apparently, he had hidden a spare pair of shorts behind a large oak tree.He glances back only to catch me staring again.A few moments later he returns dressed.

To my disappointment.

I quickly shove that thought away.

"Better?" he asks.

"Marginally."

His laughter echoes across the river.

The sound settles warmly in my chest.

When he reaches the bank again, he crouches beside the water.

"My name is Xia."

Before I can respond, his emerald-green eyes brighten.Not enough to be alarming.

Just enough to tell me someone else is looking through them.

When he speaks again, his voice is deeper.

Rougher.

"My name is Onyx."

I blink.

"The wolf?"

"The very handsome wolf," He corrects.

Xia groans.

Ignoring him, I simply offer my own name

"Zion."

Both of them go strangely quiet.

"Zion," Xia repeats slowly.

"Zion I like that name, little mate," Onyx says.

Heat rushes to my face.For some reason, hearing him say it makes my stomach flutter.A comfortable silence settles between us before Xia clears his throat.

"What exactly are you?"

The question catches me off guard.I glance down at the water before looking back at him.offering no explanation I simply point.His eyes follow my finger to my tail poking out of the water.

The color drains from his face." A mermaid?"

"I am a siren mermaids arent real."

"Is that a problem?"

For several long moments, neither of them speaks.

Finally, Xia lets out a slow breath.

"No."

The answer comes too quickly.

I raise an eyebrow.

He sighs.

"Maybe."

"Xia."

"Sirens are supposed to be extinct.They disappeared centuries ago. Most people think they're a myth. A story parents tell their pups."

Now it's my turn to stare.

"Oh."

The silence stretches.

Then Xia rubs the back of his neck.

"There's also the fact that mating relationships between werewolves and sirens are forbidden."

That certainly gets my attention.

"Forbidden?"

"The council wont approve. From my understanding a mated siren slaughtered several packs along the eastern coast in a rampage when his mate was killedby another wolf.Ever since then mating between the two have been forbidden,but that was hundredsof years ago"

"The council can go to hell," Onyx growls immediately.

A reluctant smile tugs at my lips.

Xia pinches the bridge of his nose.

"You are not helping."

"I'm helping myself."

Despite the situation, I laugh.

The sound seems to relax both of them.

"What exactly is a mate?" I ask quietly.

The teasing leaves Xia's face.Something softer takes its place.

"It's difficult to explain."His voice lowers.

Gentler now.

"To us, a mate is someone chosen by the Moon Goddess. A partner. A companion. Someone we're meant to spend our lives with."

His gaze never leaves mine.

"But that doesn't mean you owe us anything."

The warmth in my chest grows.

"You just met me."

"I know ."

"And you're willing to ignore all of that?" I gesture vaguely between us.

"The forbidden relationship part?"

I nod.

He doesn't even hesitate.

"Yes."

The certainty in his voice steals my breath.

Onyx rumbles approvingly.

"You're ours, little mate."

Xia sighs.Dont scare him onyx.He's not a wolf this is alot to process.

For the first time since meeting them, I laugh openly.

He stops lecturing onyx to stare.

"What?" I ask.

"I like your laugh," Xia says quietly.

The honesty catches me off guard.Before I can respond, he clears his throat.

"Earlier you said you couldn't leave the water."

I nod.

"I'm shedding."I say bashfully.

His brows pull together perplexed.

"My tail is changing. Until it's finished, I can't stay out of the water for very long."

Understanding flashes across his face.

"So you're basically stuck here."

"More or less."

A thoughtful look crosses his features.

"Then I guess I'll stay here too."

I stare at him.

"You don't have to do that."

"I know."

Neither of us looks away.The river continues flowing around us.The sun dips lower.Still neither of us moves.

I don't want to be alone. And judging by the way Xia keeps finding excuses to remain by the riverbank, he doesn't want to leave either.

"Good," Onyx says with obvious satisfaction. "Because I wasn't asking, little mate."