The Prophesied Mate

1-Hope

Part I: The War

1-Hope POV

As the crisp air whirled around me, I couldn't help but find solace in the waves crashing against the beach. I loved my brother, but it was becoming overwhelming being under constant surveillance. The only place I knew I could find my peace was here...at the beach. Of course my accompaniment was my long time best friend, Mandy, who, ironically enough, had been accepted into the lycan military so it put my brother at ease.

I never wanted to be a part of the military. I had no desire to kill vampires, werewolves or any other creatures for that matter. My expertise was more diplomatic in nature so while I received training, most of my time was spent in neighboring packs trying to strengthen ties between us. It was proving to be more tedious then anything else, the same issues being brought up repeatedly. Most alpha's respected me enough not to scoff at my presence, but until I was crowned and on the throne next to my brother to co-rule...I never made much progress in the way of addressing the needs between the packs.

But even as I thought of the politics going on back at home, I couldn't help but feel the sand between my toes and the warmth of the sun on my skin. I sighed contently and closed my eyes, letting the sounds of seagulls flying up high and the waves soothe me.

Suddenly, I felt a presence next to me and opened my eyes to see Mandy looking at me with a smile.

"I'm glad you're here," she said softly as she took a seat next to me. "You've been so stressed lately and it's been a while since we've come here."

We sat there in silence for a few moments before she broke it with, "So...what are you thinking about?"

I glanced over at her and shrugged, "Just the usual. Work, politics, home."

Mandy nodded and said knowingly, "It's hard when you feel like you have to do everything. You're so used to being in charge and taking care of everyone, even if they don't see or appreciate what you're doing."

I sighed and nodded, "Yeah...I just feel like I'm not doing enough."

Mandy gave me a hug and said, "You're doing everything you can. You'll figure it out, I have faith in you. Come on, let's go to the waterfall!"

With a smile, I got up and followed her as we ran off to explore more of the beach. The waterfall was our favorite place, it cascaded from high in the sky, crashing down into a big pool of crystal clear water. We often sat there and just talked, enjoying the company of one another.

As we got closer, I could hear the sound of people talking. Mandy and I exchanged a glance before creeping closer to see who it was. We hid behind a bush and peered out to see a group of werewolves, all in uniform, talking to each other. My heart skipped a beat when I saw one of them was my brother...talking intimately with another wolf.

My eyes widened in shock as I watched them touch noses and then kiss passionately. They pulled away and my brother looked over at the others before ushering them away, his face betraying nothing.

Mandy grabbed onto my hand and squeezed it tight as we watched them leave. "I'm sure there's a reason he hasn't told you he found his mate..."

"That's the thing Mands...I don't think that's his mate. It makes no sense, he always said he was waiting for her, but here he is..." Feeling slightly confused and a bit betrayed that he didn't trust me with his girlfriend, I went to sit in the swallows of the pool.

We sat there for a few more minutes before getting up to leave. As we walked back to our packs, I felt a little lighter. There was something magical about this place and while it never erased the troubles I felt, it always made me feel as if I could overcome them.

As we rounded the corner to backtrack our steps to the beach, Mandy yelped. "Look! Look over there!"

Craning my neck, I could hardly make out what she was looking at as she rushed forward towards the object. With a loud gasp, she called me over.

"It's a man! A very handsome one at that!" She giggled as I collapsed onto the sand next to her.

"Oh wow..." Though his eyes were closed and his face contorted in pain, I could see he was a fine specimen of a man. Thick, burly shoulders made way for tight chest muscles, his shirt was ripped in a few places, revealing bulging muscles before the angel wings disappeared into his jeans. A tight buzz cut and a chiseled jaw completed his look...a god among men.

Mandy and I were both entranced by him, not wanting to look away for even a second. We must have looked like idiots sitting there staring at him, but we didn't care.

"What do you think happened to him?" Mandy asked quietly.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts as I took in the man's features. "I have no idea, but he doesn't look good."

We sat there for a few more minutes before realizing that we needed to get help. We called out for anyone who could hear us, but no one came. Finally, we decided to carry him back to our pack and get help from there.

As we struggled to pick him up, my arms laced underneath his armpits and Mandy grabbing onto his legs, his eyes flickered open and he groaned. "Where am I?"

Mandy and I looked at each other, our mouths agape. We had never heard the man speak before, but his voice was like velvet. Rich and deep, it sent a shiver down my spine. His eyes were as blue as the sky above, holding a deep wisdom, but what caught my attention was the sensual way they roamed my body before resting on my face.

"We found you on the beach," Mandy replied softly as we gently set his body back down.

He nodded and winced as he tried to sit up. "Thank you."

We brought him to the pack hospital, a slow and tedious journey. His injuries were fairly deep and he wasn't healing. He looked around, confusion etching his features until his eyes rested on me. "You...you're the princess."

I nodded, not sure what to say.

"Who are you?" he asked gruffly, looking at my friend.

"I'm Mandy," she replied, stepping forward.

He nodded and looked away, his features troubled.

The nurses were quick to take him from us and we were left standing in the hallway, wondering what was going on.

Since there was nothing else for us to do, we ran to the castle to let my parents and Gareth know of our mystery visitor.

"You WHAT?" Gareth's voice boomed loudly as I recanted the story of finding our guest. "How could you be so stupid Hope? You don't know who he is, why he's injured or if he's here under false pretenses! You put us all at risk!"

"But Gareth, he was hurt and we didn't know what to do!" I argued back, tears blurring my vision.

"Hope," My father's voice cut in softly. "Gareth is right, you shouldn't have taken any risks. We'll deal with this man and find out what he's doing here."

Mandy and I were quickly dismissed from the room as my parents discussed what to do with our new guest. Sighing, I made my way to my bedroom, trying to process everything that had happened.

It was hours later when I finally allowed myself to sleep, but even in my dreams I couldn't escape the handsome man with the piercing blue eyes.

I was standing on the edge of a cliff, the wind whipping through my hair and clothes. I was about to jump when I felt a hand on my arm, stopping me. I turned to see the man from the beach, his eyes blue and sensual as they roamed my body.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked softly, his voice rich and deep.

I shook my head, not trusting myself to speak.

He pulled me into his arms and kissed me passionately, his lips demanding and insistent. I surrendered to him, melting into his embrace. We continued to kiss until we were breathless before he finally released me.

"Come with me," he whispered, taking my hand in his.

I hesitated for a moment before following him as he led me away from the cliff and back to safety.

When I awoke, I was disoriented and confused. I couldn't shake the feeling that I had seen the future through the dream, but there was no way that could be true. Sighing, I got out of bed and made my way to the library, hoping to escape into a world of fantasy until I hear the verdict my parents and Gareth reached about the mystery man. As I entered, I noticed a man sitting in one of the chairs, his eyes closed as he rested. He looked familiar, but I couldn't place him.

I walked over to him quietly, not wanting to disturb him if he was sleeping. As I got closer, I realized that it was Regan. I gasped and stumbled back, but he opened his eyes and caught me.

"Hello Hope," he said softly, a smile touching his lips.

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak, all the feelings of my childhood crush on him came crumbling around me.

He stood up and held out his arm for me to take. "Come with me, you must be famished."

I hesitated for a moment before taking his hand and following him as he led me away from the library and to the kitchen for breakfast.

"What are you doing here?" My voice was soft and hesitant, but filled with curiosity.

"Your parents and Gareth asked me to come and help with the man they found on the beach. Since I know many packs, they thought I may be able to identify him. Though, I've been here a few hours and no one has taken me to see him as of yet." A smirk pulled up at his lips.

I nodded, relieved that he wasn't here for any other reason, our kingdoms had suffered enough under the many battles we've endured over the past couple of decades. We ate in silence before he excused himself to try find my parents, leaving me to my thoughts.

I couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen next, or if I would ever see the blue eyed man from my dream again, or if my family would banish him.