The forbidden mate bond

1 - Blood Suckers Were Ancient Stories

A FEW DAYS AGO

Do you know that one time when you say, "screw it" and go for it? This is that one time in my life. I am gasping noisily, in a pleasurable way. It's my first time, so it's all pretend. I make sounds exactly like I've heard women on TV make to please their partner.

It wasn't very s****l; we had our clothes on. I don't believe I need to be naked to make out with my best friend in a dark forest. Yes, it was just a kiss. You might say it's something even thirteen-year-olds do in this century, but for me, it was a big deal. I've never wanted to kiss anyone, and even now, there is a reason behind it.

My making-out partner, Rowen, in this case, needed some action from me. For one, we are best friends, and second, he was depressed. So there are no strings attached, just a friend helping a friend.

This sort of interaction is far from commonplace for us. In fact, it had never occurred until this evening, when we took a break in the woods after a long, exhilarating race from a situation we needed to escape.

And regardless of my lack of knowledge in the making-out department, it seems to work perfectly for him. His eyes were glowing, which meant he was aroused.

Impressive, I must say.

Let me get this straight. There is no way that I am enjoying it. I have never been intrigued by such matters. They say that I will discover an interest in it once I find my soulmate, but with time ticking away, I'm not entirely sure if I even care anymore. I have never felt any sort of attraction towards anyone, making it challenging for me to grasp the appeal and pleasure of s****l desires.

"I don't like this idea. Father is going to kill us, and then Lizzy's father is going to have us punished for the rest of our lives without me committing any criminality."

Rowen pays no attention to his sister's worries, choosing instead to devote his focus to our current activities. His tongue glides along my neck in a flat, deliberate motion, leaving a trail of newfound sensations. I can't help but giggle at the ticklish tingles it produces, akin to the laughter of a young child. Meanwhile, I can't help but find Octavia's frustration towards her brother and I's actions somewhat amusing.

"Octavia, get it together. If your dad kills you, what will be left for my dad to punish?" I interjected, attempting to reason with her. Little does she know that this entire situation was orchestrated by my father. He is well aware of what we're up to, although we have yet to inform Octavia.

She halts and looks over at me as if I've just recited the world's most forbidden spell.

"Our bones," she spits out aggressively. "He would make us a meal for those low-life omegas to feast upon. Can you fathom how horrendous that would be?"

Okay, it seems like Octavia is overreacting. I'll take control of the situation from here. My dad isn't as hostile and terrible as she thinks. However, I can't say the same for Hawke, Rowen, and Octavia's foster father. But I'm confident that if he decides to take action based on what we did tonight, my dad will handle the situation. He was fully supportive of our actions and had the ability to effortlessly resolve any issue, given his power over the clan in the capital and even the other humans living there. To put it simply, the wolves from the capital are influential, and we are seen as inspirations for the packs in neighboring states. They look up to us as their guiding light and more.

"I heard that Lizzy's dad still has those undead creatures' bones as prisoners in his basement. They can come back to life with just a drop of blood," Rowen drawled, his warm breath brushing against my skin. He buried his nose in my waist-length auburn hair, while his index finger lightly traced my puckered n****e beneath the dress. His other hand firmly held me by the waist. I still can't determine whether it feels good or not, but Rowen seems to enjoy it, so I'm okay with it.

"What are the chances that he would feed us to them for what we did?" he taunted Octavia. She stood a few trees away from us, visibly struggling to control her werewolf instincts, but clearly infuriated.

"Oh, I hate you," she snarled and growled, venting her frustration by striking the sturdy ancient tree next to her. "I'm here as a third wheel, forced to endure the annoyance of your sudden s****l desires, and at the worst possible time. Rowen, you have Gina waiting for you, and Lizzy, you seem to prefer a life of solitude. So stop behaving like forest 'whores' and let's go back to where Rowen is supposed to be."

"Oh, relax, it's just harmless flirting. And who says we can't be mates?" I pouted, teasingly pulling Rowen's face towards mine until our lips met. It was a deliberate move to annoy Octavia.

"Besides the fact that I don't approve of my brother and my best friend smooching and all," she scoffed, as if on the verge of losing her sanity. Her voice sounded distant.

"Mm-hmm," I moaned, closing my eyes.

"If you find a mate who seems perfectly suitable to you, you're going to wreck my brother," she warned.

Oh, please. I've heard that story countless times before. Besides, Rowen would never be influenced or wrecked by me, even if I had that kind of power. I'm not his mate. So, as I mentioned earlier, it's just harmless flirting to help him take his mind off things.

No man on this planet could ever meet the high standards I've set for a potential mate, should I ever desire one. After all, I live in the capital, and even the moon goddess herself would acknowledge my inherent superiority. No one could possibly quench my thirst for perfection.

I turned eighteen last month, the age at which most wolves have already found their soulmates and established their marked bonds. Yet, even with their marked mates, they couldn't surpass my abilities. I was destined to be an Alpha, just like my parents, but even greater, without any weaknesses. That has been my mantra since childhood, despite my wolf's occasional dissent, which I choose to ignore while reciting reminders of the potential risks of opening my heart to someone.

"Then I'll have to kill him and mark you," Rowen joked in my ear when the topic of finding a mate arose. I couldn't care less about that subject.

His warm forehead grazed against my cheekbone, and I burst into laughter at his silliness. He was head over heels for Gina, and his comment was merely for entertainment and to genuinely irritate his sister, going against her explicit warnings.

"Kinky? I like that. You'll be my favorite. I might even make you my beta," I smirked at him.

Rowen was well aware of my views and aspirations. We had known each other since childhood, so he chuckled and eagerly kissed me instead. He turned me around, firmly gripping my hips. Strangely, it felt oddly pleasurable. I let out an authentic gasp.

"Vee, if it helps, I don't think we're the best of friends. Taylor and I have a deeper connection," I told Octavia, who had shifted her attention from us to the sky, likely praying to the moon goddess for the strength to endure our behavior.

"Urgh..." Rowen snorted with disdain and slightly tore the neckline of my beautiful dress to access my exposed skin.

"What?" I hissed as his claws grazed lightly against my back. "She's not that bad. She listens to me. I like her," I reminded him of the reasons not to underestimate Taylor.

He growled roughly and squeezed one of my breasts, causing me to shudder against his taut body. It was at that moment Octavia decided to intervene, using a prank as an excuse to put an end to our fooling around.

"Did you hear that?" she asked, coming to a halt.

My eyes rolled in exasperation at the theatrics Octavia was about to embark on. "What?"

"Listen!" She held her hands up in front of her, her face contorted with concern.

Rowen let go of me, and we both sighed simultaneously at Octavia's dramatic display. We knew she was employing detective techniques just to get us to stop.

"You're overreacting now." Rowen ran his fingers through his hair to push back the locks falling into his face. He then rested his hand on his hip, joining me in expressing our disbelief to Octavia.

"I swear I heard something," she whispered, turning on her heels with an alarmed and cautious demeanor, scanning the moonlit forest with her dark eyes.

Duh.

"Maybe we're being tracked by Gina's father. Perhaps it's time to explore the Alpha's basement," Rowen joked next to me, and I laughed along.

"This is not a joke, Rowen," she roared furiously, panic evident in her voice.

Confused by her reaction, my brows furrowed, and I watched her with concern until I heard the faint sound of a twig snapping nearby.

Now, I am genuinely concerned.

Slowly, I turned around.

No way.

"What the heck?" Rowen gasped beside me as a pair of infamous red eyes emerged from their hiding spot, moving closer toward us.

A vampire.

This couldn't be real. We don't have vampires here. They were eradicated after the last war. My dad had repeatedly assured us of that fact at every gathering. He had slain the final elder vampire and kept its fangs in the Alpha's basement before meeting my mom. That was the only story passed down to the pups about our greatest adversaries. The vampire in the Alpha's basement, as Rowen had mentioned earlier. But now, the forest echoed with the sounds of crunching leaves coming from every direction.

Scratch that singular word I used earlier. At least a dozen vampires were closing in on us, forming a circle.

There was no way to win this fight except to admit defeat and escape. It was three of us against too many vampires, and none of us had any experience fighting them. Sure, we had learned some tactics in school, but they had never been put into practice, like tinkering with computer hardware or experimenting with chemicals in the lab.

"Run," Rowen ordered, and we swiftly turned around. I shifted into my wolf form immediately, while my two friends utilized their werewolf speed. Together, we dashed into the rustling woods, fleeing as one.

Now, if this is our final moment before we potentially meet our demise, I'll confess how we ended up in this situation.

You see, today was supposed to be the day when Rowen marked his mate, Gina. However, he cowered away with my father's approval. And I can assure you that Rowen doesn't despise Gina. If anything, he was always by her side, following her wherever she went.

During their scheduled event, he simply didn't know what to expect afterward. Instead of assuring him that everything would be fine, my dad suggested he take a break out here in the woods. Dad urged me to be the knight in shining armor and help my friend stage an escape from his marking rituals. Dad was like a second father to Rowen and Octavia, so Rowen looks up to him more than he does to Hawke.

When my dad called me about Rowen, I was dressed in a beautiful gown that now lies abandoned and torn in the soil of this forest. My mom and I went shopping for it earlier this week. It was quite expensive, and sadly, I won't get the chance to wear it again. But enough about the dress; I can mourn it later if I don't become the next victim.

So there I was, in my dress, enjoying some good wine to celebrate Rowen and Gina's occasion in the ice forest when my dad asked me to assist Rowen.

Following my dad's orders, I called my best friend's phone, and we smoothly planned and executed his escape. It was at the last minute that we realized we needed Octavia's help. We called her, and she showed up. However, all of this was new and bewildering to her, as she had no idea why her brother needed to escape from his marking rituals. And to top it off, we started kissing and getting too intimate in her presence. So, as I mentioned earlier, she was furious.

And now, we reach the end of my summary, with bloodsuckers chasing us at great speed. Two rebellious best friends and one young pup.

My final thought was shared transparently with Octavia and Rowen for some amusement, while we were involved in the most critical run and chase of our lives.

Rowen howled, amused by the joke, as we headed towards the hills, closer to Erick's pack. Erick is a friend of my father and an alpha who swore an alliance with our family.

I couldn't help but mentally smile and howl at the thought of the snarl on Octavia's face right now due to my teasing.

But when I attempted to establish a mind link with her, all I sensed was anger and pain.

No. Dammit.

"We have your friend here," a haunting voice reverberated from every shadowy corner of the dense woods, carrying a sinister undertone. The words sliced through the air, piercing my senses with a chilling warning. "Stop now, or you'll have her life extinguished," it echoed, its tone deceptively sweet, an eerie melody drifting through the atmosphere.

The threat hit me with an impact like no other, a surge of adrenaline coursing through my veins as Rowen and I abruptly halted our frantic escape, finding ourselves on the precipice of a rugged cliff. The pursuing vampires, their relentless pursuit momentarily ceased, seemed to recognize the vibrant world of human civilization that stretched beyond the boundaries of the forest.

Perhaps they're not so dumb after all.

At that moment, the significance of our safety was overshadowed by the knowledge that our enemies were well aware of our deep-rooted determination to retrieve our own.

Rowen and I had reached safety, where you can sight the lit-up skyscrapers and dynamic bridges, but we didn't get to earn peace of mind. They know we can not simply abandon Vee to a gruesome fate.

Normally, I was not one to yield to commands, except when they emanated from the lips of the high-ranked Alpha, the authoritative figure with power over my kind. Of course, there were exceptions—human professors at the university, for instance. As inhabitants of the capital, we werewolves lived incognito among the sprawling populace of 124,610 humans, outnumbered fifteen times over. The risk of exposure was a peril we could not afford. Hence, we sacrifice nearly half our lives, perpetually engaged in the elaborate charade of human existence. My father, a prominent figure as both the mayor of the city's human inhabitants and the esteemed high-ranked alpha of the 8,307-strong werewolf community, presided over the establishment of twenty packs, strategically dispersed throughout the capital.

The warning issued by our enemies resonated ominously from the heart of the sinister woods, causing the trees to tremble as if shivering with malevolence. I fixed my gaze upon the penetrable darkness, a simmering fury building within me, the desire to tear those vile creatures limb from limb nearly overwhelming.

With a deep-seated yearning to connect with Octavia, my best friend, and confidante, I unleashed a primal howl into the night, hoping to bridge the gap between us. Yet, the only response was a profound silence that reverberated within my soul.

They had taken her captive.

The seething emotions of anger and fear swirled within me, unfurling like tendrils of smoke. Octavia was more than a friend; she was like a sister—a bond forged by the intertwined lives we had led in the packhouse. She had become an integral part of my family, and the thought of her peril cut deeper than any blade ever could.

Rowen, sensing my torment, cast a brief glance back at me, his eyes imploring me to seek reinforcements. But before he redirected his fierce gaze toward where his sister was, a fierce snarl escaping his lips, I knew in my heart that leaving them to face the enemy alone was not an option.

Faced with a critical decision, I weighed my options. Should I venture forth to enlist the aid of Erick, who had pledged his unwavering allegiance to me on the day my stepfather had declared me as his heir? Or should I stand by Rowen's side, fully aware that his solitary strength was no match for the formidable threat that lay ahead? I chose the latter, acknowledging the inherent risks that accompanied my decision.

My wolf, a conduit for unspoken communication, let out a resolute howl, conveying to Rowen that I stood steadfastly behind him. Yet, his response carried a tinge of disappointment.

What am I supposed to do? Leave them behind to die?