His Forbidden Mate

3: Trouble In The dark

Five years later

Dyan and I stepped into Dive, the official beer house of the south. It’s been a long-ass journey from the La Ville Royale, all the way to Kame the capital city of the South. It would have been longer if I didn’t leave with my best friend, Dyan Ortega.

I have an assignment, a message to deliver to the Lord of the South, and I will do that tomorrow. This was one of the times I could leave the Palace on my own, the king trusts that since I’m much older, I will be safer now.

The incident that happened when he took me to Soule of the north plagued him. Though I got the blame for being out, the king looked more worried than I’d ever seen. I had gotten hurt, and that scared him more than anything. Perhaps he couldn't imagine losing his only 'good son'.

When the king asked me what happened, I lied. I told him I went out for a walk only to end up being chased by evil men. The same night, father sent guards out, and the guards captured four of the rest five men chasing the girl. One escaped and my only hope was for the girl to be safe. Yes, I lied, but I didn’t feel remorseful about it.

We returned to the Capital, but the king never took me anywhere outside the capital, for fear or preservation, I never found out.

Still, I never stopped thinking about her. The girl I saw at Soule.

She kept me up, and I always wondered where she was and how she was doing or if she had a better life now. They were evil days and in the last five years, the only thing that kept me going was the thought of the girl I might never see again.

A lot has changed with me as well. I was now better with my magic, spells and chants even without my mother’s guide and my first shift happened on my seventeenth birthday. That made me a werewolf, a witch and the crowned Prince of Wahala kingdom.

After my encounter with the mysterious girl, I realised my magic no matter how strong could fail me and so I learnt how to fight and defend myself in the face of opposition. Father felt happy that I took an interest in learning how to fight. He believed Layla, the late queen, would have loved it too. Knowing her sons could defend themselves anywhere they found themselves would make her happy.

I missed her. She was my friend, my partner in crime, and my mother. If she was alive, she would have given me answers to my unending questions about magic, royalty and also being a werewolf. I’ve visited her graveyard at the pathway just to speak to her as often as I could since her death, and I hope to find solace in her absence and move on.

“You came to take your mind off things, but you’re doing the opposite of that, Eddie!” Dyan said, after noticing my silence for almost thirty minutes.

I broke out of my thought and my attention moved to him, and I notice a cup of beer before him.

“Forgive me,” I chuckled and reached for his cup, but he smacked my hand away and I winced. “Aye!”

He held a finger up. “No, aye, make your order. This is mine.”

I rolled my eyes and reached for his cup. Ignoring his protest, I pour the burning liquid down my throat, swallowing quickly.

I place the empty cup down before him and he scowled at me.

“You know you’re just a bully like your brother, right?”

“That didn’t stop you from having a crush on him, though.” I shot back.

He scoffed and glared at me, but said nothing in response, probably having no comeback or avoiding saying anything that would tick me off. I hardly ever give in to my petty side, but when I do, I don’t look back.

“Aye!” I called to the older man at the counter serving the beer and his attention moved to me, “Two cups please.”

The man nodded and shortly after; he placed two medium cups of beer before us and takes the empty cup away.

Dyan wrapped his hand around his cup but remain silent and I realised I had hurt him with my retort earlier.

“You’re mad at me.”

“Geez, what gave that away?” he asked with a fake tone of surprise.

I rolled my eyes. “You did. I’m sorry for what I said.”

“I don’t have a crush on your brother." he clarifies, "I never did, but I think he’s not as bad as he seems.”

“I know. That’s just me getting petty for being called a bully.”

“You’re a bully.” he insisted, but this time unlike the first, I didn’t take offence at it.

“Cheers then, to being friends with the bully.”

He picked up the cup before him and nudged it against mine before taking it to his lips. I gulped mine down my throat, but he stopped halfway and dropped it on the counter.

“What now?” I whined.

“In case you didn’t notice, not everything is about you, Prince Edward,” he answered. “And I’m not a lover of beer.”

“Fair enough,” I nodded and asked for another round for myself alone. I was on my third round when I saw a group of men drag out someone who struggle to set themselves free from them. I watched with curiosity, wondering what could have caused such manhandling.

“Let it go!” Dyan hissed, bringing my attention back to him, and I saw a scowl on his face.

“What?” I asked, acting clueless despite knowing what he meant.

He rolled his eyes. “Your need to get in trouble, let it go. It is none of your business.”

I grin and empty the beer down my throat and rose to my feet. "I can't help it."

I would have let it slide if Dyan had said nothing, but now that he had, I couldn't. He should know by now that I do the opposite of whatever he tells me to do.

I am a lover of trouble. It’s in the Ainsworth’s blood, but unlike my brother, no one would believe I can hurt a fly unless, of course, they catch me in the act.

Over the years, I have drawn trouble to myself and dragged Dyan along with me. He never complained. We both knew how to defend ourselves against anyone and anything. I had magic, and the strongest bloodline in the kingdom, but Dyan had faced me while we trained years ago, and he was stronger. The only upper hand I had was magic. He called it cheating. I called it being a better player.

“You stay here. I’ll go check it out.” I patted his shoulder before walking away, heading toward the door this person was dragged through. If I know Dyan well, and I do, he will come after me. The thought barely settled in my head when he fell in line with me.

“I do not know why we are still friends.” he hissed, sounding more frustrated than ever.

I smirked. “We are still friends because we watch each other’s back.”

We stepped out into the chilly night and my eyes darted around, trying to find where these people could have gone.

I felt a switch in my magic and I realised something was wrong. My magic hasn’t fluctuated in years and this didn’t look good.

“The noise is coming from that way,” Dyan said, yanking me out of my thought. He pointed in a direction not too far away but hidden because of the night.

He led the way, and I followed and soon we came to stand beside the large tree and we watch. They were five men standing and someone trapped in their midst. Two men kept this person caged, and two stood facing other way and the fifth man spoke.

“Did you really think you could run after what you did?” the tall man with a deep voice asked, stepping towards their captive. I couldn’t see his eyes, but from the sound of his voice, I knew he was pissed.

I wanted to know why.

“I wasn’t running.” the voice of the girl came up bold and unapologetic.

The man scoffed at her audacity, “Good, ‘cause you can’t run, not from me, baby girl.” his hand lifted and he stroked the girl’s cheeks, but she threw her head away and I finally saw her face.

She was the girl from five years ago. The one I haven’t stopped thinking about after many years. She was the girl of my dreams.

And just like that time, she needed me.

What was she doing here and in a place like this where predators never stop coming?

The man forcefully grabbed her face and made her look at him. “You will pay for what you've done.”

“Let me go, let me go now, Wade!” she snarled, struggling to set herself free, but the men beside her kept her hands pinned up.

“And if I don’t, what will you do about it?” he challenged, grabbing her robe and renting it in two. She gasped out, but the men beside her chuckled like idiots while gawking at her exposed breasts.

The man trailed his fingertips over her face, ignoring her repulsive response.

“Take your f*****g hands off me!” she cried out, but again he ignored her, moving his hand down her neck and then lower to cup her breasts in his hands while the men standing beside him watched greedily with lust in their eyes.

I turned to Dyan and his eyes told me it was time to leave, but I wanted to do the opposite. I couldn’t leave and allow them to violate her. I wouldn’t forgive myself. Also, she was the girl of my dreams and I could not let her go now, even if I wanted to.

Choosing to defile Dyan’s suggestion once again, I turned and stepped out from behind the large tree, bringing myself out into the open.

“I believe when she said take your f*****g hands off me, she meant it,” I spoke and the eyes of the men holding the young maiden moved to me and not long after, their leader turned around to acknowledge me.

His teeth gritted, and his hands balled into a fist on seeing me.

Well, this will be fun.

***