A Second Chance Mate

Note: This series is a darker werewolf series not following the usual "plot" of fated mates. Also be aware of darker elements such a described violence and death. This also involves possible cheating depending on view point. -Damian- It had been quiet for months now. Spring was working hard to prepare for the summer, and while people seemed to enjoy watching the flowers bloom and the days grow longer, nothing had changed for me. It was still dark. Lonely. Empty. It had been this way for years. Ever since I lost my mate… “Amelia!” I shout, searching for her amid the chaos around me. It isn’t supposed to be this way. This was supposed to be a special day, but instead, dead bodies lie everywhere, scattered, my own clothes drenched in blood. “Amelia?” I shout again, scanning the placed filled with enemy wolves and pack members trying to flee, but I can’t find my mate—the one who was supposed to be officially claimed today. It’s our ceremony day! “Amelia!” “Damian…” I finally hear something, turning in the chaos to see who’s lying on the ground. “No… no!” I shout, rushing to her side, slipping down beside her. Her beautiful ceremonial dress, red as tradition dictates, can’t cover the blood pouring from a gaping wound. “No… no… no…” I whisper. “Damian…” she calls again, as if she wants to say something, but nothing comes out. Her eyes begin to lose their light. “No, please!” I scream. “Amelia!” But she doesn’t respond. I let out a scream of agony, only to be drowned out by the screams of others. I look around again, barely able to believe what I’m seeing, until my eyes land on my dead family not far away. “No… please, Goddess, no… Why?” I ask. “Why?” I look up at the sky, but there is no response… I was barely alive when I heard about Valerio, the true king, who wanted to reclaim his throne and avenge the loss of his own family. I didn’t hesitate to join him—I had nothing left to lose. And though I was desperate to be with her on the other side, I couldn’t let her death or the deaths of my family go unpunished. But I got more than I bargained for. “You want me to do what?” I ask. “Stay,” the king says. “Stay?” “Yes, stay. I’ve seen you fight. I’ve seen the power inside you, and though you weren’t the best fighter when you joined us, you’ve changed. You’ve proven your worth fighting by my side. I want you to stay there,” he explains. “Stay… by your side?” “Exactly. As my third in command.” “Third in…” I know the power of this status in a regular pack, but at the king’s side? That’s exceptional. Still, I shake my head. “My king, I’m sure there’s someone better suited for the role.” “Then why did I ask you?” he counters. He has a point, I think. “Is there something waiting for you?” he asks. “No, but—” “Then what’s holding you back?” Before I realized it, I had grown accustomed to living with him and his pack. I forgot my original mission—to reunite with Amelia—because suddenly, people needed me. They needed me to help and protect them. Every day, I told myself that I would leave tomorrow, that I would end this once and for all. But tomorrow never came. I kept living. I kept fighting. Even now, instead of telling Valerio it was time for me to go and for him to find someone else, I found myself heading downstairs for dinner. I sighed deeply as I observed the people around the table. Valerio sat at the head, with Octavia perched on his lap. She was rarely allowed to sit anywhere else, not that she seemed to mind. If I thought Amelia and I had a crazy story, it was nothing compared to theirs. To their left were Garrett and Lily. Lily, with only one functional hand when it came to eating, had Garrett holding onto her other one like his life depended on it. He only released her hand when she needed it, like when cutting her food, and the moment she finished, he’d take it again. Yet despite the joy, something was missing. Someone was missing. We still hadn’t found James. He had vanished without a trace, and I couldn’t blame him. No one understood his pain better than I did. It was the kind of grief that kept you awake through the night, made food taste like ash, and drained the color from every day. If we never saw him again, it wouldn’t shock me. After dinner, everyone quickly went their separate ways. The happy couples retreated for some alone time, while the rest of us... Well, Chris was always out, chasing distractions—s*x, drinking, fighting. Like me, he was restless, constantly needing something to do. Evan was different. He was more secretive and quieter, and I knew next to nothing about him except that he was smart as hell and a tech genius. “Are you coming with me to search for James?” I asked Evan as we reached the entrance hall. Chris was already halfway out the door, heading off to who knows where. He had come with us a few times, but it was clear he was looking for something bigger to distract him. “Yes,” Evan replied. We stepped into the dim evening and headed toward the cars parked out front. I slid into the driver’s seat while Evan settled in the passenger seat. “Let’s head north tonight,” I said, backing out of the driveway. -Isabella- “We cannot let this continue!” the man on the poorly constructed podium shouted. “No!” the crowd roared in agreement. “We cannot have such a weak king on the throne! Do you want a traitor as your queen?” “No!” I had to admit, he was good. He knew how to energize the crowd, getting everyone to rally behind him. From my spot in the back of the secret meeting place, it was difficult to see him clearly. I had heard about these gatherings since early November, but this was my first time attending. “Even his pack is weak! It was easy for us to slip in unnoticed. Do we want such feeble rulers?” “No!” I stayed quiet as the crowd cheered and shouted. My interest in the king was limited, even though he had taken my father from me. But having a half-blood daughter was not something he had valued. He hadn’t even come to help when my mother died. That had fallen to my brother—my half-brother. His full-blooded son, my only true ally. “Wolves so angry. So hungry for blood.” I turned to my right and saw a woman had appeared beside me. She wasn’t looking at the podium or at me, but at her hands. She was embroidering, a smile playing on her lips as she giggled softly. “So hungry. The king is going to die,” she said, still focused on her work. I raised an eyebrow, glancing around. Was she talking to me? No one else seemed to notice either of us. Maybe she was a little crazy? “You hate the king too?” “Me?” I pointed to myself, unsure if she was serious. Finally, the woman looked at me. Her eyes were a striking green, but they seemed… empty. “Actually, it’s not just the king. I want to hurt one of his men—Damian Black.” Her smile widened, and she laughed softly. “You want him dead?” she inquired. I nodded. “It’s all I want.” “Good,” she replied, her tone brightening. Then she started to walk away. I wasn’t sure if she wanted me to follow, but since everyone here seemed more interested in hyping each other up rather than taking action, I decided to throw caution to the wind and followed the strange woman.