The Last Wolf Prince

3 - An Unexpected Bond

~~Raya’s PoV~~

As I turn to face the angry-looking man walking up to me, a quiet voice murmurs something inside my head, and I freeze in surprise.

Avelin? Is that you?

I haven’t heard from my wolf in a very long time. The silver dust in the air in my own time kept her, and all the wolves, quiet and subdued. The others and I could shift into our wolf forms, but our wolves were never strong enough to take over or to communicate with us.

As children, we were kept relatively safe, hidden away in the one indoor space we were allowed. The air was cleaner there and we could develop mostly normally until our wolves appeared. I can still remember the first time Avelin spoke to me and how excited she was. She swore we were going to change the world.

It seems, perhaps, that she may have been right.

But as soon as the time came for the first hunt after we got our wolves, we were forced out into the open air and only allowed to return to the compound if and when we mated and had children of our own. The rest of us lived in tents outdoors, with the flush toilets Mark had spoken of being our only luxury.

We were more like shapeshifters than proper werewolves, since half of our being was muzzled and restrained. According to the rumors in the camps, that was what the Faceless enjoyed most about hunting us: we had the bodies of wolves when we shifted but only the minds of humans, and that made us a unique challenge for them.

There is another quiet mumble, like she’s trying to tell me something important, but I can’t make out what she’s saying. Maybe with the fresher air here, she’ll grow stronger again and we can finally have the relationship we are supposed to have. Maybe I can finally be a full werewolf. Despite all the stress of the day, the excitement and the sadness, the idea makes me smile.

But for now, I have other things to worry about, like the man in front of me who has come to a complete stop and is staring at me in utter confusion.

“Who are you?” His voice is much less angry than before, but he’s still on edge, like he doesn't quite believe what he's seeing. His eyes are a piercing blue, crystal clear and focused entirely on me.

“This is Ryan,” Bertie answers for me, getting my name wrong once again. “I met him in the woods. He helped me with my shooting, and he’s very good, Tristan! He’s much more patient than you are.”

Tristan – if Bertie has indeed got his name right – gives the prince a weary look. “That’s because he hasn’t known you as long as I have, Bertie. He'd lose patience with you soon enough.”

When Tristan’s gaze comes back to me, I’m struck again by the intensity of those deep blue eyes. It almost looks as though he’s trying to see right through me. I also can’t help but notice that he is a very handsome man overall, with his towering height, broad shoulders, his neatly-trimmed beard and those powerful eyes that seem to dare me to look away. He is exactly like the prince I imagined coming here to find, but even more impressive somehow. It's hard to imagine anyone more regal.

There's something special about him. I just can't quite put my finger on it.

He also, for some reason, smells incredibly good. Even though there are still several paces between us, I can smell him clearly: a scent of dried wood and sweet smoke, like the comforting fires that used to burn to keep us dry and warm during the long nights in the camp when Mark and I dreamed of a different life.

A pang of loss hits me as I remember that Mark is gone forever. Besides me, no one will ever know that he existed at all. The whole world I knew is completely gone, and the thought threatens to overwhelm me, until Tristan speaks again.

“Where do you come from?” he asks me, still staring at me intently. “Why are you here?”

“Oh, stop badgering him!” Bertie says, jumping in again before I can get a word in. “He’s not a threat. He could have killed me in the woods if he wanted to, but he didn’t.”

Tristan and I both look over at Bertie in surprise. That amount of self-awareness seems out of character for him, even from the short time I've known him, and clearly Tristan thinks so too.

“It’s okay,” I tell Bertie. “I’m happy to explain. I need to speak to the king’s most trusted advisors, and you too, Bertie. I need to speak to you as the prince. I have important information about an upcoming battle.”

Tristan’s eyes narrow as he scans my whole body once again with his eyes. “What battle?”

“The one with the Faceless.”

A collective gasp goes around the small gathered crowd, and Tristan steps even closer to me, his eyes burning even brighter and his scent even more overpowering. “What do you know about them?”

“That’s what I’m here to tell you,” I promise. “Please, let’s go inside and I’ll tell you everything I know.”

~~Tristan’s PoV~~

I have never been as confused in my whole life as I am right now, but I nod in response to Ryan’s request and tell the soldiers to take him and Bertie inside, and to assemble the members of the king’s council who are at the castle right now. Before I join them, I take a moment to myself, stepping out into the castle garden, to try to slow my heart rate and figure out what the hell is going on.

That’s our mate, that’s what’s going on! My wolf, Griffin, is not happy with me as he shouts in my head. Get in there and claim him.

That boy cannot be my mate. I know that there are men who enjoy the company of other men that way, but I am not one of them. I have never been attracted to another man, but I am drawn to this boy and it leaves me bewildered. Surely I haven't been waiting all this time for this? He barely even looks of age. There must be some mistake.

Griffin growls at me. Are you saying I’m wrong? I’m telling you, he’s your mate. Claim him now and figure the rest out later.

Can you talk to his wolf? I’m not entirely clear on when wolf mates are able to communicate in the special way they can, since this is, after all, the first time Griffin has recognized his mate.

There is a pause before he replies. No. I tried, but it’s muffled somehow. I think something might have happened to him. We need to make him strong again.

I feel that urge too, the urge to protect and strengthen him, but this still can’t be right. The amber eyes that looked upon me showed no sign of recognizing me as anyone special. If we are mates, wouldn’t he feel it too? Wouldn't he say something?

You didn't say anything, Griffin points out. And maybe he didn't recognize us because his wolf is weak. Maybe his wolf tried to tell him, but wasn’t strong enough. It is up to you to take the lead, so stop acting like a coward and do it!

Griffin has never held back with either his praise or his criticism. I’m used to it by now. And it wouldn’t bother you, having a male mate? That would mean no pups, no continuation of our line.

That makes him pause again, but only for a moment. When he speaks again, it’s firm. If the Goddess has decided it, there is a reason. I accept it, and you should too.

Can I? I think back to all the men I have trained with, all the ones I have seen naked, and try to feel any kind of excitement at the idea of being intimate with them.

There is none. I only feel discomfort.

But as Ryan’s face crosses my mind again, I do feel a flicker of desire that has nothing to do with the mate bond, and it confuses me even more. Perhaps it is simply his slight, undernourished frame, or maybe it’s those big amber eyes. There is something delicate and almost feminine about him. Even his voice was softer, like a woman's.

Perhaps it’s not that I need to feel an attraction to all men, but just to one in particular?

Can I accept this?

“Tristan?” One of the prince’s men calls my name from the castle door. “They’re ready for you.”

I take a deep breath as I try to clear my head. Not only do I have this unexpected mate bond to deal with, but Ryan also claims to know something about our new enemy. I need to focus on that first. Once I’ve heard what he has to say about the Faceless, there will be time to figure out what to do about the mate bond later.