Eloise’s body finally eased up on its sporadic convulsions as her limbs became stiff and hairs began to sprout where silky skin once belonged. Sweat was dripping from her lip and everybody in the room could feel the agonizing truth behind her shift. It is supposed to happen when you are eighteen and hers has come several years late, but how? Eloise is a walking and talking obscurity of nature, yet all everyone in the room could think of is the love, care, compassion and worry towards a friend and their Prince, who is so on the edge of shifting and marking her himself.
“ARES! CONTROL YOURSELF!”
“Breathe in and out, Eloise. In and out!”
“N-Nate, I don’t think I c-can…”
The bedroom door booms open in between the shouts and panic immediately masks the face of Eloise’s father as he looks down at his daughter who is mid-shift. His eyes look up at the Prince, who is being held back by Nate and the scene is all too much to bear. The prince looks so out of control, his wolf definitely at the forefront, his claws out and his eyes black as he tries to get closer to his daughter. The penny drops and fear turn what was a jolly father into a ghost of understanding. Another scream echoes, snapping him out of his shadowed fright and his eyes look back to his daughter on the floor. Linda is trying to tend to her changing body.
“Eloise!”
His legs rush there as fast as they can and tears spring to his eyes at the scene. Another blast from the door adds to the chaos and this time it is Sabrina and to everyone’s absolute surprise, Caleb that rush in with wide expressions and hand in hand.
“I am sorry we are late. We got a little caught up down the hall, but then I heard the screaming.”
The pair blush at Sabrina’s words and they share a fond smile before turning back to the others and running to everyone's aid. Sabrina tries her best to get his attention and she can see that his wolf is finding it too much to not shift and help his mate. They know the drill though.
“I don’t know if I can do this!”
The prince hisses and faces her with black eyes. At first, she looks away frightened of his expression, but with deep breaths, she gains control. She remembers when the Prince approached her and told her about his love affair with Eloise. At first, she was angry, disappointed, and even insulted at the idea that anyone could take away her prize, but then he explained the truth of it all as they watched the night sky by the lake. It would seem he has been dealt a far crueler fate than anyone could even imagine and they are friends.
“You must, Ares!"
ANOTHER boom of the door and this time not from a welcomed guest. Prince Zion AND he has had way too much liquor.
“What's going…”
His eyes go down to Eloise and everyone can hear his breathing stop and his whole expression starts to buzz with fear.
“KING AUGUSTUS!”
The air becomes suffocating and cold as Prince Zion starts to run away from the scene.
“f**k!”
Nate shouts and looks at his oldest and best friend. Things are going to get out of hand very quickly here. Sabrina runs out of the room, hoping to somehow convince or distract the witch prince. Even with having spoken about the plan of action for tonight a thousand times, NOBODY expected Eloise to shift. Wolves don’t shift from merely having s*x, otherwise, there would be a lot more wolves around. His eyes go to his friend, who now has tears burning down his cheeks and a flash of pain goes over his face as he looks to the Prince’s neck where a bright, pink mark has started to heal.
“She marked you?”
It's only a whisper, but the whole room turns to look at the Prince after hearing the words. The Prince holds his chest and falls to his knees in desperation and Eloise lets out a whimper.
“I didn’t mean for it to happen. I was in control the whole time, but somehow her wolf surfaced!”
Silence.
The moon becomes brighter and everyone feels it. The air begins to increase in humidity and Ares sniffs in the increased scent of his mate. One last, loud scream and her body snaps as she transforms into her wolf. Nate lets him go, knowing the worst is over and as the Prince’s body collides with her soft fur, a feeling of calm exudes from his aura allowing everyone to let out a sigh of relief. For some reason, Eloise is not conscious, but still, the Prince marvels at her soft, long fur that shines under the moonlight. She has different shades of brown, almost as if she has been licked with golden highlights from the sun.
“You are more beautiful than ever, Eloise.”
A soft whimper escapes her wolf’s mouth and Ares smiles. Everyone watches on in quiet understanding and Nate chooses to turn his back on the situation, not wanting his best friend to feel imposed. With a clearing of his throat, everyone else does the same even though they can hear every word.
“I am so sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner about all this. About what you are! I cannot even begin to imagine how all of this must feel for you and what would be going through your mind.”
Still no response. Usually, mates can hear, think and feel everything about their mate, but right now, the Prince is left with nothing but the soothing tone of his mate’s beating heart and shallow breaths. A tear escapes his eye.
“I don’t know what is going to happen now, Eloise. I don’t know what the days ahead of us have in store, but I need you to hold onto the love we have. I think things are going to get ugly and impossibly difficult for both of us and I promise to do everything in my power to put you and us first. I promise to honor you always. I need you to be strong, to keep your chin up, and be the queen that I know you are and will be! To be my queen!”
Another tear.
“You have my heart, always, Eloise. Always. Do not forget!”
More tears, but this time from Linda and Caleb too who are listening on to the desperate pleas of a prince who is stuck in a very, very difficult place. Not only for this but also for the future they know their friend has ahead of her. A lump forms in Eloise’s father's heart as he imagines his daughter’s future. Do hybrids even have the liberty to think of their futures in Zenox?
“WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?”
King Augustus enters the room and looks down at his son on the floor. At first, his face is confused and his expression calm, but the longer he looks down at the brown wolf the more his aura increases with buzzing anger. His eyes snap to his son’s crying ones and then to his long-time friend and leader of the fae.
“King Augustus, please spare my daughter.”
The wolf king’s eyes widen as he looks back at the wolf on the floor. The little fae girl is not just a fae after all.
“ABOMINATION!”
Everything moves in slow motion as the King rushes forward, his one hand already morphed into wolf claws as he goes to end Eloise’s life. Everyone gasps and eyes widen as he gets close, only the kill never comes as Ares growls and pushes his father into the closest wall. Both of them snarl at each other.
“YOU WILL NOT HURT HER.”
“She is a hybrid!”
“SHE IS MINE!”
Realization dawns on the King as the words leave his son’s mouth. His wolf eyes look down in horror at the wolf on the floor and then up to his son, who is hardly keeping himself together. He doesn’t miss the mark forming on his neck either. This is like history repeating itself, only now the kingdom knows the truth about hybrids.
“The guards will take Lady Eloise to room one of the castles. She will be made decent and then she will be woken and summoned to me when I call for her.”
This is a special room in the castle that has no windows and only one, bolted door to get in or out. Despite this, it is well decorated, lavish, and comfortable inside. It is there for any punishments or imprisonments of nobles or royalty. Call it a luxury hell. The King knows his son won’t agree to the dungeon, even though he knows that this is actually where she belongs as a hybrid, especially after what his own mate did to the kingdom. Alas, he needs to be smart if he can win over his son. Ares looks at his father in disbelief. What does he mean by woken up and summoned? Goddess, will he kill her in front of everyone?
“Also she will be chained in cuffs. Clean ones.”
“FATHER!”
The prince tries to reason with his father, but the King isn’t having it. He growls, causing everyone to go into submission.
“YOU WILL NOT SPEAK BACK TO YOUR KING, PUP!”
Silence.
The king looks at the people within the room. All honorable members of his court, yet he had to hear this news from the witch prince? His son is far more gone than he had ever imagined.
“There will be a meeting in thirty minutes in my throne room. You will all be present to account for the evening AND your actions. It will be in front of all nobles and I do hope you all have good enough reasons as to why you were in this room instead of calling for your king. You have until then to have her in the room and accounted for. The guards will make sure that none of you interfere with the plans.”
His eyes look to Linda and Nate, who have their eyes cast down. They then find Caleb, who quickly looks down in a wave of fear, and then finally, they land on his old, fae friend. He marches out and the prince slides back down to his mate.
“I’m sorry, baby.”
Guards come through the door with cuffs.
“I will make everything right, I promise.”
Nate goes to his friend and tries to get him to stand.
“Come, Ares, we need to go. We have to think logically here.”
Ares won’t let up, not until the guards come near and start to manhandle her.
“I WILL DO IT!”
The guards quickly fall backward at the power of his growl. The prince puts the cuffs on his mate with tears in his eyes.
“I am so, so, sorry!”
With this final cry, Ares stands and wipes away his tears, almost as if closing a chapter in his mind and shutting it out forever. A flash of sadness shudders through him, but he knows he needs to do this. He knows he has no choice but to let go of his mate’s hand and allow the guards to take her away. He knows that staying in control would be the best way to handle the situation with his father, after all, he is the future king and Hybrids are a forbidden race. Linda lets out a sob as she watches her friend get carried out, still in wolf form and completely unaware of how her life has changed. Caleb also has tears in his eyes and keeps opening and closing his mouth to the Prince, as if shocked that the Prince is doing nothing about it. What does he do though?
“Ares! Do something!”
Linda sobs again and Ares has to take a deep breath in to stop himself from letting out another sob. His eyes find the only comforting ones in the room, Nate. The friends look at one another with so much understanding and emotion. Nothing can be done and the meeting starts in ten minutes. Everyone starts to drag their feet out the door, nobody saying anything even though the emotions are pouring from every soul. The closer they get to the throne room, the more they can hear bubbles of chatter and concern. All eyes start to shift to the prince and the mark on his neck. Does news get out that quickly? Linda quickly goes to sit with Caleb at the side, giving Nate a curt nod before he and Ares head to the front where the King is sitting with his crown on. The pair take their stations on either side of him as all the noblemen and noblewomen, as well as all the warriors and some general folk flood into the space. Johnno runs in, eyes wide and completely frazzled as he notices the formality around him. He sees the prince and beta at their stations and quickly runs to his on the other side.
“Will someone tell me what the f**k has just happened?”
Nate and the Prince look at Johnno and their expressions quickly make his eyes widen with realization. Nate shakes his head and Ares just looks ahead with no ounce of emotion coming from him. He and Nate start to mind link about the whole situation, only making Johnno more on edge as he imagines his future queen in the cold and dark room one. Sure, it's luxurious, but it's like solitary confinement in there. Yes, there is a nice bathtub and a king-size bed and that is better than the dungeon, but at least the manky cells below have small windows for light.
“ATTENTION!”
The King booms from his throne. Everyone knows it’s a bad situation considering he even has his crown on. Ares looks at the King and doesn’t see a bit of his FATHER sitting there, but rather an unforgiving ruler and leader. He blinks away his nerves and tries to remember that his father is only thinking about the kingdom and has been through this all with his own mate. Why would the goddess be so cruel to both of them?
“TONIGHT I HAVE WITNESSED ANOTHER CURSE UPON MY FAMILY.”
“HYBRIDS HAVE LONG BEEN GONE FROM OUR LANDS. MANY YEARS AGO WE MADE A CHOICE TO COLLECTIVELY BRING PEACE TO OUR LANDS. IT WAS A CHOICE THAT BROKE HEARTS AND RIPPED APART FAMILIES, BUT IT WAS ALSO ONE THAT ALLOWED US TO LIVE IN PEACE AND WITHOUT FEAR. HAVE ANY OF YOU SEEN ANOTHER WAR OR HEARD OF ANOTHER UPRISING SINCE THEY HAVE BEEN REMOVED?”
Silence.
“WELL, TONIGHT WHEN THE CLOCK TICKED TO MIDNIGHT, ONE OF OUR VERY OWN NOBLEWOMEN, WHO HAS LIVED HER LIFE PEACEFULLY AS A FAE, SHIFTED INTO A WOLF AND FORCEFULLY MARKED MY SON, CLAIMING THAT THEY ARE MATES!”
Ares's eyes snap to his father quickly as his mind tries runs away with him. Forcefully marked him? The room explodes into gasps and screams of horror and disbelief.
“Explain yourself, Prince Ares!”
It is now the witch royalty that has become involved in the news. The King looks to the side and sees his son looking down.
“Excuse me, King Augustus, but I would be happy to share the events on behalf of Prince Ares.”
Nate saves ass and the wolf King tells him to go ahead.
“BEFORE YOU START, I WOULD LIKE TO SUMMON THE HYBRID INTO THE HALL. I BELIEVE SHE WOKE UP A FEW MINUTES AGO!”
The room roars in terror. Prince Ares looks up now, his whole soul buzzing at the scent and warmth of his mate behind the doors of the hall. He can feel her fear and anxiety. He can sense her uncomfort. He can smell, blood? His eyes widen and his nostrils flare, but he knows now isn't the time and he needs to keep face.
“GUARDS, BRING HER IN!”
The hall becomes silent as the doors swing open and Eloise comes bloody-nosed and in tears through them. Each arm is draped over a guard's shoulder and her feet are dragging behind her as they are chained.
“ELOISE!”
“ABOMINATION!”
“KILL HER!”
“FREAK!”
The hits keep coming and creatures start to spit on the floor at her dragging feet. Prince Ares balls his fists and Nate grabs his shoulder to stop him from reacting. The guards drop her at the foot of the throne, only a few inches away from the feet of Prince Ares.
“LOOK UP, HYBRID!”
Eloise obeys the King’s alpha command, but her eyes don’t meet that of the king. Rather, she looks straight and dead-center into the eyes of Ares, her other half, her true mate, her first love and she feels the pull just as much as he does. Deep, menacing brown swirls against the fearful gaze of brown and apple green. The prince can feel every emotion dripping off of her and it’s driving him insane.
“Mate.”
Eloise whispers it and Prince Ares wants to jump up with happiness. Every person is waiting for his reaction, which is exactly why he cannot do anything. He cannot react, even though he wants to. He can see the flashes of hurt and betrayal cross her expression at his silence, but what else? The King clears his throat.
“PROCEED, BETA NATHANIEL.”
“Prince Ares and Eloise met at the start of the games much like everyone else. At first, it was just small banter and flirtation, but their feelings for one another grew as time went on. There was no indication that Eloise was a wolf and we didn’t know until a few days ago. I don’t think she even knew.”
“WHEN DID YOU REALIZE THAT SHE IS A WOLF, ARES?”
The prince looks at his father and for the first time, he has a more soothing and fatherly look on his face.
“I realized when she and I kissed. Her eyes flashed in the heat of the moment and I felt the mate bond form. This was several days ago.”
“And you didn’t think to let anybody know about your hybrid mate?”
The elven now asks the prince.
“And you didn’t think to kill her and not let things escalate to this degree?”
“Aren’t you supposed to be the future king of the wolves? How can you expect to lead our people if you cannot even uphold a simple law!”
Everyone starts to slice into the prince and the wolf king pounds his baton again.
“I WILL NOT HAVE THE COURT INSULTING MY SON!”
Silence. The king nods to his child, who sighs.
“Anybody who knows how it feels to meet their mate knows that it is impossible to kill them with your own hand. All my friends can vouch for the fact that I have been avoiding Eloise at every turn I can since I found out.”
“BUT YOU LEFT THE EQUINOX WITH HER THIS EVENING?”
“Father, it is the most highly anticipated s****l day of the year. You have had a mate, so you should understand how difficult it is to stay away.”
“AND SHE MARKED YOU?”
Silence and then a sigh. Prince Ares looks at Eloise sadly.
“Yes, but I didn’t ask her to.”
The King nods and smiles in relief. The prince wants to scream out how he didn’t care that she did it so suddenly, but that wouldn’t help.
“EXPLAIN YOURSELF HYBRID. HOW DID YOU NOT KNOW THAT YOU WERE PART WOLF?”
Eloise gets up onto her shaky feet now and rolls her shoulders as if to get rid of the creases in her muscles. Then she lifts her chin and stands tall. The prince stares on and has to hide his pride in how strong she looks at the moment. Even the King lifts his eyebrow in surprise.
“I didn’t know I was a hybrid. All my life I have grown up as only a fae. This has all happened very suddenly!”
“HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW YOU ARE A HYBRID? SOMEBODY BETTER EXPLAIN!”
Eloise’s father stands with tears in his eyes. Her mother is a slobbering mess next to him.
“My wife and I even had her tested many times over, your majesty. Every time she went for tests she came back with the same result. We were not prepared or aware of this and there have never been signs.”
Silence. Even the King grunts and sits back down on his throne to think.
“AND WHAT WERE ALL YOUNG MEMBERS OF MY COURT DOING IN THAT ROOM AT THE TIME? NATHANIEL AND LINDA? JOHNNO WHERE WERE YOU?”
“We heard the shouting, King Augustus. We came to see what was going on.”
“Johnno was with me, Your Majesty.”
Emily pipes up randomly and Johnno’s ears go red.
“I also only heard the shouting.”
Caleb says.
“They are my friends, father. Of course, they will come check up on me if they hear frantic screaming coming from my room. I also needed help. One minute we are enjoying the s****l blessings and next I have her scratching herself on the floor! In fact, have any of you stopped to think how ridiculous this is? I know the law says that hybrids are evil, cruel, and out of control, but where is the recent proof? Eloise has only ever been kind, gentle, calm and IN CONTROL around me and everyone that she knows. Look at the friends she has made in her short time here. What if it was…”
“DO NOT SAY IT, ARES!”
“NO FATHER! I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THAT ELOISE IS ANYTHING LIKE MOTHER!”
Everyone gasps at their interaction. It is like a hot flame has been ignited as the aura of King Augustus picks up and suffocates the oxygen in the room.
“YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT, PUP!”
Silence again. The prince takes a deep breath in, knowing that his little outpour isn’t helping him or the situation.
“ALL HYBRIDS NEED TO BE DEALT WITH THE SAME. THERE IS NO ROOM FOR CHANCES. I NEVER ONCE THOUGHT THAT QUEEN RIA, MY OWN MATE, WAS CAPABLE OF THE DEVASTATION SHE INFLICTED ON MY PEOPLE AND HER PEOPLE. IT IS WRITTEN ALL OVER THE HISTORY BOOKS. HYBRIDS ARE DANGEROUS AND THEIR KIND IS NOT WELCOMED.”
“Father, please…”
“I HEREBY SENTENCE LADY ELOISE OF THE FAE TO DEATH BY MAGIC. THE RITUAL WILL HAPPEN IN THREE NIGHTS BEFORE THE NEXT MORN.”
Silence again. The King doesn’t even turn to look at his son. In a way, he knows what he is doing is cruel, but he also has to be the bigger person and think for the whole kingdom. Some people start to cheer like the psychopaths that they are.
“FATHER, PLEASE LISTEN TO ME!”
“NO!”
In between the laughter and claps, Prince Ares tries to reason with his father, but all he gets back is coldness.
“Father, how can you be so cruel?”
The king seethes and everyone becomes quiet again.
“WHO IS MORE IMPORTANT, PRINCE ARES? THE SAFETY OF ZENOX AND APREEZ OR YOUR MATE?”
Prince Ares doesn’t respond because he knows it’s a trick question.
“How do we know he won't try save his little mate over the next three days?”
The Kings b***h, Luziana chimes.
“THERE IS A WAY TO ENSURE THEIR LITTLE BOND DOESN’T CONTINUE BEYOND THIS HALL.”
Prince Ares's eyes go wide as he turns to look at his father. He isn’t sure he even recognizes this man anymore. His own father wants him to reject Eloise.
“I cannot do that, father. You cannot ask me to do that.”
“IT WASN’T A QUESTION, PRINCE ARES!”
“Father…”
“YOU HAVE TO PROVE WHOSE SIDE YOU ARE ON, SON. IF YOU DON’T DO THIS THEN I WILL SLIT HER THROAT RIGHT NOW TO PUT YOU OUT OF YOUR MISERY, BUT YOUR PEOPLE WILL NEVER RESPECT YOU AGAIN!”
A cold shiver runs like a raging river through Prince Ares at his father's words. Who is this man in front of him right now? The one who always spoke of kindness, patience, honor, and forgiveness is long gone. The prince looks at his best friend next to him with sad and defeated eyes and his friend returns the strained sadness in his gaze. Nothing prepared them for any of this, yet here they stand with little to no choice.
“Fine.”
Caleb screams from the other side and tries to run forward.
“GUARDS! TAKE HIM TO THE DUNGEON!”
Three guards capture Caleb and drag his screaming figure out. Scowls and hisses echo through the hall and Caleb tries to fight against the guards, but all of his attempts are in vain.
“ANYBODY ELSE WANT TO DEFY ME?”
The hall falls into a fearful silence again. Prince Ares looks down at Eloise below the step. She is still standing but is a little more slumped. He can see that she is trying to be as strong as possible but it's all a façade that is hiding the terror inside her. When Eloise sees her mate looking at her, her heart breaks into a thousand pieces because she knows that there is no way that Ares would ever choose her over his people and she wouldn’t expect him to. He might have enjoyed his little lay with her and perhaps in a perfect world they might have been lovers, but this isn’t some silly romance novel. She is a hybrid and in three days, she will lose her life like the many others that have become forgotten over the wheel of time. Still, every fiber of Eloise’s heart calls to Ares and she feels the bond pulling and twisting for him to not reject her. This sort of love is all she has ever wanted and now it's going to be ripped away. A tear escapes her eye at the look on the Prince’s face. He isn’t even showing emotion anymore as his feet move closer to her.
“It’s okay, Ares.”
The Prince tilts his head her words and his feet stop.
“You can do it. I will never be good enough for you. I never have been.”
Deep breaths in.
Deep breaths out.
“You are right, Eloise.”
Silence.
“I was quite happy with my life before you. I didn’t ask for a mate, never mind a hybrid mate and I have to put my kingdom first. Not even a good f**k can get between me and my people. The world will be better without you in it.”
His words slice through the air with coldness and people aren’t sure whether to laugh or gasp out in shock at what the prince just admitted.
“REJECT THE b***h!”
Ares closes his eyes and breaths in and when he opens them he sees the effects of his words. Tears stream down her cheeks and for the first time now, she hangs her head low.
“I, Prince Ares of Apreez, reject you, Lady Eloise of Shraya, as my true mate and queen. I abolish all ties to you and to the people of Apreez.”
Both Eloise and Prince Ares bring their hands to their hearts and both fall to their knees in pain. The people around them cheer again as if this is some sort of exciting show and it brings bile to Nate and Linda’s throats. Prince Ares swallows in his pain and has to squeeze his fists together as he feels the mark on his neck sizzling away. It doesn’t help that he can hear Eloise screaming from in front of him. He knows this was the best choice though. He knows that there just isn’t a place for Eloise in his life right now. She is a hybrid and he is a future King.
“WONDERFUL! MY SON HAS DONE THE RIGHT THING!”
More cheers.
“COURT IS FINISHED. GUARDS TAKE THIS HYBRID BACK TO ROOM ONE. WE WILL ADJOURN AGAIN IN THREE DAYS.”
The Prince looks up one, last time at what was only a few hours ago, his entire world, and a shudder runs through him at all the lost possibility. She is still crying, but when her eyes look up she looks so lifeless and he knows he is the reason for it.
“Don’t worry son. You did the right thing.”
The King helps his son stand up. His crown is on the throne and he is wearing a sad smile.
“I know it isn’t easy. Losing a mate…”
This is it. The King is testing his son’s reaction. Prince Ares looks at his best friend, who is stuck to his station, and looks in shock.
“Nothing a drink won’t fix, right Nate?”
The king smiles at the prince.