Twisted Bonds

Chapter 2

~~Bree’s PoV~~

Mate? my wolf whimpers in my head as the unknown man steps closer to us. I always thought wolves were meant to be excited when they find their mates, but Topaz doesn’t sound excited at all. She sounds… scared.

“Hello,” I say out loud, hoping he doesn’t notice the way my voice trembles. Topaz’s uneasiness seems to have seeped into me as well, leaving me feeling completely off-balance. Or maybe it’s the rejection I just witnessed between Drew and Katherine. What are the odds he and I would both find our mates within seconds of each other?

On the other hand, why shouldn’t we? It’s not like Drew and I are anything more than passing acquaintances.

“I’m Brianna,” I carry on when the man still doesn’t say anything, still staring at me with his intense, dark eyes. “Brianna Berkeley. I live here. Well, not right here, not in the palace, but here, in the city. Wh-who are you?”

At last, his face relaxes and clears, and I realize that his wolf must have been in control before. His eyes are brighter now, his face a little less hard, and I breathe a secret sigh of relief. He doesn’t look quite so scary anymore, and without the hard look, he is even more handsome.

“My name is Dalton Bancroft.” His accent is slightly unusual, and the name is very obviously upper-class. My mother will like the name, though I don’t recognize it from the times she made me study the list of most eligible young men in the empire. Of course, the prince was at the top of that list, but he’s off the market now. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Brianna.”

His manners are impeccable as he takes my hand and kisses the back of it, and though I’m still a little thrown by his odd behavior before, I am growing a little more comfortable now. He is slightly older than me, probably in his late twenties while I am just 21. He and Drew are around the same age, I figure, as if that matters.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you too,” I assure him, following my own etiquette training. “Do you live here in the city as well?”

I am expecting the answer to be no, and it is. “I am here with the delegation of Prince Henrik, to give our congratulations to the happy couple. I did not expect to find my own mate here.”

From his tone, I’m not sure if he thinks it’s a good thing or not, but he hasn’t rejected me, at least. I gave him my full name, so if he wanted to, he could have done it already.

I am also frantically searching my memory for what I know about Prince Henrik. The empire I live in is vast, but it is, of course, not the only one in the world. The territory Henrik rules is far to the south, thousands of miles away. It must truly be fate that brought Dalton and I together tonight, when it would have been very easy for us to go our whole lives without meeting.

“I wasn’t expecting it either,” I tell him honestly. “But I’m very pleased to meet you.”

His eyes flash dark again as his wolf comes to the surface, and the predatory look in them sends a chill through me. A moment later, he blinks, and it is Dalton in control again. “I must introduce you to the prince, then.”

This is hardly the romantic meeting I had hoped for, but he is polite and handsome and well-mannered. What was I expecting?

The memory of Drew’s arm around me and his voice in my ear flashes across my mind, but I push it away. That isn’t at all helpful.

Dalton offers his arm and I take it, little sparks tingling up my arm and through my body as we make contact. Topaz whimpers again in my head.

What’s wrong? I ask her, keeping a pleasant smile on my face as we make our way back into the ballroom and through the crowd of people.

It feels… cold, she tells me nervously. Dark. Dangerous.

I feel it too, but I try to convince myself it’s nothing. In the bright ballroom, surrounded by people, what can the danger be?

Dalton leads me to a group of men - only men - who are standing together and talking, each with a drink in their hand. “Your Highness,” he says, bowing to one of the men who turns to look at us both, and I immediately bow my head too, as I’ve been taught. “May I present Miss Brianna Berkeley, my mate.”

Hearing him say it out loud makes the whole thing feel a little more real and I can’t stop myself from glancing up to see the prince’s reaction. He must be around the same age as Dalton too, though he looks younger and softer. His face is wide, with a large nose, and though I would not call him handsome, he’s not unpleasant-looking either. His expression remains neutral upon Dalton’s announcement, but I can’t help noticing the looks the other men throw at each other or the way their mouths curl in amusement.

Why is Dalton finding his mate funny? The uneasy feeling that’s been lurking in my mind grows even stronger.

“Congratulations to you both,” the prince replies, his accent thicker than Dalton’s. “Go and meet the girl’s family, and then we should depart.”

Depart? Does he mean the party or the empire? It is just now sinking in that I will have to go with him to live in a place where I know no one.

Dalton bows his head again and we step away while he instructs me to take him to my parents. As I make the introductions, I am starting to feel that I am on a runaway train, heading downhill with no way to stop it.

My mother is delighted by Dalton’s pedigree and manners, and even my father, who is usually so buried in his business he does not even notice me, looks pleased. When Dalton says he would like me to leave with him tonight, to return to his kingdom, neither of them bats an eye.

“There is something I need to do first,” he tells me, kissing my hand again as he lets my arm go. “Say any goodbyes you need to and I’ll be back within the hour.”

Panic starts to settle in my chest as I realize this is really happening. I don’t know anything about this man and everyone expects me to drop my entire life and go with him because of the mate bond. What if we don’t even like each other?

What if he is dangerous?

“Mom?” With no one else to turn to, I try to appeal to my mother. “Do I have to go right now?”

Her nose wrinkles as if the question is distasteful. “Why wouldn’t you?”

“Because I don’t know anything about him?” It feels like a reasonable objection to me.

“I knew nothing about your father when we met,” she points out, as if they are a shining example of the kind of relationship I should aspire to. She spends her days fussing over us while he works. They have nothing in common but their bed and their children. “I knew he came from a good family and had a good job. If you are worried about mating, don’t be; your wolf will take care of it.”

Topaz whines in my head again, making it clear she wants no part in this.

My father, meanwhile, has pulled out his phone to research Dalton’s family. “They are a noble family who work closely with the king,” he says in approval. “The men are all well-respected.”

“What about the women?” I can’t help asking.

He frowns as he scrolls further down. “It doesn’t say anything about them, but I don’t think that’s unusual down there. Their society is more traditional.”

What does that mean?

I don’t get a chance to find out. My mother drags me around to her friends to share the news of my new mate, and almost before I know it, Dalton has returned and it is time for me to go. “You can ship Brianna’s belongings to my villa,” he tells my parents. “I will make the necessary arrangements. In the meantime, I can provide her with anything she needs.”

My parents beam at the consideration he is showing, though no one has asked me if I want him to buy me things.

No one has asked me what I want at all.

My whole body feels numb as Dalton takes my arm again and heads towards the main palace doors. Security guards stand next to the exit, and it is only as we reach the door that I realize one of them is Drew.

For a brief, crazy moment, I think of asking him for help. For reasons I can’t explain, I feel like he would understand what is happening and the way I feel, but as we draw level to him and he looks at my arm in Dalton’s, he simply gives me a curt nod. “Have a good evening.”

Those are the last words I hear from anyone in the empire. There is a car waiting for us at the bottom of the steps that takes us to an airfield and a private plane, and on to Dalton’s home.

***********

That was three years ago now, and I am determined that this will be the last night I ever spend in this cold, dark room.

Tomorrow, we are hosting a celebration, a special party in honor of King Carter, who is visiting the kingdom for the first time since taking control of the empire, and I will use the distraction it creates to slip away.

Maybe I will fail. Maybe I will die trying, but at this point, that would be better than living without hope any longer.

There is nothing here for me, so my only chance of living at all is to run.