The Art of Taming Her Mates

2. Soulmate.

‘Find our soulmate?’ Kayleen's mind blanked at the unexpected news from her wolf. She had even gone so far as to avoid thinking about being mated to any other man if he was not Wallace.

‘Yes, that's the Moon Goddess’ wish,’ Ebbe gave her a slight nod.

‘That’s impossible!’ Kayleen exclaimed, swimming up to the surface. She took deep breaths, allowing the cool air to fill her lungs as she rested on the edge for some time.

‘Why?’ Ebbe appeared on the lake’s surface.

'I have already seen the ugly side of love, it's now brought me to the gates of death. When childhood love and devotion can turn to ash. Why would I want to tie myself to another person who only wants me just because of the pull of the mate bond?' Kayleen questioned.

'That’s the only way to survive Kayleen. We have been secluded since childhood and loneliness has become a part of us. The loneliness sowed the seed of our death,' Ebbe remarked.

Kayleen fell into a thoughtful silence while closing her eyes. She was five when her father discovered that Kayleen was not his biological daughter but he could never figure out who father was. Her parents’ relationship was ruined right along with Kaylenn’s childhood. Her Father neglected her from that moment on and Kayleen’s Mother left the house after they completed the rejection. Her brothers were busy with their work. They did not live with them, so they never knew about her questionable paternity. Later, Kayleen’s father and Mother both remarried other people. Of course, Kayleen was unwanted by both of them. So she lived for a few months alone in a large residence under the care of Gert, who had suddenly appeared on her doorstep.

The separation and loneliness had depressed her, and soon she fell deathly ill. Her fever was high but still neither of her parents returned to care for her. That’s when Wallace’s grandfather appeared and took her away. He raised her as his own granddaughter, bestowing the title of princess on her. Kayleen became incredibly attached to Grandfather but then one day he became paralyzed. Little Kayleen took care of Grandfather along with Wallace. It was in this way she ended up growing up with Wallace.

The attention and care that she did not receive from her parents was provided by Wallace. It quickly became Kayleen’s weakness and need. He did not let her play with other boys, he shielded her from bullies and spoiled her with his love. He showed her that he was the only man that she should have in her life. That’s what she grew to accept.

In the end, Wallace held a spot in Kayleen’s heart that should have been reserved for her mate. However, that word never crossed her mind because she had Wallace. Yet she never knew that Wallace did not feel the same way.

'I don't appreciate the way the Moon Goddess is playing with my life,' Kayleen grumbled under her breath.

Why was it that Wallace only found his mate after they had married? They were going to mate and mark that night. If that had been done, Wallace’s bond with Anne would have been severed, then Kayleen would have become his mate. But things had not gone as planned.

'But the Goddess has shown us the path,' Ebbe argued.

“After Wallace’s betrayal, I don't trust in relationships or love. So I disagree with the Moon Goddess’ wishes,” Kayleen replied.

“Is this because you already know who our mate is?” Ebbe inquired.

Kayleen’s heart suddenly began to race. Her mind filtered through a few blurred images from her past. Her face became flushed as she slowly opened her eyes, locking them with her wolf’s.

‘I was only sixteen at that time. You have yet to manifest. So it’s possible that I could be wrong,’ Kayleen explained, not giving much detail even though Ebbe knew everything.

‘We have to take the risk if we want to survive,’ Ebbe pointed out.

‘That risk is more perilous than death, Ebbe,’ Kayleen stood up. ‘One wrong move and everything will be done and dust,’ she explained.

‘Then what?’

‘I'll find another way. One that surely doesn't rely on obtaining another man’s love. I don't need another man to survive,’ Kayleen decided, turning on her heel to return to her own residence.

When she arrived home it was late evening. She had left Wallace’s residence after he began sharing his bedroom with Anne. Kayleen refused to stay in another room in Wallace’s home like a kept woman. Her parents had died years ago and her brothers had their own mansions. She returned to the childhood home they abandoned her in. She lived there alone. She did visit Wallace’s residence daily to meet with Grandfather.

“Princess,” Gert, the one and only maid that served in Kayleen’s large residence, welcomed her.

Gert noticed Kayleen’s wet figure and red puffy eyes yet did not react. That was the reason she was the soul servant to continue working in the Princess' home. She was an expert at playing deaf, dumb, and blind. “Should I get dinner ready?”

“No, I want to rest,” Kayleen passed by her.

“Princess, there’s a letter for you from Alpha Prince Wallace’s residence,” Gert informed her. Kayleen stopped in surprise. Wallace never sent her letters. She took the letter from Gert, then locked herself in her bedroom. Opening the letter, she noticed Wallace’s official seal.

It was an invitation to Wallace and Anne’s marking ceremony. The invitation slipped out of Kayleen’s hand due to the sharp pain she experienced in her heart.

“AHH,” she gasped for air, tightly clutching her chest. It felt like someone had yanked her heart out of her chest. ‘Ebbe,’ Kayleen called to her wolf, who was in the same condition in her mind. They were still bound to Wallace’s wolf with their vow and soul.

‘Wallace betrayed us after all,’ Ebbe’s voice was barely audible. The oath they had taken during the wedding ceremony and Kayleen’s devotion to Wallace would lead to Kayleen’s doom.

The invitation coming so quickly meant that Wallace had already been planning this wedding for days. The birthday party had really been held for the purpose of announcing this news. Kayleen reached out to grab a glass of water. She calmly took a few sips to assist in controlling the pain in her heart and mind.

‘The couple gets to live happily ever after while I die of betrayal? I refuse to accept this,’ Kayleen calmly put the glass down on the table. ‘I’ll live and write my own destiny.’

‘How? You said we don't need our mate’s love. You refuse to find our soulmate.'

‘I just said I’ll find another way. I never said I wouldn’t look for him and you're right I don't need his love,” Kayleen clarified for Ebbe. After all, as a virgin she-wolf she survived more than was expected. “This death by loneliness was triggered by not having physical contact with my mate, then it can be cured without love as well. I can not risk falling into love's trap for a second time,” Ebbe nodded in agreement.

“You are wrong,” a third female’s voice echoed in the room. Kayleen turned to the door where a woman had entered her room.

“Gert? What are you…” Kayleen paused in surprise from experiencing a different aura coming from Gert. She was different from the woman who had raised her and took care of her like a slave without asking for anything in return.

“The reason for your death is not just betrayal, Kayleen but also lack of love,” Gert clarified, walking closer to Kayeen. Her voice was gentle and her eyes soft, the same way that a mother would look at her child. “Without love, your death is fixed no matter how you adapt. Love is not only about the sacrifices that you have been making your whole life, Kayleen. Love is something that won’t let you die. Love is not something that holds you back. Love makes you feel alive, Kayleen. It’s the purest of bonds where you share not only your body but feelings and soul with another,” Gert paused, standing an arms' length away from Kayleen. “So find your soulmates, earn their love, and save your life, Kayleen. If you don’t want them in the end, then leave in the proper way but ensure your survival. Because, in the end, everyone will get what they truly deserve,” Gert advised.

Kayleen blinked her face slightly pale. “Who are you Gert?” Gert knew everything about her, even about her impending death. Kayleen felt as if she knew nothing about Gert at all. She was a complete stranger, that she had been pretending to be a servant all of these years for her. “Were you sent by Grandpa?” Kayleen’s heart filled with countless emotions and unanswered questions. She still remembered the secret meeting between Wallace’s grandfather and Gert where she had witnessed abnormal things that Gert had done. She had been sent by Grandfather to take care of Kayleen. Her memory was vague. “Are you a witch?”

Gert smiled when Kayleen discovered her identity. “Now you don't need me anymore, Kayleen. It’s time for my salvation.”

“What do you mean, Gert? You are leaving?” Kayleen asked worriedly when she noticed Gert’s body beginning to shine. Gert placed a hand on Kayleen’s head.

“Yes, but I’m leaving you with a parting gift,” Gert remarked, vanishing into thin air while emitting a sharp light into the room.

“Parting gift? Ahh…” Kayleen put her hand over her eyes to shield them.

“Find them,” Gert’s last words echoed in Kayleen’s ears.

“Find who?” Kayleen put her hand down and looked at her surroundings in shock. She was still in her room but surrounded by three thin drapes. She could see three unknown locations displayed on them.

“What is all of this?” Kayleen c****d her brows, realizing it was a kingdom. “Wait! Is that the place where my mate lives?” Kayleen realized, her heart beating fast. Now she did not have to run around searching for her mate. Each drape continued to display the inside of a palace, it seemed to be heading into someone’s room. “But wait, why are there three drapes, and why is each drape showing a different palace?” Kayleen blinked at the drapes in confusion, only to witness three well built men appear in the drapes with their backs facing her.

“Huh?” Kayleen got more and more confused. Who are they…” Kayleen paused when all three of them turned towards her side at once.

‘Mate!’ Ebbe screamed in Kayleen’s mind.

“What?” Kayleen’s eyes widened. “All three of them?” She stepped back in shock. Now she understood why Gert said ‘find them.’

‘Mate!’ Ebbe repeated.

“How is this possible?” Kayleen shivered at the familiar faces of her mates. “I am mated to triplet hybrid lycan princes?”

Four years ago, when Kayleen had turned sixteen, she attended her first mating ball with Wallace. There she had met the lycan guests that had caught every woman’s eye. Wallace was an Alpha Prince, which meant that he had been representing the Werewolf Kingdom. Kayleen had stood beside him the entire evening as his partner.

While there, a strange feeling lingered in her heart in the presence of the lycans that made her restless. Other she-wolves had gotten their wolves on their sixteenth birthday but Kayleen’s wolf had not manifested fully at that time. Ebbe was in an unconscious state.

Kayleen had been different from other she-wolf since birth, so she could not pinpoint exactly what the feeling that she was experiencing from one of the Lycan present was. Eventually, years later, she had realized that it was exactly what other she-wolves had described when they found their mates.

At the time, Kayleen had just continued to focus on Wallace, following his every move as he greeted guests wanting to leave the mating ball as soon as possible. She just returned home without bothering to find out who the man was. Wallace had gotten jealous when other wolves lusted after Kayleen at the mating ball, so he had forbidden her from attending anymore. That was also the day he had promised her to take her as his chosen mate.

But now she had finally learned who it was.

“Lycan Prince Kingston, Lycan Prince Cassius, and Lycan Prince Klauth”