Chapter 44: Blessed with Two Mates

(Kiera)

I got up early in the morning. After I wore my training gear, I went down to Xavier’s office. A lot of his paperwork has been piling up. I have checked in with the schools making sure that everything is okay and that they haven’t had any unwanted activities. I have gone over the finances and left some notes for Xavier and Benny to check. I have to believe that we will get them back. There are no ifs’ or buts. I also checked in with the lead Omega for the weekly check in. I got up from Xavier’s chair and walked out of the castle and to the training grounds. I stood back and looked at everyone. Most of the pack and our allies are training.

My pack has always trained, but ever since their king and royal Gamma were taken they have been training harder and sometimes twice or three times a day. Our allies have gotten along great with each other and our pack. I watch as one of the Alphas helps some of the Omegas from my kingdom who decide to train to help keep the pack safe while we are gone. I really thought that was very brave of the Omegas to want to train to help keep the pack safe when we’re gone. Suddenly, the wind changed and an unwanted familiar stench hit my nose, making me growl.

‘Your highness ferals are coming our way. They are just outside the south border’ Troy, one of our warriors links me. I go to link back when I hear him again.

‘Is that… bear shifters?’ he asked and I could feel some of my pack members worry.

‘I want all elderly, pregnant women, pups, and those who can’t defend themselves to head to the bunkers NOW’ I link the whole pack. Did they find out that mom wasn’t me? Did the potion fade already? Probably. That’s probably why they are attacking.

‘I need warriors on the south border. Feral and bear shifters are heading towards our pack’ I link. As I headed over to the south border, I saw that Troy was not joking about the bear shifters. This is the first time I saw a bear shifter. I feel my warriors joining us but we don’t charge. We wait until they are closer. Lola, one of the Omegas who has been training hard, stands beside me and smiles when she sees my claws elongating. This will be my first time I fight in my Lycan form. Lola shifts to her wolf. Her wolf is a fiery red color. The ferals and bear shifters cross our borders. I noticed that the leader was looking around until his eyes landed on me. He starts to stalk towards me and from the corner of my eye I see Lola jump and grab a feral by the neck and does a death shake. I hear a snap and the feral goes limp. Lola lets go of the feral and growls at it. I turn my attention to whom I assume is the leader. I noticed he had a limp in his hind leg. He tried to hide it but it's unsuccessful. This will be easy. He makes the first move and lunges for my neck. He can’t think it will be that easy, can he?

I twisted out of the way and shifted to my Lycan while at the same time sinking my canines into his hip, biting deep into the side and, with the limp, it caused even more damage. He struggles to get out of my grip. His paw managed to catch me by surprise and get my muzzle. With a yelp, I dropped him and he fell to the ground. Without giving him a chance to stand, I pinned him with my paws and gripped his neck, breaking it. I hear a roar and see a black bear shifter running towards me, but then I see a fiery red wolf jump in front of me with hackles up and growling at the bear shifter who comes to a complete stop. I see his eyes dilate and sniff the air. Lola had gone completely still. Then I heard another roar making me turn to my right and so did the first bear. I looked between the first bear and the one running towards Lola and me. Just then, the first bear stood in front of Lola and me before letting out a roar and fighting the other bear. I looked at Lola, wondering what in the world had just happened.

‘He… he’s my mate’ Lona says through the link and I nod my head in understanding. Then I see an even larger bear shifter if that’s possible. Lola turns and we both lunge at the bear shifter. I go for his neck and Lola goes for his belly. The weak point that we know will deliver kill shots. The bear shifter catches me with a few swipes from his massive paws. I compartmentalize the pain and keep biting. He decides to buck like a wild horse trying to shake us off. Standing on his hind legs and swiping wildly.

‘I have an idea, my queen. Can you distract him?’ Lola linked me. We let go at the same time and I back up growling and snapping at the bear shifter. He takes the bait and takes a step forward and Lola comes up from behind and latches onto the underside of his neck. I land on all fours and thrashes around, but he doesn’t let go though. Her jaws are locked and her paws dig into his stomach. He’s losing blood. A lot of it. I jumped in and gripped his neck from the side and pulled opposite for her. We pull as hard as we can until I tear out whatever chunk I have between my teeth. He collapses to the ground and the weight of him lands on Lola. I hear her whine and I grip the back of her neck like a mother would her pup and try to pull her out, but the fucker is heavy. Just then, the first bear comes and pushes the dead bear and I’m able to pull Lola out. I checked her over for any injuries and saw nothing that would heal by the end of the day. The bear, her mate, comes closer to Lola, sniffing her and slowly begins to lick her wounds before nudging her.

I look around and see a few ferals have surrendered or been killed. Suddenly, I hear a roar and Lola’s mate is in front of me. His back was towards me. He slowly turns and I see he has a large dagger in his stomach. Lola howled from the side. That large dagger was meant for me and this bear took it. I looked up to see a male with matted blonde hair smiling evilly at me, then looked at the bear.

“Traitor” I heard him say before Mr. Koslov grabs the rogue and rips his throat out. I looked back at the bear. He was here to take me to my sister, but found his mate here and saved my life. He took a dagger for me. I shifted back and Marisol gave me a shirt, but I don’t miss how her eyes went to my belly.

“Thank you for saving my life, but I need you to shift back” I said. He closes his eyes and I stand. Kane, Guillermo and one of the pack doctors come towards us.

“Treat his injuries and let me know how he is doing” I said, and they all looked at me confused.

“I know what you are thinking. Yes, he came to try and take me to my sister, but he found his mate”, I said and looked at Lola, who nudged her mate then licked his face.

“He also just saved my life… mine and my pups” I said, making their eyes widen in shock. Lola looks at me then looks at her mate. I know she is torn between coming with me or being with her mate. I know what I would have done. I hand her a t-shirt.

“Go with your mate. He needs you”, I tell her and she bows her head before shifting and going with them. I could see my pack members looking at me, then looking at my belly. I know what they were thinking.

“I know what you are all thinking. Why would I put my pups in danger and fight? As you all know, Mrs. Yashira is a high priestess. She knew about my pregnancy before or just as I knew and she knew I was going to do anything and everything to get my mates back, so she made a special potion. This potion protects my pups no matter what. So, don’t worry, the babies are fine”, I assured them. They all nodded and I saw a sense of relief cross their faces. I knew they worried not just because my pups are the next heir to the throne, but because we are also families.

“I’m happy for you sweetheart, but you should have a doctor check on the pups just to make sure” Mrs. River says and I nod.

“Okay” I said.

“We’ll take care of all of this”, Mrs. Angel said.

“Thank you” I said and made my way to the pack clinic. As I got there, I saw Doctor Anna.

“My queen, what can I help you with?” she asked, bowing her head in respect.

“I came to see if you could check on my pups. I want to make sure they are doing okay” I said and her eyes widened in shock before snapping out of it and guiding me to a room. She grabs a blanket and drapes it over my lower body.

“Please raise your shirt just below your belly” she says, and I do. She grabs a bottle and looks at me.

“This is going to be cold” she says and I nod, gasping slightly at the cold gel. She grabs the probe and starts moving it around. Soon there room is filled with the sound of a fast heartbeat. I felt my eyes sting with unshed tears and I closed them, wishing my mates were here to see this.

“Baby A looks perfectly fine…” she says the moves and presses a bit harder, but not enough to hurt. The sound of another heartbeat fills the room.

“Baby B is also perfectly fine, your highness” she says, and I can hear the smile in her voice. I hear a few clicks before I feel her clean me off.

“I will be right back, your highness” she said and left. As soon as I heard the door close, I burst out crying. It feels good to know that our pups are safe and healthy, but at the same time it felt a bit wrong, doing this without them.

‘Don’t feel bad. They will understand. They are our mates and the fathers of our pups. They will love us’, Ari says, and I nod. I take a deep breath and calm myself. When Anna comes back, she hands me a few pictures and some prenatal vitamins.

“Take these in the morning and if morning sickness gets too much that you can’t keep anything down, come back and see me and we can see what I can do”, Anna says. I thanked her, then headed back to the castle. As I rounded the corner, I saw our pack members and allies outside the castle.

“I’m sorry our training section was cut short, but what better training than some of the real things” I said and, some chuckle.

“If you were hurt during this attack, go get yourself checked. The rest of you, I want you to eat and rest. We will meet back here at five” I said. And they all bowed their heads in submission.

“Your highness” I heard Lola call.

“Lola, how are you?” I asked.

“I’m fine my queen” she blushes.

“What can I do for you?” I asked her.

“My mate… he would like to speak with you” she says, and I hear the Betas growl making Lola whimper and bow her head in submission.

“Enough. That bear shifter saved my life and the life of my pups” I said, making the Betas bow their heads. I sighed, closing my eyes and tilting my head up to the sky. Even though it was getting colder, the sun still felt warm against my skin. When was the last time I stretched my wings out fully? I looked at Lola, who was still looking at the ground.

“Take me to him”, I tell Lola, who nods and takes me back to the pack clinic. We arrive in a room where there are warriors stationed outside. As soon as they see me, they bow their heads in respect and submission. I walked into the room to see the bear shifter handcuffed to the bed. He didn’t fight the restraint, but something told me that if he wanted to he could break free from the handcuffs.

“Take the handcuffs off” I told one of the warriors. He looked at the bear shifter, then at me before doing what I had asked. I heard his stomach growl and he blushed. When was the last time he ate?

“Lola, can you get your mate some food?” I asked her and she nodded.

“You guys are relieved” I said, and they bowed their heads and left.

“Your highness” the bear shifter said and bowed his head in respect.

“What is your name?” I asked.

“Duke” he replied.

“Duke, why did you attack us?” I asked. He looked up at me before looking at the ground.

“It’s a bit of a long story” he mumbled.

“I’m not going anywhere” I said, and he nodded.

“Six months ago, the hunter princess ambushed me and my first mate at a river while we were hunting for food…” he trailed off and looked down.

“Hunter princess?” I echoed and he nodded.

“Your sister Helen. She had asked everyone to call her the hunter princess and her grandfather is the hunter King” he growled, but I just shook my head.

“Figures… go ahead, continue” I said and he nodded.

“They asked us to join them against a war coming and that the gods and goddesses told her to come find us. Grace, my first mate, and I knew this was a lie because if it was, the bear king would have asked other bear shifters to look for us or any other shifter there was. So we refused to help her. She didn’t like this so… she… she killed my mate. This sent me into a murderous rage, but before I could do anything, I was hit with a tranquilizer. When I woke up, I was inside a cell. The whole time I was there she was telling me how you killed her father and took her mate away from her. Oh, she also said that you tried to kill her, but my bear and I knew it was all a lie” he said.

“What makes you think it was all a lie?” I asked.

“My bear and I could sense the evilness coming from her”, he admitted, and I nodded.

“So, you came here to take me back?” I asked.

“No, your highness. I came to tell you that your mother’s spell wore off. She, along with your mates, are being tortured. We were the first of the wave. They will come at you with everything they have. You don’t have to believe me, but I want to help, your highness” he said.

“Why didn’t you let the dagger hit me?” I asked.

“Because I can see you are a good person, unlike your sister. I have a feeling that you can stop all of this” he said. Lola came back with the food and behind her was Kane with a tray as well.

“You need to eat”, Kane said, and looked at my stomach. I smiled and took the tray.

“So, Duke, what can you tell me about where my mates and mother are being kept?” I asked. He began to tell me where they were located, about how many people they had, including a handful of bear shifters.

“We know they have a building”, Kane said, and Duke nodded.

“Yes, everyone they capture are being held there” Duke said.

“Do you remember the layout of the building?” I asked.

“I do your highness” he replied.

“Can you tell us?” I asked.

“I think it’s best if I show you” he said, making me arch an eyebrow. He placed the tray on the table and extended his hands. I didn’t think about it twice in taking it. I needed to know where my mates were. Duke looked at Kane and Kane took his hand. Duke closed his eyes and I felt like I was yanked forward. I could see the building. We walked through the door. The building was small. It had two cots, a fridge and two chairs, one on each side of a door. We went through that door and down some stairs. It was dark and I could feel how muggy it was. We turned right and saw cells on both sides.

“The cells are down that way, but to open the cells you either use the keys which your grandfather or Hele always have with them, or you can come down here…” he said, turning left and entering what looked to be some type of office.

“This is the button you need to press and all the cell doors will open” Duke said.

“Who is that?” I heard Kane ask. I look at him and follow his line of sight and see a woman on a hospital bed with machines around her.

“That Nidia. She’s the first human they kidnapped. She has the ability to move things with her mind, that’s why she has been kept sedated” Duke said.

“Who is helping my grandfather with all of this?” I asked.

“A dark witch named Matilda. She and your grandfather have been very close”, Duke said. We hear the door to the room we are in open and the three of us turn to look. There stood a woman with salt and pepper hair, heavy on the make up, and a black dress. She stops at the door and looks around the room, then looks straight at us almost like she could see us.

“Who is that?” I whispered.

“Matilda”, Duke says.

“Can she see us?” Kane asked.

“No, but I think she can sense someone is here. We should go”, Duke says, then let’s go of our hands. I feel like I’m jolted back again and my stomach rolls. I rush to the bathroom and empty my contents that I had just eaten.

“Is she okay?” I heard Duke ask, concern lazed in his voice.

“Yes. She’s pregnant” Kane says.

“Oh” Duke says.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know and I should have warned you that was going to happen. Everyone reacts differently,” Duke says.

“I-It’s okay” I said and went to the faucet to wash my mouth.

“You shouldn’t be fighting if you’re pregnant” Duke says.

“My pups are safe and I’m not backing down. We need to get to my mates tonight”, I said, and he nodded.

“I understand your highness and if you let me… I would like to pledge my loyalty to you”, Duke said. I wanted to let him come and help us, but how do I know he’s not going to stab us in the back?

“I came here with the ferals and the other bear shifters, but my intension was not to hurt you” Duke said.

“And you proved it when you took that dagger meant for me” I said.

“Please, my queen. I was given a second chance mate by the Gods and Goddesses. Let me avenge my first mate’s death”, Duke said, and I heard Lola whimper, making Duke look at her. Lola looked at the floor, taking a step back before leaving the room. Duke stood and looked between me and the door where his mate had just gone.

“Go and talk to your mate”, I told him. He bowed his head and quickly left to go after Lola.