Chapter 1 THE BATTLE IN THE FERNDELL FOREST
WILLA’S POV
For nearly all of my life, I had dreamed of the moment I would finally meet my fated mate. But never in my wildest imagination did I ever think I would meet him in the middle of a violent battle, fighting for opposing and irreconcilable causes.
And yet… Here I was.
I stood frozen in place as my hold around my daggers loosened slightly.
It seemed as if the world blurred into nothing, while time took on an odd shift, moving sluggishly in slow motion. But my heart defied the seemingly slow ticking of time as it thundered in my chest, clamoring for the magnificent wolf standing in front of me.
His thick pelt that was darker than the gloom of the bloody night looked unfairly silky underneath the brilliance of the waxing gibbous moon. His eyes glowed a vibrant amber, so beautiful in their depth that they almost looked like an endless pool of liquid gold.
“My mate,” I called out even though I knew my voice would simply drown in the noisy din of the battle.
But the wolf seemed to have heard me. He took a sure step towards me, and then another until the distance between us was close to nonexistent.
The need to touch coursed through my entire being, and it was so strong that I dropped my weapons to the ground against my better judgment.
We were in the middle of a battle! Only fools with no care for their lives would leave themselves unarmed. And if I had any working brain cells left, I would’ve shifted to my wolf form in the next heartbeat.
But I didn’t.
Rationality seemed to evade me, because the next thing I did was touch the quiet black wolf, petting him on his head, right on the spot between his ears.
The thudding of my heart grew quicker and louder, and my blood seemed to burn as it flowed through my veins. Carnal desires awakened in the pit of my stomach, and wet heat slowly pooled in my underwear.
A low, reverberating growl erupted from the wolf, and I knew then that he was aware that he had triggered my heat, putting me at the precipice of my instincts to bond and mate with him.
All around us, the ruthless and bloody fighting continued, oblivious to the moment shared between me and an enemy wolf.
All except for my twin brother.
“What are you doing?” William hissed, tugging my arm so harshly that I staggered backwards.
But he wasn’t looking at me. His eyes that glowed a vivid viridian were glued on the black wolf, staring with barely held fury. His tight and sure grip on his wharncliffe blade never wavered as he pointed the weapon threateningly at the enemy that was now snarling aggressively at him, baring all sharp teeth in warning.
A wave of pleasure ran through my spine at the reverberating sound, and my knees nearly buckled as the need for my fated mate grew stronger.
“Will,” I began to say, prying my brother’s hand away from my arm, and it was enough to earn me a bewildered look from my brother. “I must go. I’ll…”
I sent the wolf a glance, my mouth growing dry.
“He is an enemy, Willa!”
“I know!” I retorted, my voice becoming almost shrilly. “But he is also my…”
William stole a glance at the wolf, his anger fizzling into defeat. “Fuck. Of all people…”
“I know,” I repeated, softly this time and meaning it differently. “But our bloodline has always known the sacredness of such ties, Will.”
Green eyed werewolves like us had been known as the descendants of the very first fated pair of werewolves. And while a coupling of two fated mates was irrefutably rare as it was precious among our kind, it was all the more sacred for my bloodline.
Just then, a piercing and harrowing howl rose above the chaotic cacophony of the battle. A wolf had just lost a mate in the fight.
“It’s Strome,” William breathed out in horror, recognizing the pained and angry howl of his best friend. Then for a moment, a torn expression crossed his face, and his grip on me finally loosened.
I quickly took the opportunity to bolt, and my fated mate moved in sync with me. He pivoted, positioning his body to allow me to climb on his back.
“Go!” I yelled at my brother, comfortably settling on the wolf’s back, securely digging my fingers through the soft pelt on the back of his neck. “Do not worry about me. I can handle myself.”
“He may be your fated mate, but he is still an enemy. Do not be complacent,” William warned, giving me a hard look.
“You should be careful too.”
And with that, the wolf dashed away, whisking me from the scene of the battlefield that went on in the middle of the Ferndell Forest.
The crisp night breeze hit my face as the wolf ran through the forest, heading east towards the neighboring human kingdom that had already been conquered by the Alpha King and his Culling Army that was headed by his son, Gallahan Wick.
‘Of course,’ I thought wryly, ‘He is bringing me to enemy territory.’
But I didn’t truly feel any dread nor any fear. There was comfort and safety in the presence of my fated mate, and I was confident that despite being on different sides of this war, he wouldn’t dare hurt me. Much less kill me.
What I was confident of was how he would take care of me in all the intimate ways a good wolf would to his mate in heat.
The mere idea of it sent a shiver all over my body, and my need to be claimed and marked by him hit me like a truck.
A copious amount of wetness oozed out of me, and I had no doubt the wolf felt my slick on his back from the way he growled impatiently.
If I had no shame, I would’ve transformed in that moment and be mounted in my wolf form. But as heats usually lasted for a few days with the help of a mate, a proper place to be filled and knotted would be more ideal than a dirty ground in the middle of a thick forest.
Thinking about getting filled and knotted by the perfect person birthed for my soul and my soul alone sent me bending forward, burying my face in the soft fuzz of the wolf’s pelt.
“Faster,” I pleaded, desperately wanting to see the man I was lucky enough to have as my fated mate.
‘He is an enemy,’ my mind unhelpfully reminded, but the caution blurred into nothing when he let out a possessive snarl.
“Yes,” I moaned, rutting my hips on my mate’s back. “Yours. Take me home now.”