I can’t believe he did this to me. I trusted him. I know I planned to give myself up to the vampire king, but it’s different when your friend gets you kidnapped. It makes sense now why he came to my old pack injured. The first place to go was Theo’s territory, not my old pack if he was looking for me. I can’t believe I didn’t think of that, but how could I. I trusted him. I still remember him telling me that no vampire could find me in his cottage the first time I came. When I woke up and found out that vampires kidnapped me, I brushed it off, but it makes sense now. I am even starting to wonder if the thing he said about Theo dying when he marks me is true.
I use my hand to cover my mouth because of how low it’s hanging in shock. Of course, it’s not true. He knew I was going to take him home, and that’s all he needed. He needed me to go to his place willingly and to make sure Theo wouldn’t ruin his plans. He made me break up with him. I can’t believe Mason would do this to me.
“Why” I voice out with tears streaming down my face. I can’t believe I hurt my mate for nothing. It gave me a little comfort to know that I hurt him to save his life, but now I doubt that’s what I did. I just hurt my mate because I believed the words of someone I thought was a good friend.
“I didn’t have a choice, Ana; it was either you or my daughter. I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to deceive you. It was the only way.”
“No, it was not. You made me lie to my mate and hurt him. You could have just asked me to follow you to your house. There was no need to make me hurt my mate the way I did” I understand he did it to save his daughter, but he did not have to do it this way. I even wonder if his daughter is fine.
“I am sorry, I didn’t want to do it, but the vampire king asked me to. He wanted you to hurt the werewolf king by breaking his heart. He knows getting hurt by your mate is one of the greatest pain supernaturals could feel. He wanted the werewolf king to feel that. I didn’t mean to cause you both so much pain.”
“I don’t want to see you right now. Please leave,” I say, turning away from the front of the cell.
I can’t look at him right now. I want to try and put myself in his shoes and understand that it was not his fault, but I can’t. I am hurt by what he did, and it will take time for me to forgive him even though he didn’t have a choice.
“I understand; I will leave you. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask the guard for me. I will be at your beck and call.” He says, standing up. I hear his footsteps getting further away from me. I wish Theo were here right now. I need his arms around me as I deal with what Mason did to me.
THEODORE
Theodore sat in his office preparing for the upcoming war. Recently he and Xavier were on edge more than usual. He knew why and that’s why he made sure to spend all his time preparing for the war. He did not want to think about her. Even after a few days, it still hurt like the first time. He could not believe Anastasia betrayed him the way she did. He did not want to believe she did, but every time he remembers, the pup smell on her and the child’s heartbeat. He knew it was true. His mate had cheated on him, he found it too unbelievable, but when he went to her house the next day to ask her why again and found out, she had left with the father of her baby. He knew for sure that she was not lying.
Theodore throws his head back in frustration with everything happening in his life. He could not complete the mating process with his mate, and while he is trying to face the werewolf kingdom from going into annihilation, his mate goes and cheat on him. He felt genuinely cursed right now. To make matters worse, the chances of his kind winning this war were slim. The vampire king’s army increases every day as he turns humans into vampires. Werewolves could only be born, and the vampire king had destroyed a lot of packs before Theodore realized he wanted to go to war with the werewolf kingdom. His train of thought is interrupted when a knock is heard at his door. He asks the person to come in as he sits up in his chair. His best friend walks inside and sits opposite him.
“Hi, Theodore , how are you doing?” Ekaterina asks. She was deeply worried about how her great friend was doing. The betrayal of his mate was eating him alive, and she could see it. He has bags under his eyes from lack of sleep because of how restless his wolf was. He got angry and snapped at people more than usual because of how he and his wolf were on edge. She also did not believe Anastasia would cheat on Theodore , but he told her all the facts. She had no choice to believe too.
“I don’t think you came here to know how I am doing, Ekaterina,” Theo says, ignoring her question. He did not like the way she had pity in her eyes for him.
“I might have come for another reason, but I don’t think there is any harm finding out how you are doing.”
“Why are you here?” He did not like people asking him how he was doing because he would have to ask himself too, and he didn’t want to deal with that. His whole focus should be on the war, and that’s where it’s going to be.
“Alpha Kyler is refusing to allow me to go for the war” Ekaterina gave up on finding out how her friend was doing.
“Why do you always address your mate like that? He is your mate, you should call him by his first name, and I support his decision.”
“He is not my mate since I am not a werewolf, and you both can’t stop me from going. I have worked hard for this war, so I deserve to go. I came here thinking you would side with me so you could tell him to back off” Ekaterina is the mate of one of the strongest Alpha’s in the werewolf kingdom, Alpha Kyler.
“You might be a witch, but I know you feel the mate bond between you and Kyler. I already planned to allow you to go until Kyler told me you were pregnant. Why didn’t you tell me yourself?”
What Theodore said to Ekaterina was true. As much as she would like to tell herself that the mate bond did not work on her because she is not a werewolf. She knew she would just be lying to herself. She always felt drawn to Alpha Kyler more than any man in her life, and she knew it was because she was his mate.
“I didn’t tell you because I don’t want to accept it’s real. Theodore , you know this is not my first pregnancy, and I don’t want to get attached to this one and lose it like the others. This war has helped me keep my mind off it. Please allow me to go to the war.”
Ekaterina had lost two babies this year. Alpha Kyler hated her but needed her to bear his heir. Every time she got pregnant, she lost the baby. They had tried everything, but nothing worked. The human doctors said she was fine, and so as all species doctors. She wants a child of her own, but she thinks maybe she is not blessed to have one.
“I know, but what if this one is the one that lives more than three months. The day of the war will make it three months. What if you lose it because of the war, not because of whatever reasons you have been losing the others.”
Theodore ‘s heart ached for his friend. He knew the miscarriage took a toll on her. He knew she volunteered to help them in the war so she could take her mind off the child growing in her womb. He wished he could do something to help ease his friend’s pain.
“Better for me, I can at least tell myself this time around. I lost it for a reason, not because of something I don’t know.”
“Still, I can’t let you go to the war.”
“Please, Theodore , don’t let Alpha Kyler’s words get to you. I will be fine.”
“Sorry, but I have to side with him on this one.”
“Alright, no problem, side with him. I will still go to the war whether both of you like it or not,” Ekaterina says, standing up from the chair.
“Ekaterina, we are doing this for your own good,” Theodore says as she stands by the door.
“To hell with what is good for me,” Ekaterina says and slams the door hard as she walks out. Theodore understood her anger, so he wouldn’t act on her act of disrespect to him.
Theodore continues to make arrangements for the war happening tomorrow. He hopes the werewolf kingdom will be able to win this war. He needed to succeed with everything he was going through. It would be the second-best thing to happen to him. Actually, first since the first was finding out he had a second mate. She broke his heart, so she could not be the best thing to happen to him this year.