Warring Mates

“Lexi,” a voice yelled from the other side of my door. A loud banging followed suit.

I clutched the towel tighter around my body and opened the door so the person could only see my head. “What the hell, Zak,” I grumbled. After being forced to quit the next course and finally being calmed down, I wanted a moment for myself. To clear my head.

He trudged inside, not caring I was standing in a towel. “Get dressed.”

I stood there with my mouth ajar. One moment. One silent moment. Was that too much to ask? “I’ll get dressed when I want to get dressed, and right now all I want is for you to leave.” My voice raised louder at the end. I was moments away from destroying this palace.

Zak turned to me, and that’s when I saw it. The panic. “This is not up to debate. You need to get dressed.”

I trembled, but did as he said. “What happened?”

He wrapped an arm around me and winnowed me to the throne room without saying a word. My entire family was there together with the rulers and some people of the elite. They were all talking in hushed voices.

I strode to my parents, my eyes on Collin who was talking with them. It was the first time I saw them act like civil people. No glares or yelling. My hands shook as I refused to look at my parents. Ashamed wasn’t even close to what I was feeling. I couldn’t believe I said I hated them. My parents, on the other hand, thought differently about it.

Dad wrapped an arm around me, kissing my temple. “Don’t feel too bad. It was bound to happen sooner or later.”

I buried my head into his chest. “What’s happening?”

My dad’s body stiffened for a moment. “I want you to stay at all times with Ryan and Zak.”

I narrowed my eyes as I pulled back. “Why?” I already had guards following my every movement. I didn’t need two others.

In the corner of my eye, I saw Collin moving closer to me. I tensed under his penetrating gaze.

“Lachlan escaped.”

My dad’s words echoed through my head. He had escaped. “How,” I breathed, still unable to process it. We had one of the best dungeons. Magic warded everything, and guards stood at every corner.

Ryan coughed, scratching the back of his neck. “I may have underestimated him.”

His words barely registered in my brain as the tense air was suffocating me. “Can I leave?”

“As long as you stay close to Zak and Ryan,” my dad said, and that was all I needed to hear. Without glancing back at Collin, I rushed out of the room.

“So,” Zak drawled out as he rushed to walk beside me. “What’s the deal with you and Collin?”

“I don’t want to talk,” I clipped as I walked down the grand stairs. Especially not about him. Not when I cheated on Lachlan in a moment of weakness. I knew that the bond between me and Collin would be stronger than the one I had with Lachlan, but still... To give in that easily. It would break his heart if he found out about it. Goddess, I still couldn’t believe I had done that.

“Lexi, it is best if we stay inside.”

I didn’t listen. Didn’t hear it. Only the thump of my heart hummed inside my ears. Quiet. I needed to be somewhere quiet. To think. To rest. To do just anything. It had to be quiet.

A giggle caught my attention. I whipped my head to the noise. The same girl the creatures kidnapped was standing by a tree, staring at me. I looked around to see if anyone else saw her. It was then that I noticed Ryan and Zak weren’t with me. They must have stepped back to give me some alone time.

I stepped to the girl who twirled on her heels. She skipped into the woods, her hands clasped behind her back. “Wait.” I couldn’t let her leave. Lachlan knew her, and I would be damned to let her out of my sights a second time.

The girl ignored me as she giggled. She went deeper and deeper into the woods.

“Where are you going?” I ran after her until I didn’t hear her anymore. “What the...” I spun around, but she was nowhere to be seen. To be honest, I didn’t even know where I was. This part of the woods was unknown to me.

I cursed. Friend of him, my ass. That girl was nothing but trouble.

“You came.”

My breath hitched, a chill going down my spine. Frozen on the spot, I had to force myself to turn around. Lachlan stepped out of the trees, the orange hue in his eyes shining brighter than before, his face a mask I could not decipher.

“You don’t have to do this,” I tried. Somewhere deep inside he was still there. I could feel it. “We can figure this out.”

A dark chuckle left his mouth, his mouth etched in a cruel smirk. “It’s time.”

I took a step back, grinding my teeth. The only way he would let me go was with a fight, which was going to be a problem. Every little danger set my beast on edge, and if I were to shift now, there was no saying if I would survive.

“Lachlan, please,” I begged, my hands in front of me. “You don’t have to do this.”

For a moment—a brief second—the hue diminished. It didn’t last for long. He dashed forward, the dagger in his hand pointing right at me. I evaded him, pivoting to his right. I kicked him in the ribs and I cringed as I heard a crack. He would fight with the intent to hurt me, and I couldn’t hold back.

I cried out when he planted his fist right into my stomach, and I fell to my knees, clutching it. Whatever the creatures did to him, it made him stronger and faster.

Pushing the pain to the depth of my mind, I grabbed the dagger hidden in my shoe. He evaded it, grabbing my arm and with his own dagger he cut across my ribs. Blood tainted the air, spreading over my shirt. He followed up with a kick on my knee. I felt something snap, and a scream ruptured from my throat. The burn of it had spots of black dancing in my vision. I cried out, clutching my ribs as the only thing I felt was pain.

“Lexi!”

No. No. No. He couldn’t be here. Lachlan would kill him. I couldn’t lose both of them. “Col—” My voice died when another wave of pain hit me.

After the initial pain disappeared, I forced my eyes open. Lachlan was about to kill Collin, who laid on the ground. He seemed to be in a lot of pain, blood oozing out of a wound on his stomach.

“No!” I hurtled a blast of lightning at Lachlan, knocking him into a tree. He laid lifeless on the ground, but by the rising of his chest I knew he was still alive.

Collin forced himself off the ground and knelt next to me. “We need to go.”

“Silas,” I forced out. If we could reach him, then Zak could winnow us away.

“I can’t reach him.” He picked me up, a groan leaving his mouth.

“You’re hurt.” I wiggled in his arms. I couldn’t have him pass out in the middle of hiding.

“I’m fine,” he gritted out. “You’re the one whose leg is broken.”

When we arrived at the waterfall, our bodies hidden by the water, he placed me on the ground. He grabbed a dagger and cut my jeans till above my knee. I looked away. My knee was swollen and purple.

“It doesn’t seem to be broken.” He touched it and a grunt escaped my mouth.

“Frickin hell. Did you have to do that,” I hissed. “It is more than obvious that it hurts without touching it, dumbass.”

He stared at me, a brow raised.

“What?”

“You’re...” He shook his head, a chuckle leaving his mouth. “Never mind. How’s the wound on your ribs?”

I leant against the stone wall and let him raise my shirt. The wound had already healed and was now an angry red line. “Thank the Goddess I heal faster now.”

Collin cupped my cheek, forcing me to look at him. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah,” I breathed, looking away from him.

He grabbed my chin with his fingers, his face now inches away from me. “Are you all right?” he asked again. This time with more force.

I nibbled at my lower lip, holding back the traitorous tears. But one still escaped. Lachlan attacked me, hurt me. He was gone.

His lips caught the tear. “We will figure this out. Those creatures will not get away with this.”

I shook my head. “I’m not feeling so good.” My head hurt, my stomach twisting and churning. I placed a hand on it.

“Try to stay—” He stopped mid-sentence, his body tensing.

“Collin?” I whispered. He raised a hand, a silent gesture I had to stay silent. The trees rustled. I gasped. Five creatures stepped out with Lachlan in the middle. One of them held a blade against his neck. He didn’t fight back, his eyes emotionless.

I hasted off the ground, ignoring the pain that shot through my leg. Collin caught me and covered my mouth with his hand as he held me captive against his chest.

“They rely on their sense of smell,” he whispered in a low tone. “As long as we stay out of sight, they won’t spot us.”

I fought against his grip, the only thing in my mind that blade against Lachlan’s throat.

“We know you are close,” one of the creatures lisped. “Come out or this male will die.”

Collin muffled my scream, tightening his arm around me. “I’m sorry,” he whispered in my hair. “But I can’t let them have you.”

Ten seconds went by. Twenty. Thirty. When the clock hit sixty, they slit his throat.

I thrashed in his hold, my nails digging in his arm. The blood poured out of his neck, the light in his eyes dying. Those beautiful pools of amber.

I pushed my elbow into his stomach. He let go of me with a grunt, falling onto his knees. I ran to Lachlan, but didn’t get far as Collin tackled me. I fought against him and managed to get out of his arms again.

I turned back to Lachlan to see the creatures had left. But I didn’t care. The only thing I could focus on was his blood that was tainting the grass.

“Lexi, they can still be close.” Colling grabbed me from behind.

I pushed him away. “You let him die” I yelled, hitting him in the chest. “It’s your fault.”

“You are angry, Lexi. I understand that, but—”

“I hate you!” I shoved him away. Every feeling I once held for him was gone. Replaced by blind rage. “You’re a monster.”

I watched the muscle in his jaw twitch, his eyes turning bitter and ruthless. “I’m the monster,” he spat dangerously as blood dripped from his clenched fists. His claws were cutting through his skin. “You should look into the mirror first.”

“I’m no monster,” I hissed. “You are. You’re the one who let him die.”

“I was saving your life,” he roared, his eyes flickering a dangerous golden.

“I didn’t ask you to do that.” I was breathing harshly as a cold fire spread through my body.

He scoffed out, his face morphing into a cold, unreadable mask. “Shifters are all the same.”

“And how would you know,” I said lowly, my skin pricking. “You kill them as soon as you set your eyes on them.”

Something unleashed inside of him. “Of course I do! They killed my family!”

I stilled and stared at him with wide eyes. They killed his family... No, my dad would have known about that. He would have told me. He’s lying. He had to be.

I clutched my head and fell on my knees as the world around me swayed. My wall came crumbling down, my body tensing in the way it always did when I was about to shift. An agonizing filled scream escaped my mouth. I couldn’t breathe.

“Lexi.” Collin dropped next to me, his hands cupping my cheeks. “Breathe through it.”

“I can’t,” I wheezed. Something was wrong. I couldn’t feel her—my beast. “She—I—” I cried as my fingers relocated.

His hands dove beneath my shirt, but there were no sparks. “What the fuck,” he cursed, holding me closer.

“What’s happening,” I whimpered. My beast was nowhere to be seen. The sparks gone. “I don’t... I don’t want to shift.”

“Shh,” Collin cooed as he kissed my head. “It’s going to be okay. Silas will be here soon with your parents.” But we both knew the truth. We had no way of reaching them.

I cried harder when the muscles around my spine tensed. “Make it stop,” I begged. “Please.”

“Lexi, this is going to hurt, but I promise you as soon as your spine breaks it will go faster.” He laid me on the ground.

“What—” I cried out. The tension in my spine worsened, the cracking reverberating to my ears. And then it snapped. No sound left my mouth as the world around me stilled. The pain left my body, my eyes barely keeping open.

Somebody was calling a name, worry laced in his voice. It made my heart clench in sorrow. “Don’t,” he ordered. “Fight through it.”

I groaned, forcing myself to breathe—to fight like that voice urged me too. Yet I couldn’t. My body wanted to rest, to stay in this peaceful moment. Goddess, it was so peaceful here. No pain, no worry.

“Come on…” With each moment, the voice became softer and softer until it was a dull caress. “Damn it… Fight…”

I didn’t want to anymore.

Something wet touched my face. Tears…

“I’m so sorry.” My heart thumped. “I love you.”

He… loved me?

I drew in a gulp of air, my body aching at places I didn’t know existed.

“That’s it,” the voice cooed. “Breathe. Breathe for me, little mouse.”

My body listened to his command. It was fighting for him, and I didn’t understand why. It was perfect here.

“Come back to me.” The person caressed my skin, his forehead against mine.

Blinding light infiltrated my senses as I opened my eyes. It took me a couple moments before I saw him. Collin…

“You scared me for a moment, little one.” His voice was gentle—soothing. “You’re a beautiful fox.”

A fox… I shifted into a fox.

We stayed in this moment for a while. His forehead against mine, our eyes closed. Just breathing in each other's scent as he let me regain some energy.

Reluctantly, he pulled away. “Can you shift back?” he asked as he unbuttoned his shirt.

Could I? My thoughts weren’t my own, my body not listening to a thing I said.

“Think of your human form.”

Slowly, my bones snapped back. A whimper left my mouth as I laid still on the ground. Even the soft breeze of the wind made me want to cry out in pain if I had the energy for it.

“Can you give me your arm?” When I didn’t answer, he grabbed my arm carefully. I cried and bit through the pain as he helped pull it on. “How are you feeling?” he asked, buttoning his shirt.

I stared at my hands, flinching when I tried to curl my fingers. “I can’t feel her…”

“Okay.” Collin pulled me to his chest, and I let my tears free. There was nothing. No sparks or the purring of my beast. Were we even still mates?

“Do you still want me?” I asked, my voice a whisper as I was scared for his answer.

“Of course I want you.” He nuzzled my neck, and added softer, “I always wanted you.”

“But...” I didn’t have to continue to let him know what I meant.

“I don’t know what is wrong, but a mate bond can’t be broken,” he reassured me.

Mate bond... “Lachlan—” I had completely forgotten about him. “You let him die,” I mumbled.

His arms tightened. “I had no other choice. They would have taken you.”

His touch—it felt wrong.

I pushed him away. “Don’t touch me.”

He let go of me with a growl, and I didn’t look at him. Lachlan was dead. I trembled uncontrollably. He was dead. My breathing quickened as I tangled my hands in my hair. He was dead. I would never see that smile, or those eyes.

Arms wrapped around me and I screamed for him to let me go. I didn’t want him. He killed him. He killed my best friend.

“It’s me,” my dad whispered, stroking my back as he turned to Collin. “What happened?”