Twisted Fate Book 2: Longed for Mate

ANOUD

I watched from afar as my mate, the prince, and the beta engaged in a lively discussion about the training programs for the pups, all under the watchful eyes of the king’s elite. The atmosphere was electric with anticipation as the young ones showcased their skills for their lycan prince. It was a refreshing change to be part of a gathering devoid of hostility.

Usually, we’d have to deal with a few disgruntled pack members—often those who had lost loved ones in the wars. We all empathized with their pain, and Ralph was always lenient, as long as their rebellion could be kept hidden from the king and queen. His brutal honesty about our war-torn past and his uncanny ability to remember every fallen comrade often eased the pain of those who would otherwise attack him.

“Anoud, come here for a minute.” Ralph’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

I turned to find all eyes on me. I quickly alerted our back-up team for cover and made my way toward him, my position promptly filled by a new guard.

“Your Majesty, how may I assist you?” I always addressed him formally in public, which he jokingly said made him seem unapproachable.

He was a constant source of affection and one of my favorite people, but to everyone else, he was our future king.

“Anoud, this young pup was just explaining to me why the Howling Moon Pack has so few female warriors,” Ralph said, giving me a slight smirk.

Ralph loved using me as an example to educate young men who underestimated the value of women in combat.

“Interesting, Your Majesty. Are you suggesting a demonstration of female prowess?”

Ralph nodded. “Well, young man, who would you like to see my elite warrior here fight? Your alpha perhaps?”

I had to tell them now. I quickly opened a link to Ralph and David. “So guys, Alpha Rion is my mate. Sort of. Can we maybe not have me fight him today?”

“WHAT?” Ralph’s roar forced everyone around us to their knees.

I understood his anger—I should have told them sooner. David remained still, his eyes narrowing at my mate.

I linked again. “Please, keep control. It’s complicated, and I just don’t want to fight him right now. Please, for me.”

Ralph immediately lifted his aura and apologized. “It seems we won’t be having a demonstration today. We’ll arrange some training for you to observe later in the week.”

The young pup scoffed, either out of arrogance or ignorance. The whispers of “I told you so” irked Ralph.

I knew what was coming next. I braced myself.

“Anoud has informed me that your pack’s training has too many weaknesses for a fair fight with the alpha.”

The pups gasped, and my mate growled at the blatant insult.

“However, you’re right to demand an example after I challenged you. You may observe my elite’s sparring.”

“Great. I actually like this outfit, guys. Do we have to do this?”

I knew arguing was futile. I was led to the large training ring, the edges lined with teenage pups. I stepped inside with David.

We were evenly matched, and after years of training together, we knew exactly where to strike for maximum impact.

“Begin.”

We charged at each other, our training style more akin to actual combat than sparring. David relentlessly targeted my right shoulder until it popped.

I fell but managed to land a blow to his ribs, hearing the satisfying crunch as they broke. He staggered back, giving me an opening.

I adjusted to use my left arm and struck him repeatedly until he fell.

But I couldn’t maintain control for long. We were evenly matched, after all.

We continued trading blows for about ten minutes, switching positions and styles to demonstrate our skills to the pups and inflict maximum damage.

I gained the upper hand during a brief wrestling match and locked my thighs around David, choking him.

He struggled, scratching and drawing blood in a desperate attempt to escape.

“Enough!” My mate’s roar echoed through the ring, but we were locked in until Ralph released us.

David pushed up, tearing my skin. “I said ENOUGH.”

He was now climbing over the barrier, and Ralph linked us both to step back. We separated immediately.

I stretched and popped my shoulder back in place. It must have been gruesome to watch, but learning to fight around an injury was crucial in war.

We both bowed to Ralph. The pups approached, apologizing sheepishly.

Ralph charmed them, and soon they were grinning, delighted by some compliment Ralph had given about how apologizing when wrong was the “mark of a strong wolf.”

“Do you need help getting to the infirmary?” My mate’s concern was palpable.

David laughed, slapping my injured shoulder hard enough to make me wince.

I retaliated with a punch to his ribs. “Watch it, Beta.”

“You’re already healed, right? I barely hit you.”

My mate’s protective instincts flared as he stepped up to David. “Barely hit her? You tore her fucking arm off.”

David looked amused. He kept his cool but didn’t back down.

“Okay, okay, Alpha—that was a mild sparring match. We’re the elite. Did you think we’d just wrestle a bit? Anoud, Ralph, and I were the ones who took out the final orc threat… Do you think we did that by gently sparring?”

To distract my mate, I lifted my top to show the already healed gash. “Look, this is the worst one, and it’s almost gone.”

He growled as he took in my newly pink skin.

“Honestly, Alpha, that match lasted about ten minutes. We train for hours without stop at our pack. We use silver, we fight multiple partners. As Beta David said, we’re elite for a reason. Your exaggerated concern for me will only prove your pups right, so just cut it out.”

I growled out the last bit, and we walked toward Ralph, who was still explaining the benefits of female warriors.

“Anoud is actually the only elite trainee to never break under our torture training.”

He said it with pride, but I felt my mate tense.

“Maybe don’t tell my alpha mate that I’ve been tortured on a monthly basis for years, Ralph. He’s barely holding it together right now.”

David laughed and clapped me on the back again as Ralph just smiled.

“True enough. Women warriors have a kind of toughness that might catch you off guard. Only about ten percent of your pack, regardless of gender, make it as warriors. But if you take your training seriously now, you’ll be better equipped to defend yourselves if you’re ever attacked in the future.”

After the pups were sent off, we all headed back to clean up before lunch. Time was tight, so I didn’t have much of a chance to talk to the boys.

All I could tell them was that Rion was probably going to reject me. When I said it was because of my appearance, Ralph nearly lost his cool.

Since I wasn’t on duty, I decided to have lunch in my room. But it felt like I was still on guard duty, with David keeping me in the loop about Ralph’s comments.

At one point, he flat out accused my mate of being a racist. Not much was said after that.

David described the atmosphere as frosty. This wasn’t going to do me any favors.

As the time to meet Rion again drew closer, I started to feel anxious. Please, please don’t reject me, my love. Please.