Consequences Series Book 5
Author
Hyun Ji
Reads
17.1K
Chapters
31
In a world where bonds of friendship and love are tested by supernatural forces, Andrew and Nathan navigate the complexities of their relationship amidst pack politics and looming threats. As they grow from childhood friends to destined mates, their journey is fraught with jealousy, misunderstandings, and the ever-present danger of rogue wolves. Will their love be strong enough to overcome the trials they face, or will the shadows lurking in the forest tear them apart?
Chapter 1
Book 5: Unexpected
DAMIEN
I stood by the fresh grave of a fallen comrade, a casualty of our latest battle.
āHow many?ā I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
āFour, Sir. Their bodies are at the foot of the hill, awaiting your orders,ā Riley, my right-hand man and half warlock, replied. His voice was low, respectful, as he spoke of the witches weād just killed.
I tried to hide my distaste for the formal address, but I knew he was just following protocol. It wasnāt fair to take my frustration out on him.
Iād been thrust into this role five years ago, against my will. Iād been groomed for it, fought for it, but when the time cameāwhen my father had lain dying, urging me to recite the sacred vowāI hadnāt been able to hold back my tears.
Iād told him I didnāt want it. I didnāt want to be a killing machine, hunting down creatures before the rest of humanity discovered their existence.
I remember his frail hand gripping mine, so tightly I thought he might break it. His gaze was intense, even as he lay dying. He told me this was our purposeāto rid the world of creatures that were never meant to exist.
Heād taught me that all supernatural beings were spawns of Satan, deserving of death. Heād taught me to show no mercy. To kill on sight, without questioning their innocence.
āWrap up the bodies and bury them before sunrise.ā I turned away as Riley relayed my command to the others.
Despite only recently turning twenty, I felt much older. Part of me knew it was the burden of taking a life, supernatural or not. This dread, to me, was a punishment.
My father had been a ruthless hunter, mutilating his kills and leaving them as warnings for others. I couldnāt bring myself to do that. I couldnāt harm an innocent soul, no matter who it belonged to.
When I took over the hunters, I made my first law: no killing innocent supernatural beings. We could only attack in self-defense, never encroaching on their territory.
It took a few years for everyone to accept it, to understand my reasoning. If we killed ruthlessly, we were no different than the beings we hunted.
Walking through the rain back to the manor Iād inherited, I wondered if this was my only purpose. I came from a long line of hunters, gifted with perceptionāthe ability to sense supernatural beings. This gift wasnāt supernatural, but a sixth sense.
I knew who I was, but I couldnāt help wondering if I was meant for something more. Surely, I wasnāt destined to kill for the rest of my life. Other hunters might accept that, but I wanted more.
I wanted a purpose.
Iād gotten a taste of that when Iād formed an alliance with a nearby pack of werewolves. I was sixteen then, my first year ruling without an elderās guidance. Iād used this opportunity to show my people we could be more than killers.
I hadnāt hesitated to sign the treaty, promising not to harm them if they didnāt expose themselves to humans. I had shaken hands with the alpha, Hunterāan ironic name. But what had stuck with me was the young alpha beside him.
He couldnāt have been older than fourteen then, but his eyes held a fierce bravery. I could see why the Moon Goddess had made him an alpha. He was fearless, radiating power even at such a young age.
I remember admiring his dark brown hair, cut short at the back and longer in the front. His skin was flawless, like porcelain. But it was his eyes that captivated meāfierce blue eyes tinged with pain.
Iād wondered what could cause such a powerful creature so much pain that it marred the beauty of his eyes.
Iād found myself befriending the young alpha. Despite our differences, weād bonded over unrequited loveāhim with his childhood friend Nathan, and me with the young alpha himself.
Iād known when he spoke Nathanās name with a smile that Nathan was the source of his pain. As the years passed, I wanted to ease his pain, but I knew no matter how much I loved Andrew, he would always love someone else.
I remember asking Andrew what he loved about Nathan, hoping to emulate it. But he simply smiled and said, āNathan was his mate, that he was born to love Nathan. That loving Nathan made him happy.ā
I didnāt understand the concept of mate. I couldnāt comprehend how someone could know their soulmate just by looking into their eyes. It was described as a warm feeling that washed over you, healing every crack in your being, making you feel whole.
It was said that no one could love you as much as your mate. There were times when I found myself envious of the supernatural world. As humans, weād date a handful of people, searching for that elusive something.
When we thought weād found it, weād settle down, start a family, only to realize a few years later that we were still searching. Weād look for it in money, fame, and sometimes even in sex.
But I often wondered what it felt like to meet the person who held the other half of your soul. The person who completed you, who was irreplaceable and whose worth surpassed everything else. Someone who made money and fame irrelevant.
The person who was your mate.
I felt a pang of hurt knowing that Andrew already had a mate, but I guess it was to be expected. He was an alpha, after all, and needed strong blood to continue his lineage. Thatās what Nathan would be to him.
But it was the way he looked at Nathan that stung the most. He looked at him as if he was the only thing that mattered. As if he was the most amazing person heād ever seen.
It didnāt hurt because I was in love with Andrew. Despite my occasional flirtations with him, I knew he was mated to someone else and I had accepted that the moment I met Nathan. It hurt because I knew I would never experience that.
I would never have that unique bond called a mate bond, simply because I was human and it was rare for a human to be mated.
I shook my head, trying to shake off the rain as I removed my cloak and hung it on the hook by the door. I then made my way into the oversized living room. It was too large for someone living alone.
The manor, which I had inherited from my grandfather, was a place where all the leaders of the hunters resided. I preferred not to stay there, but I tolerated it to avoid another argument.
There were enough rumors circulating about my loyalty ever since I signed that treaty. I soon realized that the less conflict I stirred up, the better. Thatās why I lived in the massive manor alone since my parentsā death, with only a few workers and servants who attended to me even when I didnāt need them to.
I walked into the empty living room and stood by the fire, stretching my hands out to warm them. Thatās when I noticed an envelope on a silver tray. I examined the seal, squinting at the large imprint of the letter D in an old English font.
I remembered hearing about Andrew becoming alpha a few months ago. I had declined the invitation to the ceremony for obvious reasons. I didnāt want to stand there pretending to be happy for Andrew as he publicly declared his love for Nathan and announced him as his mate.
I would rather spend the entire night training, taking out my frustrations on my training equipment, cursing the Moon Goddess for not choosing me to be a werewolf!
I grabbed the letter and ripped it open, not bothering to use the letter opener. I squinted as I read Andrewās handwriting, which hadnāt improved over the years.
Dear Damienā¦
I know ādearā sounds cheesy, but anywayā¦ Just wanted to let you know that Iām officially the alpha now. I would have texted you but Iām pretty sure you donāt get signal where you live.
I sent you an invite but I guess you were busy, which is totally cool. You shouldāve seen how Aiden kissed Andy in front of everyone. But I guess Iāll see you soon since there are a few things we need to discuss. We havenāt told anyone else but I have this weird feeling that somethingās about to happen soon.
Anyway, take care of yourself, old man, and try to reply to my texts!
Andrew.
I found myself smiling at his immaturity, despite him being two years younger than me. I read the letter again before folding it and putting it in my pocket.
I noticed then that he hadnāt mentioned anything about Nathan in his letter. Nor had I heard anything about the luna of the pack, which made me squint at the fire in thought.
Could it be that Nathan wasnāt his mate?
āWould you like me to warm up dinner, Sir?ā
I was pulled from my thoughts by one of the servants. I turned to face her, smiled, and told her I wasnāt hungry.
I was going to take a bath and head straight to bed. She didnāt seem too pleased with that, but she nodded and left me alone with my thoughts, as they all did.
I stood by the fire for a few more minutes before sighing and walking away. I headed upstairs to my bedroom, took a quick shower, and slipped into a pair of sweats.
I climbed into bed and stared at the ceiling, my thoughts racing in all directions, always ending up at one place, one feelingā¦
The longing to be mated to someone.
