Chapter 1 - Unexpected soulmate

The war between werewolves and vampires had been going on for over 200 years and no one remembered which of the two species had started the hostilities.

It had been guaranteed in the "Species Convention" that it was forbidden for non-humans to be noticed, in any way, in human cities, and that schools were neutral ground.

Thus, during the 200 years of war, the two species ignored each other in areas inhabited by humans and paid large fees in schools, so that the two species were kept in separate classes.

In schools, werewolves walk together, regardless of their pack of origin. The same was done by vampires, regardless of their nests.

The schools were full of these two elite groups, made up of beautiful, muscular, strong elements that made other species and even humans sigh. The two groups hated each other, but respected the rules, never confronting each other on neutral grounds, with the exception of the occasional hisses or growl.

A black Tesla drives onto campus, and all heads turn to see the young man get out of the car. That was Romeo, one of the most handsome men in the school. His blonde hair that seemed white, his violet eyes, tall, perfect and muscular body, made all women, and even men, drool as he passed by. He takes his backpack and puts it over one of his broad shoulders and walks towards a group that was sitting in one of the gardens.

- Hey guys. – he says, sitting down in a free space – what are you doing?

- Hi Romeo. You arrive early.

He shrugs.

- I had nothing to do. My father took care of everything and didn't even leave me any bags to unpack.

- Are you complaining? I'm so jealous. I had to do everything myself, and I still share a room with this idiot. – he says, pointing to the friend next to him.

- Not all of us can be sons of King Vlad. – the roommate of the first person who spoke says, with a cheeky smile.

Romeo chuckles. Yes, he was the youngest son of the vampire king, but here, he wanted to be just one of his companions.

- Have you seen the new mutts? There are more and more of them, how disgusting. – one of the boys says, wrinkling his nose.

- Yes, they are already twice as many as us. If fighting wasn't prohibited in schools, the fight would finally be fair. – Everyone laughed at the comment of the youngest vampire in the group.

As if the conversation attracted the werewolves to the place, a large group of boys and girls stopped on the other side of the park. The sound of laughter reaches them.

It didn't take long for both species to become aware of each other's presence and look at each other with hatred in their eyes. It only lasted a few seconds, and both groups returned to the conversation, ignoring each other.

A motorbike approaches the second group and when it stops, the man riding it takes off his helmet, puts it in front of him, and leans over the motorbike, joining in on the conversation with his friends.

- Who's that? – Romeo asks.

- The one with the motorcycle? – one of the girls asks.

- Yes.

- That's Julius, the eldest son of the werewolf king.

- I didn't know he also studied here. – Romeo says.

- The college director must be having mental orgasms by now with the donations she received this year. In addition to the normal ones to keep us in separate classes, there is still royalty here.

Everyone laughs at the comment.

Romeo didn't pay much attention to what they were saying. He used his vampire eyes and looked more closely at Julius. The mutt was very attractive, with his thick black hair, green eyes, and a face so perfect that it made Romeo get lost in time.

- Are you listening? – one of the companions asks, with a light touch on Romeo's shoulder.

- Sorry, I was distracted. What did you say?

- It's almost time. Shall we walk to our respective classrooms?

- Oh, yes, I'll go too. I have to go get the books from the locker.

Julius was sitting on the motorbike, comfortably, listening to his companions talk.

- There go the leeches. Fuck, we can't stop anywhere without having to see those bloodsuckers.

Julius turns his face in the direction his companions were looking, and stares at Romeo, who was absently looking at him, until someone speaks to him.

- Who is that guy with white hair?

- That one? That's Romeo, the youngest son of the king of leeches.

- My father informed me about all the vampires who studied here, and he didn't tell me about this one.

- He probably didn't know. His arrival here was shrouded in mystery. I guess the king of the leeches didn't want everyone to know ahead of time. I guess.

- It's time to go to class. – one of the girls says, putting her arm around the arm of one of the youngest present, who melted into her.

"Mates!" - Julius thought, laughing to himself.

Julius is amazed by their interaction. Will he act like this when he finds his mate? He only asks the Moon Goddess to be a man, because if it was a woman, his life would be very unhappy.

He was 19 years old, and could find his mate in any place or time, because from the age of 18, his wolf was always sniffing the air.

- Go ahead. I'm going to park and go to the lockers to get the books. See you at lunch?

- Right. – the others respond and go about their lives.

Julius turns his head one last time in the direction where the vampires were heading, shakes his head, and puts on his helmet. The school day was about to start.

Romeo walked leisurely towards the lockers. It was his father's idea for him to go to college. He didn't really know what for. As the youngest son, he would never inherit his father's title, and due to the immortality of vampires, his brother would probably never inherit the title either. He chuckles. But you never know. With that war that had lasted for so long, you never knew when a vampire, even if immortal, would die. Either way, college is of no use to him. It's not that he was going to work, like humans. But what could he do? He was good at everything he did, and his father liked to show off his intelligent youngest son to visitors. On top of that, when he came out as gay, his father lost hope of making him a good match for an important alliance. How could he deny his father this little pleasure?

He shrugs his shoulders and enters the hallway where his locker is, runs the code and, looking at the time posted on the door, takes out the math book. When he closes the locker, the wind from the door brings a scent to his nose that is so extraordinary that it makes him shiver. It was green apples and cinnamon, and it made his mouth water, and that was completely abnormal. Human food didn't feed him, and much of it was even poisonous to his species. Why on earth was he salivating about apples and cinnamon? He looked around to see where the scent was coming from, but there was no one there. He shakes his head and turns away. Why his mouth watered with that smell was a mystery. This only happened when he took his favorite blood, Rh negative, or when by miracle he found Bombay or golden blood.

The scent hits him again, even stronger, and without controlling his movements, he goes back looking for the source. At the end of the hallway, he turns to the right.

Julius, with difficulty, manages to ignore a group of older girls, who drool after him. When they turned into the hallway that would lead to their classrooms, he sighed with relief. The older they were, the worse the situation. It seemed like the women wanted to start competitions for all the men there were in the school.

He shakes his head. He was the one who begged his father to go to college. He wanted to take a management and economics course, so he could have solid foundations for the day he would have to sit on the throne. His father thought it was all unnecessary. His son had already proven several times that he had great potential to be a good leader. The only thing that made his father stop hesitating was the fact that Julius had not yet found his mate. Julius had come out as gay to his father and the court, and that had made everyone uncomfortable. Would a gay person be capable of managing the entire universe of the specie? The hope that, among the shewolves that Julius would find in a new space, one would be his mate, filled the king with hope. If her mate was a woman, the rumors would stop. If it was a man, it was the Moon Goddess's choice, and the court would have to accept it.

Julius was not at all interested in finding his mate. He wanted to complete his course with the best grades possible, enjoy life like any other student, and to do so, he wanted to be treated like anyone else, and not like the crown prince.

When he reaches his locker, he takes out the market analysis book, and when he closes the door, a slight scent of chocolate and vanilla enters his nostrils. His wolf immediately becomes agitated.

“What scent was that?” – he asks his wolf through maidlink.

"Mate! Mate! Mate!" – the wolf replies, very excited.

“Goddess, I have just started my first year of college. I don't want any mates. Much less another woman drooling over me.”

He closes his locker and heads to the hallway that will take him to class. The scent surrounds him, and his heart races. Sniffing the air, he looked back. The smell was coming from the other direction. He tried to fight against that invisible rope that was pulling him, wanting him to find the source of such a pleasant aroma which filled his mouth with water and made his heart jump as if he needed to find that person to survive.

“Stop being stupid and go see who she or he is. There is no guarantee that it is a woman. You cannot deny your mate.”

“Smelling like chocolate and vanilla? It will certainly be a woman.” – he whimpers.

“He or she’s our mate. I don’t care if it’s a man or a woman, go claim her or him as yours.”

Matebond's pull was so strong that he couldn't help but do what his wolf begged. He turns and walks down the hallway until he reaches the end and turns left.

- Mate! - Comes out of Julius' mouth.

- What the Fuck! – Romeo shouts, when he turns the corner and comes face to face with Julius.

For a few seconds, it seemed like a trip into a parallel universe, where time simply stops, they don't move. Eye to eye, they stop breathing.

Romeo narrows his eyes and, furious with his stupid curiosity about the smells of apples and cinnamon, turns around and returns to the path that took him to classes.

Julius stands alone in the corner.

- I'm fucked, aren't I?

“Not yet, but you will probably be soon” – his wolf says, laughing and rolling on Julius’ head.