Chapter 5

-Willow-

I had the most heavenly dream. While I had experienced some dirty dreams before, this one was unlike anything I had ever known, and as I slowly woke, my body felt used and tender. I groaned, shifting slightly, only to feel a sharp pain between my legs.

Opening my eyes, I propped myself up and surveyed my room—it looked familiar, as if nothing had changed. Then I noticed something on my stomach. I reached down and grabbed what appeared to be a feather. Why was there a feather on me?

I turned my head to find feathers scattered across the bed, forming a trail that led to… I screamed, pushing away from the stranger beside me. He had my fiancé’s face, but everything else was wrong—Carter didn’t have a tattoo on his neck. I shoved myself back so hard that I slipped off the edge of the bed, landing on my backside. My entire body ached, and the fall only intensified the pain.

“Willow?” a deep voice called, and the stranger appeared again.

“What the fuck?” I whispered, shaking my head and clutching the sheets around me. “You’re not Carter!”

An almost painful expression crossed his face. It was strange to see that, because aside from his massive frame and the tattoo of a howling wolf on his neck and chest, he looked just like Carter. That’s when it dawned on me who he might be.

“C-Cain?” I breathed, watching him turn to me. “What are you doing in my bed?”

“Listen—” Just then, hurried footsteps echoed outside my room. I barely had time to react before the doors burst open. Carter entered, looking utterly devastated before his eyes landed on us. He hadn’t even bothered to grab the handles. One door was ajar, and he simply pushed it open. Someone must have seen or heard us because the expression on Carter’s face said it all.

“Carter,” I whispered, pushing myself up from the floor. How could I explain this? My mind was a blur, but I didn’t do things like this! I was loyal, Goddess be damned!

Carter’s gaze flickered from me to his brother on my bed. I expected to see remorse in Cain’s eyes, but instead, he looked completely detached. The blanket hung low on his stomach, failing to conceal that he was naked, just as I was.

“I should have known,” Carter growled. “You’re no different.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Cain snarled back, their alpha voices echoing with an unsettling roughness.

Carter turned to me again, but there were tears in my eyes making it hard for me to see him clearly.

“But I expected more from you. I thought you loved me,” he spat.

“Carter, please… I didn’t—”

“What? Fuck him? Fuck my brother? Did you get us confused in the middle of the night?” he mocked.

Carter had never spoken to me like that before. His voice was cold, slicing through me. I knew I deserved it, but it felt so wrong.

“No, please, it’s not true!” I whispered, desperation creeping into my voice. “I didn’t… It’s not—”

“Who would have thought Willow Michaelson was a whore?” Carter spat before storming out of the room.

His words cut deep, but I couldn’t hold back. I ran to the door, shouting into the hallway, “Carter!”

But he wasn’t stopping. I stumbled back, feeling my world crumble around me. When I heard movement, I turned my head to see Cain calmly pulling on his pants. A surge of rage coursed through me, and I stormed over, slamming my hand against his chest. Of course, my strength was nothing compared to his, but I didn’t care—I hit him again.

“What have you done?” I croaked, tears mixing with anger. “What have you done?”

“Stop that!” he snarled, clearly annoyed by my shoving.

“How could you do this?”

“I said stop!” he growled, grabbing my wrist.

“Let me go! I hate you! Don’t touch me!” I yelled, but he responded with a dark growl, flipping us onto the bed with him on top of me. Strangely, as his body pressed against mine, a gasp escaped my lips. When he pushed himself closer, pressing his semi-hard cock against me, I felt an unexpected rush of arousal, shocking me.

“I can touch, and I will,” he growled, his eyes glowing yellow. “Do you feel that?”

I blinked rapidly, struggling to comprehend what was happening.

“We are mates, Willow,” he whispered, his face inches from mine, his voice dark and husky.

“W-What?”

“You’re probably still disoriented from the poison, but your body knows. It knew last night, and you begged me to help you, so I did,” he breathed, his lips almost brushing mine. I felt a compulsion to kiss him. My body craved it. But I turned my head away.

“N-No, it isn’t true,” I whispered as his lips found my neck, sending a shiver through me.

“But it is, and I claimed what’s mine,” he stated, as if he hadn’t just shattered my life. “Now you can let me fuck you one more time before hell comes crashing down on us, or we can get dressed and face the mob with our heads held high. It’s up to you.”

He nipped at my neck, pressing against me, making a moan escape my lips against my will. Was he telling the truth? Were we really mates? Confusion swirled in my mind, and my wolf remained silent, seemingly still recovering. But I couldn’t deny the powerful effect Cain had on me—I had never felt anything like it.

“What do you say, little mate?” he whispered. “I know what I’m choosing.”

He bit my skin again, licking away the sting. Just as I prepared to respond, we heard footsteps approaching. Time had run out. Cain pushed away from me just before a group of wolves stormed in. The king was barely dressed, and neither was his queen, flanked by fighters who pushed into the room, amplifying my humiliation. I briefly met the king’s gaze before looking away, but it was enough to see what he thought of me.

“Cain. Office. NOW!” his father roared. When I glanced at Cain, he casually rested one hand on a bedpost, looking entirely unfazed. But I knew Cain—or at least his reputation. How many council members’ daughters had he not ruined? He hadn’t taken them by force, but he had certainly used his charms to seduce them. This behavior was expected from him, but what about me? What would people think?

***

Once I had finally composed myself and both of us were dressed, we found ourselves seated in front of his father. Carter stood off to the side, his expression a mix of anger and hurt, while their mother stood behind their father. Carter still wore the clothes from yesterday, unable to meet our eyes, while his parents were dressed in their morning attire, clearly caught off guard. Only Cain and I wore regular clothes.

Despite my trembling and the tears threatening to spill over, Cain appeared eager, almost impatient. His leg bounced restlessly, and I couldn’t comprehend how he could remain so nonchalant. Did he not grasp the magnitude of what he had cost me?

“I had truly hoped you had changed your ways, son,” the king began, his fury clear and suffocating in the air—the unmistakable power of an alpha.

“Yes, I know what you think of me, which is why you’re so quick to jump to conclusions,” Cain spat back.

“Oh, how else should I interpret this morning? You in bed with your brother’s fiancée?” the king pointed out, gesturing toward me. I sank further into my seat, unable to meet anyone’s gaze as I felt their eyes burn into me.

“Why don’t you try asking me first?” Cain snarled, surprising me with how coldly he addressed his father.

“Ask you?” his father replied incredulously.

“Yes, ask me.”

“What am I supposed to ask?” the king challenged.

“Why I did what I did.”

“I know why you did it,” his father snapped.

“No, you don’t. So ask,” Cain challenged again.

His father fell silent, and then Carter stepped forward, his anger evident.

“Fine, you want us to ask? Sure, brother, I’ll ask: How the hell could you do this to me?” Carter demanded, gesturing wildly as he glared at Cain, clearly ready to explode. Cain turned slowly to face him, his expression indifferent.

“Because Willow doesn’t belong to you,” Cain stated, making me shrink further in my seat. My wolf still hadn’t emerged, still affected by whatever had happened, and I feared what Cain would say next.

“Excuse me?” Carter asked, disbelief evident in his voice.

“Willow doesn’t belong to me. Last night, I learned we’re mates—true mates,” Cain revealed. The room shifted instantly. It fell silent. I clutched my hands tightly, bracing myself for the explosion. “I have changed, Dad, whether you believe me or not. But you can’t fault an alpha for claiming what belongs to him.”

The silence deepened, and I was too terrified to look at the king, unsure of what he was thinking. Then he called out to me. “Willow…”

I pressed my eyes shut before slowly opening them to meet the king’s furious gaze.

“Yes, Your Majesty?” I whispered.

“Tell me the truth. Is what Cain saying correct? Are you true mates?” he asked.

I swallowed hard. I knew I couldn’t lie to an alpha. As I glanced at Cain, an unexplainable force drew me toward him, but my wolf remained quiet. How long would she keep this truth from me? Then I remembered something: in my dream—or what I thought was a dream—the alpha had knotted me, which was only possible between true mates. It felt like the proof I needed. Despite my heart still yearning for Carter, I turned to the king and nodded.

“I need words, Willow.”

“Y-Yes, Your Majesty. We are…” I whispered, looking down.

The king let out an exasperated sigh, clearly frustrated by the complexity of the situation. But none of us could deny that true mates superseded everything, and Cain had already claimed me. There was no way out. I glanced at Carter, who stood frozen, his eyes locked on Cain, who was now focused on their father.

“By the Goddess,” the king groaned.

“She still slept with him before the ceremony!” the queen suddenly interjected.

“So?” Cain shot back. “If we’re true mates, how am I not supposed to touch her?”

I gasped at his words.

“I understand you, Cain, but Willow is different,” his mother replied, her voice steady.

“Fine, then let me rephrase. If we’re true mates, how is she not supposed to give herself to me?” Cain challenged, making my cheeks heat with embarrassment. “True mates move fast. Everyone knows that.”

“There are traditions to follow, and now that you’re in the running for the throne, it’s different!”

“He is what?” I asked.

“What?” Carter exclaimed, but Cain just sighed, leaning back and shaking his head.

“I’m not in the running for anything. I told Father yesterday I wasn’t interested,” Cain stated.

“Yes, but now things are different,” the king replied.

“How so?” Carter challenged. “If he doesn’t want the crown, then why should he have it?”

“Cain has changed. This is a council decision, and while I can convey Cain’s words, there are more factors to consider now.”

“What factors?”

The king gestured toward me, and I looked at him, shocked. “Me?”

“You’re not from some insignificant family. Isn’t your father the head speaker of the council?” he asked.

“H-He is…” I stammered.

“And now you’ve bound yourself to Cain. Despite how it happened, do you understand that Cain is now considered an even more desirable candidate?” the king continued.

“I don’t see how,” Cain interjected. “I just claimed what was mine.”

“Yes, and by doing so, you may have impregnated her, meaning Willow could be carrying the next heir, while Carter stands without a mate or an heir,” the king laid it out bluntly. As he spoke, the gravity of the situation sank in, and Cain, Carter, and I grew quiet for a moment.

“Then we won’t tell the council,” Cain suggested.

“It’s hard to hide what happened with your brother’s mate. I can’t just say she disappeared!” the king exclaimed, sounding exasperated.

“No, just say the engagement was broken.”

“And for what reason? If you succeed in getting Willow pregnant, we won’t be able to hide it in a few months,” his father countered.

Panic surged through me. What had I done? Where was my wolf when I needed her?

“If we leave now, no one has to know,” Cain suggested.

“Yes, because you would just leave her in the middle of nowhere? Even if you took her with you, people would notice the changes and that she follows you everywhere. We can’t hide her. We can’t stop what’s possibly happening inside her, and if you haven’t noticed, son, this is a castle full of people. If the pack members haven’t caught wind of it yet, I can promise you the servants already know. Who do you think informed Carter about you two?” the king pointed out, making it clear that we weren’t just trapped—we were royally screwed.

Cain fell into deep thought, clearly searching for a way out, which confused me. He had stated so plainly that we were mates and even suggested we continue what we started last night, but now he seemed to want to run from me. Why?

“It seems you’re getting mated tomorrow instead of your brother, and then you’re staying,” his father declared.

“What?” both Carter and Cain exclaimed.