Chapter Eight

—Keynes Wesley—

I was just sixteen when I rescued her. I was the son of the King's Beta. My father's name is Falcon Wesley and my mother's name is Beatrice. They are still alive and still in agony from the death of their best friend, our Luna, and Alpha, and our King and Queen. They are taking care of the Kingdom and I was trained to protect Princess Zoë Danae Mnemosyne. She is the lycanthropes' or werewolves' last hope.

She is just seven years old when a Black Witch from Enchantress Mnemosyne's coven cursed her to feel the rejection of each mate. She will be mate-less and for her to never felt a single thing that mates felt. The Witch's mate had been rejected her who is King Asclepius's brother Albert had rejected his mate and mated to a she-werewolf. She is in agony and cursed the Princess at an early age, seven. Then the witch disappears.

After three years Lycan's who had red eyes and eating people had invaded the Kingdom. The biggest packs around the Kingdom had gathered and went into the war with us.

Ten-year-old Zoë Danae Mnemosyne had put into a hiding place. Her mother and father are on the war commanding and helping the wounded. My father orders me to find the Princess. I had a silver sword and a dagger with me. I stopped when I saw a big Lycan in her room. Hungry saliva dropping on the floor and his eyes are red. He jumped to me and I had stabbed the sword to his heart. He whimpered and falls on the floor. I closed the door of her room.

'Princess Mnemosyne?' I call in low voice.

'Keynie...' she whimpered and I scroll the carpet and found the wooden door down the secret passage. I open it and saw the Princess crumpled hugging her knees while crying. I jumped down and kneel in front of her. I wiped her tears. 'Why are they here?' she cried.

'Hush now Princess...'

'My Mother, my Father where are they?' she asked me. I shook my head.

'They are outside fighting for our kingdom. We need to stay here to keep you safe.'

'But my mother and father are outside. They are in danger.' I put my palm on her mouth to hush her. I can hear a Lycan-human-eater coming. She waved her hand over her head and the carpet covers the secret door. I hugged her to make sure that she is secured.

The Lycan howls and we heard a response of howling outside the Palace. He can smell us. So I have to push her on the corner of the wall and protect her. I get ready my sword. Then we heard wolf's whimpers and growls.

'Asclepius!' Queen Mnemosyne screams. Zoë covers her ear and sobbed hard. I gasped when she pushed me and she opens the door and it bursts. She seemed like jumping from the 20 meters high passage. I jumped and reached it.

The Princess screamed and I saw the King lying on the floor blood all over. There are three dead rogues and the Queen is facing the Witch who cursed the Princess. The Queen's eyes are narrowed holding the neck of the witch while the witched had stabbed the Queen on her stomach. The Queen had dropped the witched. I cover my arms in my front when the Princess had burst into fire and the Black Witch is burning on fire.

She keeps on screaming and the glass bursts and throws to the Witch. The Witch screams in pain and I found myself throwing my dagger to the Witch and it darted into her heart. She falls on the floor.

Albert and his mate were killed by their true mates which is the Black Witch Helena and the Alpha of Rogue Seferis who planned to attack the kingdom. Now the Witch is dead but not the Alpha of Rogue.

The Princess collapsed and I caught her. The knights of the palace rushed inside. They bow down when they saw their King and Queen, dead on the floor. They covered the naked body of the King.

Twenty Alpha's from the different packs bow down and howls on the moon. The war is over and we had won but our King and Queen are dead. Everyone is on agony.

All the people from different packs had traveled from different places and continents just to commiserate for their King and Queen. I never leave the Princess's side. I am her crying arms.

The Princess is still in danger. Seferis the Alpha of Rogues wanted to end the King's bloodline and he almost succeeded. Now he wanted the Princess's heart.

'Princess,' Alpha Robert Gregg of New Moon pack bows at her. She bows back at him. He held her small hand and kissed the back of it. He was a great friend of the King.

'Princesse Danae...' Alpha Sirius François of Crescent Moon pack bows and she bows back. Other Alpha's, Beta's and Gama's, with Alpha's Luna's and their mates with their children bows at her and to the King and the Queen who is lying on the twin stone.

The flower that she is holding glows as she put it under her father's hand over his stomach.

'I love you, Papá.' She tiptoed to kiss his cold forehead while tears are streaming down her cheeks. She gave another flower to her mother. 'I love you, Mamá.' Then she kissed her mother's forehead.

I believe that she has a mate. The Enchantress of love told me about it. She told me that the Gods and Goddesses gave each other a mate. Everyone deserved the love of a mate. The Princess will suffer in the pain whenever there is a rejection from other mates. She will be numb to felt her mate. She will not react but love heals and gives the action a reaction. To find her mate is the only way to break her curse.

We went to Pack from Pack. To the country and another country, town from town. At my age sixteen that I still consider too young, I stand as her father, brother, protector, trainer, and guardian. I protect her from danger. I am there whenever she felt the rejection of pain from other soul-mates. I become strong for her.

Now, someone had claimed her. Now that someone had recognized that she was his mate, I become stronger for her. I feel less worried. My chest felt lighter.

I have to change her surname and left her other two names for her protection. I have to stand as her brother in the eyes of everyone for her protection. No one knows that she is the Princess only the Blue Moon pack, who are in the New Moon pack for training.

Chase and Harris are from the bloodline of her father. The three of them are the left bloodline and needed to be protected.

I cover the duvet over her shoulders and caress her hair. She's tired from thinking and she almost burns the whole house in frustration. I looked at the closed curtains and I open it a bit to see Nathan, Alpha Robert's son, and next on the line who is staring in here.

You need to give her time. I mind linked him.

You are a werewolf, how come that she's not?

You'll know the truth soon. But I am glad that we found you after all these years of searching for her cure.

What do you mean? Speak straight forward to me for me to understand.

Give her time and you'll know. I said those last words and closed the curtains blocking our mind link.

I looked at the boxes of her books and figurines. I pick it up and arranged it on the shelves. I saw our picture when we are in Paris at the front of the Eiffel tower. She's happy and her arm is on my shoulder and she's trying to reach me. I put it on her study table. Then a picture of her parents who are wearing medieval clothes of a Royal King and Queen. I put it beside our picture. I settled the books and arranged them on the shelves.

It didn't take hours to settle her things so I went to the living room to clean her mess. There's a broken vase. The chimney is all black from the fire she made. The doorbell rings and I went to the door opening it.

A beautiful goddess is in front of me. Our eyes locked that gives my body a tingling sensation. My heart pumps fast and loud. Her eyes are sparkling like mine and all I wanted to do is her to be in my arms. My wolf howls in excitement.

'Mate...' we both whispered.

Before the pie that she is holding falls on the floor, I caught it and I never break our eye contact.

I found my mate where I was longing to have. Now, we are just an inch apart and I want to kiss her but I have to control my wolf and myself from grabbing her and stripping her clothes until we end in my bed.

Her green eyes are tantalizing and big. Her nose is slender and her lips are full and natural pink. Her cheeks are rosy like a pink rose. Her black hair is naturally curled and I bet it was soft and it was shinny. Her smiles are beautiful like heaven. I touch her cheek caressing my thumb on her smooth skin.

'Aren't you letting me in, gorgeous?' she asked. I laughed and stepped back gesturing my hand to let her in. She walks gracefully still her eyes are on mine. 'My mother and I made that as a peace offering to Zoë.' I look down on the pie. I famish thinking that she made it, with her mom. 'Is she okay?' she asked.

'Yeah, she's just sleeping.' I told her. She didn't drop those pretty sweet smiles she has. 'Just a sec.' I use my immortal speed to the kitchen and put the pie on the fridge. Then I went back to her. I offer her to seat and she did. I sit on the single sofa a bit near to her. I don't want to get too close to her before my wolf became uncontrollable because of her sweet scent that drove us crazy.

'I'm Natasha.' She said extending her hand to me. I move closer accepting it.

'Keynes.' I said kissing the back of her hand that makes her giggles.

'You are that old fashion?' she asked.

'Yes, I am. That's what I am born for... to be old fashion.' I wink at her not releasing her soft hand. She moves closer to me.

'I like it, so Keynes, where are you from?'

'I have been from different countries, towns, and packs.'

'What specific Pack are you from? Dad told me that you are here to help the kids to train.'

'You have been attentive to me, don't you?' I smile seducing her. She smiles seductively.

'I am interested in you and my mate.'

'I am from the Blue Moon Kingdom.' I told her. She gasped with wide eyes.

'Seriously? I've been there when I was little, after the attack of rogues.'

And that memory came back to me. But what a small world. We have been in that place together and we never met each other as mates.

'Sorry, did I say something wrong about it?' she asked worried about my expression. I smiled and shook my head.

'That Kingdom means a lot to me. After the war, I never saw my parents again.' There I am starting to be open but I need to shut up my mouth before I spill everything on her.

'Why?'

'Well, I have been in an important mission. So, I have to go to another place and then, another.' She nods and moves closer again. I am still holding her hand and didn't release it yet. I sat next to her caressing her soft hair. She moved a little to me and I did too. We are only an inch apart when Zoë screams. We stopped and I rushed upstairs.

'Zoë!' I saw her crumpling on the bed holding her heart screaming in great pain. Tears are streaming down her face. I hold her hand.

'I wanted to stop it!' she cried. 'It hurts!' she sobbed holding her chest. I don't know what to do at this time. Someone rejected his or her mate and she is here suffering again.

'Maybe I can help.' Natasha sat next to me and she looked at her and stopped.

'No, there's no help here.' I told her.

'Key! I am dying!' she screams.

'No, you are not! Fight it, Zoë!' I told her. I need to be strong for her. She breathes heavily.

Natasha's hand is shaking and she put it on her mouth and a tear falls from her eyes too. Then I was stunned when she pulls Zoë to her arms and hugged her whispering on her ear. It soothes Zoë. I am glad that Natasha is that strong.

'We are here, okay? We are going to break this thing.' I told her wiping her tears.

'Don't leave, okay?' she begs. I shook my head.

'I won't... I am here...' she closed her eyes slowly and collapsed.

'How long has she been like this?' Natasha asked.

'Since she was seven.' I told her not to tell the start of it. I cover the duvet on her again and we sat on the couch near on the window.

'Can you tell me everything, Keynes?'

'For now, I can't tell you. But I promise to tell you everything.' I told her caressing her face. She smiled.

'I will wait. I am just here, beside you. I am not going to leave you.' she told me. What a lucky soul I am. I had a mate like her and she was more than I used to think.

I kissed her soft lips, and she immediately responds. Currents are flowing on us. I rubbed my hands on her waist and her back and her fingers clench the back of my hair. We deepen every kiss as she gives a sweet moan at the back of her throat. I need to stop this before things just drift away uncontrollably in front of Princess Zoë.