The Prince's Fated Mate

The forest was a blur as Damien darted through it, his sleek black form moving like a bullet between the trees. His packmates, the Blackwell wolves, were trailing behind, struggling to keep up with the nimble leader.

Aiden's teasing voice echoed through the forest, "Slow down, Your Highness. Us simpletons need to catch up."

The alpha wolf bared his teeth at the jest, a fierce growl escaping his throat. Above them, thunder rumbled and lightning lit up the sky, adding to the ominous atmosphere. But Damien was undeterred, and with a burst of energy, he propelled himself even faster.

The Blackwell pack was renowned as the "royal pack" among wolves worldwide, especially in the district of the Nightshades.

Districts were created where they could reside comfortably. But not all supernatural creatures choose to live away from humans. Damien Ashworths, a daring werewolf, decided to live among humans. He had a unique ability to change the color of his wolf eyes to match his human form. However, his wolf color would shine through in moments of intense emotion, exposing his true identity.

Damien dashed through the dense thicket of trees, his eyes trained on the cabin looming ahead. The cabin stood right on the border between the Nightshades and California, marking the perfect spot for the werewolf prince's lair. With his supernatural abilities, Damien was no ordinary wolf; he was a force to be reckoned with, feared by all who dared cross him. No pack in their right mind would pick a fight with a pack that boasted royal blood like Damien's. He was the prince of werewolves in this new era, destined to rule with power and authority.

Damien spotted the cabin in the distance and leaped forward with ease, landing gracefully on the porch to await the arrival of the rest of his pack. Despite the storm clouds overhead, the rain had yet to fall, leaving the night shrouded in an ominous gray. "Come on, Damien, don't be too upset," Logan spoke directly to Damien's mind as he trotted up to the cabin as a brown and white wolf. "The elders have been nagging you about finding your mate for ages." The towering black wolf scoffed in response, his piercing green eyes flashing like lightning amidst the deafening thunder.

"They're just trying to ensure the bloodline stays strong with an heir," Kael, the alpha, spoke wisely, shifting back into human form as the others followed suit. The pack members stood together, clad only in sweatpants and collars.

Damien snorted derisively, his face contorting with irritation as the clouds above mirrored his mood. "Have you seen the way these wolves act around their mates? It's pathetic. The elders can't take away my title, and I'll still have royal blood and powers, so their deadline means nothing," he sneered. Logan, with his arm around the younger boy, spoke up. "Oh, and can you stop with the thunder? You're scaring Zev," he said, motioning towards the young werewolf. Rolling his eyes, Damien took a deep breath to focus. Slowly, the clouds began to part, revealing a deep blue sky. The thunder subsided, and the moon cast a soft glow over the group. This was Damien's greatest ability: he could control the weather with ease.

Lucian was not amused by the prank they had pulled. Damien was in control of everything, but his emotions were closely tied to his powers. If he didn't concentrate, the weather would reflect his mood. After the storm passed, he opened his eyes and looked over at his pack. "I'd rather be caught by a hunter than be whipped by a mate," he said nonchalantly, searching for a shirt.

Ethan responded with a smile, "Yeah, but that's because they're in love. Love changes people."

Damien's unimpressed expression lingered as he snorted, "Don't even joke about that." Aiden threw him a shirt as everyone congregated in the living room, properly dressed. Logan descended the stairs carrying Zev on his back and let out a sigh. "You'll mate eventually, Damien. If you don't find her, she'll find you. It's destiny, there's no escaping it."

Lucian sank onto the couch and propped up his feet on the table with a grin. "Relax, buddy. Once you meet your mate, just hand her over to me. I'll take care of her like she deserves."

Zev squirmed on Logan's back and pointed at Lucian. "I'm gonna tell your future mate that you were eyeing Damien's girl!"

Lucian scowled and hurled a pillow at the cheeky youngster. "Get lost, squ*irt! You're not even the youngest in the pack, and you look ridiculous."

Zev rolled his eyes and pretended not to hear.

Aiden chimed in, patting Damien on the shoulder. "You can't deny the pull forever, man. Even if you don't believe in mates, you'll feel it when you meet her."

Damien scoffed. "Yeah, right. I'll probably hate her when the pull starts. I wouldn't want to be anywhere near her. Whoever falls for me is in for a rough ride."

Kael shook his head in disbelief. "Falls for you? Mating is a two-way street, buddy. You'll have feelings for her too."

"I don't buy it," Damien asserted. "The prophecy doesn't specify that wolves have to be in love with their mates. They're just bound to them by fate."

Lucian rolled his eyes and replied sarcastically, "So you're telling me that all the love stories of werewolves for the past thousand years were just coincidences?"

Damien shrugged, "Yeah. When you're stuck with someone for eternity, you're bound to develop feelings for them, but they're not genuine. It's all just biology, nothing more."

Ethan was taken aback by Damien's callous words. "What are you talking about? These wolves would give their lives for their mates. How could that not be love?"

With a nonchalant shrug, Damien sauntered into the kitchen to grab an apple. "Our mates dy*ing is the same as us dy*ing. It's just pure selfishness that drives us to protect them. It's not love. And let's face it, if wolves could choose their mates, they probably wouldn't pick the ones they have now."

"That's not true!" Ethan's outburst interrupted Damien's speech, and he stormed off up the stairs. Aiden raised an eyebrow at his alpha, who looked disappointed in Damien's words. Despite being the youngest, Ethan was the most mature and respectful of the pack. He had a soft spot that made him seem like an innocent little pup, which was understandable given his background as an abandoned stray pup.

Feeling guilty, Damien furrowed his brow as Kael went after Ethan to check on him.

Logan spoke up in a soft voice as he put Zev down on the floor. "You should know better than to upset Ethan about mating. It's the only thing he believes in after being abandoned by his parents." The rest of their parents were in another pack, living in a different district in Canada.

Damien averted his gaze, "I get it, but why is everyone so obsessed with this whole mating thing? I've been keeping my thoughts to myself around Ethan, but with the elders constantly breathing down my neck, it's becoming a real hassle."

Zev hoisted himself up onto the kitchen counter and posed the question, "So, are you going to reject your mate? That's never been done before."

Lucian looked perplexed as he asked, "Can you even do that? As the prince, is it not your duty to mate and produce an heir?"

Damien clarified, "My mate will only serve as a means for me to access more of my supernatural abilities. I'll feel the pull, but it won't be love, it'll be like an arranged marriage. The only difference is that our bodies will react differently from our minds. The rest is just nonsense. I just hope I don't end up with a clingy mate who professes her love for me." His words were direct and pointed.

No one dared to challenge Damien's deep-seated aversion to mating; they were aware that he was stubborn and unyielding. In Nightshades, everyone was aware that Damien Ashworths held a strong distaste for the concept of finding one's mate. Ever since they reached the age of maturity, Damien had flatly rejected the idea of mates.

Despite the elders' attempts to educate them on the importance of the bond between mates, the rest of the pack was eager to discover their other halves. However, 13-year-old Damien's initial reaction was to scoff and declare, "That's just stupid."

At the time, the elders had dismissed his reaction, believing that he would eventually come around to the idea. But as time passed, Damien's indifference to the concept of mating only grew stronger.

The council of elders became increasingly concerned about the future of werewolves, given that Damien was the next in line to lead. They had high expectations for the young man, who had shown exceptional talent and proficiency in combat. However, his lack of interest in mating troubled them greatly.

Why can't you guys just find your mates already? It's getting tiresome having the elders constantly on my back, as if it's my fault no one in the royal pack has found their mate yet," Damien grumbled, sounding more like a petulant child than the regal, cynical prince of wolves that he was.

Lucian chuckled and rubbed his temples. "Believe me, Damien, we're all trying. Full moons are getting more and more painful each month without our other halves," he said, sounding a little worn out from the search.

Zev nodded emphatically. "Lucian's right. It's tough out here."

Logan, always the jester of the pack, couldn't resist a quip. "Looks like my baby is all grown up, thinking with his dick already," he teased, hugging Zev close.

Aiden, the serious one of the group, cut in. "Speaking of which, Damien, what's your plan for surviving full moons?" he asked pointedly, trying to steer the conversation back on track.

"Seriously? Full moons are the best! I get a real buzz and that's when I can get in some serious practice. No worries on my end." Aiden held back a smile as he averted his gaze.

You just wait until you find your mate. Full moons won't be so peachy then."

Their attention was diverted by Kael descending the stairs, bringing news that Ethan was doing fine and required some personal space. They all nodded in agreement and dispersed to their respective rooms.

It always ended like this when the topic of mating came up. No one could convince Damien otherwise, and they had all but given up trying to change his mind.

As Damien peered out the window, he pondered how he could convince the elders that he wasn't ready for a mate. While his attention was fixed on the moon, his emotions caused stars to twinkle into existence in the dark sky without him even noticing.

Normally, Damien had to be careful when manipulating the weather and sky to avoid arousing suspicion among humans. But this time, he didn't think humans were astute enough to pick up on such subtle changes.

Meanwhile, in a forest in California, a girl watched the same sky from her house and marveled at the rapid appearance of the stars. She couldn't help but wonder how they appeared so quickly.

"Hey, did you remember to pack your toothbrush?" Ava teased as she strolled into Mia's room, interrupting her packing frenzy. Mia's eyes widened in panic, "Shit! You're right! I almost forgot!" She dashed past Ava and into the bathroom to retrieve her toothbrush. Mia was preparing to embark on a year-long exchange training program in Canada offered by her company.

Ava felt a twinge of nervousness as she realized it would be the first time she'd be living without her sister. But she couldn't bring herself to say she didn't want her to go; Mia had been eagerly anticipating this opportunity. Mia returned to the room and placed her toothbrush in her suitcase before closing it. "I think that's everything," she said, double-checking her list.

Ava chuckled as she sat on Mia's bed, "Really? Are you sure you don't need a fifth suitcase?" Mia rolled her eyes, "Ha ha, very funny. I just didn't want to forget anything." Ava sighed, "A whole year, huh?"

Mia flopped onto the bed beside her and gazed up at the ceiling with a grin, "Yeah. It doesn't feel long enough to see all of Canada." Ava tried to hide the wince on her face, "I'm going to miss you." Mia sat up abruptly and looked at Ava, the polar opposite of herself.