My Cursed Mate

CHAPTER 40

I can't believe he did this to me. I trusted him. I know I planned to give myself to the vampire king, but it's different when your friend gets you kidnapped.

It makes sense now why he came to my old pack injured. The first place to go was Nate's territory, not my old pack if he was looking for me. I can't believe I didn't think of that, but how could I? I trusted him. I still remember him telling me that no vampire could find me in his cottage the first time I came. When I woke up and found out that vampires kidnapped me, I brushed it off, but it makes sense now. I'm even starting to wonder if the thing he said about Nate dying when he marks me is true.

My mouth gapes in shock. Of course, it's not true. He knew I was going to take him home, and that's all he needed. He needed me to go to his place willingly and to make sure Nate wouldn't ruin his plans. I can't believe Mason would do this to me.

"Why?" I ask, tears streaming down my face. I can't believe I hurt my mate for nothing. It gave me little comfort to know that I hurt him to save his life, but now I doubt that's what I did. I just hurt my mate because I believed the words of someone I believed was a good friend.

"I didn't have a choice, Liz. It was either you or my daughter. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to deceive you. It was the only way."

"No, it wasn't. You made me lie to my mate and hurt him. You could've asked me to follow you to your house. There was no need to make me hurt my mate the way I did!" I understand he did it to save his daughter, but he didn't have to do it this way. I even wonder if his daughter is alive.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to do it, but the vampire king asked me to. He wanted you to hurt the werewolf king by breaking his heart. He knows getting hurt by your mate is one of the greatest pains supernaturals can feel. He wanted the werewolf king to feel that. I didn't mean to cause you both so much pain."

"I don't want to see you right now. Please leave," I say, turning away from the front of the cell.

I can't look at him right now. I want to try and put myself in his shoes and understand that it's not his fault, but I can't. I'm hurt by what he did, and it'll take time for me to forgive him even though he didn't have a choice.

"I understand. I'll leave you. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask the guard for me. I'll be at your beck and call," he says, standing up. I hear his footsteps getting further away from me. I wish Nate were here right now. More than anything in the world I want his strong arms around me.

NATE

I sit in my office preparing for the upcoming war. Xavier and I were on edge more than usual. I knew why, and that's why I made sure to spend all my time preparing for the war. I didn't want to think about her.

Even after a few days, it still hurt like the moment she told me. I couldn't believe Elizabeth betrayed me the way she did. Every time I remember the pup's smell on her and the child's heartbeat. I knew it was true. My mate had cheated on me. I found it too unbelievable, but when I went to her house the next day to ask her why, I found out she'd left with the father of her baby. I knew for sure then that she wasn't lying.

I throw my head back and howl in frustration with everything happening in my life. I couldn't complete the mating process with my mate, and while I'm trying to prevent the werewolf kingdom from going into annihilation, my mate goes and cheats on me. I felt genuinely cursed right now.

To make matters worse, the chances of my kind winning this war were slim. The vampire king's army increases every day as he turns humans into vampires. Werewolves can only be born, and the vampire king had destroyed a lot of packs before I realized I wanted to go to war and needed soldiers. My train of thought is interrupted when I hear a knock at my door. I ask the person to come in as I sit up in my chair. My best friend walks inside and sits opposite me.

"Hi, Nate, how are you doing?" Ekaterina asks, with pity in her eyes. I know she is deeply worried about how I'm managing. The betrayal of my mate is eating me alive, but I pray she can't see it. But I doubt with the bags under my eyes from lack of sleep because of how restless my wolf is. I got angry and snapped at people more than usual because of how on edge my wolf and I were.

"I don't think you came here to find out how I'm doing, Ekaterina," I say, ignoring her question.

"I might have come for another reason, but I don't think there's any harm in finding out how you're doing." Ekaterina didn't believe Elizabeth would cheat on me, but I told her all the facts. She had no choice but to accept it then.

"Why are you here?"

"Alpha Kyler is refusing to let me go to war."

"Why do you always address your mate like that? He's your mate, you should call him by his first name, and I support his decision."

"He isn't my mate since I'm not a werewolf, and you both can't stop me from going. I've worked hard for this war, so I deserve to go. I came here thinking you'd side with me so you could tell him to back off." Ekaterina's mate is one of the strongest Alphas in the werewolf kingdom, Alpha Kyler.

"You might be a witch, but I know you feel the mate bond between you and Kyler. I already planned to allow it until Kyler told me you were pregnant. Why did you hide it from me?" Ekaterina cast a spell to make me unable to sense her child.

"I didn't tell you because I don't want to accept it's real. Nate, you know this isn't my first pregnancy, and I don't want to get attached to this one and lose it like the others. This war has helped to keep my mind off it. Please allow me to go."

Ekaterina lost two babies this year. Every time she got pregnant she lost the baby. They'd tried everything, but nothing worked. The human doctors said she was fine, as well as all species doctors. She wishes to have a child, but I worry Ekaterina might not be blessed to have one.

"I know, but what if this one lives more than three months? What if you lose it because of the war, not because of whatever reasons you've been losing the others?"

My heart aches for my friend. I couldn't have a child, but I doubt my pain is anything close to Ekaterina's. I know the miscarriages take a toll on her. I bet she volunteered to help them in the war so she could take her mind off the child growing in her womb. I wish I could do something to help ease my friend's pain.

"Better for me. I can at least tell myself this time around that I lost it for a reason, not because of something I don't know."

"Still, I can't let you go to the war."

"Please, Nate, don't let Alpha Kyler's words get to you. I'll be fine."

"Sorry, but I have to side with him on this one."

"Alright. Side with him. I'll still go to the war whether both of you like it or not," Ekaterina says, standing up from the chair.

"Ekaterina, we're doing this for your own good," I say as she stands by the door.

"To hell with my own good," Ekaterina says, slamming the door hard as she walks out. I understand her anger, so I wouldn't punish her act of disrespect.

I continue to plan for the war. I hope the werewolf kingdom will be ableto win. I need to succeed with everything I am going through. It'd be thesecond-best thing to happen to me. Actually, first since the first was findingout, I had a second mate. She broke my heart, so she couldn't be the best thingto happen to me this year.