Warning: This chapter contains mildly mature content!
-Adam's POV-
"Stay with me," I whispered. We were cuddled up together in Kaden's room. I almost couldn't believe we were here and after such an amazing night. Kaden was a passionate lover in bed, and it was a pleasant surprise. I never would have thought I would let somebody get so close and personal with me, but feeling Kaden inside of me like that, seeing my mate so wild and full of desire, holy shit, it was so freaking hot.
"I'm not going anywhere." Kaden's arm tightened around my waist, his head pressed against my neck and his calm breathes soothing me to sleep.
I was a little sore, but I didn't care, it was actually quite the honour to be able to give that part of me to my mate, to have him see me in a way that nobody else ever would, I would give him everything of me. I was completely his, and I was more than okay with that.
*
The morning sun blinding me was a reminder that we failed to close the curtains last night. I felt, more than heard the groan that rumbled in my throat as I tried to turn over, wanting to hide from the loud sun.
Though my movements were made difficult as I felt somebody else being pulled with me. With my eyes still closed a smile graced my lips as I pulled the body closer to me, burying my nose into his neck and inhaling his scent that mixed perfectly with mine.
Kaden moaned softly, his head moving to give me more access to his neck. "Good morning, Mya Setio," he whispered, sleepily.
"Good morning, Angel." I littered soft kisses along his neck slowly, my hands slipping further around his waist and up his bare stomach.
He shivered beautifully under my touch, and being completely naked, there was no hiding my excitement.
"We should shower. It's already seven and I would like to make you breakfast." Kaden yawned, his hand linking with mine under the blankets as he tried to turn to look at me.
I backed up a little bit so he could turn around, and when his eyes landed on my neck, he smirked. His eyes locked with mine next and I felt myself sinking into them. I could stay here forever.
"Do we have to go to school?" I whined, making Kaden chuckle.
"Afraid so, but on the bright side, it is Friday."
Thank, Luna. School was a major inconvenience when you had a bunch of other things you needed to do, but it was an excuse to see my mate, so it wasn't too bad in the end.
"Spend the weekend with me," I asked, trailing my fingers along his jaw.
"I have work." He smiled sadly.
"It can be like a test run, to see how we hold up managing both at the same time. Obviously, I can't leave the castle, but I can help with anything else."
I really didn't want to leave him, and I already knew today was going to be tough, maybe spending the weekend together would be good for us, and I could definitely benefit from getting some early experience with the pack.
My eyes widened as I heard his thoughts as if they were my own, but the look of surprise was quickly wiped by the huge smile that pulled at my lips.
"I can hear your thoughts," I told him, watching as my words registered and he smiled too.
"I've been hearing yours all morning," he chuckled.
"Oh Luna." My eyes widened again, trying to think back to wherever my mind may have wandered since waking.
Kaden laughed again, his fingers moving to graze over my lips. "Do you know how to block them out? They may get distracting or annoying at times, especially if I'm at work."
"Same as blocking out mind-links?" I asked, our powers could be quite similar in that aspect.
Kaden nodded, before placing a kiss on my lips.
"Come on, let's go shower."
He climbed out of bed, and I reluctantly followed, letting him lead me into the bathroom that was connected to his room. It was simple but nice and we waited for the water to hit the right temperature before Kaden stepped underneath the spray and pulled me with him.
"How are you feeling?" He asked me. The hot water did wonders for my muscles and instantly eased the ache in my lower back.
"I'm a little sore, but honestly, I feel wonderful," I chuckled. We were fully mated with our mate, and me and my wolf were on cloud nine, I was convinced nothing could ruin our mood.
"I'm sorry I went so rough-"
I cut him off, pressing my lips hard against his own, and pulled his body flush against mine under the spray of water. When I pulled away to speak, his lips chased mine and I chuckled softly.
"Don't apologise, you were amazing."
We have to move, we have things to do, but I can't think when he is this close to me. He consumes my thoughts. His words...his body pressed up against mine...our erections rubbing together with every slight movement. Just Adam, Adam, Adam.
His thoughts made my heart swell, his eyes snapping to mine quickly when he realised I'd heard them. I smirked, and before he could speak, I wrapped my hand around our hard erections, stroking them together at a pace that had us breathing hard and ragged.
"Adam..." my name was strained as it slipped past his lips, his hands found my shoulders, his fingers digging into the skin slightly and I was reminded of last night.
I gasped as I increased the speed of my hand, enjoying the feel of our erections rubbing together, my mate holding onto me as he breathed heavily, fighting to keep his eyes open.
Neither of us lasted long, even after our release the night before, but unfortunately, we didn't have a lot of time to be able to take things slow, but I smiled at the thought of being able to spend the weekend with him.
We remained silent as we came down from our high, the warm water cleaning us up and we focused on washing our bodies and hair in each other's company.
I turned Kaden around so I could see his back and swallowed down hard.
"Sorry, my love." I kissed the marks on his shoulder blades from where my nails had dug into the skin. You could tell what they were from just by looking at them.
Kaden turned around with a smirk, his thoughts telling me he was proud of the marks before he placed a kiss to my neck.
"Me too," he chuckled.
I looked at him in confusion but didn't get an answer as we stepped out of the shower and he passed me a towel, before getting one for himself.
He guided me towards the mirror, his hand wiping away the steam and I was met with our reflection, the smirk still sitting proudly on my mate's face.
Oh.
Wow.
Dark red and purple marks stood prominently on the skin of my neck and collarbone, my mate had marked me for the world to see, and I'd be damned if the world didn't see it.
I smirked, turning Kaden around to face me, and kissed him hard, the smile still on my lips as they pressed together.
"Someone's possessive," I teased, chuckling when he just threw me a wink before disappearing back into his bedroom.
Kaden leant me some clothes before we entered a smallish kitchen in one of the rooms in the castle.
"This is more of a personal kitchen for where I would cook for my friends, the chefs have their own kitchen where they can cater for a large number of people, but they won't be cooking for us this morning. I want to make you breakfast," he explained, a small smile on his face as he wandered around the kitchen, comfortably.
"I could get used to this," I chuckled, taking a seat at one of the bar stools as I watched him.
I offered to help but he politely declined, getting to work making pancakes, bacon, and sausage. It smelt amazing but it looked even better, and my stomach was growling in hunger by the time he was finished.
He served the plates along with steaming cups of coffee and I really don't remember a time I have ever felt happier and more at peace than I did right then.
Kaden was an excellent cook and loved me complimenting him on his food, but that wasn't hard to do, his food was delicious, and I finished the plate in record time, practically licking the plate clean with a satisfied smile.
"Thank you, Angel. That was delicious."
"I'm glad you enjoyed it." He smiled. "I'm afraid we must get going, the day awaits us," he sighed.
I followed Kaden around as he did his morning routine. We checked in with Keiron who stared at us both with wide eyes and a happy smile. Kaden spoke to the guards privately and I checked everything was okay with my beta before we finally left for school.
We arrived late, but what bothered me was that we both had different classes.
"We will meet up for break," he assured me, before I was forced to pull myself away from the boy I had fallen head over heels with, a sigh being pulled from my lips as I watched him disappear into his classroom.
Man, school was really starting to suck.
-Kaden's POV-
I was riding on a constant high, it was like living in a fairy-tale, I felt untouchable, and I felt loved. Truly, loved.
The world around me appeared more colourful than it once did, and I felt fully situated into my own body, Adam's presence always lingering onto me, always there. My soul was complete, and I could feel it, constantly feeding me with bursts of euphoria.
And as much as I didn't want to leave my Keeper's side for class, I found that feeling never truly left me, not anymore.
I made sure I held a neutral expression when I entered the classroom, struggling more than I usually would to rid myself of the smile that I constantly felt trying to sneak up on me.
A few eyes lingered on me, but I didn't pay them any mind as I found Adrian sitting at the front of the classroom, staring at me with wide eyes and a smirk.
I'd received a few of them this morning, from the doctor and from my guards, and I knew I would be met with even more, but so far, nobody had mentioned it. I knew that was about to change.
"Holy fuck! Oh my god! Kaden! I knew it! I told you it would...wow...congrats man!" Adrian grinned, having a complete mental explosion.
I smirked, taking my seat next to him. I knew my aura was different now, I could feel it. Even though my guard hid the expanse of it, there was no hiding it when this close to someone.
And now the rumours would start.
*
The morning passed by quickly, which I was grateful for, and it wasn't long before I was walking towards the lockers with Gabriel beside me.
Gabe was probably the only Soul Waker that didn't react in some way towards me today, I knew he could tell but he didn't mention it, nor look surprised or smug when he saw me. Instead, he had greeted me with his usual nod and continued on with his work. The familiarity of it was somewhat comforting.
Adam was leaning against his locker with Michael and Remy beside him when we got there. Adam's eyes immediately found mine from across the corridor and he smiled, his eyes raking over my body as I approached.
"Hey, you." Adam smirked, but I quickly saw his eyes glancing behind me, no doubt at whoever were currently burning holes into the back of my head.
"Hey, yourself," I smiled.
"You two are being so risky," Michael commented, looking towards the love bites I had left on Adam's neck. I liked having my mark on him, it was the one way I could claim him as mine without exposing us.
Adam smirked, clearly hearing my thoughts, but again his eyes wandered behind me.
"Why are so many people staring at you?" He asked, evidently annoyed.
"Have you ever wondered just how many people at this school are Soul Wakers?"
He looked surprised, looking at me before back to whoever was staring, and I quickly heard them scurry away.
"I never really thought about it," he admitted, making a mental note to remember for the future.
After general greetings were passed between everyone, we made our way to a private room to meet up with the others. Breaks weren't long, but they were better than nothing.
-Tom's POV-
It's amazing what you overhear as a teacher, for example, my class had just been dismissed for break, and the few stragglers that remained were too busy caught up in a conversation about who they thought were the 'hottest' students at this school.
They paid no mind to my presence at all, happily gossiping among each other without a single care in the world. Oh, to be a teenager again.
"Michael's the hottest."
"You're joking, right? Yeah, Michael's hot but he's not the hottest. Do you not know the tier list?"
"The tier list?"
"Uh, yeah! Everyone knows the tier list," she rolled her eyes. "Kaden is number one at the top of the list, as it always has been, and Adrian was second, but now it's Adam, which moves Adrian down to third. Michael is fourth."
"Who decided this?"
"We had a vote. You can't seriously think Michael is hotter than Kaden, I mean, have you seen him?"
"But he's not interested in anyone."
"Yeah, everyone knows Kaden is untouchable, but alas, someone always comes along and tries just to be turned down like everyone else. Adam however..."
"He's so hot."
"And I hear he's single," she sang.
"Well, he's definitely seeing someone." All eyes turned on the girl who spoke, she still seemed sure that Michael should hold first place on this 'list' of theirs.
"How do you know?"
"The hickeys on his neck," she shrugged.
The room fell into silence, and I continued pretending not to listen, even though the conversation had turned quite amusing.
The girls stormed out of the room, the one confused girl quickly trying to catch up with them. Not a single glance in my direction as they left me alone to continue my work.
Of course, Adam and Kaden had completed their bonding ceremony, and to the lycans and Soul Wakers of this school it was obvious.
My eyes glanced to the clock on the wall.
Five more hours.
-Kaden's POV-
We were being watched. Well, more specifically, Adam was being watched.
"Are they some of yours?" I asked him.
Adam turned to glance in their direction, the girls quickly acting like they were talking to each other and not paying attention to us. When he turned back, they continued their observation and I saw the slight eye movement from Adam, telling me he was listening to what they were saying.
"I thought they were yours at first. Turns out they saw the love bites on my neck, they don't sound too happy about it." Adam smirked, pulling a smile to my lips.
"You should have hidden them," I teased, though I was glad that he didn't.
"Never. I'm proud to have your marks on me, let them talk." He grinned, and I knew he wanted to take my hand. I smiled sadly, silently apologising but he shook his head with soft eyes, he understood.
"Soon," I told him, Adam sending me a wink in response.
Just as the first two lessons did, our break also flew by, leaving not much time to coerce before lessons started back up.
Cameron and I walked side by side, our classroom door in sight. My hand was on the door when I was stopped.
"Sir, please! I can't get them to stop fighting." A girl spoke to me through a mind-link.
"Come with me," I said to Cameron, walking away from the door.
"Where are you?" I asked the girl.
"In the gym." Her response was instant. It did cross my mind that it could be a trap, so I was on high alert when I entered the gym.
But just as she said, two boys were fighting, one using his powers to hold the other to the ground, and the other in the middle of summoning a sword. The girl who had contacted me was screaming at them to stop, she kept a bit of distance, but I could see the tears running down her face.
Surprisingly, they hadn't seen me yet, but I quickly changed that, ensuring all of their eyes were on me.
"Stop this at once," I commanded. Their powers died out, wide eyes staring at me. "Stand!" They did, stepping away from each other and bowing their heads.
I stepped towards the girl, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?" I asked her, and she quickly nodded her head.
"Yes, thank you, I'm so sorry. I-I meant to reach out to Adrian but I panicked." Her voice was shaky as she wiped at her face, her cheeks taking on a shade of red.
"No need. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, you may return to your next class, take a moment to refresh if you need."
"Yes, sir. T-thank you." She bowed and fled the room, leaving me and Cameron alone with the two boys, who were yet to say a word. I stepped towards them.
"What is the meaning of this?" My voice was loud and clear but still they didn't speak.
"Well? I want to know what you think gives you the excuse to use your powers while on school grounds." Silence. "Look at me," I demanded.
Two pairs of eyes quickly met mine, and it was evident that they were shaking, both wide-eyed as they tried to find their words.
"I-I'm sorry, sir. It was just a stupid fight; it wasn't supposed to go this far." The boy that spoke sounded stressed, as if he didn't even know how it got to the point it did, the other scowled.
"With all due respect, your highness." I inwardly cringed. "But he's a stuck-up prick."
The other guy gawked at him, his eyes flashing back to me, and I didn't miss the way his eyes smirked.
That told me enough, but I let the other continue.
"Go on..."
He groaned. "He's got everything, and he does nothing but brag about it, he thinks he's better than everyone! I'm sick of him treating me like shit," he spat.
"I-"
I held my hand up, stopping him, I had already heard enough.
"If either of you are caught using your powers on school grounds again for purposes other than a life-or-death situation, you will be pulled from this school immediately, do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, sir!" They echoed, heads down once again.
"The two of you will report to my office after school, I will find a reasonable punishment for you. You should know how serious breaking such a rule is. However, this is your first offense so I will not go too hard on you, DO NOT let there be another."
"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."
"Get to class," I ordered, and as soon as the words left my mouth, they rushed towards the door, avoiding each other at all costs.
"This happens a lot more than I thought it would," Cameron spoke, shaking his head.
"It is important to try not to let your emotions fuel your powers, holding control at all times is important, though I know it may not always be easy. They should not let the words of another affect them so easily, especially when they hold no relation to each other."
Cameron nodded slowly. "Sir, stop me if I'm out of place here, but something is different about you."
I could see Cameron's confusion the moment he saw me today. It had registered to me that he hadn't seen somebody before and after bounding their souls with another. He didn't know how it changes your aura, how it changes you in a way.
"I have bound my soul with Adam's, we are complete now," I told him. If it were anybody else, I wouldn't have said anything, but I took Cameron under my wing, and I spent my time trying to catch him up on everything he had missed. Cameron had proved to us we can trust him, and I was proud to have him by my side.
Cameron blushed, avoiding my eyes.
"Oh. Um, congratulations. You look happier," he smiled.
"I am."
We returned to our classes after that, not another word needed to be spoken between us. It was at that moment that Adam reached out to me, as we were walking back from the gym.
"Are you okay?" He sounded concerned and I forced myself not to smile.
"Just a school fight, I'm okay. They used their powers on school grounds though, I can't just let them off for that." I sighed silently.
"Don't worry, love. I'm sure you scared them enough to not try that again," he chuckled. "I can help you find a suitable punishment if you want."
"Thank you, Mya Setio. I told them to meet me at my office after school, we can discuss it more then."
"Sounds good, Angel." I smiled at his words; he was so good to me. "Oh, and not to alarm you or anything, it could be nothing, but it's raining pretty heavily."
I searched for the nearest window, telling Cameron to carry on ahead, but wait outside the classroom if he didn't want to go in alone, he was still anxious when it came to showing up to class late.
I stepped towards the glass window nearby, my eyes glancing towards the sky. A heavy downpour of rain surrounded the school. The skies darkening as I watched.
"It's about time."
"This time, no matter what happens, I'm staying with you," he told me.
Things were different back then. I would still protect Adam with my life, but I knew we were stronger together. A lot has changed since that moment, and I would no longer be doing anything alone.
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
By the time lunch rolled around we still hadn't heard anything more, but the rain had continued to increase.
"I'm not sure how this works. Is he waiting for us to step outside, or do we just wait?" Jupiter never made things clear the last time we met.
"I'm not sure. What if he decides to attack us again?" I could hear the concern in Adam's voice, but it wasn't for himself.
"I don't think he will. Besides, we are a lot stronger now, I can perform Soul Awakening without any repercussions."
"He's probably pissed that we mated." Adam smirked.
I shook my head with a small laugh. I hope we hadn't pissed Jupiter off again, that was the last thing we needed right now.
"I'm sure it's fine, love. If it is him, we'll find out later."
He was right, we would just have to wait, but even that couldn't ruin my mood.
*
School ended and once again, I met up with Adam.
Everybody was running out of the school with their hoods pulled up over their heads, trying to reach their cars or the bus as fast as they can to get out of the rain. Others hung back, hoping the rain would calm down soon, but it had been like this for a few hours now.
I told Adrian and Cameron to hang back just in case, and Adam told his pack the same.
"I think we should just step outside and see if anything happens," I told him. I knew I had to get back to Galtolga so if he wanted to see us now, I hope it was quick. I didn't know if he would make an appearance here when there were still students on school grounds, but I didn't exactly have the time to go to the pack house just yet.
Adam nodded. "It's worth a try."
So, that's what we did. We stepped out into the pouring rain, getting instantly soaked in the process. I could already feel my clothes beginning to stick to my skin.
"Why rain?" I asked, pulling the shirt away from my chest.
Adam laughed. "Would you rather snow, or wind?"
"Not particularly."
We walked together through the car park of the school when suddenly, the rain just stopped.
Moments later, students were running past us, everyone rushing to get home before the rain had chance to return.
Adam and I were stunned, not really sure what to do.
"Hello, boys."
We turned at the voice, both quick with our movements. In front of us stood Jupiter, a smirk on his face and not a care in the world.
"Jupiter," I greeted. I couldn't help but look around, wondering if we had caught the attention of anyone else, but the students just kept rushing past as if we weren't there, slowly leaving us alone at the school.
"They can't see us." He looked towards the students, an evil glint in his eyes and again the skies opened, rain pouring down onto us.
Jupiter laughed in delight when he heard the squeals and watched as they moved their legs faster, eagerly seeking shelter.
"Well, weren't you two eager?" He taunted, taking a step towards us. "Couldn't keep yer hands off each other, eh? Oh, to be young and in love again."
"We wish to break the agreement, Jupiter. I will amend the past of a traitorous king, and Soul Wakers and Lycanthropes will thrive together once more." I spoke clearly and loudly, trying to get my voice over the rain.
Jupiter chuckled, his eyes shining with amusement. "I love the confidence. I have a question...if I say no, tell you that there is nothing you can do to change my mind, what will you do? Where will you go from here? When your people ask you who your Keeper is, and they will, you can't hide it anymore, what will you tell them? Will you tell them it's Adam? Pretend he's a human? Or will you tell them the truth? Will you break your agreement with me, and risk everything? Risk your life? Risk your Keeper's life?" He was smirking, so sure of himself.
The hardest part of that is risking my Keeper's life, but what life would it be if we can't be us? If we can't be happy?
"I would risk everything for my Keeper, I would tell my people of Lycanthropes and of you, I would tell them your story, the old King's story and let them decide for themselves, for what they believe in. I would risk my life for my people, and for my Keeper, and I will protect Adam until my last dying breath, and beyond that. If you even dare to lay a finger on my Keeper, you will live to regret it."
Jupiter's smirk turned into a smile, but he didn't look threatened by my words. Instead, he turned towards Adam. "And you?"
"I thank Luna everyday for gracing me with Kaden for a mate. I would take on the world for him or die trying. I would take on a God for him. My pack already knows and accepts him, and they can't wait for him to be able to join me as their Alpha. I would like to be able to tell them he is a Soul Waker, I already know they will accept it. Kaden is everything to me, Jupiter. Surely, you understand that. Don't try and take him away from me, it won't end pretty."
"And it's not just us," I added. "There are others, werewolves mated to Soul Wakers that can't fully be together because of a man that nobody even liked. I am not just doing this for me, but for them as well, they deserve to be with their keepers and their mates, they deserve to be happy."
"I must say you have surprised me." He sighed as if annoyed, his eyes finding the sky, though surprisingly, the rain never touched him. "What to do, what to do..."
Adam and I remained silent as we waited for his response, though I knew we were both hoping Jupiter would agree, we just wanted to be together, was that so much to ask for?
"I suppose, now you two are fully mated and all, Kaden can do that thing..." he waved his hand around, waiting for me to find the words for him.
"Soul Awakening," I finished.
"Yes, that." He snapped his fingers. "Thousands of years of knowledge and all that, you start to forget the unimportant things. Yes, you can do that easier now, right?"
"Yes, but you must remember the repercussions it will have on the soul being awakened."
"Yes, I remember. Fine. Ya know? If it were Luna, she would agree within a second, she always had a soft spot for lovers, and hey, it's her fault yer together, right? Maybe you should take it up with her-no wait, don't do that. Okay, tell ya what. We'll make a deal." He grinned. "Properly this time, a new agreement if you will."
"You." He pointed at me. "Amend that bastard's betrayal, right from the start and help me see my mate from time to time, and we'll forget the whole ordeal." His smile suddenly vanished. "But! If you dare betray me, I will bring hell upon Galtolga."
I would never betray Adam, or his people, and I would rather die than put my own people at risk.
"I believe you already have something in mind for how I will go about amending his wrong doings, am I correct?"
"Oh, I do like you much better than that old miserable bastard." He smirked. "You are correct, here is the list. Complete each one and I will come find you again and we will seal the deal."
A piece of paper appeared in my hands, and I quickly shoved it under my jacket, not wanting it to get ruined by the rain.
"Thank you, we have a deal." I said but by the time I looked back up, he was already gone, and the rain soon cleared up afterwards.
"What a scary bastard," Adam commented, as I started to read the list Jupiter had given me. "So, where do we start?"
I looked back at him with a thoughtful mind. "I think I know what punishment to distribute."
*
Happy New Year!
And thank you for reading, let me know your thoughts <3