Meanwhile...
Andrei Lupin...
My life here at the academy has been relatively easy to this point. I have always been popular with my dorm-mates and fellow shifter's. I am the alpha they all look up to or come to for advice. I take that role as seriously as I take my studies. I liked being the one in control and guiding my fellow species through their time here at the academy. I excelled at most of my studies but combat training was where my true abilities lay, and the school had a career-day of sorts coming up which I fully expect will indicate I should be in some sort of formal law-enforcement type position. Whether that be one of the enforcers, who are basically the supe-version of the police, or maybe I could go into the private sector and become a guard for one of the powerful families. Either way I am happy with the direction my professional future seemed to be taking.
On a personal note, I have had no shortage of girls throwing themselves at me – we have a lot of parties here at the school, the professors are happy to turn the other cheek as long as things don't get too out of hand and as long as we make it all inclusive, meaning that no species are left out and I know that some of the shifter's and witches are uneasy about having Vampires around at social events where inhibitions are already low, but so far so good. For me, I like variety when it comes to girls, or should I say, liked in past tense; I have always been of the opinion that variety is the spice of life but a Goddess.
That is a particular spice that I never imagined I would or could possibly have. Let alone being fated to a Demi-Goddess. My mind is swimming with the knowledge that she is a Demi-God. Eve.
The new girl.
The beautiful girl that I have felt the fated-tug to from the moment I laid eyes on her. My soul recognises my counter-half, and I am fighting every basic instinct that an animal like me has.
Mate.
Claim.
Bite.
Own.
Dominate.
I want it all with her. I need it all with her. The hardest part of all of this is that she clearly doesn't quite understand the weight of this connection. I want to say that she will take to it easily, and that might have been true if I was her only mate, but I'm not. Another fact that I never could have imagined happening to me.
A mating-coven was extremely rare these days because magic has been dwindling, due to the cross-breeding of Supes with humans, the pure bloods are becoming more, rare.
Our Head-Mistress is part of a mating-coven with nine men. I can't even wrap my mind around that fact. Nine men and one woman, I have to admire Miss. Nightingale's life-style.
Professor Stoker seemed to think that Eve has at least one more fated here at the academy. Is that true? And if it is, who is it?
My first instinct upon hearing what Eve and the professor were telling me last night was to scoff and dismiss it and had it not been for the tug on my soul, I might very well have just walked out the door and not looked back, which I now know would have been a mistake of epic proportions. So, I had done the only thing that I could – I raced back to the Shifter-dorm and packed up my stuff then spent an hour shipping it all over. Thankfully, Jensen and Nathan offered to help me and that made it much easier and quicker.
A mating-coven.
Honestly, it goes against everything that I believe in as a shifter. Being an alpha I am naturally dominant and territorial over what I consider mine. It is partly the reason why I have remained a virgin. I know that I have a penchant for romance, and I always said that I would only ever be with one woman and while that will still be true, she won't just be, only mine. I have to learn to share her with the other members of the coven. I guess there is a part of me that is worried that I won't be able to accept it. And if that is the case, where will that leave our bond?
Then add on the fact that my fated-mate is a Demi-Goddess, and I am finding it especially difficult to wrap my mind around it.
We were always taught that Demi-Gods were abominations and now that I have one in my midst, fated to be mine, and I can't find one single thing wrong with her. It is clear to me that she is no more an abomination than any other supe-being.
"Yo, Drei?" My wolf beta, Mark rushed up to me and fell into step with me as I make my way across the campus after having breakfast in the cafeteria while Sage and Eve studied incantations and spells.
"Hey, what's up?" I asked, giving a wave to a couple of fox-shifters that had been trying to catch my attention since the start of the school year. I may not be interested but I am not an asshole. I will always treat others with kindness and respect until they show me I shouldn't.
"Where did you go last night? And why is all your stuff gone from your room?"
"I uh-I met my fated-"
"Really? Who is she? What's her animal?"
"She's not a shifter-" I reply, stopping under one of the large oak trees that blooms so beautifully and vibrantly all year round that I am pretty sure it has something to do with the witches. I catch the frown on my friend's face, "and I am not her only mate-"
"What? That's not-that hasn't been-are you sure?"
I can understand where his confusion is coming from – a mating-coven is extremely rare these days, again because magic has been diluted so much by human blood that the power is all but ebbing away. Then along comes Eve and she isn't just a mere witch, she is a Goddess in her own right and the power she holds is immense, I can feel it. It's so strong that it pulses from her like some sort of sonic boom.
"Oh, I am sure-" I scrubbed my hand over my lower jaw as I thought about my mate and felt a wave of need come over me. I need her. And I know that Professor Stoker thinks that we need to complete our bonds with her to ensure she is as strong as possible for whatever is coming from her.
Once the bond is complete, it will mean that we can tap into each other's strengths in ways that are purely supernatural. That is all I want – to ensure that she can have the advantages of my strength and other abilities, of course she won't turn into a wolf, but she will have all of the advantages that come with being a wolf – increased sight and hearing, strength and I am hoping the mental connection that comes when a wolf finds their mate. All of which will aid her in whatever comes for her.
Lucian.
The damn devil is after my mate. The need to gather her close and keep her from danger is so strong that I am pretty sure I just growled and that is confirmed when Mark takes a small step back from me. His eyes widen ever so slightly because this is so out of character for me – I am always in control; I always keep a level-head. But that was before my mate. "Who is it, Drei?"
"You know the new girl? Eve?"
"The new hottie, witch?" He stated and the growl rose up once again, my stance shifting ever so slightly in fight mode, "woah, man, calm down I meant no offence -"
"Don't talk about my fated like that again!" I snarled; my entire body poised to attack if he says anything more. This is the only downside to find your fated-mate – you become almost irrational and I know that is what I am doing, but I simply cannot stop.
"Sorry," he mumbled, submitting to my authority as he always does, "but are you sure about this?"
"Yes!"
"I just think that this might be one bond that you might want to re-".
In an instant, my hand snatched out to wrap around his throat, "Do. Not. Finish. That. Sentence!"
"I understand that you are protective of her and the bond already, but I just worry what this will do to the pack -"
"I have a new pack!"
"A new pack?!" He barked, "are you serious? You are abandoning us? This is your rightful place, why would you-"
"Because she is mine!" I snarl my grip tightening ever so slightly, "and if you want to walk away from this conversation, I suggest that you keep whatever was about to come out of your mouth to yourself!"
"Fine!" He snapped his mouth closed.
"I know that you don't understand this, Mark but when you find your fated, you will get it. I promise you that. With that being said, I hand the alpha-position to you!"
"Me?" he blanched as if I had just struck him when my hand dropped from his throat.
"Well, you are my second in command, so there is no one more suited or poised to take over!" A weight lifted ever slightly and now all I wanted was to get to my girl.
"The others aren't going to be happy about this -"
"They will get over it!" I had to believe that otherwise I wouldn't be able to walk away like I planned.
My pack alliance has shifted, and I can't continue ruling over another pack while being a member of another. That is not how pack dynamics work. And as much as I wish it could be different, I know that it is what it is. And I meant what I said to Mark when he meets his fated, he will finally understand why I have to do this.
Being apart from Eve is simply not even an option. We have to build our connection quickly because we have a huge threat in our midst, and I cannot lose my mate when I have only just found her.
Eve Chambers...
Hanging out with Sage was quickly becoming one of my favourite things to do. We always seemed to find something to talk about and that only confirmed my belief that I had been missing out all these years.
Some might say I had grown comfortable with my own company and there would be times when I would want to retreat to that mindset but right now, I had no such inclination. If I am being honest with myself, I kind of feared that I wouldn't know how to be a friend to a girl because I hadn't ever really had one. Of course, there had been Lauren, but she was older than me, and we didn't ever hang-out, outside of work so she was more just a work-friend than a real, friend-friend.
School hadn't been the best experience for me – I was always too poor to be accepted by the other kids, my clothes never trendy enough for those who mattered, and my free time was limited even back then I was always helping my dad with work in some shape or form from doing his books, to being his unofficial secretary. I guess you could say that I never really had the chance to just be a teenager or to have fun with my peers.
Now here I am at the academy for supe-beings that I had no idea existed until a few days ago and I am on my own for the first time in my life, but it truly doesn't feel like I am really alone.
I have Sage who is quickly becoming my best friend. I have Jensen who has been nothing but welcoming and accepting of my ignorance in regard to the whole magical world. And I have three fated-mates who I am now living with.
Nathan – his calming essence is something that I could definitely get addicted to. He is so patient and kind with me. There is no belittling me for the things that I don't know. And it certainly doesn't hurt that he is gorgeous.
Andrei – my big bad protector. Sparring with him was fun and I had felt his shock whenever I did something that he believed I couldn't do. With Andrei, I feel like I could become anything or anyone and he would always have my back. And again, it doesn't hurt that he is as gorgeous as Nathan.
Then there is Kevin – Professor Stoker. He challenges me. I can feel it whenever he and I are alone together; he has this air of a teacher who is pushing me to learn and accept this new world I have found myself a part of. And honestly, I can feel his fear for me – he is terrified that the devil has been whispering in my head. And I can't lie, and say that I'm not terrified-myself because I am. I don't think that I have ever been more scared than I am knowing that the voice in my head belongs to the actual devil.
What does he want with me?
Can I find a way to banish him without slipping and mistakenly answering him?
"You're thinking hard over there!" Sage offered as we stood by the small sink and washed up the mugs that we had used for coffee while we worked.
"Yeah, I am just thinking of how different my life is-"
"I can't imagine that it's easy to wrap your mind around, especially when you had no idea that this world even existed-"
"It's really not. I think the hardest part though is the whole mate thing, I mean I don't even know these men and it's like all my free-will has been taken from me-"
"The whole thing about free-will is that it's an illusion, our lives are already mapped out for us. But if it helps, I can tell you a little of what I know about your guys?"
Did I want to know?
Or would I rather get to know them naturally?
Did I even have time for that?
I mean, we know that something is coming for me and if what Kevin said about cementing our bonds is true then I don't have the luxury of time and letting things grow organically.
"Alright, tell me about Nathan?"
"Nathan is the strong and silent type, but he is always friendly, he's a strong, competent witch with his affinity being fire, he has always been in control from what I have seen of him. I have never seen him with more than one girl, but it ended pretty quickly from what I saw, no one knows why it ended because neither of them actually talked about the break-up, but they seemed to still be on friendly terms."
The very idea of Nathan with another woman makes my blood grow cold in my veins. He is mine. And that thought is not a thought that I am used to feeling. I have always been the one in control of my emotions and feelings. I was always independent – the very idea of being dependent on another human being was just too scary to even contemplate. And now here I am – tied to not one or two men, but three.
"Andrei is pretty private; he tends to keep himself to his species, but he has had hook-ups with other girls around campus. Again, there has never been any bad-blood with him and the girls he has been with, but I always had the impression that he was a bit of a player. I don't know much about his animal other than he is a wolf. I know that he is considered the best combat student in the whole school, he excels at weapon training and one on one combat. I don't really know much else than that about him,"
The idea that Andrei is considered a player, instantly has me slamming my walls in place. I have been with a man who couldn't keep it in his pants, and I don't want to go back there but I can't deny the way my heart clenches upon hearing what my big-bad wolf is like.
"And unfortunately, because he is a teacher, I don't know anything about Kevin. I mean, I know that he has a lot of admirers around campus but there hasn't been even a slight whisper of him being unprofessional with any of the students and from what I could tell, he doesn't socialise much. I know that he is an emotional vampire-"
"That still blows my mind – the different types of Vampires although it really shouldn't, I know that. This whole world is confusing to me, and I am not entirely sure that I will ever get the hang of it!"
"It will take time, but you will; that is what we are all here for, a mating-coven is about supporting one another!"
"Thank you, Sage!" I nodded just as Andrei charged into the training space, his eyes wild and instantly locked on to me.
My entire body lit up like a Christmas tree – my heart thudded powerfully in my chest, my stomach flipped over and over, and my breath flew away from me in a matter of seconds. This is insane.
My wolf is gorgeous, and I find myself wondering what he must look like in that form. I can imagine he is an imposing figure. As a man he is tall and built like the side of a house, all hard lines and defined muscle.
Player! The word works its way around the attraction I feel to him physically. Dampening the arousal like some sort of truth water bomb. I can feel myself retreating from him, my heart too loud that he is going to have the hardest time settling down with one woman.
One woman with multiple mates – how does that make me any better?
I am going to find this much harder than I thought. I mean the magic and powers was one thing but being something that I never believed I was – a woman with multiple lovers, that was what I was struggling with. How do I make peace with that?
"What's wrong?" Andrei rushed towards me, the concern in his expression was instant as if he could read my mind.
"I-"
How do I explain this?
I don't even know how to address the fact that I have more than one mate. How am I meant to actually live like this? A part of me wants to scream and curse about how unfair all of this is but what would be the point? It's not like it would actually change anything.
"I'm going to leave you two alone-" Sage edged into the conversation, "unless you need me to stay?" Her eyes locked on me.
"No, it's fine," I give her my best attempt at a smile that I can see that she doesn't buy but she nods and quietly leaves the training room, closing the door behind her. "Can we talk before starting?" I look at my wolf.
"Of course," Andrei carefully reaches for my hand and gently tugs me towards the benches and sits us both down facing each other, "alright, talk to me!" The fact that he doesn't drop my hand warms me ever so slightly.
"This is so-I don't know what-fuck me why is this so hard!" I growl and he gives me this look that imitates adoration. But how is that possible?
How can these men be so invested so quickly?
I don't understand the pull I feel to all of them, and I don't understand how it can be so instant. I guess that is fate at play. I mean sure, in the human world, attraction like this takes time and care to build it, but this isn't the human world, this is the supe-world, and everything is different.
"I'm sorry-" I begin, taking a steadying breath.
"Why are you sorry?" His head sort of does that adorable thing that dogs do when they are truly listening to you – you know the head tilt, right?
"I can't imagine that you are comfortable with the whole multiple partners thing we have going on?" From what I know of wolves is that they are extremely territorial over their Luna's. Is that what I am? His Luna?
"No, it's not ideal, but it is the hand I have been dealt which means that I have to get on board because walking away from you is not an option, it may take me some time to become truly comfortable with it-"
"I'm sorry,"
"You have nothing to say sorry for. It's got to be hard for you too-"
"It is. I have always believed that love is between two people not multiple people, I mean I just dumped my boyfriend for fucking around behind my back and then I find this out, how does it make me any different?" I sighed, my body seemingly giving up the tension now that I have voiced my concerns.
"Well, first he was a fucking dick-head if he took any risk in losing you," the soft pressure of his thumb stroking the top of my hand was comforting in a way I hadn't been expecting, "and secondly I am guessing that he wasn't forthcoming in the fact that he was seeing other women?"
"Well, no he wasn't -"
"Then there is the first difference, you know that we all know about each other, and we understand that this is the way it is, you are incredibly powerful, Eve and with what you have coming your way, it is going to be more important than ever for you to have as much strength as possible, and with the three of us and whoever else, you will be formidable!"
Was he right?
Was it as simple as knowledge that separated me from Noah?
A huge part of me wanted to believe it was that simple. I wanted to believe that I wasn't going to hurt anyone. I wanted to believe that somehow this could all work out for the best for all of us, but I guess I kind of feared that it just couldn't be that simple.
The devil is coming for me, and I have to focus. I have to get my head in the game because the stakes have never been this high.