Claimed Mate by Roxie Ray
Liv
Ispent a few hours after breakfast just wandering around, trying to get a mental map in place of the little community. I’m not sure this place could count as a village, but if not, it was close. There were several small plots of vegetables; I finally found the ducks I’d been able to smell, and I was pretty sure there were chickens, too. I could smell a faint, pond-water smell. There were plenty of little kettle pot ponds hidden in the woods all over New England, and I was certain there was one nearby. I just wasn’t sure how far, and I didn’t want to go wandering off when I wasn’t sure when the prince was going to be free.
Maren found me for lunch; Corin had invited my former roommate in once we’d all arrived, which meant that Maren’s cottage had a full pantry.
“Corin made this bread?” I said around a mouthful. I had been skeptical about bread, butter, and cucumbers as a meal, but I don’t think I’d ever tasted bread this good in my entire life. I could eat a dozen cucumber sandwiches.
Maren nodded eagerly. “Yeah! She doesn’t look like much of a baker, does she?” I chuckled and shook my head. No, upon first meeting the witch, I could picture her in the role of defender and definitely of badass, and certainly not as a domestic goddess, though in retrospect, I saw no reason the woman couldn’t be both. “I asked her to teach me. I can barely make chocolate chip cookies without turning the entire kitchen into an absolute nightmare!”
I laughed and shook my head. “You’ve got one up on me. Remember when I tried to make those break-and-bake cookies?”
Maren’s eyes twinkled as she giggled at the memory. “Oh, you mean the ones you decided to eat as cookie dough after burning half the batch to a crisp?”
I couldn’t even argue. I’d somehow managed to set the oven timer for nineteen hours instead of nineteen minutes, and didn’t realize my mistake until the smoke alarm in the kitchen had gone off. I’d eaten the rest of dough out of spite as much as embarrassment. I think I ordered cookies from one of those midnight bakeries afterwards, if only because I promised Maren cookies.
A sense of nostalgia washed over me and I exhaled.
“What’s up?” Maren asked, sensing the shift in mood.
I sighed and finished my sandwich. “Oh, you know. Just thinking. It’s not going to be that simple anymore, is it?”
Her smile fell a little and she gave me a sympathetic look, shaking her head. “No, not really. I’ll still let you burn cookies though, if that will make you feel any better.”
For some reason, her offer did make me feel a little better and the corner of my mouth lifted a little. I patted her knee. “Maybe you can teach me to make chocolate chip cookies when you graduate to bread,” I suggested.
Maren’s bright, sunny smile returned. “That’s a much better plan! Now, if you’re done…I think you have a meeting with our resident prince, don’t you?” She winked. “C’mon. I’ll show you to his office. I assume he’ll be there.”
“I can’t believeI didn’t notice this room earlier,” I murmured, tracing my fingers over the wood as we stepped through the door.
Malachi chuckled. “Well, that is precisely the point,” he replied, pulling off his outer layer. He hung the vest on a hook by the door and started to roll up his sleeves as he turned back to me. “Now, I can sense there is a block around you. Do you know who set it?”
I shook my head. I felt like I ought to be rolling up my sleeves, too, but I was already wearing a tee. “I didn’t even know there was one.”
He offered me a sympathetic smile. “Unfortunate, but we can work around it. Consider simply, then, that there is a part of you that was sent to sleep, and we must coax it back to wakefulness. After so long in the dreamless sleep, it will take some effort.”
I nodded, not entirely sure what else to do with that information. He led us both to the center of the room; though the room was square, there was a circle…arena, for lack of better word. The area was clear, the wooden floor marked by a small change in height. There were other things against the walls, but I didn’t get the chance to gawk before power started rolling off of Malachi in waves.
It was like staring into the sun. I blinked, torn between looking away and watching him. My wolf stirred, but something else stirred alongside her. It was an echo of something I didn’t recognize, but…strangely, it didn’t feel foreign. It was something that had always been there. It rose and it felt like I had been dunked in a glass of carbonated water; or maybe I was the carbonated water, fizzing and bubbling over my rim. The light in the room shifted, and it took me a moment to realize I was starting to shine too, just like Malachi.
“What—” I gasped, unable to put any of this into words. I glanced down and wiggled my fingers. Remarkably, smoke began to rise in lazy tendrils, but I didn’t feel a thing. When I pressed my thumb and forefinger together, I felt no heat. I glanced back up to grin at the fae, only to realize the room was becoming smoky itself. It was dark. Hazy. I couldn’t see the man, and he’d only been a few feet in front of me.
Before I could ask, a flash of light cut through the smoke, as bright as a solar flare. I blinked rapidly and took a few steps back, momentarily blinded. My eyes hurt. Whatever had been bubbling up through me had slipped away, leaving me naked and blinded. My wolf surged to the forefront; we were vulnerable. Power was still radiating off the prince and she could feel it, surging forward to grapple control. To protect.
A pained wheeze escaped as my joints cracked and bones popped. Fur rippled up where there was only skin before; I had no chance to explain. I barely had a chance to breathe before I was on the ground, four paws planted firmly, ready to spring away from whatever the prince was about to throw at me.
Except he threw nothing.
Nothing at all.
My ears pricked forward, and I realized he was laughing. It was a happy sound, full of…full of joy. It was so warm; it reminded me of the best parts of summertime, when evenings were lazy and comfortable, and fireflies danced across open fields. As my vision slowly prickled back, I glanced up at him; Malachi was approaching with open arms.
“Oh, Olivia,” he murmured, cupping my cheeks in both of his hands. I was too stunned to pull away, mesmerized as he smoothed his hands over my ruff. “What a clever thing you are! Truly, when Maren told me you were raised by a pack of werewolves, I did not expect much. They are not much for magic, are they?”
I shook my head. Wolves were many things, but they did have a tendency to get stuck in their ways. I would be lying to say otherwise. “All of that, just on instinct. Remarkable.” He took a step back, perhaps remembering I was not a dog to be petted. I shook out my fur, tail curled primly around my feet. “Apologies,” he murmured, and swept it away with a hand. “I have never had such an apprentice. Now, I think you will need to shift back, if you can?”
I gave a nod.
“Very good. I will, of course, avert my eyes.” He chuckled and turned, walking out of the arena to gather something up. “Please let me know when you are set.”
True to his word, Malachi kept his gaze firmly on the wooden wall as I shifted back, standing patiently even as I caught my breath, a little lightheaded after shifting back and forth so rapidly. “I’m, uh…”
The prince held a robe out in his left hand, offering it a bit behind. “Here you are.”
I raised a brow and didn’t move. Look, here’s the thing, I knew I was an attractive girl, but… Actually, fuck it. Malachi said he wouldn’t look. I’d hold him to that. And if he did steal a peek, I’d deal with that accordingly.
Thankfully, I was able to take the robe and slip into the soft fabric, marveling for a moment at the butteriness of it. Once I knotted the belt, I cleared my throat, and Malachi turned around, brightened again. “No worse for wear! Wonderful. I am glad Finola was wise enough to suggest extra clothing.”
My mouth twitched at one side. “You get along with your sister?”
“Oh, well enough,” he hummed, waving the question off. “How do you feel, Liv? That was quite a bit of energy you just showed off.”
I shrugged one shoulder. “Uh, fine. Hungry,” I admitted, a little sheepish. “Wolves usually hunt during a shift.” Or they have a Friday night dinner beforehand. My expression fell and I had to fight not to let the guilt swallow me back up. “Can we try that again?”
Malachi looked thoughtful for a moment. “No, no. I want to think about this. We will start working a bit harder tomorrow. It would not do to have you passing out!” He shook his head, discarding whatever he was considering. “You are a member of the Unseelie High Court, dear.”
“I am?” I eyed him skeptically. “You’re sure?”
“Oh, absolutely. No one else can create shadow smoke.”
There wasn’t even a question in his voice, so I was forced to accept it. “Does that mean you know who my mother could be?” My chest clenched at the idea. Who was the woman who’d given birth to me? Had she missed me at all? Had she looked for me?
The prince rubbed his chin, rubbing his finger over the close-cut beard. It looked soft, somehow. Realizing I was staring, I blinked and looked away. Malachi didn’t seem to notice, saying instead, “There are a few possibilities, I am afraid. We will need to do some research to figure out the right person.”
I frowned. “How many fae women seduced wolves about twenty-six years ago, give or take?”
He raised a brow. “Might I remind you that, generally speaking, a member of the Unseelie court is under no obligation, nor under any particular desire, to disclose their love life to the Seelie heir?”
“I… Yes, fine. That makes sense.”
We both looked over to see Finola let herself in, practically floating across the training room in her bright yellow sundress. “Brother. Olivia. Here you are.” She looked me up and down and gave Malachi a knowing look. “You made her shift?”
“In a manner of speaking.”
She shook her head. “Well, Olivia, now that my dear brother has given you a crash course in raw power, it is my turn.”
“Your turn…?” I didn’t remember signing up for this.
She hid a smile behind her slender fingers. “Not all power is quite as flashy as Malachi here.”
The fae looked over from where he was retrieving his clothing. “I choose to receive that only as a compliment,” he said airily. “Finola will be taking you around the rest of the grounds. Please, ask her anything. Make yourself at home.”
“You are going to be late if you keep nattering on, Malachi.”
He tsked, and saw himself out the door. “I look forward to our next training session, Liv. Finola, I will see you this afternoon.”
Late for what? I wondered; I decided against asking, lest Finola think I was nosy. “Can I change first?” I glanced towards my pile of clothes and grimaced when I realized everything had suffered a few rips in my shift. “Fuck. Ah, uh, sorry, I mean, shoot. I really didn’t pack much.”
The woman snorted. “I have heard a curse before,” she replied, giving me a once-over. “Hm. I think we are almost the same height. Come. I am sure I have something you can wear.”
“I amglad you were up for a walk.”
I glanced at Finola, drawn out of my absent staring. Her tour was, admittedly, much better than the pointless meandering I’d done earlier. I wasn’t sure if I was particularly bad at noticing things, or if fae magic was considerably more subtle than I’d originally given it credit for. Or maybe it was a bit of both. I offered a one-armed shrug. “Good to know the place I’m living, right?”
“True.” She slowed to a stop, pointing out the pond I’d been sniffing earlier. It wasn’t nearly as far as I’d thought; it was, however, remarkably clean, not a single piece of algae floating along the surface. Several mallard ducks paddled lazily towards us. “I did want to talk to you. Alone.”
“Oh?” I looked from the ducks, trying to study the princess’ face. Her expression was still mild and hard to read. I inhaled a little more deeply, but I couldn’t pick up any change in her scent. If she was stressed or upset, she was very good at hiding it. “What about?”
“Because I know how difficult it can be shouldering a power you did not expect,” she replied simply. “A few days ago, you were just an alpha wolf’s sister, were you not?”
“I…” I sighed and wrapped my arms around myself, choosing to watch the ducks. Having realized we came with no offerings, they’d resumed their idle floating. “Yes. I’d never heard anything about a prophecy or a female alpha or a…a queen before Maren told me,” I confirmed. There were so many things I wished I could ask my father if I had just twenty-four more hours with him, but ‘Did you know about the prophecy?’ had superseded all other questions by now.
“Malachi knew who our parents were, so we had that going for us, but…” The woman sighed; she almost sounded wistful. I peeked sideways to find that Finola, too, was staring out at the lake. Her gaze seemed far away. “Fae are dying out, Olivia.”
I blinked. “…what? Aren’t…aren’t there lots of fae, though? And, like, lots of different types?” I couldn’t even imagine. It would be like saying ‘all wolves are dying out.’ It simply didn’t seem possible.
Finola nodded. “Fae are a very diverse group, yes, but that does not change the fact. Somewhere in our long lives, we have lost the ability to have our own children without…assistance. Generally, that would mean mixing with other species.” She paused for a moment and frowned. “But as the fae have gotten more reclusive and hidden themselves from the humans, it seems we have hidden ourselves from most supernaturals, as well.” Finola paused again, brows pinching together. “You will have noticed, of course, that my dear brother has formed a habit of picking up strays and bringing them here, however.”
I licked my lower lip. There were dozens of fae and supernaturals here, as far as I could tell. If they weren’t finding this place, and the prince was bringing them in one by one... This conversation was starting to make me wonder how old Finola and Malachi actually were. The two of them looked a few years older than Cal and me. Late twenties, and, at most, early thirties, but this… This sounded like it had taken much more than a few decades. I kept quiet, and Finola continued.
“Unfortunately, some fae became determined to find a way to solve this problem within the fae. It started simply. Potions. Spells. Incantations. But the king ran out of willing participants, and he was not ready to let something like a lack of volunteers stop him.”
I hazarded a guess. “The king is your father?”
“Yes.” Her expression hardened for a moment before she exhaled, the perfect mask of passivity returning. “He has lived too long. I am not sure if desperation stole his mind, or if his lost wits led to his desperation, but he listens to the hags and courtiers who whisper in his ear and insist he will find a way to save the fae. No price is too high for King Harold to pay. Malachi and I left because we could not stand by and watch it happen. We could not…”
She paused and shook her head.
“You couldn’t…?” I prompted.
“We heard the prophecy as we searched for some answers. Truthfully, it seemed as good an answer as any other; we also met Maren, then. An Unseelie looking to solve the same problem.” The woman shook her head. “She is quite lucky Malachi and I were raised with better manners than anyone in that court.”
I tucked that little nugget of information away for later. “So…if you knew about the prophecy, why didn’t you just, you know, act on it?” I asked, realizing as I was speaking that I was essentially asking a woman — no, not just a woman, a princess — why she didn’t just go have a baby. I cringed and shook my head. “Sorry, that came out really poorly.”
The woman chuckled, looking more amused by my blunder than offended. “I understand what you are asking. Unfortunately, it is not as simple as meet a wolf, fall in love, have a baby,” she murmured, giving me a sideways look. “First of all, despite my father’s madness, I am still expected to make a good marriage someday, as is Malachi. You can imagine that would be a bit hard if either of us had a child already.”
I snorted. “That’s a bit old-fashioned, isn’t it?”
“The fae are very old, Liv.” She shrugged and held her palms out. “Malachi and I had heard the prophecy, but you know how stories change. There is…a bit of magic that must be involved, as well. Which, unfortunately, we did not know, and still do not know. And…”
“And?”
“Would you have a child to ‘save your entire race,’ hoping that it would indeed work out?”
I wrinkled my nose. “I see your point.”
Finola held up a finger. “I would consider it. This is bigger than just one person. But it is not a decision I would take lightly.”
I exhaled. “Yeah, that’s a lot of pressure to put on one person. Like…I wasn’t even raised by fae. Or near other fae. Or even knowing any, for that matter. I’m sure your brother is a good teacher, but… you said it yourself. I’m just an alpha’s daughter, really. In the grand scheme of things, what can I actually do?”
The princess frowned, finally turning to look at me. “You are proof that fae and wolves can produce viable offspring. That, if nothing else, is important; if the fae can prevent extinction by hybridizing, I see no reason why they should not, if they are willing.”
“You just said it wasn’t as simple as girl meets wolf, girl loves wolf, wolf loves girl, girl has baby.” I snorted.
“But it is clearly possible.” She waved a hand at me. “So maybe it could be repeated. This is bigger than you or me, Olivia. Bigger than a court or a community. This is an entire race that could be lost. Do you have any idea what might happen if the fae go extinct? What would happen to their realm? To all the nooks and crannies fae inhabit in the human world?”
“I…”
“Who do you think keeps home and hearth safe while the master is away? House spirits. Who tends to forests and all the things great and small a forest contains? Dryads. Even a flower fairy brings joy, making flowers bloom. If we were gone, who do you think would move in?”
I paused, brow furrowing. “I…I guess I don’t know.”
“Wolves are not the only supernaturals, and some of them are far more ambitious than a wolf pack. Wolves, I have found, are content to remain hidden as long as they are left alone. Do you think the same can be said for vampires? Witches and warlocks of ill intent?”
“Okay, okay, I can see how a mass extinction could be bad for…for a lot of people.”
“Good.” After a moment, her expression softened. “I do not mean to be hard on you, Olivia, but war is coming. You and I have more tools at our disposal, and so we should use them.”
I sighed and considered that, rolling her words over in my head. After a moment, I gave a slow nod. “I…well, I can try.” I chewed on my lower lip. “A war though? Really?”
“Ben is not going to stop coming for you now. It is unknown if he will rally other wolves to his cause. You must realize that while Malachi and I are glad for a solution, not every fae is going to embrace hybridization, and as you are proof of concept…” She sighed and shook her head sadly. “Some will do anything to preserve the status quo.”
I nodded; I couldn’t argue that. I knew people like that. Ben was people like that. I wrapped my arms around myself and nodded again, a little more firmly this time. “If this is important, and I think it is…I’ll do my best, Finola. I will.”
