Forbidden Mate (15 page)

Marco looked at him with a mix of shock and
disappointment. “I thought you loved Helen. I guess I was wrong.”

He wanted to shout from the highest tower of the
castle that he loved Helen with his whole heart, that the thought of losing her
before really getting to know her made him sick to his stomach, and that it
tore him apart that he couldn’t have a future with his true mate.
 
Instead he said nothing at all. Wesley didn’t
have any fight left in him.

Chapter
Eleven

Targus paced the jail cell, occasionally rattling
the bars in a fit of rage. “Let me the fuck out!”

“I know who you are,” said the Elite.

“And who am I?”

“You’re one of the old royal suitors.
Jilted suitors.
Must really piss you off, eh?”

“Not enough to hurt a princess, if that’s what
you’re implying. I came here for my own reasons. I don’t give two shits about
anyone but my mate right now.”

“You have a mate?
Really?
Where
is she, wolf?”

“Dying on your front lawn!
Why
do you think Wesley broke into the castle? We need royal blood to heal her.”

“Wesley’s helping you? Like I’ve already told you,
that’s laughable.”

The guard had bested him after a good old-fashioned
brawl in the underground tunnels. He had to buy time for Wesley, and he hoped
to the gods his new friend had found a princess willing to help. After tossing
Targus into the cell, the guard studied him, refusing to confirm his story with
Wesley.

Two other males entered the small prison room. Wesley
watched from behind the wall of aged iron bars. The cells were an original
feature of the castle. “Where’s Delia, Ronan? You see her?” The oversized male
had to be a bear shifter. He briefly glared at Targus before giving his
attention to the Elite guarding him.

“No clue. I’m just trying to figure out why this
wolf was trying to sneak into the castle. He was with Wesley, but I have no
clue where Wesley’s disappeared to.”

“A wolf?” said the other male. “Wesley told me he
was on the hunt for a wolf yesterday. Maybe this is the culprit.”

“Just let me out. I don’t want any trouble. We came
to get help from one of the princesses. Only they have the power to heal our
mate.”

“What do you make of it, Alexander?”

The wolf shrugged. “I assume Delia agreed to help
since we can’t find her.”

“Or she was forced,” said the bear shifter, the bass
in his voice filling the room. “Let him out so he can lead us to his mate.”

Ronan slowly approached the gate with the keys. He
looked Targus in the eyes as he unlocked the door. “Don’t try anything stupid.
I got you in here once, and I can do it again.”

Targus kept his mouth shut, not wanting to
antagonize his captor until he was free of the iron bars.

He couldn’t stop envisioning Helen at his cabin, her
body painted with blood. The fucking she-wolf had moved so fast, he hadn’t
anticipated it. By the time he’d sunk his fangs into her hide to protect his
woman, it was too late. The damage had been done. If she’d been a shifter, her
body would have been able to recuperate in time. But her human body was weak
and delicate and didn’t regenerate like a shifter’s. This was their only chance
to save Helen and a new future for all of them. It had only taken one scent of
Helen to recognize the mating call. It was irrefutable and potent. He couldn’t
live without her now that he knew what he was missing in his life.

He wasted no time in rushing back to Helen and
Marco. Had Wesley found Freya? Was Helen okay? While he’d been locked up, anything
could have happened. He felt desperate and anxious not knowing what was
happening.

When they approached the exact spot he’d left Helen,
she was gone. There was no sign of anyone. “She was right here.”

“He’s not lying,” said Alexander. “I can smell wolf.
A lot of it.”

“Where did they go?” asked Targus, hoping something
had some fucking answers.

“I don’t know, but it’s a full moon tomorrow, and I
don’t want Delia running around alone in town. Every male will be on her like
white on rice.”

“It’s time to go hunting,” said Alexander. “This
should be fun. Gods know there’s little excitement to be had under the castle
roof.”

They all shifted and began to track the scent
towards the small shifter town.

****

Marco helped bring Helen to Wesley’s apartment in
town. Her body was lifeless as they carried her, making the short trip more
difficult. Caleb and Delia entered the apartment behind them. It was odd seeing
royalty in such a shitty little apartment. He was surprised the princess agreed
to come along at all, especially since she claimed Helen was beyond saving. Did
she want to gloat over his loss?

“Put her on the sofa,” said Wesley, rushing about,
tossing clothes out of the way.

“What can I do to help?” asked Delia. She looked
genuinely concerned, but Marco refused to fall for her act. The royal family
only cared for themselves and their bloodline. Outside shifters were a low
priority, humans not a priority at all.

“Nothing,” said Caleb.
“Nothing
legal.”

Marco glared at the fox. “We’re not here to go over
the rules with you, computer boy. We’re here for Helen, legal or not.”

“Well, it’s beyond breaking the law. It’s a moral
issue,” said Caleb. “There are lines that can never be crossed.”

Delia sat on the edge of the sofa. “I know,” she
whispered. “I just don’t know
what’s the right thing to do
.
Just because she’s a human doesn’t make her life any less valuable. It doesn’t
feel right to stand back and do nothing.”

Marco suddenly clued in. If the princess claimed she
couldn’t save her, she might be able to change her, just like Freya changed her
human mate. He had to appeal to Delia. “I came to the palace many years ago
when humans killed my first mate. I wanted revenge, wanted justice—I got
neither.” He swallowed hard, trying to keep the bitterness out of his tone.
“There was nothing that could be done for her. But you can still save Helen.”

“We aren’t supposed to interfere with humans.
Changing one into a wolf would be seen as an act of war,” said Delia. She
twirled her long hair into a rope, pacing the small room.

“Not if she wants it to happen,” said Wesley,
suddenly just as interested as Marco.

“She’s unconscious. I have no clue what she wants or
even who she is. Gods, I think I’ve stirred up enough controversy since coming
home.”

“Look at her neck. She’s been marked by me and
another wolf. We’ll both take full responsibility for her. No human will ever
know.” Marco was desperate to convince Delia. He wasn’t sure if his pleas were
working or not.

“Actually, there’re three of us,” said Wesley. “That
means three oaths to keep everything quiet. It’s no different than my vow to
protect the monarchy.”

“What do you think, Caleb? Did Darius have any long
term effects from being changed?”

Caleb ran a hand through his hair. “He looks just as
much wolf as any other. I haven’t heard of any problems, but I also haven’t heard
of any other humans being changed. This sounds like a bad idea any way I spin
it.”

Marco heard numerous steps coming up the fire escape
to Wesley’s little apartment above the store. He moved closer to Helen, ready
for a fight. If the Royal Elite were coming to protect the princess, he’d lose
his chance to save Helen.

Targus entered through the open window first,
followed by three other males from the palace. Two were Elites, the marks on
their arms evidence of their station. There were so many males cramped into the
one-room bachelor apartment. If a fight broke out, it would be chaos.

“There you are, Wesley!” shouted one of the Elites.
“You said you’d owe me one. All I want to know is what the fuck is going on.”

“I needed royal blood, the one thing you couldn’t
let me take,” said Wesley.

“For what?”

The other Elite grabbed Delia’s wrist, pulling her
up from the sofa and against his massive bear-shifting body. “Did they force
you here?”

She frowned. “No, I came to help, Ulric.” She ran
her palm over his bare chest in a loving gesture. “And I’m going to help. My
mind is already made up.”

“Help?
How?”

“I’m changing that girl into a shifter. She won’t
live long if I don’t. I refuse to let Marco lose a second mate, or let one of
my Royal Elite lose his first.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” said Ulric. “You
know the rules, Delia. The queen would never allow it. We don’t need any more
heat.”

“It’s a life.”

The bear growled before surrendering. “Will it hurt
you in any way?”

She shook her head. “It’s just a little bite,
nothing more.”

Caleb chimed in. “But Ulric’s right. The
repercussions could be massive. You’re establishing a precedent, Delia. Every
male shifter wanting to claim a human will
come
calling to the palace. It could spell disaster.”

“Helen’s an outsider. No one will have to know,”
said Marco.

Helen coughed, a trickle of blood spilling from her
lips. His breath hitched as he watched her final minutes.

Without being prodded or needing further convincing,
Delia leaned over and sank her elongated fangs into the base of Helen’s neck. Time
seemed to stand still as all six of them watched in suspended animation. A pin
falling would have sounded obscenely loud.

Freya had changed her human into a shifter during
mating. Yet, this was something totally different. Would it even work? Were
they too late?

When the princess pulled back, she used one extended
claw to slice a small gash along her own wrist. “Open her mouth,” she instructed.

Wesley was closest. He held open Helen’s mouth as
Delia let her royal blood drip down in a steady stream. Within seconds the
wound on her wrist healed over, but Helen had already received the life-giving
blood. Now they had to wait to see if it would work.

Nothing happened at first, making Marco more nervous
than ever. If this didn’t work, there were no other alternatives. He’d lose
Helen and his second chance at love.

“
Fuck
.”

“Give her time,” said Delia. “The change doesn’t
happen instantly. There’s a lot of damage to be corrected.”

Helen’s body broke out in
a sheen
of sweat, shaking as if freezing. Targus knelt down next to her, brushing her
hair from her face. His best friend looked as nervous as he felt. Marco held
his breath as he waited for any sign that Helen would survive. If she didn’t, he’d
never forgive himself for not saving her from the crazed she-wolf when he had
the chance.

She began to pant in short rapid breaths, her heart
racing. He could hear the blood rushing through her veins, and he hoped it was
a good sign. Maybe the royal blood was too strong for her frail body.

“Whatever happens,” said Marco. “Thank you for
trying.”

Delia was standing with her three mates next to the
sofa, waiting like the rest of them. “Let’s just hope it works,” she said. “And
let’s all agree not to mention this to my mother.”

Helen became flushed, her head rocking back and
forth. She mumbled incoherently in her sleep. Wesley leaned over the back of
the sofa and secured her now flailing arms.

“Helen! Open your eyes, sweetheart.”

When she did, the whole room gasped. The big brown
eyes he loved were now greenish-yellow wolf eyes.

“It actually worked,” said Caleb. “I can’t believe
it.”

Ulric teased Wesley. “When I told you to have a
little fun the other day, I didn’t mean get hitched to a human.”

“Not so human anymore,” said Delia.

Chapter
Twelve

Helen had been slipping in and out of consciousness
for what felt like days. Her body was feverish and weak, her memories
scattered.

“Where am I?” she asked, feeling some of her
faculties finally returning.

“You’re home, baby girl.” It was Targus’s familiar
voice. She instantly felt a sense of peace and safety, her muscles relaxing.

When she thought better, she opened her eyes.
“Home?”

“Sorry, but this is it for now,” he said.

Panic welled up inside her.
“The
bus tour!”

“Long gone.
Wesley explained everything to the bus driver, so don’t worry about a thing.”

“Explained what?” She tried to sit up but every
muscle felt like it had been though several triathlons. Helen groaned and eased
back down. “What’s going on? Why am I so sore?”

“You were attacked by a wolf. Do you remember any of
it?” asked Wesley.