Mate by Fate, Bound by Love

******************************

**Lena’s POV**

‘He killed the father of my child, and he expects me to just do what? Thank him? Lick his feet or do whatever he says?’ I thought to myself.

“Did he save me because he was sorry for breaking the bond, or did he need me for his sister’s health?” I couldn’t help but wonder.

“Calm down, Lee,” Lyla said.

“Do you understand what he’s talking about?” I asked Lyla.

“I don’t know what he’s talking about. Maybe you should give him a listening ear and find out what’s happening.”

“Do you think he’s telling the truth about regretting his past actions?” I asked.

“How do you expect me to know that, Lena? I’m a white witch, not a Moon Goddess,” Lyla said, laughing.

“I thought you were the know-it-all kind of witch,” I teased.

“You don’t seem too happy. What’s wrong, Lena?” Lyla asked.

“I’m fine, Lyla. Don’t worry about me.”

“Don’t tell me not to worry about you. What’s going on?”

“I’m just sad that my first mate killed my second chance mate,” I replied reluctantly.

“Well, the good thing is we’re not going to die anymore-no devilish bitch trying to take your child away, and no black witch,” Lyla said.

“Yeah, I guess that’s worth being grateful for.” I paused for a moment. “I don’t think I can sleep right now. Let me take a walk around the palace.”

“No problem. At least now you know no one is out to get you here.”

I knew I should be happy about being alive, about escaping Adrian’s pack, and about keeping my child. Ethan even promised to take good care of me and my baby.

It was all I ever wanted. Now that I have it, I still feel unsatisfied. I’m saddened by Adrian’s death and feel guilty. If Ethan hadn’t come to save me, I might have died. My baby would have been in Claire’s stomach, and they’d be living their life with my child.

“This is probably for the best,” I said out loud.

As I was strolling around the palace, I accidentally bumped into Ethan. We were both lost in thought and didn’t notice each other approaching until we collided.

“I’m sorry,” I said.

I was about to leave when I felt Ethan’s hand on my shoulder. I turned to look at him. His eyes were wide, as if he was about to cry. He must have tried to sleep but couldn’t, probably because he was lost in thought.

“Please, Lena, can you spare me some of your time?” he begged.

I was silent for a moment. I was still angry at him for rejecting me back then and for killing the father of my child without considering my feelings. But despite everything, I was grateful that he helped save my baby.

“Five minutes!” I said.

“That’s more than enough,” he replied.

“Please, follow me,” he requested.

I agreed to follow him. We walked to a place that seemed to hold childhood memories. I wasn’t sure why he took me there, but I suspected it had to do with his sister’s health.

We reached a spot with a family portrait hanging above us. The portrait showed Ethan’s parents, Sophia, and Ethan. In the picture, Sophia was holding Ethan protectively.

“Do you see this?” he asked, pointing at the portrait.

I remained silent.

“Do you see the way Sophia held me in her arms protectively?”

“She always protected me ever since we were young. Sophia was always the stronger one among us. I used to think she’d probably take over from Dad as Alpha and become the first female Alpha in our pack’s history.”

“She trained me to be strong. Even though I was younger, I never succeeded in defeating her when we sparred. I’ve fought countless battles since becoming Alpha and defeated many opponents, but I never won against Sophia. She was strong, vibrant, and fearless.”Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

I could see his face light up as he spoke about his sister. It was clear he loved and cherished her deeply. In a way, I envied that. I had longed for something like that all my life, but never got to experience it.

He moved to another direction and pointed to a picture of young Sophia standing with a sword stained with blood.

“That was her first animal kill,” he said, then paused for a moment. “You can see the smile on her face.”

“Seeing my sister so brave while growing up, and now seeing her fighting for her life while I can’t do anything to help, breaks my heart. She has always protected me. I’ve never really been of any help to her, apart from being a bother.”

“She always had a good heart. Sometimes I wonder how she made men bow at her feet with such kindness. People say showing kindness is a weakness, but that was never true for Sophia. Her kindness was her strength.”

“She was pure of heart. Sophia always knew when something was wrong with me, but I didn’t even know when she had a slight headache. She took on responsibilities and handled them well. When I found out she had found her mate, I was devastated. Fortunately, it was around the same time I first felt our mate bond.”

My eyes widened at the mention of the mate bond. It brought back memories of when I first saw Ethan in the woods. But I would rather not dwell on that now. I focused on everything he was saying.

“That day I came back home after meeting you in the woods for the first time, and she knew immediately that I had felt my mate bond. She said she knew because she had just met hers too. In a way, I was relieved that this meant I would become the Alpha and not Sophia.” He paused.

“No one in their right mind would pick me over Sophia if it meant choosing one of us to become the next Alpha and leader of the pack.”