I woke up at the gates of the palace, my hands were bound together and my ankles had silver shackles on them, stupid hunters I thought they would realize that we werewolves started that dirty rumor, I laughed and ripped the rope that bound my hands. I looked up to see the guard standing at his post.

“Hello? Could you not see that I was in trouble?” I stayed quiet waiting for a response,” I am Oceleez I am your supervisor and captain over all of the guards and I command you to answer me!” My tone became very demanding almost like the way an alpha’s tone would be, in a way I am since I’m Serina’s mate.

He looked down at me and smiled, “You don’t know do you?” My head cocked to the side in curiosity, “There isn’t a single pure blood werewolf in the world now, and because you were associated with them you have been banished and therefore resigned as the captain, there has been a war waged against survivors and us. All thanks to your mate who so happens to be mated to the king of our kind your father, King Lucas Pyro.” The guard laughed a hearty laugh as I was taken into a cloud of smoke.

Again I woke up, but this time I was in the infirmary in the palace, “Hello?” I asked, my voice sounding dry and gravely.

“Hey how are you doing? Did you have a nice rest?” Selina asked in a cheery voice. “Where’s Serina? Did she make it out safe?” I asked hesitantly, knowing that if she hadn’t she was in grave danger.

Selina’s face softened her eyes saddening at the name, “She was taken, we don’t know who or why they took her, all we know is he is well equipped and has a lot of intel from the inside of the palace walls.”

“IMPOSSIBLE!” I am the only one to talk to outsiders I have given interrogations to all of my guards and soldiers and have even went a step further by having Serina go through all of their memories and mine, there is no way they can do this!” I exclaimed getting off my bed and pacing back and forth in the walk way, I watched as a single tear slid down her cheek, “We will get her back and I believe I know who took her, the only person I know who has more agile footsteps than that of even the Tutanami lionesses…. My father.”

With that I walked out and into the King’s office, “I wish to make alliance with the lionesses if you would allow me, they will help us find and fight for Seri-“ I stopped there in the middle of the office was the male of the Tutanami pride talking with the Alpha.

“Come Oceleez, we were just discussing that,” King Simolyn said gesturing his hand to a seat next to the lion, “This is Sir Mane the King of our neighboring savannah, he learned of Serina’s capture and wants to help.”

He stood and I followed, “Pleased to meet you, now I ask, why would you help Serina? She has no relation to you…” “Correction, just as she is your diety to your Luna, she is ours to our Seriphyna the goddess of the wet season,” he explained, “She is diety of all shifters and even vampires, for them she is their diety or Nynx, the goddess of darkness. All of our Gods and Goddesses are brothers and sisters, they all created creatures in their image of perfection, but these wars that have separated us have gone too far. Serina will be the last hope for all of the Gods and Goddesses to bring their creatures together before destruction. She needs to be here or the chances of finding all of her mates will be slim, she is the last Warrior Princess.”
By the middle of his speech I had sat down, but when he said ‘all of her mates’ it hit me like a brick wall, “How many mates will she have?” my question came out in a whisper.

“It depends on how many of them she falls in love with, she will be challenged greatly by all of them. She will have to limit herself to four mates though the others will either have to forfeit or lose her in a dominance battle,”

The news hit me like a lighting bolt, “So there are others besides me? How can I be sure to win her?”

“Being a mate of Serina cannot be a title won but earned, if you show her the most compassion than any other male she will feel smothered, if you show too little she will lose all hope of choosing you and seeing as you already have a head start with the kiss and being her best friend and all,” he snickered lightly when he said we shared a kiss.

“How do you know about that?” a growl erupted from my chest, “We were alone.”

“Her thoughts weren’t blocked and everyone could hear both of you commenting on how much you both loved each other and how long you have waited for this, but she said something different…” he trailed off.

“What? What did she say?” I asked hesitantly my wolf alerted and awake.

“She said goodbye, and then she was taken.” He grew silent, and I fell to my knees, “She also said it was the only way to protect everyone, she also tried to send a message to you but it was cut off… she said we shall meet again and soon everything will be better and that’s when she was cut off.”

My heart fell at the farewell but at the same time was lifted with the hope of finding her, Oceleez is that you? A sweet voice spoke to me, Serina? My dear Serina where has my father taken you?

She sighed, I’m not really sure but I have to go now he’s coming.

No! I roared let me speak to him please I need him to understand something.

I don’t know will it work? I have only done it once before and it hurt you, she was unsure but she never gave up on a spell.

Instantly my spirit was taken from my body and where she was astonished me. I saw my dad and I saw the cellar he threw me in as a kid whenever I displeased him, “Father, why do you have her here? Why is she where I was ten years ago?

Did she displease you as I did? Please let her go she is our deity of Solcusae, isn’t she, she has these powers that can she can walk through peoples dreams, and manipulate everything around her.

The most amazing of her powers, she doesn’t even know she possesses… she can turn a terrible man into a man that would kill those who harm her. As Alpha Warrior of the Black Willow I demand you to release your alpha female out of you custody or there will be war, no one beside you but those who left with you.”

“Son, you are brave and strong but you cannot run a pack without being there, if you didn’t want the responsibilities just tell me! Don’t throw it away like a rabbits’ bloody carcass! How dare you claim her as yours when you’re damn well sure she has many more than you!” His voice carried and amplified, I turned towards Serina with saddened eyes.

“I will not give up fighting for her no matter if it takes the last breath I breathe. Not if the world crumbles down on top of us I WILL SAVE HER!” with that I gave Serina the signal to send me back, but before she did I couldn’t help smell something enticing, Our mate’s in heat, my wolf howled.

“Serina? Serina where are you?” My voice became frantic, , the sun was falling fast and my world was turning upside down. What have we done wrong to deserve this? My wolf howled in pain for her loss, I just wanted her for one measly day but for some reason Luna wouldn’t allow it.

“King Simolyn, Oceleez knows who took her, he is speaking with him right now, but you cannot disturb him right now. He is being projected through Serina, he is in his spirit form right now, he will die if you disturb the peace,” the second-in- command wolf told me, he was the one that would take Oceleez’s place if he had any reason not to fulfill his duties or was away for the time being.

“That is fine, ask him when he’s finished to meet me in Serina’s room,” I thought about this moment since I knew what she was, “I need to speak to him.”

The growl that erupted from my chest made the soldier jump, “Right away sir.” I chuckled at his submissiveness, there was no way I could stop this conversation from happening now… especially since he’s one of her mates.

Half an hour passed and I had walked to the warriors quarters where I was told he was speaking, but when my foot came close to the door it sounded as if there was an angry hybrid alpha in the room. My hand barely pushed on the door and it flew open, there he stood, Oceleez the son of Lucas Willow. The son of Pyro himself, he had been only introduced to his wolf when I reality he could be the strongest warlock out there, he could rearranged the globe with a single twitch.

“Oceleez! Please calm down I have to talk to you so we can save Serina…” a growl escaped him as he calmed down and shifted back into his human state.

He collapsed at my feet and let out a whimper, “I tried. I have failed you sir. I have failed my mate. My father has control of my armies and with Serina there will be no mercy, they will use her and then they will kill her. Or worse…”

“You haven’t failed me son, in fact you have given me hope. I want you to listen to everything I have to say and listen close because if you don’t there won’t be a single understood word,” I kneeled beside him and spoke softly, the fear of something worse than death as he had said, “What is worse than death?”

His eyes portrayed a deep sorrowful black that said it all, “Sir, she’s in heat, there are many unmated males in that territory, there’s a possibility she might be mated to one of them. Oh why is it that I have to share the one I love?”

“The prophecy said-“

“I know what the prophecy said!! I know I don’t need a reminder, there are things about me that you don’t know…” he spoke softly out of breath from yelling.

“I know more than you think. I know you are the Alpha of the Phoenix Wings. I know you are son of Lucas Willow. I know how you got that scar on your hand that you keep wrapped up all the time. I just don’t understand one thing, how could you love your enemy? Let alone train and fight with them against your own kind?”

He paused at the mention of his title, but his whole body froze at my mentioning of his scar. “I love the part of me that isn’t evil, the part that is easy to control. The feeling of freedom and togetherness is something I have never had. When I trained in that camp I used none of my ‘extra’ abilities, I just used my wolf and learned from every step I took.”

He paused again, “You guys gave me a family, and my family gave me darkness. My own family made me feel lost and I could never go back. The moment I realized I needed to leave was when I saw the sign up sheet for the camp, when I got out the only person there for me was your daughter. She brought me out of the darkness that ate at my soul, I want to bring her back here safely before anyone gets to her, and because she is my heaven and I WILL NOT LOSE HER!”