Betrothed

Chapter 11: For Our Future

Willow

He was so understanding when I explained what Romellow told me. Brayden is the best guy in the world, but I don't want to make all of the other packs suffer just because we are going to combine the royal packs. I hate hurting other people with the decisions I make. I don't want to hurt anyone. If we combine the royal packs, then we basically doom any werewolves that can't compete with us. There are already very few werewolves that can challenge a royal pack member and survive. I hate how we are always fighting each other for resources and territory. Couldn't we all just get along?

Besides, I do not want to condemn myself to combining the royal packs if it means that I have to kill or give up some of my children in my future. I looked at Brayden with the look of lost hope and then looked down to find the strength. I needed to say what I was about to say.

"Brayden, please hear me out when I say this." I looked back up at him, directly into his eyes. He approved that he was going to listen with a nod of his head, and his eyes stopped looking happy; they went dull. He was upset with what I had just told him and now I am going to make him even more upset.

"Should we risk all the lives of our species just for us to live happily? I am not one to be selfish, but I think that we should try finding an alternative instead of condemning ourselves to having to kill or give away our children in the future. I know that I will not be able to hurt my own blood, my own creation, and I sure as hell will not let anyone hurt my children, so what is the alternative?"

My folded arms started to shake. I tried not to give Brayden the excuse to embrace me in a hug when I am trying to be strong and do what is right for my pack. Unroyal or royal werewolves they all deserve not to live out of fear. Especially when they believe Brayden and I will create a better life for them.

"Willow, we will figure this out. We are not condemning ourselves to anything. Romellow could have lied to you, and you didn't know he existed until a little while ago. I personally believe that we should do what we are fated to do. The Moon Goddess chose us to be true mates for a reason. We are supposed to be together. I feel as if Romellow just wanted to start trouble because he wants it all for himself. Willow, Romellow wants to be alpha. If you want us to be the ones to bind together both royal packs, you must not cause what Romellow said to get in your head and you mustn't tell anyone about this, or we will lose everything."

Brayden came closer and unfolded my crossed arms and took his hand in mine. I hope that he couldn't sense my unease and fear.

"Willow, you are my destiny and if I lose you, I will lose everything I've ever known. You are the woman I am going to marry when we turn twenty. You are the one who is going to rule over both royal packs by my side, and what Romellow said is threatening everything I have ever lived for, and he will not take that away from us!" Brayden struck his words through the air abruptly and all at once like a fist punching air.

I do not know how I truly felt at that moment. Brayden was accusing me of trusting Romellow way too soon, and that is understandable, but Romellow is my fraternal twin brother. I did not think about someone trying to steal my destiny from me until Brayden accused Romellow of scheming to do so. I trust Brayden with my life, and I know that he was right if the pack finds out about what Romellow said our future and destiny are going to be in jeopardy along with the fact of if they found out he exists in the first place.

"Brayden, if what you say is true, we must find out if Romellow is truly working towards stealing my place as alpha over both royal packs. I would not leave it out of the question because he probably is hiding his scorn for me. I was born before him so he must hate me for getting the chance he can't have, and he was cast away from his family and raised in the non-royal pack. So he will do as you assume because he just found out that he has royal pack blood and he just found out that I am his fraternal twin sister, the one that took everything from him."

Brayden

I knew she would be upset with what I had to say but what I was saying was the truth. I was not lying to her, and I know that if I ever did, I would have to earn that trust back little by little and I cannot risk that right now because she is in danger. What she doesn't know is that if Romellow finds her weakness and fights her, he can win. All male werewolves have an advantage over any female werewolves and that is their wolf mass size. I have faith in Willow's strength and power, but her mass size could cost her. Still standing two feet apart in front of Willow and holding her hands in my own, I started speaking from my heart.

"Willow, you must know that I will do anything for you even if it means risking my life to save yours. You are my true mate, and no one will ever take you away from me, and if they try to, they will be wishing for a death sentence from an overprotective male that has anger issues. I care deeply for you, Willow. You are mine and we will rule over the combined royal pack together, and no one, not even your messed up brother will get in our way. If he tries, he will be terminated."

Willow's eyes locked with mine, and in that moment, I knew by the way her eyes lit up from what I said and then went dull that I was about to see Willow's guarded side.

She continued to look me in the eyes while she was talking, "Brayden, I too will protect you because you are my mate, and you are my destiny. Whatever happens, we'll face it together. I deeply care for you as well, Bray Bear. I too am overprotective of what is mine, and anyone looking for a fight must know that you are indeed my weakness." There it is. Her weakness was me. "I will not let anybody jeopardize our destiny together to combine the royal packs no matter what rumors are spread from Romellow's mouth."

She started inching closer to me, still letting me hold her hands with my own. She bit the bottom of her lip before she laid her head on my chest. Then she whispered something I couldn't understand.

I looked down at her while she rested her head on my chest, and continued to try and figure out whether or not she said something. I swear she said something.

"Willow."

She didn't remove her head from its position on my chest. Should I ask her what she whispered? Maybe she didn't say anything at all. We just stood there in the middle of nowhere in silence. The peaceful wind blew Willow's brown medium length hair over her face, so I took the strands and moved them behind her ear. I am sure she is sleeping.

I whispered to her, "Willow, are you awake?" She didn't budge.

I whispered again, "Willow." Nothing.

I smiled as I looked down at her head against my chest sleeping standing up. How did I get so lucky to get to call her mine?

I let go of her hands and supported her weight against me and quickly scooped her up into my arms. I then made my way back to my house carrying a sleeping Willow, my sleeping beauty.

I continued on my journey home, and once I arrived, I opened the door, and my parents were inside the house. They were in the dining area and whipped their heads around to face me and they were about to speak when I quickly shushed them. switched how I was holding Willow and used my other hand to put a finger in front of my mouth to make sure they knew to be quiet.

I walked to my room and pulled up the navy-blue comforter with my free hand and then placed Willow down onto my bed. She was still peacefully sleeping, so I covered her up with the comforter. I couldn't help but smile. Before I left my bedroom to stand guard in the hallway.

I whispered to her again but this time something I needed to say out loud, "I love you, Willow!"