Mates of a Werewolf Hunter

Chapter 11 Unveiling Fate's Chains

Valentine Winters P.O.V

"I don't want to get married," I confessed to my dad, my voice barely a whisper.

"You will," he replied with a tone of finality, as if his words were law.

"I'm just 16," I protested, the weight of my youth crashing down on me. It felt like I was being pushed into a world I wasn't ready for, a world that didn't care about my feelings or my future.

The last thing I remember was falling asleep beside Lucifer. His warmth had been a rare comfort in a life filled with chaos. But now, I was back at the pack house, and everything was different. My dad was arranging a civil partnership for me, and I couldn't move, couldn't speak. I was trapped, paralyzed by a fate I hadn't chosen.

It had been weeks since I last saw Lucifer. I missed him, despite the danger and the impossibility of our situation. Without him, I wouldn't be caught in this mess. But he had saved me, hadn't he? He had risked everything, even defying the laws that kept us apart.

"You haven't found your mate; that leaves you unprotected," my dad said, oblivious to the truth. He didn't know that Lucifer was my mate, that we were bound by something stronger.

But the laws were clear, and our bond was forbidden.

"He'll be here tomorrow." my dad informed me before leaving my room, his words hanging in the air like a death sentence.

As the hours ticked by, I wrestled with the contradictions of my heart. Tomorrow, I was supposed to meet someone new, but all I wanted was Lucifer. His presence haunted me, a forbidden desire I couldn't shake.

"I can take care of myself," I whispered to the empty room, trying to convince myself as much as anyone.

The next day, the doorbell rang. My dad opened the door to a couple, and their son, who looked just as uninterested in this arrangement as I was. As they settled in, my mom was in the kitchen, pouring all her energy into preparing a meal for people we barely knew.

"Go have some chat." the boy's mom suggested, pushing him toward me. He shot her a look but followed me outside.

"I don't agree to this arrangement," I said, not wasting any time.

"Touché. I wanted to wait for my mate," he admitted, cutting me off with a sigh.

"Then why did you agree to it?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Parents," he said, as if that explained everything.

"What can we do?" I asked, feeling a strange connection with him.

He sighed, shaking his head in resignation. "You're the girl who got kidnapped by the hunters, right?"

I nodded, a shiver running down my spine at the memory.

"Weird you're alive," he observed, raising an eyebrow.

I shrugged, trying to play it off. "Lucky?"

"Or mercy?" he guessed, his eyes narrowing as he studied me.

I swallowed hard, wondering if it was luck, mercy, or something else that had kept me alive.

"Gabriel, can I ask you something?" I ventured, hoping to steer the conversation away from dangerous territory.

"You already did." he said with a smirk, the tension between us easing slightly.

I rolled my eyes at his teasing. "I know about your dad's past. Do you know who your half-brother is?"

"It happened before he met my mom, and no, I don't know." he replied, frowning slightly.

There was something about Gabriel that reminded me of Lucifer. They shared the same blue eyes, but while Lucifer's eyes held a stormy darkness, Gabriel's were warmer, more inviting. The resemblance was uncanny, but the differences were striking.

Weeks passed, and the distance from Lucifer felt like an eternity. My wolf ached for him, but doubts gnawed at me. Had he forgotten about me? My dad's insistence that the marriage would happen tomorrow filled me with dread. I didn't want this, but no one seemed to care. Even my mom, who sympathized with me, was powerless against my dad's will. They all prioritized my safety over my happiness.

The wedding was held in the pack house, a place that had once felt like home but now felt like a prison. My two closest friends, Octavius and Zachary, sat with me, their presence a small comfort amid my turmoil. They knew what I wanted, what I needed, but they were as helpless as I was.

"Sorry, Val. We wish we could do something," Zachary said, his voice heavy with regret.

"I just don't want this," I confessed, the words tasting bitter on my tongue.

"What's with you and the man who brought you here?" Octavius asked, his curiosity cutting through the tension.

I stayed silent; the truth was too dangerous to share. But they were my best friends, and I needed them to understand.

"Promise to keep it a secret?" I asked, my eyes pleading with them.

They nodded impatiently, eager to know the truth.

"Mate." I whispered, the word hanging in the air like a bomb waiting to explode.

Their jaws dropped, their shock mirroring the chaos in my heart.

"What?" They shrieked in unison, their voices full of disbelief.

As the reality of my situation sank in, they began to understand. Lucifer had saved me, risked everything for me because I was his mate. The pieces of the puzzle were falling into place, and with them came a new tension, a new urgency.

"Tomorrow is your wedding. Do you want me to inform him?" Zachary asked, concern lacing his voice.

I shook my head, the truth was too painful to admit. "I don't think he cares. I'll just have to try and adjust to Gabriel somehow."

It hurt to think that Lucifer didn't want me, that he had left me to this fate. The wedding day arrived too quickly, and I found myself standing in a white dress that felt more like a shroud. Other brides beamed with joy, but my face was emotionless, a mask hiding the storm inside me.

The ceremony began, and as I walked down the aisle with my father, I felt like I was walking to my doom. Gabriel stood at the end, his face a mirror of my own despair. The wedding song played, but it was drowned out by the pounding of my heart. I reached Gabriel's side, and the priest began the vows.

"Will you, Gabriel Zades, take this woman...?" the priest's voice hummed on, but all I could do was pray silently for him to say no. But Gabriel hesitated, glancing at me, then at his parents, before muttering, "I do."

Then it was my turn. "Will you, Valentine Winters, have this man...?" The words hung in the air, and every part of me screamed no. But the pressure of everyone's eyes on me, especially my father's, was too much.

"I—I—" I stammered, on the verge of giving in to the weight of expectation.

"No, she don't!" A voice thundered through the room, freezing everyone in place.

I spun around to see Lucifer, his eyes blazing with fury. The air crackled with tension as he stormed into the hall, his presence overwhelming. The guards tried to stop him, but he pulled out a gun, daring anyone to stand in his way. More hunters appeared, their dark figures filling the space.

Lucifer's gaze locked onto mine as he strode toward me, a dangerous intensity radiating from him. My heart raced, fear and relief clashing inside me. I hadn't seen him in weeks, and now he was here, ready to tear the world apart for me.

The unexpected intrusion shattered the suffocating atmosphere, opening a door to a world of uncertainty and untold secrets. The hunters had arrived, and with them came the start of a chaotic new chapter in the story of our intertwined destinies.