Her Mate

Harlyn

I look at Lucy waiting to see what she has to say.

“Shall we take a stroll? I have something to discuss with you,” she asks. I nod and she begins to walk around the palace with me.

“I’ve missed you, Harlyn. Even before you left, you hardly visited me anymore,” Lucy said. Her gaze shows her sadness. She’s right; after Stefan rejected me, I avoided the palace more and more.

She stops suddenly and sits in one of the palace halls. I move and sit beside her.

“How have you been, your Highness?” I ask. I can’t help but smile at seeing her again, she looks so different, and so much more grown.

“There’s something I must share with you, Harlyn,” Lucy begins. Her voice portrays her excitement.

“Well, tell me, don’t leave me in suspense,” I respond. My own excitement bubbles to the surface. I want to hear her news, and I hope it will make me smile when I am gone and know that she is well. Lucy hesitates, and I get a sense she is uneasy about whatever she is going to say.

I can’t help but wonder why she is worried about my reaction. She is royalty; her words hold weight, and her happiness means more than everything else. There is nothing that she can say that will make me have a bad reaction to her.

“Okay, firstly, I want to tell you that nothing needs to change between us,” she whispers.

I nod at her but feel more confused now. Why would it change things between us? It’s about her, not me, or us. I look at her, nodding again to reassure her it’s fine.

“Okay, so spill it,” I urge, impatience getting the best of me. “What’s the big news, Lucy?” I ask. Uncertainty flickers in her eyes, and I am not worried about this.

“I... I found my mate,” she declares. I smile instantly but chuckle at her nervousness. I don’t get why she is worried about that, and I also don’t understand how that could possibly change our friendship.

“Seriously?” I exclaim. “When did this happen? Who is he? What does he look like? Is he from around here? When do I get to meet him?” A barrage of questions spills from my lips, each fuelled by genuine curiosity. I’m so happy for her, and I just hope he accepts her.

Lucy blushes and averts her gaze, and unease washes over me. This isn’t the confident and happy Lucy I remember from before I left. Something has changed, and I can’t put my finger on it. Usually, she wouldn’t shy away from telling me things. She is now, however. Why is she afraid of telling me about her mate?

“Come on, Princess Lucy,” I coax gently. I’m hoping to draw her out of her shell. “Tell me about him. What’s he like? Is he tall? Does he have a strong presence? Is he a leader in his pack?” My questions hang in the air, but Lucy remains quiet. Why? I don’t understand why she won’t just answer. Her silence increases my anxiety.

“What’s his name?” I press, hoping that a more straightforward inquiry might make her respond.

“Samuel,” she murmurs quickly, almost as if she’s reluctant to utter the words.

“Sam... What?” I stammer, my eyes widening in disbelief. Samuel? As in, my brother? The idea seems crazy. Yet, as I consider it, I realise she means him, my brother. How did this even happen?

“You mean Samuel, as in my big brother, that Samuel?” I blurt out. Maybe there is another Samuel and I am being paranoid, but then again, her silence and unease in telling me confirms she means my brother.

“Yes, Harlyn. Samuel, as in your big brother,” Lucy confirms. Her words are slightly louder, like she is making me aware that I heard her right. I stay looking at her and sense she is worried about my reaction. I can’t be angry at her, upset, or hurt.

I can’t say much, but she found love. She found her mate, and that is more important than my feelings. The irony isn’t lost on me. After all, I hoped for her own brother to accept me after I found out he was my mate. The only difference is that her brother rejected me, whereas mine clearly accepted her, as he said they were getting married.

“I found out a few years ago, Harlyn,” Lucy reveals. She looks at me, waiting for my response. I assumed Samuel's saying he is marrying meant something to Lucy, but how can I be sure?

“Okay, and Samuel? Does he know?” I ask, unsure if Lucy will know about his wedding.

“Samuel knew for years,” she confirms. I relax slightly, so surely that means it is Lucy that he plans to marry? “But he chose not to tell me. He wanted me to come to the realisation on my own, to decide whether I wanted him as my mate.”

I smile at her words. That is the sort of person Samuel is, he wouldn’t want to push her into accepting the mate bond.

“It was thoughtful of him,” I reply. I reassuringly squeezed her hand. My brother had always been considerate, never one to impose his desires upon others. He is someone who respects the bond between mates. He does believe that people should follow through with the bond, however, he always said, that forcing two people together because of a bond, is wrong if one isn’t happy with it.

Despite how marrying a princess would benefit him, I know that Samuel wouldn’t want to exploit the bond or Lucy in that way. If he had told the king, I know Lucy would have been forced to marry Samuel against her own wishes. So I can only assume that Samuel hid it and didn’t speak of it so that Lucy could make the choice herself if she wanted him as her mate.

“I have grown to love him, Harlyn, so much,” Lucy confesses. Her eyes show her love. “You’re okay with it, aren’t you? You’re not bothered about Samuel and me being together?” she asks. I can see the uncertainty in her eyes and worry. I smile at her, not wanting her to worry.

“No, Lucy, not at all,” I assure her. “Honestly, I am happy for you and Samuel. I know now my brother has found his mate, and that will help when it comes to me leaving. I could do with extra reassurance that he will be okay once I have left, and this is it,” I explain.

I hug her, feeling happy that her and Samuel have each other.