Between Love and Fate
Williams’ vision blurred with rage. His wolf surged forward, tearing through the barriers he'd tried to keep in place. He didn’t care if this vampire was her family or if they claimed to be helping. This was too much.
A growl erupted from his chest, feral and wild, as he lunged at him, tearing him away from Cleopatra's still form.
And suddenly, Cleopatra's eyes snapped open, glowing fiercely. Then she collapsed back with a deep sigh
“Stop! What do you think you're doing?” Lucien demanded angrily.
His voice was like thunder, freezing Williams in place. He stumbled back, heart pounding, the air thick with an energy he couldn’t understand.
“How dare you ask me that? Is this how you want to help? By taking advantage of her?” Williams growled angrily.
Meanwhile the vampire who had just kissed Cleopatra spat out a black substance, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand while his gaze remained fixed on Williams.
“He would never do that. I should have introduced him earlier. Alpha, meet Rob, Cleopatra's soulmate.”
Williams' heart stopped. The word soulmate echoed in his head, louder than the pounding of his own pulse. His vision, once red with rage, now tunneled with disbelief.
Soulmate? As in mate?
The word felt like a punch to his gut, knocking the air out of him. He stumbled back a step, his wolf snarling inside him, torn between rage and agony.
"Her what?" Williams rasped, his voice barely more than a growl.
Lucien's eyes softened slightly, but there was no pity in them, only a cold truth. "Soulmate. It's a bond that goes deeper than what you or I can understand. Their connection isn’t something you can fight or change."
Williams clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white. His wolf was howling in his chest, resisting the words, rejecting the truth. No, this couldn’t be right. Cleopatra should be his.
Yet Rob, the vampire, just stood there—calm, almost indifferent—as if he hadn't just shattered everything Williams thought he knew.
The silence in the room grew heavy, suffocating.
"You're lying," Williams spat out, his voice trembling with barely contained fury. "She's not —she couldn’t—" He stopped himself, not wanting to sound desperate, but his heart was screaming. "She would have told me."
Rob finally spoke, his voice low and calm, as if he were explaining something as simple as the weather. "It’s not something any of us had a hand in, Alpha. Sometimes, it’s quiet, but undeniable. We’ve been connected long before now, but she just found out about it. Maybe she didn’t want to tell you."
Those words stung more than any punch or bite could. The possibility that Cleopatra knew—that she had been hiding this from him—twisted in his chest like a knife. Where does he stand in all of this? Williams thought bitterly.
“I don’t believe you,” Williams said, taking a step forward, his anger rekindling. “If she’s really your soulmate, why didn't she stay with you all this time? Why did she come back?”
Rob’s eyes flickered with something—a flash of emotion, but it was gone too quickly for Williams to grasp. “Because she didn’t want to," Rob replied simply. "But that doesn’t change the truth of what we are.”
Williams' mind raced. None of this made sense. Cleopatra had chosen to stay in his pack, to be with him. They had shared moments, connected deeply. Was it all for nothing? Was he just a placeholder for her real bond, her soulmate?
Lucien cleared his throat, drawing Williams’ attention back. “You care for her, I can see that,” he said, his tone softer now, almost sympathetic. “But Rob’s connection to her is something ancient, something you can’t compete with.”
“I’m not competing,” Williams snapped, though even as he said it, he realized how hollow it sounded.
Rob, still standing close to Cleopatra, glanced down at her unconscious form. "This isn’t a fight, Alpha. It's about saving her. And for that, you need to step aside.”
Williams felt his throat tighten. Step aside. Was that what he was supposed to do? Let her go, let her be claimed by someone else—by her soulmate? His wolf roared in protest, but a part of him knew this wasn’t just about dominance or territory anymore.
It was about Cleopatra.
She stirred slightly, a faint whimper escaping her lips as her body remained in a feverish heat. Williams' heart wrenched at the sound. All he wanted was to protect her, to keep her safe, but now, standing in this room with the vampires who called her family, he wasn’t sure if he even knew how anymore.
"You think stepping aside will help her?" Williams whispered, his voice strained. "You think your soulmate connection is going to fix this?"
Lucien stepped closer, his face unreadable. "It’s not about what we think. It’s about what she needs. And right now, she needs Rob. You have to accept that, Alpha. Or you’ll lose her in ways far worse than this."
Williams' jaw clenched, the weight of the words settling on his shoulders like a crushing burden. Was this it? Was this what it came down to—him stepping aside so her soulmate could save her?
His eyes flickered to Cleopatra again, lying so still, so vulnerable. He had fought battles, faced death, but this… this felt like a battle he couldn’t win.
He took a deep breath, his wolf howling inside him, and with one last look at her, he spoke, his voice breaking.
"Do whatever you have to do."
Rob’s gaze met his, a flicker of understanding passing between them, but no words were spoken. Lucien simply nodded, motioning to the others.
As they moved to surround Cleopatra, Williams took his place at the edge of the room, his heart heavy, his wolf restless.
The battle wasn’t over, but the ground had shifted beneath his feet. He no longer knew where he stood—or if he even had a place at all with Cleopatra.
But as her eyes fluttered open and stared up at Rob, Williams knew of a certain what he had to do and just the thought, brought his wolf to his knees.
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