"Uh, yes?" Jake replied, then looked at Derrick for an explanation.
How does this kid know about us? his wolf growled.
"Do not look at me like that! What was I supposed to do, keep it to myself?!" Derrick huffed and crossed his arms.
"Uh, yeah!" Jake nodded with a 'duh' look on his face.
"You do realize that keeping such a secret to myself without sharing it with a sane person makes me feel more insane," Derrick scowled.
"I'm a 'sane person'!" Jake pointed to himself.
"Are you sure about that?" Derrick raised an eyebrow.
OOhh Sassy! Jake's wolf purred, Me likey.
Now is not the time, Jake scolded.
"Got to admit," the new guy smiled, "You guys are super cute when you fight."
"NO. WE'RE NOT!" Derrick and Jake said at the same time. They looked at each other, both surprised and horrified.
"You do realize," the new guy continued, pointing at them, "That the more you guys are linked, the stronger that link will get, right? Eventually, you guys won't care if each other is naked, or get mad over stupid stuff, or try to be idiots and separate from each other. No secrets will be left unrevealed and no hesitation to touch each other will be there. All hate will slowly fade away, and when it does, I get to say 'I told you so'. Also, since it's going to happen anyways, why don't you just let it?"
I like this guy, Jake's wolf said.
"Excuse me," Jake said with a stern look on his face, taking a few steps towards the guy, "Who are you again?"
The boy smiled and walked up to Jake before bending down, grabbing his hand, and kissing it.
"I am King Nathan Vale Drake, son of Clarence Drake the Second and ruler of Mare kingdom," Nathan declared, before bowing and standing up, "Who, may I ask, are you?"
"I'm Jake not-Jacob Pierce, son of a female dog, literally and figuratively, and future Alpha of a small pack in these here woods," Jake answered dully, "Now leave me alone and never kiss my hand again. I had no dignity at all five minutes ago, so I'm sure you know that I am not a lady."
"And you never know where those hands could have been," Derrick added.
He's so smart! Jake's wolf gushed.
I SAID SHUT UP! Jake yelled.
"Speaking of dignities," Nathan smirked at Jake, "Maybe we could spare yours. Shall we take him to the castle?"
"Wait a second..." Jake came to a realization," You-You're a king-" He points to Nathan-" and we are going to a castle."
"And you need clothes. Are we stating the obvious right now?" Nathan asked, but Jake wasn't paying attention. The werewolf whipped around to his soulmate.
"How is it that you know royalty?!" Jake asked, panicked.
"Yeah, about that-" Derrick started, but was interrupted.
"He is royalty," Nathan said, "That's how. He's my cousin."
Jake's head spun; he didn't know if this was good news or bad news. It could unite the werewolves and the humans peacefully...or it could end in mass death.
But Jake couldn't help but think: this is my chance. I could do exactly what I came here to do and make peace with the humans.
And on the plus side, you get some smokin' hot royal lovin'! his wolf side purred as it daydreamed, Mmmmm Look at that face, don't you just wanna kiss it?
Yeah, whatever, Jake sighed,
I can save the pack, have a soulmate, prevent war, and live with the love of my life for the rest of my life. It could work...
If only Derrick loved me back.
"Well, when you're done staring off into space, we can leave," Nathan said, smirking.
Derrick, who had been watching his soulmate patiently, was a bit concerned. He was about to ask if Jake was okay, but he didn't want to give away any indication that he cared about Jake.
As long as you don't love, you can't have it taken away from you.
And Derrick wouldn't let anyone take Jake away from him, no matter if it pains him.
Because in the end, werewolf or not, Jake was meant to have a place in his heart.
And Derrick will do everything in his power not to let Jake see that.
"Derrick, Sweetheart," Nathan smiled, "Unless you want your Jakey-poo getting frostbite where the sun don't shine, you might wanna hop on your horse and head home. We wouldn't want him to get sick and die, now would we?"
"Don't call me 'Sweetheart'! "Derrick snapped.
"Yeah, don't call him 'Sweetheart'," Jake growled lowly.
It's almost as if he sounds...Jealous.
But then again, Derrick thought, I might hate him, but I don't think I remember him ever saying he hated me...
Did he?
No, in fact, Jake never said whether he hated Derrick or accepted him.
The fact that he could love Derrick shocked the prince and then the prince realized that, if Jake loved him, he would soon fall in love with Jake...
No, that was not going to happen. Derrick was going to do everything in his power to make Jake hate him.
Little did he know, Jake was going to do everything in his power for Derrick to love him.
~{()}~
"Okay, so...what's the plan?" Nathan asked as they rounded the corner. They had just made it into the castle, just barely avoiding the eyes of the dozing-off guards and servants. Derrick was the only one who knew how to get through his home without being spotted, which he often used to his advantage sometimes.
This was one of those times.
"Yeah, what next?" Jake asked, pulling at the collar around his neck.
After much protesting (and a game of rock, paper, scissors), Nathan convinced Derrick to give Jake his nightshirt to cover some of him up. Too bad Jake was a bigger build and slightly taller than Derrick, which Derrick also hated. The shirt was uncomfortable around the werewolf's neck and every muscle shown through it.
The white shirt definitely didn't help cover up what all of them was hoping to cover.
"There is a staircase on the next right," Derrick explained, "If we can get up it and onto the second floor without being spotted, it would be a straight shot to my chambers."
"And how hard will it be to get up the staircase undetected?" asked Nathan.
"Since it's roughly five AM? Probably easy...unless we're unlucky enough," Derrick scowled.
They were definitely unlucky enough.
"Okay then,"Jake bit his lip, which distracted Derrick for only a second, "Let's run for it."
"I'll race you!" Nathan challenged, smirking, "Whoever wins can have Derrick!"
Jake scowled and growled, his human throat vibrating to make the sound of a wild animal.
"I'll get Derrick anyways," he said protectively, glaring.
Derrick could not deny that he felt something stirring in his heart.
"O-Okay. That's fine," Nathan said, adverting Jake's scary eyes, "Can we still race though?"
Jake's attitude switched in an instant.
"You're on!" Jake smirked and growled in a playful way, his inner wolf dying down now that Derrick wasn't at risk.
Jake's wolf was going insane and he couldn't think straight; all because Derrick had his shirt off.
Look at those toned muscles, Jake! Look at them don't you wanna just... His wolf whimpered in want, Please Jakey. I wanna kiss him. PLEASE. At least touch him, my heart hurts.
Jake would have said "no" but he'd already said it too many times to count.
And Jake was going to take a slow approach to Derrick, since he knew his soulmate needed to ease back into love. He could feel a sense in the back of his head, like an instinct, that Derrick wasn't always an angry, rude person.
That's called a bond, sweetie. The more you connect, the more input you get from each other, His wolf explained, If it gets strong enough, you could know everything about DeDe over there. Feelings, thoughts, likes, and dislikes. Even his worst fears.
His worst fears? thought Jake to himself. He could only guess on what Derrick was afraid of.
"Jake, are you okay?" Nathan asked, seemingly concerned. Derrick was also staring at him.
"Ah, yeah, "Jake waved a hand of dismissal, "It's just my inner wolf speaking to me."
"Your what?" Derrick asked, scowling.
"Um, well, every werewolf has two halves, right? A human and a wolf. When we turn human, our wolf stays inside of us. It's like a whole new person inside of me. He usually doesn't speak unless necessary, but he seems to be talking more often..." Jake explained.
"Why?" Derrick asked.
"You. That's why, "Jake said, his voice getting a tad deeper, "And he says he won't shut up until we kiss."
Nathan held in laughter from the sight of Derrick's slightly red cheeks.
"Which is never going to happen!" Derrick growled, pointing an accusing finger at Jake. Jake rose his hands in surrender.
"What is 'never going to happen'?" came a voice from behind them, making them all three jump. They faced a pale, yet buff man with dirty-blond hair, beard, and mustache. He had a crown his head bigger than Derrick's.
"D-Dad," Derrick nodded curtly.
Wait is Derrick not the king? thought Jake, then realized, If Derrick is the prince, then that means...
One phrase went through his head.
'Til the king is dead.
He realized that as a child he pretended to kill his soulmate's father.
"Hey-yo King Rastus!" Nathan fake-smiled, "Hey why don't you go upstairs and go to bed, while we do the same. We cool? Cool!" Nathan turned to leave but Derrick grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back.
"Yes, well, care to explain who this is?" Derrick's father asked. The trio took a glance at each other.
"Um, this is- Jake Pierce," Nathan introduced, "We uh, found him on the streets. Can we keep him?"
"What he means," Jake piped in, "I was mugged of my belongings and expensive clothes. Derri- I mean, Prince Derrick and King Nathan were kind enough to lend me a shirt and a place to stay."
"Derrick? Kind?" the kind raised an eyebrow as if the two words didn't go together. Why did no one believe Derrick could be nice?
Jake nodded his head.
"Well, if my son likes you, you are definitely worth keeping around," the King claimed, "Just don't steal from us, and I will allow you to stay until you've gotten back on your feet."
They all gave a sigh of relief.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Jake bowed.
The king turned to leave, but before out of earshot, he looked back at Jake.
"And since Derrick is feeling oh so kind today," the king stated, "You can sleep in his room, since all of the other rooms are for servants. Nathan, you can sleep with them if you like?"
"Ah no, I think I'll stick with a servant room," Nathan bit his lip to hold in some chuckles, "Better that than witness anything that's going to happen in that room."
"Are you sure? You are a king after all," King Rastus offered, confused, "Maybe instead, you should have the room and Derrick and Jake can find another place to stay?"
"No trust me," Nathan nodded, "I'm used to being the odd one out in my...family."
Nathan's family died of an unknown sickness when he was twenty. So, at age twenty-one, he became the new king of Mare, kingdom of the sea. It was a sad event, since Nathan's parents were so kind, joyful, and generous, and even Derrick even had a hard time disliking them.
The day of the funeral was when he first developed a crush on his cousin, but back then he wasn't as accepting of himself. He was still smiling on the outside, but after his parents death, his missing soulmate, and this new rejection he couldn't help but feel...
Alone.
"Erm, well then, I will be off," the king turned away, "Goodnight, boys."
"Sleep tight," Nathan said.
"You too, sire," Jake said simply.
Derrick said nothing, and Jake looked over at him crossly, before smacking the back of his head.
"Ow!" Derrick complained, "What was that for?!"
"Say goodnight to your father," Jake demanded, crossing his arms.
"What the-"
"Say goodnight," Jake scolded.
"Ugh fine," Derrick groaned, then mumbled, "Goodnight."
"See that wasn't hard, was it?" Jake mumbled, as the king walked away.
"I hate you," Derrick huffed.
"Face it. You can't hate this beautiful face," Jake smirked, "I'm your soulmate remember?"
"More like soul enemies," Derrick grumbled.
"Come on guys," Nathan said smiling with a hint of sadness, "Let's get Jake some decent clothes."
~{()}~
As King Just Rastus fell asleep that night, he thought of Jake and Nathan.
Kind.
Never has he heard his son described in such a way in many years.
Maybe. Just maybe, he thought.
Maybe his son was turning back into the boy he used to be.
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