Chapter 3

Hunter watched from his bedroom window as Havoc ran through The Lenter's wide gates in tiger form. It wasn't anything surprising though, his twin did have a tendency of doing exactly what he wasn't supposed to. They had been instructed by their father to sort out a certain issue that morning, but as expected, Havoc had been nowhere to be seen. Heading over to the desk on the corner of his room, Hunter sat down and began going through some paperwork. The kingdom was currently undergoing a sort of crisis and his father wanted him to manage it before it goth out of hand. Apparently some of the shifters had decided to engage in illegal trade. Had it been something like drugs, he'd have handled it quickly, but it wasn't. It was rather lives that were being traded. Lower class shifters being sold off as if they didn't have any significance. He'd been working on the issue for about a week and had found some leads and information which he was going to follow up on later tonight. His father had asked him to take Havoc along, but he had no intentions of doing so. Because in addition to his inability to follow instructions, his twin also wasn't a big team player. He'd probably end up getting them into trouble, a specialty of his from a young age. Like back when they had been ten and had gone hunting in the woods in tiger form for the first time, and Havoc had suddenly gotten the great idea to trick Hunter into playing hide and seek just so he could run off. Six hours...he'd been gone for six hours before he leisurely came back home completely nude with a bouquet of wild flowers for their nanny. 

Everyone had been frantic and busy searching for him, his father hadn't been able to sit still...but Havoc had been out picking flowers in complete darkness.

They couldn't be any different. 

Reaching up, Hunter loosened his tie and sighed, leaning back against his seat and trying to force himself to not close his eyes. He knew that if he did so, he'd see her again. He'd been particularly restless on that day for reasons that were unknown to him. It had already been three years but she was yet to leave him be. And he knew that she never would, chances were he'd be forced to go through life with images of her stuck in his mind. 

Looking up at the ceiling, he tried to divert his thoughts. At the moment, his primary concern was the kingdom's safety. Greyden had a certain reputation to uphold and he was his father's right hand in upholding it. They'd never discussed matters of succession but it was pretty clear Havoc had no interest in ruling. So when the time came he would inevitably end up taking over from their father. Besides, he was technically older By three whole minutes to be exact. That reminder urged him to refocus on his work. But as soon as he picked up the form on his desk's surface, the door was unlocked and Havoc strode in looking all out of sorts. He was dressed casually in sweats and a plain t-shirt, one hand on his waist and another threaded in his shoulder length dark strands, a great contrast to Hunter's own neatly combed blonde hair. Much like their characters, their physical features were also very different. No one would be able to guess they were twins unless they were told so, and even then, most had a difficult time believing it. Some even claimed they didn't look like brothers let alone twins. 

" I have to find her! Fuck, I think I'm actually going insane. " Havoc said as he paced the space next to his brother's bed. 

" You got drunk two days in a row? And isn't it a bit too early for your strange indulgences?" 

" No, listen! It was her..."

" Go lay down little brother, you clearly need it, "

" You're not listening to me, "

" That's because you're not saying anything worth listening to, and as you can see I'm quite busy so please -" 

" I found my mate!" 

Havoc said, cutting Hunter off as he walked over to the large bed and settled down. And as soon as he said those words out loud, they sank in completely. There was no turning back. His instincts were demanding that he set out and look for her right that instance, and each second he spent doing anything other than that was torturous to say the least. 

" What?" Hunter asked. Needing to rehear those words inorder to confirm that he hadn't heard his own things. 

" My mate, I found her!" 

Havoc liked messing around, but Hunter was certain he'd never joked about such a thing. And the look on his twin's face confirmed that he was indeed being very serious. Standing up, Hunter immediately strode over to him, needing more information on the matter. 

" Where? When? Who is it?!" 

Shaking his head, Havoc blew out a long breath, then he laid back on the mattress and shrugged. 

" At the market about half an hour ago. As for the last question though, I have absolutely no idea. "

Frowning, Hunter crossed his arms, studying his brother's face as if by doing so, he'd get all the answers he so desperately wanted. It wasn't shocking that Havoc didn't know his mate's identity, it was a large kingdom after all, and apart from wolves, tigers were the most prevalent in terms of numbers. It could have been anyone of the many females. 

" You let her go after finding her? I know commitment isn't your strong suit but this isn't a game, "

" The hell do you take me for?!" 

" A self absorbed being with no regards for proper conduct. "

" Well I can't argue with that. But I wouldn't be so reckless as to abandon my mate brother. That's a line even I wouldn't cross, "

The words stung. Even though Hunter knew they weren't intentionally directed towards him, he still felt there effect. 

" Have you told father?" 

" Not yet. "

" Then you should go and do so, he'll definitely be interested in this. "

" That's the thing, " Havoc said as he slowly sat up, looking lost as he tried to find the best way to deliver the news. 

" I don't think father will be too elated on finding this out. "

" What? That's absurd! Of course he would, he's been wishing for you to find your mate for ages now. "

That was true. For some reason, their father believed that a mate would be able to get Havoc to cut back on the wildness. Give him something else to focus on. And perhaps he'd finally grow out of that prolonged rebellious phase he seemed to be trapped in. It was obvious that Havoc had potential for great things, he just easily got sidetracked by his crazy impulses, setting him off course. 

" Drop your craziness and go inform father of this. "

" She's a witch."

Silence filled the space between them. Hunter's frown grew as he observed his brother more keenly. The piece of information making it impossible for either of them to come up with any remark. Because not only was it impossible and unheard of, but a shifter getting involved with a witch was among the greatest atrocities one could commit. And Havoc being the kingdom's prince only made things worse.