Genevieve

Chapter 32: Heat

Life was playing a cruel joke with the kings.
The kings were going to embark on a new journey with their mate. But life threw a curveball at them. It was a twist that they never expected. They wished the mark was just a figment of their imagination or a tattoo. They didn't want to believe that the birthmark was on someone other than Genevieve. It didn't make sense to them. Could it be that they had two mates? They pushed that thought away since the moon goddess clearly told them that all of them had only one mate.
But they never even fathomed Bella to be their mate. How could they be wrong about their mate? They felt it. All of them did. The spark, the bond, the connection, the electrifying chemistry. It was real and undeniable.
As if on cue, the kings received a call from Genevieve, and initially, they were hesitant to pick it up, but it didn't feel right to ignore her.
"I just read the message. Is Bella fine? I am so glad you all are with her. How is she feeling now?" Gen inquired, and Lucius answered, "She was fine after the incident, but she feels a little unwell now."
"How? What happened? You should call the doctor or take her to the hospital," Gen was worried. "I will wrap everything up here and see you all at Bella's place."
The thought of Gen coming to Bella's place horrified the kings and they didn't know how to explain the situation to Gen.
"Eve, you don't have to come here. You've had a busy day, and you must be tired. Go home and rest. We'll stay the night with Bella," Tristan spoke uneasily.
"Are you sure? It is so kind of you to be there for her and take care of her," Gen was in awe of the kings, but the kings had to do it for different reasons. Reasons that they couldn't even digest or comprehend.
"How are you feeling Evie?" Damien asked to check whether she was in the heat too.
"Don't worry about me, I am fine. I just reached home so I will go change. I will call you all later," Gen told them and disconnected the call.
The kings were in a state of disarray. How did this happen? They knew they didn't spend a long time with the girls. But it should've been enough for them to identify their mate. Now they were finding out that the person they thought was their mate, was not actually their mate.
Now. When she had finally accepted them. After all the struggle, challenges, and convincing. They knew it wasn't easy for Gen and that she had to go through a lot of emotions and hurdles to find her way to the kings. She was a pure soul who deserved the best. A part of them was still adamant that Gen was their mate.
However, they couldn't ignore the facts in front of them either. They could be mistaken about the birthmark. But they couldn't be wrong about the fact that Bella was in heat.
All female werewolves went through heat after they met their mate. This period was aimed to encourage mating and reproduction between werewolves. It was a cycle of 5-7 days during which their body released a particular scent that would attract the male werewolves. Female werewolves would be aroused, and they would have the itching sensation to stay close to their mate. The male werewolves would mark their mate and mate with them.
These were things that the kings had pushed off their minds since they had recently met their mate, and it would be too soon to introduce her to that side of the werewolf world. They didn't wish to overwhelm her, and they were willing to go slow and steady. But all this time they only had one person in mind.
Genevieve.
For the kings, it was their hearts versus their minds. But they couldn't leave Bella either because she was in heat. She was a mess, and the only thing which made her feel better was having the kings by her side. Bella was also clueless about what was happening to her.
"It is so bizarre. I've never felt this way. You all should go home though. You must be tired. I can take care of myself," Bella urged, but she didn't know the reality. The kings had to stay by her side otherwise Bella would suffer unbearable pain. The farther the kings would go, the more the pain would increase. And since she was a human, it would be even tougher for her.
"We'll be staying the night," they told Bella, and she resisted a little, but then gave in.
But it wasn't a matter of just a night. They had to stay with her during the entire period that she would be in heat. That was going to be tough since not only did they have to come up with a plausible explanation for staying at Bella's for a longer period of time, but they also had to prevent Gen from coming to Bella's place.
The kings came up with a plan which would kill two birds with one stone.
"We think Bella has caught a virus," Markus told Gen. "And since it is contagious, we think we've caught it too."
Gen was worried to hear Markus and see the condition of the kings on video-call as they faked their condition by coughing and sneezing.
"What? That sucks. I feel so bad for you all. I wish I could be there with you all," Gen frowned. "Take your medicines on time and eat well. Do you want me to send you some soup?" She offered, but the kings refused.
The kings were able to get some time on their hands, and they spent those days contemplating.
"I hate to admit it, but I did have a hunch that it could be Bella when we first met," Markus disclosed. Tristan hated to admit it too, but Lucius and Damien were different.
"Bella has always been just a friend. I never had those feelings for her which I had for Vee," Lucius spoke, and Damien agreed.
"What if some witch is trying to misguide us?" Damien voiced out his thoughts, but Tristan shut them immediately.
"That isn't possible. Only we knew about the birthmark. We never mentioned it to anyone else. It is a distinct mark at a very unique place. It can't be a trap or a coincidence."
"Could it be that we were so focused on Gen that we couldn't focus on Bella, and we never even considered her?" The kings wondered, and they couldn't ignore the possibility of that. The kings were in a tough spot with various thoughts clouding their minds. Unfortunately, some things were out of their control, so they decided to let nature take its course. This decision led them to a different phase of their lives.

Author's Note:
Hi everyone! I hope you're all doing well.
Thank you for reading, voting and commenting. And to all the people who commented that they'll stop reading if Bella is the king's mate...
I hear you! But please don't stop reading. Trust the writer!
Happy reading!