Held Hostage

Ivaylo lost consciousness and was awoken tied to a chair... at his parents' home? What?! What was going on? He could recognize the space he was held captive. It was the basement next to the family bunker.

The door was soundproof and right now sealed, so he couldn't hear anything. Ivaylo wasn't sure if he was alone at home or not. He was suspicious about the reason why he was dragged here by a bunch of Beastmen. Well, probably the word got around, that he was proudly dating a human woman publicly. He knew, this day would come, but not in a mafia style.

The door handle fell down, and the tightly sealed door began to open. It made a sound and fresh air began to flow inside. The breeze moved Ivaylo's bangs away from his face. His grandfather from the mother's side appeared as first. Very grumpy looking...

"I knew, if I summoned you, you wouldn't come. I am sorry I had to drag you here by force!" The other granddad walked inside soon after and undone his ties. Ivaylo looked at them baffled rubbing his wrists. "If you would call me, I would come. This wasn't needed at all."

A chilling glare from his first grandfather looked down on him. "Are you sure?! Do you guess why you are here?" Ivaylo sighed heavily. "It's about my girlfriend, right?" The word "girlfriend made their blood boil. Ivaylo looked up, side-eyeing the other granddad. So the grandson wasn't stupid.

The parents, suddenly with both grandmothers came running into the room, protesting against the kidnapping of their son and grandson. The grandfather duo stopped them. They needed to talk to him and lay out their demands towards Ivaylo. "You will cut ties with that human woman and marry a well-respected Beastwoman. I think, Rose is the best option."

Ivaylo flew right out of the handle. "NEVER! I was bracing myself for this day and I will tell you only one thing. I will NEVER let her go and I will NEVER marry that horrible beast of a woman. I am ready to be disowned, become death in your eyes. I am that much set on her, that I will sacrifice everything for Paetyn!"

The name of a human sounded nasty in their beast ears. The room was filled with silence. Their flesh and blood was ready to sell them out, just for some pleasure time with a human woman. DISGUSTING!

How can he be so stubborn, betraying his family and his own kind? Just for a fling with a mere human woman? Why is he doing that? What happened to that well-behaved individual with a bright future?!

Ivaylo got pushed into the chair by his grandfather, who had a madman's look in his eyes. "If you don't obey, I WILL make you! You won't be allowed to leave this house, till you forget about her. Or better, we will wed you to Rose, and after, you won't have any other choice!"

Ivaylo was left speechless. He knew about the hatred his family harbored for humans, but it ran so deep, that they would sacrifice their own sons' and grandsons' true happiness? "Impossible! Even if you wed me off to her, I will never touch that vile creature even with a ten-foot pole! I will make her life miserable, till she divorces me by her own will and I will go back to my Paetyn!"

The grandfather squeezed Ivaylo's shoulders and shook him. "Why do you keep it up for that horrible human being? I don't understand! Did you forget, what they did to us?! To our kind? How they created us, for what purpose, and how much we lost?!"

Ivaylo brushed the grandfather's hands off. "I didn't... but I moved past it. I learned a lot over the span of a few months and realized one thing..." He raised his eyes: "She isn't the one, who caused the misery of my ancestors and instead, she brings just happiness into my life! On multiple occasions, she saved my life! And what's more... she is my fated mate!"

The family was shocked. The other granddad jumped into the conversation. "Fated mate?! That is IMPOSSIBLE! A human can't be a fated mate, only Beastmen can! You are spouting NONSENSE!"

Ivaylo looked them all dead into their eyes. "YES SHE IS! I had a connection with her, way before I even met her, through her scent." The grandfathers flinched. The scent is the first indicator of a fated mate. "And then, as I physically connected with her, I had no doubts about it."

HE DID WHAT WITH A HUMAN?! How could he so betray his own kin? ... his family! The grandfather slapped him hard. "I am just glad, that the union between a Beastman and a Human can't produce any offsprings. I would be disgusted if such a bastard child would exist within our bloodline!"

Ivaylo just now realized, how much knowledge his family had. They knew about the fated mate topic and also, about the problem with conceiving. It ignited curiosity in Ivayo. Meanwhile, he was kept in the dark the whole time, about those kinds of matters. Did they do some kind of research? If so, then why? He made sure, he would reveal the secrets of his family.

One of the grandfathers interrupted his thoughts with shouting. "You will stay here until we decide, what we will do with you!" He ushered the rest of the family out and sealed the door again. Ivaylo was left stunned and alone in that space, with his head hanging in despair.