The Fated Curse

Chapter 14

Gideon

I felt like I was going crazy. I had hardly seen Valencia since that morning after these sporadic raids started. I have replayed it over and over in my head. I had been so comfortable with Valencia in my arms. I had never felt so content. Then an uneasy feeling washed over me that woke me up. Valencia started thrashing in my arms and whimpering. I tried to wake her but nothing snapped her out of it. After I screamed her name, she finally woke up and her face still haunts me. She looked like she had seen a ghost. She was as white as a ghost herself.

Since that night, she hasn't been the same. She has avoided eye contact with me and dodged being alone with me. She might think I haven't noticed, but I have. Her absence has caused a deep ache in my heart. I don't feel whole without her. I know she isn't my mate, but I feel connected to her in a way I haven't felt connected to anyone else. Whether she accepts it or not, she holds a piece of me now. A piece I don't know if I can ever get back, or would want back.

The last month has been beyond exhausting. My warriors look like they could tip like dominoes. Bump one and they all start falling down. The mental image of human dominoes has me chuckle to myself. Goddess, I have gone delirious. I want to see Valencia. No, I need to. I head towards the medical tents in search of her.

I find the older woman, Gertrude. "Hello your highness, what can I do for you?" she asks.

"I am looking for Valencia. Where can I find her?"

"You just missed her. She said there was a sudden family issue she needed to take care of, and it couldn't wait. She said she would be back as quickly as possible though. Apologized a ton for having to leave at such a critical time. She left maybe 20 minutes ago."

A family issue? I had never inquired about her family. If I think about it, I don't actually know anything about her. I know her personality and that she is a wolf, but that is it. I feel suddenly foolish that I haven't taken the time to actually get to know her. We jumped into casual s*x before I began to find comfort in her presence. But we haven't really talked before. Only the night Rick died and that was solely about me.

"Did she say how long she thought she might be gone?"

"Well, she has to grab a bus back to the Wolf Kingdom as we couldn't spare a car. It is a three day bus ride. So I would think at least a week, and that is if she gets everything resolved in one day. She didn't specify the nature of the issue. But, I know Val. She wouldn't leave unless it was truly important."

I agreed. I hope her family will be okay. "Thank you for the information," I said a little more glumly than I had intended.

"Your highness?"

"Yes?"

"If you would allow an old woman to be a tad impertinent?"

"Go on." I wasn't sure where this was going.

"I have been around for a long time, so I have keen eyes for what is going on around me. And I haven't missed the way you look for her everywhere you go."

"What of it?"

"It needs to stop."

"What business is that of yours?" I growled.

"It is my business because I care for the girl. Your affections haunt her."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I can't tell you the source of the issue, as I don't know it myself. But I have seen it in her eyes, in her body language. Every time you show her kindness, are gentle with her, or look at her affectionately, a light dims in her eyes. Your attentions cause her pain. And I do not like to see her hurt."

I was taken aback by the woman's observations. I thought back to every encounter and each time there was a sadness in her eyes that I noted for only a moment before I dismissed them. But what was the source of the pain? I didn't want to hurt her. Hades whimpered in my head at the thought we were causing her distress.

"I will take it under advisement," is all I said to the woman before turning and leaving. When she returned, we would need to talk.

Valencia

The long bus ride helped me catch up on some of the lost sleep, though the quality was lacking. My nightmares had been getting worse. Some stretched into being awake. I swear Elisa was constantly hovering out of the corner of my eye. No one else could see her, but she was always there. I couldn't determine if this was the natural course of the curse or if my sleep deprivation was causing hallucinations from my conscience. Four days and five buses later, and I was in a small town on the far side of the Wolf Kingdom. The pack that Emily grew up in wasn't far from here. She told Anthony she needed to spend some time with her mom, which wasn't a lie. She was staying at the pack, but she took a detour first to meet me.

I entered the little, hole in the wall, coffee shop she requested we meet at. I took the liberty of ordering us both an herbal tea. We would need something to help calm our nerves. I sat at a table in the back corner of the shop away from prying eyes. A few minutes later, Emily walked into the door. She wasn't really showing yet, but she instinctively rubbed her belly to calm herself. She saw me and headed to our table. She sat down, and we sat in awkward silence for several minutes. The barista called my name and I went to grab our tea.

I set one of the tea's in front of her, and she muttered, thanks. She took a small sip of the tea and closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth soothing her body. She tapped on the side of the cup, working up her courage to say whatever it is she called me all the way out here for. She finally sighed and resigned herself.

"This is terrible to ask..."

"Just ask Emily."

"I want the truth. I want to know what your life has really been like, not the kind words you give to your parents and brother to make them feel better. I need the raw, unaltered truth."

"Hell." Emily gaped at me. "But also blessed." She was even more confused.

"What do you mean?"

"What you need to realize is that your child will have no idea of their future until you tell them. You can let them live in blissful ignorance all their childhood. And you can enjoy those years. I was showered with love and affection my whole childhood. And for that I am truly blessed."

"But you are cursed..."

"I am, but that doesn't mean I didn't have two loving parents who fought to create as fulfilling of a life for me as possible. The curse f*****g sucks, I won't say it doesn't, but my life as a whole has been pretty great compared to others. Not everyone can say they have experienced the same love and care as I have. And that is a blessing I won't take for granted."

She nodded, contemplating my words.

"You also can't assume that a life without the curse would mean they would live past 25. A rogue attack or a war could take them from you at a young age." I thought of the boy who died in my arms. "The difference is not knowing death is coming. There are no guarantees in this world."

She sat letting my words sink in. "And the hell?"

"The hell comes in waves. The weight of the curse hadn't really sunk in until I was 16. 25 seemed forever away at that time. But in high school, my female friends kept talking about how they couldn't wait to be 18 and meet their mates. They would ask me what I dreamed of in a mate and I would lie to not garner suspicion. But it hurt, for them to be so free and for me not to be. Eventually, I grew away from the girls. It became difficult to participate in their conversations."

She grabbed my hand and squeezed it. She knew this wasn't easy for me to discuss.

"That disconnection is a major reason I joined the foundation and left home. Being around people my own age was suffocating. I also couldn't bare the growing sadness in my mother's eyes as my time left started ticking away. But I made the most of my time. I made my life have meaning. There have been bad days and my impending death sucks, but I make do with what I can. It is only recently that I have had a truly difficult time. But as a whole my life hasn't been bad."

"If you had the chance to go back in time and chose to be born, would you rather not have existed?"

"No, I would still choose this life over no life."

Emily broke down. She became a sobbing mess. I am sure the hormones aren't helping. I moved my chair next to her and pulled her into my arms and stroked her hair. She held onto me and cried.

"You fight Emily. You fight every day for your son's joy. And even if it ends at 25 it will have been worth living."

She pulled out of my arms and wiped her eyes. "Thank you for your honesty."

"I know being near me is difficult, but I hope something in what I said provided a small comfort."

She gave me a small smile. "It did. It still hurts, but you are right. I will fight for this child's happiness."

I smiled back at her. "That is all you can do."

I went to get up and leave, but she stopped me. "What did you mean when you said son?"

"Woops. I might have forgotten to mention that I had a dream visit from Elisa. She insinuated that it was a boy."

She contemplated it for a minute. "A boy feels right. And he will be strong. As I will be strong for him."

I hugged her goodbye. I had another stop to make before returning to the war front. Emily wasn't the only parent who needed consoling.