this isn't over 13
897 Words
Chapter 13
Darya’s POV
I finally made it back home.
The castle towers rose against the night sky, dark and proud, just the way I remembered. I had been gone far too long…early two months visiting a neighboring vampire territory. I told everyone I was searching for alliances… but that wasn’t the truth.
I was searching for my mate…If I found him, I could reject him. Then there would be nothing standing between Dean and me.
But I never found him…And that meant Dean was still mine. He had to be…I didn’t stop to greet anyone. I went straight to his chambers. I pressed my palm to the scanner beside his door. The machine blinked green and opened…He didn’t know I’d fixed it to accept my print before I left…I wanted to surprise him…Oh, I did…The door slid open….And there she was….Curled against him…In his bed.
In my place…Rage exploded through me.
“WHAT THE f**k IS SHE DOING IN YOUR BED?!” I screamed. “I HAVE SLEPT WITH YOU EVERY SINGLE NIGHT! WOKEN UP WITH YOUR ARMS AROUND ME! AND YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO PUT ANOTHER WOMAN IN MY PLACE?!”
The girl shot upright, pulling a shift over herself even though she already wore his shirt. Dean moved instantly, stepping between us as I lunged….He caught me midair and slammed me to the floor.
“Darya, calm down!”
Calm down?
CALM DOWN?
The girl stood there with that sickly sweet voice.
“Dean, I understand you had women before you found me… but this is ridiculous. Please step aside. I can handle this. She looks like she’s about to have a breakdown.”...Breakdown?
I would rip her throat out…She leaned down toward me.
“What’s your name, sweetie?”
Sweetie?
If Dean wasn’t holding me back, she would already be bleeding.
“My name is Darya, you b***h. Why are you with my mate? I am the one who has shared his bed for centuries! Who are you? You’re not even a vampire!”.?I sniffed her scent…Wolf.
My lip curled. “You brought a werewolf into our realm? Wait until your mother finds out.”..She didn’t flinch.
“Honey, she already knows. And if you’ve been in his bed every night for centuries… why weren’t you there last night?”
Her hand lifted to her neck….And I saw it…A mark.
A full moon with a white wolf howling beneath it….My heart stopped.
“I am Dean’s mate,” she said calmly. “He marked me. I marked him. I know you two had history. But I’m here now. It’s time to move on.”
Move on?
Dean would push her aside any second. He would reject her. He had to….Instead, he looked at me with something I had never seen before…Regret.
“Darya… I’m sorry. I found my soulmate. What we had meant something, but I never promised you I would make you my mate. One day you’ll find yours.”
If I could cry, I would have drowned the room.
“Never,” I whispered. “I will never forget you. You’re throwing me away for a wolf.”
“I told you one day I would find my mate,” he said. “You said you understood.”
“I understood because I thought you’d never find her!” The words slipped out before I could stop them. “I thought your mother would keep you here. She promised me I would be the next queen! That I would rule beside you!”..Silence….Dean stood slowly.
“She said what?”...Oh no ... .He stormed out...We followed.
I grabbed the wolf on the way, shoving clothes into her hands.
“Keep them. I’ll burn whatever you return. I don’t want wolf scent on my things. Now move before he kills his mother.”...We reached Queen Nila’s office…Dean burst inside.
His father stood immediately, stepping in front of his mate when he saw Dean’s face.
“Mother,” Dean said calmly…too calmly.
“Did you promise Darya she would be the next queen?”...The temperature in the room dropped….The King turned slowly toward his wife. “Nila?”....She straightened, regal as ever.
“I only promised her because I believed they would become mates. I never said I would keep you imprisoned here. You are centuries old. You come and go as you please.”
Dean’s jaw tightened…“You had no right.”...The King’s voice thundered.
“It is my place to approve a future queen. Not yours alone.”
Nila’s gaze shifted to me.
“Darya, I truly believed you and my son would be fated. The goddess chooses mates, not us. If you are not his, then the promise is void.”...Void….Just like that.
“That’s bullshit,” I snapped. “You will regret this, Dean. Choosing a wolf over me.”...He didn’t hesitate.
“I will never regret my mate.”...The wolf placed her hand on his arm.
He calmed instantly….That should have been me.
I hissed and turned, leaving the office before they could see the fracture forming in my chest…Let them have their little moment.
But this isn’t over…When I find out who that wolf ran from…
I’ll bring him here myself….And I’ll make sure she learns what it feels like to lose everything.
- Writer
