Torn between mates

32. Never eyes

Alexus

I am finally at my Castle, at my Realm and I couldn’t stop thinking about what I have learned about her.

She isn’t a plain witch; she is a hybrid. 

A Hybrid, even though hybrids don’t exist. She is rare, special, and strong.

She put up a fight, didn’t give up, stood her ground. She is more than meet the eyes, not a weak bimbo, nor only a beautiful body to be ravished and drunk from. She is resilient and has her own glow.

Now the alluring aroma of her blood makes sense. As the legends say, hybrids’ blood is like a siren song to attract vampires. It’s our nectar and our antidote for the insatiable and uncontactable parch that consumes us.  

That is why that unholy Goddess matched her with us Kings, with me. It isn’t a bizarre joke. Only a joke, because she is still mated to the fairy and the flea-infested mutt. 

Lea isn’t a pathetic duck; she is a unique swan. She is fit for a King. 

But for ONE king only.

I went to my atelier; I have to paint. There is a long time I don’t feel such a strong urge to do so. I look around at my artwork, most of them are figures, beings of different species, and animals. There are a couple of paintings of Elisa, my dead lover, eyeless as all the other figures I’ve painted. 

The paintings would all flow to me, giving me the urge to scratch them on paper or canvas, make thoughts and impetus become shadows and lines. But there was one thing I couldn’t ever do, ever capture, apprehend in my art. Their eyes. 

They could have a plastic, silent beauty, but they were expressionless, no emotions, only hunger, desire, and nothing. Only lips, stains of blood, breasts, thighs, curves. Never eyes.

I kept painting for the next couple hours, many sketches of a female body, an approaching shadow that was still only a blur in my inspiration and my canvas.

Broadrick knocked on the door, bringing me back from a place I didn’t want to leave. I hissed in frustration. 

I could smell him and the witch. He was with Deidra, the rogue witch who helped us to cover our tracks and gave us the bracelet to restrain Lea’s power. 

That woman owes a debt to me since I accepted her in my Realm after she was banished from Avalon’s Realm 10 years ago. In exchange for allowing her to stay in my Realm, she would do the potions, deeds, and spells I deemed necessary. 

They both came inside the atelier and she greeted me. I inhaled sharply. That i***t knows I don’t like to be disturbed while I’m in my atelier, besides that I dislike when others enter this room. It’s my most private place. What do they want? I am not in the mood for them or anything. 

“I was wondering about the bracelet that I gave you…” Deidra started. 

“You got us a broken one, it didn’t work, and I won’t be the one to suffer the consequences of your mistakes.” Broadrick interrupted her, making her scoff and scowl at him. 

“A witch can’t raise an electro-magnetic field, send pulses of energy, as your Second in Command mentioned that Lea did. There are no spells or powers as such. This isn’t witch’s magic. The bracelet I gave you prevents witch’s magic, so it didn’t fail.” Deidra explained in her defence, looking at me only and making very clear that she was ignoring Broadrick.

“She isn’t a witch,” I muttered, more to myself. 

“What?” Broadrick and Deidra looked at me confused.

“She’s a hybrid. Half witch and half-elf.” I clarified. Deidra’s mouth went agape and Broadrick looked very confused.

“It’s not possible.” He said.

“But she is. That’s what makes her special.” I added. 

That’s one of the things that makes her special.

“So, we would need a different kind of bracelet to restrain her powers, maybe more than one,” Deidra murmured thinking out loud, as she tapped her lips with her forefinger.

“No!” I stated firmly. Much firmer than I expect from myself. Broadrick and Deidra gazed at me with startled looks. “We won’t need it. I won’t have her restrained. Not ever again.” I added. 

I have to do something, but I still don’t know what.

~ * ~

Lea

A couple of days after the ominous day King Alexus took me, my dad came to see me in my little garden. I was working on my flowers, the careful and silent craft of balms, distracted me. Filled me with the calm I needed. It’s funny that the making of soothing potions has a calming effect in itself. 

“How are you doing, my little princess? Are you feeling well?” his voice and even his expression were laced with concern. 

He took me in his embrace and placed a gentle kiss on the top of my head, as he is used to doing since I can remember. 

“I’m okay, getting better.” I smiled without looking up, my face was still snuggled in his chest.

He inhaled sharply. He knows that I’m not okay, how could I be okay after what happened? 

“We will protect you; he won’t get close to you ever again! You have nothing to fear, sweetheart.”

I nodded in response. 

“You are safe.” He added.

I only nodded again. I don’t know if I feel safe, I know my mates, Liv’s mates, daddy, and Liv will protect me. But I still feel something... it’s not that I fear an external attack or abduction. But I still feel that he’s in my mind... haunting me. 

Besides, I was quite disappointed with Laius and hurt about what he did. Goddess, he was so reckless and stupid! I hope Liv is fine, his impetuous action broke her heart. 

“I should have killed him when I had the chance!” Dad muttered and I looked up at him abruptly. 

“No, dad. He is still my mate and having him killed would hurt me.” I sighed. Even if I tried to hate him, it wouldn’t be possible, because of our bond. It’s weak, I’m still 17 and we’ve never connected as I did with my Wolf and Valentin. But it’s still there, as a sore string in my heart. 

If your mate is killed or dies, regardless of how bad said mate is, you would feel part of your soul dying, due to the soul's connection shared between fated mates. 

“I know sweetheart.” He cooed me, patting my back softly. We stayed like this for some time. I could really use the comfort only his embrace could provide. 

“Have you talked to your mom? Did she say anything about me?” he asked breaking the silence. 

“No, she just said that she doesn’t want to think about it now… with everything that's happened lately.” I sighed, so many big things happened in these last few days. Things that for sure will change all our lives forever. “What will you do about it? About this situation?” 

He exhaled deeply. “I don’t know for sure. I’ll give her space; I just don’t know for how long I can... be away from her.”

I understand that my mom also needs her time to heal. But I hope they can be together soon. 

~ * ~

Sarah

I was with Luke at his office in the Pack Castle, working, helping him out. He doesn’t have ‘enough time’ to work now that he is newly mated. But I’m happy to give him a hand. 

“Have you read the complains and requests that we received this week?” He asked, I only hummed in response. My thoughts were roaming far away. “Sarah are you with me?” he asked with a light chuckle. 

“I’m worried about Richard and Lea.” I sighed deeply. 

“They seem fine now that the psychopath Alexus is out of the picture.”

“You are spending too much time jumping your mate to notice anything.” I scoffed. 

I was really happy that he finally settled down and found a very worthy and strong female to kick his ass every time that it is needed. But lately, he didn’t have anything else in his mind, besides Astoria. Besides being in bed with her, to be more precise. Newly mated couples are lost to the world.

“You’re really out of everything that’s happening in this pack.”

Luke smiled; his grin became even bigger lately.

“I’m quite sure you would be the same if you were living with your Cassy.” He chuckled, but he was right. 

Even though she isn’t my mate, she makes my heart swell like a bubble balloon.

“You see, you are smiling, and I’ve just said her name.” 

“Luke, that’s not the point, haven’t your wolf noticed anything? That Richard is quite edgy lately. He is being very patient with Lea. Which is quite surprising, he isn’t a patient male, not at all.”

“Love changes people.” He beamed me a cheese smile, making me roll my eyes. 

“I don’t know how long he can wait... I also don’t know how long he has before the darkness in him starts to grow and take control.” I sighed again. 

“Now that you said it, my wolf noticed that Richard and, especially, Titan were unsettled lately. But we thought that it was his urge to kill Alexus.” He uttered looking thoughtful. 

“That is one more thing to add to the bunch. He can’t consolidate his bond with Lea without Alexus. That’s something we can’t ask our girl for, that’s too much to ask any female.”

“Damn, you’re right! I don’t know what Richard can do.” Luke’s expression was growing serious and concerned. 

“Me neither. But I’m afraid he will lose his mind and do something reckless, or maybe Titan will take control and do something he will regret  later.” I know that Richard is having a hard time keeping his wolf in check and I don’t even want to imagine what might happen if Titan takes control. 

“Damn, now you succeeded in taking my mind off of my woman.” He exhaled sharply. 

“Have you already told Astoria about your man-w***e past?” I asked. 

"No, I don't need to tell her anything. The past is in the past," he said looking only half-convinced. 

"If you say so." I flashed him a knowing look and shook my head, this will so backfire on him. But he is bringing this upon himself. 

Anyway, I’m quite concerned about Richard. When we both lost Ryan, he closed himself off, bottled up his feelings. Sankhimself in the Royal Pack and the Realm work. More than that, he became obsessed with the war, with his revenge against Alexus. His only goal was to kill his sworn enemy, his nemesis. 

I hate Alexus as well. He didn’t take only Richard’s brother from him, Ryan was also to be my mate. But it could never happen, he died when I was 17. I never could wear his mark or feel his love. Feel the unique and immense love of a mate, of my mate. 

But somehow, I have found solace, comfort, in taking care of people, when I became a pack doctor. I’ve figured that although the love of your soulmate is not replaceable, love comes in different ways and forms. The love for my patients, my people, made me thrive, heal gradually. Then I found the other colours/ paths that love brought me into when I’ve meet Cassandra, my Cassy. 

I prayed many times to the Moon Goddess for Richard to find his mate. I knew that the female that holds the other part of his soul, would be the only one who could bring tenderness and softness to his callous heart. 

The only one who could bring peace to his restless and anger-consumed soul. 

And the Goddess brought him such a mate, our sweet Lea. 

But her gift, her blessing, had the double side of a curse. She made Lea Alexus’ mate as well. I guess they are right to say, the Goddess often punish us, by answering our prayers.