His Fallen Mate (Elemental Series #1)

Plan

Seraphina's POV

Half of my room was already illuminated by the morning light. I stepped on the balcony with a cup of coffee and a cigar in my left hand, allowing the sun to kiss my pale skin. This is what I do most of the time when I travel and somehow it has become a habit that I can't get rid of. I took a sip of my coffee while looking at the horizon. The sky is brilliant and clear, almost like a flawless canvas created with just light. I've been considering what I could do to get Dane's attention. I'm contemplating whether or not to tell him the truth, but isn't that selfish? Perhaps I'll simply tell him some dark jokes that he thinks aren't real but are, in fact, true and are the only way for me to cope with my heartbreak. My situation is hard.

I puffed the cigarette when tension began to permeate my system again. Love is a tremendous hassle as it's so convoluted. An emotion that throws our system into disarray and that we can't control. Our hearts do not follow our wishes; instead, they beat automatically, causing a slew of problems. Love. Mate. Emotion. These words are a burden.

In our case, it was the moon goddess who decided our fate, not us. With certain exceptions, which are determined by the merits we have saved. Werewolves do not have the option to choose whom they freely like, because if they did, they would be cursed. As for hybrids, we can have multiple mates, but if our superior mates reject us, that'll be the end of us. We won't literally perish in the world, but our drive to live will be dimmed like a candle losing its light.

My thoughts were jumbled, yet they were disrupted by a constant knock outside. With furrowed brows, I exited the balcony and approached the door to see who was bothering me so early in the morning.

"I just stopped over to see how you're doing; did you eat your meal last night?" Antonio asked as he handed me a container.

"Yeah, I purchased my meals online; what is this?" I wondered, my gaze drawn to the box.

"Your breakfast and lunch," he started, "here's my number, just phone me if you need anything else." I took the card Antonio handed me whilst looking at his back as he walked to the elevator. Before closing the door, I shrugged my shoulders.

I don't normally have breakfast, so I just keep the box in the fridge and microwave it in the afternoon if I am hungry. I went back to the balcony and took the cup that I had left there and washed it. After cleaning the kitchen and putting everything in place...I went directly to the bathroom and took a bath — a very quick one.

I chose a plain black halter dress that fell halfway down my thigh. The fit emphasizes my curves, and despite being a little slim, my boobs and a*s are visible. It's genetic.

I decided to pair my dress with some gladiator sandals and did not mind putting any colorette on my face as my skin is kind of sensitive to it. I tried using make-up before when I attended a party in L.A., yet my face had gone completely red. I got a lot of rushes as my whole face had turned itchy and had a hard time controlling myself not to scratch it. Since then, I have had no desire to wear make-up ever again except putting some lip balm on my lips to avoid dryness, especially in the cold season.

I let my wavy hair fall straight down my back as I tied a large ribbon around my baby hair to keep it from spurting out. I'm so ready, but I'd want to see Dane later in the afternoon at two o'clock, and it's still ten o'clock in the morning. Not because I'm excited, but because I'm going to a flower shop right now. Personally, picking flowers for Dane as I plan to make him a bouquet. I've decided to proceed, court Dane, and flirt with him legally.

I don't care about the outcome of this foolishness; what matters is that I've shown him that I love him. Aside from the motives of finding out why he had forgotten me. Dane can't just forget me without any reason. I doubt that.

"Good morning, I am the one who called last night for an appointment," I said to the receptionist as soon as I walked into the flower shop. Despite the fact that the store is only a kilometer away from my place, I still use Google Maps to avoid getting lost, especially because this is my first time wandering in this area.

"You are Miss Ember Seraphina?" the receptionist verified, to which I nodded.

She handed me a key to their flower garden, and one of the shop's employees showed me how to properly cut the flowers. I chose white carnations, red chrysanthemums, daisies, Edelweiss, and red salvia. Every flower I choose has its own symbolism, and one of each represents my love for Dane.

"If you don't mind me asking, Miss Seraphina, to whom are you going to give this flower bouquet?" the staff questioned as I started arranging the flowers under her supervision. I cast a fleeting glance at her, with a smile on my face.

"To someone, I love," I whispered softly enough for her to hear. The staff gave me a passionate, enthusiastic gaze, perhaps as a form of teasing and congratulation.

My lips pursed into a grin as I bit my bottom lip. The staff seems to be genuinely kind, but I wonder how she'll respond if she learns who I'm going to give the bouquet to.

"You must have truly loved that person, Ma'am," she said after handing me the card. I wanted to write a little note along with the flower so it would have a little companion. My hand trembles when I place the pen on the card, preparing to write the words that have been running through my head. Into you like how the moon embraces the sun and how the seashore welcomes the waves. Dane needed to decipher the letter before he could completely comprehend what they meant.

"You have a bright future in flower arranging, Ma'am; is this your first time?" she inquired as I finished the bouquet. I barely nodded my head, pleased with the outcome. Perhaps the fact that I poured my heart into the creation explains why the end product is so lovely.

The staff is so talkative that I didn't get bored until I completed it all.

"Thank you for aiding me today," I declared as I picked up the bouquet and walked over to the counter to pay for it. I said my goodbyes to the staff, but one rumor had reached my ears. They don't seem to notice that I'm skilled at catching gossip.

'Isn't that Maal's daughter?'

'Yes, his second wife's daughter. The illegitimate.'

I made a u-turn and came to a halt on the gossiper's table. I wrinkled my brows and stared at them, leading them to shut their filthy mouths. They quickly bowed their heads in apology, but I didn't spend any more time and walked away. Beauties shouldn't be stressed.

It was already 1:01 p.m. when I returned to my apartment. I was hungry, so I decided to reheat the meal that Antonio had given me earlier. The food he gave me was fried shrimp rice, some fried meat, and gnocchi. Though I'm not really a fan of gnocchi, I didn't want them to go to waste, so I warmed them as well.

I was scrolling on my phone while waiting for the food to heat up. Suddenly, a message from Naam came on the screen. My brow wrinkled since Namaka Amphitrite is the least likely of my friends to send a personal message, preferring instead to communicate via group chat. My eyes immediately widened upon reading the contents of her message. Naam is the sweetest and the kindest of my friends, and her parents only used her for their own gain. But selling her to that evil monarch is quite another story. My blood began to boil as I tried to call her. Her phone rang, but she didn't pick it up. Come on, Naam.

I was pacing back and forth in the living room as I messaged the rest. I didn't know if Hera and Aria were aware of Naam's condition, so I contacted them. My hands are trembling with rage at the notion. Oceania Pack is a long way from Lunar Pack, and it will take me days to get there. I resented the fact that I couldn't save her right away.

"Dad sold me to be Navaro's s*x slave; please help me, Ember."

I've read her text a few times now, and it still astounds me. I had never thought such parents existed, whose sole objective is to endanger their child. Isn't it the parents' responsibility to keep their children safe? Why are Naam's parents the exact opposite? If I let Naam down, that implies I betrayed her. She needs my help, and I will help her.

My plan to surprise Dane and pay him a visit had abruptly changed. I called Antonio to meet me at the border as I decided to fly to Oceania. Naam's parents want money, so I'm gonna feed it to them. I'll let them eat it until they get satisfied.

"Where are you going, Sera? You seem to be in a rush," Antonio asked. I'm in a rush. I quickly gave him the bouquet I had created earlier and said my goodbyes. Antonio was perplexed by my actions but said nothing further.

I tried phoning Naam's number, but it was now unreachable. I'm growing more and more worried each passing minute. Did Navaro already have her? Navaro is the Emperor of Pelagos, and he rules over Oceania. Naam, like me, is a cultivator since she is a hybrid. Like Hera Zaphaia and Aria Acheas, who are wind cultivators and nature cultivators, respectively. In Naam's situation, though, she couldn't oppose her own King in the same way that I couldn't defy Niccolo Knight. History keeps repeating itself and it's the same issue — filthy Emperor is really every hybrid's worst fear, and fortuitous for those whose Emperor had no interest in them.

Navaro is the dirtiest emperor in the cardinal kingdom. He is known to have r***d young she-wolves, have tons of s*x slaves to keep him company at night, is a sexist and is a complete douchebag. That's why I couldn't bear the thought of Naam becoming one of those pitiful girls. My soul wouldn't be put at peace if that happened. I'd go through whatever the consequences were as long as Naam is safe.