His Fallen Mate (Elemental Series #1)

Signs

Seraphina's POV

The glorious sun was already beaming, climbing on the top of each building, painting silhouettes beneath. It looks so miraculously bright and alive, alluring me to feel the same.

Every step I take on the cement floor makes noise from my stiletto. Since the sun was still young, I decided to pick some flowers to present to Dane. Even though he insulted me yesterday, I refuse to give up. Giving up is not in my lexicon. Dane, in some ways, pushes me to go above and beyond.

My body swung back and forth as I paced inside the flower shop where I made the bouquet last time. The interior was busy, with personnel greeting the customer and the buyer asking for the greatest flower. It seemed like I was in an underground market, watching individuals do their transactions. I paused for a while to contemplate if I should go forward with my plan or not. But I decided to go ahead with it anyhow. For the time wasted and the effort, it's best to just buy and leave.

A bouquet of white roses piqued my interest and so I decided to purchase it. With mind wondering about today's occasion as people are in a rush to buy flowers. Occupied, I proceeded to the packhouse, holding a flower in my hand. A part of me was tremendously frightened, expecting what was to follow.

Considering what happened yesterday, I had already prepared myself for the worst. Pursuing a man isn't as simple as just flirting. Nor will it do with just a single song, a deep slumber, leaving a glass slipper on the staircase, or hurting yourself with a needle. Princes charming these days have turned out to be Princesses. Getting picky, moody, and bossy about everything. The world seems to have turned upside down, elevating the attitude of both sexes into being intertwined or, worse, a soul exchange like what happened in most of the fantasy movies. Still, no complaint.

My feet strode forward at every beat of my heart. Dancing to the rhythm of this invisible choir that existed merely in my head. I was counting my steps, entertaining myself while I paced towards the packhouse. It was all fun and calming when something hit my forehead, forcing me to take a full stop. I innocently rub it, now seeing stars in the middle of the day. Under the curtain of my eyes, darkness slowly crept in, like a thief coming in the middle of the night and stole my consciousness as I fell hard on the cemented sidewalk.

—

"Get away from him. He will only be your death. You still have time to change the direction of your destiny. Your fate with him is tragic; at the very least rescue yourself," the woman said abruptly as she came to a halt in front of me.

I looked around to check whether she was talking to anyone, but her gaze was fixed on me. Creep raced down my spine as her crimson dead eyes stared at me—the type that scrutinized your entire soul, unraveling those white lies and revealing every skeleton in the closet.

"What do you mean?" I inquired, but the woman just shrugged her shoulders. She acted as though she was terribly disappointed in me. A sharp pain in my chest surfaced...one that is very terrible to tolerate. My fingers slid into it, pressing it hard as it throbbed. What is going on?

"Leave him or you'll suffer again," she continued before fading away in front of my eyes. As the anguish began to smother me, I struggled to gasp for oxygen. A cry for aid had become virtually impossible, since my voice could no longer speak and my strength had worn thin, like an old Narra tree drooping in the fall.

"This is your fourth rebirth, but it appears that you haven't learned from any of your previous lives; I will open your eyes and let you view the past," a voice burst through the melancholy mood. My gaze wanders in quest of something. Tears welled up in my eyes, engulfing the agonizing emotion. I was perplexed, unable to comprehend what had happened. The sensation is so overpowering and alien to me that I'm at a loss for words. My fourth rebirth?

A dazzling light suddenly appeared in front of me, as though inviting me to join the new realm. I shook my head nervously while grasping my chest, but my feet involuntarily moved into the tempting light as if they had their own master. I gradually became aware that I was being transported into another dimension. I cautiously opened my eyes, adapting to the unfamiliar surroundings. The place was filled with light, air, and the sound of rushing water. I took a step forward to see where I was, but my flesh quickly vibrated as my breath hitched after realizing I was now atop the cliff, and I nearly fell. I took a step back, watching as the many mirrors around me tracked my every motion. Where am I? My one in a million question that seems not to be answered.

When a video of me...and Dane began to play in the mirror, I stood frozen. The footage captures me conversing with Dane, and I appear to be a female warrior there, while he is my general. A lone tear dropped as it revealed me saving Dane in one of our battles, resulting in my death, but my love was still not reciprocated. Another video was played and this time I looked like I was some sort of a princess with those luxurious clothes and a golden tiara in my hair. However, my eyes in the video look so dead while I was staring at someone—the knight. As if that knight had wounded me greatly for me to look that broken.

My chest once again tightened in pain when Dane's face was shown in the mirror— he was that knight...and he was married to someone else. That might be the reason why I look so hurt. There were a few more videos played on the mirror and all of them were tragic. It was only me loving Dane in the video...and him killing me, rejecting me, and loving another woman. For a couple of videos played, on the mirror, even for once, I never had a happy ending for myself.

I tried to smile, comforting myself to the thing that I had seen, but tears streamed on my cheeks like falls. I decided to shut my eyes tightly as the pain slowly consumed me.

—

"Seraphina!"

I opened my eyes carefully, adjusting my vision before scanning the room. My eyes were drawn to Dane's frigid face, which caused me to panic for a split second. In shock, I dragged myself out of bed and afterward winced in agony. Then a certain realization struck me as a flash of recollection filled my head. I got hit on the way. I tried to reach out for my forehead and caressed it slowly. Aw, It hurts. Wait...what happened after I passed out? The dream. Had it all been a dream? But what type of dream was that? Could it be connected to me? It felt so genuine, as though I had really experienced it firsthand.

"Have I not told you to go home already?" a sudden voice interrupted me from the flashback.

My gaze was drawn to the man's silhouette in front of me, his golden shadow mirrored on the sheath beside me. I looked at his face for a second, recalling what he did in my dreams.

"What now? I'm asking you Seraphina."

I heaved a sigh, humbling my head, as I touched my chest. My Dane had always been gentle with me, but this one is as hard as stone and as harsh as the dust in the desert.

"Dane, can you really not feel it? Don't you remember me?" I asked, fearlessly looking into his eyes. Even though my flesh was trembling within.

"What are you talking about?"

I bit my bottom lip so hard that I almost tasted blood. "You are my mate, and...and you promised me something, but it appears that you have entirely forgotten about it," I murmured. I'm not going to give up on him. I simply want to let go of the weight on my chest.

Dane's eyes were cold, and a crease was slowly outlined on his forehead as if he was processing something. He stared at me blankly for a minute before abruptly clutching his head as though in excruciating pain, sending me into a frenzy. I leaped on the bed as my soul left my body as I tried to help Dane. I don't know what to do.

"Dane, are you okay?" I asked dumbly.

His breathing became heavy with each passing second, which made me panic even more. I tried to give him water but he was not reactive to his surroundings, he was just clutching his head as his knees kneeled on the floor.

"Dane?" I tried to call out to him when he suddenly fainted under my embrace.

My eyes widened after processing the situation and I screamed hysterically in fear, then Antonio came into view, struggling for air. What exactly is going on? Is it possible that I triggered something that caused him to react in this manner? While Antonio placed Dane on the bed, I glanced at his unconscious face, and pain was etched on it.

"What happened to him?"

"He's only exhausted, Sera; let's give him some rest, and you should go back to your apartment right now," he explained.

There was a taint of worry in Antonio's voice. And his responses ended in a dismissing manner. I guess I should give them some space. This was immediately seconded by Brianna, my lazy wolf who only communicates to me once in a blue moon.

"I see. I'm going now."

I whispered tiredly as I made a quiet exit from the house. I'm not sure how I ended up in the packhouse or who saved me. I hadn't even asked Dane that question earlier, perhaps because I was preoccupied with my strange dream. About that matter, it really is something that bothers me. I was wondering if any of it was true or if it was simply my mind playing tricks on me by generating hallucinations. I don't know if it was just mere fiction or if it was reality. Suddenly, a wind coldly brushes my flesh, allowing me to caress my arms gently in coldness. And my eyes unknowingly landed on the small letter vandalized on the plain fence.

Nothing in life is worth pursuing if it means prolonging your suffering.