Connection - Golden Lycans Sequel 3/3 [Complete]

It HAS to be You

***Ophelia***

Drawn in pencil, is a large, highly accurate and incredibly detailed drawing of my face; and it is absolutely stunning.

A lot of time and care had clearly gone into this drawing. The details of my eyebrows, my lips and teeth, the flowing body of wavy hair...all in monochrome; aside from my eyes.

Perhaps he had embellished a fair amount, but I had never realised how striking someone else may have found my eyes. Bold sea-green mixed with streaks of bright aquamarine and cobalt blue, has been carefully added and beautifully blended. A true mix between my mother's blazing aqua-coloured Fae eyes and my father's vibrant green Landry eyes.

I slowly lower myself down onto the edge of the bed, feeling thoroughly moved by this drawing. I see his initials at the bottom of the drawing, although I hadn't ever asked what his surname was.

'AAK' is scratched in pen at the bottom, along with a note.

'...true friendship resists time, distance and silence...'

I sit there for some time, unable to take my eyes away from the drawing, tears gathering silently within them.

Evidently, Ares had been working on this for some time. As beautiful as this drawing is and as touched as I am, I also get a stark feeling that this is meant to be a goodbye.

..

Once I have packed, having carefully laid Ares’ drawing of me on the top of all my clothes, I exit my room. It isn't too long until I am due to meet Serena by one of the more obscure trees outside.

I am sure she will be appropriately disguised, as she once mentioned how often she has managed to go out on her own and blend in with everyone. My dad used to joke that she easily could if she just chucked on a tatty pair of sailing shorts she had refused to get rid of.

I am not surprised to see all of Ares' things now gone. His coat, his shoes, even his mug.

"Are you okay?" I hear Maddy ask from the kitchenette. She is chewing some toast, with her suitcase next to the counter. I turn to look at her and I shake my head.

"Not really, Mads," I admit.

"I think it's going to work out, Lia," she says to me kindly, "that man may not know it, but he is actually besotted with you. But...he is still a man, and they’re sometimes absolute boneheads. He will eventually figure himself out."

I smile a little and take a seat on the stool next to her.

“I feel like he may not come back,” I admit, my heart sinking.

“I forgot, the day after. But, I remembered the other day, just before I kissed him, I said something to him, because I KNEW he was nervous. Do you want to know what I said to him? What I said to make him relax and enjoy it?” Maddy says with a sly smile.

Harking back to that moment, I do remember seeing her whisper something to Ares. I shake my head.

“I told him, ‘don’t be nervous, just pretend I am Lia’. And…well, he damn well did, didn’t he!” she says with a slight cackle, as the visual memory of him grabbing her returns to my mind's eyes, “Ash and I wondered when you two would finally realise it. That’s the thing about the truly intelligent people of this world, Lia. They lack a certain amount of social awareness at times. You guys are adorable. But he's afraid, and who knows why? He's a great kisser for a newbie, so I don't get what his problem is.”

I laugh at her comment and smile at her fondly.

“I didn’t realise how I felt until you guys kissed, in all honesty,” I admit, biting my lip. She leans towards me.

“Hmm. You’re welcome, honey.”

The front door of the flat abruptly opens, and I am horrified to see Serena unexpectedly step through the door, evidently not wanting to wait for me by a tree.

Crap.

“Lia...sorry, I could NOT wait downstairs. I really wanted to see the inside of your flat. Luckily, this royal fingerprint works anywhere and everywhere," she says animatedly, her eyes then falling on Maddy, her expression falling, "oh...I thought everyone had left..."

I look at Maddy, who is staring in shock at who she knows to be the Queen Consort of England, and she slowly looks over at me with her mouth hanging open.

"Lia?" she asks, dumbfounded.

I sigh and shoot Serena an irritated look, and she looks back apologetically before resuming her visual assessment of the flat. Maddy continues to stare at me expectantly.

"Oh…fuck it. My name is...Ophelia, actually, Mads," I admit, thinking that in the grand scheme of things, this wasn't the worst thing to happen, lately, "this is my aunt, Serena Montague, formally Landry. She is my dad's sister.”

Maddy stares at me dumbfounded as she evidently does the mental work on my family tree.

“You’re…oh…my...god...” she says, her mouth hanging open as things fall into place.

“Well, this has been interesting. Have a great Christmas Mads, I’ll see you in a few weeks,” I tell her as I slide off the stool. I take the handle of my suitcase and make a gesture with my head at Serena, toward the door. Once outside in the freezing fresh air, Serena is apologetic at blowing my anonymity.

"Honestly, it's fine, Ser, it was never going to last," I reassure her, thinking that a dozen more thunderstorms were likely on the horizon anyway. Once the faerie module started, it might end up being quite obvious.

“Yes. I heard that you have had a turbulent few weeks. But, I know just what you need, and it is exactly why I wanted you to come stay," Serena says so knowingly as she strides purposefully toward the closest wisteria tree, "and tomorrow we will start by going to a designer I know, because we need to get something specially made for your face and we only have a day or two to get it made."

I look back at her skeptically.

"Get what made?" I ask.

"Your mask, my dear. I am taking you to a masquerade ball. There will be great food, the finest champagne, and you will wear a beautiful gown, which we will also need to find tomorrow."

"A masquerade ball? A gown?" I query, a little speechless. I had never done anything like that before.

"Yes. It is a different theme every year and this year...it is a masquerade."

"Whose ball is it? Is it yours?" I ask, now thinking she must have lots of swanky parties that she doesn't invite our family to.

"No, it is not," she confirms, holding her hand out for mine as the other hovers in front of the tree, "it is thrown just before Christmas, every year, by Augustus Katz. The vampire king."

…

***Ares***

The orchard is silent and still, as I emerge from the tree with my suitcase.

I breathe a sigh of sheer relief as the scent of Lia has abruptly dissipated, being ten miles away from her, now. The last two weeks had been utter torture, but now...I could finally relax.

No amount of meditation had helped. Or, at least, I did not think it had.

Yet, as I consider the way she rounded on me last night, I had managed to keep my fangs at bay, at the very least. I had desperately wanted to reach out for her, to apologise to her, to tell her everything.

Deep, untouched snow blankets the orchard, which is unsurprising given that I am the only one who ever comes out here, particularly this time of year. I drag my suitcase behind me, my trainers and the bottom of my jeans getting thoroughly soaked as I make my way to the back entrance of the house.

I enter through the doors, hearing a loud commotion as I come through.

There are people, many people, actually, carrying assortments of decorative items through the front entrance ahead, purposefully heading down one of the main corridors. I am very confused by this.

"ARES AURELIUS!" I hear a strong voice announce theatrically from up above.

I look up the stairs, seeing my lesser-spotted brother Amadeus, smiling strangely down at me. He moves quickly, sweeping down the staircase, coming to an abrupt stop in front of me, "it is good to see you, little brother. Although...you are not so little anymore, it appears."

Amadeus is now several inches shorter than me, compared to when I saw him around a year ago. Roughly around the age of fifteen.

His chestnut-coloured hair is short, and he has since grown a beard. He managed several of our father’s companies, which meant he wasn’t around much, not that it bothered me; he wasn't someone I enjoyed spending time with.

"Why are there so many people here?" I ask, gesturing toward the corridor.

"Right," Amadeus sighs, as if remembering something obvious, "you have not actually spent much time here, have you, over the past two years. Mother also kept you well away from this when you were much younger."

He swings an arm around my shoulders roughly before dragging me down the main corridor after a group of men carrying armfuls of flowers.

"Luckily, mother has made sure to accommodate you this year, now you are a grown man. It would have been very sad had you not blended in," he says, steering me towards the doors of the ballroom. I utter a gasp, as it no longer looks like the ballroom, though.

It has been entirely transformed, and I am impressed with how much it has.

Huge, cream and light pink floral arrangements stretch across the length and width of what must be a slightly lower, fake ceiling across the expanse of the ballroom. Subtle fairy lights twinkle among what must be hundreds of thousands of flowers. Puncturing this vast, floral masterpiece are the four chandeliers, new bulbs giving a light, peachy glow within the room. The far end of the ballroom by the adjoining reception room, contains several large, circular tables, with many more now occupying the reception room instead of the usual sofas and armchairs. Each table has an elaborate, floral centrepiece that surrounds a silver candelabra.

"Goodness," I breathe, appreciating the breathtaking beauty of the decorations, "surely this isn't for Christmas?"

Amadeus laughs and shakes his head.

"News to your ears, Ares; Father hosts a highly anticipated winter ball, here, just before Christmas. You have just never been around for it. But this year...here you are, and here you will be in two days' time," Amadeus says with a sly look.

"You...expect me to attend a ball?" I query, not liking the idea at all. I really just wanted to be alone at the moment.

"I DO, in vact," I hear the loud, commanding voice of our father from behind us, "you vill attend, Ares. As it is high time zat I stopped hiding you."

I turn to face my father, dressed down in navy chinos and a cream jumper, for a change. I shake my head and look between him and Amadeus.

"No, no, we had a deal," I remind my father anxiously, "I get to go to Vale and be anonymous. I cannot go public with my identity there!"

"Relax, my boy. Your identity vill be kept zafe. I av picked ze theme on purpose. I am proud of you, Ares, and I vant the world to know you exist. Zey do not need to know your face," father says delicately, walking over to a large leather-covered trunk that is on top of one of the tables.

He opens the trunk and removes what looks like an eye mask attached to a large fan of black and gold feathers. I stare at the bizarre item as my father comes toward me with it. He promptly raises it up to his face, securing it across his eyes and nose.

"Eet iz a masquerade party, Ares. You vear a mask ze whole time. You can proudly be my son, Ares Aurelius Katz for ze evening...and be a nameless face ze next day," he says with a smile. I frown a little as he hands me the mask, and I turn it over in my hands.

"This party does not involve Twister or Spin the Bottle, does it?" I ask cautiously. Amadeus bursts out laughing beside me.

"Goodness me, NO, Ares. It's a fair bit more sophisticated than the drunken gatherings at your university," Amadeus assures me in a catty fashion with a roll of his eyes. I clear my throat and force a smile at my father.

"Then, I do not think I will have any problems,” I tell him, wanting to please him. He looks delighted.

"Excellent! I haft vanted to introduce you to ze world for a short vhile, now. Ze public image ov us az not been ze greatest, in recent times."

"I do not see how I could help with that," I reply honestly as I hand back the mask.

"You are a vunderful young man, Ares, if only you could see it. But, you never know," he replies with a wry smile, "in two days, zis room vill be filled viv two hundred people; royalty, distinguished people ov society, oligarchs...and finally, after all zeez years...MY natural-born son. My greatest creation."

He walks away, barking orders at some men in German as they come into the room carrying long metal rods. They promptly turn back down the corridor with my father close on their heels.

"So...I just have to sit here? Or? Amadeus. Please explain the process," I say to Amadeus. He smirks at me and wanders over to the trunk as he talks.

"It is a ball, Ares. You can finally put what mother taught you two years ago to good use," he says with amusement as he starts pulling out various other masks from the trunk.

"Mother has taught me a lot of things. Be specific," I say bluntly.

"Dancing, Ares. Father will expect you to partake. It is the done thing," he says in amusement at my immediate horror, putting on a bright, multicoloured mask.

I had to admit, it hid his notable facial features perfectly.

Could I actually just be me and not worry about anyone seeing who I was underneath? It would seem a little Clark Kent of me, as Ash would call it.

"Dancing?" I ask in slight panic. Amadeus may think it was two years ago, but for me, it was a lot longer.

"Oh come on now, Ares. You're a tall, good-looking young man. There will be some stuffy wife of some withered King, who will happily drag you around this room in order to feel young again," he says lazily as he puts on another mask, this one with ram's horns, "luckily for us, we don't have to feel young. We always will be. Although...perhaps not you. You really ought to drink some blood, Ares. If you keep aging yourself in that other place, you will end up losing your best years in the process. It's time to stop playing Spin the Bottle, little brother, and try something a little more...heart racing, a little more mature."

"I do not want to drink blood. Ever," I reply with annoyance at his cavalier nature. He steps up to me, wearing a canary yellow mask, now.

"Oh...I think one day very soon, you will change your mind. Every natural-born does..."

...

***Ophelia***

"Is this okay for you ma'am?" the smartly dressed woman says to me as she stands politely by one of the doors of the palace’s many spare bedrooms. I look at her as though she is mad and nod wholeheartedly.

"Er…my bedroom at home is perhaps an quarter of the size of this, and my university bedroom is even smaller. In fact, I think the bed is the same size as the entire room. So...yes, Lucy, it is very okay," I assure her. She smirks at me and nods.

"Should you require anything at all, you need only use this panel on the wall," she says, going around the door and showing me a small screen that has been set into the highly decorated wall. It looks entirely out of place, compared to the historical-looking decor of the rest of the room.

"Thank you very much, I think that is all," I tell her with a smile, thankfully remembering to discharge her. She nods and slips back out of the door, closing it behind her.

I stand there and stare around at the monstrous room once again. The walls and general decor is a deep, pearlescent, emerald green with a luxurious cream carpet. I cannot resist the impulse, so this one time, I decide to indulge myself, running full pelt across the room and flinging myself onto the ginormous bed, feeling myself sink into the luxury pillows and duvet.

There is a knock at the door and I stare at it, waiting for it to open....until I realise they're waiting for me to say something.

"Oh…er...come in?" I call out across the room as I hurriedly get off the bed. The door opens and Serena comes in, chuckling at me as she sees the disheveled bed that she clearly knows I have just jumped on.

"You jumped on it?" She asks. I nod sheepishly and she laughs again.

"Your uncle Ollie always does whenever he has stayed here with Freya," she tells me in amusement, "you stopped me from having a proper look at your flat at Uni, but I suppose this is probably an upgrade."

"Mum didn't do too badly, to be honest. Doubles, and they're pretty comfy," I inform her.

"Well, that is something. Anyway, we are going to go out for lunch, find you a gown, and then visit my dear friend Pedro," she says, opening the door and gesturing for us to leave. I follow her out of the door.

"Pedro is an absolute magician when it comes to theatrical costumes, and that is precisely what we need for this ball I am taking you to in two days’ time," she explains.

"Why are you taking me? Why not Ana?" I ask.

"Anastasia is now spending Christmas with your grandparents in Canada along with Christian and Beth. Plus...the theme is perfect for you. You can come and enjoy a ridiculously extravagant ball and have complete anonymity, which is where the mask comes in. But, we need the dress before the mask, because it has got to match."

"All in one afternoon?" I ask skeptically. She laughs as she leads me down yet another splendid corridor, this one with a deep red carpet.

"I have never taken you shopping before, have I?"

..

I knew my aunt's life was probably one of the fanciest out there, but it was still rather surreal to be ushered into a posh car and driven out of the gates of Buckingham Palace. I had arrived and left via tree a few times, but this was different.

"I get it, Lia. I have been in that seat and had a similar expression myself, but try not to look so...uncomfortable," Serena says as she puts on some large sunglasses. The sun is actually out around here, and it is rather bright with all the snow that has finally made its way to London.

"I much prefer when you come to us," I admit.

"So do we," she admits quietly with a smile, "anyway, we will have a quick lunch at GAILS before our appointment at my favourite place to get truly fabulous dresses."

GAILS turns out to be a popular but expensive, sit-in bakery and pâtisserie. Serena leads me purposefully over to a particular table at the back which has a 'reserved' sign on it.

"Right. Tell me what is going on with you," she asks me in a business-like manner as soon as I am settled in my chair.

"Huh?" I ask, taken unaware.

"Lia, you caused a huge electrical storm over your campus," she states, and I sigh as I cross my arms across my chest. My mum had no chill, it seemed, "you have spent several years trying to get something out of your Fae side...and you finally did! So, what caused it?" I stare at her impassively for a few moments as she looks so kindly at me.

"It was a dumb reaction to a silly game," I reply, somewhat truthfully as I fiddle with the napkin on the table in front of me.

"Come on Lia..." she says, leaning towards me. I roll my eyes.

"Fine. We were playing Spin the Bottle. My roommate Maddy, who you just met...she kissed our other roommate, Ares. It was then I realised I actually....have feelings for him," I admit in a hurry, staring resolutely at the table.

"Ooooh..." Serena says quietly, looking up at a server as they approach the table.

"Good afternoon, your highness, it is lovely to have you back! What can I get for you?" she asks brightly.

"My usual...plus a cream tea for my niece, here. She will have a caramel macchiato, I believe?"

I nod and smile back at my aunt, and the server soon walks away from the table.

"That's great! So, did you make a move on him?" She asks excitedly. I utter a burst of laughter.

"No...Ser...he is...not really the most normal of guys..." I reply awkwardly.

"But, he is still a guy, right? They all think and feel the same way, whether they are normal or not," Serena replies with an arch of one of her perfect eyebrows.

"I don't know what his life has been like but, honestly, it's really hard to explain what I mean," I sigh again, sitting back in my chair, "but...for a little while I wasn't entirely sure how he felt about me...until...he just..." I trail off, feeling gutted about the memory once again.

"Go on," Serena presses. I feel so awkward describing it.

"He proper hugged me when we got our first exam result through...and then he...kinda...nuzzled my neck, Ser. It really f****d with my head as it seemed like such a Lycan move...for a human. I felt his lips on my neck and it just…it hurt, you know?"

I let out a long exhale and fall silent, the server coming back to the table with a tray. It contains a large teapot and china cup for my Aunt, and a tall latte glass with caramel syrup drizzled around the inside of it. It looks pretty good.

"Hmm, sounds tantalising. But...I can imagine that must have been a hard moment," Serena says to my surprise, "for you, Lia, having no wolf, yet having a human behave in such a way with you, that only reminds you of what you do not have."

"That is exactly it," I agree happily, looking up at her, finally, "but it's like after he did that...he just...noped out. That was two weeks ago and ever since, he has avoided me entirely. I just don't get why."

"Men are odd creatures sometimes. I got pretty f**king lucky, to be honest," she says with a wry smile. She pours from the teapot into her china cup and smiles happily as the aromas of her Earl Grey tea come up to her nose.

"I waited for him to come back last night and I just rounded on him. All he did was tell me he was 'so sorry' and went off to his room. Then, this morning, he had put this under my door," I tell her, my heart racing a little as I think about it, and how it had made me feel when I looked at it.

I get my phone out and show her a photo I had taken of the beautiful drawing.

"Oh...wow. HE drew this? This is stunning, Lia. Wow...he has really captured your eyes, huh?" She says as she studies the photograph, pinching to zoom in on particular parts of it. She blinks several times, as in disbelief, and then looks like she is thinking hard when she hands my phone back to me.

"But…thank you for this. I am just thankful that I am not having to go back to arguing with Joshua, just yet," I add, folding my arms on the table.

"Yes, he is one of a few reasons why I invited you to stay with us until Christmas," Serena says, giving her tea a stir, "Joshua has been grounded, so...he is not allowed to leave the family grounds. You would be stuck with him, and a grounded Lycan is no fun." I am surprised to hear this.

"Why?" I ask.

"He may be your father's son, but Joshua is NOT his heir. He has been unable to stop himself from indulging in what being a male alpha has to offer," she replies, before leaning across the table and looking keenly at me, "and that is precisely why it HAS to be you. NONE of your siblings would be able to handle it, Lia."

"You cannot lead a pack with no wolf, Ser," I remind her. She smirks at me as she sits back in her chair normally.

"I belong to a pack, whose Alpha has no wolf," she states, her green eyes glowing proudly.

"That is totally different. Your circumstance is bizarre and unique," I reply, knowing it is indeed a 'thing' in their family. She was packless...but not really. She was the only Lycan in her 'pack', too.

"My point is, Lia, a leader is not one because of their genetics. It has to work that way for packs, but you know it does not always work well. Will was always going to be the best alpha to lead Dalston Lake, but it took his older brother being murdered at his other brother’s wedding for nature to find the right path. A leader is not always born, but they are made," she rightly says.

"But, I am no leader, born or made," I retort.

"Not yet. But you never WILL be, Lia, not until you stop wallowing in what you do not have and start appreciating what you do have. Stop being so hyper-focused on your missing elements, because it is drawing your attention away from developing and honing the things that are present, are real, and what makes you great. Your father sees that in you, but you do not, and you will not. Not until you accept what...is."

I furrow my brow at her, not liking the fact she has just dealt me a harsh truth.

But she is right. I did wallow...and I did it a lot.

I regularly held pity parties and deep down, I knew I had to get on with life.

"I am sorry to be so blunt, but you need to hear it. You are not a child anymore. You are a woman, and you need to start looking ahead, not backwards. A wolf doesn't make you who you are, Lia. I know that. It took a huge leap of self-acceptance for me to get Hera back when I lost her. I needed to accept myself at my weakest to become my strongest. They enhance us, but they do not bestow upon us some sort of greatness we never had before we blended. Wings, aura reading, magic...all are rather awesome Fae traits to have...but again, those do not make someone a natural leader. So, really, Lia, do you need all those things to be your father's daughter? If your father never shifted into Atlas ever again, would that make him less capable of leading the pack?"

I stare back at her in silence for a moment, before I gently shake my head.

"No...no it wouldn't," I reply, her words sinking in. The server comes back over with a cream tea for us both, and the scones smell delicious.

"Why is that, Ophelia?" Serena asks me, a pointed look on her face.

"Because of who and how he is. He is an intelligent, level-headed man with a striking personality and...people respect him. He listens to people who advise him, and he meticulously weighs up all options before he makes decisions. He is fair, he is patient, he has huge amounts of empathy, and he always does his best for everyone. BUT then he talks to Atlas about so many things, like a wise, internal advisor. They are one!"

"Atlas is just a voice in his head when he is in human form. A wise voice, for sure. Hera is my wise voice. But...she could easily just be me, talking back at me. Just two people occupying one head. Do you see what I mean? So in actuality, do YOU need to be able to SHIFT into a wolf, Lia, to be an effective leader? Do you really need another voice inside your head to make good decisions?"

"No. I guess I don't," I admit, and Serena looks satisfied with my answer.

"Do not forfeit. You cannot forfeit. By the time you take over the pack, I promise, you will have everything you need, but the first thing you need to do, Lia, is to forgive yourself, and look forward."