STEFANIA

Chapter Five

Sadness is but a wall between two gardens.

Khalil Gibran

THE ONE Thing about keeping a secret is that, it keeps getting heavy to the point that you feel like you'll die from suffocation if you don't let it out, and the moment you reveal the secret you end up regretting it. It's like flying really high in the air until you suddenly crash.

Now her instinct ruled her. She drew from him. Hard.

She moans as his blood hit her tongue, carrying fire throughout every inch of her. It drugged her, filled her up with so much power, made her head spin, and her flesh born. His blood taste divine as the sweetest drop of wine. She was blood drunk.

She suddenly tensed thinking he was going to pull away from her as he cupped her neck but instead, he gave a low groan, a low groan of satisfaction. He was enjoying it as much as she was.

She'd done it, had drank from another and she didn't want it to end

How had she gone so long without feeding from another? She pierced him deeper, moaning into his wrist. He lets her dig her sharp nails into his forearm when her tongue darted for more of his taste. Her body grew stronger and stronger, her moans louder like she was riding on a high.

He released her hair, so she reluctantly withdrew her fangs with a last greedy one last lick that made him moan. Catching his breath, he let his hand drop to the bed.

She was still blood drunk, riding high even as the moment ticked by, no word was exchanged. After a few minutes, he lifts his gaze back up to meet her gaze, resentment clouds his eyes. His irises had turned red. Darkened with coldness and resentment directed at her.

It's like flying really high in the air until you suddenly crash. She'd crashed painfully.

"Who are you?" He said in a hoarse voice. She push off the bed ready to trace to safety but he was much faster than her wrapping his finger around her neck, she felt his hold tighten around her neck lifting her off the ground. She cried out as he pushed her against the wall, She felt tears prick the corners of her eyes from the impact and the tightness of his grip.

She thrashed against his hold."Let me go." Her head shot forward, her forehead connecting with his. The impact was strong enough to make him loose his grip. Taking the opening she traces to the other side of the room, a safe distance from his assault.

"Is this a plan to destroy me and my kingdom?" He bawled.

Manya's face was paper-white, and her body trembles as pink tears spilled over.

He bit out a curse, brush his hands over his face."Tell me who sent you?"

"No one sent me." Her voice was strained. She fall to her knees, wrapped her hands around her body."I swear I. . . I wasn't sent here, if I was I won't have tried running away." The voices were creeping to the front of her mind, suffocating her. She felt pathetic, she had these unfamiliar emotions, and no experience with them. No outlet.

He straightened, then turn towards the door. The door slammed angrily against the wall behind him.

She didn't understand why she was crying, she couldn't even remember the last time she cried for anything or anyone. But no matter how she willed herself to stop she couldn't.

She faced the fact that nothing could be hers, he couldn't be hers and she'd accepted it. No expectations.

They had different personalities, different wounds, and different principles and they met with their differences. So it was only natural things ended this way.

She had been crushed painfully so she needs a familiar ground for safety, someone who understood how crazy the voices could make her. Mitzi. She didn't know where Mitzi was kept but after asking questions frantically she got the information she wanted.

After confirming she was at the right door she walked into the darkroom. She crossed towards her sleeping future on the bed."Mitzi." she whispered, Mitzi's eyes flick open. Confusion was clear in her eyes and then slowly changes into worry.

"Mitzi, I did something I shouldn't have." Mitzi's lifts her hands, and pulled the hoodie and beanie off Manya's head."Mitzi I'm so sorry, I swear I didn't mean to do it. I swear." New fresh pink tears roll down her eyes.

Mitzi pulls her hand away, seeing her discomfort Manya assisted her into a seating position"What have you done Manya?" She signed.

Manya run her hand over her face tiredly, She rose to her feet."The king now knows I'm a vampire because I fed directly from his vein." I'm embarrassed. . . By myself.

"Mitzi, What do I do? He was so furious, I thought he would kill me right there and then. " She lifts her fingers to run through her hair but remembering she still had the wig on she pulled it off and then threw it to the ground.

What is wrong with me? Why do I feel so hurt by his words, why do I even care about him not wanting me anymore? Why do I feel so guilty, I should feel nothing but contentment because finally I had gotten him to hate me but knowing he hates me now hurts so bad.

"Mitzi, where is your bag?" She points towards the door on the opposite side of her bed.

Manya walks back into the room with Mitzi's bag." I will help you into your wheelchair." She informs, wrapping her hand around her shoulders and under her legs she lifts her.

"What are you doing?" She forced out as Mitzi squirmed urging Manya to place her back on the bed She placed her back as requested."Get it together! Can't you see what I'm trying to do for the both of us?" She snaps agitated. Leaving was the perfect solution, the only defense she had at the moment. And she would make sure he never finds them but that's only if he would come for her because after today she doubts that he still believes that they were mates.

She moves her fingers angrily over her forehead."We are leaving and that's final." She drags her fingers through her hair repeatedly."I'm tracing us out of this country to somewhere safe and don't worry about the fees or location I got it all covered." Once again Manya tried to lift her and this time Mitzi allowed it.

Manya placed her in the wheelchair, and before she could move away Mitzi wrap her fingers around her wrist. Taking Mitzi hand in hers she squats in front of her."I have decided that we are leaving, no going back. He loathes me. This no different from the other situation we've been caught in and most importantly he is no different from everyone else, mate or not." She says low and gentle.

Manya taught she had won when Mitzi nods in understanding. Mitzi pulls her hand away." it's already too late to leave"

"No, it's not, we can still leave." Manya taught Mitzi was worried because of how late in the night it was, but Mitzi meant something else.

"It's not over between you two because a lycan never harms its mate."

"I told you that, I was the one who explained to you everything you know about a lycan so don't act like you know about their primitive behavior." Manya rose to her feet."We are not mates and he just discovered that today, when he returns tomorrow he would cast all the blame on me. He would make me suffer for something I know nothing about."

Mitzi takes Manya's hands in hers, squeezing lightly, and then lets it drop to her side."I have a good feeling about this. You would see this too if only you look past your fears."

Silence.

"I'm on your side, so live however you want to. Don't let your past affect your future."

Manya shakes her head refusing to believe Mitzi's words. Her tears kept spilling. Pink tears." No.No.No" Manya turns away, Mitzi's words drowned all form of hope she felt about leaving.

"Why are you doing this to me?" She didn't want this, everything was too overwhelming. He was a storm that destroyed everything she built for so long." Why can't I put all this behind me, make it my past?"

She moves back, creating a wide gap between them, she lets out a short gasping breath as she slumps her back against the wall. She beats her shoulders whimpering."This is all your fault, you should've listened when I said we should leave a long time ago." She kept beating her shoulder and hitting her head against the wall repeatedly. The voices were taking over her sanity making her hear and feel things that aren't real.

These unfamiliar emotions, and no experience with them. No outlet.

PAIN MEANS To hurt, to put bodily uneasiness or anguish, to afflict with uneasy sensations of any degree of intensity, to torment, to torture.

What she felt wasn't pain, she wasn't hurt. She just felt tired both emotionally and physically, she also felt annoyed and irritated.

Mitzi believes that the life in front of her is far more important than the life behind her. But when you don't know how venomous the wounds are, how then can you heal? Past wounds her nasty. You think you're better now but even time isn't enough to heal those wounds. Her wounds her still infected and she is too much of a coward to see how deep her memories of those wounds are.

She wished she could be bold enough to move beyond her past but she just can't.

She listens silently to the heartbeat of Mitzi, while Mitzi's hands run soothingly over her back."I need to leave." It was morning already, a start of a new day.

She rose to her feet and got dressed in her yesterday's clothes."You are right I can't keep running away from my problems hoping they would disappear I need to face my problems so I am going to him." she leans down, plants a long tender kiss on Mitzi's forehead. "I'll be back." She can't escape but she could endure. Endurance was her only copying mechanism at the moment.

The plan was to meet him at his office and confront him about last night but King Kazimir had other plans against her.

She adjust her eyes to the darkness of the room as she was led down the stairs and then a corner down a hallway."What is this place?" She asked staying closely behind the guards feeling a sudden urge to run far away from the strange place. But there was no escaping from this.

One minute she was approaching his office and the next minute she was ambushed and brought here.

"Keep shut." He growls digging his claws into her arm making her groan in pain. As he kept pushing her forward the scent of sliver became more prominent in the air making her fully alert.

Slivers and werewolves don't work together since it causes great harm to their wolves and is just as harmful to a lycan but not as severe as it's for werewolves.

Being shoved into a dark room brought her back to the present, She twirl around finding a flashlight turned on by the sentry, he close the distance between them, and she noticed his hands are now covered in gloves."Get in." He orders pushing the silver door open.

"Why? Are you going to lock me in that dark room alone?" She lifts a brow while losing the bind on her hands.

"Yes. So get in, don't make it difficult for yourself." He says with a narrow stare watching her closely.

She scoffs, she slowly steps away from him." you must be stupid if you think I would go into that room."

"You think you can walk out of here alive even though you leave here alive you can't escape the warriors outside," He says flatly, bored by her tactics.

"Well, I wasn't planning on walking out." She said with a smirk letting the rope fall to the ground.

"Mitzi." She stops."If you want her safe you will do as told." She wanted to watch him fall dead in front of her but knowing Mitzi would be hurt, she stops the thought.

She couldn't fight as they brought her here because they threatened Mitzi's life.

She wail in pain feeling a sudden hit to her thigh, it made her fall to the ground on her knees." I don't have time for these silly games." He chest vibrates squatting in front of her, pinning his cold eyes on her. She cried out loud as he gripped the knife stabbed into her thigh digging it deeper, he pulls it out forcefully which made her wail in pain once again."You mongrel." She cursed between clutch teeth.

He stands on his feet."Stand." He orders. She pulls herself on her feet."Move." He orders again but instead of obeying his orders, she moves her hand to jab him hard on his chest." Don't even think about it or I won't haste in cutting your head clean off your shoulders." He warns shoveling her into the dark room." make yourselves comfortable at that corner and don't you try making a move."

He cuffs her left wrist with silver chains, pulls the chain of the cuff, and then hooks it against the wall."No. I won't let you chain me like a dog." She spats keeping her right hand behind her back. Being stronger than her he tugs her right hand almost pulling it off its socket. He does the same to her right hand.

She yells yanking at the chains hooked to the wall, as he locks the heavy silver bar door. Without a word, he leaves her alone in the dark.

"What am I to do now? " She believed he wouldn't harm her because she was his mate but being different from him changed everything. Her past wasn't clear and her future was filled with pain and hurt.

"It's raining in my heart

Like it's raining in the city.

What is this sadness

That Pierces my heart?"

_Sonya Sones.