Death's Serenity (Sequel to Luna's Revenge)

Angst

"So, this is how the mortals live?" Adrian asked as he looked around the furnished apartment they were now standing in.

Valerio nodded his head, watching his expressions to ensure that he was alright. "Yes, and this is where we will stay until we can find out what the hell happened in Escalara, who killed my dad, and what happened to Lia." He rambled on, trying to distract his mind from the things he felt for his mate standing beside him.

The thing about werewolf mate bonds was that the longer he ignored it, the more prominent the desire grew and at this point, all he could think about was taking Adrian's luscious lips in between his own or running his hands through his brunet curls or even just to hold him close to himself. He didn't wish to think of all these things but the pull was irresistible.

And he knew that Adrian felt the same way, in a more subtle manner but he has been mostly confused about all of it than anything else. Valerio had caught Adrian staring at him for a moment or two longer and he would pretend to not notice it but sometimes he would deliberately make it known that he knew, just to see the boy's face become flustered.

It was cute in Valerio's opinion.

A few days ago, when he had woken up wrapped in Adrian's embrace from behind with their legs tangled up together while Adrian slept holding onto him for his dear life, Valerio could never forget that morning.

From that day on, he yearned to feel that way again because wrapped in Adrian's arms, he felt nothing if not safe and fulfilled.

He wished he could tell Adrian the truth, but he didn't know if he could handle rejection from his mate.

While Valerio was staring at the wooden floor, Adrian took his time exploring the apartment they were in.

He was standing in a big hall with modern ceiling lights bright above them, the entire place was in browns and toned down beige hues. There was a round dining table to his right, and an open kitchen in front of it, and there was a plush seating area with sofas and lounges to his left. In front of him, there was a small hallway with two rooms on both sides and a single mahogany door at the end of the hallway, which Adrian guessed was the guest bathroom.

In his opinion, it was nothing like the rooms that Valerio was used to living in but Adrian was satisfied with what he saw.

The apartment was in a small town, somewhere in Virginia and coming into the mortal sides of the world was an eye-opener for both the men that the humans still leaved a comparatively simpler and less complicated lives while they fought and killed and ruled in their hidden cities, sewn into the fabric of time and space.

Once Adrian had taken a tour of the two rooms, he came back to stand in front of Valerio with a large grin on his lips, "I like it!" He exclaimed, bringing Valerio out of his thoughts as he blinked and was rewarded with the beautiful sight of his mate's smile.

That had his heart racing once again and his eyes involuntarily dropped to Adrian's lips once again before he looked away in embarrassment, hoping that Adrian hadn't caught the movement from that distance.

But he had and the look on Valerio's face had caused a shiver to run down Adrian's spine but he didn't say anything about it.

That was when Valerio cleared his throat and nodded his head with a half smile, "I'm glad that you do." He stated, "that one is my room, you can stay in the other room. It already has a bathroom attached and I am certain that you'll find hot water if you need to freshen up." He explained, trying his hardest to keep himself from pouncing on Adrian like a hungry dog. It was becoming more and more difficult for him to even share the same space as him.

And then, before Adrian could say anything, Valerio rushed past him and to his room before shutting the door after him, leaving Adrian confused and alone in the living room.

♚♚♚

It had been hours before Valerio finally came out of his room, having refocused his thoughts once again, when he saw Adrian curled up under a comforter on the sofa. On the table, were a few wrappers of what looked like energy bars and Valerio cussed himself under his breath, realizing that in the midst of his raging thoughts about the mate bond, he hadn't even noticed that Adrian must have been hungry when they had entered the apartment.

Smacking his palm on his forehead, Valerio instantly scribbled a small note for Adrian and placed it on the coffee table before rushing back inside his room to grab a knee length overcoat before he ran out of the apartment to get groceries.

It didn't take him as long as he had expected, all the while he kept his head low and kept the interactions with the mortals to the minimum, knowing that there could be werewolf hunters in his midst and he had no intention of getting caught by them.

Adrian was still sleeping when Valerio returned with a bag full of groceries which would last them a few days and before long, the fallen Alpha was already preparing a dinner for himself and his mate, same as he had done in the last few weeks.

Adrian had always offered to help but Valerio liked to be the one doing the cooking, considering that he loved seeing the look on his mate's face when he would cook something for him and secondly, cooking was a distraction for him.

It soothed his mind from all the things that were wrong at the moment, and things that could become worse at any point. Cooking had always been his way of easing all of the storms brewing in his mind and the taste of his food usually determined the mood that he was in.

He was pouring out the curry into two dishes when a small mewl escaped Adrian's lips, gaining Valerio's attention as he turned his head to admire his sleeping mate. Valerio saw the way his plump lips were pulled in a small pout as he scrunched up into himself, holding the comforter tighter. His brown curls were playfully caressing his forehead and Valerio found the sight tugging the strings of his heart.

Almost as if feeling his gaze on himself, Adrian's eyes fluttered open and he saw Valerio standind behind the kitchen island, all the way to the other side of the room.

He gave him a boyish grin, making Valerio's heart quicken in his chest as he saw the sparkle in his charming brown eyes.

"What are you cooking today?" Adrian asked, his voice came out raspier than usual as he sat up, rubbing his head slightly and Valerio couldn't do anything but stare.

He didn't even feel his lips moving when he gave Adrian an answer for his question, all he knew was that no matter how much he tried to stay away from him, the more intensely he felt himself being attracted to him.

It wasn't until Adrian stood up and made his way to the opposite side of the counter and sat down, that Valerio finally blinked.

"Those protein bar things were exceptionally dry." Adrian commented, scrunching up his nose in disgust.

Valerio looked away, nodding, "that's because they were very old, boyo." He answered making Adrian's eyebrows rise in realization. Valerio slid the plate laid out with food in front of Adrian then, "I'm sorry that I disappeared earlier, I should have thought of you first. But here, I hope this will make up for it." He said awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck.

Adrian waved his hand in dismissal, his eyes trained on the food in front of him, "I get it, we have been on the run for a long time, you are bound to need some space from me." He said with a shrug, raising the spoon to take the first bite.

Valerio almost snapped at him about how space was the last thing he need from him, his mate. But he controlled himself and chuckled awkwardly before he proceeded to lay out a dish for himself as well.

Adrian was eating in silence, knowing that Valerio's eyes would occasionally glance up towards his face. He didn't know what it was between him and the fallen Alpha, but he was extremely sure that he had never felt something so pure and raw.

And just as Valerio was going to take his first bite, he made the mistake of looking up at Adrian to find a drop of curry escaping his spoon and dribbling onto his lip and to prevent it from staining his chin, Adrian ran his tongue along his lip, not knowing the effect that simple act was having on Valerio.

Images of him grabbing Adrian by his neck and kissong his lips appeared in Valerio's mind as a small groan escaped his lips, unable to get rid of those thoughts.

Adrian looked up and saw Valerio looking at him intently, with an animalistic rage in his eyes and he furrowed his brows, "is everything...okay?" He asked cautiously.

However, Valerio was in no shape to be able to reply clearly, and so, he did something he would later regret.

Without speaking, he left his plate of food on the counter, stood up and walked back to his own room, slamming the door shut once again.

This time, the action made Adrian flinch.

♚♚♚

It was almost midnight and Adrian was still nowhere close to being able to sleep. All he could think about was Valerio's actions and the probable causes behind them. He couldn't help but think that somehow, he was responsible for causing Valerio discomfort and maybe that was the reason why he had been so distant lately.

Adrian didn't know why but he couldn't bare to see Valerio in an upset state. His eyes travelled to the plate of food that had grown cold by now, but still, Adrian had covered it with another plate for when Valerio would want to return to the living room again.

The sound of a door opening resounded through the apartment as Adrian instantly looked up and found Valerio trying to step out of his room without making much sound.

And just as the Alpha began to tip-toe towards the kitchen, he crossed the seating area and sucked in a shaky breath when he saw Adrian sitting there.

"Good gods!" He breathed, placing his hand on his chest, "you scared me for a moment. Why aren't you sleeping?" He asked incredulously, waving his hands in front of him before stuffing them into his front pockets to not seem too awkward.

Adrian raised his eyebrow, "did you expect me to be? That's why you came out just now, right? So you wouldn't have to see me?" He asked sharply.

At that, Valerio could only purse his lips together and stand there for a moment before he tried to make an excuse but then, Adrian stood up.

"Look, you don't have to put up with me just because I'm Ophelia's friend. If things are getting difficult for you then I really don't want to be an inconvenience. I would rather be on the run alone than trouble you with my presence. I understand that—"

"Will you just shut up?" Valerio snapped, interrupting Adrian and instantly regretted it because he saw a flash of hurt pass through his mate's eyes. Valerio sighed. He hated being rude to him but he couldn't let him ramble on and on about how he thought of himself as an inconvenience. That was the last thing that Adrian was to Valerio. So, with a calm breath, he said, "you're not troubling me, Adrian. Please believe me." He spoke truthfully.

Adrian looked at him with conflicted eyes, the flash of hurt still evident in his orbs as he fidgeted nervously with his fingers. Valerio hated seeing him in that state. "It feels that way, Valerio." He spoke in a meek voice. And then he looked up, "look, I can get by on my own and maybe meet you again when Ophelia is back. There is really no reason for you to look after me." He said heavily.

Valerio could see just how difficult this situation was being on Adrian. Especially considering that he didn't even understand the pain he was feeling since he didn't know about their bond yet.

He couldn't continue things this way.

Seeing the glassy appearance of Adrian's eyes, Valerio made a decision— one that he might regret, but he was ready to live with the consequences if that meant that he could provide some comfort to Adrian.

He took in a deep breath and crossed the distance between himself and his mate. Adrian searched his face for a moment before Valerio reached out to take his hand in his own.

"Ophelia is not the reason that I'm with you." Valerio whispered in a husky voice, looking down at the floor.

Adrian's heart was already racing at their proximity and their joined hands, but gathering courage, he asked, "then?"

Valerio then met his eyes with his raven orbs and sighed helplessly.

"It's because you're my mate and I cannot live without you."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello, lovelies!! I hope that you liked this chapter. I thought that between Val and Ian and Ezra and O, at least one couple could find out about their mate bond.

Comment!! And pleaseee vote for Luna's Revenge so that it may be promoted!!!

With Love, Devu.