Chapter 10
Chapter
Ten
The festival was a time of unity and harmony, where all werewolves came together as a community. Dad had told me his father and the father of his father used to celebrate the full moon every month in the past, but a lot had changed since then.
The kingdom had almost forgotten the ancient tradition as the vampire Queen committed unforgiving crimes that went unpunished. Not only was it unsafe for the kingdom’s people to relax, but they also didn’t feel like celebrating.
The celebration happened two days after the Alphas’ meeting, when the full moon was the brightest and most radiant.
As soon as the word spread about the King’s approval for this year’s festival, the kingdom’s people hurried to the nearest human town to stock up on copious amounts of alcohol and food for the barbecue.
The festivities began at dusk, as the sun set and the moon began to rise.
Earlier, I helped Mom decorate the backyard of the royal manor with hanging lights and lanterns. After giving me not-so-secret glances, Mom told me she was always available to talk. I didn’t feel like talking.
Hence, I sat under a tree watching the celebrations from a distance.
Mom also said that since my return to the kingdom, the people felt optimistic about their future.
They believed the future werewolf Queen would bring peace and protection to the kingdom.
After the involuntary scoff escaped my mouth, Mom shot me a sharp look, so I remained quiet while we worked on the decorations.
I didn’t want to burst the happy bubble everyone here lived in.
Leaning my back against the rough bark, I watched a group of werewolves gathered to offer moonlit prayers at the stone altars.
They expressed their hopes, dreams, and gratitude to the moon with flickering candles and flowers.
The kingdom believed that the moon listened intently and granted blessings to those who spoke from their hearts.
But if that were true, why was I sitting on the cold ground, and why did it feel like the Fates didn’t listen to me?
Perhaps it was best to stay away from people, not to taint them with my darkness. The heartache consumed me as the truth that Torin was a killer and my fated mate pierced through my chest like a hundred silver daggers.
Torin had made sure that my world shattered into a million fractured pieces. The weight of the truth that Torin would have never been able to fully mate with me pressed down upon my chest, threatening to suffocate me.
The Fates wanted to laugh at me. Was that it? How could they destine me with the one who’d committed such an act? But at least I was given the truth, the answers I so desperately sought.
My first instinct was denial—a desperate attempt to shield myself from the excruciating pain that threatened to overtake me. But then I realized there wasn’t even a spark of hope left that there must have been some mistake.
Anger surged within me, fueled by the betrayal that cut deeper than any wound. How could he say he loved me while harboring such darkness within his soul?
If I were to let out a scream, the chatter and laughter from the manor would muffle it. I pressed my lips together and looked at the silver moon through the branches of the tree crown.
A strange buzz of electricity drew my attention, and when a zap of energy prickled at my skin, I looked at my forearm. The bracelet had turned the same bronze and dark-brown hue. After the meeting two days ago, the golden material had returned to its shiny glimmer, but now it had changed again.
My thoughts must have made my magic flicker and crack with dark energy that mirrored my torment, and a profound sadness settled within me, beneath the anger.
A mournful ache echoed in the depths of my being, and a sense of loss engulfed me—not just for my uncle but also for the dream I held so dear—the hope of a future entwined with my fated mate with family and kids.
It was never going to happen because it wasn’t in my stars.
My heart felt ripped apart, leaving me unable to feel anything anymore. I was faced with an impossible choice. Regardless of what anyone else wanted me to do or be, I had to take a path I carved for myself.
My gaze fell on the dark shades of my bracelet, shifting with the change in my heart. My once radiant magic now mingled with dark energy—the manifestation of my heartache. My hands trembled with an eerie power, and I straightened my back against the rough bark.
I’d been scared when I first saw the dark magic in the boardroom. I hoped no one else did or I would be banished, even if I was the King’s daughter. But maybe the dark magic was my ticket out of the throne.
Terror gripped me as my soul grappled with the implications of this newfound dark power. My hands flew to the side of my head, and I tightened my grip, wanting to squeeze the negative thoughts out of there if possible. I shook my head. This wasn’t me.
How could I even think that? People needed me and placed their hopes for a peaceful future in me.
Dropping my hands to my lap, I gazed toward the cheery crowd in the distance, but my mind couldn’t stop the over-flooding questions.
Were Torin’s secrets the trigger for the manifestation of darkness? Or was darkness always a part of my identity? How could I ask Dad if my mother had dark magic without raising suspicion?
Doubts consumed my thoughts as I struggled to reconcile the person I thought I was with the potential monster that lurked beneath the surface.
I could only hope to resist the change, but what scared me the most was that I was turning into someone like Cordelia. The fear of losing myself weighed heavily on my heart.
The more I thought about Torin, the darker the bracelet shades became. Should I turn my back on my fated mate and move on with my life? Or should I find the strength to confront him? To seek him out, perhaps even find redemption within the darkness that had tainted our connection?
Hayden appeared in my sight, strolling toward me. Concern etched deep lines on his face as he approached me, and determination to understand my pain flashed behind his eyes. My hand twitched and covered my bracelet. Sighing, I let my hands drop to my sides.
The approaching figure of my chosen mate captured my gaze, and my body responded instinctively to the undeniable pull of the bond. This invisible force drew me toward him with an electric intensity that I couldn’t resist, but I would try.
A wave of yearning stirred within me, yet my heart longed for someone else.
I couldn’t deny the allure Hayden possessed, and how his presence tightened my core. But with every step he took, my mind drifted to the one who kept my heart captive.
No, Torin isn’t healthy for me.
As our eyes met, I saw the adoration reflected in Hayden’s gaze.
“You are strong, sweetheart,” he said when he stood before me, his voice gentle yet firm. “Not in the physical way supernaturals show off their strength, but in your spirit. That’s where true strength is found.”
This man knew to say the right words when I needed them the most.
“It doesn’t matter. I was never meant to have a choice in the matter of mates, my destiny, or who I wanted to be.”
Torin took away that choice from me by leaving and betraying me.
“How am I supposed to lead a war I can never win? And how am I supposed to defeat the dark witch who even Torin couldn’t kill?”
Hayden crouched in front of me, and now our heads were inches apart, our breaths mixed.
“I’ll help you win the war and defeat the dark witch. You can rely on me, sweetheart.”
If he wanted me to rely on him more, he needed to tell me how he became my chosen mate.
Hayden leaned in, resting his forehead on mine. Breathing in my scent, he hummed, and a strangled moan escaped his lips.
“Mmm…you do smell like flowers,” he mumbled.
Hayden’s citrusy, masculine scent invaded my nose on my next breath, igniting wild heat in me. His lips brushed the skin on my temples and down my cheek, causing my pulse to race.
He pulled his head away from mine. “Can I kiss you, sweetheart?”
Ignoring my body’s simmering desires, I stared at the man. Now he was asking for permission?
“How did you bond yourself to me, Hayden?”
Hayden sighed but not in an annoyed way. “I first saw you when I was a teenager. With your little hands, you wrapped bandages and rubbed ointment over my body. Your soft fingers ran over my sore bruises, and with every touch, I felt more like myself, regaining my strength.”
He chuckled at some internal thought. He must have recalled the memory of the time I found him beaten up in the forest.
“Your brown eyes were filled with broken innocence, reflecting the same one in my eyes. But your eyes also spoke of hidden wisdom and strength as if you had lived through hardship. So I connected with you at that very moment. Then my loyalty grew to become more…”
I did meet the beaten-up boy after Uncle Derek died. Hayden moved to my side, sitting next to me. While my legs extended in front of me, he bent his and rested his forearms on his knees. He dropped his head and continued talking.
“I decided to wait for you to grow up. You made me feel invincible. At that time, I wouldn’t say it was love I felt, but it was the beginning of something that gave me strength to go on.
I needed time to prepare for my return to you, and when I saw you when you were older, you were breathtakingly beautiful. ”
Hayden turned to me, his gaze soft on my face like a caress, and he gave me his charming smile.
“I couldn’t be happier when your father made me your bodyguard.
You have that silent strength that appears when you call on it, although sometimes you underestimate yourself.
You were the delicate daisy growing among the rough, thorny bushes in the supernatural world, making you resilient. ”
I sucked in a sharp breath. Hayden harbored feelings for me, but I thought they had deepened because of our bond.