Chapter 25 Under the stars
Hazel
I toss and turn for an hour before finally giving up on sleep.
It’s a struggle to get out of Dean’s deathly grip on me. For some reason, he can only fall asleep with his arms and legs wrapped around me like a spider monkey.
This is what I get for slipping out of bed once. Now my mate holds me hostage every night. Ever since he found me bleeding in the waterfall, he refuses to go to sleep before me like I’ll disappear if he closes his eyes.
I told him I only did it because of the full moon, but it didn’t change anything. His overprotective streak has dug its claws in, and I don’t see it letting go anytime soon.
It’s… kind of cute. But I’d never admit that out loud.
One night, after finishing my rounds, I found him sitting on my bed, head bowed as he dozed off. He startled awake the second I crawled into bed beside him, then dragged me into his chest before falling asleep.
Dean was careful not to unload his worry on me, but I could see the way he held on too tight, the way he never fully relaxed. He was checking on me a thousand times throughout the day, but even that wasn’t helping either of us.
So I started rushing through my rounds and coming back to bed sooner instead of wandering the kingdom all night.
Even when I ask him to sleep beside me every night and let him wrap himself around me, I can still hear his heartbeat racing. Like he’s waiting for me to push him away. Like he doesn’t trust this to last.
Since sleep isn’t an option anymore, I slip out of my room—our room now, I guess.
Dean thinks I haven’t noticed, but I know he’s been sneaking his things in, hiding them under my bed or in my closet like I won’t realize he’s slowly moving in.
I feel a little guilty leaving without telling him, but it’s not like I’m going anywhere dangerous. I just need a little fresh air to clear my head.
With nothing else to do, I make another round of the kingdom, ignoring the night shift warriors when they tell me to go back and rest.
I know I’m crossing more than a few boundaries, checking inside of every castle instead of just the grounds. But I’d rather be overbearing than incompetent if something happens to the people I care about.
I’ve just finished clearing inside the Horsemen castle when a loud crash echoes from the kitchen. My heart jumps straight into my throat before I can think.
I don’t hesitate. I take off running toward the sound.
When I step into the kitchen, August’s head snaps up, eyes wide like he’s been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
The second he sees it’s just me, his shoulders relax.
Of course, it’s him. If anything breaks around here, it’s either this little menace or his mother.
He grimaces when I glance at the broken dish on the floor, pressing his hands to his cheeks like he can’t believe he dropped it.
“You’re only in trouble if you get caught.” I crouch down, gathering the broken pieces and tossing them into the bin.
I know it’s probably the wrong lesson, and I wouldn’t do this with any other kid. But August isn’t like other kids his age.
He worries too much. Always bracing for consequences the second something goes wrong.
Being around Nevaeh has surely helped him loosen up and act his age, but he still needs to learn that making mistakes isn’t the end of the world. Sometimes they can even be fun.
“If anyone asks, your grandpa did it.” I wink.
“But he didn’t.” August’s frowns.
“Yes, he did.”
“I did it.” The little werewolf points to himself.
“Nope. Dean broke the dish.”
Finally, he gets the hint, and a slow smile tugs at the corner of his lips.
August tries to wink and ends up blinking both eyes instead. So damn cute.
“Hazy, he broke mama’s green mug.”
That’s when I noticed the broken handle clutched in his hand.
Oh boy. I think I created a monster.
I ruffle his hair. “Go back to bed, troublemaker."
“Okay. Goodnight, grandma!”
Excuse me?
“You little—” He dodges me, giggling as he sprints up the stairs to his room.
Lucifer, help us all. There’s way too much of Nevaeh in that boy.
I step out of the castle, nodding at the warriors on guard.
I walk aimlessly, but nothing helps until I reach my training field.
The only place where I can let my guard down and let everything slide off my shoulders.
I pat my favorite tree in the far corner of the field before sinking beneath it and stretching to lie down on the ground.
In the morning, this tree gives me shade when I’m exhausted and sweating. But at night, under the shadows of its thick branches and the soft rustle of leaves, I find a peaceful place to lay my worries to rest.
The cool grass beneath me cuts through the noise in my head.
I don’t know when it started, but after the first night Tiberius invaded my dreams, I ended up here.
The open space, the silence… it gave me somewhere to unravel before piecing myself back together.
Every time it feels like I’m going to suffocate, I come here and stare up at the sky full of twinkling stars. They remind me how I’m just a tiny part of the universe. And the fear inside me isn’t as consuming as it feels in the moment.
I feel stupid for ever hating the world above water.
Maybe I would’ve run sooner if someone had told me this is where freedom lived… not in the deep, soulless water.
When I first arrived in the human realm, I had no idea how different life would be. I didn’t have anyone to introduce me to this new world or teach me their way of life.
It was just me in a world that didn’t care if I survived it.
I barely knew anything about my own kind. I only knew what I could feel or what Tiberius allowed me to hear.
He never wanted me to understand my power because, to him, I was never meant to use it. I was just a body to him, kept alive only to breed the next generation of soldiers for him.
The first time anyone showed me kindness was a human handing me a few crumpled notes, feeling sorry for my state.
I didn’t need the money. Sure, I didn’t have a roof over my head, but I could fend for myself just fine. The thought of being trapped inside four walls again… that terrified me more than the streets could.
That’s why I can’t fully agree with Dean’s hatred for humans.
They are complicated. Capable of kindness and cruelty in equal measure.
For fourteen years, Tiberius reminded me every day that my beauty was a gift meant to be used by him. No one cared what I thought or what I wanted. They only took… until there was nothing left to take.
Tiberius tried to break me, but he failed.
Every time I was pushed down, a part of my soul broke, but I never stayed there. Even with my face pressed to the ground, the sky falling on me… I only fought harder.
Sometimes I wonder what would’ve happened if I had just stayed down.
But then I look around me, surrounded by people who love me, a place I can call home, and I’m glad I didn’t stop fighting.
Footsteps pull me out of my thoughts.
I don’t need to look to know who it is.
Dean’s face comes into view as he looks down at me sprawled on the ground.
“Hazel, we’ve talked about this. Stop sneaking out of bed. I’m too young to die of a heart attack because my mate disappears in the middle of the night.”
“But you always find me.”
And some part of me counts on it.
He shakes his head with a smile before dropping down beside me on the grass.
“What were you thinking about?”
“The day Anxo found me.” I turn on my side, propping my head on my hand. “You know, I tried to kill him.”
“Of course you did.” Dean laughs. I love the sound. It’s deep and a little growly in a way that settles inside me, burrowing into my soul.
That was the first time I felt the full force of Anxo’s most powerful gift: His ability to seamlessly diffuse a stressful situation.
I still don’t understand how he convinced me to follow him through a fucking portal into another realm. But I’m glad he did. Once I got here, I never wanted to look back.
“I was hiding because I’d heard stories that you’re supposed to run the other way when you see Horsemen of the Apocalypse.”
“Who’s spreading these lies? I’m friendly as fuck.”
I laugh at his outrage because he’s not wrong.
Things would’ve been different if he had found me instead of Anxo.
But I’m also glad Fates waited. I wasn’t ready for him back then… and he wasn’t ready for me.
I was too jaded back then, and he was drowning in guilt for failing to protect Nevaeh. We would’ve destroyed something that was meant to save us.
“I’m glad he convinced me to come here.”
Dean takes my hand, threading our fingers together. “Me too.”
Anxo says his Divine dragged him through that alley until he found me. He always said it compelled him to help… and now I know why.
The bond between Dean and me was already there, the strings wrapped around me like invisible threads. Anxo’s Divine saw it. It knew I belonged here. I was meant to find Dean.
I tug his hand until he turns to face me.
I still can’t get used to how easily my guard falls around him. Now I don’t even think before saying whatever is on my mind.
“You know, in some cultures, people believe that sirens are born from women who were thrown overboard into the sea when they were no longer useful to the crew. Their legs were tied to stones so they’d sink.
When the ocean goddess saw innocent women being killed, she was so outraged that she gave them the power to avenge themselves. ”
“I love that theory. It’s badass. Just like you.” His grin is wide, unbothered by the darkness of the story. He only sees strength where others would see pain.
“I always found it inspiring. The whole universe, the ocean, the gods, and even the Fates helped them make things right. Someone was finally on their side.”
“I can be that for you,” Dean says softly. “If you want revenge, I’ll be your universe, your fate, your weapon. Just say the word, and I’ll have them on their knees before you.”
The thought of facing my past scars me, but I believe him.
Dean’s eyes soften as he looks at me. A warmth settles in my chest at the way he smiles at me. I love it when he looks at me like that.
Like he can’t believe I’m here.
Like I matter.
Like his life wouldn’t be complete without me.