The Longing

Chapter 50

What?

He has a daughter?

Well, to be fair, I only talked to him once and he told me a story about the King and never about him.

But, why does he look so hurt when he said I smell like his daughter? Are they on bad terms?

"I didn't know you had a daughter."

"Now you do." He sneers, stepping closer.

Shit, I can see the anger and frustration in his eyes. His steps are calculated, not too slow, not too fast. It's like a predator, confident on who it is hunting because of how calm it is.

"Lennox-" I didn't get a chance to finish as Titus steps in front of me, hiding me behind his huge back. Titus growls, shaking the whole stadium.

Everyone cowered in fear, even the rogues.

"Back. Off."

"Oh fuck, it's a show down. I love when men, men." Kris whistles lowly on my ear.

Titus grips my arm, pulling me closer to his back. I stumbled because of how hard he pulled me, couldn't stop my face from smacking into him.

I groaned, glaring at the back of his head.

"Lennox and I need to talk. You back off." He shooks his head and still holds me tight.

Kris tried pulling my other arm but to no avail. Titus is too strong.

"Step aside, pup. Should you deny me, I will shatter my vow and turn my wrath upon every soul I encounter." Lennox barks, his tone full of emotion.

"I refuse. Do not touch her, nor get close to her. I will not hesitate to rip your heart out."

I smack Titus from behind, earning a grunt from him. Still, the brute ignored me.

He remained looking at Lennox, as if he's ready to pounce on him if he makes one wrong move, and taking his eyes off of him eliminates that process.

And so he waits.

Peeking from behind, Lennox doesn't move. He's throwing daggers at Titus with that look but he refuses to proceed an inch.

Huh.

"What's wrong Lennox, why are you suddenly acting like this?"

Titus surprises me by speaking. "His daughter has been long gone since her birth."

"You fool! That is not a tale for your tongue to tell."

What?

"It may not be, but she deserves to know everything about your actions. Your daughter may not be alive, but her story needs to be known."

Lennox roars, "She is alive! By my very soul, I swear it; never shall my mind entertain the folly of her passing."

"You refuse reality. Why do you think they took her from you in the first place? You think they'd want to raise a child of another when they can afford one themselves?"

"They did steal her away, driven by malice and hunger; for their hearts were black with envy, desiring the very treasure which belonged only to us."

Oh.

"What was it?" I asked, biting my bottom lip in anticipation.

"Her abilities." Titus says.

"She's a direct descendant of the goddess."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Lennox answers, "Every gift of our kind, our senses, our physical strengths. It was amplified and made manifest within her. She was, in truth, a singular favour granted by the Goddess. She was very precious to us, to me."

I can see the sadness through his eyes. He misses her so much yet he doesn't know where to look. Doesn't even know if she's still here, alive.

He just hangs on hope that she is.

Titus loosens his hold on me but it's still tight. "But then someone found out. Someone crazy enough to pull a kidnapping stunt and smart enough to get away with it."

"How?"

"Those despicable seers."

"What did they do with her?"

"They thought it was possible to extract it from her from birth. And so they took her."

"No." Lennox shook his head, dismissing what Titus said.

"They didn't think about any extractions.

They sought a bargain with the divine, yearning for a child so touched by the Goddess's favour to purchase prosperity for their own lives.

In their delusion, they dreamt that holding such a being would make every wish manifest. And so dead or alive, they would take her anyway. "

"And they succeeded."

Lennox grunts. "Because of your King."

"My King?" Titus growls. I put my hand on his shoulder as a reminder to not be an asshole.

I still haven't forgotten how this shit sliced my neck. I felt that all over my body.

The pain from the slash, my blood flowing down to the arena floor, and then nothing.

The nothing scared me the most. I wasn't able to breathe, I couldn't even think properly, my mind was so blank I forgot everything for a moment.

I should at least get in a hit or five to call it quits. Actually no, make that ten hits cause I doubt he'll feel the five.

Knowing him and his strength, it'll take an army to move him. Hell, seeing him fight, I'm having second thoughts if anything can move him at all.

It surprised me when his broad shoulders dropped, the tension leaving his body.

Lennox growls back, gaining my attention. "Indeed. He was the dark hand of fate that compelled me to forsake the side of my beloved wife and my treasured daughter."

"Your King forced my hand by challenging me to a duel. And knowing the unforgiving nature of my own pride, I did not hesitate, but seized the offer instantly."

"And it was your mistake."

"Yes, and it is my duty to bring her home to her mother. Now step aside and let me talk to the girl."

Titus pulls me impossibly closer to him, his body heat radiating in waves towards my front. He's still holding my waist with his right hand.

His other hand rests on his sword that's sheathed on his own waist, reassuring himself, or maybe Lennox, that he has the upper hand if anything were to happen.

"Keep your distance then talk." Titus commanded, his voice a low, rough growl.

Idiot, your sword can be destroyed with one swing of his hammer.

I inhaled lightly.

Lennox surprises me by agreeing. "Fine." He also inhales.

He's preparing himself for whatever it is he'll hear from me. Thinking best of it, he rather calmed himself instead of growling back.

I'm pretty sure his pride got hit. But hearing what he said, I don't think it plays a role in this conversation anymore.

The air in the arena was thick with dust and the metallic tang of cold, wet blood. The rogues and everyone else waited with anticipation.

Yet still, there are so many of the King's army and Lennox's army that is fighting. The King isn't even focused on us, but his eyes were angry toward the ongoing battle.

What's gotten into him?

I focused back on Lennox, asking the first thing that comes to mind. "You remember how your daughter smells?"

His face hardened, his jaw clenching for a brief, painful moment. "It may have been more than a decade, but a father always knows."

I swear I've heard that in a movie somewhere. That's so cool, I'm fan girling.

Goddess, save me from this one.

"Who have you been in contact with lately?" Lennox pressed, his eyes narrowed, searching for any tremor of deceit.

I gulped, calming myself down. "Well, I met Demitri's daughter, Delila. Then there was a lady there but I think she's a bit too old to be your daughter."

"Who else?" Lennox leaned forward, his knuckles white on the hilt of his hammer.

I rubbed my chin, a deliberate show of consideration. "That's all I can think of honestly."

Well, Kris and Sen were always around me, their scents would be a blanket on me right now and I met Lennox once already. He'd figure that scent out the first time we saw each other but he didn't.

Lennox groans, closing his eyes. "How is this possible?" He drops the hammer, the sound echoing in the silence of our space. His breathing ragged.

I look at him with pity. The man is probably tired searching all those years for his lost daughter. I can't imagine the pain he's going through.

"The only one who could have carried that scent should have been... no." He murmurs.

Lennox opened his eyes and looked back at me. "I would like to ask a great favour; might I invite you to my land? It is my certain belief that my cherished wife holds a key to this... complication. And you must get to know her."

I bit my lip. "Yes, I will. But before that, I really need to talk to Titus. Can I?"

Lennox nods, a small smile forming on his lips. I smile back and turn to Titus. He was already looking at me.

"Uh, can we talk? What about the fight? We need to settle this quick." Fuck, I stuttered.

He turns, fully facing me now. I am literally just chest level. Not even chin tall. I need to take some height pills cause what the fuck.

Kris approaches Lennox, leaving me and Titus alone.

Titus comes close to me to the point I can smell his scent. I automatically stop him with a palm on his chest, preventing him from suffocating me more than I already am.

"You're mine now."

My heart skipped a beat. He should really watch what he says, my panty would've dropped right there if I wasn't hangover from death itself.

I sputtered. "I refuse. I haven't won yet."

I detached my hand from his chest, suddenly feeling sweaty. Shit, I'm getting nervous.

Who wouldn't feel uneasy around Titus, the guys a walking death machine, plus his brawny muscles and huge pecks are disturbing my precious eyes.

I mentally slap myself.

"You don't have to win anymore." He grunts.

All that for nothing? I don't care if I vaguely remember what happened after I woke up, but I sure as hell remember what happened before I died and what happened inside my head.

And he's gonna tell me I can't win?

My mood suddenly turned sour. I push him angrily, remembering what he did to me and what his eyes reflected when he slashed my neck and ended my life right then and there.

"Why? It's only fair I kill you back, motherfucker."

Titus fucking smirks. He just raises the side of his mouth and I feel like I'm looking at some divine painting or something.

God, why's he so beautiful.

I coughed, clearing my throat. "Don't laugh at me. I'll make it hurt."

He snorts, shaking his head. "No more. I have decided."

"You're so unfair!" Frustatingly so, he just smiles at my outburst.

"Whatever I say, goes. Now, to celebrate."

I was fucking seething by the time we got inside the pack house. Everyone was joyful and excited about tonight.

What is there to fucking laugh about? Some of their pack mates were slaughtered when Lennox attacked.

It's a fucking good thing Lazarus retreated with his injured mates, otherwise they'd all be wiped out by Lennox's rogues.

Who the hell in their right minds would feel fucking joyful? These bitches need to be taught a lesson on morality.

I touched my neck unconsciously, the pale, now just a scar, spot reminded me of how scary and empty it was to slip from consciousness and then...nothing.

I put my hand down, refusing to think about it more. It'll only get me angry especially if the person who killed me won't stop farther away from me.

It's been like this since I woke up. He's been super clingy, he's always standing so close, he even refuses to be touched by anyone. And I can feel his heavy stare at the back of my head when I try to walk faster.

He keeps up with my pace with no sweat. I don't know what switch flipped inside his head, but I don't like it.

Don't I?

"Titus, can you move? You're suffocating me." I try pushing him away but to no avail.

Yeah, there's no space between us now. We're practically glued together.

Titus just stares, his dark eyes shining in amusement.

"What?"

"I said move."

"No."

"The fuck you mean, no? Move!"

"No."

"Titus, I swear to God-"

"No." He pulled me closer with the tug of my hand that's in his.

This infuriating son of a bitch.

I looked away and looked ahead, ignoring him all the way back. Once we reached the dining hall, we were surrounded by bright, yellow lights.

Everyone was chatting, eating or drinking. They all had smiles on their faces. The opening of the huge oak doors caught their attention, their faces turning to us. And as if they're not already noisy, they erupted into cheers. Some even got up to greet us closer.

I felt a large hand on my shoulder. I turned to it and looked at the unfamiliar man. He smiled at me and nodded. I awkwardly nodded back. So much for practicing communication. I can feel Kris' cringe beside me.

A cough in front of me caught my attention. Turning to them, I put the fakest smile I've ever worn.

I shake her outstretched hand, making sure to hold firm. "Thanks."

Titus does the same to whoever approaches him. But he wasn't smiling, he was just staring while shaking their hands and a few nods of acknowledgement.

For what seems to be forever but a few minutes in reality of shaking hands and saying thank you to everyone, we finally got to our seats.

Guess what.

It's that very special throne seat. The one where they growled at me when I attempted to plant my ass on it.

"I'm not sitting there." I blurted out of sheer panic.

I refuse to be growled at by hundreds of wolves, quite frankly, I had my fair share of vocalization for this week.

"Sit." Titus said.

"I said no."

"Kat-" I cut him off. I ain't risking my precious ears for a seat. I did what any rational woman would do in this situation.

I sat on the stairs below the chairs.

I heard Derek's manic laugh and Kris' snort.

I rolled my eyes and turned to them. Kris was holding back her laugh, her left hand covering her mouth to prevent any sound from coming out.

Derek was clutching his stomach, he was full blown laughing. He wasn't even trying to hide it.

Is that tears in his eyes?

"Sit on the damn chair." Titus barked. My eyes turned to him and I glared at him.

"No chance big man. I'd rather sit here than that thing."

"Thing?" He looks puzzled. I nodded my head.

Yes, the thing that makes your pack growl at anyone who sits on it.

I turned back but I felt his warmth before his arms. Titus wasted no effort in picking my ass up and dropping me onto the chair.

I closed my eyes in sorrow.

I'm dead, again.

While I'm at it, I should probably say goodbye to Kris and Derek, I' d miss them.

I should probably punch Titus in the throat too. Yes, I've made up my mind.

"Katie?" I heard Kris speak to my right.

"What?" That's weird, I'm not sure how she's still speaking to me.

"Why are your eyes closed?" She asked, tapping my shoulder.

"Cause I'm about to die."

My soul probably hasn't left my body yet.

A hard hit landed on my shoulder, the sting climbing up to my neck.

My eyes opened and I looked at Kris in disbelief. "The heck?"

How am I feeling her slap?

"Don't you dare joke about dying, you idiot!" She fumed. "It's not hella funny."

Oh.

Only then did I notice that there were no growls and any bloodshed happening. Only laughter and conversations floated around the room.

I finally looked at the crowd and was surprised to see them still eating and drinking.

"I might have miscalculated." I snorted.

Kris hit me one more time on the shoulder and said she'll find me something to eat. I thanked her and apologized for my behavior.

I forgot I did die today. All these people are overwhelming my senses.

They were ready to rip off my head when I tried to sit here last time. I was so confident too. Now they don't even care.

I'll definitely have my revenge soon rather than later.

The evening went by quick. I ignored Titus the whole night and talked with Lennox and Kris. Derek was drinking his soul out with his pack buddies.

Every now and then, Titus and Derek would talk in secret, making sure they'd be in corners or unoccupied rooms once Derek has stopped socializing with others.

If I had mighty hearing, I'd listen the hell out of them cause what are they so serious about?

As a woman who loves tea, I'm probably gonna listen in on their conversation later when I get the chance to.

Can't throw the opportunity of eavesdropping away.

It was a fun time. I took a few drinks and so did Lennox. He told me a lot about his past and how he lost his daughter. It was hard at first, he's gotten so angry when we asked.

As a modest person, I gave him the strongest drinks from the bar.

And so I had failed to eavesdrop on Titus and Derek. Those fuckers disappeared without a single trace.

I asked around if anyone knew where'd they went, nobody knew or they were probably threatened to not tell.

Knowing Titus, I'd say it was the latter.

"I knew I would love her the moment I learned her mother was with child." He chuckled.

"So, you were always hoping for a girl?" I quipped, taking a sip from my glass. The drink tasted sour in my mouth.

"It mattered not what she came to be. I would love her either way. She was precious to me and when I have failed to hold her..." He sighed heavily; his hands shook whilst he took his glass.

I put mine down and asked, "Tell me about it."

Lennox finally looks at me, I could see the loneliness in his eyes. He's trying so hard to come out fearless and strong but deep down he's broken and sad.

Instead of pity, I feel admiration for him, he's showing strength even though he lost something.

A real man, someone who would hold his head up even though things get in his way.

That's Lennox.

"My wife and I were seated at the dining table, making merry in celebration of our daughter. She was having the finest meal of her life. I was carrying our baby girl and I was beaming with satisfaction."

He smiled sadly. I smiled in understanding. One could see him reliving the moment of their happiness. I mean who wouldn't after what he's been through?

I took a chug. "Then the alert on my pack sounded in our home, my wife and child in panic. I set her down onto her mother's warm arms and went to see what had set off the distress."

He sighed shakily, "Lazarus, your so-called King, had invaded my land and demanded I fight him to the death."

"What happened?"

"The imbecile sent two assassins, with the help of seers—who I still hunt this day—to find my family whilst I had brawled with him, the widest grin upon my face."

"What I failed to notice were the screams of my wife, while I was slaughtering Lazarus and his men." He grips the glass tightly in his hands.

"When I came to my senses, Lazarus retreated with the rest of his pack, defeat heavy on their shoulders."

"By the time I reached them, my daughter was no longer with us and my wife was on her knees, crying out with all her might."

He breaths shakily, "It was the reason why he fought me, to corner me and remove my child from my life. I cannot erase it from my mind."

"My wife locked herself up in our chamber for a month. She refused to talk and eat. She denied to do aught outside that room, and whenever I beheld her face, my heart broke from sorrow."

"In her eyes resided the very wellspring of despair, a pitiable, almost hysterical quiver upon her mouth. She was so devastated I knew not what course to take."

"I stood a triumphant ruin. To win the world, yet forfeit the heart's single treasure—yet she was both to me. Her mother and she."

"Is that why you're so angry with him?" I cleared my throat.

"I am beyond enraged; I wish to kill him, to rend his flesh and tear out his spleen from his back. I desire to decapitate him and hang his head on our walls. I wish to remove his eyeballs and place them somewhere where they may always witness my happiness."

"I am so furious that I will tear this place to the ground, and bury him with it." He snarls, his eyes were reflecting so much anger I forgot who he was.

This is the Rogue King.

And he's willing to do anything for retribution.

If Lazarus is a madman, I'd categorize Lennox as catastrophic.

"And no sane man would do that to anyone, unless his ego has been greatly inflamed." He chuckles darkly.

"He's fucking crazy, that one." Kris nods her head. I forgot she was beside Lennox too.

She was too quiet for me to notice her.

Me? Not noticing her? Who's the most annoyingly loud between the two of us?

I'm drunk as fuck.

Lazarus with the seers is a dangerous combination. That man will do anything for his own benefit and satisfaction.

And to think I've been following his lead along with the Queen. This is making me have second thoughts about her as well.

She has been acting suspicious now that I think about it, disappearing in random times and using excuses to prepare for a ball.

Said ball isn't happening anytime soon. Their palace lacks the excitement a place has if some event was to occur.

"How do you feel after telling someone about it?" I asked carefully.

"Yes, I feel great. Like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Yes, I rather feel better." He smiles at me, clinking his glass with mine.

"Good, it's great you told me. Now I know the whole thing." I chuckled. "I forgot to ask one last question though."

"Ask."

"What did you name her?"

His smile widened. "Her mother wanted her name to be of Spanish origin, I argued it be Greek. And so we settled in between."

Having a name originated from Greek is fucking cool. I can testify. Those people were way ahead of names.

Apollo? Atlas? Hercules? Achilles? Perseus? Yep, fucking advanced in almost everything.

You won't see those names anywhere else.

"We named her Catalina."

I choked on my drink, the content of the glass spilling on my armor. I immediately grabbed a napkin and dabbed it away.

"Are you okay?" I nodded my head at Lennox, who was looking at me worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just spilled some juice on my lap." My voice shook as I answered.

Catalina.

I inhaled. My mother was inspired by that name, she translated it to English—Catherine, but she wanted it to be spelled differently but still hold the same meaning.

She came up with Caitlyn. But it was Irish and Greek origin, which she didn't mind at all because it felt right for her anyways.

But my father didn't want my name to start with the letter C, claiming that it was too 'royal' or too 'high maintenance', which we aren't.

My mother got angry because it was rather a beautiful one and that he was being ridiculous. And so after days of brainstorming and arguing, they finally came up with my name.

Katelyn.

The chatter from everyone grew as the night went by. I was still in shock when Lennox called for a waiter to get new drinks.

We changed the topic of our conversation and talked about positive things instead.

He asked about my life in the military and how many awards and medals I have.

As a woman commanding a male domain, my answers were delivered with an undeniable, self-satisfied precision that left no room for doubt.

"I have a total of eighteen medals." Smugness was evident on my voice.

"What's most valuable?"

"The Medal of Honor."

Lennox spits out his drink, his eyes widened in surprise.

"Holy shit, you have the Medal of Honor? With your age? And I'm just finding out now? How? What did you do?" Kris squealed, my ear ringing from feedback.

"That's cause you got called for an emergency even though you were on break." I rolled my eyes.

Before my ceremony started, she was already seated beside our parents and I was about to be called up front. At that moment, her phone rang out of nowhere. I still remember her running to the car like her ass was on fire, I haven't seen her run so fast.

Mom was so worried sick and Dad was just chuckling at her. It was truly a memorable time for me.

"Oh, yeah." She looked away guiltily.

And we kept talking until all of us got too drunk or was too damn tired to yap anything else. Tomorrow, it will be time for me to do what I needed to do.

Find my parents and hopefully, go home alive with them.

I'd think waking up from sleep would kill me, but I'm glad it didn't.

The chirping of the birds resonated outside, a signal that the sun is up.

Happy the curtains were closed so I wouldn't be flash banged first thing in the morning, I got up and took a nice cold shower to wash off last night's residue.

I went out of the bathroom, got dressed, and made sure to dry my hair after.

Surprisingly, my head doesn't hurt and my stomach isn't squeezing the life out of me.

A knock came from the door while I was folding my clothes to put in my bag. The knob rattled loudly around the room.

"You should have someone fix your door." Kris clicks her tongue in irritation, closing the frame behind her.

"What can I do for you, Doctor?" I chuckled as she rolled her eyes. I went back to folding.

"Why are you packing? Where the hell are you going?" I turned to her, raising a questioning brow.

"To find our parents. What I originally came here to do, duh."

"Oh, yeah." She paused. "I uh-." She bit her lip in contemplation.

"What?"

"It's just, all this stuff happening in the span of a few days made me forget about it. I'm sorry."

She looked down in guilt. I sighed and walked towards my sister, embracing her small frame in my arms.

"I understand and you have nothing to apologize for. And you're probably hangover." She hugged me, holding back a sob.

I got so lost in this world, I almost forgot my own.

"I'm going to find them, I promise." I kissed her head.

"You better or I'll kill you myself." She sniffled. The sound so cute I snickered.

The door suddenly creaked open, revealing Titus and Derek.

The latter having a huge smile on his face.

What's this little shit smiling about?

Titus' eyes landed on me and my sister, then he looks around my room. His eyes saw the bag I was packing and his eyes squinted at it.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"To find my parents."

"No, you will be coming with me." Titus says, with his inhuman speed, faster than my eye can see, he put my clothes back and tucked the bag away at the highest point of the cabinet.

I detangled myself from Kris, who was already distracted by Derek.

Oh for fuck's sake.

"Bring that bag down right now, I swear to God Titus, you have the worst fucking timing!" Frustration was fresh in my tone. If looks could kill, he'd be six feet under.

He smirks. "You will come with me, willingly or I'll carry you like a sack of potatoes while enjoying the view of your ass."

It took me a few seconds for the words to sink in. My eyes widened in surprise and my cheeks reddened with embarrassment.

I grabbed a pair of my shoe and threw it at him.

"Pervert!"

He chuckled, catching my shoe.

Shit, that's one of my favorite pairs.

"Give that back." Titus tosses the shoe in the air, catches it and tosses it again. Something about a man with his size holding my shoe and playing with it scratches some part of my brain.

Oh my god, snap out of it.

"Don't bring anything else but yourself. Your clothes will be replaced with new ones, you will also have your own closet and a... nicer room."

My foot tapped against the floor. "And where are we going that you fail to recognize I already have a plan to go somewhere?"

"My pack."

"Sorry what?" I looked at him weirdly, looked around and turned back to him.

"The pack I built." The tapping stopped, shock creeping up in my bones.

I'm so screwed.