Betrayed

☾Chapter Thirty-Four☽

Vladimira's P.O.V

My father took us home in silence, knowing in about an hour or two he'll have to willingly let me into his mind, his memories.

I shouldn't feel bad for making him think about his dead mate or anything for that matter, but I do feel bad.

"Get situated first. Change into something comfortable, you'll be drained of all your energy once you come out," He says without looking at me once we're inside the house.

Distracted, I nod and bound up the stairs to change into leggings, a large shirt and a cardigan to fight off the cold.

When I get back down stairs, my father has a fire going and he is sitting on the couch, his eyes trained on the carpet.

"You're ready?" He asks as he sits up, his blue eyes scanning over my body to make sure I'm okay, uninjured.

I nod and sit down in front of him on the couch. "I'm ready."

He pulls me into a hug before I can say anything else, his chin resting upon mine. I awkwardly pat his back. "Relax or it won't work, Mira."

Relax. Breathe. Think of the baby inside you.

Once the last though crosses my mind, my shoulders automatically sink in relief at the thought of my unborn child, safe, alive, growing.

Before I know it, I feel like I'm floating, my body growing light and airy, almost like I'm unconscious.

Darkness sounds me, then, suddenly, a burst of light and a scene is playing before me. Surprisingly, my father has also followed me into his mind, his hand gripping mine tightly.

It's 1656. Naples, Italy. Cold weather and tiny little snow flurries that don't stick to the ground fall from the sky slowly. Women in corseted dresses and men dressed in their usual get ups.

My father is easy to find. He draws attention to himself easily with his clothing that's fit for a warrior.

Women glance in his direction occasionally, their eyes scanning over him before they turn around and blush.

Instead of keeping a cold face, my father winks at them playfully, nearly making half of them fall over in excitement.

Jared soon appears beside my father and motions towards a building that's obviously holding a ball. "Come on, Rhea is here." A dreamy look covers his face."She's an angel," He swoons.

My father groans—something I've never seen him do before—and eyes the doors of the building, he then looks at Jared. "Tell me, Jared, when will you and Rhea complete the mate bond?"

Jared shivers in the cold. "I don't know. Completing the bond means children and I'm not ready for that. My child will probably hate me," He frets.

A small laugh leaves me when I think about how much Lilli loves her father, how much of a daddy's girl she is.

My father looks down at me and smiles. "If only he knew."

Jared drags my father into the ball before he can challenge him on his assumption.

"Look at all the women, Dmitri!" He smiles. "I'm sure it won't be hard for you find one to take home."

My father shrugs him off with a chuckle. "Go find Rhea. I'll be around."

I can't help but watch as Jared scurries off to a woman with perfectly curled hair and a simple but beautiful dress.

He kisses her gently before pulling her down a hallway, surely trying to get more privacy so he can initiate more intimate things with his mate.