Bless Gran for teaching me to be patient.
Because neither this forest wasn't ending, nor he was talking.
From last fifteen minutes, I had been nervous, anxious and overthinking.
While he was chill and humming the tunes of the songs only he knew.
I was fidgeting, taking small steps and taking deep breaths. He was breaking a twig, hitting it on the every hanging branch on his way and running fingers through his hair.
Don't say it. Don't say it!
"Have you lost your memory?" I asked in between the breaths I was taking from the continuous walking.
He, not really affected by my sudden question, only got amused. As if he was expecting it, the answer was ready.
"No, I remember you rejecting my sincere love in front of our families."
I stopped in my tracks and looked at his back.
Two steps ahead of me, he halted too and tilted his head in thought. Turning around slowly, he took his time while I curled my fists and clenched my jaws.
"I remember you owning my son and then, abandoning him." He said while finally turning around and looking straight at me.
My eyebrows raised and straightened when he continued, "I remember you raising my hopes, deepening my love for you and then, breaking my heart into thousand pieces."
"So, I am the only one at fault here?" I asked, feeling my blood boiling through my veins and heart flipping inside. But he was looking at me as if I had cheated on him.
"I didn't say that." He gave me the dead eye.
My jaw zigzagged in utter annoyance. All those feelings I was feeling in his absence just got replaced by extreme frustration that had risen to the surface.
"You didn't remember telling me about my heat on time," I said, making his jaw tick.
He had no answer. Did he? He stayed quiet and looked pissed.
"You didn't remember telling me about being careful at the temple. About being aware of Severa's ghost and Rosetta's bitterness after you chased one of them for years and neglected the other." My voice raised with every next word.
He stiffened while I let out a small huff.
"You didn't tell me that you recognised my sisters even before I could, let me get lured into running away which I was dying to do, proceeding to mark me and later, blaming only me for it." I said out loud and clear, making him flare his nostrils.
Silence followed and he kept giving me a blank stare.
"You are sick," I choked out at feeling disappointed and hurt.
Turning around, I started walking towards the direction where we came from.
I hadn't even blinked and he stood in front of me, towering over me while breathing furiously.
"You are taking it all wrong," he said, looking down at me with disturbance visible all over his face. "Even after you know everything, my mate."
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The cause of uneasiness I felt the whole day in my chest, is finally shown.
Two of the mystic dancers look familiar. One has the mere glint of resemblance with my mate. The other is a Rucussan too.
Seated beside me, my mate's heart is beating so hard. Her legs are shaking and fingers are twitching in shock.
Her eyes have filled up with tears and I know that she has recognised them. The females aren't giving her attention.
The dance ends and they finally make signs while looking in her eye for a mere blink. The Lycans around don't realise what just happened. But I know and I have to understand the depth of it.
My mate gets up and so does I. She is sleepy yet she fights her fatigue and look at the dancers retreating away with the males. She seems horrified and tried to hide it.
I nod at Alvena who notices the discomfort on her face and looks at me in question. Alvena has recognised the females too and she pretends the opposite.
"Take her to the room while I go and take Keev from Amelia's house." I say to the sister-in-law who is worried more about my mate than the presence of Rucussan females here.
I don't know if I feel victorious every time Alvena behaves like she has given up on her mystical aura. This is how my mother used to be in her last days. Anton has created such fears in her heart, she has forgotten to be interested in the happenings. Now, all she does is provide care to anyone who needs it.
My mate walks tiredly along with her.
The beast inside is not happy to see her sad and hiding her pain from me.
The crowd disperses.
I reach the back of the street where King is telling Beta Barald about the number of females who have arrived. They look at me and stop talking.
King knows by my failing attempts at trying to hold a warm gaze. His eyes narrow in alarm. "What is it?"
I gulp and tell him the truth. "My mate might run away."
Beta Barald tilts his head while King steps ahead to cup my shoulder. He has been careful about me during these mystic dancers' arrival from last three years after Keev came in my life.
"She is in heat?" He says while giving me a curious eye. Amelia will create a havoc and attack his ability to read the wolves if she get to know it.
He knows. He already knows. But not about the females.
"I know that a male has crossed the mystic border in the north. The clouds are approaching. I know what's happening, Karam. But Misty is under your watch." He says the obvious truth.
But I don't want to play clever.
"I want to see if she will run away or not." I say while letting out a deep breath. "Two of the dancers are her sisters. They communicated."
Barald shakes his head. "Of course, she will run away. Hell, I will too if I was in her place. But if the Alpha arrives, it is going to boost Severan's spirit too."
King raises his eyebrows at me. "What do you want to do, brother? I will do as you say."
I give him a sincere look.
"If we stop the males at the border, they will try another time. Let them do what they wish and check the border for themselves. Let them know that the females cannot cross border after heat." I tell him.
King blinks and asks, "The Alpha is wild and young just like us. A war might happen."
"You are not the kind of Alpha who creates war," I tell my brother, remembering my mother's words. "I want her to meet her family. She missed them. Let my mate know that I am not holding her caged knowingly. Or maybe, I am. But it is what it is."
King sighs and nods. He removes his hand from my shoulder. I hold it and say, "But it is her family. No one must get clawed."
Barald nods when King glances at him for a confirmation.
"Will your beast handle it well?" King asks me.
I shrug my shoulders. "I will let the Goddess decide."
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He looked devastated.
I didn't know how to clear this mess.
"How did you recognise my sisters?" I asked quietly.
He didn't answer and looked away.
"Who clawed who?"
He stepped away and ran fingers through his hair.
"I am not going to forget how Anton hit my little brother and you, hit my elder one. You flipped that Jeep over and behaved like a mad man," I choked out angrily in hurt. "I was heartbroken by the truth you announced with so much pride and hitting fists in your chest. You broke my hope and trust. Then, how am I wrong in wanting to die than be with you again!"
His head turned immediately and a growl escaped him.
My heart jumped in fright while leaves flew around our feet.
I could swear I felt the ground beneath my feet vibrating.
He walked closer to stand in front of me. Those amber orbs held fury.
"Your cousin got clawed by a female Lycan," he whispered darkly. His furious gaze was piercing my soul. "A Severan she bumped into while getting away. None of the males who were involved clawed anyone. It was. . ."
"Pete's mate?" I gasped immediately.
His eyebrows straightened. "No one knows if it is her. You know that I don't know who is his mate."
I blinked and bit my lip.
"King and I delivered the flower at the dawn," he said while my eyes widened in surprise. "Your cousin will be fine within a week of healing. The poison will vanish."
I let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you," I whispered out.
But he had more to say. "Your mother talked to me."
My face warmed up from the sudden jolt I felt. "What?"
Immediately, my eyes went all over his face and clothes. The beard was trimmed, hair looked fine and he had been looking presentable these days.
But, still medieval.
"She told me to not to be angry with you."
I let out a sad chuckle at the joke. "Did you tell her that you are pro at it?"
He stared at me, making me let out a breath in defeat. I looked away and couldn't believe that Mom saw him.
How did she feel? She must be sad. Won't she be? She must be worried too.
"What did you tell her?" I asked when he kept quiet.
He blinked calmly. "I didn't have to say a word," he said, making my lips part. "Your siblings must have told her about the heat. She knows the cause of—"
I pushed hard on his chest and turned around to walk away.
The sky had gotten darker and his heart, the darkest.
A sob erupted from me and I wiped the tears while stomping my feet ahead to ignore the sound of his boots following me.
"Stop."
I didn't. How could he be so cocky in front of my mother? Gilbert looked so dreamy in his suits during all the three nights. My own mother was surely pitying my fate.
"Stop, my mate."
If not by the appearance, he could have just talked politely to her. This was why, the Lycans couldn't progress. The border couldn't be broken. Because of this smugness and arrogance.
What was the need to tell my mother that I couldn't control my hormones and young heart? Oh my God!
I just wanted to pick up a rock and hit on his head. But I also remembered being marked by a monstrous beast. I still could hear my own loud scream. So, I held back on my anger and kept walking.
"Misty."
Karam would rarely take my name. It just sounded so foreign and different in his voice and accent, I couldn't help being extremely affected by it.
I closed my eyes and stopped.
"You don't want to know how I knew your sisters?" He asked loudly.
I blinked and realized that it was even before the mark. Eva and Keira weren't even present on the fourth night at the borders. I didn't see them in his memories of the border too.
The curiosity made me breathless.
He reached me slowly. His boots crunched the leaves as he stood in front of me. He took my hand and brought something out from under his shirt from the back, probably half-tucked in his breeches.
Bringing his other hand around, he placed the yellow little thing in my palm.
My heart curled in sudden outburst of nostalgia.
I gasped and looked up at him in shock.
Karam gave me a warm look.
Two thin shreds of cloth were tied on both the sides keeping things together. The yellow paint had faded from the places and inner silver metal was showing.
"My camera," I whispered while recalling the fourth night.
Lysar had thrown it far away, almost breaking it.
Pressing my lips tight, I pressed the button and the screen turned on.
I couldn't even describe the feeling of holding a gadget in hands after so long. The tears fell straight away. It felt strange. Jamais vu.
I whimpered and curled my lips while he turned alarmed.
The first photo I took from it appeared on the screen when I clicked the gallery's button.
"The mist of the time may blurry the memories in your mind, but not the photos.
~Someone you hate to love."
The sob erupted from my heart as the photo of Gilbert's note wrenched it from all sides.
I ugly-cried.
He listened, wrapped his arms around me and rubbed my back until I let it all out.
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Everyone was inside when we reached the houses.
I had calmed down from the outburst of emotions and was holding the camera close to my heart.
Noises were coming from inside Amelia's home and we knew that they were doing dinner.
On the way, we didn't talk much. Except for him trying to cheer me up by confessing how that he didn't know what it even was all this time and why it had live paintings inside. For him, it was a miracle from another realm. He kept it a secret from his brothers because King never allowed any kind of dowry. Even Pete's jacket and my dress were safe in the room because he asked King to be a little soft for a human. His use of words to describe the camera made me soft.
He learnt to use it randomly while being curious about it for days.
He had collected it from the border after I had fainted that night.
"You must be hungry," he said while nudging towards Amelia's house.
I shook my head. "I won't eat here."
He blinked and nodded quietly. We reached at his room and he didn't ask any question about it. "I will ask Emily to bring your plate."
I pushed open the door immediately because it was cold outside and he was being awkward about it as if it was my room and not his.
I entered the room. But he didn't.
He stayed outside and I waited.
Putting the camera on the untouched bed, I walked towards the door and caught him rubbing his boot at the porch absentmindedly while thinking something.
"You will go to Keev?"
He nodded silently and looked at me.
"You won't eat?"
He blinked. "Emily will pack it for me and Keev."
I didn't know what to say. It felt weird. With Keev here, we had started to eat together like a family.
His hair blew from the strong wind and prepared to walk away.
"I saw what she did," I said all of a sudden.
He stopped himself from walking and gave me a look that showed the suspense rising in his eyes. He waited patiently as I took my time in choosing the right words. "The mystic woman. I saw what she did."
He stayed silent and tried to observe how I felt about it. He wanted to know the truth that he couldn't remember.
"It wasn't your fault," I said truthfully and I saw the relief reaching his face and he let out a deep sigh.
"I saw Miggy. Tara." I whispered softly. "Your Mother. Father."
He smiled sadly.
I sucked in my cheeks and gave him a dead eye.
"And I saw Rosetta naked in the lake with you."
The blood from his face drained so fast like he had seen Moon Goddess.
His lips parted and eyes moved away from my face in deep thinking. He tried to remember and the recognition hit his face slowly.
He opened his mouth. "Ah!"
The confidence returned to his face and so did the smug look.
He tilted his head and collected his lips tight. With two fingers and a thumb, he rubbed his bearded chin and entered the room, making me step back.
"Do you know what I saw?" He said in his deep undertone.
It was my turn to look pale. But it wasn't like I regretted any of those moments. Yet I was scared about his reaction.
"A bald-headed wolf," he said, rolling his tongue inside his cheek. His eyes got serious and tone turned a little dark. "A white-haired wolf, a short-haired wolf—who are not your mates, making your heart flutter."
He now seriously looked like I had cheated on him.
"It's not what you think it is," I dared to explain slowly.
The fists clenched and cracks reached my ears.
"You knew they have mates," he said, raising his eyebrow.
"So what?" I blurted out in defense and immediately, regretted it. "I didn't know that I have a mate too."
He looked like he would create an earthquake with his next growl.
"Right," he said with a faint nod and it was scarier than an angry reaction. It made me feel inferior. "But I know that those three males exist. And if the border breaks one day, they will be facing my wrath. Especially, that bald-headed one."
I blinked and shook my head. All this time, he would say that the border was unbreakable. Now, when his man-ego was bruised and jealous, he was talking about its removal. Urgh!
"Now, I know why you call me a caveman and hate my long hair." He said, smirking sarcastically. "And even then, I won't be changing myself. Because we get what we deserve."
My eyes squinted in disbelief. He was being cocky again.
"You totally don't deserve me." I told him, looking at him as he shrugged his shoulders and walked backwards, getting out of the room.
I held the door while he gave me a last glance, passing a small amused smirk.
"Guess what, you are still stuck with me."
I rested my head against the door in defeat. What could I say? He was right anyway.
And I was tired.
Before I could close the door, he said, "I will take you for another walk in the evening, tomorrow."
The veins beneath my mark tickled.
Our eyes met for the last time.
"Whatever," I pretended to be fine and closing the door. While deep inside, I was freaking out. I didn't know if I could handle him again tomorrow.
I waited until the sound of boots going away came after two minutes.
Turning around, I jumped on the bed, picked up the camera, and let out an excited chuckle.
Photos are important. So important.
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"What do you think?"
Please vote and comment.
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Hope, you liked it.
We are slowly going towards the end of the book. Maybe, four-five chapters are left.
Next update will be Malina's POV.
Also, please ask if you have any doubt about any scene till yet.
Thank you for all the support.
I love our Misty family.