Omniscient
"You come from a very powerful family," Adrian said. "Is that a question?" Malik countered. "No, just stating a fact," Adrian said. "You come from a powerful family and are very powerful yourselves," Adrian added.
"Yes," Malik said. "If I may interrupt," Abeba called out. "Yes?" Dalia said. "Someone is missing." She said. She waved her hand and in the blink of an eye Pablo stood in front of everyone. He turned and looked at Ahsha seeing her brown eyes turn a deep rich red color. "Hi." He said taking a step closer to her.
"Hi." She answered in return unknowingly leaning forward attempting to be closer to him as well. "Who is this?" Jacob asked. "I am Pablo, Ahsha's mate. However, many may know me by my former name, Dominic." Pablo said as an extra chair was brought out for him.
"Pablo? Why do I know that name?" Adrian asked. "Because a few months ago I was living life as Pablo Pereira," Pablo said. "Pereira, as in the Pereira family?" Andy questioned. "You're mated to a Pereira, also?" Harrison asked. "No," Ahsha said.
"What the hell?" Adrian questioned as he and his brother glanced at Dalia, Taj, Ahsha, and Isaac. "With how calm the four of you look I'm assuming this is old news," Andy said. "Very," Isaac said. "I don't even know where to start," Jacob said. "Let's start from the beginning," Ahsha said.
"The beginning, hmm. We don't have that kind of time." Ares said. "Just the need-to-know parts. All of this is old news to us but not to them. You have to tell them who you were and who you are now. How did we get to this point?" She said. The three men nodded their heads.
Abeba looked at the four of them watching how they interacted. "Malik, Pablo, and I all originally shared one body," Ares said. Quiet mumbles filled the space at his confession. "That—that's not possible. Is it?" Harrison asked. All eyes went to Isaac and Ahsha.
"You've heard 4 days' worth of impossible situations and scenarios and yet you're still questioning whether something is possible or not," Isaac said. "Be nice," Ahsha whispered to him. "He may be a royal, but he is still human. They don't get to partake in the extraordinary as we do." She added.
"But, yes Harrison, it is. I can admit I was shocked when I found out also." Ahsha said looking back at Ares once she finished. "Continue." She added. "Before I got this new body I was known as Wahasha," Ares said.
The chatter exploded. "Wahasha? The monster." "How can that be true?" "He's that animal?" "There's no way a handsome man like that could be someone so disgusting." People could be heard saying. Malik and Pablo turned and looked at Ares as they listened to all the hatred they held for Ares. Ares listened to everyone taking in all their words as his eyes began to bleed black.
He felt anger consume him as all the awful things of his past were being thrown around the room.
Abeba leaned into Maria. "Let's see what he does," Abeba said.
"Ares." He heard Ahsha's voice call out to him. "Ares, look at me." She requested. The room began to fall silent as they watched the two. "Look at me," Ahsha ordered. He raised his head meeting her eyes seeing black ones staring back at him.
"Don't worry about them. Focus on me. Tell me what happened." She said. Ares nodded his head. Abeba glanced at Marie surprised. "Any more interruptions like that and there will be a problem," Ahsha said. "Continue." She told Ares as her eyes went back to their natural brown.
"Earlier this week Emilia, my mother mentioned that while she was pregnant with Malik she lost a baby or so she thought. I was that baby." Ares said. "How?" Adrian asked. "Like you said we come from a very powerful family. Our grandfather is one of the most powerful beings to have existed. Our grandmother, however, is not." Malik said.
"She received some powers through her marriage and mating to Imam but not enough for it to make a difference," Pablo added. "Mira wasn't as powerful as Imam, what does that have to do with your mother losing her child?" Jacob asked. "Mira made a deal with Olujimi." Ares said.
"No?" Andy questioned in disbelief. "You called," Olujimi said. He turned to Ahsha and Isaac bowing his head before scanning the room. "Your highnesses." He said bowing to Abeba and Marie.
"It's good to see you," Abeba said. Olujimi took a seat next to her before waving his hand. "Please continue." He said with a smile. "Yes, she made a deal with Olujimi. She would give him her first-born grandson in exchange for power. But somewhere along the way, she got cold feet, or something because I ended up inside Malik's body." Ares explained. "She made a mistake," Olujimi said.
"A mistake?" Isaac questioned. "She attempted to merge Malik and Ares into one body but because she wasn't powerful enough to do that she was only able to move his conscience. Leaving only his human body." He said as amusement and anger seeped into his words. "Essentially she tried to trick me." He said. "And because Ares was never able to form a human body he lived the first part of his life inside of me. It's the reason why you're all just now finding out." Malik said.
"How did you end up in this body?" Harrison asked. "I died," Ares said. Barely audible mumbles could be heard but Ahsha ignored them. "You're skipping ahead," Isaac said. "Start after you met my sister. How was life after you found your mate?" He added. "Initially Ahsha rejected us," Malik said. "I did not." She countered. "Fine maybe it wasn't a formal rejection, but you turned us down." He corrected his words. "Why?" Andy asked her. "I'm black. We don't fool with demons." She said garnering some laughter. "And still don't," Isaac said.
"And as I said earlier I respected her choice even with Ares's annoying pressure to convince her otherwise. I left her alone for as long as I could until we both went into heat and even then I never tried anything." Malik said. "I'm surprised," Harrison said. "I've heard going through heat is unbearable." He added. "It is," Ahsha said. "Although it was painful I had my reasons for not pushing her. If she wanted to be with me—be with us I wanted it to be her choice. I wanted her to choose us." He repeated staring at Ahsha with soft eyes.
Abeba looked between the two before glancing at her other granddaughters. "Anyways—," Malik said clearing his throat. "Before we could do anything we had to get Dominic back." "Where did he go?" Adrian asked. "There wasn't enough space for me and Ares to continue living in Malik's body. We were presented with the option for one of us to separate from Malik's body, and I assumed that Ares was going to be the one to leave." Pablo said. "But he wasn't," Taj said.
"No. Malik chose Ares, and I was left alone with my grandmother. And with her in my ear constantly telling me that Ares was a monster. He couldn't be controlled. He was the reason I was cast aside." Pablo said looking away from Ahsha and Ares. "I will admit I was angry at Malik also, I felt betrayed. I couldn't understand why Malik would keep Ares over me." He spoke as his head dropped. "I'm not proud to admit this but I conspired with Mira to banish Ares." He said with clear regret and embarrassment in his words. "You what?" Jacob said. "What the hell?" Andy said. "Fortunately, Malik and our grandfather were able to stop everything before it could get too far," Pablo said.
"Fuck." Harrison said shaking his head. "I think everything is starting to make sense," Adrian said glancing at Ahsha. "Continue, please." He said. "After finding Ahsha, Dominic came back, we completed the mating process, and—," Malik paused. "And?" Dalia questioned. "Dominic died," Pablo said. "What?" Andy asked. "You killed him?" Jacob asked Ares shocked. Ares's jaw clenched at his words. Ahsha could feel Ares's annoyance blaze at that accusation. "Fate was trying to correct Mira's negligence. However, for some reason wires got crossed and instead of Ares dying, Dominic did." Ahsha explained. "So, no Ares did not kill Dominic, Mira did." She added.
"My apologies," Jacob said. "And that's where Pablo Pereira came in to play," Harrison said. "Yes. And we met again on her 18th birthday." Pablo said. Ahsha remembered that night affectionately. "So, you come back, and then what?" Isaac said moving things along. "That was the night we all realized that you two were far more powerful than we ever could've imagined. A few weeks later I managed to reconnect with Ahsha again. However, for reasons already stated Ares was not happy about that." Pablo explained. "Still?" Andy questioned.
"Yes, still. While the two of them were running around behind our back Ares and I began to devolve into our old way of handling things." Malik explained. "He means they used brute force to keep me in line," Ahsha said. "How you are a goddess, a queen?" Andy questioned. "That is true but unlike those three I was raised as a human. I never knew anything about this world until I was 17 and up until a few months ago, I've kind of just winging it," she explained.
"And we hadn't gotten our full power yet or learned how to use the little bit of power we had. Truthfully because of our father's passing and our mother's choices, we were very ill-prepared for life here." Isaac added. "What did they do?" Andy asked Ahsha directly. "They became controlling, paranoid, and obnoxious. I wasn't allowed out of their sight. I was either with them or a hoard of guards." She explained.
"Then how were you able to be with Pablo?" Harrison questioned. "Two guards. My very first pair of guards helped me. And for that, I will always be grateful to them. They covered for me a lot. Letting me know if I smelled like Pablo or when Malik was due back." She continued. "However, as things progressed, the two of them got a bit more suspicious, I suppose. They thought I was cheating, which I wasn't technically. But things got bad." She said as her eyes locked with Ares.
Everyone's eyes shifted between the pair. "Tell us Ahsha. This is as much your story as it is there's." Dalia said. "Malik had come back from a business trip. I was excited to see him, and Ares until they took me to the tombs for the first time." She said shaking her head. "We walked down those stairs, past all the cells, only to find Pablo locked away in the farthest room. He was chained to the wall, covered in cuts and bruises that hadn't healed due to him being starved." Ahsha said.
"Then there was a big knife brought in and I had to tell them who Pablo was. Once he knew he did let him go, but I wasn't allowed to be near Pablo at all. Any social events he was off limits. If there was even a hint of me and Pablo interacting they'd lose it." She said. "So, what happened next?" Adrian asked. "Malik and I began to come up with a way to separate her and Pablo," Ares said. He sighed having to look away from her.
"How so?" Isaac asked looking at Ahsha. "They wrote me a letter." She said. "A letter?" Taj questioned. "Because of my father's abrupt passing, my mother's mishandling of the aftermath, and our very shaky relationship I have abandonment issues. Which, based on later conversation Ares; and I had I think they knew to an extent and used that, which is where the letter came in." She explained. "They wrote me a letter." She repeated. Malik and Ares glanced at each other before looking up at Ahsha.
"We wrote her a letter," They both said.
==
Ahsha,
I cannot continue to only see you when Malik and Ares's schedules permit it. Not being able to see when I want is not enough for me and I know it's not enough for you either. It truly pains me to know that my presence has hindered your relationship with Malik and Ares or caused you any unwarranted stress. I feel that it is in everyone's best interest if I take a step back and allow your relationship with Malik to flourish. I will be going back home, and I won't bother you any further. I know you may not understand why I'm doing things this way but all I truly want is to see you happy. And I can see now that my arrival has hindered that.
I love you dearly. These past two years have meant the world to me, and I will always cherish our time together. You will always be my sweet mate.
-Pablo
==
Ahsha repeated the words from the letter her eyes shifting between Ares and Malik. "What else did you do?" She said. "Ahsha—," "What else?" She asked again. "We changed out her birth control with vitamins months prior," Malik said. That had been one of the many things she'd learned that they did that pissed her off. It was obvious to the three men Ahsha was increasingly growing annoyed as they recounted their wrongdoings.
"And? What else?" Isaac goaded. "After we sent Ahsha the letter we managed to get ahold of Sergio and Pablo. We left them down in the tombs for several months and from our end, everything was going smoothly. We began to reconnect with Ahsha and our relationship blossomed." Malik said. "Until we found out she was pregnant," Ares added. "So, wait you two baby trapped your mate?" Adrian asked.
"Yes," Malik said. "It sounds bad when you say it like that," Ares said. "It sounds bad because it is bad. I love my nephew, but Ahsha was not in the right space to have a kid, especially considering all the bullshit you three pulled while she was pregnant." Isaac said. "So, then what?" Harrison asked. Ares glanced at Malik before speaking. "I took over Malik's body."
"You took over his wha—, wow," Jacob said. "I'm stronger than Malik, so I was able to force him into a box in his mind. From there I lived life as him. It was just Ahsha and me for several months until things blew up. She found out what I did to Malik and Pablo and—," Ares paused. "And? Go on." She questioned. "She fought me. For months at every turn, she tried to defy me." He said. "She wasn't a child," Adrian said. "Hmm, that sounds familiar." She mumbled.
"She looks upset," Abeba whispered. Bastien, Marie, Charlotte, Miranda, and Samantha all looked at Ahsha. "Can't blame her. Reliving her parents' tragic story and then her own—it's a lot for anyone." Miranda said. "I know you weren't my child. I also know my methods weren't the best and I've apologized for them. I can't change what I've done but I truly am trying to be better. And I hope you know that." He said.
Isaac looked at Ahsha seeing a look in her eyes. "I know why you did it and although for a while I swore to hate you forever, here I am." She said. "What does that mean?" Dalia asked. "It means I'm still here. I am still here." She emphasized. "Why?" A man called out.
Ahsha raised her head. "I—I mean no disrespect." He added. Ahsha realized it was the man who had disrespected her on the first day. "Carlos, right?" She asked. His eyes widened before he nodded his head. "What exactly are you asking me?" She questioned. "Why are you still here? With them, after everything?" He asked. Her three mates looked up at her with a lovesick look in their eyes.
"Because she loves them, duh." A woman answered. Ahsha chuckled. Which made Marie smile. "Yes, I do love them but love definitely was not enough of a reason for me to stay. And let me be clear I was presented with the option of leaving. Several times as was Isaac. Because as it's been said I am a goddess and queen." Ahsha said.
"Then why did you come back, if not for love?" A woman asked. "Because I wanted them." She said. Surprise filled the room. All of her grandmothers smiled at her words. "I don't get it," Harrison said. "I do not need any of them. Would it hurt if I were to wake up tomorrow and they were gone—absolutely. But I still do not need them." She said feeling a mixture of emotions consume her. She knew those emotions were not her own as she continued.
"I am capable of living life without them. Before I was in the mindset that these men are my mates and I need to make things work so I wouldn't lose them. Regardless of the hurt and sorrow, I'd feel I know I'd be capable of continuing on. The thing is I don't want to. I want them. I enjoy having them in my life. Being able to wake up to them brings me joy. Watching them with our son fills me with happiness I wish everyone could experience. I could live in this world without them, but I don't want to." She said.
Malik, Pablo, and Ares all stared up at her feeling an emotion that none of them had ever experienced. Marie handed Abeba a tissue. Abeba looked at her and then her other granddaughter seeing knowing smiles on their faces. "Oh hush," Abeba whispered.
"And to be honest I know that none of them are perfect people. I'm also aware that they've never had to answer to anyone stronger than them. And just between us, there's so much about them that none of you know. The perception that you have of them is just one side and they're so much more than that. It would be a crime to judge them so swiftly based on their past actions when so much of what caused them to behave that way was outside of their control." Ahsha said looking at Abeba.
"Wow, that was deep," Adrian said. "Do you need a break?" Isaac asked his sister quietly. "No, I'm fine." She said. "Does the same go for Prince Isaac as well?" A woman called out. Isaac looked into the crowd. "Do you want your mates too?" Another voice said. Isaac froze, his eyes going to Veronica. They looked at each other for a few minutes before his gaze wandered over to Camryn.
Veronica followed his gaze seeing Camryn. Camryn held eyes with Isaac before looking at Veronica. Veronica flinched at the intensity of Camryn's eyes, and she looked back at Isaac. Everyone sat silently watching the three of them exchange looks. "Oh, my g—yes he wants both of his mates but due to some people being difficult to deal with he's in a bit of a pickle as they say," Asha said. Isaac rolled his eyes.
"I think now is a good place to stop, and we can pick back up tomorrow," Isaac said. Ahsha turned and looked at him. "Isaac—," "Today has been a lot, most of all for you and it's only going to get worse, so I'm calling it." He said leaving no room to argue. He sat down and looked at her. "Remember I'm the protector and your big brother. So, hush up." He added with a whisper.
Her shoulders relaxed as laughter left her lips. "You're only older by a few minutes, cool your tits," She said. "Few minutes or a few hours doesn't matter, I'm still older." He said flicking her forehead. "Whatever you just want to end things so you can finish making googly eyes at your mates. You can be honest since you had us all sitting here for 20 years watching you three." Ahsha said as she stood leaving Isaac flushed.
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