Five-ish years later
Castle Salvatore was noisier than it had been in quite some time as they prepared to celebrate the prince's sixth birthday. Gideon's birthdays were always celebrated, but this year it was different. This year, the boy actually had friends. Being royal meant Gideon couldn't attend a normal school, couldn't play with the neighbours—considering there were none for miles.
Annabelle knew she needed to find a way to socialize him, and so she began hosting play dates for kids his age—offspring of other vampires or pack members who were closely associated with the crown. Today, the boy's two mothers went all out for his special day.
The queen hired a team of builders who constructed rails around the castle for a mini-train ride. Two massive bouncey houses were expertly placed on the lawn, as well as food stalls with various sweets and food vendors. The prince's birthday was so extravagant and well thought out, it rivalled county fairs.
Annabelle stood in navy slacks and a plain white t-shirt. Her arms on her hips as she watched two helpers struggle to take all of Gideon's gifts outdoors. The woman hadn't aged a day in the last five years, immortality suited her well.
"You're really not going to help?" Emily appeared around the corner, a frown on her face.
"It's their job Em, what am I paying them for if I have to help?" the woman groaned. Her dimpled cheek flush in annoyance.
"Annabelle, its damn near fifty boxes. This wouldn't be an issue if you stopped spoiling him like we discussed. He doesn't need fifty new toys. Your son forgets about those gifts as quickly as he gets them."
"Now he's, my son?"
Before their childish bickering could continue, Gideon appeared at the end of the long hallway. The boy stood with their great Dane Pablo draped over his small shoulders. The dog was at least four times Gideon's size—despite the boy being tall for his age.
"Emily..." Annabelle tried to stifle her laughter, but it slipped.
"Get your fucking son Anna, get him before I do."
The taller woman scrambled down the hallway, snatching the massive dog away from her child. The animal had to have been at least a hundred and twenty pounds. "Why do you insist on pushing your mother's buttons like this?" she asked her mini-me. "You're trying to get us both killed."
"She's gonna get you first. You run slow Momma." Gideon's dimpled cheeks puffed up as he pointed at her.
"Like hell I do." She muttered, releasing Pablo in the opposite direction. The dog scampered off, most likely running in the direction furthest away from the little demon. "C'mon, it's bath time. Your guests should be arriving soon."
The boy nodded, skipping in the direction of his bedroom with her following closely behind. Annabelle ran a bath, testing the water before allowing him to climb into the tub.
"Remember what we talked about?"
Gideon nodded his head of auburn curls, grabbing his loofah and bath soap. The queen sat on the boy's step stool, back leaning against the wall as she watched to make sure he didn't drown himself in the tub. Gideon was extremely independent—he only had to be taught something once before proving capable of doing it himself.
--
The last few years were a great adjustment. After Victoria's departure, Annabelle had to fill the position as the intermediary leader of the Royal pack. It was a responsibility she never wanted; she could never fill the space her mother left with her untimely death. She never wanted to lead the pack; the thought alone gave her hives and that's why Victoria took the role—that and the fact that the woman was a natural born leader.
There was no one suitable on short notice and Annabelle had to face her fears, and once she did—she'd been leading the pack ever since. As queen, she created more roles in government, more jobs which took bulk of the direct responsibility from the crown. The changes in the system allowed for her to have more free time, time she spent with her son and the pack. The vampires under the crown were much more independent, there wasn't much to do besides keeping the peace amongst the creatures.
Her love life was nonexistent—she slept around for some time after her ex-wife's departure; tried the dating thing but could never become comfortable enough with someone new to let them in past her icy exterior. Despite them still hooking up a few times after their breakup, Emily never pressed for a relationship, and neither did the queen.
In fact, Emily was seeing someone. The blonde experimented for quite some time after her split from Annabelle. She'd dated both men and women until she met Isabel while studying towards her degree in psychology. Once she decided that they would make things official, boundaries were set between the blonde and the queen. Boundaries that Annabelle easily accepted. They'd restructured the entire East Wing, giving it modern look before Emily moved in. She lived in the castle for another two years before finally finding herself an apartment nearby.
And by 'finding herself an apartment', it meant that Annabelle had a small home constructed less than three miles away to house the mother of her child. It was a hard adjustment. Emily didn't want to be away from their son, but the boy was certainly safer in the Castle. It was customary, and normal occurrence. He was a prince.
But once the blonde started dating seriously, she knew she needed space. She couldn't have sleepovers in the castle—despite sneaking Isabel in a few times, it wasn't right, and it was dangerous bringing people into the Queen's home. So, she moved, and they made it work.
The blonde's happiness was good enough for Annabelle; whether she had anything to do with it or not. She did right by her son, his mother, and the people who served her. Annabelle learned to enjoy her own company, finding joy in the lives of everyone around her, watching her son grow into the strong prince she imagined he would be.
She was okay.
Deep down, she still thought of Victoria every day. Five years and some months had gone by since she'd heard the woman's voice, seen her face, touched her skin. At first, Annabelle went through what could have been the second great depression. She didn't feed, isolated, worked day in and day out to keep her mind busy.
Then Tristan visited after the birth of their daughter, Tessa. Finding out Victoria named their child after her own mother was a shock to her system, shock enough for it to sink in just how much she fucked up by letting the woman get away. Tristan and Victoria remained good friends, and even better co-parents. As far as Annabelle knew, Tristan had married a woman he met in the city they resided—she still didn't know where that was, partially because she knew she'd go looking for Victoria.
The queen had no idea on her ex-wife's current relationship status, or anything that's happened in her life since she'd left. Tristan often visited with Tessa but made sure to never disclose any information about the mother of his child.
Tess and Gideon were friends. If Annabelle didn't know any better, she would say they were best friends. They had playdates, and being a full year older, he always took good care of her when she visited.
A sudden thud dragged the hybrid queen away from her thoughts. Her eyes flicked to the porcelain tub, only to find Gideon missing. "Oh, for fucks sake." She scrambled to her knees, sticking her hand into the bathwater in search of the boy with no luck.
He was gone.
And his other mother was going to slaughter her.
Knowing her son, he was playing a daring game of hide and seek. She searched the room; he was nowhere to be found. Even tried using her senses but the child was so good at masking his own scent, there was no trail.
"Gideon?!" Annabelle called out into the hallway. They were running late; the guests would be arriving soon, and she still needed to get changed. "C'mon out my prince, we do not have the time."
Her ear perked up at the sound of a stifled giggle. Annabelle followed the sound, entering her study as the giggles grew louder.
"If you don't get out here, your mother is going to stew us both." She whisper-yelled, standing in the middle of the room.
In an instant Gideon lunged at her from the top of the library, the woman barely catching him in her arms.
"Roar!!!!" his tiny fangs were out, brows furrowed in concentration.
Annabelle couldn't help the laugh she released. "You're getting better at this." She held the heavy six-year-old in her arms, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead. "Now put those canines away, we've got a party to host."
***
The woman's hands smoothed the fabric of the black dress that clung to her curves. She'd just stepped out of her car, the valet took the key, driving the sedan into an empty space in the massive make-shift parking lot.
Tristan and his wife had already gone into the party, taking Tessa with them. Victoria spent another twenty minutes trying to calm her nerves before entering. Castle Salvatore was different, yet still so familiar. The shrill screams and laughter of children at play filled the atmosphere, the sound of the small train rolling against the tracks echoed as she slowly strode past.
Every step Victoria took made her feet heavier. Anxiety stifled her, like a strong hand wrapped around her neck. She was scared. The dark-haired woman stalked around to where a small crowd gathered, everyone singing 'happy birthday' to the prince as he blew out his candles.
She hadn't laid eyes on the boy in years. Besides the images in tabloids, or newspapers, gossip-filled blogs, Victoria hadn't seen Gideon in the flesh since she'd left all those years ago. She felt guilty; guilty she had to leave him behind knowing the boy had formed a bond with her.
The prince was dressed semi-formally. The black pant stopped at his little knees and black socks were hiked all the way up over his calves. He had a cute tie—it appeared to be a clip on—hanging on the top button of his sea blue shirt. Aside from the auburn hair, he was a splitting image of his mother, Annabelle's mini in the flesh. His dimpled cheek was flushed after blowing for so long, the candles on the cake were a bit overkill.
Emily held onto his arm, and they sliced the cake together. The blonde appeared taller, her heels giving her additional height and maybe confidence because the woman sure looked confident. She was no longer meek, or scared, she was glowing—a woman in her own right.
A sadness overcame Victoria as she watched on. Although they'd kept in touch, she worried that things would no longer be the same between them. She always ran Emily off the phone before the woman could give her any details about the queen—she didn't want to know. It would hurt too much; she would have run back to the castle with her tail between her legs, she would run back to her.
Just when Victoria thought the queen wouldn't be attending her own son's festivities, she appeared on the steps of the castle. A wine glass clutched in her palm, housing a blood-red liquid the wolf was all too familiar with. Her eyes were low as she descended the brick steps, black pants clung to the muscles in her thighs—she'd clearly been active over the years. She wore a plain-blue t-shirt, the sleeves rolled twice. Her black hair was in a high, messy bun, a few strands hanging loose near the back of her neck. The queen was dressed a lot more casually than Victoria remembered. Perhaps it was due to her being comfortable, in the presence of members of the pack, the clan and their children.
Victoria remained hidden behind a small group who chattered animatedly about recent news, hoping the woman wouldn't spot her. She wasn't quite ready to face the music. Once Annabelle stood on ground level, she began making her way towards Gideon who was busy opening his many gifts.
Ten feet away, Annaballe came to an abrupt halt. Her nose twitched, and Victoria stopped breathing. When the wolf glanced up again, she was met with fiery, red eyes staring right at her.
--
The queen hoped Victoria would show up, but didn't hold her breath. The woman made it clear by her actions she wanted nothing to do with any of them. So, when she'd caught a whiff of the familiar scent as she strolled towards her son, shock had completely rattled her.
Their eyes met and it was like everything around them disappeared. Annabelle was nervous, unsure of whether or not she should approach the woman, her icy heart defrosting in the presence of the woman she loved. She didn't want to ruin the day, and thought perhaps Victoria was only here for Gideon—he was her God-son after all.
The wolf spun on her heels, quickly boring through the crowd in the opposite direction.
That answers that.
Annabelle continued walking towards the table stacked with gifts, trying to regain some composure. Don't do it, leave her alone Annabelle, she chided herself. She didn't make it to the table. The queen held onto Victoria's scent, hoping it wasn't too late and she would still be somewhere on the castle grounds.
She spot Victoria at the adult drinks bar and slowly walked towards her. Annabelle used that time to really observe the woman, take in her features. The woman's hair had been cut short, landing just above her shoulders in waves. She sported a silver necklace—it looked familiar but Annabelle couldn't quite remember where she'd seen it. She was curvier, her body filling out the black, thin strapped dress she wore perfectly.
God, she's beautiful.
Finally, they stood face to face. After five years of radio silence, Victoria stood a mere foot away.
"Hey."
"Hey."
Victoria was the first to break eye contact, happy when the bartender placed the drink she ordered beside her. She quickly tossed the whisky back, needing all the courage she could get.
She could feel Annabelle's grey eyes searching her face and tried her best to avoid meeting them.
"It's been a while..."
"It has." Victoria was being short, but she couldn't help it. The rush of feelings she'd gotten when their eyes met that first time had completely overwhelmed her. She didn't expect the be feeling the things she felt in that moment.
"You cut me off." Annabelle got straight to the point. "I knew you were leaving; I just didn't know it was going to be like that."
"I had to." She spoke quickly. "I had to Annabelle. If I didn't...I would have been back the next day, falling into your arms like the naïve twenty-six-year-old I was all those years ago."
"Naïve huh?"
Victoria shrugged. "We needed a break, a real break. Not the one's we tried taking but wouldn't even last forty-eight hours without falling back into the same routine. I was hurt, you hurt me Anna. You said forever when you bit me, when you gave me the gift of immortality, you said you needed me around to spend eternity with you. And that all changed so quickly."
Annabelle closed the distance between them, holding Victoria's hand, willing the woman to glance up from the counter, to stare into her eyes. And finally, she did. Stormy, grey pools staring deeply into brown eyes.
"A lot of mistakes were made. I can stand here and list them all because I've replayed them all in my mind like a broken record. I made mental notes of every single misstep that led to me losing you, losing my wife. Victoria, I'm sorry."
"It's my son's birthday. It's Gideon's birthday and I know he's running around right now having the time of his life, that makes me happy, but something's missing...Something has been missing for five years now. I love you Victoria, always have and I always will. I will never be able to let you go, not if we exist on the same planet, not if we're both still alive walking this earth. There's no one else for me."
Victoria hadn't noticed her own tears until Annabelle's hand reached out and wiped her cheek, sending shockwaves through her entire being.
"I...haven't been with anyone else." Victoria said. "I mean-I've been with other people, but it could never be anything more; I could never get there."
Annabelle nodded, understanding her words completely. Her eyes gave the she-wolf a once over, landing on her glossy lips. Her throat suddenly dried up, nervousness quickly creeping back in.
"I want to kiss you." She finally breathed. "I want to kiss you but, I know there's a chance you'd kick my ass."
Victoria couldn't stop giggle escaping her lips as Annabelle repeated the words she said to her during their first ever one-on-one conversation. She pulled the woman by her shirt, "I won't kick your ass today, promise."
It was electric. Their lips collided and there was enough current between them to power an entire city. Annabelle's arms found their place around her waist, pressing their bodies together as they kissed. They only pulled apart when the bartender cleared his throat awkwardly, leaving them both blushing.
"Let's get back to the party? I'm sure everyone's gonna be surprised to see you."
Victoria nodded, slipping her hand into the woman's large palm. They left the bar behind, finally heading in the direction of the table that still managed to be covered in unopened presents.
"Oh, and Anna?"
The queen hummed, giving her a side eye.
"No more threesomes."
They both laughed, Annabelle's hand snaking around her waist, holding the woman close as if she feared she'd run off again.
"Agreed."
---
Crying, throwing up. It's over already?? I've been writing this book since 2017--left WP, came back, rewrote the entire book and completed it in two months. I'm fucking psyched!
Thank you everyone for reading. Some may not like the ending, or wish it ended differently and to you i say, "Sorrows, Sorrows, Prayers."
On to the next, see you guys there :).
-R