Thank you so much to @WeAreAHurricane for creating my new and wonderful cover.(:
***
I believe in kindness. Whether someone's act of kindness is meant to happen or it is placed upon us by a passerby that has no idea of what they are doing, kindness is everywhere. No, kindness may not be present or noticeable in all people, but if you look really deep, the emotions are there. They're just tainted by the unfortunate event in which kindness in not given when it was needed. I believe in kindness.
I believe in hope. You may not want hope for the fear of being let down is quite scary. Yet, no matter how hard you try, you will always feel hope somewhere inside you. It's what keeps you going in your times of need and motivates you to do the best that you can. There are times when you can't seem to find hope but it will always be there somewhere. Hope is what gives all living organisms the fuel to function and strive to be whatever they want to be. I believe in hope.
I believe in miracles. Small or large, miracles impact you in ways that you cannot imagine. They are what give people new opportunities to flourish and grow. Miracles are placed thrust on us whether we like it or not and they effect in many ways us whether we like it or not. In situations in which miracles take place, you must take the time to appreciate them and let yourself know how blessed you are to have them. I believe in miracles.
I believe in love. Love is a contagious illness that is carried by clueless vectors that weasel their way into your heart. It spreads throughout your body, making you feel things that you may welcome or shun. Though, there is no vaccine for love. You can't prevent it just as you can't tell yourself or anybody else that you wouldn't like to catch the infection that is love. You must sit back and let the effects of love take place, whether they are good or bad. Yes, every once in a while, you will get some bad cases of love and it will hurt. Yet, it's the good ones that make the illness of love worthwhile. I believe in love.
I let these thoughts invade my brain as I stared into the vulnerable doe eyes of my Adrian. Crystal clear tears leaked out of the ground-coffee bean masterpieces and dripped onto the screen of my phone.
Pain shot through my stomach as I realized that I was the reason that he was crying. It was my fault that he felt the pain and sadness that he did and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
"I will never let them hurt you ever again," Adrian said before frantically fumbling to wrap his arms around me and pull my face into his chest.
I felt sobs vibrate through his body and shake his figures. Small growls and whimpers echoed through my empty bedroom as Adrian revealed his most vulnerable state to me.
"Please don't cry," I mumbled, craning my neck to look at his weeping face.
"But they hurt you," he said, maneuvering us to where we were making eye contact. "I wasn't there for you and they lied and manipulated you. They caused you so much pain and suffrage without paying any price for it."
"There was nothing that anybody could have done," I said with a sad smile.
"No. I could have found you. I could have visited that damned pack, found you, held you in my arms, and never had let you go."
With a sigh, I wrapped my arms around his torso and let my body fall into his.
If he would have done that, he'd be dead. Yet, I didn't voice my thoughts. He already knew, anyways.
His chin rested on the top of my head and his arms circled around my small body. Humming the same soothing tune as he did in the cave, he rocked us both back and forth.
"Remember how we danced in the cave?" my angel said, voicing my thoughts.
"How could I forget?"
"That was the song my mother used to sing to me in order to get me to fall asleep at night," he said and I could hear the sad smile on his face. "She died when I was ten years old in a large attack on the kingdom. Rogues got her before anybody could do anything and just like that, her neck was snapped and the Royal Family had lost a beloved Duchess.
"My family is a quite laid back group of Dukes. We're ranked just below the princes, so I guess you could say we're pretty high ranked. Since I'm an only child, it's just me and my dad. He was heartbroken after my mother's death and sort of just shut down but he pulled through when he realized how much I needed him. He's been pretty protective over me now. I'm 25 now and I still sing her song to myself every night before I go to sleep."
Looking up at him from underneath my eyelashes, I saw the look of slight pain he got when he spoke of his mother and her tragic passing. His strength was incredible and I found myself wishing I could be more like him. Underneath all of the pain, I saw the love and admiration he has for his father and his mother.
Pressing my face back into his chest, I breathed in his scent in greedy amounts. He smelled of fresh mint and milk chocolate.
With a groan, I continued to inhale his beautiful scent. If I could bottle it and keep it with me until I passed away, I'd die a happy woman.
Ignoring his chuckles, I insisted on keeping my head tucked into his well sculpted chest where I could continue to practically eat him. Nuzzling my cheek into his chest, I smiled warmly and let out a happy sigh.
Looking up at my gorgeous mate, I happily grinned. His alluring brown eyes tempted me and I wanted to burry my hands in his lush, wavy hair.
"What's my scent like?" I asked curiously, wanting to know if I could ever smell nearly as well as he did.
He paused for a minute, as if trying to think of the right words to describe it with.
"You're rain and roses," he finally replied, his voice dreamy.
Rain and roses?
I'd have never thought that I would smell like rain and roses. Yet, of course, I wouldn't know because I couldn't smell myself. God, I am such a freaking idiot sometimes.
With a giggle, I poked his adorable button nose.
Looking down at me, he cocked one eyebrow and smirked. With a mischievous grin, I poked him repetitively. Scooting off of his lap, I continued to rain soft jabs at his breathtakingly beautiful
Eventually, he must have realized what I was trying to start because sooner than I could expect, he jumped up from the bed. Not waiting for him, I bounced up and sprinted out into the hallways.
Hearing his loud footsteps and laughs from behind me, I laughed along with him. My mind was clear of any dilemma and my soul was free.
Just like it should be.
***
I had eventually told my family about what had happened with Blaze and they were livid. Literally; beautifully crafted tables that had done nothing wrong were thrown into walls and exquisitely painted vases were shattered without a second thought. Chaos broke out and it took me, ten guards, Adrian, and two Dukes to calm down the raging storm that was my pissed off family.
It wasn't like I had much of a choice, anyways. Macho men Jackson and William grabbed a hold of me while I was exploring the castle with Adrian and I was dragged into the family room.
Not even the sight of my massive bed head and hideously makeup free face could have distracted them from finding out what made me go all psychotic. It was a shame, too because I was really hoping to find Adriana and beat the shit right out of her just like I wanted to do to Katy.
Sure, I had already known that Katy was a fake ass bitch when I befriended her; I was just hoping I could influence her to change. I was lonely, in need of girl friends, and desperation will make you do some stuff that you'll probably regret in the long run.
She also may have set off the events that lead me to find out about my kidnapping, but it didn't mean I wasn't still pissed that she'd backstab me like that. Even if Blaze wasn't my real mate and even if he was a nut job, I loved him at that time and nothing could be shadier then screwing around with the man that your 'best friend' loves.
If I ever see her again, I will punch the plastic surgery right off her face and those sandbags she calls boobs will deflate with a deafening 'pop'. Yes, she got a boob job. I was there after she got them, complaining about how she was drowsy, sore, and just being a bitch like always.
Yet, I knew that there will be a time when I would have to see her because that is what we were talking about at that moment.
We were gathered a round table in the middle of a room that was painted a dull grey. Twenty rotating chairs (that I had to resist spinning on like a child) were seated around the large table that the high ranked Royal Family members sat around.
We were discovering weaknesses of the Mid Moon Pack and how to use them against them. Once we discovered these, they were reported to the Royal Family Warriors and from there, tactics as to how to bring them down were planned.
"Well, I happen to know that Blaze- sorry, Alpha Tazman- would do anything to keep his mother safe," I said, crossing my legs and taking a sip of my warm coffee.
I wasn't lying, either. Blaze's mother had been emotionally damaged ever since the death of her mate, causing Blaze to have to care for her and watch over her every move. To say she wasn't stable after what happened to Mr. Tazman was an understatement. In fact, I remember the whole thing like it was yesterday...
I was thirteen at the time. In my bedroom, I sat on my floor in front of my TV. I was so zoned out on Call of Duty: Black Ops that I hadn't noticed the commotion coming from downstairs. A pail of half eaten ice cream chilled next to me and my sugar induced high wasn't wearing off anytime soon.
Well, that was until the Beta of our pack, Tyler, burst through the door. He frantically looked around the room until his eyes rested on me sitting on the floor.
Curious as to what was wrong, I set my controller down.
"What's going on?" I asked, my brow created and my lips curved into a frown.
"We need all the help we can get. He's just going to have to deal with it because this is an emergency," he mumbled to himself and speed-walked to where I was sitting.
Grabbing my hand, he pulled me up to stand in front of him. Still confused and wanting answers, I yanked my hand away with a strength that I didn't knew I possessed.
"You never told me what was wrong," I said, stubbornly crossing my arms over my chest.
"Look kid, your Alpha and Luna are in trouble now lets go!" he said angrily, yanking my arm and pulling me through the house.
Eventually, we made it to the backyard. A large span of land that I was too lazy to remember the size of stretched out and just a bit away, I could see a large crowd of screaming Mid Moon Pack members.
Tyler dragged me there, a worried look on his face. I have to admit, the look was on my face, too. I didn't have a problem with the Alpha and Luna and I definitely didn't want them to get hurt.
Once we arrived there, I saw what was happening. A large bubble was formed around our Alpha and Luna. Both Rosie (Mrs. Tazman and our Luna) and John (Mr. Tazman and our Alpha) were chained to wooden chairs. Although, the Alpha's had something strapped to his chest and it didn't take me long to realize that it was a bomb.
No one was able to get into the bubble because it reflected them off with a bounce. An idiot could see that it was obviously strong witchcraft that had caused this. An idiot could also see that the trap was designed to where only John would explode and Rosie would go without any physical harm. Emotional, yes.
We tried for hours to get into that bubble until eventually; the time on John's clock ran out. The bomb exploded after John expressing his love for his family and the pack.
Along with the explosion of her mate, the witchcraft caused Rosie to keep her eyes open during the whole thing until the bubble disappeared shortly after.
All that was left of John Tazman was a burnt corpse and the blood that splattered onto the flawless face of Rosie Tazman.
Blaze took the Alpha position at 15 that day (no wonder he's such a hard ass).
His mother fell into depression and insanity and tried to kill herself many times. Apparently, she didn't see any meaning to her life anymore and I'm sure it would have been terrifying to see your mate go that way. So, Blaze never let her be alone anymore.
I knew he loved her and that's the only thing that's reminded me that he was still human. Yet, I knew that we had to do this for the good of everyone.
"Write it down," my father said to his scrawny assistant who was frantically jotting statements down in a large notepad.
Sure, I felt bad for using his mother's problems to get to him, but Blaze needed to be gone once and for all.
This time, we were bringing the battle to them.