Chapter #23- My Mate makes me angry at silly (and sometimes not so silly) things.
I feel like I am a spectator of a Nadal v/s Federer tennis match. My eyes keep bouncing from Tag to Van, and then back to Tag as I wait for something to... explode maybe? I donno what it is that I am expecting to happen.
Taggart's eyes are filled with so many emotions, it is hard to name all of them, but the one I see in abundance is relief. That makes me sad for some reason, seeing my friend's eyes glassy.
As for Vanessa, hers are more feral. Like a caged amimal. Anxious, and there is something else in them too... something that I cannot quite pinpoint because it is so very clouded with anxiety.
"I... uh... please excuse me" Vanessa mumbles under her breath and she walks briskly towards the door where Tag and Mel are standing, along with Beta Anthony. I see her looking around the room, (in search of another exit maybe?) and when she doesn't find what she is looking for, her lips tighten in a grimace.
"Nessa-" Tag whispers the name he used to call her when they were dating, and even though I cannot see her face, I see her whole body tense. She is displeased and agitated.
"Don't" Is the only thing she says as she stands in front of him, waiting for him to get out of her way.
"Nessa..." Tag sounds so pained and it hurts me. Hearing him sound so vulnerable hurts me. My eyes are starting to blur. Damn.
"Can you please excuse me Beta?" Van sounds meek and Beta Anthony looks confused standing beside Tag, blocking the way, but he scoots.
"Thank you" Van whispers in a soft voice and before she can even take a step fuether, Tag's hand latches on her elbow in a vice grip.
"Do not walk away from me Love" He sounds so fierce and I see Van's face turn stony as she says, "Do not fucking touch me"
It is the first time I have heard Van cuss, the time I had known her before, albeit short, she did not cuss. Ever.
I see Tag's eyes turn dark, and I do not know why he is angry, but in a nick of a second, the two of them are out of the room, and if I were not a werewolf, I wouldn't have been able to tell you that Tag used his freakish Vampire speed to steal her away.
A cry escapes my lip, and I don't even realize I am running after them, until I feel a strong hand clasp my middle to pull me back.
"What the-?" The sparks are enough to tell me who is holding me back, but before I can complete my sentence, my Mate is dragging me back to the table.
"Let me go" I growl and try to wiggle out of his hold, key word: try; he is way to strong for me to actually get out of his hold.
"Land your ass on one of the seats, witch. You ain't going to watch them kiss and make up too" Spice drawls out, and for a moment, I lag in his hold, waiting for Mel to contradict his order and go entertain herself with Tag and Van's drama. But she surprises me by following Beta Anthony to the dining table and taking the seat that Van had previously occupied.
My Mate sits down and pulls me on his lap, one hand around my abdomen, the other holding the spoon.
"Let go of me!" I growl, frustrated and confused (Wtf? Why is Mel listening to him? Mel doesn't listen to anyone. No one at all!) beyond belief.
My Mate does the opposite, making sure that he tighthens his hold on me to the point that I can feel his touch to my bones.
"Enjoy your food" He says, his voice emotionless, and Mel scowls.
"I realize why you are keeping her away from the drama, but why am I restricted from following the vamp couple?" She pouts, even when she is helping herself to some pot roast.
"Maybe because it is none of your business?" Bas is nonchalant about it all, and that makes me angrier.
"Aren't you supposed to be Vanessa's boyfriend" I stress on the 'boyfriend' part to give him a clue.
"So?" He is busy tearing into the fried chicken that my Mom insited he taste.
"Well... Tag just kidnapped your girlfriend... shouldn't you go-"
"Sugar" My Mate sounds pissed off.
"But-" I am shut off by my Mate who shoves a spoonful of something that tastes like sandpaper to me in my mouth.
He looks into my eyes and his are darker than their usual colour, which tells me more about his mood than he does.
"Tag didn't kidnap Vanessa. He just took her out for a heart to heart, and I recon I can allow them that much liberty considering their past..." Bas speaks between mouthfuls of food.
First of all- Ew.
"By Moon! This is the most drama that the pack has seen in a long long time" Mom's musing makes me realize that we are not alone.
Oh.
"I know right?!" Luna Avery sounds amused.
My Mate proceeds to feed me, and once the food in our plate is finished, he scoops some more.
I know food is bae, but now is so not the time-
'It is always time for food. Always' Sel decides to pitch in.
"I am full" I hiss, blocking Sel in the process. She speaks mostly when she is uninvited.
He buries his head in the crook of my neck where my mark is, and then, slowly lifting his head, in my ear, whispers, "We have to patrol all night, Mate. So fill up"
"I said I am full" I sound like a bratty kid.
"You will be full when I say you are full. Until then, just open your mouth and swallow the food"
"But-"
"I think you both should take tonight off" Alpha Ashton says, and I look up at him.
"Why?" I ask.
"You must have jet lag" He says and though that is thoughtful, I don't think I can stay at one place until I know what the hell is happeening with Tag and Van, let alone sleep.
"Uh... not really" I say and his eyes flit from me to my Mate, who I feel shrug behind me.
"We'll patrol if she is up for it" He tells his Dad.
"'Kay" Alpha Ashton lets it slide and then taps Luna Avery, who I notice had stopped eating a few minutes ago.
Luna Avery gets off Alpha Ashton's lap and on cue Mom and Rose get off their mates' laps too.
Then, their males stand and Alpha Ashton speaks for all of them when he says, "We'll retire to our rooms now. Y'all can leave once y'all are done eating. Good Night"
Mom and Dad kiss my forehead before leaving, Mom whispering in my ear that my Mate is doing the right thing keeping me out of Vanedsa and Taggart's business, and I give her a tight lipped smile.
If only she knew that Van is carrying her grand child, I don't think that she'd encourage my Alpha to keep me rooted here.
"Good Night!" Mel is the only one who says it back to the retreating couples, as Bas is busy eating like the food is gonna run away if he stops.
I slump in my Mate's lap, cross my arms and huff, not opening my mouth to eat the food he is feeding me.
I can't believe he is doing this to me... if something happens to Van, if Tag does something, anything that he shouldn't, I am going to blame it on him. For stopping me from being there, to stop any mishaps.
(《》.《》)
TAGGART'S POV
She is breathing heavily by the time I have stopped us. We are now standing by the lake that I had explored eatlier in the evening, and in the time she takes to catch her breath, I survey her soul.
I need to see how much damage I have caused.
Her conscience, which was initially pure white has a couple of grey patches on them, and that's it. Not even a dot of black.
I should be happy that I have not caused her to completely lose her virtue, but now, I am more worried about those grey patches.
She is a vampire now, I can sense it, hence one of those grey patches. But what brought about the other one?
Oh my good Lord... why did I have to screw up the best thing thing that had ever happened to me?!
"Where- where are we?" She is turned away from me, her voice small, smaller than it had been before, as she asks me that question.
I speed in front of her and cup her face, desperate to see the eyes I am in love with, but she shuts them before I can eben steal a glimpse.
"I don't know about you, Love, but I am at home" The words tumble out of my mouth like vomit, and once I have spoken them, I realize that for the first time since she left, I feel.... content. She is my home.
I catch her shiver, and immediately regret not bringing something warm with me. What if she catches a cold?
"Don't- don't say shit like that to me. They won't work this time around, Your Highness" She hisses, her face sour, and I don't have an idea what surprises me more; that she cussed, or that she called me Your Highness.
I am not even the King yet for crying out loud!
"Nessa-"
"It is Vanessa, Your Highness" She is saying 'Your Highness' as Del would say 'asshole' so I am concluding that she means that title as a cuss.
Nice.
"Nessa." I grit out, not able to catch up with her anger anymore.
So, I turned her against her wishes. I shouldn't have done that... should have tried to talk to her first, make her see reason, and all... but how could I?
First and foremost, I bit her in the spur of the moment.
Also, she was human. How long could our relationship work? She'd die, because that's what humans did, and even if she did manage to stretch till say 100, it would have been by God's grace alone, because my stepmother would have made sure that she werr dead within a year. Just to show me that she could still take away my happiness from me.
She loved me, (I hope she still does...) and I knew that she sould see a future with me, but... that future would have just remained a vision had I not turned her.
I may have done things the wrong way, but I know I didn't do the wrong thing in turning her.
"Don't call me that, please..." she chokes out on the verge of a sob, stil not meeting my eyes, her head downcasted, and I get down on my knees just to see her eyes.
I need to make her understand. I need to... do what I have been planning to do whilst searching for her these past 6 months.
"I am so so sorry, my Nessa" My sight is blurry, but I can still see her eyes, so dark they make me wanna get lost in them.
"Please forgive me for turning you without your wishes... I shouldn't have turned you until you were ready..." I don't hug her legs like I want to, just remain on my knees, my head tilted upwards to meet her gaze as I beg for her forgiveness.
"You shouldn't have, but you did" she says bitterly.
"We werr so happy together, Taggart, so happy that I had bever been that happy in my whole damn life, even when Robbie was alive, and you... you had to mess up! You had to make me a fucking monster!" She spits the last word out with so much venom that I am astounded I haven't died yet.
"You are not a monster" I state calmly, ignoring her outburst.
"You-"
"You are not a monster, love. Take my word for it. I have seen many a monster in my annoyingly long life, and I can assure you that you are not one of them"
"Don't try to fool me, Taggart. I am a monster. I know it. I killed a freaking rabbit that night when I turned completely... and had Ed not found me... I know I would have killed more than just a rabbit to quench the thirst I was feeling"
Ed found her? That asshole! I am going to fucking kill him. He is going to die a painful death by my hands.
I knew I shouldn't have let Del's trust on that lowlife rub on me. I just knew it. God only knows why I didn't follow my gut.
"I had to drink from Ed. I had to drink from him and I nearly drained him out... I nearly killed that man!" She has tears trailing down her cheeks and each one that rolls down, is like a hot poker through my chest.
She drank from Ed? She drank from a fucking dragon?! Oh brother.
"Nessa... you have to listen to me" Begging becomes me, because something in my voice makes her stop crying and look at me wearily.
"If I wouldn't have made you a vampire, my stepmother would have easily killed-" even saying the word makes me wanna break something. "-you"
Her eyes widen slightly and I continue. She needs to know the truth.
"Why do you think that for the first couple of days that I met you I was as distant as the north pole?" Okay, bad simile, but still...
"I felt the instant attraction towards you that you confessed to feeling towards me... I felt it dammit, and it was so different than any other I had felt ever before..." She is speechless as I lay my heart out to her, standing still on shaking legs.
"I knew that you were special... and different than others, and... I also knew that with time, you'd have my heart putty in your hands"
"That is why I trued to stay away, because I knew that my stepmother, the Queen of the vampires, she would have seeked you out, had you be mine, and caused you harm..." She gasps on hearing that and for once in my life, I am regretting the fact that we vampires are so secretive about our kingdom.
"My step mother and I, we don't have the best of relationships and... she would have hurt you to cause pain to me" I have no idea how I am even daring to keep eye contact with her, after what I just said to her. I am a shameless man, when it comes to this woman.
"And you were human, all the more easy for her to hurt, all the more vulnerable to those who see me as enemies..." I hate that I have enemies, not for my sake, but for hers.
"And the time we were together, I tried to reconcile with them, to make peace with as many people who wished me ill as possible, but not all of them like peace and harmony" The bitterness in my voice is quite palpable.
"And that night, when you said you love me, I just couldn't hold back... and I just couldn't not turn you... I am a weak man Nessa. Weak when it comes to you... I was so scared... I couldn't let you get hurt, couldn't... lose you too..." I feel my cheek wet, and initailly I think it is Nessa's tear that dropped on me, but then I feel my eyes sting even more, and I realize that for the first time in my life, I am crying.
"Tag... I don't know what to say" she says after a long pause.
"Say you forgive me. Give me another chance, Nessa. Let me show you that not all vampires are monsters. Especially not you" The hope in my voice should tell jer just how sincere I am when it comes to her, right?
"You... you betrayed me, Tag" She says and it is like I have been sucker punched.
"Betrayed?"
"We didn't even talk about it, hell I didn't even think about it, about turning into a vampire... you could have brought it up with me... given me time to think about what I wanted... you stole my choice away from me... you didn't even ask... didn't even care-"
"Would you have said yes if I had asked?" She looks taken aback by my question.
"I- uh... I don't know... I would have... thought about it-"
"You would have said no" I let go of her and get off my knees to turn away from her. My whole world is a ball of chaos.
"I... you are the only man I had loved Taggart. I would have... I have no idea what I would have done" She sounds frustrated.
"But that all doesn't matter now, Taggart. I have now accepted that this is my life... that a leech is all I am..." Okay, here's the thing, I have never taken offense at being called a 'leech', but the way Nessa said it, it sounds so... offensive.
"So you forgive me?" Good Lord. I sound like a kid.
"Forgive you?" She looks as if she is about to laugh at my face, "you've never asked for my forgiveness, Your Highness"
Again with the Your Highness!
"Well I am begging for it now" My jaw is clenched so tight, I worry I might break a tooth.
"It's too late for that, Your Highness"
Can she stop with the Your Highness?!
"Nessa...."
"What?"
"You know I hate being called that-"
"You are the king of the kingdom I belong to, Your Highness"
"Let's just go back to Delilah's place and see where you are staying" I feel tired al of a sudden. Tired and lonely.
It's weird, because until I had met her, I hadn't known what lonely is, and I had only become accustomed to that feeling once she left me.
I had thought I'd be rid of the abhorrent feeling once I find her and she comes back to me again, but the feeling, the dark feeling is still very much with me.
"I- what?"
"You must be tired, Nessa. I don't want you to fall sick because of lack of rest or something"
How can she not be concious of her health?! I ponder once my eyes take in her barely there baby bump.
How had I not noticed before?
Oh Good lord... she is pregnant.
Whose baby is it?
And why is her being pregnant making me so elated? It's not even my baby...
But it sure is my dream.
"And since you are as you say my subject, feel compelled to tell me whose baby you are carrying..."
(O-O)
Hey there, my wolves!
After so long I am updating on a Sunday and keeping up with my word....!!!!
This has been an eventful amd a tiring week for me. (And I recon all my fellow Mumbaikars)
We (the people of Mumbai) were subjected to heavy rainfalls which led to floods this past Tuesday... which led to electricity cut out (for 20 hours!!!) and water shortage as the flood water sabotaged the clean water.
It was horrible. I hated each and every second of it. I do not wish to spend another night without electricity or go to my friend's house to take a bath another day!!!
I am so so so frustrated. But that is a whole different issue.
Anyway, I could have dedicated this whole chapter to Tag+Van (I need a ship name wolves!!!) And given the week that I had, I almost did.
But then I missed writing about Lys and Del... and I just couldn't get myself to do it.
So what do you think is in store for Van and Tag? I am not going to give their story much ellaboration anymore, because this is Lys' and Del's story.
I am sorry if you wanna read a whole lot about them, because that wouldn't be possible. I mean I won't cut them out of the story or anything, you will still get to know how their story proceeds, but it will all be in Delilah's (and probably Lys') POV.
I am logging out now.
Task of the day-
Recommend me a song.
XOXO
#PEACE
-N.
P.S. don't forget to VOTE and COMMENT!!! 💕