"No one is born hating another person.
People must learn to hate and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love.
For love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite."
___________________________
"Alexandria."
I whined, forcing my eyes to remain shut as I turned away from the voice that was shaking me awake. Unfortunately, it was too late. I had already woken up. There was no going back.
The worst thing that could ever happen to a person while they're having a good ass dream is some idiot waking them up midway.
"Alexandria," Damien said again, this time his hand landing on my shoulder as he lightly shook my body.
I groaned, my eyes flickering open to meet his gaze. "Fuck you," I mumbled, my voice hoarse and quiet.
He rolled his eyes at my anger, already accustomed to my empty threats and vulgar words. "Well good morning to you too, Princess."
Taking in my surroundings, I disregarded the title he'd thrown into his response, a part of me no longer in the mood to dwell on my roots.
It was still dark out, most likely somewhere around midnight, and judging by the shivering wolf by my side, the temperature must've dropped sometime while I was sleeping.
"You could've just left me here," I sighed, slowly standing up, already prepared to head back to the castle and face my reality.
He also stood up, those emerald eyes briefly meeting my own, before he proceeded to walk ahead of me. "You know I'd never do that," he whispered, the words low and quiet, but I still managed to pick them up.
I couldn't help the small smile that appeared on my face, a warm feeling settling in my chest at his words.
We walked in a comfortable silence back to the castle, both of us once again lost in our thoughts.
I couldn't stop my mind from drifting back to Livi and Victoria, even though I'd convinced myself that I would no longer get all riled up over such a trivial matter.
I should be worried about more important things.
"You're thinking about her aren't you?" Damien questioned, his eyes searching my own while he read my features.
I said nothing, only giving him the smallest nod as I looked ahead again.
"Y'know," he began carefully, "You two are actually really similar."
I stopped in my tracks, my eyes narrowing on him as I finally opened my mouth. "How so?" I bit out.
"Look at you two," he explained defensively, "You're reacting the same way to one another. Hurling insults, and throwing hands. To be honest, if Victoria wasn't so arrogant and stubborn you two would be good friends."
I let out a dry laugh at his words, the sound laced with bitterness, and slight anger. "She's childish, petty, ignorant, and immature. I'd never involve myself with that mess."
He snorted. "She only acts like that towards you. I mean, everyone knows how irritating she can be when she's upset about something, but most of the time she's just... normal."
I shrugged off his words, not caring enough to even respond. First impressions mattered a lot to me, and Victoria had made a horrible one. Besides, what she said afterwards is enough to make me dislike her even more.
Damien rolled his eyes again, clearly a bit peeved by my stubbornness as he moved to walk ahead of me.
"Did you hear that?"
The question escaped my mouth in a hushed tone, the words meant only for Damien as my hand shot out in front of him, stopping him in his tracks.
Glancing from left to right, I glowered at my surroundings, not enjoying the unidentifiable darkness.
Why did it have to be so fuckin dark?
I couldn't shake off the feeling that someone was watching us, that someone else was here. I could feel their presence, and the fact that I could was enough to tell me how strong they were.
Judging by the way Damien stiffened beside me, he too must've sensed it.
Good, so I wasn't crazy.
He turned away from me, instinctively guarding my back as I surveyed the area behind him. Turning on my perfect vision, I skimmed through the forest, my eyes sliding over everything that was in my line of sight without missing a detail.
Once done, I double checked before letting out a relieved sigh. "It's gone," I mumbled to Damien, my voice low, but he still managed to hear me.
Immediately, his shoulders relaxed, and his green eyes locked with my own. "What was that?"
"There was definitely someone there," I murmured thoughtfully. "Most likely not a rogue, unless they've somehow learned to mask their scents."
He scoffed. "That's not something you learn, Alexandria, not unless you're a Fae."
I let out a quiet laugh, both of us continuing to walk. "A Fae would have to have a death wish if they were willing to venture into your Alpha's territory. We both know he hasn't become even a little more tolerant of my kind, even if I was raised amongst them."
Damien let out a tired sigh, that mere exhale reflecting all his inner turmoil. "I just don't understand why we all can't just get along. If we could, I'd probably be with my mate right now."
I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, before blinking and refocusing ahead of me.
"The moment the Moon Goddess split us up into different races, our fates were sealed."
Damien blinked down at me. "But look at us, we get along fine."
I smiled, my head dipping, before I turned back to him. "We didn't in the beginning, now did we?"
He paused at that, and after a few moments of silence, he shook his head. "You got me there."
I giggled, my eyes drifting forward as my mates home appeared in my line of sight. "This world is a mess, Damien. Strong, hateful men become leaders, spread their beliefs, and before you know it you have entire species hating one another."
"To be honest, we're lucky there are only three types of supernaturals," I sighed. "Have you seen the humans?"
Damien's lips pressed into a thin line at my question. "It's funny because they all look the same. With Fae's, Vampire's, and Wolves, it makes a little more sense that our differences drive us apart, because we all have different abilities. But with humans... it's just their features. They don't have magic, or wolves, or anything supernatural. It's just their appearances that they allow to split them up."
I nodded, unsure where this discussion even came from. "People always find something to call out about the other. If it wasn't their physical features, then it would've been something else. Believe it or not, but this is essentially the root cause of wars and division. Our desperation to find something to dislike. It's disappointing, really."
He let out another sigh as we approached the palace. "But... she was just beautiful. That's all I know. I never judged her for anything, I only appreciated."
I eyed him carefully, once again catching sight of the lingering pain that I'd seen the very same day we met, and instead of giving him my usual condolences, I chose to link my arm with his. Offering him a blinding grin, I stared up at him.
"Now, now, what did we say about wallowing in self pity?" I asked teasingly, attempting to brighten up both of our somber moods.
I refused to let my pain weigh on my subconscious, and I wouldn't allow him to either. It was a new day, and I'd be damned if I didn't make the best of it.
"Come on," I said, dragging him along. "Let's go to sleep, then wake up and do something productive," I offered.
He remained silent for a few more seconds, eyes never leaving my own, before he gave me a slow nod, never once moving to pull away from me.
"By the way, we never really said anything about wallowing in self pity," he muttered, as I gave the guards situated at the door a gentle smile, after watching them bow in my direction, their eyes lingering on Damien and I's interlaced arms.
Sometimes I forget that towards everyone else he's still just a mateless wolf.
I rolled my eyes at his words. "You know what I meant."
He simply hummed in response, our conversation dying down, and fading into a comfortable silence as we climbed up the grand staircase, and turned into one of the hallways leading to my wing.
"Are you going to tell King Livius about what we sensed in the forest?" Damien inquired, his voice cutting through the silence.
I instinctively flinched at his name. An image of him angrily reprimanding me flashing in my inner eye.
Ignoring it, I shrugged. "He's been working late nowadays, so I probably won't see him tonight. If he's in our room, I'll let him know," I answered indifferently, a part of me knowing that whatever was in that forest was more important than our petty feud, and that he definitely had to know.
Before Damien could respond to my words, two familiar figures on the other end of the hall caught my attention, and my eyes widened in shock at the sight of them.
"Is that... Bella?" I asked Damien, as I blinked at the tiny girl running in my direction, dressed in a pink nightgown, and a matching pair of socks.
I watched as she rushed towards me, her grip on General Levon's hand never once faltering while she pulled him along with her.
"Why's she with the General?" I murmured in confusion, when Damien nodded at my previous question.
The wolf gave me a disbelieving look, his eyes brimming with incredulity as he blinked down at me. "What do you mean why? She's his daughter."
It was only then that her last name registered in my head, and I face palmed at my own stupidity.
Goddess, I was getting slow.
"You're telling me that she's basically second in line for the throne?" I gasped as they approached us, and Damien looked taken aback, before he suddenly whistled lowly.
"I never thought of it that way," he muttered. "But she has no chance now, right? Since-"
I gave him an irritated look, knowing what he was alluding to. The last thing on my mind right now was mating with Livius, and I definitely would not be having a kid any time soon.
I kneeled down to Bella's height as she finally reached us, my arms already outstretched. Her tiny arms immediately wrapped around my frame whilst she hugged me back. "Luna! I've been looking everywhere for you," she said excitedly, gray eyes shimmering with joy.
I smiled at her words, pulling back to fully meet her gaze. "Have you now?"
Her and I had also grown closer over the past few days. We'd run into each other in the hallway every once in a while, and she'd tag along with me after that. We'd play hide and seek, and occasionally bake some goodies in the kitchen. I even drove her to her private school once, when Levon was too busy.
She was literally an angel.
Bella giggled at my question, turning back to grab the hand of a tired looking General Levon. "Dad even offered to help me look."
A part of me highly doubted that.
"Alright, angel, now that you've met the Luna," he began slowly, still managing to keep his voice gentle. "Would you please go to bed? I'm begging you at this point."
She pouted. "But who's going to tuck me in? Maria's busy today."
"I already tucked you in, but you got out again," the General sighed, those icy blue eyes meeting my own.
I had never seen him in such disarray.
"Can you believe she pulled me out of a meeting with the King so she can take me on this random quest of finding you?" he asked incredulously, his eyes narrowing on me as a thought occurred to him. "And where have you been anyway, young lady? You could've made my life a lot easier if you just stayed in the palace."
I had to hold back my laugh at his words. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
This man. This calm and collected General was whining.
"I was out," I murmured vaguely, knowing he wouldn't question me further.
He merely sighed again in response, agitatedly pinching the bridge of his nose, before he fully kneeled down to his daughters height. "Come on now, Angel. Please get into bed, so your old man can get back to his meeting."
I snorted when she stubbornly shook her head, the sound earning me a glower from my personal trainer. "You're starting off with seventy push ups tomorrow, for blatant disrespect," he told me, and my jaw dropped.
"That's not fair!" I argued, watching as he arched a perfect brow.
"Hm, let's make it eighty, for unnecessary defiance."
I huffed, a scowl appearing on my face. "Just because you're in a bad mood doesn't mean you should take it out on me."
"Ninety."
"Now you're just playing."
"A hundred."
"Levon!"
Damien gave me a subtle tap on the shoulder, and when I met his gaze, his eyes were practically screaming the words, "Just shut the fuck up."
However, I didn't miss the clear and unhindered amusement that was plastered all over his stupidly pretty face.
"Father, stop bullying the Luna," Bella admonished, her eyes slightly narrowed.
"It's not bullying if she's my student," he shrugged.
"Yes it is," was her direct response, and I found myself falling more in love with this child.
Her father shook his head, no longer willing to argue. "Enough of this, Bella. Let's get you to your room."
"But father-"
He cut her off, his voice firm. "No more of this, angel. You need to go to bed. You have school tomorrow."
"I'm hungry."
"Nice try. You ate a whole meal thirty minutes ago."
"I-"
"Nope," he gently grabbed her small hand in his large one. "No more stalling."
"Will you stick around until I fall asleep?" she asked him, hope filling her voice.
"Darling, I can't. I stayed with you earlier, and you simply got out again," he exhaled, and she frowned, moving to bow her head as they began to turn away from us.
"Wait," I called after them, my voice quieter than I'd expected it to be, but they heard me nonetheless.
When they turned back to meet my gaze, I gave Levon a mischievous smile. "If you rebuke my one hundred push ups, I'll tuck her in for you."
He blinked at me for a few moments. "Normally, I'd say no, because you're an extremely bad influence, but..." he briefly glanced down at his watch, "I've already missed half of that meeting, and I really must get back. So, I'll cut them down to fifty."
I happily clapped my hands, smiling as Bella also jumped up excitedly at the new change of plans. She suddenly tugged at her father's hand in a silent request for him to lean down, and when he did, she stood on her toes and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, before rushing to grab my hand.
She admired my manicured nails for a few moments, before turning back to General Levon. "Goodnight, father."
He seemed rather hesitant to leave her in my care, his eyes carefully sliding over the two of us.
Surprisingly, he smiled at Bella, "Goodnight, Angel."
However, the look fell when he turned to me. "No fire, Alexandria."
I gave him a disbelieving look. "You guys act like I casually decide to light up a place," I muttered, throwing an annoying portion of my hair over my shoulder.
"You're unpredictable," he shrugged, before continuing. "No cursing. No magic. And definitely no horror stories. And don't you dar-"
"Okay, okay," I raised my hands in surrender. "I got it."
He blinked at me for a few more moments, before finally relaxing, those churning blue eyes settling. "Thank you," he nodded, and I responded with a simple smile.
"Anytime, Teach," I said, shortening his nickname, and he gave a fleeting smile before turning away and disappearing down the hall.
Once I was sure he was gone, I glanced down at Bella, the mischief returning to my eyes. "How about we go have some fun?"
Her eyes widened with excitement, and her grip on my hand tightened. "You mean you won't make me go to sleep right away?"
I snorted. "Of course not. Your dad's boring, I'm not."
She giggled at my words, the sound childish and musical.
Well, tonight was going to be fun.
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Hi?
Some of you guys are so mean to me 💀💀😔
-Aida