What is love?
If not the manifestation of a thousand dreams,
A thousand feelings.
A thousand scenarios overflowing with joy and serenity.
What is love?
If not those elysian moments where the entire world goes utterly silent.
Where you cannot hear the water flowing behind you, or the birds chirping from above the trees.
The people walking by, or the delicate rain drops hitting the stone tiles.
Where no noise can reach you, and nothing matters except for the person standing across from you, mirroring your gaze.
What is love?
If not ones most fundamental Erlebnisse.
________________________
"I can't believe he rented out the Louvre?"
Beside me, Sebastian smiled, his fingers running through the silky strands of my hair as I glanced at him through the bathroom mirror. "We don't usually visit, but when we do we like to make it count."
I let out a content sigh, images of the tour around the empty museum replaying in my mind's eye. "The art here is so much more beautiful in person."
The wolf beside me snorted, looking away from me. "Tourist," he muttered under his breath.
I scowled at him.
He coughed in response to my expression, quickly switching the subject. "If this is how you're reacting to just the Louvre, then you might just cry tears of absolute joy when you two go to dinner."
"I don't know, Seb," I murmured, my lips tugging into a frown. "I've never really liked formal dinners. There's nothing special about them."
He met my gaze through the mirror, before clasping a golden necklace around my neck, and reaching for the make up bag. "Then tell him."
"But he probably worked really hard to make it special."
"It was a bad idea then."
I groaned, running a hand through the carefully curled strands of my hair, ignoring the burning glare he sent my way at the action. "You're not really helping."
His hands shot up, nonchalance painted on his face. "Hey, I kind of want you to go to this fancy restaurant. Why? Because I worked my ass off trying to find you this dress and I'll be damned if you don't show it off."
My eyes narrowed and I huffed. "This dress is not a good enough reason for me to go out and make myself uncomfortable."
His gaze locked with my own, my own irritation reflecting in his eyes as he gritted his own teeth. "Don't you dare insult this gown, Alexandria. It's absolutely fabulous."
"I wonder how fabulous it'll look if I shoved the silk down your throat."
He shot me a scathing look. "This is what I get for trying to help you with your big Paris debut."
"Nobody fuckin cares except for you."
"Honestly, I should let you leave here looking like a fuckin clown," he growled. "But I won't, since I'm a nice fuckin person."
I didn't have time to retort, because seconds later I was being shoved into a bathroom stall with a bundle of red silk and a pair of black Louboutin heels in my arms.
Muttering a string of curse words under my breath, I glowered at the closed stall door, knowing the infuriating wolf was waiting on the other side. Setting aside my annoyance, I slowly began changing into the red evening gown, the smooth fabric hugging every inch of my waist, and flaring at my ankles.
"By all means, Alexandria, take your time," Sebastian said as I carefully slipped on the shoes from behind the door, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "It's not like you need to catch a reservation or anything."
"Oh, shut the fuck up, Sebastian," I growled back, my lips pulling into a frown as I fiddled with the lock.
"To be honest, you should really think of cutting back on those curse words," he mused, that heavily accented voice dripping with mockery. "Did you see General Levons face earlier when you dropped the F-bomb in front of Bella?"
"He's going to make me pay for it tomorrow at training." I sighed, my heart sinking at the thought, but I disregarded the feeling as I finally strode out of the stall.
Sebastian's eyes widened slightly when I reappeared, the red dress he'd picked out flowing past my feet. The idiot pretended to wipe away a tear. "I really outdid myself, huh?"
"I have half a mind to ditch this dress just to piss you off," I muttered, standing still while he patted down the loose strands of my hair.
"I think the fuck not," he bit out, pulling sharply on a handful of my hair, causing me to shoot him a sharp glare.
"And to think that I was just about to compliment your hair," he huffed, once again fixing the delicate curls, before passing me a scarlet red lipstick. "You don't deserve me."
I chuckled at his words, my eyes taking in the reflection of red that stared back at me as I trusted his expertise and carefully applied the alluring color. Once done, I pulled back and fully glanced at myself in the mirror.
A walking flame. That's what I was.
And as much as I hated to admit it, Sebastian deserved credit, because this dress...
My lips pulled up into a smile, and I found myself summoning my magic, the flame appearing in the palm of my hand.
I let out a laugh when Sebastian jumped back, his jaw slackening in disbelief at the smokeless fire in my palm. "Oh come on, did you have to fucking ruin the moment?"
"It's aesthetic!" I argued, willing the ball of flames to split into smaller circles and leave my palm, instead moving to hover around me in a burning shield.
"Aesthetic, my ass," he practically snarled, eying them carefully. "That shit is dangerous. And I swear to the goddess, if you burn that dress I'll kill you myself."
"Who knew you were so afraid of fire?" I questioned, my hair falling to the side as I tilted my head.
He gave me a dark glare. "I am not afraid of fire."
I pushed one of the little balls to hover in his direction and he glowered at it as though he could will it to disappear simply with that stare, but when it didn't seem to be working, he scattered.
Another laugh escaped me when he avoided the tiny fireball, my eyes alight with amusement. "It's not going to burn you, Seb, calm down."
"How can it not burn me?"
I giggled. "You're a friend. My magic cannot harm you."
He paused at that, staring at me, and then back at the fire, before tentatively reaching to touch it with his index finger.
I let it flare.
He jumped back, the pad of his finger instantly healing but he still shot me another dark glare. "Is this what I get for being so nice to you? For dressing you and being a good ass friend, you demon child."
Laughing at his disbelief, I waved a hand, and the flames died out, no longer brightening the area around us. "I meant what I said though," I told him, once my evil cackles died down. "My magic could never fatally wound you, Sebastian. I promise."
He still glared at me before gesturing towards the door in one quick maneuver. "Good talk, but I will never trust you or your magic again. Now, let's go, His Majesty is waiting in the car."
Despite his fake mistrust, he still offered me his arm, which I gladly took. "Would you like to third wheel?" I asked with a smirk, already knowing his answer.
"Nope, I think I'll pass," he muttered, quickly shaking his head while we strode out of the bathroom.
I let out a laugh and took in all the precious art one last time before we headed towards the exit, the car already waiting outside, my mate casually leaning against it.
Sebastian paused, his hand landing on my arm. "Well. This is where I take my leave," he murmured, grinning down at me. "If the Alpha doesn't tell you how gorgeous you look, slap him for me."
I snorted at his words, my lips quirking up in amusement. "See you at home, Sebastian."
He wasn't done. "And thank you for today, my queen," the wolf said gently, taking both of my hands in his own. "We ought to go shopping together more often."
"Yeah, so you can turn me into a fuckin doll again, no thank you."
He chuckled at my words, swiftly laying a kiss on my knuckles, before turning away. "Have fun and make sure to take plenty of pictures for me."
I rolled my eyes at his order. "Sebastian, wait."
He turned back to me, those curious brown eyes meeting my own. I pulled him into a hug, my chin resting on his broad shoulder. "Thank you for today. I really did have fun, even if I hated the dress part."
Offering a platonic kiss to my cheek, he quickly fell into a sweeping bow. "Anytime, Your Highness."
"Stop it." I giggled, gently shoving his shoulder as he turned away and offered me one final wave.
Gods, I adored that wolf.
Shaking my head in slight amusement, I made my way towards my mate, his eyes already taking in the gown I wore.
The moment I was within arms length, he grinned, pale eyes locking with my own. "Don't you clean up well."
"You don't look so bad yourself," I offered, taking in the custom black suit he wore, the red tie that ran down his broad chest, the silky black strands of his hair, and the confidence with which he stood
Livius' eyes briefly unfocused, and I instantly knew he was communicating with someone when his lips tugged into a frown.
However, a moment later, he glanced back at me, and the expression melted into a warm smile. "You look stunning, my queen."
I gave him a small smile at the compliment, murmuring a quiet 'thank you' after he opened the car door for me.
Walking around the car, Livius settled into the driver's seat beside me, and turned on the engine. "Can I ask where exactly we're going?" I questioned, running a hand through my hair now that Sebastian wasn't watching.
Livius merely glanced at me for a brief second, quickly shooting me a sly wink before sliding his crystalline gaze back to the road. "It's a surprise."
I blinked at the brightly lit city outside, my eyes narrowing slightly. "I can't even get a hint?"
"Nope."
I pouted. "You know I'm still mad at you, right?"
"Don't try to guilt trip me into spoiling this," he retorted, voice taunting.
"Be nice to me."
"I'm being as nice as I can."
I scowled in his direction, rolling my eyes as his lips pulled up into an amused smile. "Fine. I will admit to you that there's been a slight change of plans."
Tilting my head in confusion I waited for him to continue. "Sebastian has brought it to my attention that you're not quite interested in a formal dinner," he continued.
I grit my teeth.
I really can't trust that idiot with anything.
Livius readjusted his arm on the window, his right hand resting on the steering wheel as he glanced at me once again, allowing me to see the truth in his eyes. "Which is great, because I wasn't exactly feeling it either. I only reserved the table because I thought you'd enjoy it."
Arching a brow, I once again turned my gaze back to the window. "So where are we going?"
"Back home, where I'm personally going to make you the best dinner you've ever tasted."
"Hmm," I teased, smirking slightly. "Good luck with that."
He chuckled, the sound heavy and melodic. "You know, you're not the only one who studied culinary arts, Alexandria."
I hummed in acknowledgement and instead continued to blink at the world outside, the city I had only managed to see so little of staring back at me. "Is there a reason we're going in the opposite direction of the palace."
My mate laughed again. "Of course you'd notice," he said, voice dripping with amusement. "There's something I wish to show you first."
My brows dipped in confusion. "I thought I already saw most of the important landmarks."
"You've barely seen anything, ma reine. There's still so much more I'd like to show you," he sighed. "But for now, this will have to be enough."
I fell silent while Livius parked on the edge of the street, and instinctively reached for my door handle, before his hand landed on my own.
He tsked, wagging a finger in my face as he raised a piece of silky red fabric. "Sebastian and I even made it match with your dress."
I shot him a pointed look. "You've got to be kidding."
He shrugged. "No blindfold, no Paris."
"It'll mess up my eyeshadow."
It was his turn to shoot me a pointed look. "Alexandria."
Sighing in resignation, I turned around and allowed him to cover my eyes with the smooth material, my heart beating erratically at the sudden darkness.
I said nothing when Livius opened the passenger door, and delicately took my hands in his own, his thumb stroking reassuring circles over my knuckles as I noted the sound of the car door being shut behind me.
My mate didn't let go of my hands as he led me down the street, his comforting scent wrapping around me. "Relax, Alexandria. I've got you," he told me, never once letting me go.
"I really don't like this."
His velvety chuckle reached my ears. "We're almost there, moon. Almost."
I let out a sigh, choosing to follow along with his plan and trust his 'surprise'.
Finally, a few minutes later he brought us to a stop, my eyes still clamped shut behind the stupid red silk as Livius released my hands. My heart beat spiked at his disappearance, only to relax once again when I felt his hands on the blindfold.
His lips hovered just inches away from my ears, while he loosened the knot at the back of my head, the fabric nearly falling to reveal our destination.
"My darling, this is the City of Love."
The blindfold fell away and I immediately blinked, my eyes adjusting to the piercing lights before me, and when they finally did, my breath caught in my throat.
The Eiffel Tower glimmered a good distance away, the golden light illuminating the area around the massive structure.
I'll admit, I had seen it earlier today as we drove by, but it's so much more beautiful at night, with the stars shining above.
"Livius," I breathed, taking in the smirk that played on his lips whilst he carefully observed my reaction. "This is..."
My voice faded as my eyes remained glued to the tower before me.
"Beautiful? Heavenly? Surreal? Ethereal?" my mate supplied, and I rolled my eyes at his constant teasing.
He let out a low laugh at my irritation before wrapping a loose arm around my waist from behind, and resting his head on my shoulder, both of us staring at the shimmering tower ahead.
"Listen, baby," Livius began, as my manicured hand came to rest on his wrist. "I know it's been really complicated between us lately, and I'm the only one responsible for causing this rift. I promise you, there won't go a day in which I don't regret what I said to you this past week," he murmured quietly, shame and disappointment tilting his voice.
I thought we agreed not to talk about this...
"But," he continued, his arms tightening ever so slightly around me. "I need you to know that no matter how you act, or what you do differently, you'll always have my heart, Alexandria. I still remember what you said that day in my office. How you changed who you were for me, for the role of Luna Queen. And fuck, it really messed with me, ma reine."
He buried his head in my neck, deeply inhaling my scent. "You're perfect. Everything about you is. You're strong and yet you have a gentle heart. You're kind to those around you but you're unafraid to call people out on their shit. I don't care if you curse like a fuckin sailor, or if you fight with my wolves during training. It's what makes you so magnificent, moon."
Pulling away from him, I turned to meet his gaze, my head cocking to the side. "Where is this coming from, Livius?"
And to my complete surprise, this legendary Alpha King averted his gaze from me, those intimidating blue eyes swinging elsewhere in shame. "Since the very beginning, I've been unfair to you, Alexandria, and the situation with Victoria only made it so much clearer how much pressure I was constantly putting you under as my mate. It made it obvious how many expectations I had thrust upon you without even knowing. And I can't imagine having to adjust to them."
I frowned as he continued to avoid my gaze.
"To think that I simply expected you to stay calm when faced with Victoria. To stay in the castle just because I told you to do so. To avoid an old friend merely because it upset me. You may not have realized it, but I put you in a gilded cage, Alexandria. I made it seem as though if you acted any different, I'd grow tired of you, my own mate. As though my own love for you was measured by how much you did to please me," he admitted, angrily pinching the bridge of his nose.
Blinking up at the towering man, I briefly glimpsed the self-loathing that danced on his face, my hand instantly reaching for his own in reassurance. "Hey, in your defense, the concert thing was pretty stupid." I joked, tilting my head to meet his gaze.
He eyed the hand resting in his own and shook his head. "Even now, while I'm reminding you of how much of a shit mate I've been, you're still being a decent human being towards me."
"Would you like me to slap you and get mad about it instead?"
He sighed at my words, still avoiding my eyes.
"I don't have any more rage left in me, Livius. You can thank Cruella for that," I admitted quietly, and raising my hand, I cupped his cheek, finally meeting his pained gaze. "And besides, this is the most honest you've ever been with me. I have no reason to be angry over what we can't change."
He stared down at me for a few moments as though he were trying to confirm that I was really there, before leaning down to press his temple against my own. "Even after all these weeks of knowing you, I still have to take a moment to remind myself that you're real and not just a figment of my imagination."
I grinned up at him, my eyes lighting up as I tossed a portion of my hair over my shoulder. "We all know a mere figment of your imagination could never look this good."
Livius chuckled, a soft expression slipping onto his face. "There's my girl."
Pulling me closer, both of my mates large, calloused hands came up to cup my face, his eyes locking with my own. "But before this conversation ends, let me just be completely honest with you right now, Alexandria. So there are no more unsaid words hanging between us."
I raised a confused brow at his words, my eyes searching his own for an answer that could only be put into words.
"I love you, My Luna. Unconditionally."