Note: I can get on my knees and cry with happiness as I was able to write again, it had been scary few weeks as I have been trying and trying but with no any results as I could not even write a single word. I was so scared that I won't be able to write but phew! Here we are.
Giovanni walks ahead of Connor making their way towards where Crystal was waiting along with Giovanni's mate Marissa. Just as they reach the closed doors behind which Crystal was, Gio turns to face Connor, staring at the man's face Giovanni finally breaks the silence.
"The way she reacted when you arrived, I will take it that you two know each other well. Well enough for her to forget her surroundings but judging from your behavior I am sure with whatever intention you stepped in, it was not good...
Before you stepped inside the room, just know, whoever you are, wherever you came from, no harm should ever be upon her, not when I am on the watch" Giovanni warns and Connor stares at the man expressionless.
"Good. Never go back on those words" Connor replies and Giovanni frowns hearing it before the door opens and Marissa stands smiling at her mate before her eyes moves to the man in front of her mate.
"I am going to go bring some drinks, while Gio will be with the guests, someone has to make sure they have enjoyed the party and now are in very much need to their own beds" Marissa announces as she wraps her arms around her mate who takes a deep breathe knowing well enough what she was pointing on.
"I will send some guards..."
"No guards" Marissa points as she tugs Giovanni along with her.
"Please go in, she has been waiting on for you for...it has been a forever kind of feeling" Marissa states as she walks away with her mate leaving Connor standing on the doorsteps of Crystal's room.
********
Crystal stares at the door to find no one entering, so getting up from the bed she makes her way towards the door to find Connor standing right outside of her door. She stares at his face before her eyes roam all over from his face to his body it focuses back on his face.
"Please come in" she pleads as he just stands there as if a statue.
"Your bedroom is the last thing I would like to enter" Connor replies and Crystal turns her head to look around her room before she stares back at him.
"I just thought, that we could use some privacy..."
"For what?" he asks interrupting her and Crystal blinks few times in surprise.
"Uh...to talk" she points and he sighs.
"I think we have already passed the talking point"
"Then answer me" she states in a hurry stepping towards him.
"I don't understand, how you are here and you are...what happened?" she asks raising her hand to touch him but he steps away from her reach.
"The Queen was about to choose a mate for her, every unmated male were invited, I just came to check my luck and it seems it has not changed at all" he points in distaste making her wince.
"You were gone without any contact and my people they, the kingdom needs a king" she whispers.
"Best of luck for getting one who needs this kingdom"
"Connor please" she pleads holding his arm as he turns to walk away.
"Please stay, there is so much I want to say and so much I want to know about you. I missed you, I have been missing you with each of my breath...
Just, the night, please, don't go"
"I cannot stay" he states and she gulps.
"Oh right, Des, how is she? Where is she? Did you leave her back at village? I will ask someone to go bring her back or we can go together..." she stops as he jerks his arm away from her hold with such a force that she stumbles away.
"Con..." she whispers in shock as he glares at her way.
"Don't" he warns and she frowns not understanding why he was so angry.
"I am sure she won't mind staying at the palace" Crystal points but stops as he fully turns around to face her before taking a threatening step towards her.
"Stop talking about her" he asks.
"Are you still upset with me? Is Des still angry about who I am? You two need to understand that I did not tried to trick you two...
Please Connor, I was scared that you two will hate me and never let me be part of your life if...if you knew what I am, but hiding my true self from you both hurt me equally. But what was I supposed to do, everything was so perfect when I was with you two as if it was a dream I was living in" she explains.
"I said stop talking" he growls.
"Des will love here, I know she will. Every time I had to leave your place I always hoped one day we will stay in this palace, Des would really love this place...
My people are not harmful at all, they would never do anything to harm you and her. Just in few moments she will wrap my people in her fingers with her charm, she is just that charming and so welcoming...
We all can get used to this place, it may take time, but you will come to love this place. I don't mean to replace your home. I love that place, we can come and go there whenever and we can even have Des's room close to ours...
She has always wanted a bigger room for her, this palace has many big rooms, whichever she wants it will be hers, all of this will be hers. Everything I have will be our...please, just don't leave me again" she cries pleadingly, desperately wanting him to not leave her.
"You are wrong" Connor whispers and Crystal wipes her tears stepping close to him.
"Just give us a chance...." She asks.
"You are wrong" he repeats making her frown as she stares at him carefully.
"Wrong about?" she asks thinking if she said something to upset him.
"You are so very wrong, she will never....bigger..." Connor stops as his breath quickens, feeling suffocated.
"Connor?" Crystal worries as she goes to grab his hand only to feel air as he runs out of the place.
Crystal stands still staring at the space he was standing few moments ago but now he was gone.
"No, no...don't leave, don't..." Crystal pleads before she stares at the way he took off and making her way there.
"Crystal" Marissa yelps as they barely crash into each other.
"Where's Connor? Did he leave?" Marissa asks worried but Crystal runs past Marissa in daze.
"He can't leave" Crystal cries running out of the palace.
********
"Fuck off" Adrian growls as he tries to move past but the hand on his chest stops him from moving past the body standing in front of him.
"Oh my, did you just cursed? You, bad, bad doggy" the man grins and Adrian closes his eyes praying for the patience he never had for the one in front of him.
"I swear..."
"And he swears as well. On your mother or father, on your mate or..."
"Dante, just shut your mouth and fuck off" Adrian shouts at once as he had enough of the man, who has been annoying him for the past hour.
"Ooh, now I am scared. Is my mother around, I need to go hide behind her while I cry for my mommy because big bad Adrian scared me" Dante sniffs.
"What do you want?" Adrian asks for the hundredth time.
"Name of the idiots who thought of throwing this so called party to send my little red away, I mean how could you even go with this and without my consent"
"When did I have to get your consent?" Adrian asks him.
"From the moment, you brought the little red at my house and asked me to take good care of the bundle I raised to be a beautiful queen...
I say the whole kingdom should have a statue of me built and worship me for taking good care of their Queen"
"It was your parents I asked to look after Cry not you" Adrian reminds him.
"Well, my parents were not there when little red learned to climb out of the window to sneak out and play with butterflies"
"She must have learned it from you, seeing how you always sneaked out"
"Oh well, ignore that particular talent, let's talk about how I raised her"
"Raised her? You literally are the reason why she had been so undisciplined!" Adrian snaps.
"Oh my, I am sure she must have learned one good thing"
"Yeah, she did. Not to go around fucking men"
"I knew it! This, this is why I always, always slept with women and my mother says that's not good. See, because of that our little red has ignored men and never slept with them...
Phew, I say I deserve to have a national holiday dedicated to me, like Valentine's Day" Dante suggests.
"How about we celebrate Invisible day dedicated just for you?" he suggests and Dante grins before he understands and frowns.
"Nah, not a good idea, I will be tempted to go naked all day long, every day. Then few of your men will have to die in shame because we all know whose is bigger" Dante wiggles his brow and Adrian finally push past him.
"Ad, Ad, man come on, I was kidding. We all know mine is bigger, no need to even show it" he teases following Adrian.
"Is that Antonio?" Dante asks as he walks beside Adrian.
"Yeah"
"Cool, hello" Dante grins as he greets Giovanni who says his goodbye to the last of the guests.
"Dante?" Giovanni frowns.
"Yeah, what are you doing standing at the gate, are you pretending to be a guard because Ad was away or were you doing the duty of the man of the house?" he asks making Giovanni just ignore him as he nods at Adrian and walks in.
"I say this palace is cursed, all the men here have no humor but sour looking face. My poor little red, she must not even dare get an orgasm" Dante shivers as both Adrian and Giovanni halts on their steps to turn to glare at him.
"What? I used to jerk a lot at her age, she must have desires too" Dante points as he steps back seeing the men walking his way threateningly.
"Gio" Marissa calls as she rush towards him.
Giovani holds his mate as she breathers heavily, he helps her to a seat while she tries to catch her breathe.
"Easy there, breathe slowly" Giovanni asks as he runs his hand to her hair while rubbing her belly slowly.
"What is it? Are you alright?" Giovanni asks worried about her and the baby.
"We are fine" Marissa assures her mate.
"Then what is it?" he frowns as he stares at her face.
"Wait, is that the future Alpha of your pack?" Dante asks as he pulls Giovanni away and kneels in front of Marissa.
"Oh, his sperms still work. Man, do you have any idea how much of a relief it is to me? If your works, dude, I still got few more decades" Dante grins as he holds Marissa's hand and kisses on her knuckles.
"Dante" Adrian warns his friend pulling him away.
"Man, even Alpha of the Antonio's pack is going to be with us and just look at you" Dante sighs shaking his head at Adrian.
"You do not touch a pregnant mate of a wolf" Adrian reminds Dante who gasps dramatically.
"Did I leave my scent of her? Will Gio smell my scent on her when they go to bed? Will my scent will linger on her skin all night..." Adrian covers his mouth as Giovanni growls at him.
"You really are a work of an art" Giovanni grumbles knowing the man.
"I actually am work of my parents, you know when my dad did..."
"No one will know he is dead if you two will never let the secret out of his death" Adrian asks Gio and Marissa.
"I will help you carry his body, what do you want, shall we burn him or dig him a grave?" Giovanni asks Adrian.
"Burn him, cannot take the risk of his body being in grave"
"Fine, I will go grab a lighter, a bottle of drink will do the trick if threw on his body" Giovanni agrees.
"Mommy" Dante gulps hearing his friends plan his murder.
"You cannot kill him" Marissa states as she gets up and Gio walks to stand beside her.
"I think I just fell in love with your mate" Dante states as he stares at Marissa adorably for coming to his rescue.
"Connor left and Crystal has gone in search of him, she looked extremely upset and we can use Dante's help to find her...
No one should know about their fall out" Marissa states in hurry.
"Ouch, did you all hear me falling out of love with her?" Dante asks around.
"Connor?" Adrian asks with a deep frown.
"When did they leave?" Giovanni asks his mate.
"Who is Connor?" Dante asks with a frown.
"Crystal's mate" Marissa informs.
"She has a mate?" Dante gasps in utter shock.
"She went after him, I don't know where but we should start with the village" Marissa starts before she wince clutching her belly.
"You need to rest" Giovanni states but she shakes her head.
"No, we need to find her, many of our kind have seen them tonight. And the way she went after her I am worried, she is not herself, she may get harmed, we need..."
"Mate, you are not in the state to go anywhere. I have lost enough pups and I will not lose one more" Giovanni points out making her sigh in sadness.
"We...we are in this together"
"You know what I mean" Giovanni points and Marissa nods her head as she cups his face rubbing his lovingly.
*******
"Why did you not tell me she found a mate? When did she be legal enough to even have one? The world must have come to an end, for a girl, younger than me finding a mate, while I still ask my mom where my socks are...
This is it, give me a hug Ad, tell me I am hearing this wrong and tell me I am in a dream" Dante states as he wraps his arms around Adrian who struggles to get him off.
"Where did she headed off to?" Adrian asks Marissa who grips her mate's arm.
"You should not go looking her"
"Why?" Adrian asks with narrowed eyes.
"They just need some time alone but with protection"
"I will protect my little red from the evil clutches, don't worry little Mar, have no fear when Dante is near" he winks before he wraps his arm around Adrian's neck.
"I will make sure he does not do something to ruin anything" Dante grins before he pulls Adrian away.
"You need to go with them" Marissa asks her mate.
"After I see you all settle down" he promises as he carries to her their room so she can rest.
********
Connor stops running and comes to halt near his sister's grave, clutching his chest he tries to breathe and calm himself. It was a bad idea, a very bad one to go see Crystal, as he had too much uncontrolled emotions left in him.
And watching her, hearing her, feeling her at the form her was in, was making him go insane, her scent so alluring at the same time so painful to him to be able to have her scent around him reminding him what he was and then she had to go talk about his sister.
He was not ready, he will never be ready to talk about his sister as guilt will forever haunt him, reminding him of what a failure he was. Bending a bit, he coughs as Crystal's sweet voice still echoes in his ears, regarding their future, one they could never start, one they can never have because his sister will never be there in it and nothing was complete without their little Destiny.
"I do not deserve that future, no amount of riches and glitters will ever bring me happiness, it's all painful without you" Connor whispers as he stares at his sister's grave before he kneels on the ground, his heart beating aloud, ears buzzing.
He grabs his head in his hands as he tries to not think anything but to keep his calm. After few moments, he gets himself controlled, slowly getting up he turns around to stare at the house he once thought as home taking a deep breath he stands staring at the house only to stumble a bit as something hits him from behind.
Connor stares at the arms around him in shock before he feels the body glued to him.
"Found you" Crystal breathes heavily in relief, she thanks her star as she found her mate exactly where she thought she would, seeing him standing in front of them house made her rapidly beating heart to calm down.
********
Connor stares at the hands wrapped around him before he grabs it and pushes it away, turning around he comes to face Crystal, who stands with a smile on her face and his heart skips a beat staring at the smile, he did not deserved and he really should have stayed away.
"Why did you run?" she asks as she puts her hand on his chest and Connor gulps.
"Leave" he asks making her drop her hand.
"Connor" she whispers a bit hurt.
"Things have changed from what it was before" he points out.
"I know, I know. I can see it, feel it. You are now..." she nods her head as she cups his face and Connor closes his eyes as it has been long, too long that he felt a loving caress from anyone.
"Where's Des? Is she still angry with me? I am sure once we all sit down and talk she will forgive me. I have few tricks to make her forgive me" she smiles as she looks behind him at the empty, dark house.
"Is she asleep?" she frowns as she tries to focus on any movements in the house.
"Yes, she is sleeping" Connor nods as he moves away from her hold and her hand drops down as he steps closer to the grave she had yet to see.
"I can wait for her to wake up" Crystal points as she glances from the grave to Connor.
"She won't wake up" Connor states as he touches the stone with Destiny's name engraved on it and Crystal's whole world comes down crumbling.
Crystal drops down on the ground in shock as she stares at the grave not believing it.
"She will not be able to come stay with you at the palace, the space is small but she will have to get used to it" Connor points as he turns his back to Crystal who shivers as she still cannot believe it.
"No, no..." Crystal shakes her head before she tries to get up but falls down once again as her legs shake along with her whole body.
"This is not true, this cannot be true" Crystal whispers as she tears pools in her eyes.
"Even I would like to believe that it is not true but this is the only truth I have" Connor points and Crystal gasps for air before a sob escapes from her mouth along with a scream of pain for the loss of someone so dear to her heart.
"Des..." Crystal cries in pain clutching her chest and laying on the ground.
Connor stares at the state Crystal is in before he walks and grabs her arms straightening her while she falls limp in his arms.
"Don't waste your tears, it's of no use" Connor asks and Crystal stares in his face still crying.
"How?" she asks and he scoffs making her stare at him in shock.
"All this time, you mean you did not once stepped in this land? Not once did you come and check on us? And you claim that you love me, you want a future for us" he demands in anger.
"Connor"
"My sister has been laying in that cold ground for ages and not once did you come and see her"
"I did not know" she whispers as he shakes her body.
"Lies!" he growls as he steps away from her and Crystal stares from the grave to Connor.
*******
"Lies? I truly did not knew about what happened to you and her. She was as much as a sister to me as she was for you"
"No, she was not! She did not deserved to be in there and even so, did you ever even tried to look for us?"
"You asked me to never come back"
"When did you ever start listening to me when I said never to come back?" he asks and she stays quiet.
"I sent someone to look for you but they said you left"
"And you believed it" he scoffs.
"I had lost my eye sight after my coronation, I was unable to leave the palace, you need to understand Connor, I would have never abandoned you two...
I had no clue what had happened to Des, I still cannot believe it" she cries trying to make him understand.
"Do you want me to apologize to you that you lost your eye sight after your coronation or do I congratulate you for finally being a Queen?" he asks and she shakes her head trying to stop herself from crying.
"I want you to understand me, the situation I was in..."
"Oh, I am sorry for not being so understanding as you see, I was busy trying to figure out what exactly was going on with me, why I was feeling so hungry, how I could still be alive while my sister was dead, left cold on this very ground without anyone to protect her, all alone, taking her last breath, while her brother was turned into a monster who was hungry for nothing but blood" he points making her wince.
"Who was it?" she asks him.
"It does not matter" he shakes his head.
"It does, I will personally look into it. Whoever harmed Des and whatever they did to you, we will take them out and deal with it. My men will..."
"I already took care of him or them or whatever" Connor's words stops Crystal from talking and her eyes widens as realization dawns on her.
"You...it was you" she points breathlessly and Connor looks away in shame.
"Yeah, what do you expect from a monster" he asks and Crystal covers her mouth as more tears fall from her eyes.
Her kind and innocent mate, what has time done to him.
"Oh Connor, I am so sorry" she cries.
"It's too late for the sorry"
"How can anyone be so cruel to hurt Des?" she asks to no one as her eyes turns towards Destiny's grave.
"When did this happen?" she asks him as she wipes her tears and Connor stares at her silently, her shoulders slumps down and she feels like she will collapse.
"No, no...no" she breathes in horror as she figures which day it all happened.
"Who were they?" Crystal demands as anger surges in her body, she cannot believe while she was being crowned to rule her kind, someone was there to harm her mate and Des.
While she was taking a vow to bring peace and protect her kind, someone from her world had turned her mate's world upside down.
"Just leave" Connor sighs as he felt drained and tired and her being so close was too bad for his senses.
"No, I want to know who they were, even if they were wiped off this world" she demands walking closer to him and holding his arm.
"Leave" he warns as he feels something shift within him hearing her demand to him.
"Not until I know who they were, so tell me"
"It does not"
"It does to me, so tell me" she asks.
"No"
"No? Connor, someone from my kind hurt you and killed..." Crystal gasps as Connor grips her jaw in his hand.
"You want to know who they were, you want to know everything we went through?" he growls and Crystal touches his hand trying to push his hand away.
"They took you away from me, they took Des away from us. I need to know" she pleads and he growls before loosening his only, his hand slips towards her neck and the pulse throbbing on her neck alerts him.
He stares at the vein moving under his hand and unknowingly he touches the vein, as if hypnotized he rubs the little vein before he shakes his head and turns around.
*******
"Don't walk away" she pleads stopping him and Connor slowly turns around to face.
"I will not be able to live if you leave" she whispers as she holds his hand before bringing it back to her neck where he was slowly rubbing his finger on and she liked it.
Connor gulps as he stares at her and seeing the softness on her face he lets go of the hold he had, letting the memories, the good times feel him up as his touches his lips to hers, from slow to a hungry kiss.
Crystal runs her hand through his hair holding onto him as she sighs in happiness as she kisses him back, waiting, wanting and craving to have him this close.
"Connie" Crystal moans and it halts Connor's movement, he freezes in her arms as the name echoes in his ears but this time it's the sound of his sister he hears.
Pain fills Connor as he remembers the times he had with his sister, who loved calling him by that name and suddenly the sweet emotion he had felt for Crystal turns bittersweet.
"What?" Crystal asks in daze and seeing her dazed makes Connor guilty.
"Connor" Crystal frowns as she raises her hand to touch him but he grabs it before turning her around at once.
Crystal gasps in surprise before her breathe stuck as he tilts her head a bit and she feels his fangs piercing through her skin right where her neck and shoulder meet, this time the sound that comes out of her mouth is not a moan but a scream, a painful scream relieving through the pain her mate felt, from getting beaten my those men to watching his sister laying on the ground, lifeless.
From craving blood because of hunger to craving to kill someone for revenge, from anger before every single kill to regret while putting flowers on his sister's grave, she feels every ounce of feelings her had gone through for the time they were apart.
And in that one moment, just for that once, she was not hers but his. Living the nightmare with him, feeling the feelings with him as if it was not him going through it all alone but along with her, yet it did not make the pain any less, what they lost was not just a relation, a bond but someone that connected them.
Connor finally lets go of Crystal as he sucks her almost dry, stepping away in daze, he lets Crystal's body fall down on the ground as he wipes his mouth before staring at his hand filled with blood.
He shivers stumbling away when his eyes lands on Crystal's body lying on the ground, blood running down her neck and he falls down on the ground, scared.
*******
"No....no....no, no, no NO" he chants as he lost control of himself, harming the one person who was the only one left for him.
"Baby" he breathes as he crawls towards her and pulls her in his arms, his hands shakes as he pushes her hair away from her face and gulps as he finds her body turn cold.
"No, no, I can't lose you too" he whispers before he pulls the sleeve of his shirt and bites on his hand tearing his skin.
Sucking his own blood, he bends before putting his blood inside her mouth. Tearing a part of his cloth, he wipes her mouth as he checks on her wound to find it healing. Sighing in relief, he touches his forehead with her.
Picking her up, he puts her under the tree and rights her clothes, caressing her cheek he drops a kiss on her forehead, pulling her head on his chest he stays still for a moment as he finally lets her go.
"I am sorry" he whispers as his eyes lands on the wound on her neck as another regret fills him in.
"I am sorry" he apologizes as he gets up, he turns to stare at his sister's grave one last time before he stares at the woman unconscious, running his hand through his hair, Connor walks away from her.
That is how Adrian finds Crystal, laying under the tree, a growl leaves him as he stares at the wound on her neck. Picking her up Adrian looks around the area before he runs towards the palace in hurry.
Connor walks back and bends to grab the dried flowers off the grave but stops as he stares at his hand filled with blood, stepping away he lets the flower be, even if dried. Without replacing the dried ones with a fresh flowers Connor turns and walks away from the grave.
"Goodbye, Des" the voice is whispered in the air as Connor disappears.