by Marian Tee
Raoul was shaking in fear as the realization that his defeat was imminent became clear to him. He looked at me. “Calys—”
I shook my head slowly. “You. Will. Die.”
ALEJANDRO
The battle was a bloodbath, but it was evident from the very start which side would win. Even so, he fought his way to be close to Calys, needing to be sure that he would be there to protect her even if his help was unnecessary.
He found her with Raoul, and the younger man was on the ground, begging for his life. But one look at Calys’ face told him mercy would not be granted, and rightly so. She had gotten her father’s sword back and she slashed at the panther as she forced him to a corner.
“Please, I can tell you what the others are planning,” Raoul babbled. But he ended up howling in pain as Calys’ sword sliced his face, leaving wounds on both his eyes.
“I’m not your only enemy,” Raoul screamed.
“I know that, Raoul,” Calys answered in her singsong voice. “But you’re the only enemy I want to kill right now.”
And then she began to slice him into pieces, starting from his ankles, so exactly it was as if Raoul’s body was like a diagram. By the time she reached his intestines, Alejandro realized that the interval was the exact distance between the steel bars of her cage in the dungeon.
Even when Raoul was long dead, Calys remained standing next to his body, unmoving. It was as if the battle taking place around them didn’t exist, every bit of her concentration focused on his corpse.
He stopped a foot away from her, knowing it would be utter stupidity to approach Calys from behind when she was having a dark fit.
“Princess—”
In an instant, Calys had whirled around and her father’s sword was pointed at his throat. There was nothing of his princess in those baby blue eyes. It was all her twin, all darkness and none of her light.
“You will die for hurting her.” They were the only words she spoke before she lunged for him. Unlike with Raoul, she did not bother to toy with him. She was deadly serious, and he was forced to be just as serious as he tried to defend himself without hurting her.
“Don’t do this.” Twisting around, he grasped a sword lying on the ground just in time to parry another killing thrust from Calys.
“Why shouldn’t I? You hurt her.” Rage burned in her eyes at the sight of the weapon in his hand, and she became even more aggressive, always going for spots that could maim. His head, his neck, his heart.
“You don’t want to do this—” Swords clashed.
“You hurt her. I could feel her pain,” Calys’ dark twin hissed. “It was almost like she was dying.”
He whitened at the words, and it was all she needed.
In another instant, she had him flat on the ground, her sword against his throat. She looked down at him as if waiting. Those eyes were not Calys’. Those eyes belonged to a killer, one who only knew right and wrong and nothing in between. Looking into those eyes, Alejandro tasted fear for the very first time. But it was not fear for his life.
Looking into those eyes, he knew that he could die any moment, and yet – only one memory kept playing in his mind.
I love you. I know I do. I’ve k-known it for a long time.
From afar, he heard Calys’ twin speaking.
You hurt her. I could feel her pain. It was almost like she was dying.
In his mind, he saw himself speaking, killing Calys like her dark twin had said, his every word a stab to her heart.
Then I’m sorry. I’m sorry you feel that way.
Above him, he heard Calys’ dark half ask, “Why have you stopped fighting?”
His gaze met hers, but all he saw was the look of betrayal on Calys’ face when he told her she was wrong to love him. If only he could take it back. If only he had the chance to talk to her before he died, then he would tell her she was right. She loved him, and he loved her.
The sword pressed harder against his throat, drawing blood. “Answer me, wolf.”
He said hoarsely, “Because I can’t take the risk of killing you if I try to escape.”
“Then you will let me kill you instead?”
“If that’s what it takes to keep you alive.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You are not lying.”
“No. I’m not.”
Her head cocked to the side. “Why did you hurt her?” Her sword pressed deeper against his neck as she spoke, a relentless punishment that told him very clearly he meant nothing to this side of Calys.
“Because I was a fool.”
“That’s all?”
Again, the sword pushed deeper, and he began to taste his own blood. But still he managed to speak evenly, saying, “Not all.”
Her voice cold with impatience, she asked, “Then what else?”
“If you do kill me, make her believe it was an accident. And tell her…tell her that I admitted to you that I love her.” His chest constricted at the words, which made him feel too goddamn vulnerable and weak. “Because I do. I love her.”
When Calys’ dark half made a move, he didn’t blink, wanting Calys’ lovely face to be the last thing he saw before he died.
But instead of killing him, her dark twin had tossed her sword to the side, bent down, and whispered into his ear, “You must give her time to heal and be strong again. If you love her, you must.”
CALYS
“Your first guests have arrived,” Anastasia announced as she pushed the door wide open to my bedroom, not bothering to knock.
Her words made my heart leap in hope because one of those could be him. The man I had been waiting for all this time to see again. It had been more than a year – one long painful year of knowing he was near but unable to get close to him. Sometimes, I wondered to myself if I had only dreamt it. If he had really told me he loved me, and if he had really whispered that he hoped I would wait for him until he came back. Sometimes, I wished my darker and lighter halves were still separate. That way, I could demand answers from that part of myself. Why did she have to make him go away for so long? Why couldn’t I heal and rediscover my strength by his side?
But of course, deep down inside I already knew the answer to that.
If I had him by my side, I would never really be able to fully earn the respect of panthers outside my pack. I had to show them that I didn’t need a Cavaliere to rule, and if I did have one, then it was not because it was the backbone of my reign.
I had to become the alpha because of my own strengths and not because my Cavaliere was the strongest of them all.
After over a year of proving my worth to the Panthera, I think they were finally convinced. And now that I could be the alpha my father raised me to be, I was finally free to be with the man I loved.
Anastasia snapped her fingers in front of my face, jerking me back to reality. “Hellooooo?”
I turned red. “Sorry, I was just…”
“Daydreaming about your werewolf?”
I mumbled incoherently in reply.
“You don’t have to worry about him, you know.”
“I can’t help it,” I confessed. “It’s been a year—”
“Calys, he’s already here. I had the men at the gates report to me if they saw him.” She checked her watch. “If you watch for him by the window, I bet you could see him any moment now.”
I had already reached the windows of my bedroom before she was done speaking, making my younger sister laugh. “You really have it bad for him.”
“I love him,” I said simply.
Standing beside me, Anastasia squeezed my hand. “I’m so happy for you, Calys.”
Below us, cars started to drive into our territory, ranging from flashy sports cars to understated stretch limousines. Not counting our race, most shifters travelled in style, and such display of wealth was typical. I held my breath when the first limousine slowed to a stop and one of our guards immediately opened its door.
It was him.
Alejandro.
Before I
could call out his name, I watched his handsome face break into a smile just before he offered his hand to someone still inside the limousine. A second later, he was drawing a young woman out – and into his arms as they shared a passionate kiss.
ALEJANDRO
“Are you ready?” Domenico asked his younger brother as their limousine drove past the gates that secured the lands belonging to the Adelardi pack. “Do you need an inhaler perhaps or you’re still somewhat able to breathe?”
Alejandro only looked at his brother’s wife. “I hate that he’s got his warped sense of humor back ever since you returned to us.”
Misty blushed and laughed, the sound self-conscious. Even though she and Domenico had been together for over a month now, she still found herself unused to the way everyone so casually spoke of her husband’s love for her.
Domenico frowned down at his wife. “You mustn’t blush at other men’s words, darling.”
“Domenico!” Her cheeks turned a deeper shade of red at his words.
The heir to the Moretti pack nodded in approval. “That’s more like it.” His gaze slid back to Alejandro’s. “But seriously, brother, are you sure you’re capable of breathing?”
His grin over Domenico’s jealousy disappeared. “Shut up.” He would rather kill himself than admit there was more than a grain of truth in Domenico’s words. He was finding it hard to breathe, and the bow tie he had around his neck felt like it was choking him. Too much time had passed since the last time he had seen Calys. Did she still feel the same way about him? Or perhaps she had forgotten about him? Maybe one of those winged Souris had managed to steal her heart and this party was but a formality, something to get over with before she announced her engagement to another man?
It had killed him every day not to go to her, but he knew it was for the best, knew that her dark half would not have asked it of him if their separation had not been necessary.
She had so much going against her as potential alpha. Her youth, her gender, her lack of panther blood—his presence would only have made her weaker and less suitable to be a pack leader. A Cavaliere could and would always only be as strong as the woman he served. Before he could be seen as a strength, she had to prove her own strength first – and that was something she could only do on her own, away from him.
Soon, they were at their destination, and the familiar sight of the Adelardi pack’s home had his heart thundering hard against his chest. Soon, he would see her. Soon. Soon. Soon.
The next few moments went by in a blur, Alejandro simply going through the motions and counting the seconds until he could see his hellcat.
They were escorted to the rarely used ballroom of the Adelardis, and a butler at its doors announced their names. “Domenico Moretti, heir to the alpha of the Moretti pack, with his mate Misty and his brother Alejandro.”
The crowd below them clapped. They normally didn’t, but it was expected when it came to Domenico, whose name was even more prominent after the powerful speech he had recently delivered at Lyccan Hall. He had not only reclaimed his leadership of his race but he was also instrumental in forging an alliance not just with the much-elusive Faeries but the Caros as well.
When they descended the stairs, it was then Alejandro saw her. She made a breathtaking vision in purple, the deep shade of her gown making her skin appear as if it was glowing. Her hair was much longer, enough to be curled up in an elegant chignon. The sapphires sparkling in her ears were no match for either the brilliance of her gaze or the loveliness of her smile. Just one look at her, and she stole his heart. If he had his way, it would be in her safekeeping forever.
As dictated by customs, Alejandro allowed his brother to take the lead as they approached her. He kept waiting to catch her eye but she never looked at him, her smiling gaze resting only on Domenico. She stood in between her younger sister and Stefan, and the sight of the jaguar standing too damn close to his princess made Alejandro bristle.
He listened impatiently with half an ear as Domenico completed the formalities, introducing his wife with a noticeable sense of pride and finally Alejandro.
Calys was visibly reluctant as she turned towards him. He didn’t understand why and when he reached for her hand to kiss it, she said tightly, “It’s unnecessary.”
Alejandro’s hand fell against his side at the unexpected and undeniable snub, one that had his brother raising a brow. Beside him, Misty was swallowing convulsively and around them, people were beginning to talk.
What the hell was wrong?
Before he could ask her, she was saying in a pointed voice, “Don’t you have someone else to introduce me to?”
He said flatly, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
She flashed him an extra bright smile. “Oh, please, don’t be shy. I really don’t mind.”
Alejandro demanded, “What the hell’s gotten into you?” When she flinched, he immediately regretted his outburst. “I’m sorry.” He forced the words out even though he felt like he had nothing to apologize for.
“I’m the one who should be sorry.” This time, Calys’ smile didn’t reach her eyes, and her voice had gone back to being tight, almost to the point of rudeness, as she said, “I’m just not as good as everyone is at pretending.”
Something inside him turned cold at her words. “Pretending?”
Calys looked away. “You shouldn’t have bothered to come here.”
Behind them, glasses crashed to the floor, eavesdropping female shifters unable to control their shocked response at Calys’ words.
He wished he had a damn glass to drop as well. It would have been less painful than the reality of having his own heart crashing to the floor and his hellcat stomping all over it. “What the fuck are you saying, Calys?”
“Exactly what I said.” But still she didn’t meet his gaze as she spoke.
“Look at me,” he growled.
She shook her head.
“If you’re going to turn me away, then you should at least have the guts to say it to my face—”
Her head jerked up. “I wish you hadn’t come here at all,” she screamed. “Are you happy now? I can’t bear the sight of you! Do you get it now?” She stopped suddenly, as if unable to believe the words she had just uttered.
Alejandro could no longer feel.
One fucking long year of waiting, of believing that he had something to hope for, and then this.
A mocking smile touched his lips. “Crystal clear, Princess.” Without another word, he turned and walked away.
CALYS
“I’m not sure what exactly happened.” The first one to break the painfully awkward silence that Alejandro Moretti’s departure had created was Domenico Moretti’s human wife, Misty.
“I’m not sure, either,” I whispered. I was still hurting at the sight of Alejandro leaving, and it hurt more than I expected it to. More than it should, considering the circumstances.
Misty cleared her throat. “I know it’s not my business, but I really thought you two had something going on…”
“I thought so, too…” Above us, the butler was calling out names of guests again. One of it was unfamiliar, but the person it belonged to was not. I recognized her right away, and in that moment whatever pain I felt at seeing Alejandro leave disappear.
My fists clenched at my sides. “How dare she come here?”
Domenico and his wife turned around, following my gaze, and it was clear on their faces that they knew exactly who I was glaring at.
Domenico cursed.
“I saw him,” I said bitterly. “I saw him kissing—”
The redhead actually came to us, a pretty smile to match her pretty face.
“—her!”
The girl stopped dead in her tracks as I pointed an accusing finger at her. She looked over her shoulder, as if wondering if there was someone else I was pointing at. When she looked back at me, she asked in a confused voice, “Are you, err, talking about me?”
“Do you know even know who
I am?” I cried out.
“The girl Alejandro wants to marry?”
I didn’t know what I wanted to do more at her words – kill her or kill myself. “If you know that, then how could you have kissed him—”
A male arm curved around the redhead’s waist, and I suddenly found myself looking at Alejandro.
Rather, I was looking at someone who appeared exactly like Alejandro but was not him.
He was Alessandro, Alejandro’s twin, and his tone was an icy snarl as he demanded, “Who the hell tried to kiss my girl?”
CALYS
It was almost midnight by the time I reached Lyccan Hall, which according to Domenico was where Alejandro was currently nursing his broken heart. The werewolf prince had dished the words out without blinking, and I knew he had wanted me to feel as guilty as I could be. I had heard about the Moretti heir being ruthless when necessary, and now I knew it was true. He wanted me to learn my lesson from what happened, and I did. I didn’t think I’d ever forget this lesson, not even until the day I died.
Lyccan Hall was heavily fortified, just as what was expected from the race’s headquarters. I studied it thoroughly, and it took me about forty-five seconds to size it up. It was strong, definitely, but it was not impregnable.
The gates opened before me again, and the guard I had given my name to came out once more. “My apologies, Princess Calys,” he said stiffly. “I am afraid Prince Alejandro will be occupied for the rest of his time here and is thus unable to meet with you.”
He didn’t want to see me then.
I should have expected that, but the words hurt nonetheless. Squaring my shoulders, I told myself that I wouldn’t give up just like that. I loved him. I had stupidly hurt him, but it didn’t make me love him any less and he had to realize that.
