“Alpha, Luna’s birthday is coming in two days, her most trusted maid informed me.
Really? While I’m working my ass off, she chooses now to tell me that? Do I look like someone who doesn’t know his wife’s birthday?
It’s been a month since Rosella left. She flew to Copenhagen, then went straight to California. And after that… nothing.
No trail. No sightings. No trace of her in California either. If she were there, Desmond would have found her. He has enough reach. She would not be able to hide for long.
But still, she vanished. As if she planned it.
“Everyone is expecting to attend her party, Darius,” Desmond added after the maid.
“And how could we do that if we don’t even have her?” I asked sarcastically.
If she were here, I’d throw her the grandest party. But is she here? No.
“Get out. I’ll finish this and then fly to the cities near–California,” I told him.
I went back to what I was doing, but I saw in my peripheral vision that Desmond remained standing there.
I turned to him.
“What? Do you need anything more?”
He sighed, and his calm demeanor shifted.
“Sasha’s having panic attacks. She’s been sick for days. Her condition keeps coming back. It could affect your child.”
“Then call a damn doctor for her, Desmond. That’s your job. And if you’re annoyed by her demands, have my gamma take care of her,” I snapped.
“But she wants you. Rosella’s gone. Do you want Sasha to run away too and hide the baby?”
The whole room erupted with my laughter. I squinted my eyes in disbelief.
“You think she’d do that? She’s just desperate for my affection.”
“Same thing happened with Rosella, Darius. But she got tired of you and left.”
I stilled. My jaw clenched.
Was she tired of asking me to choose her again? To love her the way I used to? And I… I kept choosing duty.
We could have made it, even after the accident. If I hadn’t held onto this title and burden. She would still be mine.
Sometimes I dreamt of us far away from here. In some quiet town, living a simple life. No De Laros. No power. No name. Just me and her. I would have started over from nothing, if it meant I could keep her.
“I’ll leave you now,” Desmond said as he turned around, walked out without another word,
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but his voice stayed behind like a curse.
When midnight struck, I closed my eyes and let myself remember the first time I met her.
She’s a quiet girl, working in a library in a remote town. I was there for training, sent far from the safety of our land. That day, we were attacked, and I was too injured to fight back. I barely made it into hiding before I collapsed. She looked like an angel who had come to guide me.
She had ash–blonde hair, fair–white skin, just the right height, and a voice so soft and calming.
“Let me help you, Sir,” she said, guiding me into the cabin where she stayed.
She didn’t know me, yet she helped, gave me shelter and a chance to heal.
I saw the shock on her face when my wounds began to close on their own. Horror flickered in her eyes. I had to tell her the truth.
‘ycan?” she muttered.
I nodded gently.
“But… but that’s a myth, right?”
“A myth is in front of you now, then,” I said with a faint smile.
“But… but…” she couldn’t contain her shock and her questions.
“We live in De Laros. Far from this town,” I explained. “Have you ever visited?”
“The wealthiest and largest village in the city…” Then she shook her head. “That’s too far.”
I know. That’s why we chose to train here, to push me out of my comfort zone, to stop relying on the safety of my territory. But then I was attacked by hunters and got wounded.
“Thank you for helping me, beautiful.”
Her cheeks turned red, and she looked away.
“I promise no one will know. About you and your…” my secret.
She was going to keep it? A stranger? I didn’t buy it. Sure, she was kind, but once the hunters found her and scared her, she’d talk. She had no loyalty to me.
Texpected the worst. She was human. She didn’t know me.
Then, a week later, I got news.
“Darius, hunters and rogues created chaos in the small town. I think they’re searching for us,” Desmond reported.
He had been by my side, just not on the day I met Rosella.
“Did they find out? Did the woman who helped me say anything?”
Again, I expected the worst. But Desmond shook his head.
“She was wounded, but she didn’t speak. She’s in the hospital, we’re covering her expenses.”
I was stunned. She stayed silent, even when injured, even with her life on the line. It was the first time someone protected me without obligation.
Chapter 17
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And so… I fell in love with the young Rosella. I did everything I could to make her fall in love with me. I remember it all, how I proved to her that even though I was different, I could still love her gently.
And I made her love me.
If I see her again, I’ll do everything all over again, until she loves me once more.
Chapter 18
Sasha’s POV
