World's Apart

Augustus's POV

I howled in pain again. My forever love was going through a lot of pain, but there was nothing I could do until she found me. I took in a deep breath, trying to take away as much of the pain as I could, but I knew that no matter how much breath I did take in, it would never touch her.

"When will you go out there and lure her for me?” I barked at my loyal stooge, Alexander, who had been with me for each lifetime.

"Master, you know the rules. I cannot interfere until after she has found you herself. You should be used to it by now.” Alexander said and scurried away from me because he knew what would come next.

I growled loudly. This was my final year and for every lifetime, I have messed up our reunion. It was almost like I could never get her to love me again, no matter how hard I tried.

A thousand years ago, I fell in love with a young Luna, of whom I was her first. I never considered my Lycan blood any special until my mate. Ariel was the woman of my dreams and reality. Our love was fanned by the flames of an eternal fire that neither of us were aware of.

It wasn't until a year later when suddenly Ariel had taken ill. Nothing I did was enough to help her feel better. The pain of watching her lose herself daily had driven me into the arms of another woman, whom I was only with for the pleasures of the flesh.

Ariel had cursed me. She had been so hurt that I could hear her voice right now in my ears. It was almost like I was transported back to that day.

"How could you have done this to me?” she yelled, her eyes blazing with more fury than I had ever seen it.

"It's nothing serious, Ariel. She is just a distraction from the trying times. I am yours and I always will be” I said and tried moving close to her. I had thought that she would understand and things would go back to being normal, but she moved away from me.

"In that case, for every lifetime you come, you will have to wait for me to find you, until then, you will live the life of wild animals. I will never forgive you for this, and it is not until I do before you would ever find peace...” she had said and then jumped off the balcony from the twelfth floor of my palace.

"Why don't you take it easy on yourself, Master. I am sure she will find you soon, but you know we can't keep doing the same thing that we have been doing in the other lifetimes.” Alexander said, he slowly emerged from the back of the chair.

"Speak.” I barked at him and struggled to pace my breathing. Ariel felt better, she must be with Sebastian, her favorite horse.

I closed my eyes and tried to mind-link with her, but there was the same obstacle as always. Even though I couldn't get direct access to her, I could feel what she was feeling and briefly see around her.

"Master?” I heard Alexander's voice. Today had been different, she had felt him and if Alexander had not distracted him, he might have just been able to talk to her. To make her feel his presence so she knew that she had never been alone, and I would never touch another woman who wasn't her.

"I already told you to speak.” I said, willing myself not to snap at him.

"Maybe you could actually try to be gentle with her in this lifetime. If you do not get it right this time around, you'll forever be condemned to living the life of a wild animal in every lifetime.” Alexander said.

"I don't need a reminder of the situation that I am in. and you know that I have tried to be gentle with her before. It's almost like she just hates me as soon as she sees me, even if I am yet to do anything.” the frustration and the pressure was beginning to drive me nuts.

"Maybe you shouldn't be gentle with her in the way you think you should, perhaps do it in the way that she would like.” Alexander said, and I was confused.

"Does gentleness mean different things for different people?” I asked Alexander.

"Yes it does master.” Alexander said and took a deep breath.

"Do I need to nudge you before you explain?” I snapped at him, irritated that he was making me wait for him to provide me information on what my next step towards trying to get Ariel to love me in this lifetime should be.

"No master. The thing is, I really can't explain it. It's something you let yourself feel, give in to it. I know you love Ariel. I believe in your feelings for her, if is why I have stuck with you through the 999 lifetimes. This is the last chance we get.” he said, and I understood his plight.

He had given me his life in servitude, the least I could do was release him. I had never really thought about the significance of what Alexander had done for me. Unlike me who got to still come in contact with Ariel, my mate, Alexander was now condemned to a life of loneliness.

Even though I was only a year older than him, he had always treated me like his lord and master. With him, I knew I had a faithful loyalist.

“I'll try to give in to this feeling you speak of, but how do I know the feeling? How do I know that this is what I'm supposed to give in to?” I asked him.

“You'll now master. You will know.” he said, he to me.

“I'll slap the brain out of your skull, you better tell me what I'm supposed to look out for.” I said, and a smile spread across his face.