Chapter 5: Bitter farewell

We sat in the sitting room on one of Ophelia’s purple velvet couches. I took one of the smaller ones in hopes of forcing King Nicholas to sit somewhere else. But much to my dismay, he squeezed himself in beside me. It was the first time I’d been so close to him. Even in the car, I’d tried my best to keep my distance. However now, with his body right up against mine, I felt flustered and overwhelmed. He smelled good, like expensive cologne and aftershave. But there was something else, a scent I could only describe as severely intoxicating. It was relatively subtle, but once my nose picked it up, there was a part of me that wanted to get closer to him to so I could let more of it invade my nostrils. It was ambrosial and slightly citrusy. However, as much as I enjoyed this pleasant scent, I desperately tried to avoid it and its effects on me. Eventually, I even turned my head to the side and started taking in shallower breaths.

Ophelia took a seat across from us, on the other side of the glass coffee table, and then tucked her curly purple hair behind her ears before speaking. “I have a suspicion of why you’re here, but I’d like you to confirm it.”

Nicholas reached out for my hand and held it gently. His skin was soft and warm and tingling sensations appeared between my skin and his. I snatched my hand away and then huffed before turning away from him again. He just brushed it off and then said, “Ariya and I are mates.” Even now, it still sounded strange coming from his lips.

There was a moment of silence during which I tried my hardest to decipher the look on Ophelia’s face. Anger? Sadness? Frustration? Any of those would be viable and warranted. However, as soon as she broke the silence, it became clear that she felt none of those. Instead, she let out a loud, hearty laugh. It continued to the point where she had tears filling her eyes and she began gasping for breath. Admittedly, I too wanted to laugh and I’m sure I would have if my own dire situation was not the object of Ophelia’s amusement. 

“In my mind it sounded way less hilarious than it did when it left your mouth, Nicholas,” she said after she had recovered from her laughing fit.

Her face then fell serious and she turned her gaze towards me. “She won’t go with you.”

Nicholas sighed deeply, ran his fingers through his hair and then said, calmly, “It’s not safe for her here. You aren’t thinking straight Ophelia. For her safety you need to let her stay with me.”

Ophelia scoffed and then shook her head. “I was merely stating a fact, Nicholas. It isn’t my place to decide whether she stays or goes. But I can tell, just by looking at her face and the fact that she swatted your pathetic attempt at affection away earlier, that she doesn’t want to go with you. She won’t.”

Nicholas’ expression changed to one of surprise and he shook his head slowly in disbelief. “It’s unlike you to be considerate towards humans…”

The moment Nicholas said this, I stiffened and clenched my jaw. A sore lump formed in my throat, and I found it hard to swallow. Ophelia watched me carefully and a look of concern appeared on her face.

“People change, Nicholas.” She said it with an edge of finality, but Nicholas insisted on pressing the matter further.

“Yes, that’s true, people do change… but you seemed unlikely to change back in the day. So, what happened?”

Even though the question was not meant for me, I was more affected by it than Ophelia. And slowly, a box in my mind had become unlocked and the lid of it opened, spilling old, sealed memories out from it. They flashed in my head like scenes of a nightmare, once buried far away, resurfacing and revealing themselves haphazardly. Even my hands had begun to shake and my breathing, already shallow, had become rapid and haggard.

“That’s enough! We are not here to talk about me.”

The then paused for a moment, before yelling almost sternly and loudly, “Ariya!”

When she yelled my name out, I finally snapped out of my nightmare consumed daze and Ophelia let out a subtle sigh of relief. My hands were still shaky and so I hid them under my lap after wiping the sweat from my forehead with the back of my palm.

“Yes?” I mumbled. I tried to keep my voice as steady as I could.

“Am I right?” she asked.

I nodded firmly.

“So, then it’s settled, Ariya is not going anywhere with you.” Although I wanted to believe somewhere deep down that there was a way for me to get out of this mess, I knew the eventual outcome.

And I was right. It was after Ophelia had finished speaking that Nicholas’ composure broke and he stood up from his chair with a stern and slightly angered look on his face.

“Ophelia, it has become quite clear that you care for Ariya and perhaps even consider her as something close to a daughter. I’m sure you only want what’s best for her and I can understand that. However, when we both found out that we shared this mate bond, we did so in the company of many humans. I’m afraid word has already spread and will reach those in “Wolfsbane” in no time. I do not need to remind you that when it comes to proving a point, they won’t hesitate to sacrifice one of their own. If the circumstances were different, then even I would have honoured her wish to stay away from me. However, even if our mate relationship was not public knowledge, I am sure that the “Wolfsbane” would have found out about us sooner or later. Unfortunately, that means that Ariya and all those she holds close to her will be in danger. So, I want you to see reason Ophelia. She can’t stay here, it’s not safe. You might have once been one of my generals in the past, but I’m afraid that’s not good enough when you’re up against Wolfsbane. I have guards, security, heck, I even have powerful abilities given to me by the gods. But more valuable than that… I have brothers and sisters who will stop at nothing to protect me and those close to me. And I know that there are clearly no feelings between Ariya and me… but she’s my mate and at that makes her one of the people closest to me.”

There were a few things that Nicholas said that I hadn’t known before. Firstly, I hadn’t known that Ophelia used to be one of his generals, especially considering the fact that she still seemed so young- then again, Ophelia hadn’t aged a day since I had met her, a fact which I hadn’t thought to question until now. Secondly, I hadn’t known that the Lycan Kings and Queens were all siblings. I had assumed that they were all just handpicked by the gods at random and graced with powers. In fact, the actual story about how the five of them came into existence was still a mystery to us all and the more I thought about it, the more I realised that they seemed to have just appeared out of nowhere.

A defeated sigh left Ophelia’s lips and regret soon made its way onto her face. Again, deep down I knew the eventual outcome we’d arrive at. Ophelia would need to make the same decision I had back in the restaurant. It was not an ideal choice, but it was the only one which would result in not only my survival, but everyone else’s.

She looked up at me and her brown eyes rested on mine before a faint smile appeared on her face. “I suppose it was worth a shot. For a moment there I thought I could save you from a life you clearly want no part in. But I’m afraid we both know that the only way you’ll be able to stay safe is if you’re with him and not me, especially when I’m not even home often enough to look out for you.” She then fell silent for a moment before swallowing and blinking her tears away. “Our deal still stands though. Just send everything to me by mail, I’m sure Nicholas will ensure a safe journey for your writings.”

Things were changing so quickly, but I was glad that the arrangement between the both of us would still stand. After all, I’d worked too hard to give up my dreams just yet. So, I smiled gratefully at Ophelia who looked just about on the verge of tears. I was just as distraught and had a hard time fighting back my own tears. But I refused to cry. If I began, it would take a while for me to stop, and I didn’t have it in me to go through the pain of pulling myself together just yet.

“What deal?” Nicholas asked as he gazed between the both of us. I took this as an opportunity to get up and start packing.

“Ophelia will explain, I have to pack,” I said before making my way to my bedroom.

My bedroom was perhaps my favourite room in the house. Through the years it had gone through many phases of redecoration. Now, however it was painted a beautiful, soft blue colour with a few clouds etched onto the tops of the walls here and there. It was a reminder of what the clear blue sky looked like since I’d grown tired of the dull and dreary skies of Vrocher. There was a wooden bookshelf painted white and filled generously with its fair share of fantasy and adventure novels, all of which I’d completed, some even multiple times over. There was also a desk against one of the walls, right next to my bed which was covered in a soft lilac duvet. On top of my desk were stacks and stacks of papers each neatly paperclipped into various little piles and a few notebooks. They were amongst the first few items to be packed and perhaps the most important. Packing took longer than it should have, mostly because it was such a bitter and sad process. Each item had a memory etched into it and the more I remembered my time under Ophelia’s roof, the sadder I became. This was the first place I ever felt that I truly belonged. It was a place I could call my own and now, I had to leave it behind.

***

As soon as I had finished collecting my things, I made my way to the front hallway where I heard Ophelia and Nicholas speaking. They stopped, however, when they saw me. Again, Ophelia’s face fell as I neared the both of them. Lovita and Floran stood at the door and wordlessly began to take my suitcases from me. Lovita attempted to take the plastic stationary bag with a zipper on it, from my hands but I politely shook my head at her and then pulled it closer to my chest. As soon as they left, Ophelia grabbed me and pulled me into a tight hug. I leaned into her body and took in her familiar floral scent, hoping to etch it into my memory. I’d spent a lot of my life with Ophelia and next to my brother, she was one of the only people I truly considered family and so parting with her was extremely painful. It brought back a series of unpleasant feelings I’d once had before and hoped never to feel again.

“I fucking hate goodbyes…” she said with a sniff. Just hearing her cry made me want to burst into tears as well. But I tried my very best to contain myself despite my heart slowly shattering with every passing moment.

“Y-you can come and visit,” I said softly.

“Of course! I’ll visit so often that I’ll practically be living there too!” she said cheerfully. But I could tell by the look on Nicholas’ face that he wasn’t at all too happy with the idea. Nonetheless, I still let myself have hope.

“I’d like that,” I said.

She then released me from her grip and wiped her tear-stained cheeks before turning towards Nicholas. Her sadness turned to sternness, and it was a wonder to watch as Nicholas straightened and gulped nervously.

“I know the type of person you are Nicholas and so I know you won’t hurt her. But I also know that time and your siblings have all changed you into someone different, a shadow of the man you used to be. I’m warning you now, if you do anything that will jeopardise her safety or anything to change who she is, I will make your life a living hell. Both Ariya and Kiyan are the only family I have so you better make sure that they’re kept out of harm’s way at all times,” she said. Then she turned back towards me and smiled. “I know I told you about how wonderful mates are… and I stand by what I’ve said. But unfortunately, you were thrust into a world that isn’t yours, forced into something that no human should ever be forced into. For Lycans, mates are sacred. But for humans, mates don’t exist. You are all used to having the freedom to love whoever, whenever. Now it’s different. You two will share not only an emotional bond, but a physical one as well. Your presence, health and even your very life will affect him and vice versa. It’s a permanent, intense kind of bond. But under no circumstances should you ever let yourself feel obligated to love him. True love exists but it involves hard work, and it involves making very hard choices and sacrifices that can only be made when you truly care for someone. Remember that.”

The way she spoke had both Nicholas and I listening extremely intently and for a moment, I noticed something flash in his eyes. But it disappeared too quickly for me to decipher what it was.