64- “Her Return.”Camilla Castello.It is quite funny, and sad at the same time, how fast life changes because one minute your life is going steadily, yeah? Every single thing is going according to how you want it to, how it is supposed to be and exactly how you dreamt of it to be and the very next, shit hits the fan and every single thing blows right up in your face.You are probably wondering what happened right?Well, excited about what the future potentially holds for Cassain and I, that day, I decided to do a little something nice for him as well when he comes back home. So, I seek out Ria for help, to help me cook something for him despite knowing they do not really have to it, just so we could have that romantic dinner like normal couples do.I thought the best thing to do was to give him something a bit in touch with his usual diet, so I opted for going out to haunt something, and then cooking it medium so there will still be blood in it for him. Ria and I set out early, leavi
65- “Heart breaks, and sympathetic looks.”Camilla Castello.“Camilla, Cam…let me explain please. I did not know she was alive. I—I thought I had lost her. It has been centuries Camilla. And today Salazar and I happened to run into her and--”I held my hand up to stop Cassain before he could go on to explain, because I honestly did not want to hear it, knowing nothing he says at this moment would mend my broken heart. I knew it from the moment I saw her face, that she, is his Rose. The woman he has been yearning for all this while, the one woman whom every single person in the magical realm knows of or must have heard of. The Vampire King’s one true love.It was so stupid and foolish of me to think I could have replaced her. To think I stood a chance occupying his heart, to fill that void that remained in his and mine. It was truly stupid of me.My eyes blurred with tears, but I did not let it fall. Instead, I released a shaky breath, then took a step forward, the shards from the brok
66- “Blast from the Past.”THREE YEARS LATER.Camilla Castello."May I have this dance malady?" I heard the mysterious man I had been locking eyes with the whole night ask. His voice is husky, deep and masculine, at the same time soft like velvet. I looked at his half covered face due to the black mask he has on. His bright piercing blue eyes stared at my dull brown ones. Is this really happening? Is he asking me to dance with him?I looked around to see people dancing, swaying to the acoustic live band in pairs. The blonde ladies who stood at the other end of the beach shooting daggers at me for the reason I'm still unaware of.I looked back to the outstretched hands of the mysterious man who's still staring at me. My gaze averted to his unmasked lips which are stretched into a smile. Hesitantly, I took hold of his hefty yet appealing hands making his small smile turn into a full blown one as he took hold of my tiny hand in his fully.Maybe it’s the fancy wine I took that made me giv
67- “Simple Things In life.”Camilla Castello.Why did I not realize before that raising a kid alone is hard? Perhaps, it is because I have had help since she was born, but now that I am raising her alone, and as she is getting older, I realized raising a kid is truly way harder than I have ever expected. I have gone through quite a lot, way more strenuous situations that exerted more difficulty in me that any thing in the human world could measure up to, and yet, being a mother seems to be the hardest there is to be honest.“Take care, honey. I love you,” I said, as I parked in front of the school Luna attends.She stepped out of the car without so much as another look spared in my direction, or any response before she all but slammed the car door close, then lost herself in the crowd of bustling students all going into the vicinity of the school.I will not lie, my heart squeezed as I watched her walk away, disregarding me once again, as she always does. I know I should get used to
68- “New Danger Lurks.”Camilla Castello.I enjoy working at the café more than I would ever admit really. There is something about immersing, and losing yourself somewhere in between the smell of freshly brewed coffee and baked desserts. The light hum of chatters from the customers, and the soft chime of the bell above the door that comes whenever one walks into, signifying yet another customer here to be served with nothing, but what we hope to be our best.I always find myself lost in between that circle really, and it is precisely because of that that I do not notice how fast time flies. Because soon enough, the sound of the alarm on my phone set off—reminding me that Luna will soon be off school so I have to go and pick her up. At the same time, it signifies the end of my shift in the one place that makes me forget all about my worries.“Marga,” I called out, as I took off the apron I had on and hung it by the rack aside. Then, I made my way towards the kitchen, poking my head in
69- “My Rejected Alpha King Mate.”Camilla Castello.I felt it, the shift in the air beside me as the attack was lunged, and having sensed it already I used my reflexes to duck down, and the unexpected action had the attacker moving to the other side with a failed target.I dropped the groceries leather that was in my hand, my gaze now fixated on the person that has his back towards me, though the sound of his disgruntled, low growl is impossible to miss. I flexed my fingers, my stance defensive as I kept my gaze on him, while trying to sense if there is any one else there. There is not, not one that I could sense at least.Then, he turned around, and the moment my eyes met his red and wild, I knew who he is. A rogue—a feral one and no doubt, the one that has been causing the murders to happen or at least, one of them. It was evident that he is not in his right sense of mind—and the only thing he has his mind fixated upon is killing someone. So, he did not hesitate nor dwell on his fa
70- “Rewritten Bond.”Camilla Castello.I could not move, or breathe. I feel as though I am stuck in my exact position, unable to do anything but hold his gaze. His own gaze held mine, and despite it being night time, the well lit street lights and the moon light above was enough for me to be able to see his face clearly, and there is no mistaking him—he truly is the one. Except, as I stared at him in that very moment, he did not seem like the Adrian Moretti I knew before.He held my gaze for a few seconds, and then, he made his way over to me, his steps calm, but it seemed almost as though he is walking down the runway as a fashion model. A weird and out of place reference I admit, but I would blame it on the living in the human world for years and being surrounded by too many girly women that mostly rant about hot men on the latest fashion magazine.As Adrian came to stand in front of me, I did not know what I was expecting exactly, but I was slightly taken aback when he slipped his
71- “Good Cop, Bad Cop.”Camilla Castello.The reunion between Adrian and Luna is heart warming to say the least, and if I am being honest, seeing them together makes me wonder why I was so selfish in the first place. Suddenly, my excuses no longer seemed valid and I am left with a stark reminder of just how much I have been selfish by making a decision myself alone. No wonder Luna hates me. I truly am the worst parent there is out there.I have been since the moment I gave birth to her, and I only seem to keep getting worse by the day. The least I can do is try to be good at least now, so I do not make things worse. And if letting her be with her dad is the right decision, then so be it—regardless of whatever feelings I have now.Unfortunately, there are moments where I have to keep on playing the bad cop as well. Moments like these. I found myself making my way back into the living room, after taking another quick glance at the time, deciding I have given her more than enough time.
80- “EPILOGUE.”Camilla Castello.‘Can’t wait to see you walking down the aisle. Happy wedding day, My Queen.’ A smile made its way on my face as I read the message he had attached to the flowers he had delivered to my room while I was getting ready for our big day. And as I plucked the perfectly settled card in between the flowers, a wave of déjà vu hit me as I am reminded of our wedding ten years ago, the wedding that never took place.Now, who would have thought? Five months into Adrian proposing to me and four months into me agreeing to come back to the Kingdom, we are finally tying the knot for real, and I am to be his lawful wife? Who would have thought really?Except that feeling of déjà vu did not linger much, because the setting of our wedding is not like before and a lot has changed since that. Now, a feeling of anticipation and eagerness settled within me, all too giddy about the ceremony up ahead. And, as I stood in front of the full length mirror, giving myself a onceover
79- “Embracing the Good.”Camilla Castello.“Adrian,” I breathed out, pulling myself away from him as I sat up, then turned my head around just in time to see him get up to a sitting position as well, his own expression serious. I brought my lower lip between my teeth, nibbling it before I sighed once again, my expression softening. “I do not think that is a good idea.”The past few days we have spent together have been nothing short of blissful, I admit. And if I am to be greedy one more time, I would wish for what we have ongoing to remain in the human world alone and not go back to where we had left. But, I knew it was all just wishful thinking, I have known for the longest time. I just did not want to acknowledge it, wanting to live in this dream of mine a little longer before I would have to face reality. The reality where Adrian cannot live in the human world for he has greater responsibilities back at the Kingdom, and he cannot stay away for long.I have thought long and hard a
Adrian Moretti’s POV.Her breath was a soft gasp against my ear, the sound sending a shiver down my spine as sparks flew from the contact, all taking root from the mate bone. I held her close, feeling the heat of her skin against mine, her pulse racing beneath my fingertips and the feel of her warm body against mine.. The world had zeroed to this moment, the feel of her body moving with mine, the low hum of her voice barely audible between her ragged breaths. Fuck I love this woman and I miss the feel of her.“Adrian…” she whispered, my name falling from her lips like a plea, and I answered her with a growl, pulling her even closer, if that were possible. I am barely keeping my wolf in check from taking over.I could feel the tension building between us, her body trembling under my touch, my own pulse thundering in my ears. Every muscle in my body was strung tight, and I knew neither of us would last much longer. But hell do I want this with her, more than anything.Her nails raked do
77- “Making Claims.”Camilla Castello.My smile widened slightly, the correction jogging my memory from the day before, out of fondness, “Simon,” I corrected myself, nodding my head slowly as I tapped in the input, ready to take his order. Meeting his gaze again, I offered him a slight smile. “What will be your order today, Simon?”His expression seemed relieved, as if glad I had gone along with his name rather than the formality from earlier. “the same as yesterday,” he stated, without so much as a glance in the direction of the menu. “Your choices from yesterday proved to be very much welcomed truly.”“My choices?” My brows drew in, “You picked what you wanted. I merely hinted you being British.”“Which is not far off,” He pointed out, his tone knowing and teasing.I chuckled slightly, then nodded in agreement. “Which is not far off.” I agreed, then tapped in his orders same as yesterday, glad I could remember them all. Once I had done so, I looked up to hold his gaze again. “It wil
76- “Blissful Moments.”Camilla Castello.Adrian stayed true to his words about taking Luna to school, but of course, after getting his change of outfit brought by Caleb and showering. Some how, he actually managed to make it on time before Luna wakes up and gets ready. He even took the liberty of making breakfast for all of us, making me just sit on the stool and watch as he went about his work in the kitchen.I could not help but look at him in surprise, as Luna was getting ready while he and I were in the kitchen, with him handling the breakfast as he had promised. “Since when have you been one to know your way around the kitchen?” I asked, drawing my robe closer to my body as I crossed my arms over my torso, staring at him with furrowed brows. “Last I remember, you cannot do anything in the kitchen.” And that is the truth, cooking is not his forte, it has never been. The Adrian I remember cannot go into the kitchen and turn on the gas cooker without burning the kitchen down.This
Camilla Castello’s POVI stirred awake to the sensation of soft, lingering kisses trailing down my neck. For a second, I was a bit confused as to what is going on since I have grown accustomed to waking up alone in my bed, but a familiar scent registered in my mind, and the memories of last night came pouring in, making a small, soft smile take over my featured as I felt nothing other than satisfaction.There were no regrets whatsoever.My body responded instinctively, arching slightly as warmth spread from where his lips touched, the tingles returning reminding me of our newly renounced mate bond. My eyes fluttered open, and I turned my head to find Adrian already hovering above me, his dark eyes filled with a familiar intensity that sent a thrill through me."Morning," he murmured, his voice deep and low, sending shivers along my spine. His eyes, those familiar forest green orbs were now dark and hooded, desire swirling in them new compared to last night. Knots formed within me, hea
74- “Skins In Silk.”Camilla Castello.I do not know why I did it, but there was no ounce of regret in me. One minute, I was staring at him as he rambled on about wanting us to rekindle our relationship and start all over on a fresh slate, and how we wasted ten years of our lives for waste just like that, and I could not help but agree with him. For the first time in a long time, I decided to just let go of every thing and screw it, and the next minute I found myself kissing him. He seemed taken aback for a second, but he quickly recovered, his arms wrapping round me back as he kissed me feverishly, more sensuously.I found myself sitting on his lab, straddling him as we continued our kiss—the sound of heavy breaths filling the air of the room. One of his hands remained on my waist, grasping it tightly while the other slipped to my hair, pulling softly at its root just as mine roamed in his hair.His lips left mine just as I was starting to become breathless, but it trailed downwards,
73- “Winning Her Back.”Adrian Moretti.Three years. It has been three years since Camilla disappeared from the supernatural realm, and the reason is not entirely unknown. At this point, it already well known that Cassain, the Vampire King’s mate has returned, and that their love story has continued from where it stopped. Where she has been since her ‘death’ and why she chose to return then of all times when the relationship between Cassain and Camilla is picking up remains a mystery, but it is already known that it is the reason Camilla went missing.Every one else thinks Cassain has forgotten her, but I know otherwise. He has still been looking for her, and has found her even. He just did not show up, knowing she would not want to see him, and I could not blame her.It is kind of the same with me as well. It has been three years since she and I officially met—and why I say officially is, unlike Cassain, I do not exactly have the patience to know where she is and not visit her. In ev
72- “Perfect Strangers.”Camilla Castello.I brought the first aid kit with so many question running through my head. It got answered to a certain extent when I brought it to him and he gestured for me to sit down while he got on his feet, taking a hold of the kit and placing it on the coffee table beside us.I could only stare at him with drawn in brows and question swirling in my orbs. I watched as he opened the first aid kit, pulling out some essentials and then turned around to look at me, his expression unmoved. “Let me see your wound,” He said.If possible, my frown deepened, “What?” His words caught me slightly off guard, though a part of me did expect this much when he mentioned the first aid kit thing because it does not seem like he is injured whatsoever.“Your shirt,” he stated, his tone calm, but stern at the same time. “Take it off.”Subconsciously, I wrapped my hand around my self, my eyes narrowed at him slightly as if to silently question whether he knows what he is sa