When she entered the office, Mr. King had already arrived. She paused at the doorway, her mouth agape. The man whom she had never seen anything but dressed to his nines, looking perfect at all times, now had a haggard look on his face.
“Good morning, sir,” she mumbled a greeting and hoped that she was successful in concealing her concern. Her eyes subtly skimmed over his face when he looked at her. Tired eyes blinked back before his gaze returned to the file that he was flipping through. Her gaze then flickered to the already steaming mug of coffee on the table. She felt a pang of disappointment in her chest. Summe bit her lip and trudged towards her cabin. She sneaked another glance before entering her work haven.On the one hand, she was thankful for the lack of queries thrown her way, but on the other hand, she was disappointed by the lack of response from his side altogether. She let out an inaudible sigh and switched on the computer. She clI can almost relate to Summer reg. social anxieties, lol. The easiest task turns out to be a difficult one :( What business might Fae King have with Dorian? š¤Øš¤
The man stood up abruptly, his eyes not moving from her and she instantly regretted her decision to intrude. However, the strange did not exude any negative vibe and strangely she did not feel threatened by his outright gaping and shocked expression. She clutched on the doorknob tightly and suddenly stumbled when Mr. King abruptly opened the door ajar. His eyebrows were connected in an angry curve. āWhat is it?ā he grumbled. Summer tore her gaze away from the man who was still staring at her, mouth agape, his form absolutely still. āI...I needed my phone,ā she replied weakly. Her boss no doubt saw through that lame excuse, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. He glanced over his shoulder before saying, āGet it and get out.ā She was more than relieved to be let off the hook and was about to dash towards her office when the stranger said, āWait.ā Su
Dorian’s face ashened as realisation hit him like an avalanche. At the back of his mind, he had realised what she might be, and maybe even Kai had figured it out, but he had chosen to deny the truth. His father’s body lying in the pool of blood flashed across his mind and he hurriedly blinked as if to dismiss them, as if an image so traumatising and permanent would vanish.“How...how did you know?” he asked, sounding a little dazed.Vulcan’s smile became rueful. “She looks a lot like Ophelia, almost like her if I daresay. I was almost stunned and for a moment I thought that I was looking at her, that she had come back.” His voice sounded distant, and Dorian had to look away. He felt uneasy when the Fae king looked so...vulnerable.“We all know what ha
Dorian narrowed his eyes. This part was tricky. Going by her past trauma, he could now understand even if slightly, the reason behind her being wary towards others, especially men. Her gaze was wide and hopeful as if he held the answers to all her questions. Dorian wanted to curse himself for bringing this predicament on himself. How could he suddenly say that she was not who she thought she was? How could he just disclose that in this world, apart from humans, supernaturals also existed? āSir?ā He was brought out of his train of thoughts by her. She kept looking at him expectantly. He cleared his throat. āWell, what are the things that you experience?ā He knew he was buying time like this, but he needed to break the truth to her gently or as logically as possible. Itās not like he has never heard of people, who thought of themselves as humans and later got to know they werenāt, but he was never the
Summer was torn between the urge to run from there and pretend that she hasnāt heard a thing and walk into the room and confront them, and demand answers from them. Her legs feel heavy, she wants to move but she canāt. What did she hear just now? That she is not human? āA monster! She is a monster!ā Mrs. whiteās screams echo in her mind. Before she knows, she is walking into the living room and facing twin shocked faces. āSummer?ā She hears Barbara call her cautiously. āWhat am I?ā she asks, the desperation and fury leaking into her tone. Liam and Barbara exchanged worried glances, a silent message is conveyed between them while Summer stares at them, expectantly, tiredly. āSit,ā the older woman finally says. Summer plops on the couch, her legs giving away. She wonāt be surprised by anything any
Barbara inhaled sharply when she suddenly noticed the black mark on Summerās left wrist. āLiam,ā she whispers in horror, as the man lays the unconscious girl on the bed. He turns to look at his wife before following her concerned filled gaze with his perplexed ones. His eyes widen when he finally sees the mark. āThis is-ā āDid she already meet her mate?ā he wonders, pursing his lips. āRejection mark,ā Barbara whispers brokenly, her gaze filled with sadness as she looks at Summer. āWho could it be?ā Liam asked, his voice laced with suppressed anger. His wife placed a soothing hand on his shoulder. āLetās discuss this somewhere else.ā Her gaze darted towards Summer. Liam nodded tightly. Once they had returned to the living room, Barbara let out a shuddering breath. āWhat will we do now?ā she asked
Summer couldnāt breathe. Even Mr. King had stilled, and that inaction spoke volumes. Her heart started pounding and dread settled in her gut.āWhat does this mark mean?ā Her voice quivered as slowly the bits and pieces, Barbaraās sudden query, and her bossā impulsive actions started to fall in place. The picture was still a little blurry though, but not for long. āMr. Kingā¦.what does this mark mean?ā She never knew that her voice could be so assertive, but when a person is pushed and pushed until their back hits the wall, even a mild-mannered creature will become ferocious. He doesnāt meet her eye when he mutters, āRejection mark.ā This draws another sharp inhale from Summer. Her limbs felt weak, but she did not let herself falter, not in front of him. āRejection mark...means we -we are mates?ā She knew the answer to t
Dorian woke up gasping for breath. He clutched his abdomen on instinct before his pounding heart calmed down and he grounded back to reality. ‘Fuck,’ he cursed in his mind. He didn’t have this nightmare for a long time. His cotton grey t-shirt clung to his torso, drenched with sweat.He padded out of his room and to the gym. Time slipped away with each punch, his mind going blissfully blank. It wasn’t until his feet faltered, his knuckles wrap, blushed red and his vision turned slightly blurry that he stopped. When he emerged from the gym, he realised that it was early morning, he discarded the bloodied wraps in the bin and took out a bottle of water. Chugging down half of it, he inspected the wounds nonchalantly, they were already healing. He stared at the roughened patch of skin for a moment or until his doorbell rang.His
Summer released a shallow breath. She swallowed wetly, her throat clicking dry. āIā¦ā She trailed off. Her throat tightened. āYou what?ā her boss rumbled from the other end. A teardrop splashed on the duvet, the fabric soaking it. She sniffled despite not wanting to. āWouldnāt...wouldnāt that be better?ā she asked, her voice shaking and slightly strangled. āMiss Laurent, that is not professionalism. Our private matters shouldnāt affect our professional lives,ā Mr. King said firmly. Summer closed her eyes to hold back tears. So thatās what it was? Professionalism? āI am not like you, Mr. King,ā she said curtly. She would have been horrified the next second in any other situation. She would have stuttered an apology, but her emotions were everywhere. Her boss was disrespecting her choice and on the contrary, making her feel even worse than she alread
~2 years later~ Serenaās eyes brimmed with tears, not because of sadness but out of happiness. The little bundle of joy, the one she had carried for the past nine months stared back at her with guileless golden eyes. All the exhaustion, the tears and mood changes, everything was worth it. When she conceived, she had already become protective, but now as she held the little one in her arms; she felt she would do anything for her. āIsnāt she beautiful?ā Dorian whispered, his voice hoarse with strained emotions as he pulled her closer to him. Serena blinked back to the present and nodded, unable to utter even a single word. Her throat closed up as the bay made soft sounds as she rocked her gently. 4 years had passed in the blink of an eye and now as Serena stared at their daughter, she couldnāt h
Serena could feel her heart constrict. She felt like she couldnāt breathe. She distantly heard someone shouting, then someone grabbing her arm because she was swaying on her feet. Her vision had become dim. Black spots danced at the edges of her eyes. Her eyes stung as she breathed through her mouth. Why wouldā¦why would he leave? Again? Was she being rejected? She couldnāt even feel his emotions strongly. They were so faint. She blinked furiously, hardly realizing that she was crying. Someone held her close to them, caressed her hair and shushed her. But her sobs suddenly seemed uncontrollable. She was trembling and then she felt a pinprick and before she knew it, her head had lolled to one side. ~~~~~~ Dorian hadnāt expected that his stepping out and going for a run to c
The next day, Alexander King came to visit his grandson in the morning. The old man paused outside the cabin and stared at Dorian through the rectangular glass on the door. He firmed his grasp around the cane and composed himself so that his grandson wouldnāt get a glimpse of his fear, of the terrible feeling of hopelessness he had experienced when Dorian didnāt wake up. He clutched the bent wooden head of the cane tightly to stop the quivering of his fingers. He pushed the door open and walked in. Dorian opened his eyes as soon as Alexander stepped in. Ronan stood up from the couch and bowed. Kyle was yet to arrive and take the formerās post. The beta was juggling between the pack and the company. āI will let you both talk,ā Ronan said respectfully before leaving. Dorian sat up.
“How are you feeling?” Serena turned her head to look at Viviane. Her gaze was nothing but sympathetic. She bustled around a bit before helping her to sit up. She didn’t know how to explain what she felt. She was glad but that emotion seemed hollow. She felt a strange emptiness in her heart, a sickening satisfaction at having killed Yvonne and…“How’s Dorian?” she asked instead. Her voice came out raspy. Viviane held a cup in front of her mouth with a straw. She took slow sips before pushing the cup away.Vivane placed the cup on a nearby table and said, “He is fine. Exhausted but he is resting and…” Serena read her silence.“He knows.” It wasn’t a question. She let out a shuddering b
Serena opened her eyes to the same terrain, on the muddy grass where she often finds herself. She felt that her head was on someoneās lap. There was no pain or exhaustion as she sat up, taking in the calmness. The cliff did not look so threatening, and neither did the sea feel tumultuous. It was unnerving to some extent. āYou are wondering why everything is so quiet today, aren't you?ā Serena turned quickly to see her mother smiling at her, but there was a hint of ruefulness in that smile and a tinge of sadness in her gaze. āMom..ā she whispered before rushing towards her, even though she half-expected to feel her warmth but was pleasantly surprised to feel her motherās arms envelope hers, pulling her into a hug that she often missed since she lost her.
[warning: mild gore] Dorian did not really feel the hit. His brain took a second to decipher, and Kaiās roar followed after that. One moment he was trying to break Barbara and Liam free from the binds, and the next moment he felt his entire body become immobile. He could hear Serenaās shout and Barbaraās scream but his vision was turning hazy and before he knew it he fell on the ground in a heap, like a dead weight. ~~~~~~ All the visions that she had seen played in her mind in a nightmarish loop. Was this what it meant? Was this how this would end? Serena refused to believe this. She scrambled towards his prone form, every other thought leaving her mind. āDorianā¦ā she gasped, his name a litany on her lips as she felt the pain that her mate might be feeling twice more than her. Butā¦bu
Yvonneās smirk and malicious gaze were enough to turn the simmering embers into a blazing fire. Her eyes flashed golden, but a hand wrapped around her wrist, tugging her back. She looked up to see Dorian, shaking his head subtly. āListen to your mate, Miss Viotto. I wouldnāt want to harm someone close to my son after all,ā she said tauntingly, making Serena angrier. She suddenly regretted bringing the book with her. It felt as if she had walked right into the trap. She clutched her tote bag tightly. āI donāt need his permission. The fact that he is stopping me because he knows what i am capable of,ā she retorted and was thankful for the snarkiness in her tone. Yvonneās face darkened before she began to walk towards her. Dorian immediately came in betw
Serena rushed to her father who collapsed on the floor as soon as Jordan let him go. Jordan watched the reunion with baleful eyes before his gaze settled on Dorian who was staring back at him with open hostility. The Alpha Kingās gaze flickered to the former Fae King momentarily before they went back up and remained settled on Jordan. āWhat happened? Are youā¦are you hurt? Oh my gosh, what happened to your wings?ā Serena bombarded the two fae men with question after question as she continued inspecting her wounded father. Vulcan felt too tired to speak, the teleportation having taken much energy away from him than he had fathomed. āI think we should move him to the guest room. Iāll call Viviane.ā Dorian proposed. Jordan who had been silent until now murmured his assent. Dorian helped Jordan to pull Vulcan up and practically dragged him to the room because the older man was in no condition to walk, even with help. Serenaās heart clenched as he watched the once regal ki
She was standing in front of her father, tears streaming down her cheeks as she looked at him writhing on the floor. His wings lying somewhere far, bloody and twitching. āSaveā¦save meā¦save meā¦ā But Serena remained silent. The moon shone brightly, brighter than any other day. She could hear the high tides, she could hear their impatience. The rune of Nauthiz (į¾) hovers and disappears. She doesn't know what to make of it. Itās the rune of need, urgency, but also conveys the acceptance of the unchangeable. Did that meanā¦? Her eyes closed for a moment, as she tried to gather enough courage to say the next words. But those words didnāt leave her mouth for when she opened her eyes, Vulcan was lying still, a garbled groan came out of his lips. A sob esca