KLAUS' POV
One year later,
It's still the same as the first day. It hasn't gotten any better, nor has it eased it. My heart still feels broken and I still feel hurt. It's been a long time now. I'm supposed to be over this. I'm supposed to be over her, to be over us. But, despite how hard I tried, I just couldn't move on.
To be candid with me, I was tired of the way I was feeling right now. It is like I've not made any positive steps forward all year long. It was becoming utterly ridiculous and shameful. I knew I could do better than feeling like this. I am the Beta, for goodness sake.
Maybe I had been heading in the right direction of forgetting her until I saw that goddamn newspaper. Maybe it had set everything backward.
I stare at the newspaper again, unable to tear my eyes away from it. A picture of Tiffany and Antoinette, the princess of France, is in my hands. This isn't my office anyway
KLAUS' POVAfter the waiter takes our order, Lisa excuses herself for a short bathroom break. She had been sitting next to me, so with her gone, I could see Kayden rubbing his thighs anxiously. He was acting rather awkwardly, a small black box falls off his pocket and I saw it before he scooped it off the ground. I wasn't sure if anyone else saw it; they were engrossed with something else, but I saw it. My brother was going to propose to Lisa tonight, but my father decided to ruin his plans, so the proposal is off, at least for the time being. He might try again in a few days. This is a perfect place to retry the proposal when he is ready.Kayden catches me staring at him as he swiftly bends down and I say nothing. He looks sad, and I understand why. Even though he is trying his best to hide how hurt he feels beneath his cool exterior, I know we ruined his plans today. I feel bad for what we've caused, my father especiall
Lisa's POVKnocking on the door interrupts my train of thought, and I throw back the covers, which is most likely not the right thing to do when I hear a knock in the dark."Lisa, you're still awake?" Kayden's voice calls out.I push myself out of bed and move to open the door, and I find Kayden standing in the doorway still dressed in his dinner suit. I wonder where he has been ever since we came back from dinner with his family. He sort of disappeared.His eyes drop down to my oversized shirt, which is his. "I woke you up from sleep, didn't I? I'm sorry about that."I look over my shoulder at the clock on my nightstand. The digital clock is glowing red, the number telling me it is past midnight already. "I couldn't sleep, no matter how hard I tried. I was waiting for you to come to join me. But it looks like you've had other things on your mind. ""Unfortunately, yes. There's a lot I need to
Kayden's POVI let out a yawn and opened my eyes. The space on the bed next to me is empty. Lisa is nowhere to be found. I smelled a nice aroma coming from the kitchen, and it seemed different and pleasant to me. This is the first time I'll be experiencing such. It seemed quite unbelievable to me, but thinking about it, my room has always been the farthest from the kitchen. So, I've never woken up to such a thing before. I got out of bed and headed outside. Klaus' door was still locked, so I figured he was still asleep. He's been becoming quieter and quieter with each passing day, and I understood that heartbreak might take a lifetime to heal. Jonas is an example. He never healed from his illness and it turned him into a monster.I take the steps two at a time and reach downstairs. The sight before me is both beautiful and even more confusing. I stood in the doorway of the kitchen watching Lisa and my mother cook pancakes
Kayden's POVLisa sits on the edge of the bed and crosses her legs. Her eyes are fixed on the finger where the rings are, as she stretches her hand out in front of her."I forgot to ask if you liked the ring. It took me a whole week to decide on this one. ""Of course, I do. It's the most beautiful thing anyone has ever given me. I'm still reeling with shock over how laid-back they all seemed when you announced our engagement. It's going to take me a while to get over that. "I plop down on the spot next to her, and the bed creaks in response, welcoming my weight. "It feels like I'm dreaming too," I begin. "I come downstairs and I find my mother cooking breakfast. It doesn't get more shocking than that," I say, lying down on my back.She places her hand on my chest and hovers over me. "I appreciated how well she took to things quickly and without complaints."I shake my head. "My mother is in l
Kayden's POVContrary to popular opinion, I wasn't expecting him to be friendly and welcoming. Even at that, I still found it disturbing and unsettling because it threw me off guard. Judging from my experience, most people who act all nice and friendly at all times are the worst kinds of people.I hear a knock on the door, and Dominic walks in with Lisa behind him.prime alpha." She curtseys to me. "Moon-god." She curtseys at him. I noticed she wasn't wearing the engagement ring, and I knew I had to tell him about the latest development soon enough. If I didn't, the demigods in the Council would. They're bound by oath to tell him everything that happens out of the ordinary.The moon god smiled and walked to where she stood. Grabbing both her hands with his He often acted like a child in an adult's body."This is unbelievable. I'm dumbfounded. " He says, staring into Lisa's eyes. He can see it for hims
Lisa's POVKayden's entire day is taken up by the Moon-god, which is something I expected. I've seen him only a handful of times since the entourage arrived at the estate. We stole glances in the hallway as we headed in different directions. He sent a servant to come to find me about twenty minutes ago to meet him in his room before it was time for dinner. I've been waiting in his room for a while now, wondering what is keeping him. I twist the wedding ring on my left ring finger, feeling several emotions wash over me at the same time. I couldn't put my finger on how I felt right now; I'm scared and not scared at the same time. The image of the ring is fixed in my memory, and I don't think I'll be losing it anytime soon. The band of the ring is white silver, and there were little cuts of diamond on it, all leading up to the larger cut of diamond placed in the middle. I couldn't wait to hear from Kayden about how the meeting went
Lisa's POVI didn't think it would be proper to wish Kayden goodbye on the landing strip, so I decided to say my goodbye here in the house. The car left for the airport a few minutes ago. I am struggling to hold back the tears. I know I'll eventually see him again, and this isn't going to be the last time. I twist the ring on my finger, feeling his absence already. Now that the entourage has gone, I can wear my ring without being wary of unwanted eyes seeing it.After lunch, which was a rather somber affair considering a fair portion of the order was missing, I headed to Klaus' office. He's the only person left on the estate that I could have chitchat with aside from his mother. I want him to show me the ropes with the technology I'll need to communicate with Kayden when the time comes before he joins the rest on official duty. He should have been at the airport, but he excused himself from going as he had more pressing i
KLAUS' POV"She came into my office crying after Kayden left, so I told her to get down on the couch and a few minutes later, she was fast asleep."My mother frowns and points behind me. Lisa's room isn't located on this floor.""I know. Before she fell asleep in my office, we were talking about me taking her on a short exotic trip to ease her mind with Jonas’ leaving earth for Epsilon. "My father crosses his arms and gives me a hard stare. "Have you thought this through? Do you know the kind of field day the press would have had if they caught wind of what you're about to do? ""She's now part of the family. She's more or less like a sister to me now. If Kayden manages to pull this off, we would become even closer than we are right now. There's nothing to worry about because Luke is also coming along with us to act as a chaperone. It would suffice in case Kayden asks about Lisa and me being to
Lisa's POVKayden knocks on my door, and I stand up from the bed, smoothing my dress as I walk towards the door to open it. The sight of him standing in the doorway steals my breath away. His hair is well styled tonight, and I've come to love the beard he's been growing. He could never shave that off. He's dressed in a black suit with a blue tie to match the color of his eyes.He bows slightly and holds out his hand, and I place mine in his. He pulls my hand towards his lips, pressing a kiss there. When he raises his head, his eyes are dark."I love you, Lisa Kane." He says, his voice low. "I don't think I'll ever stop loving you." He pulls me against him, his hand pressing into my lower back as he kisses me lightly on the forehead. I shudder from the tenderness of his actions.A smile makes its way to his lips as he pulls away. "What do you think about getting married to me tonight?""Your offer is very tempting, Kayden Blackwater." I rested my head against his chest. But you know, I
Kayden's POV"Do you think we did something wrong by trying to find a home, General Alex?" Hands handcuffed together to the metal table in front of her, Kira sits up, her eyes searching for Alex's face as she speaks in Greek.Alex leans against the wall of the interrogation room, his arms crossed on his chest. His face is drawn tight. There is no trace of his usual playful self. "Back in the days of old, when the Council took over the United States, It was decided that it would be the only home for people of our kind, so we could all live together under one government, and the moon god approved of it.The royal twins were present in the room, both silent with the same tense expression on their faces. Genevieve stands close to Antoine, translating every word spoken in Gregorian for them. Apart from Luke, she's the only person proficient enough in French in my order. Blake stands to the side, his eyes never leaving the prisoners, wary that they might have one last trick up their sleeve.
Kayden's POVA bullet whizzed past my head as my back slammed into the stones. That was close. I would have been a dead man by now.I let out a rough breath. "Thanks, man.""You owe me for this." Jonas smiled at me before turning his focus to the man who had pressed the trigger, charging toward him.The room itself is in chaos. The Epsilon soldiers and our wolves are mostly on one side of the room, while the other side is occupied by Kira's Colony. Kira, Isabel, and Annabelle are across the room. I couldn't let them escape.I fired a bullet into the head of the nearest demigod heading towards Kira, ducking and repeating the process as many times as I could. I turn back for a brief moment to see Lisa and my brother, who has shifted already, working together to repel the attacks of the demigods surrounding them. More soldiers rush into the room and a couple of them head my way. I fire both my guns at a couple of soldiers until my ammo is exhausted. Before I had the chance to reload, two
Lisa's POVKira appears in front of my cell, her face grim. She doesn't bother to shut the door. "Vadagasuli."She's alone, which is rather unusual.Where's Luke? I need to see him. " I demandShe pulls out a bunch of keys from her back pocket. "I do not care about him right now. You are my only concern."What is your grand plan? Are you here to kill me? ""Quite the opposite. I'm taking you somewhere else till this commotion settles. " She inserts the key into the lock and watches as the door swings open. I rush towards her and drive the dagger into her stomach. I know I didn't hit anything vital, but the satisfying feeling of the blade inside her is enough for me. She curses at me, her mouth pressed into a thin line as blood gushes from her body over my hand. She's about to raise her hand to strike me when she arches her back as someone stabs her from behind, Kayden's face appearing from behind her. His face was filled with anger as he retracted the blade and stabbed her again.Kayd
KLAUS' POV Genevieve walks alongside me as we leave the meeting room. Kayden is still in there talking with Alex and Jonas about the best approach to launching an attack on Kira, given how she's been expecting our arrival for days now. Genevieve pauses as we walk a considerable distance away from the door. "Be honest with me. Do you think Lisa is still alive? I wanted to ask you earlier, but I didn't want Kayden to listen in on our conversation. " I think so. If anything, I believe she would want to keep Lisa as a bargaining chip if things don't go as planned, or maybe she's saving her for something. " "You think she still has something important to do with her? Like saving her for some sort of grand finale? " I can't possibly say We'll find out tomorrow when we get to the cave. I just wish Kayden would take my advice and not go down with the soldiers. " You should know him by now. You can't change his mind when it's set. " I wanted to tell her I wasn't worried about his state o
Kayden's POVI'm a few blocks away from my destination. I had the car drop me halfway there. I needed the walk to clear my head and to say goodbye to the world before I went under to die. Ahead of me, an older couple stands on the sidewalk huddled together. The sight gives me mixed emotions. I wanted to have a life like this with Lisa, but at the same time, it seemed impossible. As I pass a group of teenagers, dancing with reckless abandon and enjoying every moment of life, I'm terrified about what fate holds for me, but despite that, I feared for Lisa more. Right now, she is more important than I am. As well as my cousin, Luke, it is my duty to protect them all, and that's what I'm going to do.My heartbeat quickens with every step that brings me closer to the cave. I don't know if it's out of fear or if it's the possibility of seeing Lisa again, even if it's for a moment to assure her that she would be safe now and also to apologize. For a long time, I let Lisa suffer the scorn of t
Lisa's POVIt's been a day since I had dinner with Kira. It didn't go as well as I planned, but stabbing her in the chest with my fork was the highlight of the whole event. The sad thing is that the fork didn't go as deep as I would have wanted it to. Luke has been counting from zero to a hundred for hours now. He says it helps him remain focused.The cell doors opened with a bang, jolting me out of my train of thoughts. Kira strolls in, flanked on either side by Isabel and Annabelle. None of them spares us a glance. A few seconds later, Jane is being shoved into the cell room. Two guards grip one of her arms each, and despite her best attempts at struggling, she's thrown into the cell across from mine. I didn't know how France would respond to this. Capturing the head of their Central Intelligence Unit is a big win for them.One of the guards walks towards the cell next to mine where a woman they have abducted is being held, hostage. The woman scrambles back, screaming as the guard r
KLAUS' POVTiffany twists the map in front of her, trying to get another view.They got through to Denver somehow. You can't just throw twenty years of friendship down the drain. " "Jonas he says, massaging his temple against what I'm sure is a headache. I can feel my head throbbing already."How about you, Blake? Have you found anything yet? " I ask."Demigods are symbolic creatures, but I've been staring at the maps for hours now and I can't find anything with any resemblance to any of their symbols." He points towards the maps he's been working on. I can see several dots and lines, but no tangible lead yet. "Nothing is coming up.""Keep trying." I feel we're close to solving this puzzle.The letter B. I looked up to see Stefan motioning towards the kitchen. I stand, leaving our work and heading to the kitchen.I don't know about you, but I'm suggesting that we keep the Prime Alpha occupied at all times. His voice is rather hushed. He knows Epsilon, the Gregorian alphabet, and the r
LISA'S POVKira's pale face and purple eyes smile at me when my blindfold is removed."Hello, Lisa. I've missed you." She says in a sing-song voice and it's almost as if I hear a multitude of people say my name in my head. I needed nobody to tell me that I'm in their headquarters. My mark itches slightly, my wrists still bound in handcuffs.Kira steps back and allows me to take in the view. I'm in a temple carved out of stone. It's terrifying and stunning as well. Great pillars were holding it erect. There are no windows and the place is rather cold. My pajamas would offer me no protection against the cold and it's not like I can ask Kira for some blankets. My mark continues to burn and I grit my teeth against the growing pain. I take another look around the place. How long have they been in France? Structures like this weren't built in a year or two. They have been planning their takeover right under all our noses