Drowning

Chapter 2 - Drowning

"Okay, so why are we arriving so late again?" I asked Reyna as we stepped into the portal that brought us to my cousin's home. It was insane to think that Balor, the savage cutthroat Alpha of the Bloodstone pack, was also a damn prince in the fae realm.

A lot of things have happened in the last eight years. Good and bad, but probably the worst of it was losing both my aunt and my uncle in the span of a year. My mother was wrecked about it. She loved my aunt Athena like a sister, but it was the loss of my uncle that broke her the most. He chose to go so he could be with my aunt in Valhalla, a world where the gods and warriors who died in battle went once they passed. But it didn't mean it hurt any less losing him.

Reyna rolled her eyes as she held onto her daughter, Cecilia. She was the cutest little thing, and I couldn't wait to spoil her rotten.

"You know Balor, hes always so cryptic with his visions. He just told me we had to arrive after his meeting, so we didn't interrupt whatever deal he has going on." I nodded, pursing my lips. I suddenly felt uneasy, Balor never really involved me in these kinds of things, but he insisted that I come tonight; at first, I was excited, but now I was becoming skeptical.

We walked up to the palace path. The giant building loomed over us. The magic in the air brushed against our skin as we moved to the big wooden doors. Two guards stood out front, their eyes forward as they watched us approach. They were dressed in black armour; our family crest etched over their left breastplate. They both had swords sheathed to their hips; they looked the part of royal guards.

"Lady, Reyna, Penelope. Lady Audra is waiting at the dining hall doors waiting for you." The guard on the right said, opening the door. Allowing us to enter the ornate building.

Something stirred low in my belly, making my wolf start. The smell of smoke and fresh rain filled my nose.

"Do you smell that?" I asked Reyna as I took another deep breath, inhaling the smell again. It seemed to call to me and made my skin feel all tingly.

"You werewolves and your insane sense of smell. You seem to forget that I am human." She teased.

"Right, sorry, you know you fit right in with the rest of us. I forget sometimes." She let out a laugh as we approached the dining hall.

"I don't know whether that is a compliment or an insult." She joked. The smell getting stronger. Audra was waiting at the doors. Her face lit up with a smile as she spotted us.

"It's been so long, Penelope, Reyna. Oh my goodness, Reyna. She's beautiful. Do you mind if I hold her?" Reyna nodded, gushing over Cecilia as she handed her over. Audra turned her attention back to Reyna and me, her brown furrowing slightly.

"Balor insisted you two walk in before me. Don't ask why. Just passing along the orders."

"See what'd I tell you," Reyna muttered, linking my arm with hers. I let out a laugh as the doors swung open. We stepped into the room, and the smell of smoke and fresh rain assaulted me. I stopped moving, my wolf losing her mind as I was pulled further into the room.

A large male with furs draped over his shoulders made his way toward me, our eyes locking. He had a scar running down the left side of his face; his blonde hair was pulled back into a low ponytail. Stubble lined his stubborn jawline. He was pure male through and through and was the most beautiful man I had ever seen in my life.

His grey eyes moved over me as he drew closer. My heart skipped a beat, and my breath hitched in my throat. Suddenly my mouth was too dry, and the room didn't have enough air in it.

"Mate." Kyra, my wolf, yipped in excitement. But when the male's eyes filled with a look of disgust and hatred. I found my heart shattering into a million pieces.

He didn't stop to talk to me, to claim me as his. Instead, he kept on moving, making his way out of the palace, away from me. I wanted to chase after him and demand what his problem was. What I did wrong, but my feet were cemented in place. My whole body was in shock as I tried to process what had just happened.

A loud roar ripped through the night sky, and I knew it belonged to him, and suddenly, it made sense. I didn't know who he was, but I knew what he was, a dragon and being mated to me, a mere werewolf, was the biggest insult to his status anyone could ever give him.

A tear slid down my cheek; a very angry Balor made his way toward me. The whole room was silent as they all stared at me. Pity filled their eyes as they all just bore witness to my humiliation.

"Poppy, I-"

"You knew, didn't you?" My voice came out shaky. I looked up into my cousin's sapphire gaze; he gave me a stiff nod.

"You knew, and you invited me here anyways." My voice was colder now. Balor let out a sigh, rubbing his hand down his face.

"Poppy, you have to understand. Just because I can see the future doesn't mean I can tell you. I can't interfere-"

"Bullshit, Balor. That's fucking bullshit, and we all know it. You manipulate visions all the time to work in your favour."

"Poppy-" I shook my head.

"No, I would like to go home now," I muttered, looking down at the stone floor, unable to look at anyone. I couldn't bear to see their pitiful glances in my direction. I couldn't bear to see what they were all thinking. Fae were cruel creatures, always with their hierarchy and manipulation, but I thought my family was different. I thought Balor would treat me with more dignity than this.

"Poppy, please-"

"I said I want to go home," I shouted this time. It was all too much. My chest felt like it was caving in. The tears that filled my eyes threatened to spill over. I needed to leave. I wanted to get out of here. See my mom and pretend this never happened.

"You're such an asshole, Balor." Imelda, Balor's oldest sister, hissed as she moved in beside me. Reyna squeezed my arm, a silent form of understanding, before turning a deadly glare toward her mate.

"Come on, poppy, I'll take you home," Imelda whispered into my ear. I nodded as she turned, and we both made our way out of the palace. I felt like I was drowning, like this was some horrible nightmare I couldn't wake up for.

~~~

*Present*

I blinked my eyes, my focus turning back to the computer screen in front of me as I finished my report. I had graduated over a month ago. I had met my mate and had him rip out my heart a few months before that, but my life seemed like a damn blur now.

The days all blended together. I was a shell of myself, running on coffee and two hours of sleep. The need to drown out the noise of my own thoughts stopped me from getting any more sleep than that.

Kyra was a mess because of that night, and I didn't want to think about it anymore.

I was a werewolf mated to a dragon, and not just any dragon, of course. I was mated to Garren Ryuu, the king of dragons, and he hated me.

"Hey, you hear anything I said?" Hilary asked as she sat across from me. I blinked again, forcing a smile on my lips. It felt as fake as it probably looked as I turned my attention to my partner, but it was the best I could manage. She frowned slightly as she looked at me, I could tell she was worried about me, but I couldn't talk about it. Not with her, not with anyone, and she didn't push after I told her I didn't want to talk about it. But I knew she wanted to; I knew not knowing why I was so different was slowly eating her alive.

"Sorry, I didn't sleep that great last night. What did you say?" I asked. Hilary's eyes filled with concern before she blinked it away.

"I said I'm going to get lunch. You coming?" I nodded, grabbing my purse. I wasn't hungry, I hadn't been hungry for a while, but I knew I needed food to survive and do my job. I needed to move past this and forget my mate and get on with my life even if that meant I would never feel whole again.

"Yeah, let's go."