*LYCIA*I felt like dying.Something just wasn’t right. According to the letter, the distance between mates was supposed to cause them pain because of the incomplete bond but it seemed as if Seff was sure that he would be the only one suffering from this then why is my chest constricting so painfully?Did the separation cause these adverse side effects of the bond?“Lycia, don’t be dramatic! No matter how you act, I am not going to agree to let you keep another pet,” Mom said glaring at me as she used her magic to serve us dinner.I wanted to say that I wasn’t trying to fuss about it but I barely felt like I had any energy to pick up my head off the dining table or turn it to the other side to avoid seeing her glaring green eyes.Approaching footsteps made my mother shift her eyes from me to my dad who took his seat next to me and in front of her. “It’s been a whole day, are you sure she isn’t actually sick? She always used to get a fever after throwing a fit demanding a pet.”Feeling
*LYCIA*“I like you.”Slapping my hands to my face I jumped on my bed and rolled around groaning in embarrassment.“Quiet being so dramatic. It’s not like you haven’t said these words ever before,” Esme sighed from where she was packing my bag for me.“You don’t understand, I haven’t ever said it to someone seriously before. I haven’t ever actually liked someone romantically to want to be with them,” I said my voice muffled because of my head pressed against the mattress. Suddenly sitting up I looked towards her and asked, “Do you think that Seff gave me a love potion? Maybe that’s why I am feeling this way.”“I have never seen someone be so obviously in love and yet reject it so vehemently,” Esme chuckled, throwing a t-shirt at me to change. “Well it's understandable I would be wondering if I am dreaming too if I had such a hot man as my mate."It had taken me some time to actually register the fact that I was in love with Seff. All night I tried to sleep wondering when and how it ha
*SEFF*As the prince of Darrow kingdom, I knew every nook and cranny of my palace. It was a good thing because today, I needed to navigate my way in secrecy, evading my own guards to avoid causing a commotion that I was back. Dressed in the clothes that Lycia had bought for me, her scent still instilled in it I pulled the hood over my head.I was going to sneak in to meet my brother and then leave, just as I had planned with Reemus.Moving stealthily through the dimly lit corridors, I felt the sudden step cause the wound in my stomach to stab and hurt. That spirit had taken complete advantage of this opportunity to try and hunt me, stopping only when I had entered the capital.But she wasn’t going to stop for long.“I can’t believe that they still haven’t found the second prince, where did he even go?”“I know, it’s weird that he went missing one day and still hasn’t returned, do you think something happened to him?”I overheard two guards' conversation and quickened my stride, carefu
*LYCIA*Seff?What was he doing there?He was sitting on the ledge of my window in my room. The moon shone on his silhouette, illuminating his face. He looked sad, almost as if drained of any life. His bright smile, the first striking quality of his that I had noticed was missing. Why did he look so sad?“What’s wrong with you?” I wanted to ask him but I couldn’t speak, no voice came out of my mouth but I heard a voice similar to mine echo in the room.“I don’t care about you. Did you think this would bother me?” the voice said, making his eyes gather pools of blue in them that he shed looking down. Each tear a crystal jewel shining in the moonlight.No! I didn’t want to say this! I didn’t say this!“Why do you always hurt me, Lycia? Do you really hate me that much?” He said, his voice barely audible.No!“Yes,” I heard my voice say but I never meant to speak these words.“Then there is no use staying with you,” he said and rubbing his cheeks with one hand he smiled at me and said, “G
*SEFF*Looking at the pastry I sighed.“Was it really necessary to come out? I wasn’t in the mood,” I said wondering what Lycia might be doing right now.“Yes, it was necessary. Although your search had been kept under wraps from the public they were all starting to wonder why you hadn’t shown your face in so long,” Reemus said, making me feel annoyed at the way he was acting as the Royal Beta of this kingdom rather than my friend. “Your regular appearance gives the people motivation and builds trust with the empire.”“Basically you are using my face as a means to keep the people happy and loyal to my feared brother,” I said, already aware of the rumors that spread about him and his twisted ways.“Well we have a powerful and scary ruler without a mate so they look for that missing care, mercy and protection in you. Your presence is needed to balance the wrath the king incurs from time to time,” he said almost in a monotonous tone as we waited for the already ordered cakes to be packed
*LYCIA*How did I interact with Seff before?For some reason I had been struggling to face him since we met again. He somehow seemed different. Was it because he was among people of his kind that he was being much at ease now or was it because he had already gotten over me because he didn’t seem as flustered or happy to see me as I had hoped he would be.For instance he still hadn’t spoken a word to me throughout this ride unless it was important and neither had he shown any happiness on my arrival.I… I had been truly happy when he had helped me out with that Lycan. Even if I could have managed him on my own, just seeing him come to my rescue when I was in trouble had given me hope. I was ecstatic at his presence, at his touch and at his voice. I still hadn’t seen his face and I wanted to see it. I was desperate to see his smile and the twinkling of his blue eyes.“Just a minute more, I apologize,” Reemus said, sensing the awkward silence we had all been sitting in.As we approached
*LYCIA*“You really like me?” He asked with big blue eyes staring at me in disbelief still.“Yes,” I replied back walking in the palace interiors to his room.“No, say it properly,” he said, making me give him a blank stare but nevertheless he kept up with his performance and said, “Please.”Those eyes will be the death of me.“Fine, I'll say it again, I like you Seff,” I sighed trying to hide a smile because the way his face lit up when I said those words made it seem like it had been an incantation to his happiness.It had been a relief to my heart that he had accepted me back but even after this I couldn't receive the rest I had hoped for because now my heart sped for a different reason as I became more attentive of each of his actions and words.It was as if I had been discovering new sides to him. How he smiled at ease and in true happiness every time that he heard me confess to him and how after a few minutes, as if he had been in a daze, he would poke me to repeat my confession
*SEFF*“Don’t tell her who I am!” I pleaded, pushing him into the room in front of mine.If it was someone else they would have been dead by now but giving me a chance to speak my brother’s confused expression changed to concern when he saw the panic in my eyes.“Why? Are you in danger?” It was endearing how he cared for me but to still treat me like the five year old me who needed his protection, always made me feel a little childish.Moving away so that his giant demeanor wouldn’t loom over me even though I had been quite tall myself I said, “No, it’s nothing like that, it’s just that Lycia, my mate’s mother, hates lycans.”“That crafty witch? I knew that already. She has been a menace to us before too,” he said, piquing my interest. What did he mean by that? Did he know Lycia’s mother personally besides as the queen of Amoret? “If you want I can talk to her, I had been curious about the infamous Aldith Amoret.”The way he scrunched his fists tightly together with a dark expression