The date was November twelfth. Today was meant to be a defining day.
The day of the ball. My twentieth birthday.
I was applying the finishing touches to my hair and makeup, my nerves making my hands shaky. I absentmindedly twirled the ring on my finger while I looked down at the dress Maria had designed for me.
It was beautifully simple. A plain cream colored dress that brushed the floor when I walked. A long slit ran up the side to show off my defined legs, and the open back displayed my tanned skin. There was no denying, I had never felt this beautiful in my life.
Just as I'm about to leave my room to join the party downstairs, there's a faint clinking sound on my window. Curiosity gets the better of me, and I slowly make my way over and peer down below. Standing below my window, is Von.
He's throwing small pebbles in order to get my attention. He smiles when he sees me, and gestures back to the gazebo a few yards away. Valen stands there waiting, watching. His face does not hold a smile, but it isn't cold either. He seems nervous; an emotion I've never witnessed from him before.
I smile back at the two of them and admire their dapper appearances. Both are dressed in form fitting three-piece suits. Valen's is all black, while Von's is a dark navy blue. They look ravishing. I shake my head to clear my thoughts as Von makes his way over to the gazebo, still gesturing for me to follow.
Suddenly, the acrid smell of smoke invades my nostrils. No, that can't be right. This is a night of celebration. Why on Earth would I be smelling smoke?
Sure enough, as I look toward the door, dark plumes are billowing from underneath. I abandon my post at the window and try to touch the handle. I hiss as I draw my hand back and realize it has been burned. Flames are beginning to lick up the door frame. I turn my head and look around for any route to escape, before my eyes land back on the window.
It's a long jump down, but I have no choice. I rush back to it, expecting to see Von and Valen waiting for me, but instead I'm met with a horrifying sight. Two wolves stand in their place, one who's midnight fur and red eyes I recognize to be Valen, the other's with the dark brown fur and amber eyes I instinctually know to be Von.
They are snarling, with their teeth bared and their heads low to the ground, attempting to intimidate the five, large wolves that are prowling menacingly toward them. I scream and pound on the window, hoping to create a distraction.
It doesn't work. They don't even glance back at me.
I pound harder, trying to break the glass with my fists. Still, nothing.
I rear back, grab the heaviest book I can find and smash it as hard as I can against the glass. It still won't shatter. At this point I'm sobbing, clutching at my throat as the smoke runs through my body. It feels raw and I can taste blood.
I try one more time to hit the window and smash the glass, but I don't prevail. Just as I'm about to succumb to my fate, I hear a heart wrenching howl pierce the night air. Tears stream down my face and my body shakes uncontrollably. I fall to the ground and weep. I don't know which prince it was, but I felt my heart shatter and my soul tear from my body, just as his was with his last breath.
I can only mutter one word before the world goes black.
"Mate."
I sit up with a gasp and begin frantically clutching at my throat. It takes me a few moments to to realize there is no smoke billowing into my room. I am in bed, in my pajamas, not dressed for a ball. I look around quickly, my survival instinct screaming at me to make sure I really am safe.
I take a deep, shaky breath, and slowly let it out. Despite it just being a dream, my throat burns as if it had really happened. I know there is no way I am getting back to sleep anytime soon.
I flip on the lamp on my bedside table and move to sit on the side of my bed. I take another deep breath while counting, one...two.. three.. before blowing it out. It was a trick Aunt Maddie had shown me when I would have nightmares back at her cabin.
I got up and pulled a silk robe around my body. There was a slight draft coming in from the window, and the chilly air was assaulting the bare skin of my legs. I slid off the bed and quietly opened my door to make my way downstairs. I padded through the main hall in search of the kitchen so I could make myself a drink. I usually didn't partake in the consumption of alcohol, but I knew it would help knock me out.
I looked around and realized I had no idea where I was. I shuddered, but continued to move forward. The hallway in front of me curved to the right, and suddenly I heard giggling. My hair stood on end, but I couldn't help my curious nature. I peeked my head around the corner and nearly gagged at what I saw.
A barely dressed Celia was giggling, clutching at her transparent shirt as she was leaving a room. Her hair was messy, and her lips swollen. The unmistakable scent of arousal was in the air. She turned back to the door and pulled it's occupant forward, before slapping one last, heated kiss on his lips. My heart broke when I realized who's room it was. I could never forget that muscled build, or inky black hair.
Valen.
Celia turned the other direction down the hallway, and swished her hips as she saw herself out. I tried not to make any noise, but as I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding, a small squeak of pain could be heard echoing down the walls. Valen quickly turned to survey his surroundings. He glared into the dark.
"Who's there?" he called out menacingly.
I didn't answer him, as I slapped my hand over my mouth and dashed back around the corner. I fell to the ground as I felt my heart break and tears stream down my face. Valen growled.
"I'll ask one more time before I'm coming over. Who. Is. There?" he demanded.
I glanced at my mother's ring on my finger before rising to my feet and wiping away the evidence of hurt on my face. I rounded the corner and sent Valen the deadliest look I could muster.
"Just me," I replied coolly. His face went from threatening to shocked. If I hadn't been so upset, I probably would have laughed at him.
"Indigo, what are you doing down here?" he asked me.
"I couldn't sleep. I was looking for the kitchen to get a drink," I replied with tight lips.
I crossed my arms over my body to keep away the chill that had followed me from upstairs. He looked me up and down before sighing.
"Come here, I've got some stuff in my room that will help." I raised my eyebrows at him incredulously.
"You can't be serious?" I scoffed. He sent me a lop sided grin.
"Hey, you can always stay with me, too. I'm always down to have someone warm my bed again," he said with a seductive voice.
Anger flared through my veins.
"I can't believe you. You disgust me. After that little show? How could you even think I'd want to go anywhere near you?" I hissed at him. He turned to glower at me.
"So you saw that, huh? Well, like I told you earlier today, whoever I get involved with is none of your business." I clenched my fists as I brought them back down to my sides.
"You're right, Valen. I'm so sorry for intruding on your personal matters. I seem to be the only one here actually taking the treaty seriously, but it's good to know you're so satisfied with yourself. I thought that maybe, just maybe, things would work out for me for once in my life, and that maybe, just maybe, you could have actually fallen for me, too," my voice broke near the end of my sentence.
"I guess I was wrong," I whispered. A lone tear ran down my face, but I refused to break his gaze. His expression changed from cocky to concerned.
"Hey, wait. I don't want to see you cry.." he trailed off. I hastily wiped away the tear.
"It doesn't matter anymore. Even if we are mates, I will never be happy with you knowing you couldn't wait for me. That you could just jump into bed with the first she-wolf to open her legs for you." A low growl sounded from the back of his throat.
"Oh? And you're so innocent? I see the way all the other males look at you, my brother included. You have them all wrapped around your perfect little pinky finger. I'm sure you've noticed. They'd all bow at your feet just to get an opportunity to speak to you," he spat at me.
Was he being serious right now? How could he even be saying these things to me? I snarled.
"You don't know what you're talking about," I warned.
"Oh, I'm pretty sure I do. Little miss innocent isn't so innocent after all, is she?"
Thunder began to boom outside, and suddenly rain was pelting the windows with immense force.
"I've never been touched, never even been kissed by anyone; you self righteous asshole!" I screamed. His eyes widened in shock.
"And clearly," I continued, "even if I had been, it shouldn't be such a big deal to you. But, it is to me! I was born from an affair; from a male wolf who couldn't wait for his mate and look how well that turned out for me!"
The tears were flowing freely down my face at this point as I fell back to the ground on my knees. I shoved my fist in my mouth to keep the sobs from escaping, as the rain hit harder against the windows. Valen made his way over to me and crouched down, laying a hand on my back.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. I looked up at him with tears still in my eyes.
"You're right. I am an asshole. The truth is, you intrigue me. I can't seem to ever get you off of my mind. You're beauty is almost impossible to ignore and your spirit lights a flame in me that I haven't ever felt. I was jealous. And scared. I'm scared that, when your birthday comes, you'll choose Von over me. Just like everyone else."
He was looking down at the ground, trying to hold back tears of his own. I rose up to my knees and wrapped my arms around him in a fierce hug. He stiffened briefly, before wrapping his arms around me and melting into my embrace.
"Even if that's the case, you don't have to prove yourself to anyone, Valen. You're incredible, the way you are. Just by being you," I whispered into his ear.
His arms around me tightened, before he pulled back to look me in the eyes. Those icy pools seemed to swirl with his emotions, and I could feel myself being pulled in. I couldn't look away. He opened his mouth, before shutting it again.
"What is it?" I breathed out.
"Have you really never been kissed before?" he asked me. I shook my head. A smile grew on his face and he said words I thought I'd never hear from him.
"I think I'm falling for you."
His eyes burned an even brighter blue, before darkening with lust. He leaned in closer, our noses now touching. His arms were still around me, and my skin felt like it was on fire from the sensations shooting through my body. My breathing became erratic, and my heart beat fiercely. I began to lean in closer, closing my eyes, our lips just a breath away from meeting.
Suddenly, a lighting bolt illuminated the room and thunder boomed so loudly, that the paintings on the walls shook. We ripped apart and fell backward, both of us breathing heavily. Valen looked in my eyes, his irises nearly all black. He cleared his throat.
"We should probably get you back to bed"
"Yeah, okay," I stammered. He held a hand out for me and helped me to my feet.
"Still want that drink?" I shook my head.
"I think I'll be okay, now."
He held my hand as he lead me all the way back to my room. I relished the feeling of my small hand in his large one. Like two pieces of a puzzle. He stopped outside of my door and turned to me.
"If you can't sleep again, you know where to find me," he said. I nodded and turned the handle to walk inside.
"Indigo?" he called out.
"Yes?" I turned. He paused for a moment, seemingly debating something in his mind, before leaning in and wrapping his arms around me one last time.
"Save that kiss for me, okay?"
I nodded into his chest. He pulled back and hesitated, before pressing a delicate kiss to my forehead. I smiled at his retreating form before closing the door and getting back into bed.
***
The next few days passed by quickly and uneventfully. I hadn't been alone with Valen since our midnight encounter, and I'd only seen Von during my dance lessons. He and Queen Stella believed I had progressed well enough, that I deserved a day off from all of my training.
Currently, I was relaxing on the reading bench by the window, flipping through a novel. I glanced outside at the gazebo and shuttered. My nightmare had been reoccurring all week long, and it had me on edge.
I decided it was time to face my fears, and rose from the bench. I slipped on some leggings and light jacket, then tied my boots around my ankles, before making my way down to the gazebo. I took in my breath. It was even more beautiful up close.
Flowers of all sorts grew around it, tantalizing the air with a heavenly floral scent. There was a wild sort of beauty to their array. I breathed in deeply.
A small iron bench sat in the middle of the gazebo. It was older than anything else I'd seen at this castle so far. I admired it's beauty as I ran my finger over the seat. I reached my hand into the pocket of my jacket and clutched the small purple bag.
I couldn't remember having put it in my pocket, but I shrugged that thought away as I pulled it out. I plopped myself down on the bench and reached in. This time, I pulled out a rolled up scroll that was tied with a violet ribbon. I opened it up and began to read.
Two destined to the grave,
Both see in a violet haze.
The third to be the one,
To bring peace to Kingdoms Come.
Awaited by a blazing mate,
To renew the Soul is her Fate.
I tilted my head in confusion. Was this some sort of family prophecy? I reached up and touched my face below my eye. Clearly, seeing in a violet haze had to refer to my eye color. But two destined to the grave? I knew my mother had my eyes, and she was already dead. Was I next? What could this mean? I carefully rolled the scroll back up and put in the bag.
My mind was still reeling, when I heard two voices in the distance. I strained my ears to listen, but I couldn't catch what they were saying. Both voices seemed agitated and angry. I peeked my head around the gazebo and saw Von and Valen arguing. I quirked an eyebrow and decided to go over to them. Their voices faded away the closer I got.
"Is everything okay?" I asked. Von glanced at Valen, who pressed his lips into a thin line.
"We're fine, Indigo. How are you enjoying your day off?" Von asked me.
"It's been lovely, thanks for asking. It's nice to relax every once in a while." He smiled and nodded at me, before his eyes shifted to the bag that was falling out of my pocket.
"What's this?" he said while reaching for it. Before I could snatch it back, he gently pulled it close to inspect it.
"Please, be careful with that. It's all I have left from my mother. My Aunt Maddie gave it to me before I left. She said to pull something out every time I felt like I needed some guidance." Valen snorted.
"And you feel like you need guidance today? he mocked. I glared at him, but nodded.
"I do, but that's not any of your business. I'm just missing my family today, is all."
"Well, you're in luck then," Valen smiled at me.
"Artemis and your Aunt Maddie will be here on the night of the ball. Arrangements have been made for them to stay for a week afterwards." A huge smile broke onto my face and jumped over to him and wrapped my arms around his neck.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I exclaimed.
"I'm so excited to see them, its been so long. I can't believe you guys did this for me." I untangled myself from Valen and looked over at Von to see him glaring at his brother. My face flushed a little.
"I really appreciate it," I said while giving him a small smile. His expression softened at me.
"Anything for you, Indigo."
Valen cleared his throat.
"Well, we better get going. We won't be attending dinner with you tonight. We're doing a perimeter run," he explained.
"Can I go?" The two princes exchanged glances.
"Not this time," Von said in a soothing voice. "Next time, though, we'll personally take you out so you can get a layout of the land."
Sienna whimpered in my head.
"Okay," I resigned. "But is there a place I can go to run? Sienna really needs to stretch her legs." Von nodded.
"Ask Aislinn to take you to run. She'll know where to go. And please, bring some guards to watch over you." I nodded and they turned to leave. I wasn't sure what was going on, but I couldn't help the suspicion rising in my gut.
What were they hiding from me?
Author's Note:
Oof, two updates in one day. I'm on a roll! What do you think of the message on the scroll? What were Valen and Von arguing about?
Please vote and comment!
Love you!
Xoxo
CrimsynIris