EVANGELINE.
I cough when he lets go, and I look up at him.
âZedkiel!â I say, reaching for him, but itâs then I realize itâs not him.. âYouâreâ¦â
âCan you not tell the difference between us?â He says darkly, and I realise my mistake.
Heâs talking in that strange stiff manner like the words arenât natural to himâ¦
Oh no. was I just talking to Zedkiel right now? âY-yourâ¦.
âI told you not to mention anything to Zedkiel⦠He heard what you said. He knows we talked. You are making things extremely hard for me now, Little Dark Mate.â
âI didnât mean to. Keeping secrets from Zedkiel is only causing problem s. I need answers. You said he will kill me, you said that-â
âI also said do not tell him.â He looks down at his hands as if examining them.
âI didnât, I was asking you-â I begin, but he casts me a warning glare. âIâm sorry for not being careful..â I end meekly.
âThere is no need for meaningless words. Time is running out, Little Dark Mate, and you are awakeningâ¦
Soon the stars will align..â
Heâs talking cryptically, but Iâm taking in every word.
âWhat is your name?â I ask bravely. I donât know how dangerous he is, but one thing I know for certain is that he will not hurt me.
âZarachiel.â He says after a moment.
Like the archangel.
âZarachiel⦠Nice to meet you.â I say, giving him a small, gentle smile. He doesnât respond to it, but he does reach out and car3ss my cheek. âY-you call me Dark Mateâ¦
why?â
âBecause you hold great evil within you.. but I donât care. You are still my mate and itâs my duty to protect you. It doesnât matter what else happens, you are mine.â He says, a small frown on his face.
Itâs like he is trying to convince himself.
My stomach twists. Evil? Iâm not evil.
âArenât you?â That same sinister voice comes in my head, making me shiver and I frown.
âYou say that Iâm your mateâ¦â
He simply smirks. âEven Zedkiel realised you are our mate.â He murmurs. âDo you not feel it? The sparks when I touch you?â
He runs his hand down my cheek and neck before he grabs me by the arm and yanks me into his lap.
âI-I do, but they arenât- they canât beâ¦â I trail off, not knowing what Iâm even trying to say. Trying to understand what heâs saying. âAre you insinuating that we are mates?â I ask softly, my cheeks burning when he seems a little more interested in outlining my n!pple with his finger.
I shy away from his touch and cross my arms over my br3asts, knowing I should have put on a br*a. The hunger in his eyes isnât something I can ignore.
âIâm not insinuating anything. I know that you are our mate. Zedkiel knows it too.â He states, making my stomach drop. My heart thunders as the words finally sink in.
I was⦠I am⦠an Alpha Princeâs mate? My hands feel shaky when I move my hair off my face.
âW-what?â
âHe realised today when we felt you drowning.â He replies, his red eyes filling with anger at the memory.
Zedkiel is my mateâ¦
âItâs not possible⦠I donât even have a w-wolf, how can he be sure? How can you be so sure?â I ask bravely, feeling my hands begin to tremble.
If Iâm his mate, heâll never let me goâ¦
Iâm unable to look him in the eye as I straddle his lap, hugging myself. Zedkiel had treated me well for far longer than he knew I was his mate. I mean, he only learnt of that today⦠but.. this meansâ¦
âHow can you know? I donât have a wolf; without one, I canât have a mate.âI repeat needing answers, but Iâm no longer certain who Iâm trying to convince,
âYou are⦠but itâs too late. this has set it all into play.â
He murmurs, his eyes darkening.
âSet what into play?â I ask, wishing he spoke clearly.
âYour end. Every single time, our unity will lead to despair. No matter what I do. â He looks bitter, in pain even and when he looks at me once again, his eyes are haunted by memories I donât even want to ask about.
âEvery single time?â I ask quietly.
Does this mean we have been alive in a past life? Is that even possible?
He smiles sadly and nods. âEvery single time, for our destiny will never let us be together. We are destined to be together yet destined to be doomed..â His words make my b***d run cold and my heart thumps and not in a good way. âNo matter what I do to keep you away, we somehow end up finding one another⦠I want you to live but the moment we cross paths⦠itâs too late.â
Iâm drinking up every word carefully. It all merges with my nightmares, but why is he talking as if there is no hope? Am I truly destined to die?
âThen we need to tell Zedkiel-â
âHe knows!â He snarls, grabbing my face in his hands.
Look, Little Mate, you do not owe him anything. After all, he never fully told you what the Shadow Beast in the Chamber said about you. Zedkiel is a fool, and you are becoming as foolish to want to trust him!â
I can see his struggle. Is Zedkiel coming forward?
Obviously, from his words, I knew Zarachiel can see everything Zedkiel can, but itâs clear that itâs not the same when it comes to Zedkiel, when Zarachiel is in control.
Time is running out, I need to get more answers!
âSo then, what exactly was said in the chamber? The part that Zedkiel didnât tell me.â I ask urgently.
âWhen the day comes that you yield to the woman with hair as dark as night, lips the shade of cherry and skin like milk; when you allow her evil to bleed within you.. pay heed, for then, shall you bring doom to the world.â
He says, I can see the layer of sweat on his forehead as he struggles, his eyes flickering from green-gold to red.
My heart clenches at his words.
Evil.
Am I evil?
I donât know what to make of that. I refuse to believe that I am. what have I done that is so wrong â that makes me evil?
âDonât believe him, heâs lying. They donât care for us.!â
That voice comes in my head, and I shiver involuntarily.
But it hurt that Zedkiel expected me to be fully honest, yet he himself isnât being fully honest with me too⦠he knows we are mates, something I canât believe and then the truth of the ordeal.
âWe will speak again soon. Next time wait for me to come to you.â He snarls, leaning closer he runs his tongue along my lips making my eyes widen before his lips graze against mine making my core throb as he k!sses me deeply, my breath hitches and I find myself k!ssing him back. He gr0ans in approval before he tenses and j3rks back.
âWait! Please! I know that youâre scared of trusting Zedkiel, but I truly believe we need to work as a team to overcome this! Please-â
His body falls back on the cushion, his eyes fluttering shut, and I close my eyes in defeat.
Dear Goddess⦠why are things so difficult?
I want to talk to Zedkiel. I donât think we can continue like this.
âNo, heâs lying. Do not trust them, either of them. You have me.â
âAnd who are you? I ask accusingly. After all, wolves do not have a voice.
You will find out.â She chuckles before her voice fades away.
I close my eyes just as Zedkiel bolts upright, scanning the room.
He exhales and runs a hand down his face, his attention turning to me.
My mate. Heâs my mate.
âWhat the f**k was that?â He growls.
âI can ask the same⦠You get angry that I kept a secret or two from you, yet you yourself withheld two very vital pieces of information from me.âI say, feeling hurt.
Maybe I am overreacting. Iâm not sure, but either way⦠it hurt..
His eyes meet mine and I wonder how much of the conversation he heard from the flicker of confusion in his eyes. He isnât sure what I mean.
âWhat do you mean?â He asks.
âHow many secrets have you kept from me that youâre too confused to answer?âI ask softly, realising Iâm still straddling his th!ghs.
Iâm about to move off him, but he grabs me by my h!ps, pulling me closer, and I gasp when I feel his c0ck press against my core through the fabric of his sweatpants.
Iâm unable to stop, my eyes fluttering shut for a second and the way my stomach knots in pleasure makes me lightheaded. His hands dance up my skin, resting firmly on my wa!st. His hands fit perfectly around my waistâ¦
Focus Evangeline!
âIâve told you everything necessary.â
âNecessaryâ¦â
âYou kept it a secret that you had talked to⦠him. Thatâs far bigger than anything I have kept from you.â
âWrong!â I cry out in frustration. âThe fact that I am somehow evil, or something isnât big?! Or that weâre mates? Is that even true?!â
His eyes widen in shock, and I see him swallow, before he closes his eyes and slowly lets one hand slide down my wa!st to my h!p as he lays back on his pillow, placing one hand over his forehead.
âItâs trueâ¦â
âHow long have you known?â I ask wondering if this was all just a big game for him.
âToday confirmed it⦠but the first time I touched you back at the ball, I felt something.. but you didnât have a wolf so we couldnât really confirm it.â
I feel like someone has įust doused me in icy water. For so long..
I look at the man before me, the man who had ignited so many emotions within me and suddenly Iâm not sure what to think. I somehow feel betrayed.
âWhy didnât you tell me?â
âDoes it matter? You want to leave once this is all done.
I made you my Luna, Ill make you my queen, but you still wanted to leave, remember? So what would have been the purpose of telling you that weâre mates?â He asks coldly.
Because weâre destined.. but did that mean he didnât want that to be the reason for me to stay? Did he want me to stay somehow, maybe itâs wishful thinking but it feels like that. If only he isnât so hot and cold.
âNo, he doesnât want you. Nobody ever does.â The voice in my head came.
I ignore it and look at Zedkiel.
âFine⦠but you donât have any right to question me keeping secrets when you yourself keep as many secrets.â I whisper, slowly pushing myself away from him and getting into bed.
Thereâs far too much to think about and try to understand.
Turning my back to him, I pull the blanket up.
âI have enough to deal with⦠for the first time I heard him talk. but it was to talk to you, not me.â He says coldly. He means his Lycan. I can feel his struggle.
That must be painful. Imagine your other half not wanting to ever talk to you.
Iâm about to explain that itâs a misunderstanding, that they are both misunderstanding one another. When I feel an odd pressure around my head, I open my mouth to speak, but the words that leave my mouth shock me.
âWell, maybe if you werenât such a cruel, horrible person, he may want to talk to you.â
I gasp and I hear his heart rate quicken at my own cruel words and I quickly sit up to explain but before I even can; he has gotten off the bed and leave the room, slamming the door shut behind him.
My heart is still pounding and Iâm trying to figure out why I said something so insensitively.
I hear the faint chuckle from within my mind and I realise that it wasnât me who had said that⦠but the thing within me. She has managed to use my body.
What if- what if sheâs the evil within me?
I have to ask the oracle today. I need to know what is the voice within my own mind..