Her Forever
Chapter 59

Bastian

Mating ceremonies werewolves really enjoy because they love to party and celebrate the unity of the pack. They are certainly a family-oriented species, something that I do like about them. They weren’t horrible creatures at all, like some vampires seem to think. Those that followed King Drago willingly felt as if the werewolves should be put in their place. However, they were one of the first supernatural species created by the gods and they were sent to protect humans and eventually came to help protect other supernaturals.

Vampires feel they are the better species after being first created with magical power qualities, but then stripped away because we became too powerful, and many abused their power. We now only have a few select powers that we may receive later in our vampire years. King Drago had the strongest compulsion to date. He could keep his compulsion going for many years, like what he did with Sadie, but it only ended up hurting her in the end, losing precious memories of her family.

King Drago had forced many of us, however, to go against the werewolves. He wanted power, but he also wanted Sadie. I had never seen an obsession like his before. His inner demon was wild and crazy for her, and he wasn’t even his mate. To be honest, I think he killed his mate accidentally after raiding an unsuspecting vampire village where they denied the submission to their king. I wish I could say that it only happened a few times, but many vampire’s lives were lost during Drago’s reign, and no other countries or territories knew about it. Werewolves constantly talk about the peace they had for 1000 years, but it only extended to their own kingdom.

After finally meeting Sadie, I could see how Drago became obsessed with her. Her beauty was beyond anything I had ever seen, just as much as my mate. That must have meant a lot to me, though for me to believe she was just as beautiful as her. Sitting in the dungeon with the rest of my men that were forced to attack the Pineville Creek Pack territory, we heard many stories of Sadie.

How innocent yet strong she was. She wasn’t afraid of getting dirty and working for others. How she befriended a young boy named Max that was introverted and now was quickly approaching the top of his young warrior class. The more I heard of her kindness and grace I wanted to meet her. I had yet to lay my eyes on the woman that everyone thought so fondly of. I almost had painted a picture in my head of what she looked like, but even then, it didn’t do it justice.

I would have thought she would be this angelic being and glide down to the dungeons to save us, but she didn’t. She stomped her feet all the way to the end of the hallway where our cells sat and demanded we were to be set free. Her voice was powerful and demanding, yet serene, that gave a wave of calmness to the room. It was the oddest thing I’ve ever witnessed, and I never wanted the moment to end.

She came down to the dungeon because she thought her friend, Lela’s mate, was here and he was. Sadie smiled once she realized they were mates, and her eyes lit up the entire room. Seth grabbed her and held her close. That was when I saw the mark on her shoulder. She had mated and was happy. I felt tremendous joy that she was happy to be free and be with someone she loved.

Could there be a possibility for her to love me, too? It was possible to take more mate, she was royal and could handle another soul-bonding to her. The thought made my dead heart pump once or twice before she turned to me and asked for our names. “Bastian,” I breathed. “And we are sorry for putting you in a difficult situation. It was of no will of our own.”

“You will be watched for a while, but otherwise forgiven. You can thank Sadie for that.” Seth said with force. She smiled up at him and gave him a peck on the cheek. Damn, I want that. Do I want that scenario or did I want her?

After the brutal rejection, it didn’t really matter. She was shocked and taken aback by my confession. I never pursued her because, frankly, Seth was always there. He was a territorial demon and barely let mated wolves near her. I had to try, though. I had to know if she felt anything and, of course, she didn’t. We had no bond, but I still had that sliver of hope. I was going to live through eternity alone.

Sadie was now walking down the aisle with her parents. She was arm and arm with them. She was smiling at all the little wolves that were throwing petals near her feet. Glancing around the area, her eyes almost immediately hit mine when she saw me perched up in the tree. I had one foot dangling while my other leg was perched up around my chest. She gave me a warm smile, and I gave her a wink.

It was time for me to go. I had no other use of being here. My friends of many years had found their mates, and I had already lost mine. Being around them would only reopen old wounds that I couldn’t bear to take. Jumping down silently, I walked back to the house to grab a few articles of clothing to go back home, or what was left of it.

That was when I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Nathan.

“Hey man, no hard feelings about the torturing stuff, right?” He held out his hand for me to shake. Nathan and Marco were brutal. They tortured us for days with UV lights and weird devices that made me cringe. They had to do it though, they had to know where Sadie was. We were just following orders, being threatened by him taking the lives of innocent women and children.

“Nah, all’s fair in war.” I chuckled and gave him a quick shake. Nathan sat up and gave me a pat on the back.

“Sadie wanted me to give you this.” Nathan held out a medium-sized envelope and motioned for me to open it. There was a letter and a large amount of money that the humans used. I looked at him questionably and he gave me a quick wave of goodbye.

Opening the letter, I quickly read:

Dear Sebastian,

It takes a lot of courage for one to show their feelings, but even more courage to move on when those feelings are not reciprocated. I’m sorry things didn’t turn out as you hoped, but it is all for a good reason. You may not feel it, but I do. Your life is destined for great things and one of those things is replaceing another mate. Don’t ask me how, but I know she is out there for you. Please take this money that was given to me to start a new life. I have found mine and now, with the leftover bit I have left, I want you to replace yours. This will get you as far as you want to go and back. Please bring back your love so we may all meet her. Safe travels, my dear friend, Sadie.

Inside the envelope, there was a map of different places to see and different towns to visit. She had thought of it all, all of this within just a few hours of her walking down the aisle to meet her mate. For the second time in 24 hours, my red tears soaked the letter she gave me. I want to believe her. I want my heart to believe that I have someone. I’ll take her advice. I’ll go out into the human world and see if there is anyone out there for me to have a second chance. Taking one last look in the envelope, there was a key to a Jeep Wrangler that was taped to the back of an index card. “Take care of her. I’m not sure how much longer she will last. It will at least get you to the next town.”

Did she give me a car and money? Oh, my gods. She is a goddess. How would I ever repay her. With fresh energy I found spirit, I hopped in the Jeep, knowing I would be faster, but hell, I was on a new adventure in a human-dominated world. I had all the time in the world and I was going to enjoy it.

****

I did 4 days of driving until I finally arrived at the vampire coven. They all lived in a gated community and I had already contacted the coven leader so I could stay for a few weeks. He was more than accommodating, letting me stay, which surprised me. Most covens like to stay to themselves and worry about others. Maybe it was just how Vamparia was with Drago as king.

Once I pulled up and typed in the code, I drove down a long driveway to the main house. It was larger than the rest and it was bright with woods around it. White brick and large white columns were adorned around the front part of the mansion with red roses surrounding it. I couldn’t help but chuckle at that. Long ago vampires used to stalk their intended beloved, not their true beloved, and leave roses wherever they slept. They don’t practice that anymore and try to replace their true mates. I knew King Drago did that to Sadie. I can’t imagine the fear she must have had.

Once I pulled up and typed in the code, I drove down a long driveway to the main house. It was larger than the rest and it was bright with woods around it. White brick and large white columns were adorned around the front part of the mansion with red roses surrounding it. I couldn’t help but chuckle at that. Long ago vampires used to stalk their intended beloved, not their true beloved, and leave roses wherever they slept. They don’t practice that anymore and try to replace their true mates. I knew King Drago did that to Sadie. I can’t imagine the fear she must have had.

Walking up the steps, before I could knock on the door, I was greeted by an older gentleman. His eyes were tinged red from recently feeding off of human b***d. In Bergarian we had switched over to mostly animals, not unless a willing werewolf or fae gave in but that was rare. “Greetings Bastian! I’m Elder Rowan! It is a pleasure to meet someone from Bergarian. What brings you all the way out here?”

“Greetings Elder. I’m just passing through. I’m mainly traveling, but if I stumbled upon my beloved, that would be a plus.” I smiled at the term beloved.

“Ah yes, I remember hunting for mine. What a fun hunt that was, wasn’t it, Adaline?” A tall woman with raven black hair pinned up to a bun on the lower side of her head came to the door. She gently grabbed her beloved’s hand and squeezed it.

“It was quite fun. We are fond of cat and mouse games.” She giggled at him. I gave a small laugh, but my heart ached for my own. I had been alone too long and my good mood was fleeting after that great drive.

“Let’s get you settled, shall we? Come with me and I will explain how things work around here.” Elder Rowan led me into the house where I would be staying. “People of the coven come here often. They don’t live here in the house, so you won’t have to worry about others bothering you. They all live in their own houses in the community. We have some rules here, though.” Rowan showed me the kitchen where the b***d bags were kept and said all of them were donated. There were times you could feed from a human, but that was only if they were willing and living in the community.

“There are a few intermingled families living here. Some didn’t replace their human beloveds until after they had children with other humans, so their children live here after their parents go through the change. Usually, it takes about a year for humans to control their thirst completely. So their children stay with their other human parent during their change or live in a home with other children going through the same ordeal with their parent changing into a vampire. Some beloveds have tried to wait to be officially claimed until their children are old enough to take care of themselves, and then the older children or young adults live a few houses down with roommates. Everyone is constantly monitored, though. So far, no accidents have happened.” Rowan continued to explain as he finally showed me to my room.

It was the perfect size for me. A large king bed, with a dresser, closet, and its own ensuite bathroom. “I hope you come to like it here and stay. We have many unmated females and males that are still looking for their mates, so feel free to mingle,” Elder Rowan winked and headed out the door.

Once he shut the door, I laid down on the bed. After riding in the Jeep for so long, it felt good to stretch my body out. The only thing that hurt was my aching, unbeating heart. It felt as if a large rock was in a place of it, occupying the hole that should be there. They say a vampire’s heart will beat once they replace their mate. It beat when I first saw her, my first mate, before she was murdered, and then stopped as soon as it started. It beat twice when it saw Sadie, but I was too hopeful because it ceased after that.

When will it beat again, I wonder? Will there ever be another chance for me?