Rejected By My Mate, Chosen By Fate
Chapter 74

Special Chapter: Kayden’s POV

I stilled, and I felt her tense up as well as the person slowly came out of the shadows and into the light of the moon.

I heard the woman release a sigh of relief and that made my heart rate calm down just a tad bit. It seems this person might not hurt us.

“Gath, thank goodness it’s you. You gave us such a fright.” She said with a smile and he scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. “Sorry, captain.” He apologized.

“What happened to you? How did you get hurt? And who’s he?” He questioned spasmodically.

“One question at a time please.” She blurted with an annoyed look. “I’m sorry.” He apologized once more. “We were attacked by the Vampires you were supposed to mislead. You did a great job by leading them away from him but I think they caught on quickly because they came back and I had to kill them. We both got hurt when I tried to eliminate them but thankfully, it’s not more than this. As for introductions, we can do that later in the hideout. We have to leave now, staying out here any longer is too risky, especially with one of us bleeding.” She said and though Gath seemed reluctant at first, he joined her on my left and both of them helped me walk until we left the city.

We ventured into the dark forest but Gath held up a lantern to guide our way and I began to wonder where they were taking me. “Where are we going?” I questioned. “Just relax, it’s not like we’re going to sacrifice you or something. We’re considered outlaws and we’re wanted so of course we have to live where we can’t be seen.” She said and just then, we stopped in front of a huge canopy of tall trees with huge shades.

“This is it.” She said and I threw her a look of confusion. “This is what?” I questioned. “You’ll just have to see for yourself.” She said with a smirk. “Are you sure it’s such a good idea to bring a stranger to our hideout? What if he’s working for the Vampires or maybe he’s a spy.” Gath accused me and I had the urge to smack him but I was injured so I could only glare instead.

“That’s enough Gath, he’s not working for the Vampires. He’s a foreigner who seemed to have lost his way and wandered into town. He’s a human, he’s one of us and you know the rule, we never leave any human behind. There aren’t many of us left in this Kingdom anyway so I’ll try my best to fight for and protect the free ones left.” She replied but it seemed he wasn’t convinced.

“But are you sure about…….” Gath was about to argue again but she stopped him. “Alright enough, that’s enough. I don’t want to talk about this right now. Let’s just get to the base quickly, I have a headache so I’d like to get some rest.” She said and he nodded.

He then blew a bird whistle three times and just as I was about to wonder if he had gone nuts or something, a ladder descended and Gath began to climb on it.

“Are you coming?” He questioned me and I could detect the spite in his voice but I dismissed it.

“Please don’t be offended by Gath’s behavior. He could be a little overprotective at times. He lost everyone he loved in a day and we’ve become his family so he tends to be a little overprotective at times. ” She explained and I nodded.

“It’s OK, I don’t mind.” I replied. “Can you climb up on your own or do you need some help?” She questioned and I shook my head. “You go ahead, I can manage.” I said and she nodded before climbing up the ladder. I couldn’t help but worry about Evelyn and how she must be doing, I had left her with those vampires and only Selene knows the state she must be in right now. Part of me regrets separating from her but it seemed like the only way I could help. The faster we get this task done, the faster we can return home. Even if it means being apart for a while. I just hope we can both survive this.

I take a deep breath and bite on my lower l*p as I begin to climb up the ladder. The pressure on my broken and bleeding skin is excruciating but there’s not much that can be done.

I take short deep breaths and g***n slightly as I take each step up. Eighteen agonizing steps later, I’m finally at the top of the ladder and she gives me her hand, helping me up, I realize then that I was yet to know her name. As she helped me get on the wooden platform at the top of the tree, I couldn’t help but marvel at the wonder before me. Standing solidly and perfectly hidden by the trees was a huge treehouse, if it could even be called that.

It was a beautiful house with a solid foundation, lanterns illuminated the place and no one could have ever guessed that such a structure could be supported by trees and certainly nothing could have made anyone imagine that such a thing would exist in the middle of the forest. Several people of different sizes, mostly teenagers, young adults and then children came out of the house, obviously excited about their leader’s return. They were about thirteen in number, Gath included

“It’s good, right? Though it still needs some work.” She asked, instantly waking me from my thoughts.

“Good? It’s great. It’s an awesome structure.” I commended it. “I’m glad you like it, come let me introduce you to the whole family and then get your wound treated.” She said and a kid instantly ran to hug her. “Lucy, you’re back. I missed you” The girl said excitedly. So that was her name, Lucy. Lucy bent down to pick up the little girl in her arms with a smile.

“How are you doing, little one? I missed you as well.” She said and kissed the girl on the forehead. “Lucy, what happened to your head? Did the bad men with sharp teeth hurt you?” The little girl questioned innocently and she instantly reminded me of Nevaeh. This is how I imagine her as a toddler. I miss my baby girl and to think that it’s only been a day.

“Rhea, listen to me. Those men did not hurt me on purpose. We were playing a game of chase and I fell down. I’m absolutely fine and there’s nothing to worry about.” She explained so sweetly that I admired her.

The little girl must be her daughter. “Who’s he?” Rhea questioned, turning her gaze to me.

Lucy then turned to me. “Everyone, this is………..” She started, giving me the cue to introduce myself.

“Kayden. My name is Kayden. It’s nice to meet you all.” I introduced myself and she smiled. “Kayden, this is Rhea.” She said, referring to the girl in her arms. “I’m sure you already know Gath.” She said, referring to the grumpy person that had come with us. “This is Sonia, George, Kelsie, William, Harris, Gina, Rebecca, Javier, Daniel, Alec and finally Rina.” She introduced all of them while they just acknowledged me with a wave of the hand.

“It’s OK, I don’t mind.” I replied. “Can you climb up on your own or do you need some help?” She questioned and I shook my head. “You go ahead, I can manage.” I said and she nodded before climbing up the ladder. I couldn’t help but worry about Evelyn and how she must be doing, I had left her with those vampires and only Selene knows the state she must be in right now. Part of me regrets separating from her but it seemed like the only way I could help. The faster we get this task done, the faster we can return home. Even if it means being apart for a while. I just hope we can both survive this.

“I found Kayden being chased by the vampires in the city so I helped him. He’s hurt so he’ll stay with us for the meantime, just until he gets better.” She announced and they all said nothing, just stared at me strangely, giving me the feeling that I wasn’t welcome. I couldn’t really blame them, these people are young and most likely have lived most of their lives in fear so I get that it would be difficult to trust me right away. I stretched a bit and my back ached once more. Gosh, I miss having my wolf. If I had my wolf, I would have started healing already. Being human just sucks. I need to replace a way to heal quickly so that I can leave here as soon as possible to begin the search for Lucia, the Vampire King’s fated mate.

“Won’t you all welcome him?” She questioned and they all chorused “You’re welcome to our home.” “Thanks.” I said and Lucy waited for no further discussion before grabbing my arm and taking me into the house.

It looked bigger from the inside and it seemed just big enough to fit the fourteen of them. “Sit here.” She said, pointing to a small sleeping bag and I sat on it carefully. She went to the corner of the room and began looking through a wooden cupboard. She returned back to me with a first aid box.

“You’re going to have to take off your shirt so I can…………” She began but trailed off, embarrassment creeping in. I nodded and quickly took off my torn shirt and kept it aside. I then turned my back to her so she could dress the wound.

“Wow, it’s worse than I thought. This is going to hurt.” She said and I smirked. “You really don’t have to worry about me, I’m no stranger to pain.” I said and just then, I felt a sharp sting on my back as she dabbed the cotton wool soaked in antiseptic all over my injuries. I dug my nails into my thigh so as not to make a sound as she kept cleaning my wound, probably trying to stop the bleeding.

“You sound like you’ve been through a lot.” She said casually. “You could say that.”I answered and closed my eyes. “So, what’s your story?” She questioned and I clenched my fists. “I can’t really tell you. I appreciate that you saved my life but we just met and you haven’t even told me your name but you expect me to give you the full details of my life.” I said and paused, hoping that my words didn’t offend her. I won’t deny the fact that she risked her life to save me but the truth remains that I can’t trust anyone here. Even if she eventually earned my trust, it would still be hard to tell her the truth because it’s rather unbelievable. It’s so strange to the point that oftentimes, I’ve wished this could all be just a dream.

“You’re right, my bad. It would be foolish to reveal such intimate details to someone whose name is still a mystery. I’ll formally introduce myself then, my name is Lucia, Lucia Fitzherbert.” She introduced herself and I was left stunned.