I am Daria [18+]

sixteen

Another long one. I apologise if this reads a bit slow. Oh and please read a/n at the end, thanks!

There were many reasons I didn't want to return to the Kingdom—believe me I had the list—but why I dreaded going back again, was a mystery.

Perhaps it was because I was nervous, maybe even a little afraid. I didn't know what to expect, how everyone would take my homecoming. I certainly hadn't, nor planned to, ask any of my traveling companions to fill me in on what to anticipate.

I refused to speak with either of them. I was still angry and hurt and frankly, too emotionally drained to partake in any civil interaction with them. I've gone through more changes and mental breakdowns in the past week than I had ever had in my life. And I knew that if I were to engage in any sort of communication with anyone, I'd either cry or lash out, again.

During the car ride to the kingdom I tried not to think much. I requested to ride in a separate vehicle and no one objected. Not even he. The seven-hour plane ride must have been suffocating for him, too. He did order a guard to join me however. I didn't care enough to fight him on it.

The world passed me by as I sat in the back of the SUV, my hands clenched into fists on my lap. We've been driving for who-knows how long when I cleared my throat and asked my driver, "Pardon me? How far from the kingdom are we more or less, would you say?"

He looked back at me briefly, before concentrating on the road again. "Around three more hours, my lady. We could stop for some refreshments if you'd like?"

"I'll have to notify the His Grace," my guard, sitting in the passenger seat, remarked, already getting out his phone.

Irritation sparked within me. "That won't be necessary. We're not stopping."

Already I missed the freedom I'd enjoyed for the past year. How easy it was. How in control I felt of my own life.

I found myself comparing my time away with what was waiting for me back at the kingdom. So much had been revealed to me these past couple of days and I hadn't quite considered what that meant to me, or for me.

Alpha Micah was my mate. He was my mate. It still hadn't completely sunk in. My parents knew about it and their betrayal was branded in my mind.

I had questions. Of course I had. I needed to understand how exactly all of this was possible.

If he was speaking the truth about 'knowing' for five years, that meant I was only twelve when he imprinted on me. How was that possible? How was he able to reach me, given I was so young? I was nowhere near the age of shifting so how could he connect with me? How did he even find me, of all people?

I wanted answers.

But that wouldn't be happening right away, I thought, as I didn't see myself even in the same room as him anytime soon.

On top of everything else, I lost Taylan. My sweet, beloved Taylan who I most likely wouldn't ever see again in person. My heart hadn't stopped aching since I left him in that room.

As someone who was a fairly optimistic person, I could not see the bright side of this madness. I could only see a neverending dark tunnel of sadness and suffering.