The ill fated lovers (the Alpha king and his Queen luna)

XXIV

Austin fell to his knees, tears welling up in his eyes. "They killed my entire family, Davina. The vampires—my mother, my father, my sister. All these years, I've been running, hiding, searching for the ones who took them from me."

Seeing Austin in such anguish was heart-wrenching. I didn't know how to ease his pain, so I wrapped my arm around his neck as he began to cry. Watching my only friend break down like this was painful, and it felt like there was nothing I could do to help him.

"Austin, I promise you. I will kill the person who killed your family," I said softly, trying to offer him some solace.

"No, that person is mine. I will end his life myself, Davina," he said, determination burning in his eyes as he stood up.

"Have you told Alexander about—" he started to ask but was interrupted by a voice from the gate.

"About what? What else are you hiding from me, Davina?" Alex's voice cut through the tension.

"Later. We'll talk about it after this," I said, looking up at Alex.

"What is it about?" he persisted.

"Nothing important," I replied curtly, and he left without another word

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"Are you not even gonna look at me?" I shouted at Alex. He was behaving like a child, furious over what I hadn't told him.

"Alexander, I am talking to you," I repeated, my voice echoing off the walls.

"Why? Goddammit, why? Why is it that that vampire knows everything about you but I don't know anything? You don't want to be close to me, but you were hugging him in your arms, Davina? You bloody hell smell of him all over!" His voice was laced with pain and anger as he punched the nearby wall, leaving a dent.

His words were like a dagger to my heart. I was left speechless for the first time.

"Are you doubting me, Alex?" I asked, trying to remain calm despite the storm of emotions raging inside me.

"Do you like him? That's why you don't want me to mark you? Is that what you're going to tell me about later?" His sarcasm was sharp, cutting through the air. How could he even think that?

I didn't respond. I simply walked out the door. I needed space. If I stayed a second longer, I feared I'd lose more than just an argument; I might lose my mate.

I heard a growl from behind me. "DON'T YOU DARE RUN AWAY, DAVINA!" Alex's shout was filled with a mix of rage and desperation.

"He's just jealous. You would be too if he rejected you to mark him. And above all, he is an Alpha King. It's difficult for an Alpha blood to control them once they find a mate. Don't mind him. He's just angry about a lot of things. Give him some space," my wolf, Daeliah, offered her perspective, trying to soothe my frayed nerves.

But how could Alex doubt me, even if he was jealous of Austin? How dare he question my loyalty?

I had to pick up Ethan from school. I decided to drive myself. As I headed towards pack town, the streets were eerily quiet, with only a few male warriors in sight. Charlie must have taken the families to the bunkers.

"Davina!" A small voice called out from behind me. I turned to see Ethan with a little girl beside him. She had the same grey eyes as Alex and brown hair. She was pretty. I smiled, watching their hands linked together. Ethan had grown up so much.

"And who might this be?" I asked, pointing to the girl.

"I told you about the sticky girl in school. She is that," Ethan smirked, clearly enjoying teasing her. The girl lightly punched his side in response.

"Hello, I'm Alice, and you must be Davina? Uhm... you are really as beautiful as I was told," Alice said sweetly. Her comment confused me a little.

"It's nice to meet you, Alice. Yes, I am this dumbstruck's sister. You're pretty too."

"She's lying. She's good at this. If you don't believe me, look in the mirror," Ethan quipped, and Alice smacked his head, making him yelp. He would definitely get himself into trouble with girls someday.

"Davina, help me! She's assaulting me!" Ethan whined.

I laughed, enjoying their playful banter. I would have loved to spend more time with Alice, but I had to focus on getting Ethan to safety.

"Where are your parents, Alice? Aren't they coming to pick you up?"

"They should be here anytime soon. Oh, there they are!" Alice pointed to a well-dressed woman in the distance. The lady was the epitome of elegance and looked strikingly similar to Alex. What was going on?

Before I could say anything, the woman enveloped me in a tight, bone-crushing hug. It was warm, but I could hardly breathe, especially since I didn't know her.

"Davina, my dear, it's so nice to finally meet you. My dumbass son is so stupid. I kept telling him to bring you home again and again, and all he said was you need time." She continued speaking without releasing me until Alice pulled her back.

"Mom, you're making her awkward," Alice said, her tone exasperated.

It was then that Ethan mouthed to me, "She is Alex's mom." I stood there, jaw dropped, trying to process the information. That stupid jerk had never mentioned his family. He was so dead.

"Let's just be widowed," Daeliah muttered, also upset.

It was partly my fault for never asking him about his family. I knew his parents were alive, but how had we never talked about them?

"I'm sorry, my dear. I was just too excited to finally meet you that I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Cassie, Alex's mom. Let's go home. I'd love to know more about my beautiful daughter," she said, looking at me with warm, expectant eyes.

That was sweet of her, but I wasn't interested in gaining another pair of parents. One set was already more than enough. Didn't she realize that we were running out of time and that a full group of deadly rogue wolves would soon attack us?

"It's okay. Normally, I would have loved to accept your invitation, but the pack is in chaos. I believe you all should find a safe place before the attack."

"Oh, honey, there's nothing safer than our palace. It's protected by a powerful witch spell. No one can harm us there. Even the bunkers for the safety of pack members are protected. You don't need to worry. Alex told me you'd be coming today," she said, taking my hands in hers.

"Cassie, can you take Ethan with you?"

"I'm not going anywhere without you, D."

"Ethan, listen to me. You need to go with them. I'll be back. Safe and sound. I need to protect our people, our pack, our home."

"It's my pack too. I will protect it with you and everyone," Ethan insisted.

"Ethan, go now," I commanded, using my wolf command. No normal Alpha could disobey it. As for Alex, that was yet to be tested.

Ethan didn't argue further and silently went to Cassie's car, with Alice following him. His anger was palpable.

I watched him until he was safely inside.

"You will be defying Alex with this, Davina," Cassie said, her tone implying both concern and understanding.

I smiled sweetly at her. "I will be okay, Cassie—"

"Call me Mom," she interrupted.

I hesitated. It was too sudden, and I wasn't ready for others to force relationships on me. But I couldn't hurt her feelings either. I looked back at her and pulled her into a hug.

"Please take care of Ethan. Tell him I will be back," I whispered before running off towards the woods.

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