Hell and Back

Chapter Twenty Eight

Love. It reveals itself in mysterious ways. It doesn't always appear before us as roses on our doorstep, a love letter sent in the mail. Sometimes love is the blanket you offered because you saw how cold I am. Love is the smile you give to a loved one after a stressful day at work. Love is the heartache you experience when you lose someone you never thought you'd be without. It's the little things. The memories stored in our heart which we treasure forever.

Every meaningful experience encompasses love. Some of us think we are running from our pain, running from our emotions, running away from our past. But in reality, we are running away from love.

As I open my eyes, I notice I feel significantly lighter in my body. Like a feather. I'm draped in a glowing white dress surrounded by large selenite towers. I can't help but be amazed at the beauty surrounding me. "Wow." I whisper gazing at them and inspecting every detail.

"I've been waiting." A familiar voice says. I whirl around and spot Damien sitting on a brown bench behind me. He grins at me.

"Dae?" I feel my heart expand gazing at him. His voice isn't his own. It's the voice of the shadow that was following me everywhere.

"Welcome, Alena." He pats the space next to him. I don't hesitate to sit next to him and I pick up on his regal energy. It looks exactly like him but isn't exactly him. "I'm Damien's wolf, Lena. His inner beast. Your shadow." Says the voice.

"You've been following me." I whisper in astonishment.

"I have. We're really proud of you." It states. My mouth gapes open. Proud of what? Almost destroying the entire universe? "You followed what you knew best. And now you're being reborn. Your sacrifice isn't going unnoticed." He explains. "You won't be here for long. You'll wake up. And you won't be the same."

I furrow my eyebrows and gaze at my feet. "And Damien?"

"Damien will live. Because of you. The potion is making you immortal. He was reborn through your spirit. If you hadn't taken it, he would have died." His Lycan explains. I notice I feel extremely calm in his presence. It feels comforting yet a little intimidating.

"Is this my destiny?" I sigh deeply.

He nods. "A long time ago, before you were born, you chose this path, Alena. The more you fight it, the more you run away from who you're truly meant to be. Damien is too powerful to roam freely. You chose to incarnate in this time because it was beneficial for both of your growth. You are each other's complete mirror. Yin and Yang." I feel my body shake and looking down, my body is beginning to dissolve. Everything around me is warping like I'm on an acid trip. "Trust yourself." Damien's shadow disappears before me and I'm engulfed in darkness again.

Slowly, I start to feel heavy again. As if I'm returning back into my body and my senses. I open my eyes, and I blink a couple of times to adjust to my surroundings. I see 2 figures flash in front of my eyes followed by me gaining control of my legs. I lift myself from the ground and I see Damien standing near the seat as a half wolf, half human figure where his upper body is bigger with small sprouts of fur but his face is not entirely wolfish. In his hand is a beating heart dripping with blood, and Tony's body draped over one of the audience seats with a hole through his chest.  My own heart accelerates at the hellish sight of Damien. His eyes are a beady yellow and he looks like a monster with a grin that is beastly.

I can't find anything in my brain to articulate what's happening. Damien drops Tony's heart and turns around. His upper body transforms back into its regular size and I'm truly amazed watching his transformation process. And the fact that I've never seen him transform in this way.

"Let's eat." Damien stretches his neck out, and I don't even say anything. I simply hop down from the stage and embrace him from behind. He stiffens a little, then relaxes.

"I'm so sorry, Dae." I sob uncontrollably. "I'm sorry it took me so long to see the truth."

Damien loosens my arms around him and turns so that we're facing each other. "Everything happens for a reason. Look at you, babe. Your immortal!" He looks ecstatic and I see his eyes glow. "That spell can only be performed by an extremely powerful witch. Something like that takes decades of planning and gathering materials.

"I thought I lost you forever." I whispered.

He chuckles. "Nah, you actually got me forever." I laugh and inhale his scent deeply. Both Damien and I are covered in blood and look like we've just been through some sort of ritualistic sacrifice. Well, technically... "Come." Damien takes my hand and leads me out of the room. The first person to see us is a woman carrying a tray. She looks astonished upon seeing us. "Please have someone clean that room up. And get Bach to gather the kingdom for an important message." He says to her sternly. She nods slowly and he swiftly moves us to our wing of the castle. I can tell Damien's in one of his moods where he wants to kill anything that irks any of his nerves. 'Except for you.' He mindlinks.

"Lets get cleaned up." I open the door to the room and Damien follows. "What's the announcement going to entail?" I ask as I strip from the dress. Damien pauses and gazes at me up and down and licks his lips.

"That's a sight I'll never get tired of." He comments flirtatiously. "You'll see." He starts to undress so I decide to get the shower ready. Walking into the bathroom, there's a little blood still dripping and making little blotches on the white tile. I turn on the shower and watch the blood on my hands rinse down the drain. I've never been so relieved to take a shower. I don't waste any time getting in and letting the water wash my entire body. The hot water is starting to steam up the bathroom and I can see Damien's figure entering the bathroom.

Seeing him makes me grin uncontrollably. An eternity. Together. I'm actually liking the sound of it.  "There's a lot to get done." Damien comments as he steps into the shower with me. I grab his arms and pull him close to me so that we both feel the water against our skin. "A lot, a lot, a lot." He grumbles and I feel through his hair.

"We've got time." I take the sponge and start to wipe the excess blood off of his body. He relaxes as I wash his body slowly, making sure to get every inch of him. The rest of the shower is followed by silence as we both clean ourselves up and share space together.

———

Gazing at the crowd, I notice how different I feel. There's a strong sense of purpose in me. Like I'm meant to be standing here. Perhaps Damien's wolf was right. This role does suit me. "Ladies and Gentleman of the Kingdom." Damien announces. "I have the unfortunate news to bestow upon you all. We underwent an attack this morning within the castle walls. Among the deceased is Royal Advisor, Stacey, who betrayed this kingdom." There's a collective gasp as Damien explains the events. "As of today, there are new rules in this palace. Starting with the banishment of Royal Bigaas. This Kingdom is under the guidance of myself and Alena alone. That is all." His words drown out in my ears and I look down at my hands. This is my fate. To be a Queen. Damien finishes his eulogy and I sigh deeply. Fighting it is useless. This isn't the life I had planned for myself, but it's the one I will take responsibility for. Damien is the love of my life, and I know one day we'll have a life for ourselves outside of being royalty. "I would like to thank you all for your endless support of us. It hasn't been an easy transition, but it is absolutely necessary. Which brings me to my next point." Damien then bends down on one single knee. My eyes expand as I anticipate his actions. He takes out a small box and opens it up toward me. "Alena, will you do me the honor of unifying this Kingdom with humanity through my hand in marriage?" He opens the box and reveals a beautiful amethyst ring wrapped in diamonds.

I can't help the grin that spreads across my face. I break out of usual protocol and I wrap my arms around his neck, taking him off guard but he manages to keep his balance. "Of course I do." I laugh as I pull back. He grins back at me and I hold out my left hand for him to place the ring.

He carefully removes it from the box and slips it on my finger, and the Kingdom cheers louder than I've ever heard before. "So it begins." Damien looks back at the crowd with a wide grin. He takes my hand in his and waves it to the crowd as they scream. "The eternal Reign of Queen Alena and King Damien."