Her Forever

Seth

“Get this s**t off me now!!” I spat as the warriors stood in silence as their future Luna walked into the dark. “Get your asses up now!” After the daze of confusion of the rogues leaving, Sadie walks off and leaves us all alone so we can suffer in silence. Any wolf that came to Marcus and me to tear through the bonds was futile. They couldn’t break the bonds. The fire they felt in their fingers and paws left burn marks in their wake. The appearance of ordinary rope could make anyone the mistake they make by trying to rip them with bare hands. The ropes were laced with something powerful. A witch must be working with them, if not one but many.

I heard the warriors parting. Both Marco’ and my head had been turned so we could watch my mate fall into darkness. We couldn’t see behind us at all. Everyone was silent, and with one swift movement, someone cut the ropes with their bare hands. Looking up from the ground, I saw none other than King Orion.

“Need help, wolfie?” His face was anything but joking. He was pissed. Seeing a pissed fae is nothing to laugh over. Normally, faes are fun, menacing, and tricky. King Orion went from a bright fairy that he normally was to a dark one. His hair even turned a shade or two darker, while his clothing was black instead of his white and light green. His clean-colored nails had turned long and grey. Orion kept twisting and twirling the wisps he cared so much about between his fingers. He was whispering to them as he approached closer.

“This was a damn trap, and Sadie knew it. However, it was necessary to find their location. My wisps will infiltrate the dark forest, and we will go from there. It may take time, but believe me, the princess is not in any danger of death.” His voice was cold, no longer the playful and cryptic fae.

“How do you know that?” Marcus weighed in.

“They need her to heal his omegas so they can serve him better, then he will want her to heal him from the demons’ deal he made. The deal rotted his soul so his wolf could not heal the damage.” We all started walking back to the packhouse, but only more questions came to mind.

“How the hell do you know all this?” I yelled. “If you knew this, we should have put her on tighter protection! I can’t lose her!” I was pulling my hair out, and before I knew it, I had half shifted. Caspian and I were sharing the body at the same time. Our muzzles were long, and the claws were sharp, and we were standing at least 7 feet tall. The warriors stood back in fear because, at this state, they weren’t sure what we would do.

Letting out a b***d-cursing howl of pain, the warriors cowered their heads. Marcus even joined them. King Orion looked at me and scowled. “Now that you are done with your childish temper tantrum, I’ll tell you.” Caspian snapped his jaws several times before listening.

We walked in the forest as the rest of the warriors set up a patrol around the darkened, unclaimed wooded area that Sadie was taken to. They were surrounded even though the dark forest went around for miles. No one was going in or out unless it was my say.

“I had spoken to a demon,” Orion spoke thoughtfully. “He came to me a few weeks before you, and the Princess arrived. He was at the Gauntlet, a bar for dark fairies. I had a spy in there one night, and I was using my gift to see what he saw and spoke through him. The damn demon was talking about a reckoning. The apocalypse for Bergarian. He said it would be the best damn war show he and his brothers have ever seen. He had wanted to catch the eye of a certain evil she-demon that only likes her demon men rotten to the core.”

Marcus threw a rock, catching our attention, “what is up with women liking bad boys? Seriously? When does a good guy get a girl? Damn, I never get no-body.” Both Orion and I looked at him, knowing damn well we were bad boys he was referring to.

Marcus backed up and held his hands, “Hey guys, sorry, I’m just,… f**k forget it.” Marcus quickly shifted to his wolf and stood by. It was better if he wasn’t talking anyway.

“Anyway,” Orion continued. “He mentioned that the girl was to be returning soon, that he saw her at the border of both worlds. I never put two and two together until Sadie finally said, ‘it’s time.” Orion rubbed his head. His skin had fallen ashen and dark circles came under his eyes.

“You faes really wear your depression on your bodies, don’t you?” I said.

“I could say the same for you.” He pointed at me, still half-shifted. Stupid fucker.

“So, what is the plan? I’ve never dealt with demons, just the rogue vamps and werewolves,” I sighed frustratedly.

“That’s the thing. We don’t. You don’t go to the underworld unless you are invited—no way in, no way out unless you have demon b***d in you or mated to one. Our best bet is to get armies together and infiltrate the dark forest. See if we can get a few witch covens to assist. We will need your army’s strength and my army’s agility and some fate elements to come in. There is no natural light in the forest, so they will have trouble feeding off the sky.”

“Can’t we wait until the little t**t demon comes back to the bar?” Marcus mind-linked me while I repeated it to Orion.

“I’ll send someone to watch, but I won’t hold your breath. He got his a*s beat for talking like that there,” Orion said, rolling his eyes.

We walked back to the pack grounds while Marcus and I mind-linked the entire pack and assembled all the ambassadors to have them talk with all the other kingdoms that were willing to help with the rescue. There was no way we would lose Sadie. We had the faes and hopefully the vampires because of Nathan and Diana. The more numbers we have, the better. We just had to form a full-proof plan to get my mate back into my arms and will never leave my side again.

I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into the bastard.

Sadie

I woke up on my fourth day here in the rogue cave. It was dark, damp, and utterly miserable. I’ve been lucky in my life to never have to deal with torture or to live in places deemed unlivable. Being completely blessed most of my life was an understatement.

Each day they made me go before women and children trying to use a power that I had no idea how to use. I prayed and cried with them as they threw them in the cell with me. They told me of their history here in the pack, the labors they had to deal with. Trying to gather water on the other side of the darkened, nameless forest. They were always accompanied by sickened warriors who were still strong despite their state. They were given the best water and food while they suffered and had scraps, which was hardly any. Even then, they gave it to the children.

Many warriors took forced mates. The women and the children that were the product of their mating were depressed and lonely. Warriors tried to produce strong heirs or replacements, but bless the Moon Goddess, they didn’t inherit the strength from the cursed warriors. Once they mated several times and their cursed seed wouldn’t take with the women to make strong heirs, they gave up. Their bonds were slowly fading, and that would be a good thing once war broke out. They wouldn’t feel the pain of their forced mate, and hopefully, they would find their true mates one day. Even then, their mates will have to be extremely careful.

Today was different. No woman, child, or male omega had been brought to me. Each day they slapped me in the face, telling me to hurry up and heal them, if only I could. I wanted to heal those poor souls that didn’t deserve to be here, but it was all a lost cause. I didn’t know how to release any sort of magic within me. Oftentimes, Seth would tell me the older supernatural’s were given certain powers, like my mother, Estar. She had the gift of foresight, and even though it was a small power that she had no control over, it helped the kingdom thrive.

A loud clang came from the darkness of the cave. The only light I had was a single candle that resided on a wooden table. One candle a day, I was given, and that was the only warmth I received. Footsteps came down the long, carved hall and stood in front of my cell. “I see you have yet to unlock anything,” Nakita said in the darkness. I couldn’t see her, but I could smell her.

“Bring her forward.” Several warriors came up, holding a woman. Her hair was grey, and her skin was stark white. Looking at her face, I knew who she was. It was Anana. She was the one that tried to take my bond away from Seth. I immediately growled at her as they threw her in. “Fix the b***h so we can get this war started. You will know what will happen if you don’t.”

Anana flew face-first into the cell. Her beautiful features had been dulled by the lack of cleanliness, food, and water. She looked beaten, broken, and beyond repair. I felt sorry for her, but Gaia’s anger only flared. Standing in my corner, I gave her a hard look.

“Anana, karma is a b***h is it not?” Wow, my language has gotten out of control. Thank you, dear Seth.

“Ha,” she croaked as she stumbled to get up. The rags caught on her foot, causing her to fall again, and a slight g***n left her lips. After a minute of tumbling around, wiping her brow from the b***d that trickled down the side of her face, she stood upright. “I guess you have met my sister then. How unfortunate for you,” speaking sarcastically. I tilted my head to the side.

“What? What do you mean?” I questioned as I stepped forward to see her more closely.

“I am Ariadne, twin sister of Anana.”

I stood dumbfounded. “Excuse me?” I whispered.

“I’m her twin sister. Don’t worry. I’m the good one,” she waved her hand and took a seat next to the candle. “She’s the one that went to the darkness, not me.” I walked over to her and sat on the other side. Staring at her, you would think she really was Anana, but her eyes held something soft. Her eyes are sad and weary.

“H-how did you get here?” She looked at me, looking distressed and a few tears fell down her face that only left clean streaks on her dirtied face. “Marcellus has my mate and daughter. I do everything he asks of me, or he will torture them both.” Ariadne looked up and closed her eyes. “I have the area surrounded with magic to keep it hidden, help keep mind-links at bay, and to hide any bond that someone may have with anyone on the outside that could lead them here.”

No wonder I no longer felt Seth. All hope may be lost after all. “Don’t think that,” Gaia whispered to me. “Our mate is strong, and you have two armies to help us. They will find us,” she purred and nudged my mind.

“How can your sister be so cruel and you so calm and with such passionate emotion? I can feel that you are nothing like her.”

“My sister and I are products of a demon and a light witch. They were mates. Demons and witches are both powerful in itself, when they found out we were twins, they knew they were in trouble. Instead of sharing goodness and darkness like a single child from our demon father and light-witched mother we split in the womb causing identical twins. One inherited the darkness and one of the light.”

“And you were the light,” I said softly. She nodded and pulled her legs to her chest. “My sister and I were to share mates. You know, identical twins can share. Another light warlock, our mate, Alexander, didn’t like Anana’s darkness. She constantly cheated on him while we courted him and was cruel. She always had been cruel to me even though we shared a sisterly bond. He never marked her, but he marked me, and it threw her in a fit of rage. She left, and I never saw her again.” Taking a deep breath, she let out a sob. “Anana has become so cruel and heartless. She helps those who wish destruction on others. I wish she would change, but she was inherently evil. More so than my own father. He loved our mother. He did, he had a choice. My parents balanced each other out, just like the goddess wanted, but Anana never wanted to balance out. She felt more powerful without a bond. I hope she will change, but I think she is too far gone.”

In just the few moments that we had been together, she opened up her entire family tree. I did have the ability to make people feel comfortable, but even this was too much. So much information in such a short amount of time made my head explode. My heart ached for her as well as her mate. I’m sure Alexander felt pain as well not having one of his mates.

“Ariadne, even though you may think she can change, she chose her path. She can change who she is, she is just unwilling, and we may have to accept that. You did nothing wrong, or your parents. Her darkness in her heart was taken over because she allowed it. We all have our inner demons, and it is up to us to choose the light or the darkness.” I rubbed Ariande’s head lovingly, and she scooted closer to me. We sat in each other’s embrace. We both missed our mates, and our hearts yearned for the love we have missed.

I would protect her and help those that needed it. No matter the cost I would save her and the omegas, women, and children. It was the least I could do for the suffering they have persevered throughout their time here. I was made for this, born for this. With Ariadne’s help, maybe we can unleash the power I am supposed to have and save many that are here on the inside, so maybe they could at least escape before anything else happens.