Chapter 80
Maximus
POV.
Along the way, as we walked towards the subsidiary, I turned to Ava and asked, "Is everyone going to be okay?"
She looked at me with concern etched on her face. "I hope so. But we have to stay strong and keep moving forward."
I nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation.
Felicity still held resentment towards me, so I kept my distance from her. I decided to talk to the other members of the LOJ team.
"Hey guys, do you know where we're heading?" I asked.
Ava replied, "We're going to another subsidiary of LOJ where we can hide. It's the safest place for us right now."
I contemplated for a moment. "Hey guys, why don't we go to my castle? It's big enough to hold all of us and keep us safe. We don't have to go through all of this danger."
Molly chimed in, "That sounds like an excellent plan, Your Majesty. We'll be safe and sound in your castle."
John added, "It's a smart move. We can't risk being caught by Melezo men anymore."
Brown nodded in agreement, "I agree. Your castle is the perfect hideout."
Acker spoke up, "Yes, it's a wise decision. We need a safe place to strategize our next move."
Lilian smiled, "I'm excited to see your castle, Your Highness. It must be beautiful."
As I looked around, everyone seemed to be considering my proposal. Except for Adrian and Kyle, who were glaring at me with anger.
"No way, man. I'm not going to your castle," Adrian spat out.
Kyle chimed in, "Yeah, we don't need your charity."
"We don't want to attract any unwanted attention. We should stick with Ava's plan."Adrian added.
"We don't want to jeopardize our safety by taking any risks. Ava's plan is the best option right now." Adrian tramped in a bad mood.
Ava spoke up, "Guys, we need to stick together. We don't have time for personal grudges. Let's just go to the subsidiary and gather some resources, then make our way to the castle."
Reluctantly, Adrian and Kyle agreed. As we walked towards the subsidiary, I noticed Felicity struggling to carry our baby. I offered to take him from her.
"Here, let me carry him for a while," I said.
She hesitated for a moment before handing the baby over to me. "He's sleeping right now. Just be careful."
I smiled at her, grateful for the opportunity to bond with my child. I offered to carry her on my back. But she refused, still angry with me.
As we walked through the gates of the subsidiary, I could see the exhaustion etched onto the faces of my fellow travelers. Some were limping, others clutching wounds that had been stitched up with rough thread.
As we stumbled into the yard, we were greeted by a few people who had heard our arrival. They took one look at our battered group and their faces twisted with shock.
"Oh my goodness," one woman exclaimed, bustling over to us. "What happened?"
Ava took charge, explaining that we had been attacked in the HQ and had barely escaped with our lives. The people crowded around, offering help and treatment for the wounded.
As they tended to our injuries, Ava introduced Felicity and me to the group. She explained that Felicity was Kyle's sister and I was the Lycan King. The people stared at us in awe, clearly impressed by our status.
One man stepped forward, eyeing me with a mixture of fear and respect. "My name is Elijah," he said, holding out a hand. "I'm in charge of the horses and livestock here. It's an honor to have you among us, King."
I shook his hand firmly, appreciating the show of respect. "Thank you, Elijah. It's good to be here."
Felicity was introduced next, and the people welcomed her with open arms. They seemed to sense that she needed a friendly, supportive group to lean on after everything she had been through.
As the introductions wound down, the people dispersed to finish their chores.
The evening,
"I can't thank you all enough for your hospitality," I said to Elijah and a few others who stood nearby.
"It's our pleasure, King," Elijah replied. "We may not have much here, Between members of the LOJ we help each other."
Felicity smiled at his words, clearly touched by their warmth "Thank you all so much. We truly appreciate it."
"After all the traveling we did, this food is a luxury," Felicity said, savoring a bite of bread.
I nodded in agreement, picking up a piece of fruit. "Thank you for bringing this to us, it's greatly appreciated."
One of the LOJ members, a young woman named Lila, smiled shyly. "It's the least we could do, Your Majesty. We know you've been through a lot lately."
"It's nothing we couldn't handle," I assured her, taking another bite. "But this...this is a treat. You have my thanks."
One of the women approached us with a platter of food - roasted vegetables, chunks of bread, and what looked like a savory stew.
"You have wounded, and you're exhausted, it's the least you can do," she said apologetically.
"You have no idea how good this looks," I said, taking a piece of bread and dipping it into the stew. The rich flavors exploded in my mouth, and I savored every bite.
Felicity dug in as well, her eyes closing in pleasure as she ate. "This is amazing," she said between mouthfuls.
The woman beamed with pleasure. "I'm so glad you like it! If you need anything else, just let one of us know."
We all ate in a good mood, but between Felicity and me the atmosphere was always heavy, I had to talk to her, explain myself.
I decided to wait for everyone to leave before approaching her. The fire was still burning strong, but little by little, people were starting to head inside for some rest. Adrian walked over to Felicity and whispered something in her ear, making her laugh in a good mood.
Ava took charge, explaining that we had been attacked in the HQ and had barely escaped with our lives. The people crowded around, offering help and treatment for the wounded.
She got up and followed him, handing our baby over to him. I could feel my blood boiling as I watched him take the baby from Felicity's arms. He even had the audacity to stick his tongue out at me. What a poor brat.
After a few moments, I couldn't resist anymore. I got up and walked inside, finding Felicity in the living room with Adrian and some others. They were all laughing and having a good time.
I approached her "Felicity can we talk in private?" I asked with a serious tone.
They stopped talking, Adrian looked at me with disdain, Felicity asked Adrian if he could take care of the baby.
"Sure thing, honey," Adrian said with a smirk, taking the baby from Felicity's arms. "I'll take care of him for a little bit."
I led Felicity to a quieter corner of the room and took a deep breath before speaking.
"Felicity, I know things have been tense between us lately. I just wanted to talk to you and explain myself."
She crossed her arms over her chest and gave me a skeptical look. "Alright, I'm listening
I could tell that she was still upset. But I couldn't give up. I had to make her understand.
"Please, Felicity. You have to believe me. I would never do something like that. I love you and I would never keep something like this from you. Please, just give me a chance to explain."
I watched as she considered my words, her expression softening just a fraction.
For a moment, there was silence. And then she spoke.
"Fine. But you have one chance. Explain yourself."
With a deep sense of relief, I started to explain everything to her. I told her about my father how he treated me badly.
As I spoke, I watched her expression change. The anger melted away, replaced by understanding and compassion.
She softened slightly and uncrossed her arms.
"I know, Maximus. I believe you when you say you didn't know about my parents. I'm sorry I didn't give you the chance to explain before." And...thank you for protecting us," she said, her voice full of emotion. I felt relief wash over me. "Thank you, Felicity. I love you," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
She looked away, but I saw a small smile on her lips. "I love you too, Maximus," she said, her voice full of emotion.
"And as for Adrian....I don't like the way he acts around you. It makes me feel like he's trying to take you away from me."
Felicity rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on. You know Adrian is just a flirt. He's harmless."
"I don't like it, and I don't trust him. But I trust you, and I'm willing to work on things between us."
She sighed and looked at me with a small smile. "Alright, I'm willing to try. But you need to communicate with me, okay?" "Okay. Thank you, Felicity."