You Rejected Me. Remember?

Astrea

The efforts to find Leo never ceased. It continued well into the next day. Meeting dead ends was heartbreaking. Xander and Danisha were the last ones who saw him, but sadly, neither of them knew what happened to Leo.

“I was guarding the gate when someone grabbed me from behind. Danisha wasn’t there. I remember him teasing me about something right before I was attacked. I smelt something funny. I don’t know…it wasn’t anything I have smelt before. Then I just lost consciousness… I don’t remember anything else,” Xander told us.

Sir Elliot turned towards Danisha who was seated next to Xander. Xander, Danisha, and I were taken to the Queen’s office. I was ruined. The pain I experienced before told me that Leo was in grave danger. If only Xander and Danisha could point us in the right direction. Or at least hint us who could have done it.

“Danisha?” Sir Elliot cócked his brow.

“I… I was late so I ran all the way to the gate. The first thing I noticed was that Xander was lying on the ground. I looked around, but Leo wasn’t on sight. I was going to call for help but someone attacked me from behind… the attacker covered my mouth and nose… I don’t know what happened next,” her forehead was creased as she spoke.

“Neither of you saw, or heard anything suspicious? How come you couldn’t detect a stranger’s scent?” the Queen let out an exasperated sigh.

Xander and Danisha exchanged glances. Xander pursed his lips as he leaned against the chair. There was no explanation for that, except that each time something happened, the intruder’s scent was undetectable. Even during the time Allan was poisoned, and the time when Natasha escaped. The night Zelda was kidnapped also was a mystery.

“Maybe…” Danisha trailed off.

“Yes?” Sir Elliot asked.

“Maybe Leo did it?”

Ash growled, baring her teeth, but I shoved her back, preventing her from taking over. I had to bite my lower l*p to stop myself from retorting in fury. Clenching my fists I fought against the rising determination to lunge at her.

“I’m sorry. But I can’t think of anything else after seeing that video footage…” she hurriedly added when Xander threw an odd look at her.

“I don’t think he would do that. It definitely wasn’t him who attacked me. He was standing a short distance away from me when I was attacked,” Xander firmly stated, defying his girlfriend’s accusations.

“I also don’t think Leo would do such a thing,” Sir Elliot mumbled, agreeing with his son.

“But… he might be working with…”

“Danisha,” Xander g*****d, massaging his temple. “No. I won’t believe that. Not unless I see solid proof. Something is going on.”

My eyes watered. At least they believed that Leo was innocent. I couldn’t care less what

Danisha thought about him. I knew that he would never do something like that.

“Isn’t that video enough proof?” she snapped, much to our surprise. She was quick to mask her frustration, nonetheless. Anyway, it was too late. She was positive that Leo was behind the mishaps.

Xander grimaced.

“What the hell is wrong with you? You are being weird!”

“That’s enough,” the Queen intervened.

“Were you with him before their duty started last night?” she asked me and I nodded my head.

“He spent the whole evening with me. After uncle Cade’s family left in the afternoon, we spent the rest of the evening in our room. He was with me until he had to leave for duty. That was around 8 pm,” I summarised what happened that night.

“So, up until 8 that night, he was with you, in your room?”

I nodded confirming it.

Sighing, the Queen turned the computer screen on and replayed the video clip.

“Here, we can see that he entered the security room at about 7 pm. So, which means, if Leo, the real Leo was with Astrea, this,” she turned towards the screen, “is someone else.”

My lips parted and my breathing hitched. So that could only mean that someone impersonated him.

“But… how is that possible?” Xander exclaimed, staring at the screen, shocked.

“Magic,” the Queen replied.

Danisha’s face was hard to read. She was just staring at the screen in disbelief. Their reaction was understandable. The revelation was alarming.

“We have had such a case in the past. A case of a magician impersonating your dead relative, Zander,” Sir Elliot told Xander.

“So this proves that this person on the screen isn’t my mate,” I happily exclaimed.

Danisha sucked in a breath.

“May I… leave? This is a lot to digest…” she said, her voice trembling as she spoke.

She was allowed to leave. Xander stood up and patted my shoulder.

“I know he wouldn’t do anything that might hurt the kingdom. He doesn’t have it in him,” he told me.

“Your little girlfriend doesn’t seem to be too convinced,” I pointed out, forcing a smile.

“Maybe she needs time,” he shrugged.

“We trust you and Leo. If he was truly with you, then this,” Sir Elliot pointed at the screen, “is an imposter.”

I nodded. At least they didn’t accuse him of treachery and that was a relief.

Three days had passed since that fateful night and despite my efforts, tears trailed down my cheeks non-stop. However, with time, I was learning to live with the pain – the pain of being separated from your loved one and the pain of watching him being wrongly accused.

Although none of our friends and family believed that Leo would betray the throne, the news of the video footage spread among the commoners like wildfire. Unfortunately, most of them seemed to believe that it was him.

“We don’t believe that he would do it. It cannot be him. Come on. Don’t lose hope,” Sarah squeezed my hand as she sat on the edge of my bed. I forced a smile as I glanced at her and Elena who was watching me sympathetically. I was grateful for them. After Leo, they were my best friends and during the darkest moment of my life, they have become my light.

“Someone must have impersonated him… or maybe the system was bewitched. Who knows… All of it is proof of a mole among us. I just don’t think it could be Leo,” Elena mumbled and then pursed her lips.

Blinking away my tears, I nodded.

“I know. It’s just that…” I trailed off when my throat tightened.

It’s just that I know he is hurt, yet I am unable to do anything about it. I am not able to be there for him when he needs me the most.

“I… I can’t,” I whispered as I covered my mouth, attempting to halt the sobs escaping my lips, but it was useless.

“Aww,” Sarah hugged me, followed by Elena. Although they never felt the pain of losing their mate, they seemed to understand my pain. I cried on their shoulders. Shedding my tears seemed to console me to some extent. It lightened the burden in my heart.

For three days, we have been scouring the whole territory, hoping to find him. Yet, I wasn’t going to give up. I wasn’t going to lose hope nor was I going to stop looking for him. I was sure that he was hurt. I felt his distress through our bond that night. My right shoulder felt like it was mauled. It was agonising. I tried to reach him by mind link, but for some reason, I couldn’t. There was something wrong with our connection. Ash tirelessly tried to reach Zoro, but her efforts were in vain. All of it told us one thing. Someone had attacked him and my mate was in deep trouble. The person I could think of was Calvin. Who else would do something so nasty?

How he managed to get Leo was a massive mystery. There were so many unanswered questions, and I was exhausted. Exhausted from worrying about him. I was worn out by wishing that I knew where he was. Still, I hoped that he would be able to defeat the villain who attacked him and come back home.

Nevertheless, three days passed by with nothing. No intel, and no news about my missing mate. Not even a whiff of his scent and all of it pointed towards witchcraft.

Someone knocked on the door and I wiped my tears. Although I exhibited my tears to my closest friends, I tried to conceal them from the rest of the world, even my parents. I trusted them with my life, but I wanted to show them that I was strong and that I would face it like a real alpha.

Besides, I didn’t like to show how much his absence was affecting me, because I was sure that a traitor among us was causing the damage. I didn’t want an enemy to see my tears.

“I’ll get it,” Elena offered, standing up.

As soon as she opened the door, a familiar scent told me who they were. Pretending to be fine, I glanced at the entrance. My parents, along with Leo’s parents, were at the door. They had come back to the kingdom, as soon as they heard about what happened to Leo.

“H…hey…” I forced a smile, as I scooted over to the edge of my mattress.

“Can we come inside?” his father asked.

I let out a humourless chuckle.

“Of course. Please,” I said and stood up.

Mom walked over to me and gave me a hug which I gladly accepted.

My eyes stung, once again. Cursing my tears, I quickly wiped them away. I didn’t want to cry. At least not all the time and definitely not in front of everyone.

“It’s okay to cry,” Ava stepped forward and caressed my hair. I glanced at her and noticed that her eyes also were puffy.

Did she cry? I never saw her cry in the past…

“It is okay. I don’t think tears are a sign of weakness, Astrea. Sometimes we need to let out our emotions and sometimes tears are perfect for that. Because we are part human and emotions are a part of being one.”

With those words, silent tears rolled down Ava’s cheeks. However, she was quick to wipe them away.

“You are strong and so is Leo. I am sure that both of you will rise above this,” my mom whispered, as she caressed my back.

Inhaling a shaky breath, I removed myself from my mother’s arms and faced them. The lump in my throat was making it hard for me to speak. Yet, I swallowed it and forced myself to say something.

“I… I am not giving up,” my voice was just above a whisper, yet loud enough to be heard with their enhanced hearing.

“That’s my girl,” dad stepped forward to place a soft k**s on my forehead.

“He is still out there. And what I know is that he will fight. He won’t give up,” his mother, Ava reassured.

She was right. He was still alive. I could feel the bond. Although agitated, Ash too was finding peace because she could still sense the connection with Zoro wasn’t broken. If he had died, I would feel the pain of our bond breaking. I looked at his parents when I remembered what Ash had told me a couple of weeks ago.

The parents would feel the pain of the bond breaking if their pup dies.

Which meant that they also didn’t feel it, hence they were positive that he was still alive, wherever he was.

“You also were gone for a month. We couldn’t find you. We were so scared and worried…” my mom told me.

My forehead creased. Could it be that they took him to their lair?

“I was kept in a place that was hidden by magic…” I told them.

Ava narrowed her eyes.

“Magic… I think it’s time we contact grandma. And maybe get help from Amelia too. This magic business is getting worse day by day,” she mumbled under her breath.

Leo, please be okay. I begged in my mind.

Lord, Please protect him. I prayed silently and Ash let out a heartfelt howl in my head, as though she was saying amen to my prayer.