You Rejected Me. Remember?

In a desperate attempt to help her escape the reverie, Cade shook Monica’s numb body, frantically calling her name.

Chortling, “she is mine now. I have sired her, and I have every right on her,” Draven taunted the young wolf.

“I’ll make her my wife and the mother of my kids. And remember, I’ll come back after rebuilding my empire. And this time, none of you will be able to stop me!” Draven growled.

His proud statement angered Cade. His eyes turned dark as he glared at Draven.

“She is not yours! Never was and never will be!” He snarled, as his eyes slowly started to look like an endless pit of an abyss. Agitated, Aspen was about to come out. Cade’s breathing laboured as his anger skyrocketed.

“She is mine!” His lips moved, yet Aspen’s deep, gruff voice came out of his mouth. His muscles bulged and claws elongated. He was ready to fight. The thin fabric of his shirt clung to his torso as he partly shifted. He wanted to rip the bastard in front of him. Aspen wanted to maul him to death. They both agreed that Draven needed to go.

Draven laughed. “Well, isn’t it obvious that she is mine now?” He said, taunting Cade with his smirk.

Meanwhile, Monica blinked. The presence of her true mate had helped her snap out of the state of confusion. The wonderful sparks of the mate bond and Cade’s alluring scent gave Asena the strength to break through the vampiric trance. Their mate bond was stronger than any other bond.

“I told you not to fall for it!” Asena growled in her mind, as Monica looked around. Draven had his glare fixed at Cade who was beside her.

“Aspen is agitated,” Asena whimpered through their link.

“She is mine now, mutt! I have sired her and now I am the one who is meant for her. Stay away from my bride!” He hissed.

To Monica’s horror, Cade let out a ferocious growl and advanced at Draven. However, he was quick to use his powers on Cade. An invisible force made Cade fly across the room and soon he was pinned to the wall. He tried to break free, however, the force that held him was too strong. Cade’s furious grunts and growls resounded in the room.

Aghast, Monica stared as Draven floated towards her mate. Draven had his fangs bared and claws elongated. She knew Draven was going to attack Cade.

“I’ve got competition I see,” Draven snarled. “Bad choice, lad! She is mine! And I don’t like competition!” Draven hissed.

With her heart pounding, Monica gulped.

“Draven,” she called in haste. “I am here for you,” she announced, and Draven halted in mid-air.

“What?” Cade couldn’t believe his ears. Aspen whimpered in his head. Her words shattered his heart into tiny pieces.

“Mate? You are my mate!” Cade expressed confusion and hurt, yet he received no response from her. Her eyes were fixed on their enemy and a beautiful smile decorated her lips. All of that for the crazy vampire Prince.

She was his. They had gone through hell and back, yet now, it seemed to him that he was losing her just like that. After all those hardships they went through, Draven was the one who was winning the trophy, just because he sired her. Broken hearted, he stared at his mate. He felt as though all of his efforts were in vain.

“What is the point of being here if she doesn’t want us?” Aspen complained.

Cade gulped down a hard lump. His wolf was right. If Monica didn’t want him after all of that, he wouldn’t want to live this life anymore. He painfully witnessed as she stepped closer to Draven. No matter what happened, he would always belong to her.

Monica focused her eyes on Draven, carefully avoiding Cade’s stare. The look he gave her broke her heart, yet she had to do it to stop Draven from attacking Cade. Her announcement was a desperate attempt to save his life. She knew it was risky, however, it had to be done.

Ignoring the pounding piece of flesh in her chest, she inhaled deeply and offered the best smile she could manage.

“I’m here for you,” she repeated herself, stepping forward.

Draven’s lips crooked as he arched his brow. He slowly descended and smirked at her.

“That is more like it,” he chuckled and halted right in front of her. “I was going to eliminate my competitor,” he told her, smirking.

Ignoring the deep resentment she felt, she placed her arms around his neck and slowly elongated her claws behind his back.

“Forget that. Tell me about your plans for us,” she whispered, taking Draven’s attention away from Cade.

Chuckling, “I wanted to make you my Queen, but that will have to wait now. I’ll have to rebuild my empire. But with you beside me, I just know that I can do it. We will get married and have children. We will be unstoppable when we do. Come with me, my love. I will make you the happiest woman alive. We will witness many centuries together,” Draven continued to express his love for her when she suddenly grabbed him by his neck from behind and threw him at the open balcony.

Cade’s dispirited heart fluttered suddenly when he saw what his mate did. The forces that held him against the wall ceased and he could move. He watched in awe as she fought like none other, his heart swelling in pride. Using telekinesis, she threw Draven out of the balcony before he managed to stand up and then floated out of the balcony.

“s**t! I can’t miss the show!” Cade gasped and dashed out of the room to go downstairs to witness his mate in action.

Draven landed on the muddy floor of the forest. Being thrown out from a balcony on the first level didn’t cause much damage to the vampire Prince. He was quick to rebound and prepare for the next attack.

By the time she floated out of the balcony after him, he had fully transformed. His eyes glowed red as he bared his fangs at her.

“Is this how you want to play?” He hissed at her, elongating his vampire claws. Several spectators gathered outside the palace, including the Royal vampires who had now arrived at their palace with Nolan and his team.

She fused her powers with that of her wolf and sneered at him. Her canines were bared and claws were elongated and her eyes were a mixture of brown and red. She didn’t want to reply. She simply wanted to fight and end him for good.

“What an ungrateful little b***h! Is this how you serve your master?” Draven growled in anger. “What can a little woman like you possibly do to me?” His arrogant laughter boiled her b***d.

“Why don’t you fight me and find out?” She challenged him.

“What? Fight a woman? How absurd,” he narrowed his eyes.

“Fight me! Or are you too scared that you would lose?”

Her dare made him glare at her as his arrogant smile slowly erased from his face.

Without another word, he used his super speed to attack her. But she was ready for that. She was using her gifted vision to monitor his movements and stepped aside just in time.

He missed his target by inches. Infuriated that he didn’t succeed in one blow, he rebounded and once again dashed at her. This time, she jumped high and floated away from him.

“I have had enough!” She growled.

Without giving a warning, she used telekinesis to bind his limbs together, making it impossible for him to move. He looked at Monica with fear filled eyes.

“I… I thought…. I sired you,” he stammered as she approached him. “You should be mine,” he added, earning a scoff and a smirk from her. Her eyes glowed red, and a branch that looked like a large wooden stake flew into her hand from among the trees. She was using all of her powers to get rid of him.

“But you aren’t my type,” she responded tilting her head, impaling the stake into his chest, right through his heart.

B***d gushed out of his chest Draven dropped dead at her feet. The nightmare named Draven was gone.

The true King of the vampires walked towards Draven’s dead body. He stared at the lad, who he called his son. Who he thought was the apple of his eye. The Crown Prince, Damien and the Queen too approached him. With solemn hearts, they stayed silent.

“If only you chose to be a good person, Draven,” Damien finally mumbled.

“It was his choice. I’m glad that it is finally over,” the king sighed.

The Queen glanced at Monica, forcing a smile.

“You have powers,” she said.

Nodding her head, “he sired me. But I am a mated werewolf. The bond I have with my mate is far stronger and purer than whatever power he had on me,” she explained.

“Thank you, hybrid, you have saved our kingdom from any future tragedies my son might cause,” the King bowed down to Monica, followed by his Queen and Crown Prince.

“I…. I couldn’t…. It was a joint effort,” Monica stammered. “Our Queen, the alpha… all the warriors….all of us,” she looked around.

Smiling, Cassy stepped forward and patted her back.

“It was. But it was you who finished the worst of them.” She agreed with the vampire king.

Grinning from ear to ear, Cade strode towards Monica and grabbed her in a warm hug.

“You broke my heart a little,” he whispered into her ears.

She laughed, hugging him back.

“I am yours, Cade. You are stuck with me,” she replied.

***

The wolves stayed back to help clean up the Royal Palace. The whole place was coated in the b***d of the rogues. The loyal warriors among the army of the wolves helped dig mass graves where they could bury the dead and the magicians helped clean the b***d off their walls and floors.

After receiving a lot of thanks from the vampire kingdom, the wolves made their way back to their pack. Cassandra and Elliot decided that they would go to the Dark Howl pack first and go back to the lycanthrope Kingdom after celebrating their victory together.

They were able to arrive at their pack right before the sunset. Although no one could see Elijah, he too was part of the army. He too returned to the pack with them. After taking a bath in his room, to wash away the dirt and b***d off his body, he dressed. Soon, the potion started to lose its effect on him. He watched his reflection as he slowly appeared in the mirror, smiling at what he had achieved. It gave him immense pleasure.

“Doing the right thing feels so good, Fenris,” he told his wolf.

“Right! Now let’s get our mate,” he urged. A smile curved Elijah’s lips.

“Do you think she will be ready for us now?” Elijah scratched the back of his neck. He still felt hesitant to meet her separately.

“I don’t know about that but you have two choices. Either you go to meet her now, or I take over your body and go to find her. Don’t blame me if I mark her then and there,” Fenris warned.

“Okay, okay. I’m going,” Elijah yielded. His heart raced with each step he took towards the room Amelia stayed in. Heaving a deep breath, he knocked on the door. His palms were ice cold as he anxiously fiddled with his fingers. The coolness of the night didn’t help him in any way. She had forgiven him, but still…..

The door opened. Stunned, Elijah gaped at the beauty in front of him. Her alluring scent started to invade his senses.

“Elijah…” Amelia trailed off. A bashful smile stretched her lips.

Chuckling anxiously, “I… uh…wanted to see you,” Elijah told her.

“Come inside,” she opened the door wider, inviting him in. He couldn’t keep his eyes off her as he stepped inside. She too had freshened up. Elijah thought the loose top and black jeans she wore suited her well.

“You look great,” he complimented her.

Her cheeks flushed. She didn’t know how to respond to that. She wasn’t used to hearing compliments from anyone.

“Umm….thanks…” her cheeks heated up, tinting her soft cheeks a light shade of pink.

Smirking, “Ready to go downstairs?” Elijah asked in a soft voice, studying her expression.

“Yes,” Amelia nodded and looked up at him. “Let’s go together?” She suggested. “They must be already preparing the celebrations.

Elijah was well aware of the celebrations they had planned for the night. The Royals had stayed back so that everyone could celebrate the success. They were all tired, however, they wanted to have a little celebration before they left.

“I know,” Elijah’s husky voice made Amelia suck in a sharp breath. She searched his eyes and soon she felt as though she would get lost in its depths.

“Do it!” Fenris urged him and he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close to him. His mouth watered as he lowered his head to her ear. Closing his eyes, he inhaled her scent – the wonderful fragrance that kept pulling him into a reverie.

Gulping down the accumulated saliva, “We can join them. Shall we have some us time first?” He whispered into her ear.

She shuddered in his arms. His husky whisper made her breathing hitch and her heart palpitate. The sparks of the mate bond pulled her towards him.

Gulping, “Wha…why… why am I feeling so..weird?” She managed to stammer.

“You are my soulmate. We complete each other,” he placed his forefinger under her chin and lifted it so that she was looking at him.

“It is not weird, my love. It is beautiful,” he told her, his eyes travelling to her luscious lips. He traced her lips with his thumb.

He wanted to k**s her. No… he wanted to do more than that. He wanted to claim her. He wanted to make her completely his.

“Can I k**s you?” He blurted out, making her blink.

She didn’t answer. Instead, she surprised him with a mind-blowing k**s, to which Elijah hungrily responded. Her hands searched his body while his hands did the same.

When she started to remove his clothes Elijah gulped.

“I might not be able to stop myself from marking you,” he breathed out, gasping for breath.

“What?” She wheezed in between her gasps of breath. “Just do it! I’m yours, right?” Her response made him smirk. The celebration downstairs forgotten, they ended up on her bed, fulfilling their desires and quenching their thirst for each other. After an unforgettable experience in the blocked room Amelia stayed in, she lay in his arms on the bed, smiling in contentment.

“What about the celebration?” Elijah asked her, brushing away her hair off her face.

“Isn’t this enough celebration for us?” She sleepily asked, snuggling closer to him. She loved being with him. She loved him.

“I like it here,” she added, her eyes closed and still smiling because of the immense pleasure her mate had given her. Chuckling, he pulled her closer under the covers of her bed and kissed the top of her head.

“I loved every moment of it,” he told her in a hushed whisper. “I love you, mate,” he added, admiring the mark he had placed on her neck.

“Mmm…. as I love you, mate,” she whispered back, right before she dozed off.

Elijah sighed. Life couldn’t have turned out to be any better for him. He had sealed their bond with the mark he took pride in. She was his and he was hers. And now, he was determined to live his life the way he should have in the first place.

***

“Where are Elijah and Amelia?” Asked Monica as she sipped on her drink. Everyone except the duo had gathered in the open area in front of the packhouse to join the celebration.

“Let them be. I have seen Elijah enter her room some time back,” Cade smirked at her.

Monica’s eyes widened and a smirk spread across her face.

“Yeah?” She arched her brows and he nodded in response.

“So they are having their private celebration, I guess?” She chuckled.

They were all having a good time when an unexpected outburst in the trees caught their attention.

“What is it?” Calli exclaimed, frowning.

“The guards had caught a rogue in the area! They are bringing him here since they caught him close by,” Miles replied.

“Great! Now rogues!” Cassy clicked her tongue as she and Elliot stood up to meet the guards who were dragging the intruder towards them.

Monica went stiff when a familiar, yet unwelcome scent hit her nose.

“Baron,” she hissed.