Chapter 153 Bonsai Tree

Nikolai

"Ready?" Fiyona asked me.

"Yes." Valerie and I breathed.

We were going home. Finally, after seven long months, I am going home. I can't wait to see Ava.

She plucked three leaves from the Bonsai tree and handed us one each. "Remember. Keep the leaf in your mouth, and then repeat the chant together three times. Then, we chew on the leaf until we are back in the real world. Only after that will you swallow it, okay?"

"Yes, Mom." Valerie nodded, and I nodded too.

We stood around the Bonsai tree in a circle and held hands. I looked at Valerie and then Fiyona, and then in unison, we spoke,

"Earth and Water, Fire and Air, Sun and Moon, we pray to you. Break this curse, free us from this world."

Fiyona's eyes flashed and her one eyeballs turned brown and the other one turned ocean blue, like the colour of her special elements—earth and water. Valerie's eyes flashed too, and one eyeball turned transparent, and the other one turned red— like her special elements, air and fire. I'm sure that mine turned golden and silver, like my special element, the sun and the moon.

"Earth and Water, Fire and Air, Sun and Moon, we pray to you. Break this curse, free us from his world."

Everything around us flashed so brightly that I had to shut my eyes. Fiyona squeezed my hand, motioning me to continue.

"Earth and Water, Fire and Air, Sun and Moon, we pray to you. Break this curse, free us from this world." We repeated for the third and the last time, and I began chewing on the leaf just as Fiyona had instructed me a million times.

I felt the floor beneath my feet shift, but surprisingly, I didn't move. I felt like I was being sucked out.

I held on to the hands of Valerie and Fiyona tighter, not wanting to let go before all of us were safe. From what I knew, this spell broke the curse and created a sort of tunnel to the real world. But it was a tunnel through millions of other universes and dimensions, and we could fall and get lost. Which I won't let happen. I held on to both the females tightly.

And then suddenly, we came to a stop.

I cracked my eyes open.

Everything looked the same. We were still in the observatory room. The Bonsai tree was still in between us.

Are we still here?

Did we get back home?

"Swallow," Fiyona whispered, and then I gulped down the remnants of the leaves in my mouth.

The floor beneath my feet shifted, and the marble floor uprooted, making me stumble and fall down. My eyes widened in alarm when the small bonsai tree started growing in size. The sheer size of it made me release my hold of their hands, and I crawled backwards, giving the tree the space to grow and so I wouldn't get hurt.

I covered my head with my hands because the growth of his height and branches had broken down the walls, and then debris was falling down. A few heavy slabs of marble fell down on me, but it was nothing I couldn't handle.

After the disruption stopped, I pulled my hands away. I had to crane my neck up to look up at the sheer size of the tree. It was humongous. It had broken the glass roof along with the marble around it. The long branches had extended enough to break through the walls of the palace. I'm sure one branch went into the throne room too.

And then I felt a tingling sensation at the juncture between my neck and shoulder, exactly where my mark was. And then I felt each and every cell of my body charge up as my soul re-intertwined itself with Ava's, and we became one again.

I touched my mark, and tingles spread across my body. It was real.

I could feel Ava's shock. I could feel her emotions that were in turmoil. I've got to get to her now.

I heard a cough, and I was up on my feet, looking to see if either of the women were injured. "Are you both okay?" I asked, my voice echoing in the room.

"Yes." They both replied in sync.

I took a breath of relief when I saw both of them sprawled on the floor. Besides a bit of dirt on their clothes, they were injury-free.

I offered them my hands and smiled, "let's get the hell out of here."

Smiling, both of them took my hand, and I pulled them up. Once they were stable on their feet, I released my hold and turned on my feet to exit the observatory.

The first stop I'm making is the west wing. I need to see Ava. I've missed her terribly. I can't go another second without filling my eyes with her beauty. I placed my hand on the door, and the door slid open.

My heart was beating fast when I walked out.

The first thing I noticed when I walked out was that the entire throne room was packed. For the first time in a long time, I heard so many heartbeats together; I was smelling so many werewolves and vampires. It assaulted my senses, making me unable to think straight.

My head started filling with all the pack member's links again. I clutched my head. It hurt. It was too much at the same time.

Everyone was looking at me in shock, obviously not expecting me to be here.

Oh yes, I'm back from the dead for them.

But the truth is, I never died.

I need to see Ava.

I really, really need to see her.

I ignored my headache. I ignored all the heartbeats and the scents and focused on finding her.

A heavenly smell hit my nose. I tiled my head up, wanting to catch more of it. My heart was beating so hard that I'm sure everyone could hear it.

I love you, Ava.

I told you I'll never stay away from you.

I promised you I'll never leave you.

I promised you I will love you for eternity.

I'm here to fulfil all my promises.

Her scent was all I could smell. Following it, I turned around.

My heart stopped when I saw her. There she was. In her all glory. Her silver hair was half tied, and the rest were curled in soft curls. Her widened electric blue eyes were focused on me. She was wearing a beautiful white dress and her full Queen's attire which included her red robe, the belt, the scabbard and the crown on top of her head that looked like it belonged there. She had taken good care of our pack in my absence. I was so damn proud of her.

My vision blurred with tears. I didn't try to hide them. I let her see all my emotions. My love, my longing, my heartache because of being away from her for so long and most of all, my happiness. I was happy to see her again.

I was finally with my Ava.

"Ava." Her name slipped past my lips in a whisper filled with love and longing.

She hadn't spoken a word yet. It was fine. I understand that she is shocked.

I walked towards her, wanting to touch her, to hold her in my arms and never wanting to let go again. I wanted to hug her; I want to feel her heartbeat. I wanted to kiss her and taste her lips again. I wanted to mark her again and make love to her again. I wanted to do so many things.

Suddenly, a hand appeared on her shoulder. A growl left my lips when I saw that the hand was attached to a male, an unknown male.

An unfamiliar feeling slithered in my heart and left it cold and unfeeling. The possessive way he placed his hand on her shoulder, the way he was looking at her questioningly; the way she let him touch her...it was an intimate gesture.

I knew. They both were together.

My brain stopped functioning. Is this some sort of sick joke? After all those sleepless nights and never-ending days filled with agony over being apart from her, she cheats on me and fucks someone else?

In seven fucking months?

I blinked back my tears and wiped all the emotions from my face.

I have never looked at another woman that way ever since she came into my life. Not even Davina, who was my mate. I went as far as throwing her out of Jiv. All because Ava felt uncomfortable.

Faelern appeared in front of us out of nowhere. But I knew he was already here. It seemed like Ava, and he had formed a bond, and he was attending this meeting.

Fiyona let out a gasp, obviously not expecting to see him right away.

He stumbled a step ahead, his eyes fixated on Fiyona.

Fiyona gasped in a breath and squeezed my arm, hiding behind me.

Maybe she doesn't want to see him.

I covered her petite body with my frame. "Stay where you are," I warned him.

Faelern pinned me with his light blue, almost white eyes, but I didn't budge. He didn't intimidate me, not anymore.

"Are you okay?" I asked Fiyona, tilting my head to the side to look at her.

She took a deep breath and nodded. "I am Fiyona Aine." She mumbled under her breath like that gave her strength. She said it so low that even I could barely hear it.

She walked out and took long steps to reach her mate. Tears gathered in Faelern's eyes as he extended his arms, wanting to hold her.

Fiyona ignored his arms and slapped him across the face. Hard. His face snapped to the side, and he cupped his cheek.

Gasps arose in the room.

I'm sure that Fiyona was the only one who could slap him without any consequences.

"Who the hell are you?" Ava was spitting fire as she glared at Fiyona.

Did she really not recognise her? They looked so alike that I could mistake them for sisters. Fiyona looked not even five years older than Ava, and Valerie looked like her fraternal twin.

For a split second, it made me happy. Maybe she is jealous of her. She is jealous because I'm her mate at the end of the day, and she loved me. And she can't see me with other women. Even though Fiyona was family, and I'd never think of her that way, Ava didn't know that. Maybe, we still have a chance.

And if there is even a little bit of hope, I'm willing to give it my all.

"My mate," Faelern whispered, his voice hoarse.

The second he said that Fiyona grabbed him and pressed her lips to his, kissing the crap out of him. Faelern was frozen for a second before he kissed her back.

And then, in the next second, both of them disappeared. Where? I didn't know. But I did know what they will be doing for the next couple of days before returning.

"She was my mother, Fiyona. And I'm your mother. Valerie." Valerie whispered as she answered her question.

The expression on her face didn't change. She didn't look shocked. She was cold.

She wasn't the Ava I knew.

She's changed.

She isn't expressive. She doesn't wear her heart on her sleeve. She doesn't show her emotions on her face anymore. Hell, I couldn't even feel her emotions, like I usually can of everyone else. She's guarded. She lacked warmth.

She's all ice.

Ava looked at Valerie, her expression unchanging.

Valerie had tears in her eyes as she went and hugged her daughter. "I've been waiting for this day all my life, Avalyn. I love you so much. I hope you know that. I hope J-Javier told you that."

Ava's arms slowly came around her mother. "He did."

Ava didn't cry. She didn't hug her mother warmly, as I had expected. It was as if she was hugging a random stranger. Hell, I had seen her five better hugs to random strangers!

I felt Valerie's hurt, but she didn't say anything.

Ava pushed her mother back gently. "I would like you to meet my mate, Gabriel Volantis." She motioned towards the Faye, who was standing beside her.

I felt all the air escape my body at once. Did I hear her correctly? Mate?

"Mate?" I hissed.

"Yes." Her ice-cold eyes stared into mine. "My Faye mate. The future King of Soare- Luna."

I think this woman has decided that she wants to kill me today. From the inside. Slowly, with each word she spoke, using them like daggers. The sound that I once found melodious sounded bitter now.

"Avalyn... Nikolai is you mate. What are you talking about?" Valerie grasped her daughter's hands.

Every word that came out of her mouth felt like a punch to the gut. Does she really hate me so much?

"The ceremony is adjourned. Dismissed." Avalyn announced, and on her command, everyone started filing out of the room.

Then I looked at her mate.

He was wearing a King's robe, a belt with a scabbard attached to it. All that was missing was the crown.

This was a fucking coronation ceremony. I had the unimaginable urge to laugh.

My life was a fucking joke.

And then suddenly, my eyes fell on two little kids standing a little behind Ava, almost hiding behind her. One girl and one boy.

When my eyes fell on them, they slid out of their hiding spot, which was Ava's huge gown, and stepped forward.

The girl had silver hair and blue eyes— exactly like Ava, and the boy had blond hair and grey eyes— exactly like I did.

My eyes tear up, and my throat clogged up.

Are they really...?

Why are they so big already?

It's only been seven months...

They looked seven years old instead...

"What year is it?" I choked out.

"Two thousand and twenty-seven." Ava replied.

I pressed two fingers against my heart and rubbed. It hurt. It hurt so much.

I was trapped there for seven years?

I counted each day. It should have been seven months. They should have been seven months old...

I knew time was different in both the worlds because Fiyona's, Valerie's and my stories didn't match according to the timeline. But I never knew that one month there meant one year here...

I looked at Valerie, and she had tears in her eyes. "How long was I dead for?" She screamed, her hands coming to her throat, clawing at it.

"Thirty years." Avalyn was the one who whispered this time.

"That means...Javier... that means...," I saw her legs wobble, and I just knew she was about to collapse.

I ran to her and caught her before her head could hit the floor. "Valerie!" I placed her head on my lap and patted her cheek.

A small hand appeared on her forehead. The hand was connected to my little girl. Whose name I didn't know.

She gave me a sweet smile, making her dimples dig deeper in her cheeks. A tear slipped down my eye. "Don't cry. I'll wake her up for you, Dadda."

And the true to her word, in that instant, Valerie opened her eyes. She blinked a couple of times before she slid out from between my girl and me.

Her smile was so bright that it hurt. I already loved this little girl. "I read your letter! Mamma told me about you too. Your name is Nikolai. She told me that you were a star. And I could see you every night. And after many, many years, I get to actually see you. And seven years are many, many years."

I couldn't stop myself; I hugged the little girl. She was so small, so fragile that I thought I'd break her if I squeeze too hard. And I cried. For the first time in years, I cried.

Her little arms couldn't even wrap themselves around my shoulders, but she held on to me with all the strength she had.

I cried for even thinking that I didn't want this little girl. For everything that Ava went through. For what I could have done right. For what could have been better. For what we could have been if not for that curse. For missing seven whole years of my daughter's life.

"Don't cry, Dadda." She caressed the hair at the back of my head with her tiny hands. "Strong people don't cry."

I backed away a little to look at her, to fill my eyes with her sight again. She cupped my cheeks with her tiny hands and wiped away my tears.

"There. Do you feel better now?" She asked with a smile.

I nodded, still unable to say anything.

I looked at my son. He was still standing beside Avalyn, holding her hand tightly.

I extended an arm towards him, wanting to hug him too.

"She might fall for your act, but I won't." He told me, his grey eyes angry. "You may be my father, but you made Mamma cry. So much. I hate you." He screamed and then ran out of the room.

My head lowered.

I deserved it. I did make Avalyn cry—a lot. I could only imagine how miserable she might have been after I 'died'. For her, I was gone forever. Only I knew that I had a chance to come back home. It was the one thing that kept me going. So the fact that Ava held on for so long with no hope was commendable.

I could only imagine how she managed to survive.

I always promised myself that I'll do anything to make her happy. But I always ended up being the person who made her cry the most.

But seeing her all cold now, I wondered if she even missed me at all.

"I hate you too!" My daughter screamed after her brother and then looked at me with a smile. "Ignore him. I love you enough for him and me, Dadda."

I cracked a smile for her sake. "Don't say that; he is your brother."

She jutted her bottom lip out, and her eyes shone. "I'm sorry, Dadda." This little girl assaulted my heart.

"It's okay, Princess." I squeezed her tiny hands. "Go play with him; I need to talk to your mother."

"Okay, Dadda. You'll play with me after, right, Dadda?" She asked me with her hope-filled eyes. "I missed you this much," she extended her arms as wide as they could get, "Dadda!" She finished with a cute little grin.

"Of course. I missed you that much and more." I hugged her again and kissed her cheek, making her giggle.

She whispered loudly in my ear, enough that everyone could hear us, "if Mamma gets mad, give her a lot of kisses. It calms her down, okay?"

"Sure." I grinned at my little girl. She smiled again and skipped out of the room.

I rose to my feet and looked at Ava.

"What's their names?" I whispered.

"Viktoria Valerie Aine Volkov and Niklaus Nikolai Aine Volkov." She replied, her expression softening for the first time since I saw her.

She named her after my mother. And she named our son after me. Me. Maybe, she still loved me.

"Coming back to the topic," her expressions hardened again, "My mate, Gabe is going to be the Alpha King of Soar—" I growled before she could finish the sentence.

In her eyes, I saw nothing.

No love, no hate.

She was... indifferent.

I was wrong. This woman holds no feels for me. Not any longer. She has met her mate after all.

Anger filled me. Now I'll show her how indifferent and spiteful I can be.

"Now that we have established that you are not my mate," I walked to her and grabbed her crown and slammed it on the ground, "you are not my Queen either."

"Throwing my crown away will not make me less of a Queen. In your absence, it was me who took care of the pack. It was me to took care of the people. It was me who took care of the land. All on my own." She gritted her teeth—finally some emotions.

"She is right. She was the one who took care of it. And I have done more for this Kingdom than you ever have." He spoke.

"According to the monarchy rules, the land belongs to the person who takes it, along with the people who live on it." I informed her and then glared at him. "It was me who defeated Emilio and took Montana. It was me who drove Adrik away and took Mystic Lupus. The land you stand on is mine." I hissed in his face.

"And if you want it," I looked at both of them before finally settling my glare on him, "you can fight me for it."

He put her arm around Avalyn's waist, and my body vibrated with anger. "If I win, you will leave this place and never show your face to us ever again."

"If I win, you will never show your face to me ever again either. And Avalyn stays." I gritted.

"Dea—"

"No." Ava interrupted him. "This is not happening on my watch."

"Worried that your mate isn't man enough to handle me?" I taunted with a smirk.

"I just don't want you to die yet again after coming back to life." She smiled a cruel smile. "Tori will be too upset."

"Don't worry about that." I scoffed and glared at him. "Are you fighting or not?"

"Gabe, don't!" Ava interjected.

"Yes." He nodded, his nostrils flaring. "I, Gabriel Volantis, challenge you for the position of the Alpha King of Soare- Luna in a duel to death."

A smirk formed on my face.

He is a dead man. He has no idea what I'm capable of. And I know precisely what a faye can and can't do, thanks to Fiyona and Valerie.

"The fight will be held at the training ground. No need to destroy my home because of man who is about to be dead before the end of the day." I said and turned on my feet, walking out of the room.