Chapter 160 Apologies

Nikolai

"You are in a good mood." Max grinned he entered the empty council room. My work was done for today. "Hell the whole pack is happy. It's warm again."

"Get used to it." I couldn't stop smiling.

The entire night was absolutely perfect.

Well almost. We were about to have sex but Ava thought it would be best if we move forward before she had a talk with him. I wasn't exactly happy about it but I understood.

So we spent the entire night talking about anything and everything.

Last night was magical and full of revelations. I don't remember the last time I was this happy. A few of the things she told me was that she slept in a separate bedroom because it just didn't feel right to sleep with him. And our children were habituated with sleeping in the same room as her since they were babies—she was paranoid about their safety and couldn't bear any distance between them. And she wanted an excuse to sleep by herself so she used our kids and said that they were the reason she would not be able to share the bed or the room with him. That's when I realised that kids were truly a blessing in man's life.

She also admitted that he had sex with Gabriel only eight times, the ninth time was then I saw them. I didn't want to hear it about as much as she didn't want to talk about it but she said she needed to say it and that it will make me feel better. And it did when she said that she never once came when they did it. She always had to fake it. She said that her body always stopped her, or maybe there was a mental blockage. She said that she literally could not cum without me. It made me very happy. I was the only one who could bring her that pleasure.

We moved on to lighter topics.

She told me that Tori told her all about the necklace I had gifted her. It was originally Ava's but she said it looked better on our daughter and that it moved her to tears when Tori told her the whole story.

Ava also told me numerous stories about our children and their childhood. She told me that after I died, she passed out from pain and woke up in our bedroom two days later. She had already given birth to our children and Natalia had been the one who took care of our children like her own. She was the one who fed them and changed them and gave them a mother's love. There were days when Ava wasn't herself and needed a lot of help with our kids. Natalia had practically moved in our room at that point and helped Ava out with everything. When Kol came along, the three kids had two mothers. And while Dimitri and Mikhail came to visit and see the kids, they didn't stay very long. Dimitri was still haunted by his mate and her memories in the palace. Max, Andrei, Symon and Algebra worked extremely hard to keep the kingdom together, especially with Nat almost being hands off with work. But my brothers always made sure to spend time with the children and help our the new mothers.

It made me appreciate and love Natalia so much more.

Ava told me about the strong bond between Klaus and Tori. She told me about the first time they rolled on their fronts, the first time they crawled, the first word they spoke, the first time they walked, their first day of kindergarten school, the first day of elementary school, the first fight Klaus got into a fight—he punch a kid who pulled Tori's pigtails, and that Ava had half-heartedly reprimanded him for it and told him how to handle the situation better if it happened again. She told me how hard it had been for all the kids when Max, Nat and Kol moved to Poziarne. Tori couldn't stop crying for a few weeks. And while Klaus and Kol were upset too, they mostly tried to get her to calm down. The twins used to be on video calls with Kol all day. The separation brought Klaus and Tori a lot closer and their bond and friendship got deeper.

She told me about her problems when she finally took over the pack and how difficult it had been and how much she appreciated all the work I used to do with very little help from her. She told me how she finally understood why I made tough decisions—they were only tough when you took them but were better for the long run. She told me about theincident that was the main cause of the slave uprising and our secret almost being revealed to the whole world. A slave had managed to escape from his Master's home and had helped a few of his friends escape too. They managed to reach Greenwich town and before they were caught. When they were brought to the court, Ava pitied them and the hardships they had gone through in the hands of their cruel masters. The punishment they received for that was a warning and being jailed for two months—which was essentially very lenient and not effective at all. This gave the slaves an impression that the punishment for speaking out for what they want wasn't very harsh. They formed a secret union and had begun contacting the outside world. They were caught but it wasn't without damage. Ava, as a last resort, asked Faelern for help. He came and erased the memory of the humans who didn't know our secret.

All the slaves who took part in this were given proper punishment and our secret was safe again but this fiasco fuelled fire to the budding doubts in the minds of the people who believed that a woman is not fit to rule the kingdom on her own.

It took some time to change their minds and establish peace again but with the help of our family and the entire council, she was able to do it.

She told that regardless of her hardships, she had learned a lot from her mistakes and was definitely a much better Queen now. She said she was happy with her growth as a ruler and wouldn't have it any other way, her mistakes also gave her a different perspective and helped her help the marginalised sectors and the entire slave community in the Kindgom.

She looked happy.

For the first time, I felt like I had my old life back. Like I had my love, my Ava back. I had my family back.

After over a month of going through absolute hell, of being burned every single day by Ava's harsh words, I broke her walls and finally wore her down.

She was finally true to herself and me. She told me loves me.

I was literally the happiest man alive.

"Mistress has called for you, Alpha." Tessa entered the room and bowed. "She is waiting for you in her bedroom."

It means she finally broke up with him. And she was ready to start a new life with me. Maybe now she'll want me to mark her again, and she'll want to mark me again.

My heart was racing.

My feet bounced.

"You look like a teenager who is about to have sex for the first time." I ignored Max's teasing and headed straight for Ava's bedroom.

I was so happy, so high in my mind that I could hardly notice anything around me.

Tori approached me when I first entered the west wing.

"Not now, darling. Dadda's going to make you a little brother or sister." I patted her head and continued walking to Ava's room, my strides long.

I felt a little sudden pain in my belly but I ignored it. I have a much more important thing to do.

When I entered the passage that led me to her room, I smelled something that made me stomach drop.

I smelled him.

With her.

I heard his groans.

Without my consent, my feet took me in front of the bedroom door.

I heard the sound of skin slapping against skin.

My heart sank.

So this is what the pain in my stomach was.

My body trembled. First with heartache. Why'd she have to do me like that? She called for me. She knew I was coming. Did she want me to see him fucking her? Has she become so cruel? Did she want me to go so far away from her that she had to put this visual in my mind?

Last night was a ruse. It meant nothing. She was just building my hopes so she could stomp all over them.

Avalyn had become cruel but I never expected her to stoop this low.

And then I felt anger.

From so deep within me, I didn't even know that place existed. I wasn't just angry, I was furious.

At myself more than I was at her.

She told me from day one that she had another mate and wanted nothing to do with me. But like a fucking bitch in heat, I kept begging her for more. Not sex. It's not just about sex with her.

I begged her for her love.

I'm fucking pathetic.

I've reached a new low because of her.

My body vibrated with fury.

I'm done.

I'm done with Avalyn.

I deserve better than this.

I opened the door.

They were in the middle of the fucking bed with Avalyn on her hands and knees, facing me and that little bitch fucking her from behind. Her tits bounced as he thrust into her with a groan.

Her eyes flew open and they widened when she saw me. She pushed him off her and covered herself up with some sheets.

Her eyes blurred with tears. "Nikolai..."

A sense of satisfaction pooled in his eyes.

I hate him. I hate him so fucking much. But he can have her now. He can do whatever the fuck he wants.

"I, Nikolai Volkov, Alpha King of Soare-Luna, King of Fire, King of Air reje—" Her eyes widened with fear.

"Nik no!" Avalyn jumped off the bed and rushed to me, covering my mouth with her hand. "I —I'm sorry!"

The smug expression was wiped off his face in an instant.

I didn't care.

"I love you." She whispered, her voice thick. "I'm so sorry. I'm in love with you, Nikolai."

This is exactly what she had said last night. And apparently it was all a lie. She tried to mess with me.

Me.

Nikolai Volkov.

She has made a mistake. A huge one at that. And she will pay the price of it for the rest of her life. I'm going to make her regret it all.

"It's too fucking late." I hissed and pushed her off me.

She fell on the floor. I didn't care.

"I, Nikolai Volkov, Alpha King of Soare- Luna, King of Fire and King of Air, reject you, Avalyn Alvarez, Luna Queen of Soare-Luna, Princess of the Faye Kingdom."

I felt my heart tear into two pieces.

My felt my soul pull itself apart from hers.

It hurt.

But since my heart was already shattered into pieces, I hardly felt it. Dealing with pain had never been a foreign concept for me.

Avalyn was crying as she hissed herself up with her hands. A trail of blood rolled down the side of her face as she looked at me through her tears. "I-I'm sorry." She rasped.

She would heal her physical wounds. But she would never be able to heal what I was feeling inside.

"In the little time we have been together, I had always loved you with all my heart and soul. I was always loyal and faithful. I have never looked at any other female in the wrong way, despite your many accusations."

"I -I wasn't thinking right, Nik, I'm sorry."

"When you got pregnant and things got hard, you were the one who wanted to keep the babies. I was against it but I gave my fucking life for you. Just so you could have what you wanted."

"I'm sorry." She cried.

"And yes, I did try to kill them. And I can't begin to tell you how fucking sorry I am for that. Faelern came gave me the spell the same day. And in that exact second, I knew I would give my life so you and our children could live. I didn't tell you about it because I knew you would disagree, even though that is exactly what you had been secretly wishing for—to live with our children."

"And I continued to stay away because I needed to make sure that Adrik is dead so you and our family could live. And stay safe. So you could fucking step outside the palace without looking over your shoulder. So our kids could go out and play without you losing sleep over it."

"I'm so fucking sorry for caring so much."

"I'm so fucking sorry for not being able to kill him and only being able to make a deal. But my brother's life was on line and there was no other way to guarantee he wouldn't come after my family. His heart at your feet would have been my last gift to you. It was never my motive to make you hate me."

"I n-never hated you," she gasped in between her sobs, "I'm s-sorry."

"And I'm so fucking sorry for loving and trusting a woman like you. For giving my life for you. You have done nothing but string me along since the moment I came back with your hot and cold behaviour. One second you have a moment with me and then you insult me. I do something nice for you and you tell me you hate me. I take my fucking daughter out and you accuse me of trying to break this family." I could feel the fire burning inside me. I could feel the fire behind eyes.

"I didn't mean it," she cried.

"Fuck you for breaking this family. Fuck you for breaking my heart. Fuck you." I growled out. I could feel the fire burning inside me. I could feel the fire behind eyes.

She was crying and sobbing uncontrollably.

A part of me wanted to go to her and apologise and make sure she was okay and that made me mad all over again.

I was feeling so...heating...so...full of energy I felt like I could burst.

"I'm sorry." She sobbed. "Please. I'm so sorry."

"But now, Avalyn, I am going to actually make you hate me. I'm going to give you a reason— many reasons to hate me. You have always seen me as the loving, caring Nik. You have always seen the best of me."

"Don't do it." She whispered, her throat dry.

"Now, I'm going to show you the worst of me. I'll show you how bad I can be."

"I'll always love you."

I scoffed at her words. How dare she fucking say that when she was just fucking another guy not even fifteen minutes ago?

"I will make you regret it. I will make you regret ever showing me your face, I will make you regret me." I hissed.

"I'm never going to accept your rejection. I'll never break our bond." She vowed, looking up at me.

"I'm going to fucking destroy you. It's war, Avalyn. You versus me. And this isn't just some fight. It's the endgame." I declared.

"And you." I made him the focus of my fiery glare. "I give you exactly thirty seconds to get the fuck of out of my home and thirty minutes to get the fuck out of my Kingdom. If you are spotted on my land, you will be shot dead on sight."

'Capture Avalyn's mate the second he is out of the palace and bring him to the dungeons.' I ordered Natalia.

'Yes, Alpha.' I could almost hear her smirk.

Fear slithered in his eyes and he was out of the room in a second.

"Nikolai." Avalyn had managed to drag herself near me and she clutched my thigh, begging me.

I gritted my teeth and looked at her being all pathetic. I grabbed her arm and pushed her off me

Without casting her a second glance, I turned around and walked out.

My bedroom was the first place I went to. I locked the door behind me and took a seat on the bed.

The entire room held her scent. I hate it.

I fucking hate it.

That's when the hurt came crashing down. It hurt. My stomach hurt. My heart hurt. My body hurt. My soul hurt.

I was in so much pain.

I couldn't control myself and I slid off the bed, falling on my knees and collapsed on the ground.

So much pain.

I felt like my entire being was being torn in half.

My head hurt. I could feel her being torn apart from my conscience as we become separate individuals.

I punched the floor a couple of times. Fuck. Why did it hurt so much?

Even shifting in my wolf didn't hurt this much. Taking a fucking bullet to my heart didn't hurt this much.

"Argghh." A scream left my mouth.

I felt hot.

My entire body felt hot.

My wolf let out a loud, pain filled howl that left my mouth too.

It was hurting him more that it was hurting me.

But it needed to be done.

"Nikolai!" Dimitri burst open the door and my head snapped up. He stood at the threshold.

That's when I realised that the entire room was on fire. Every single square inch of it.

The fire reflected in his wild green eyes as he took in everything.

I couldn't even gather enough strength to compose myself. I didn't even have enough strength to get off the floor and stand up.

"Aw hell no." He shook his head. "What have you done, brother?" He stood at the threshold as he looked at me with disappointed eyes.

My eyes slid shut.

Today, I'll suffer.

I'll endure.

I'll cry.

Tomorrow will be difficult.

Tomorrow, I'll embrace my pain.

I'll pick up the pieces and build myself up again.

I'll be back tomorrow.