Chapter 31 A walk on the beach

A walk on the beach

Nikolai

Ava had invited the vampires to stay the night but they politely declined, informing her that they had rented a hotel in the nearby human town. I knew she was worried but I told her to let them be. More than being worried about them, I knew she was worried about the humans but all of them clearly had pets. When you were a high ranker, having pets was more like a status symbol more than a necessity.

I took Ava down to the beach after that, we had lots to discuss.

"Take off your sandals," I told her as I removed my own. She smiled widely as she quickly did as I said. I placed them on a rock before holding her hand and we took off for a walk.

"Let's talk about you first. I know we haven't done that much since you shifted." I told her. "How do you feel, Love?"

"I feel...alive." She looked up at me.

It was true, her blood hummed louder, her eyes glowed with more happiness than I had ever seen and there was just something different about her. "I mean, I was living before. But now, it feels like I was merely surviving then. I am truly living now." She said as she kicked a rock ahead. "At first, I wouldn't even feel entitled to kick this rock, almost as if I'm doing something wrong by moving it from its place." She whispered.

In moments like these, I realized how deep her submission ran. It had been ingrained in her for ten, long years. It made me furious that she had to go through it, but what made me more furious was the fact that my mate had been suffering through all of that silently, all alone and I had no clue.

"And now?" I asked.

"I feel like my old self, Nikolai. When I was still a kid and papa was still alive." She swiped a palm across her cheek. I tugged her in front of me and smiled at my beautiful girl. I cupped her cheeks with both my hands and wiped her tears with my thumbs. Her long, brown hair was flying all over the place because of the wind and her warm brown eyes were glassy. She was still as beautiful as ever.

"How were you when you were little?" I asked. I wanted to know more about her. All she had shared with me about her past was the dark part of it. I wanted to know how she was before that too.

"Papa used to call me firefly." She chuckled but there was nothing humorous about it. It was more of an 'I can hardly believe it'll laugh.

"He said that I was like a firefly because I had a fire within me and I was meant to fly. Back then, I used to be confident and strong, I didn't take shit from anybody." She bit her lip. "I had a best friend, we used to be the only girls who play with the boys. The other girls thought that the game we played would get them dirty because of the mud or something so they would stay away." She smiled, her thoughts a million miles away. "And I used to get into a lot of fights." her eyes slid to me and then widened at my smirk. "I wasn't crazy!" She palmed her mouth.

"Never said you were." I laughed.

"I only fought because I thought there was injustice happening in the situation." She reasoned, her eyes light with laughter. "So yeah, Papa thought that I needed to channel my anger so he started training me. That's why I became good at aiming and a little at fighting at such a young age." That she was. She had a knack for learning things quickly and since she had started training every day, she had gotten much better.

"Your Papa was a wise man." I smiled and we continued walking.

"The wisest. I miss him every day." She whispered. I wanted to say something to make it better, but there was nothing I could say to take away her pain. So I remained silent.

We had reached the edge of the beach so we took a u-turn after that. "He was a strong Alpha. He was fair but strict. No other packs tried to mess with him you know? That's why I wonder how Emmanuel managed to kill him." I told her. I had met him a couple of times during the annual meetings and the ball I was supposed to attend with Adrik.

"You said something about the people would have told him if they knew, what was that about?" She asked me.

"The pack members are loyal to their Alpha Ava. That is unless they are forced otherwise or are bitter about something. No wolf would defy the Alpha anything if he is happy with his life in the pack. From what I know about Alpha Javier, the people were happy with his rule. It would be difficult to manipulate wolves into accepting the death of their Alpha so easily. And even after that, convincing the entire pack that the Alpha died and he is the Beta lived isn't easy. A good beta would kill himself if that means the Alpha lives." I told her.

"I didn't know." She seemed deep in thought.

"I know I shouldn't ask you this, but do you think your father had any pets?" I asked her. "Anyone you thought he was close to but that person wasn't a werewolf, did everything your father said and took care of you in his absence?"

I could see she was thinking hard. "Mrs. Maria." She whispered. "She was the human who was always there, she was close to papa. She was the house cook and always took care of me like my mother would have if she were there." Her hands shook as she combed her fingers through her hair. It was a nervous habit of hers. I took her hands in mine and gripped them tightly.

"Not all pets are used to having sex, Ava," I told her softly. I knew it was bothering her too much. "Maybe she was just there to fill the void of your mother. You are a girl, your father couldn't teach you everything a mother could. Was there any other pet that may be alive?" I asked. She clenched her hands in mine and shook her head.

It would have been a good start but it clearly was a dead end.

"You know Alpha Javier was right, you are like a firefly." I smiled down at her. She peered up at me through her glassy eyes. She just shook her head. "Doesn't feel like it. That Avalyn is lost forever."

"And yet, a better version is standing right in front of me." I tugged her again and made her stand in front of me. This was a conversation during which I wanted her to look in my eyes, to see for herself that I was speaking the truth.

"Surviving years of torture, being able to love a possessive ass like me, killing a full-grown werewolf while you were a human, shifting into an Alpha wolf at the age of twenty-three, reprimanding me for a dick move, facing Vasilik, killing him, and them handling his subjects like a pro, I would say you have quite the fire in you Love." I smiled and caressed her soft cheek with my thumb.

She smiled back shyly. "I wouldn't say I reprimanded you."

"But you held your ground." I gathered her in my arms and kissed her forehead. "That's more than what I can say more most people. I'm sorry for being a dick, Love."

"No, you were hurt and angry, I understand Nikky." She smiled.

"Still not good enough of a reason to treat you like that. And Nikky?" I raised my brows in amusement.

"It was fine. Yeah, you have so many nicknames for me, I wanted a few more." Her eyes twinkled.

"All of me is only for you, sweet. You may call me whatever you wish." I smiled.

"Whatever?" She wiggled her brows mischievously. I pinched her butt. "I might just have to spank you for being naughty then. You know what? Go ahead and give me another stupid nickname." I grinned.

Her blush rose further and her face turned a lovely shade of crimson. "And I might just love it." She said and pressed her hips against my mine, grinding slowly. I groaned as I kept a firm grip on her hips and pulled her back. "As much as I would love to, we still have things to discuss, Moya Lyubov."

She nodded. "The kids." She said and then turned completely serious. "To be honest, I love them already and I wouldn't mind if they come here with us."

"Neither do I. I just wanted your opinion first. There is just something about them that's familiar, I have this urge to protect them." I narrowed my eyes in distance. I didn't feel like that for anyone else other than Ava. "And when Vanessa came and hugged me, I was so shocked, I know she is scared of males and has issues with touching people. Which is also why it meant so much more."

"It's clear then, they stay with us." Ava smiled, satisfied with the outcome.

"Now I want to ask about how during the initiation ceremony, you resisted Vladimir's illusion and yesterday, Vasilik's mind control," I asked her seriously.

"I -I didn't resist anything. In the case of Vasilik, nothing happened to me at all." She shrugged. "And Vladimir, I am not sure. I got an illusion. In fact, I got it today before I woke up too. She told me to wake up because my people have come for me."

"That wasn't an illusion Ava. Vladimir can see the illusion work in people's minds. He couldn't see anything in your mind. I don't think you had an illusion at all. Your hair had turned all white. Whatever it was— it was something else."

She looked deep in thought. "It was like a dream. There was this lady in white dress and white hair— just like mine when they turn white." She said and took a lock between her fingers. When it stayed brown, I took in between mine and we saw it turn white. "Just like this. Her eyes were such a light shade of blue that they almost looked white. Her aura felt so peaceful and...pure that I calmed down too."

"Did she say anything?" I asked.

She nodded. "When I asked her who she is, she said she is me. And she told me this both the times she came in my dream- 'Save Nikolai, lead them all to victory, brighten the darkness, the time is coming.' I don't understand what any of that means." She said, looking at me with curious eyes.

"Maybe, we need a faerie more than I originally thought," I murmured. All of this seemed cryptic. A fae would probably know what the dream was and what it means.

She didn't say anything to that and we continued our walk.

"Do you think I made the right decision by asking Vladimir to take the position as the king? What if he doesn't want it? Can we really manage to handle an entire kingdom?" She asked. "Especially along with the pack?"

"You made the same decision I would have made Ava. It's about damn time Vladimir accepted that he misses his kingdom. He is happy here but that's his home. But I'm okay with whatever he chooses. And we are Alphas Love, we were born to rule. And this pack doesn't work as a normal pack. I hardly have to handle anything." I smiled.

As much as not working all the time was a relief, I missed being in a real pack.

"And with the war, we know is coming, it is good to have alliances, a good thing you didn't say you didn't want to become the Queen. I wouldn't have allowed that either." I added on a serious note.

"That's what I was thinking too. And if Vladimir denies the position, Rhazien would be the best candidate to be our representative." She told me.

"Good choice," I said. "You are new to this but you are already good at it Ava. Trust your instincts, you will never go wrong with it." She blushed at that.

"Right now, my instincts tell me to go get the kids." She smiled up.

"You're right, let's go," I told her and we continued our walk till we reached where we had taken off our footwear. We wore our own shoes before we made our walk to the parking lot.

"Are you sure it's safe for them to come here when we know a war is coming?" She suddenly asked me.

"I'm not sure," I replied honestly. "But my gut tells me that this is where they belong."

She nodded, not needing further explanations. We got into the SUV and I started driving in the direction of the packhouse.

"How and where do you find a fae?" She asked suddenly.

"It's not easy to find a faerie but once you find them, you just know." I shrugged. "They have a distinct aura and we won't be able to smell them unless they want us to. Which is the reason why it's hard. And as for where do we find them, after the crazy prophecy, the most fae has fled to another dimension or has been captured by Kingdoms or packs." It was going to be a bitch to find one. Maybe I could use the help of one of the many vampires at our disposal now.

"Was the prophesy so bad that even after five hundred years, it affects the lives of all the faeries?" She asked. I could see the empathy in her eyes.

"I don't know what the prophesy is Ava. No one speaks about it. Those who know, don't want more people to know and the only ones who truly know are the faeries. It is said that about five centuries ago, a very strong faerie had prophesied it."

"The faeries have magical powers so how are vampires and werewolves able to contain them?" My curious little mate asked after some time.

"Different faeries gain their powers from different elements, either— earth, water, fire, an air of brain. So keeping them away from their source of power would weaken them. The Taaffeite stone to them is like what silver is to us. It's a violet-colored gemstone which is one of the rarest stones in the world, you'd know it when you see it. So using it somehow to drain them would be easy. Also, they have powers but they aren't strong enough to fight. They are basically humans but with longer life." I finished just as I pulled up at the packhouse. It kind of reminded me of my old house back home, yet it wasn't even half the size of it.

I took a hold of Ava's hand as we walked inside. The wolves lowered their heads in respect as we walked in. The kids were not in the living room so we walked up the stairs to their bedroom. I was informed that they insisted on sharing one room itself.

I knocked on the door before pushing it open. Vanessa was drawing something on a piece of paper while Adrian was reading a book. He snapped it shut when he heard the door open. Both the kids jumps on their feet and stood up, giving us a shy smile of their own.

"How are you both this evening?" Ava asked with a smile.

"We are doing well, Luna. Thank you for asking. How are you and Alpha doing?" Adrian, the mature one asked.

"We are doing great, kid. Now, how about you lose the titles and call us Avalyn and Nikolai instead? What do you think about that?" I asked with a smile.

Both of them looked appalled and shook their heads frantically. "We could never disrespect you like that." He replied.

"You are not disrespecting us if we ask you to call us than ourselves. I suppose titles are going to be boring and superficial once we live in the same house." I smirked down at both of them.

Their eyes widened and their lips parted, in synchronization. "Really? We can live with you?" It was Vanessa who asked the question this time.

"Yes," Ava answered. They grinned and came running to us, hugging both of us. Ava giggled as we both hugged the kids back.

"Are you both done packing?" Ava asked while I ventured further into the room and picked up the book Adrian was reading. It was on the history of all the supernatural beings on earth and their kingdoms. I was proud to know that the little boy was reading this book, not many adults could comprehend it.

"You understand this?" I turned around to look at Adrian and showed him the book.

"Yes, Alp— Nikolai." He said shyly. "It's very interesting and I figured that I should know more about the world I live in." He admitted. I could see the potential this kid had and I knew he would be a strong and intelligent wolf one day.

"That's true. I assume you have taken this book from the library here?" He nodded at my question. "I will let the librarian know. You can take it along and ask for any book you want, we will have it delivered at the estate." I told him and picked up the two little bags the kids had. They needed to get more things.

"Thank you," Adrian whispered with a heavy voice. I just smiled at him.