Chapter 74

Soren

The sea is darker in Oxford Bay than it was in Lucky Cove. The weather here is also perpetually gloomy from what I have seen. Dark gray clouds hang low in the sky, hiding the sun from the world.

The sand is cold to the touch but I pay it no mind. At least the sound of the crashing waves brings me some solace while I sit in purgatory, waiting for Celia to come and break me free from the misery that I feel on the inside of my chest.

There is a part of me that truly believes that Celia will not come. I know that my mistreatment of her in the past will be the main thing that holds her back from accepting me and the life that I can offer for her.

Well, the start to this supposed new life together has been quite rocky with my ex-girlfriend, who just so happens to hate Celia with every fiber of her being, coming after the both of us, but I like to think that if we get this out of the way, it will be smooth sailing from here. Or so I hope.

I do not know what fate has in store for us. From a young age, my father and mother drilled it into my brain that fate is alive and well and that she rules us all. We may think that we are making out choices, but in reality, it is fate who is pushing us to make those choices.

She chooses our fated mates for us, the people who are meant to inspire us and bring us joy and happiness for the rest of our lives. It’s something that I have always bought into, thinking that life will pan out exactly the way that I wanted it to.

Oh, I was a childish boy back then. Life has definitely humbled me these past few months and has shown me that life is a rough road filled with pot holes and cracks in its surface. But with Celia, it feels as if the road ahead is smooth with no imperfections in its form.

My phone vibrates in my pocket. I pick it up without looking at the name, bringing the phone to my ear. I remain silent, watching one particularly large wave crash against the shoreline.

“Sir?” my Beta’s voice is staticky through the other end of the phone call. “Are you there?”

“Yes,” I sigh, “what is it?”

“I have not heard from you in hours and your soldiers said you took off without a word. I was worried about your safety,” he speaks. I can sense the hint of worry in his voice, the way his voice does not tremble anymore.

“I’m fine,” I respond and scratch the back of my neck. “Some…minor complications happened. I am trying to fix it.”

There is silence from his end of the call. It makes me feel awkward, as if he is waiting for me to continue.

“I may be back in the capitol sooner than I expected,” I inform him, my mind drifting back to the wooden door that separated Celia and I.

My heart aches. It yearns for her to see the light of day, to come and stand by my side so that we may go through the difficulties of life — and Bianca — together. Without her, I feel weak. I feel lost. I feel desperate.

“What? Why?” my Beta asks.

“Let us call it a gut feeling that I have, okay? Don’t worry about it, I have it all under control,” I try to reassure him. I do not wish to fight and bicker about the situation that I am in. All I want to do is listen to the crashing waves while holding onto the hope that Celia still stands me.

“The capitol may not be safe for you, sir,” he informs me. The hair on the back of my neck stands up. “Tensions have risen between the werewolves and the Lycan nobles. Bianca’s parents wish to see her but the Duke is going a great job holding them off to buy us some time.”

“It sounds like I should be going back to the capitol then,” I groan and pinch the bridge of my nose.

“No, sir, it is too dangerous,” he clears his throat, “the Lycan Duke has offered up his land in the Lycan territory, though. Only you and Celia will be permitted to go there. He has Lycan soldiers ready to protect the two of you.”

“Where is his land?” I ask, “how far away is it from Oxford Bay?”

“Oxford Bay?” my Beta repeats. I hum in confirmation. “I would say it is about a two days drive from your location.”

“Is it wise to go into Lycan territory?” I ask, already thinking about the multitude of possibilities that can happen. “If tensions are high like you said, why would I willingly place both Celia and I into their hands?”

“Because you know that you can trust the Duke. He has been cooperative this whole time and has been on your side whether you have seen it or not,” my Beta continues, “it’s a safe risk that I think you should take, sir.”

Should I, though? What if the Duke turns out to be the worst enemy of them all? He can very easily turn the tides of this brewing tension between the Werewolves and Lycans with one snap of his fingers, with one basic command to kill both Celia and I while we sleep.

There are too many uncertainties to make me feel comfortable. However, I do think that there is some positives to the plan.

The Lycans will never have anticipated that Celia and I would be inside of their own pack, hidden in plain sight. I heard that the Duke’s land is surrounded by a wild forest which gives us another layer of protection from Bianca and the Lycans who wish to see us dead.

“Sir,” my Beta speaks up, his voice breaking through the silence, “Bianca is the enemy here. Not the Lycans. Her parents simply wish to see her to make sense of her crimes. They’re restless, yes, but we can manage them.”

“Sure,” I nod my head, “one can see it like that.”

“If you are worried about Celia and the protection she gives you, you can always mar—”

I end the call as soon as the scent of storm wind and honeysuckle touches my nose. My phone drops to the ground beside me and I turn to see Celia standing behind me.

She wears a backpack on her back, a small frown on her face. Celia cautiously approaches me and my eyes never leave her body. She’s silent and drops her bag to the ground, slowly following after it.

I look at her and my heart feels full. My once dwindling hope has been reignited. The fight for peace and freedom from Bianca’s antics resumes and I know that with Celia at my side that I can brave whatever it is that she has to throw at us.

I open my mouth to speak but no words come out. My attention turns towards the waves. They begin to settle down, the clouds turning a vibrant orange color as the sun begins to set in the distance.