Chapter 72 - There is still hope

HADRIAN

The second bottle falls over when I set it down. It clatters on the table and the little remains spill down the wood. My vision blurs when I try to focus on placing the empty bottle upright.

I push myself up from the seat to get another bottle, but nearly knock down the whole table instead. I steady myself and the table with my hands. I look down at them and they blur before my eyes.

The liquor is doing a poor job of making me forget about Emma, but doing a great job of robbing me of my coordination. Gaius replaces the empty bottle with a glass of clear liquid.

“What the fuck’s this?” I mumble and my voice drawls.

“Water,” Gaius answers. He takes a seat next to Cecile and he eyes me with concern.

“What good will that do?” I fall back in my seat and the wood groans under my weight.

“Sober you up.”

From my seat in the restaurant, I have a view of the house where Emma is staying. The liquor turns sour in my stomach at the thought of Emma being alone and hurt.

“That doesn’t sound like a good plan,” I mutter to my uncle. The last thing I want to be is sober right now.

I watch how his eyes turn black through the blur of my vision. I realize that he’s talking to Cecile because they’re awfully quiet.

“Just speak,” I growl. I sink further into the seat and wait for the world to stop spinning.

A cold shiver runs over my spine and I visibly shudder. Gooseflesh rises on my arms and I look through the window to the little house across. The lights are dimmed. I swallow the longing down and it sits heavy in my chest.

“Cecile, could you bring Emma some blankets, please? She gets cold at night.” I think of the times when she was drawn to my side of the bed. Even at times when there was not much going on between us. She was always drawn to my warmth. It always made me and my wolf very pleased when she did. I felt useful.

Cecile cocks her head and her face pulls into suspicion. “Who are you?”

“I’m serious,” I growl and ball my fists when another shiver runs over me. I force myself to stay seated. If it's just up to me I would be running to Emma and enclosing her in my embrace until she's warmed up.

The burning urge to mark Gaia as my mate is less now. The time and distance dim the pull in my soul.

Gaius eyes the goose flesh on my arms. Cecile gets up from the table and leaves the restaurant. Gaius looks at me with warmth and a smile.

I growl at him. “What?” I cannot handle any form of happiness at the moment.

His smile widens. “Prince Hadrian, your connection is still there.”

“Her mark is gone.” I counter and saying it out loud is like swallowing knives, it hurts.

“You can still feel her emotions.” Gaius points out with a gesture to the goose flesh on my arms. “I believe that your connection runs deep.” His eyes are brimming with sincerity. “I’ve seen many bonds in my life, but rarely as strong as this one. There is still hope.”

I want to believe my uncle. I want to believe that there is still a change and that I didn’t ruin everything. I inhale as I hold onto that hope. “What do I do?”

Gaius takes a sip of his drink with a pensive look. “Have you talked to Lela?”

Lela should have seen it coming if there was a second chance in my future. She should have seen the connection between me and Gaia.

“No.”

Gaius hums. “She could shine some light on the current events.”

——————

The Midnight Moon pack is quiet at dawn. The city is the third biggest in the kingdom after Sanguinem and The Crescent Moon pack. It's the closest city to Sanguinem and I run the managable distance.

My body is tired and begging for a night’s rest curled around Emma. The need for her soothing presence burns deep in my stomach. I will get her back to me.

I walk out of the forest and step on the paved road leading to the city. High pine trees line the road and cast a shadow on the path. I’m immediately greeted by Zavion. He is the son of Gamma Silvius and the younger brother of Lela. He has brown curly hair and gray eyes with a hint of amber. His nose is littered with freckles. The kid has grown a lot since I last saw him.

His eyes are still filled with childish joy. There is something just too happy and friendly about the boy.

He comes up to me with a wide smile. "Good Morning, Prince Hadrian.” His voice is laced with laughter.

It makes me grumble as my own brooding presence is more prominent against his joy. “Zavion.”

I raise a brow at him when he stumbles in a bow. The boy is tall and lanky. He seems to have shot up in the air overnight and he doesn’t seem in control of his longer limbs yet. He's closer to my height than most.

“I see you got your wolf.” We can always sense the presence of a wolf and I clearly sense his now.

“Yeah, last year.” Zavion awkwardly rubs the back of his neck. “We didn’t know you would come, my father is not here actually.”

“I know, I’m here for your sister.”

His eyes widen. “Oh, great, she'll be happy to see you.”

“Your sister, happy?” I grumble. That’s something I’ve never seen in my life. We were both the kind to brood and we found companionship in that. It made us connect as children.

“In her own Lela-like way.” Zavion chuckles as if amused by his sister's personality.

We run together to the pack house in the center of the city. *Damn, the kid is fast.* The kid has a faster pace than I expected and I have to really strain my muscles.

The houses in the city are well-maintained and extravagant with detailed carvings in the walls. The green in the city is cut to perfection and the streets are paved with precision.

“Didn’t, uhm, Princess Emma join you?”

The mention of Emma sends a silver dagger in my chest. It burns as it tears a way to my heart. I swallow and shake my head. “No.”

“That’s a shame.” A flush appears on his neck and rises all the way to his jaw and ears.

An irrational jealous fury builds in my chest. “Speak.”

“S-she’s very pretty, sir.” He stammers.

I’m less consumed by my possessive nature for once and pride blooms in my chest. “Yeah, she is.” I think of Emma’s natural beauty and unique features. I think of her smile and the furrow of her brow when she concentrates. I think of the eagerness in her big, stormy eyes when she’s curious about something.

Zavion continues to talk about every topic in the kingdom. And I mean all of it. He chatters without taking a breath. I reply with no, yes or hmm. I’m not one to have extensive small talk. My mind becomes occupied with thoughts of Emma instead.

*Would she be awake already? Is she still cold?*

The pack house of the Midnight Moon pack is grand. The mansion has a wide field of neatly trimmed grass surrounding it. There is a long straight path leading to the entrance. It’s painted in a midnight blue and has a golden, gilded gate surrounding acres of land. It shines in the soft morning light.

Every detail is well-maintained. From the fountain in front of the mansion to the wolf statues lining the path to the entrance. The mansion is surrounded by different flowers that have a dark edge to them. Some of them have a floral scent and some are more bitter. *I guess it fits the whole presence.*

This is definitely something else than the Snow Moon pack. I’ve never worried myself over the division of funds to the different packs, but something is severely out of balance.

I’m greeted by countless pack members as they litter over the field and even more when we walk into the mansion.

“Where’s your sister?” I’m here with a purpose, not to have small talk with members of the kingdom who have everything and still dare to ask for more.

“Probably in her room, but—“

I don’t wait for Zavion to finish his sentence and storm my way up the marble stairs. I know where her room is since I’ve been here before.

The sound of a giggle should have halted me. It should have stopped me from opening the bedroom door, but it didn’t.

If I did, then I wouldn’t have found my former best friend entangled in the arms of my sister. I see too many naked limbs and I avert my eyes to the ceiling. I try to blink away the burning images in my mind. But one thing that is engraved in my memory is the teeth marks on Lela’s bare neck.

“Goddess, Hadrian, What are you doing here?” Lela yells.

I hear the shuffle of fabrics as I stand rooted in the doorway. Regret twists in my core. I could live lifetimes without seeing what I just saw. “I’m asking myself the same thing at the moment.”