64. I need you by my side, please, both of you.

"I'd gladly accept your offer, but I don't think that I could walk after the second time in a row. I'm still pretty new to this thing, remember?" Ally smiled shyly, too ashamed to show off her burning cheeks. Darius tightened his hold around the young woman and smiled. Millions of thoughts ran through his mind- he couldn't stop wondering why and how he had gotten so lucky to stand next to a woman like Ally.
In his eyes, she was everything and more, way too much to be with him. Yet, the deadly sin wouldn't allow things to change- even when he felt like he didn't deserve the Princess, he wouldn't let anyone take her away. Darius silently admitted to himself that he was too selfish to let go of her.

The male cleared his throat and spoke up: "Who said that you would need to walk around, kitten? If anything, I am more than happy to carry you around- anywhere and everywhere you want to get. As long as I'm next, that's all I need." A slight smile appeared on his lips. Whenever Darius stood next to his mate- the male wondered what their future held. He could imagine how stunning Ally would look with a baby bump, frowning and whining about things she craved.

"Pervert," the Princess laughed, leaning her head back against his chest. Whatever happened between them didn't matter- the moment was perfect. The young woman stared at her mate with so much adoration and love; it made Darius rethink his whole life. Ally possessed all those things that he had never had a chance to face outside his dreams. The Princess made him happier than the male had ever been- it wasn't just the sex and intimacy, it was everything about her, the things she did, and the words she said. Each time when Ally would tell Darius that she loved him- the male felt how his heart skipped a beat. She was his weakness. "Let's take a shower and go to bed; I'm tired. We shouldn't rush things too much; there are so many things I still don't know about you- so many questions I haven't asked yet."

"Your wish is my command," Darius kissed the top of her head and reached for the bottle of shampoo. Each day he managed to do something that threw the Princess off- like now, washing her hair and simply taking care of her. The male helped her to rinse off all soap and wrapped her in a towel. Just as promised- Darius carried her to the bed, laying the Princess down and hiding her body under layers of sheets.
He headed back to the bathroom to dry off, smiling like a maniac.

There were a lot of things he feared to talk about, but many excited him the same as terrified. Whatever happened, no matter what they spoke about- Darius adored his mate, every little thing about her, and the young woman gave him an entirely new purpose. Because of Ally, he wanted an actual future. He wanted to have plans, ideas and later on reach all of them. And most importantly- he knew, for sure, that now they had an addition to the perfection both were creating.

The male rushed back to the bedroom yet froze on the spot before exiting the bathroom. His eyes focused on Ally, who didn't seem to notice him standing there yet, staring at her. The young woman stroked her belly, humming a song, a slight smile on her lips. Slowly, Darius approached his mate, a sincere smile on his lips. If anyone ever told him that one day he would be so obsessed with a woman, turning into a gentle, loving partner- he would laugh in the person's face. Darius might be the ruler, the deadly sin, yet all of those things remain the same for as long as his mate isn't around. He wouldn't be the monster everyone expects him to be around his family. "You feel it, don't you?" He joined Ally, carefully wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling the young woman closer. "And you love it without an actual proof of its existence," the male added.

"I guess that what happens when the possibility to be pregnant is as huge as it is. I don't know if it's the baby, but I feel as if butterflies are dancing in my stomach. Liste, before we sleep, I want to ask something, if that's okay?" Ally bit on her lip, wondering if bringing up the topic was a good idea. The Princess couldn't help herself- she needed answers even if she wouldn't like those. Darius acted secretive enough for her to worry about how real their relationship was. If there was one thing Ally feared- it was becoming a single mother. She would love and raise her baby on her own if needed, but the young woman knew that their child deserves a loving father.

"I'm all ears, kitten. What is it?" Darius yawned, unable to resist the sudden feeling of sleepiness. The male had managed to get used to it- whenever he laid in bed, with Ally in his arms, he could fall asleep in seconds.

"Where were you today?" As the question left her lips, Darius tensed. The male didn't expect her to ask the one question he feared to answer. Perhaps she would take the news positively, but behind those was a terrible secret that he didn't want to bring up. Yet, if he confessed and told her the truth- Ally would know what he had been hiding from her. Building a relationship and having secrets isn't the right thing to do, but the deadly sin was too scared to lose her in the first place.

"That's not important, love. Let's get some rest and talk about that tomorrow, okay?" He tried to avoid the question. Darius knew that Ally wouldn't let go of the topic that quickly- his absence was suspicious, and since he wasn't around to protect her, or their child, he owed as much as an answer.

"It is important; we're mates, we shouldn't have secrets from each other. It's easy for you- you've been around for years, watching over me. I couldn't have secrets even if I wanted to keep some, while you won't tell me anything," Ally frowned, trying to turn her body away from him. She wouldn't face her mate if the male didn't take her seriously.

"Alright. Don't get mad at me, okay? Just promise that you won't be angry, and I will tell you anything you want to know." Darius sighed. Ally had a point- he did know everything about the young woman, and she never harassed him with way too many questions. It was fair if Darius told her at least a couple of things, but that didn't mean that he lost the fear. The deadly sin laughed at himself mentally- a man who didn't fear anything finally found out how fear feels. And all thanks to a woman who kept molding him into a better person.

"I had to go to the Underworld and deal with some business. Then, I paid a visit to your parents." Darius cleared his throat again, feeling a little uneasy. "Is that all, or should I give you more details?" The male added.

"It would be enough if you could tell me why you went down there and why you visit my parents. Hope it's not too much," the Princess whispered, genuinely worried about the reasons behind his actions. She knew how much Darius hated the Underworld and everything happening down there. Plus, he wasn't quite a friend of her parents, so the surprise visit confused her as much as the announcement about the shadow world.

"I had to deal with some issues. I know you will ask what kind of problems, so I will get ahead of myself and explain. Pretty sure you have heard about Fenrir; up until today, he was the one who ruled over shadows. The reason why he could take the throne was that the last blood-related heir left. He left and gave Fenrir power since the older man was a good friend of his. The reason why I said up until today is that the true heir took everything he owned back today. That pity asshole Gabriel wasn't a true heir to the throne anyway. Kitten, I am the last one. I am the one who is supposed to sit on that throne and lead the shadows. At one point, it was too much- way too much for one person to take. I couldn't manage to rule over a whole nation while running around like Selene's dog. On the other hand, your parents had to find out the fantastic news about that miracle you are growing in your tummy right now. Please let me add that both of them are very happy and proud of you. For us," Darius scratched the back of his neck, silently begging the Goddess that Ally won't catch on to the truth.

"Alright," she whispered under her breath, taking a deep breath. "Does the fact that you're the ruler and sin at the same time means what I think it does?" She bit on her lip nervously. If his answer would be anything near to positive- Ally wouldn't be left with anything than future attempts to escape him.

"Yes," Darius whispered, his voice shaking. The male wanted to deny her suspicions, but the young woman wasn't a fool; she would find out sooner or later.

"The Moon Goddess really is toying with me, isn't she? With you too. It's a cruel game to play, and it was very selfish of you to hide such a thing," Ally cried out, pushing the male away from her. Darius didn't try to hold her down with force; the deadly sin understood that Ally would need time to process the information. Not only whatever she figured out, but the things to come also. "You know, at first I couldn't understand what was the sin I committed to end up mated to a deadly sin. As time went by, I fell for you, Darius, hard. For your gentle and caring side, for the unique side, you would show only to me. You managed to prove that there's so much to love about you and many things to admire. But now, I have no idea what to think of it all. How could you hide something like that?" Ally let the tears stream down her cheeks, hitting his hand away every time Darius tried to wipe them off. It tore the deadly sin up to see how much he had hurt her.

"I'm sorry, Ally, I truly am. I couldn't just arrive and announce that I'm your mate, but at the same time, I'm the fucker who's supposed to kill and hate the Royals. I can't fucking hate you, let alone kill. You are the reason why I want to live; God damn it. I hid it all to gain more time. For years, I tried to find an answer on how to get rid of the curse, and I almost did but happened the unexpected, and you were there- in that forest. I couldn't let you leave, not after I had you so close, not after I found out how close I was to call you mine." Darius sat up, grabbing both sides of his head. The realization hit him- his biggest secret was out, and that didn't make the male feel like a weight had left his shoulders, quite the opposite.
Ally wasn't ready to know even a little of that information, and she might fear staying around him now. Even the deadly sin started wondering how sick game Selene was playing- she made them enemies and mates.

"I need time to think. Could you please leave? It's okay if you don't want to; I can stay in the guest bedroom." Ally sobbed. The Princess couldn't believe that her mate was the man who was supposed to kill her sooner or later. And their child- the baby would have Royal bloodline, so even his child was his enemy before it was born. How fucked up life could be?

"No, don't go, please. I need you by my side, please, both of you." The look on his face was screaming misery. It wasn't easy for the Princess either- no one could ever be prepared to find out such news. Ally couldn't help herself but feel worried for Darius because as wrong as it was- he had to hold the secret. She couldn't imagine what her mate might feel.

"I just need a little time to think, alone." She sighed, staring down at her hands. Ally couldn't just leave him like that, but she had the right to ask for some privacy and time on her own.

"Don't tell me that your love is gone, just like that- this quickly. Without a fight, without attempting to come up with a solution. I am ready to do anything for you- I'd cross oceans for answers while you claim to love me but send me away as soon as there's a problem around the corner. Life is not a fucking fairytale, Ally- you might be a princess, but I'm not a fucking Prince in shining armor." Darius nearly jumped out of bed, grabbing the lamp from the nightstand and throwing it against the wall. He couldn't contain his emotions anymore- anger, hurt, betrayal, all in one messed the male's head up. He kept yelling at the Princess, while all she did was stare down at her hands without emotions at all.

"We don't have an answer today. We won't have it tomorrow. But you have anger issues and an awful temper right now- all because I asked for time to think. I didn't say that I don't love you; I didn't imply that I would leave or give up. All I wanted to do was to think, and here we are- stuck in one room with you destroying shit. I worry about the baby, Darius," Ally threw the sheets off of her body and stomped towards the male, ignoring the glass cutting her feet. Her eyes quickly scanned the damage in the room. Perhaps, tomorrow, when he woke up- the male would understand what he did. Ally reached her mate, who stared at her with such intensity that could set her body on fire. "The baby, our baby, will carry the Royal bloodline. Let that sink in. Enjoy sleeping in this mess. Now, excuse me, I need some rest. We can talk tomorrow; goodnight, Darius." Ally left the room without looking back at him.

The male dropped on his knees; now that his mate left the bedroom, he finally noticed how many things he managed to destroy. Darius closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. When he opened his eyes again, this time, the deadly sin tried to take in the damage slower. His eyes landed on the blood-stained carpet. He did check if he had cut himself by accident, yet there was nothing. As the realization hit him, Darius paled- no wonder Ally left the room as soon as she mentioned the baby. He was too blind to see that his actions might hurt the ones he cared about the most.

"Darius, you idiot..."