Chapter 110
Damon
“Is mate okay?” Devin asked, urgency laced in his words.
The loud pounding of his heart filled my ears.
His curious eyes bored into mine, demanding urgent answers to his question.
“I need her to come right now, I need to see her and tell her that I am okay.”
“Ivy is fine,” Dax replied, placing his hand on Devin’s shoulder in an attempt to calm him. Devin’s eyes darted towards Dax.
I could tell that he was trying hard to believe Dax and let his mind be at ease. “She is probably too tired after Damon drained her last night. Damon is just a horny bastard.”
Both eyes flew in my direction. Dax sneered naughtily before pinning me with a look while Devin’s was aloof.
“I don’t think so.” Devin’s eyes narrowed. He cocked his brow as his eyes seemed to pierce deep into my soul.
“That’s one thing about you, Dev. You are too serious. There is nothing to worry about, take a chill pill.” Dax tried to convince Devin but he would not budge.
I could feel a rollercoaster of emotions rushing within him.
Devin got up from the bed in a hurry before he started pacing about the room.
His breath turned into pants as he landed his eyes on me.
“Are you okay, Dev?” Dax asked as his brows formed an arch. Worry started to form on his face.
“Damon didn’t sleep with Ivy last night. He hasn’t seen Ivy for days,” he answered confidently before resting his worried eyes on me.
Fuck. I hated that Devin was too smart to be fooled.
He continued. “You don’t smell of her. You used to carry her scent around, but now it’s gone…everything…not even a faint scent. Where did Ivy go?” he demanded, allowing his emotions to take over him. His face hardened. Dax too had stopped laughing as Devin’s words started to make more sense to him.
“Her scent is not in the room either. She would have rushed if she knew we were ill,” Dax said calmly to Devin before turning his suspicious eyes to me.
“Goddess,” I muttered helplessly, keeping my eyes fixed on my brothers who looked like they were about to devour me in the blink of an eye.
“Didn’t you tell Ivy that we were sick? Or did you keep it from her, right?”
Devin let out a dark chuckle before taking a few steps towards me. “Ivy won’t hold back if any of us were missing. She would make sure that we were okay, including waiting up all night if we came home late. Something is not right.” he added before folding his arms around his chest and tapping his foot on the floor repeatedly.
“Where is Ivy?” They chorused in unison when they couldn’t bear my silence any longer. Their thunderous voices sent chills down my spine.
I swallowed the lump of fear that sat in my throat before clearing it.
I couldn’t find the right words, still, I didn’t want to break the news in an insensitive way.
Help me, Moon goddess.
“Everybody calm down,” Jasper chimed in, in an attempt to ease our minds, but my brothers shot him a death glare.
“Calm down? Are you insane?”
“What do you mean by calm down?”
They charged at him like mad dogs, ready to devour him. Devin grabbed the collar of his shirt, choking him with it before pinning him on the wall.
“What did you do to our mate? I swear by the Moon goddess, if a hair on her head is harmed, I’ll tear you to shreds!” he threatened before flashing his elongated canines.
Gripped by fear, Jasper froze on the spot. Swear broke on his forehead and his lips started to tremble.
“Speak!” Devin roared, his eyes were bright red in anger and his grip tightened Ari his neck. He was already vibrating in anger and it took him a good deal of self-control not to hurt Jasper.
“Let him go, Devin!” I declared, using my Alpha tone, but Devin wouldn’t budge.
“Let him fucking go!” I repeated, gritting my teeth in frustration.
“No, he has to tell me what happened to my mate,” Devin insisted. His hand is still gripping Jasper tight.
“He did nothing to our mate,” I blurted before releasing a sigh.
Grief embalmed me, sending a cold breeze to my skin. I could feel my body blanketed in goosebumps.
It was another level of deja vu.
The moment I shut my eyes, memories flooded my head. I could remember how I felt when the news about Ivy’s death was broken to me.
I was just recovering when my Beta and Gamma walked into my ward.
The smell of death hung in the air, but I ignored the feeling.
Everything appeared strange.
I could feel Ivy’s presence in the room with them, but I couldn’t see her.
It didn’t make sense as her scent and warmth lingered around me. I could even feel her gentle touch on my injured body.
It was just like yesterday.
Jasper’s face was unusually sad and frightened.
Jasper was a man of war and nothing made him afraid. I had always known him as an expert in masking his feelings, but that day was different.
The stench of fear and grief radiated from him.
After asking about Ivy and my pup, he started stammering.
It was unlike Jasper to stammer. That instant, I knew something was wrong. I knew Ivy was in danger, but I needed words of confirmation.
“I am sorry, my King, but Ivy and her pup are dead.”
Those words echoed in my head.Content held by NôvelDrama.Org.
It took me a few seconds to process those words in my head as I was embalmed in shock.
I thought it was a joke until I saw Ivy’s lifeless body wheeled into the morgue.
I ripped my clothes in shock as I almost ran out naked, thanks to Jasper’s timely intervention.
Devin’s fear intensified as the beating of his heart grew wild.
He was afraid of the worst, yet, he didn’t want the worst to happen.
I’ve been there. I understood his feelings.
Tears blurred my vision and I started to tremble.
In my wildest imagination, I couldn’t believe that I would be the one to announce the death of my mate.
The feeling was heart-wrenching.
After struggling with words for some seconds, I finally cleared my throat and braced up.
I had to be strong for them.
“You remembered everything, but you didn’t remember the part where Ivy died,” I slowly let out when I found the right words.
I held my breath, waiting for their reaction, but I was met with none.
They thought I was bluffing.
I wish I was.
“What do you mean by Ivy died? Because that was the only thing I heard” Devin hurried towards my direction. Colour drained from his face as it turned pale like he had seen a ghost.
“Ivy drowned in the river and lost her life. Rosa announced the news to us. She said that she begged Ivy not to come to look for us because the war was fierce, but Ivy did. Rosa reported that an enemy pushed her into the river. We heard the news and it didn’t sit well with us. Driven by anger, we charged at them but they captured both of you,” I explained, hoping it would sink into their head to make sense.
Before I could react, Devin had ripped his clothes apart and punched the wall so hard that particles of sand and cement started to drop.
Dax was on the verge of collapsing. He gripped his chest so hard as if he was about to suffocate.
“Call the fucking doctor!” I yelled at Jasper before placing Dax on the bed.
*****
Everything was calm now. Tears had dried on our faces. We sat in silence as many thoughts flooded our heads.
Seconds passed swiftly and minutes stretched into hours, still, no one said a word.
“Where was Ivy buried?” Devin suddenly asked as he stared at the wall.
I glanced at him for a few seconds to make sure that he was fine before letting out a sigh.
“Beside the river, considering that it was her favourite place,” I replied.
Images of her burial flashed through my head.
I could still remember lying beside her grave for five days without eating or drinking.
For five days, I cried until there were no tears in my eyes.
I lay there with my face on the earth, refusing contact with anyone, not even with the sun.
I blinked back the memories before my eyes wandered to Devin and Dax.
“It’s been years.”
“I don’t care. I want to see her. I want her to know that I didn’t deliberately choose not to attend her funeral,” Devin’s voice shook.
He was close to tears.
“Do you also want to go, Dax?” I asked, turning in his direction.
He nodded slowly. “Yes, but I want us to go with Aurora,” he suddenly blurted, causing a wave of shock to rush through me.
“Why Aurora? She isn’t family,” I said in disgust. A bile of anger clung to my throat.
It didn’t take long before my heart started beating fast like it always does whenever I heard Aurora’s name.
It was certain that I would lose composure with Aurora by my side.
“She doesn’t need to come,” I tried to talk them out of it, but Dax wouldn’t hear of it and Devin strangely supported him.
“If not for Aurora, we wouldn’t be here with you. You don’t understand her more than we do. Aurora has a special place in our hearts, she was the fate that brought us together. She is more than family.”
Great!
I hissed in disgust before rolling my eyes as a frown settled on my face.
Now I had to deal with composing myself around Aurora.