The Alpha King's Nemesis-Chapter 46: Anybody Else ()

Askel knew if it wasn’t for the aid of the mate bond that made him able to pick out her scent no matter how scarce, he would have found it difficult to trace her.

The bare trail of her scent led Askel so far into the woods that Askel began to worry.

For a brief moment, Askel wondered if she had once again run from him but he quickly shook off the thought.

Once was already enough, Askel could not imagine how he would cope with her leaving him for a second time.

Askel released a possessive growl at the thought.

Now that Askel had finally found her, he certainly would never be willing to let her go.

Askel knew if it came down to it, he would chase her to the ends of the Earth till she finally understand that she was his and would always be his.

As Askel trudged deeper into the woods, he picked up the distant scent of blood and his heart dropped with worry as he broke into a run,

Not long after, he emerged into a clearing where she stood, as hauntingly beautiful as ever, gazing out into the small pond, the rays of the moonlight encasing her in it’s enchanting light.

Askel’s heart skipped a beat, his lips tugging into a small smile as he realized she was just right there, not running from him, just standing there and it was clear she had been waiting for him.

"Mhíjani..." Askel called tenderly as he took slow steps towards her and as she turned her gaze to him,

Her Crimson red swaying in the slow evening breeze and her red eyes letting off an enchanting glow, Askel felt his heart stop beating for a moment and then resumed beating even faster.

And in this moment, just staring at her like this, Askel knew all the years of hurting and longing were over, he knew his wait had been worth it.

For it only took this little gaze from her to warm his ever cold heart and Askel swore he had never felt more complete and nothing could be more right than this.

This feeling of bliss and overwhelming love, Askel basked in it and held it close to his heart... for as long as he lived, Askel never wanted to loose this feeling, he never wanted to loose her.

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Zariah heard his silent, almost non existent footsteps as he emerged into the clearing she stood.

"Mhíjani..." He called out in that tender tone that had her heart aching for she knew this perhaps would be the last time she was on the receiving end of such tenderness from him.

Zariah watched him as he took slow steps towards her, stopping a short distance before her.

He stood right there, just staring at her, right into her eyes and Zariah stared back, as lost in his gaze as he was in hers.

There was something about those golden orbs that amazed Zariah, perhaps it was because of the tenderness and love displayed in them at this very moment,

Or perhaps it was because of the way they glowed as they stared at her, perhaps it was the fulfillment and joy that shined brightly through them, 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Or perhaps it was how the moonlight was reflected within them,

Whatever it was, it had Zariah transfixed in a daze and she did not wish to look away, never.

As wrong as Zariah knew it was, Zariah allowed herself this brief moment of bliss before she accepted reality and let go of the mirage.

Zariah felt a thousand emotions flitting across her heart, she wondered how it was that one could know what was clearly the right choice yet it was so difficult to actually make that choice.

She wondered how what was clearly so wrong could feel so right and just how the mate bond could be so all powerful that after everything she had been through in the past lifetime,

Somewhere deep within her heart, a voice pleaded for her to give this a chance, to give him a chance.

’Had it been anyone else... anyone else at all...’ Zariah thought to herself, her heart aching as she pushed aside her hesitation.

Truly if it had been anyone else, as much as Zariah loathed this mate bond, she would perhaps have succumbed to it or at the very least, she would not have decided on such a drastic measure.

But it was not anyone else, it just had to be him, the very one who had ruined her life and massacred the people she loved.

The very man whom she had sworn to rip to shreds and destroy everything he held dear just as he had done to her,

The very man she had vowed to drag down to hell with her if that was what it took to right the wrong done to Crimson Moon in her previous lifetime,

This very man who had turned her into what she was today, this very man who was the reason she could never believe in love ever again, the very reason she loathed the mate bond,

It was not anyone else but this man, Alpha King Askel Vance Niolen, who owed her the blood debt of thousands of Crimson Wolves who had died for his greed and thirst for power.

And since it was no one else but him, there could be no other fate between them than this.

He broke the silence first and Zariah was grateful for it, she had figured it would take her rather to long to gain the composure she needed to say the words.

"This is yours." He said, stretching out a hand in which was held Zariah’s black cloak, the very one she had been wearing when they first met in the forest where she ran from him.

Zariah glanced down at the cloak, being held in his grasp for so long, she knew it would hold traces of his scent and Zariah was already overwhelmed by his scent all around her that she did not need anymore deterrence that could affect her conviction.

"I cannot be your mate, King Askel." Zariah stated in a chilling cold tone, ignoring the outstretched cloak.

He seemed taken aback by Zariah’s words as his hand dropped to his side, perhaps it was too shocking that it took him a moment to comprehend it before the expected confusion and hurt flashed across his beautiful golden orbs.

"What do you mean you cannot?" He asked in a baffled tone, the hurt reflected in his tone tugged at Zariah’s heart but she steeled her heart against it.

"It is just as you have heard it, I cannot be your mate, I will not be your mate, I do not want to be your mate...King Askel." Zariah clarified, enunciating each word so he heard and understood it clearly.

Zariah avoided his gaze as her heart clenched painfully, her own words were already hurting her so, she did not want to see how much they hurt him.

If she saw, Zariah feared she would not dare say another word.

"Why?...Do you not approve of me?" He asked slowly,

Zariah’s shook her head quickly before she even realized it, her heart immediately wanting to reassure him that everything about him was perfection,

Except the fact that in another timeline, he had been the one to cause her death and the annihilation of her pack.

"It’s not about you, I do not want a mate, I never have and I never will. I had hoped never to find my mate, however I never expected this...if I had, I would have never left the Crimson barrier." Zariah replied.

"Have you been hurt by someone before me? Is that why you do not want to take a chance with me?" He asked, his tone was low as though the words were heavy on his tongue.

Zariah could imagine just how he must feel to know she had loved someone before him and although Zariah wanted to assure him that was not the case, she felt perhaps that was for the best.

And then again, he was not wrong. As much as this was a new lifetime, it did not change the fact that Zariah had endured the torment of love once at the hands of Caedmon Grey.

It did not change the fact that she still remembered it all like it was just yesterday.

Zariah’s lack of response must have been the answer he needed because he took a step closer.

"Am I not enough? To make you forget him, forget your past hurt? I am your one true love Mhíjani...I am yours, do you not see that I could never hurt you? Can you not trust me just once?" He asked so many questions all in a single breath and Zariah could see in his eyes that he had many more to ask.

Yet for all his questions... Zariah did not have an answer.