Blood Legacy Chapter 96: 94. Darius!

Stealing a grape from the yummy-looking buffet, I popped it into my mouth and then went to plop my butt in the nearest comfy chair, all the while I casually listened to my sister squeal about like a freaking groundhog on ecstasy.

We were supposed to leave today. Back to school, back to our relatively normal lives. But of course, she didn't want to.

"When can we come back here, Steffy?" My gaze darted to her, that annoying pout already gracing her lips as she clung against Estefany's arm like a bratty kid and stared up at her.

Estefany's gaze met my own for a moment, fighting back that amused smile that threatened to also form on my lips, her sparkly eyes lowering back to her lover as she casually replied,

"I don't know. Guess we'll have to ask the Alpha first."

"Aww, but I had so much fun here! I want to come back again! I wanna run with the wolves and have awesome parties!" she complained with a whiny tone, making us all burst into a fit of giggles. She was such a child like, ninety percent of the time.

Nathan and David had disappeared just a few moments ago, saying that they had important pack matters to discuss with their fathers. So they left us here in the tea room to have an early snack and some coffee before getting ready for the road.

My gaze shifted from the small clique of wolfy girls and my sister as I watched Jess approach me, her features giving out the tiniest wince as she took a seat in a nearby chair.

My brow rose with intrigue and she immediately started to blush, lowering her gaze.

"Everything okay?" I asked with veiled amusement and even a hint of curiosity, watching her fight back a guilty smile as I recalled our impromptu encounter yesterday evening in the main foyer.

"Yeah...Just...a little sore," she quietly said, so softly that I almost failed to hear her, our gazes meeting into a silent understanding way right before the girls approached us.

"What are you guys talking about?" My sister asked rather loudly as she squeezed her butt right next to mine in that small chair, cramping us both in between the chair's puffy armrests.

"Dick," Brie casually said out of nowhere as she sat on an ottoman nearby, all our eyes snapping to her with bewilderment before we all burst into a fit of crazy laughter.

"What? They were talking about it!" She continued with a mildly alarmed and defensive tone as we continued to laugh, making us laugh even harder.

"Jess just said that she was sore, and you guys know that David actually has a very huge, monster-"

All our laughter suddenly died out the very moment those double wooden doors suddenly burst open, revealing none other than the Queen, a.k.a Nathan's mom.

"Dick..."

"Luna Queen!" Jess and the wolfy girls scrambled to get up and offer her deep bows, Dre and I remaining the only ones seated as we stupidly stared at her like two dumb idiots for a moment.

Oh shit.

My eyes widened and I lastly rushed to get up too, mentally smacking myself for being so slow to react before I offered her an awkward smile and a curtsy.

"Girls. So nice to see you having such a wonderful time," she smiled and approached us, her gaze however trailing to me as I awkwardly stood there like a damn plank.

The girls remained quiet, all of them timid and blushing as she stopped close to our seating area, her intent gaze still pining me to the spot.

"Carrie dear," My back stiffened at the sound of her calling my name in such a warm and casual manner.

That warm smile was still gracing her lips, her hand delicately stretching out towards me as she politely said,

"Will you please do me the honour of joining me for a quick walk in the garden?"

I stupidly blinked, unsure of what to say. She's barely spoken to me at all in these last few days...And now she wanted to have a stroll with me in the garden?

"Your visit here has almost come to an end and we've barely had any time to interact, thanks to my son's rather possessive tendencies," she said with a mild shake of her head and I furiously blushed at the sound of that, despite that tangible mirth lacing her tone.

Fuck.

She was basically saying that her son had kept me prisoner in between his arms for the entirety of our visit here, keeping me occupied with his... Rather than let me get to know them. And she was absolutely right. Unfortunately.

I thickly swallowed, so incredibly embarrassed as I blinked and stared at her for a few seconds.

"Uhm, sure. Y-yeah no problem," I dumbly stammered, noticing that smile growing bigger on her thin lips.

"I apologize for stealing her away from you girls. This will only be for a few moments, I promise," she politely told them as soon as I was out of their midst, her hand wrapping around my own as she started to basically drag me after her, towards the doors and then out of that tea room.

The tiniest sense of awareness gripped at me, so dazed by her actions and that hand that was still holding onto my own, her delicate features showcasing her excitement and giddiness as she continued to drag me down that hallway like an overly-excited kid with his new dog.

We crossed the main foyer, but instead of heading towards the exit we entered another hallway, my brows immediately furrowing with confusion and even a little bit of concern.

"Uhm, I thought that we were going outside? Didn't we just go past the exit?"

"Oh, we will. But there's something I want to show you first. This will only be just a moment, darling. I promise," she paused to offer me another smile before resuming to her fast walking, her behavior however already starting to worry and even scare me a little.

What the fuck was going on?

I stupidly stared at the back of her perfectly coiffed head, my mind starting to conjure up ways to escape from her clutches when she abruptly stopped in front of a simple door and pushed it open, revealing a smaller lounge room.

She stepped aside and motioned for me to enter, her vivid green eyes sparkling with so much excitement now as she waited for me to step inside.

"After you, my dear,"

Seriously now, what the fuck was-

My jaw dropped to the floor in sync with my heart as I entered and my gaze fell on that incredibly gorgeous wedding gown standing just a few feet away from me, stunned into oblivion.

Holy shit.

I simply didn't even know how to move anymore, my shoes stuck to the floor as I blankly stared at it, wide-eyed.

"I believe you've already met Soraya," My stunned gaze immediately snapped to the Queen as I heard her speak from right next to me, looking into those sparkly green eyes, mere seconds before they averted somewhere past me, making me turn and have a look myself.

"Future Luna," There was that same nice-looking older lady that I've met in the village at that dress shop, wearing a candid smile as she performed a delicate curtsy.

"She's our best seamstress, and she made this especially for you," Elise, Nathan's mother proudly said with that same barely-restrained excitement and I whipped my head back to her, my face still stuck with that dumbstruck expression.

They made a dress...for me? They made a motherfucking wedding dress, just for me?

H...Why?

"Would you care to try it on, please?" She sweetly said and took a step closer, gently touching my arm, all the while I stood there and gaped at her like a dying fish, not even sure how to react to this. What the fuck?!?

Did she overstep? Hell yes! Was I freaking dying in there of utter shock and mortification? Hell yes twice. This was fucking way too much for me. They were moving way too fast for my human-trained brain. Nathan and I had barely gotten together a few weeks ago! We were still getting to know each other! When were they planning for us to have the wedding? Fucking tomorrow? This was absolutely fucking nuts! Ridiculous even!

"Just for a brief moment, nothing more," her tone had turned downright pleading and I had to suck in a deep and encouraging breath, my stomach twisting at the sight of that puppy-eyed look of hers.

She really wanted me to try it on. She was actually looking forward to this.

*Shit on a chopstick.*

"I was so excited the moment I learned that it was already ready and I didn't want you to leave without at least trying it on first," she continued to say, looking at me with that disgustingly hopeful look in her eyes and making me feel so guilty and bad that I lastly caved in to her insistences, quietly uttering,

"I...Okay..."

Her face immediately lit up like a Christmas tree and I mentally smacked myself, knowing that I may have just made things worse for me as she displayed a full-on grin right before pulling me into a hug.

Her flowery scent hit me like a brick wall as soon as she wrapped her arms around my shoulders and pulled me into her chest, the whole thing thankfully lasting for just a few brief seconds before she pulled back and let me go.

"Luna Queen, future Luna," the seamstress, Soraya uttered our titles with reverence before she bowed, choosing to leave us to it as she immediately scurried out of the room right after.

I timidly shifted my gaze from the closed door to the Queen, hesitating for a few moments as I stared at that stupidly delighted look on her face. And with an yielding sigh I trudged my way towards that mannequin donning the wedding gown, starting to take it off.

She let out an excited yip and rushed to help me, expertly taking it off and then laying it over my arms like it was nothing, my eyes widening with awe and even a little bit of fright at the witnessing of her dexterity. She was freaking unhinged.

Blinking out of my stupor, I carefully gathered the gown in my arms and then went behind the privacy screen to change into it, all the while she remained silent like a mouse, waiting for me.

Gingerly placing it over the lounge chair behind me, I didn't waste any more time and rushed to get out of my t-shirt, jeans and canvas shoes as fast as I could. I was so eager to be done with this shit-show already.

I discarded my bra too since the gown had a strapless sweetheart neckline, and then turned around and grabbed the damned dress, unceremoniously shoving myself into it. I pulled the corset over my torso and then grabbed the zipper, unsuccessfully trying for a few times to pull it up before I lastly gave up and rounded the screen whilst carrying both my precariously hanging corset and the large puffy tulle skirt, meeting the Queen's gaze with a defeated look on my face.

She immediately let out a gasp that actually managed to startle me a little, her eyes a little watery as she took me in.

"Sacred Goddess, you look exquisite!"

I could feel my cheeks heating up under her praising stare, awkwardly clearing out my throat before I turned around, showing her my problem.

"Oh!" She was on me in an instant, zipping me up with an amazing speed bafore stepping away, giving me room to turn back around in that huge and puffy dress.

"This was supposed to be a secret, but now that I look at you..." she let out a dreamy sigh and lightly shook her head, looking at me like I was some freaking porcelain doll.

"Sweet Moon, you will be the most beautiful bride this kingdom has ever seen!" She gushed with adoration and my gaze lastly fell on that floor-length mirror stuck against the opposite wall, my breath stopping in my lungs as soon as I took a look at my reflection.

I looked like a fucking princess.

Shock, anxiety and even a little bit of helplessness coursed through me as I continued to stare at myself, frozen into that spot on the floor.

I was wearing a wedding dress. My future wedding dress.

This was going to happen. And pretty soon, according to all these people around me.

"Can you please wait here, I need to get Gabby here too. She needs to see this!" The Queen chirped with bubbling excitement but I could barely hear her, failing to even notice when she'd disappeared through that door as I continued to stare at myself, lost into that sinking feeling.

This was going to happen. This was me. Future me.

I was going to walk down an isle wearing this, with Nathan waiting for me on the other side, in a room filled with supernatural people.

I was to become Queen for an entire kingdom, and rule over a nation I knew next to nothing about.

I had this entire future laid out for me by people that probably died long before I was even born. And now I was sitting in this room, all alone, looking at this stupid dress on me...and realizing that I hated it. I actually hated it.

I'd been lying to myself, constantly repeating that I'm okay with this and that I had accepted it...but I hadn't. I didn't want to rule. I didn't want to be a queen. And most of all, I didn't want to get married. Not like this.

I was in love with Nathan and I really wanted to be with him... But not like this.

Not whilst being forced to follow others' rules and dumb treaties.

Not with this stupid-

A small and shaky exhale left me, fighting to swallow that lump forming in my throat as my gaze accidentally fell on that masculine silhouette standing barely a few feet away from me, startling the hell out of me.

My hands balled into tight fists as they gripped onto the sides of my dress, fear and panic gripping at me as I continued to stare at him through the mirror, wide-eyed.

Dressed into a simple white shirt and a pair of black dress pants, the male stood there, sleeves rolled up to his forearms and his hands shoved into his pants' pockets as he stared right back at me with those piercing black eyes.

"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes..." his seductive masculine voice travelled across the room and my throat immediately started to close off from that fear-induced panic, my breaths coming out in more and more laboured breaths with every passing second.

*You're not real...you're not real...you're not real...*

I thickly swallowed and closed my eyes for the briefest moment, struggling to get ahold of myself and focus. On the present. On reality. He was not here. It was just a figment of my wild imagination. A product of my stupid and senseless visions.

"Oh but I am. As real as the next person,"

My eyes snapped open at the sound of that and I let out a strangled noise, shocked to notice that he had actually moved even closer.

*Go away go away go away!*

My entire body started to tremble, tortured with utter horror as he offered me a devilish smile, those dark eyes trailing over me with what could only be described as physical lust.

"I am truly delighted to finally meet you, my little beautiful bride," he started to walk closer and I couldn't help but let out a strangled shriek, instinctively turning around to face him. All that pretence shattered the moment I did that, realization slamming into me like a freight train as I let myself notice how incredibly real he appeared to be.

He was here. He was fucking here and he was real, standing right before me.

I immediately started to feel so dizzy and light-headed, a stray tear trailing over my cheek as I definitely knew what was about to happen. I was going to faint. I was going to lose my consciousness, becoming completely vulnerable and at his mercy as I couldn't even cry for help now.

I let out a weak and pained whimper, feeling another few tears trailing over my cheeks. And like a scared little fawn I dared raise my blurry gaze and stare up at his handsome face, my body now shaking so hard from the utter terror.

His eyes appeared to soften at the sight of me like that but I was pretty sure that that was just the light-headedness talking as I felt the feather-like touch of his warm fingers gliding over my cheek, mere seconds before my knees suddenly gave up on me.

I didn't even get to fall as his arm quickly wrapped around my waist, allowing me to feel the raw strength and heat of his flesh-and-bone and pretty much alive body, my throat producing another frightened mewl.

"No, don't be scared, little doe. I'm not going to hurt you," he was talking but I was already so far away, struggling to hold my grip on reality with everything I had. But I was slipping... I was slipping away so fast that it terrified me, the thought that I was about to faint right in between his arms. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do as my consciousness shut down, a single name flowing past my lips right before it happened.

"Darius..."

**•End of Part Two•**