A/N
Okay. I passed the exams! I'm now a licensed architect in my country!

And my birthday was a blast because of it! (July 8) Woops! Any July babies here? When is your birth month? 😆

Please don't forget to vote and comment! I appreciate it. Thank you, everyone for still being here! 💕

Enjoy! 

I happened to him.

It was impossible. I could not believe my vision. I'd always been one to believe in change, but this was a different story. How could one possibly transform in an instant? One moment, he was tearing the threads of our bond apart, and now, he was determined to keep us together despite his cruel ambitions against the heavens.

Perhaps, that was his magic. Apollo was fragmented, only showing me pieces of him that he wanted to share. And this was by far his most riling feat. There was a sudden burst of fire in me that burned towards his resolve. It was the blue fire in my head that wanted to touch him, to believe in him, and her strong impulse was trying to cloud my judgment.

The thoughts befogged my concentration, but I remained looking rather complacent as needed. The celebration was a bit of a tea party. Earl Gray, Chamomile, and Green Tea were later on served after everyone finished the food on their plates. The merriment was consistent, and all of the guests were fascinated by Galax's charm and wit even if he was born from a commoner's lineage.

Occupying the center table were the descendants of King Malachor. The Queen was seated beside Galax and the Duke of Ursa, while I settled in between Lord Gregory Horton and the Duke of Therion. It had been quite some time since I spoke with the Earl of Centauris, yet I was grateful for him for introducing me to the rest of the royal family.

"This is my younger sister, Claudia." Lord Gregory said, pushing himself back a little from his chair to make way for the beautiful maiden in blue. Her cat eyes were speaking volumes of benevolence, comparable to that of Lord Dilmond's. She reached out a hand to me with grace.

"How I wish I could cut my hair, too. Perchance, I will be able to look as good as you, Lady White. It is a pleasure to finally meet you." She jested.

"Freya would be just fine." I answered, and returned her welcoming gesture with a handshake and a smile.

She seemed as though she descended from the sun. Her summer-colored hair draped down in tumbles of curls that darkened on the tips. Why she mentioned about cutting it was very questionable. She was beautiful the way she was.

Her pale skin was perhaps from her mother's genes. Lady Emilia Horton, the Duke of Ursa's wife, was without bias, the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She was fit to be queen, an older version of Lady Claudia. Both of them had light blue eyes and small nose. Their lips were slightly plump and stained with red.

"Would you mind if I ask you why you do not regard yourselves as princesses and prince?" It was something I really wanted to know since they were all progenies of King Malachor.

"Good question, my dear." Lady Emilia answered for Lord Gregory. Like the Queen, her only flaws were the wrinkles along the lines of her eyes, and they appeared when she smiled.

"We decided to refrain from using the names since we have been given land or castles to run and to own by the late King Malachor. Hence, we prefer to use our titles as land owners so as not to addle our people. It would be fine to call us that way, but we thought it would be more suitable for only one royal household to use it. And that family is your soon-to-be family, dear. The direct descendants of King Licinius shall inherit them. Your future offspring with the Duke of Therion are the rightful bearers of the name."

I could not hide the searing heat that formed on my cheeks as I absorbed her last sentence. I glanced at Apollo and found him still unperturbed. He was very silent, simply following the conversation with nods or headshakes. He was very parsimonious in giving them worded response. His head seemed infested by something that coursed intrigue in my head. Something peculiar was definitely beginning to change the Duke.

"Oh dear, did I make you feel uncomfortable?" Duchess Emilia asked. I had to say no, but I couldn't get the word out of me for it was true. She did make me feel quite discomfited.

"There is nothing to be embarrassed about, Milady. My cousin here would undoubtedly be a great father to your brood." Lord Gregory's deep voice made the blood rush to my cheeks.

I remembered how he pushed me to the brink of awkwardness with his 'green' humor during our first visit to the stables.

Lady Claudia nodded, adding praises for the Duke. "Of course, he would! Apollo's a family man, you know. A very caring gentleman." She mused.

"And I'll never forget the day he took responsibility of being a brother-figure to the Alpha of the North when her parents passed away. No wonder Illaria's still madly in love with— "

Apollo crudely cleared his throat and took a sip of his earl grey tea. This silenced the royal family, even those who were having different conversations.

I was thankful enough that people from the other tables seemed to be having babbles of their own. It was only when a few seconds passed when the Countess' words registered in my brain.

"By god, Claudia! Where are your manners?" Duchess Emilia scolded the girl.

"I-I apologize for that, Lady Freya. I didn't mean to—

"It's alright." I cut her off, smiling thereafter.

"It is good to know that my betrothed actually has a soft spot behind that powerful facade." I glanced at Apollo and smiled, even though I was forcefully fed with new 'information.' They were innocent words from the royal which seemed to be like a dose of poison to our already shattered bond.

"If he was able to love another wolf so deeply before me, then I think I should have no qualms about the amount of love he could give me— greater by a million times perhaps? I am his fated after all."

None of my words gave the bitter truth away. But Apollo surely caught the real meaning behind them. These were words that I wished were sharp enough to wound his heart, if he had one.

To add false proof to the act, I rubbed the Duke's knee and looked at him lovingly. His greyish blue eyes were staring back at me intently. I could never lie to the bond. I was tearing it apart, and I saw how it was wringing around Apollo.

"Aye, Milady. There is no force more powerful than a mate's bond." The Duke of Ursa said, joining in. It was the first time I heard him this tamed and agreeing with me. I recalled how our first encounter in the tribunal turned unpleasant due to my disbelief in the story of Sidus.

"A mate's bond will overthrow any love before it. You cannot fight it or else it will turn into your demise. I think my nephew's clever enough to know that as the future king." He starkly continued, glancing at Apollo. The bond was humming, assenting with Lord Simon's opinion.

All the while, I was starting to think they were all on my side. To them, I was without a doubt the rightful person for him. We were soulmates and he knew that. But my fated seemed to be too in love with Illaria. He even hurt me emotionally because of it. If they were in my shoes, what would they do to save themselves? I realized what I was already doing...

I was giving in to the bond in my forged words, in my pretentious actions, yet I was very much in denial that I wanted to be loved back. I tried to open myself to him, but he kept on closing it. Now that he was giving me the chance, I was the one who didn't want anything to do with it. We were going back and forth just like what I told him back in Auriga.

There was sudden warmth that covered my hand on Apollo's knee. I knew the Duke of Therion's fingers enveloped mine, squeezing my flesh. Somewhere near me I could sense hysteria. Was it from Apollo? I couldn't pinpoint its origin.

"My son knows what is right from wrong, Simon." The Queen passed a look of motherly defense to his brother.

I was fighting with the bond, wanting to remove my hand away from the Duke's touch but I couldn't. Under the table, Apollo clasped our hands together, interlocking our fingers. They weaved perfectly with the bond. It was combusting. It was confused. It didn't know who to follow between the Duke and me.

"With that being said, I would like to call on everybody's attention." The Queen finally made her move, raising a goblet whilst clanking a spoon on its brim.

Everyone's focus turned to the Queen. This was what we'd been planning and she was finally setting it in motion. My heart thrummed against my chest. Every important official of the kingdom would know.

There was no turning back.

The Queen stood up, taking a glass of red wine from the server. She scanned the crowd carefully, and then she stopped and smiled, parting her lips.

"We never celebrated her arrival." The Queen began. "She's an 'alpha' in her home, a woman brought to the Duke of Therion by fate. I believe the stars led him to her. And a week and four moons from now, she will legitimately be part of the royal family."

"Apollo," the Queen spared the Duke of Therion a look of regard.

"You and Freya are destined by the heavens to share a life for the rest of eternity. No man can unbind the connection you both share. The future of Sidus lies in your hand and it is time for you to inherit the throne. It is written in the stars, you shall be king one day."

"But Freya... Freya's been embedded to your soul long before you even existed. Will you take thee to marriage before God?"

Time stopped for a moment.

It was as if she was conducting the sacrament of marriage already. Her question was with certainty an act to have Apollo vow his loyalty to me in front of his people. The Queen was shrewd even to her son.

As we sat rigidly, garnering the crowd's attention, Apollo's hold on me became tighter. I looked at him longingly, as if this was how we were meant to be.

Everything was perfect, except for the fear in my heart. He was in love with the woman staring straight at him from the back, and I feared it would be a hindrance to any hope of gaining happiness from the bond.

I was scared. Who wouldn't be? There was no reassurance of full loyalty. He could say yes to the Queen for now, and then take it back later once the bond's been manipulated.

Was I ready to suffer the consequences?

He released my hand, went on his feet and I could only look at his midriff, unable to watch him respond. My heart skipped a beat as his voice smoothly surfaced.

"I stand before you, My Queen, with the heart of a warrior and a ruler."

"Though I have to apologize." The Duke's words left my body in a coma, my breath caught in my throat.

"I refuse to be raised to the throne."

Gasps from the crowd resounded. Even the Alphas in my line of sight seemed perplexed and bothered. I thought this was all he wanted?

My stomach twisted and a sour taste began to fill my throat. The beast in my head was invested in the Duke's revelation.

"At least not at the moment. Perhaps, this is not the appropriate time, Mother."

I couldn't stop the tears from forming, but I was able to still decline their fall. Why was he being too hard on me? I thought he was willing to fulfill the bond's wish?

What was he doing?

I was too astonished to even catch a glimpse of the Queen's reaction. I had to be strong. I had to look strong. I prayed for strength to wash out my dread.

"I do, however, accept the bond Freya and I share." He paused.

I gulped in disbelief. He leaned forward, his fingers tracing the chain of the necklace he gave me earlier.

His touch was electrifying, jolting my heart with the lightness of his finger from my nape down to the dip of my chest before catching the blue pendant. With his other hand, he lifted my chin.

A set of blue eyes pulled me into a tidal wave of what seemed to be another vision. He was beautiful, rivaling the splendor of the gods. Apollo's face changed but his eyes remained the same. The conqueror from my vision before... The warrior who would cause a war in Sidus, Apollo morphed into him. But he was not inducing fear in me unlike before.

Everyone around me began to disappear one-by-one, flying with the wind in ashes. Simultaneously, violets sprung in the vast green space around the lake of Via Lactea and the morning sun turned to sunset. I realized I was no longer sitting on a wooden chair and the large circular table of the royals disappeared too.

The tides colored the lake in orange and yellow, reflecting the magnificent sun. I was suddenly standing beside the large willow tree where the Duke brought me earlier.

I was stuck in nostalgia. The warrior I feared from before— he who dipped his weapon in silver, was standing in front of me, cupping my face. I could stare at him all day. I just knew it was him, no matter how shadowy his figure was in my first vision.

The way his eyes bore into mine gave me gooseflesh. This was how I wanted to be seen by Apollo. But this man before me was not my mate. Only their eyes looked the same, and even the hue was a little different. The warrior's eyes were lighter, more honest, more loving. He knew me, and he had a lot of things going on in his beautiful mind.

"I am in love with you but we cannot be." He said. Tears welled from my eyes, releasing the pain from his rejection. How could one easily destroy my heart? I did not even know him.

"If you really do love me, you will make a way. You will not leave. You promised we will be together for the rest of eternity." I uttered.

"You promised me." It was involuntarily spilling from my lips.

I couldn't fathom how it all happened. I was suddenly moved by his words. He was all too familiar and my heart knew him so well. It was as if he once bared himself and his life to me. And he was telling me we couldn't be together... and it hurt me.

"The fate of the Kingdom is in my hands, I cannot be the King they want me to be if I break the greatest law of the heavens. I cannot leave my responsibilities. I want you but I do not want them to despise you. I cannot live knowing you are suffering from the wrath of my people."

His eyes were speaking volumes, telling me off but wanting me to stay. I knew he had been caught in an internal battle. His mind and his heart were fighting each other... but his actions were telling me that his mind won.

"We are not meant to be." He dropped.

"You deserve someone better. I cannot give you what your heart is yearning for." He finished, wiping away my tears.

I was in love with him. I could only feel the painful stab in my chest that proved me right. I was in love with him and the only thing I wanted... needed... was him. Nothing else mattered.

Those eyes were telling me something different. I was not convinced by what he just said. He was in love with me too, but he said we could never be?

Why?

Why was he making me feel this way?

"I will marry her. She is my fated." His voice changed, the tides crashed down, taking me back to reality.

The tears in my eyes disappeared, and my shaking body turned rigid. Apollo's hand left my chin, but it travelled down to lift my hand, bringing it up to his lips.

The emotions from the vision were the only things that stayed. I was hurting for somebody else. He was from my past, a past I had forgotten. The man was a king and I... was I in love with him?

"Freya, do you accept me?"

I was dazed, and I nodded. I would have nodded if that King asked me to marry him...

"I do." It came out softly.

I wanted to cry. I wanted to know what that was... who that person was. I would have wanted this conversation with him, not with Apollo.

A smile formed on the Duke's lips, one that melted me against all odds. He reminded me of someone I once loved. I was downright confused but I believed in it.

The Duke helped me up, and we stood side by side, accepting the thunderous claps from the crowd of mighty wolves. Apollo slipped an arm around my waist, resting his hand on my hip before pulling me closer.

The broken strings of the bond were lengthening, creating ripples of white and gold around us.

This was supposed to feel right but it didn't. None of them seemed to have noticed that I was briefly pulled into a vision. Not even Apollo looked curious or suspicious.

Did time stop while I was there?

I could only give a shy smile to the people cheering for us. They congratulated us, forming circles, sending us their regards and wishes. The Queen announced the date of the wedding, and Galax clutched my skirts before Apollo pulled him up into his arms.

It all seemed like a dream but this was happening. This was reality and not the tide that pulled me. There was only one kingdom... there would only be one King, and he was standing beside me.

"Veniam ad vos." I will come for you.

The words echoed in my head. It was his voice. The warrior king's voice reached me. Oh heavens! I heard him in my mind and it was spine-chilling.

"Veniam ad te, et poterimus adversus illum in domum suam."

I will come home to you and defeat him.

"Promitto."

I promise.

My heart was wildly beating and drumming as though the end of my life was near. He was speaking in the old language of Latin too. He promised... he promised he would be returning to get me... and he will defeat him.

Apollo held my hand and squeezed. If not for his touch, I wouldn't have snapped out of my reverie. There was another king, I wanted to tell him. But how could I say that I was in love with him? He was not my mate... Apollo is. He was the enemy who would conquer Sidus. Does Apollo know him?

I looked around and focused on the reality before me. The Alphas have congratulated us except for the Countess of the North. I was not sure why I felt the pain she was feeling the moment I saw her at the back of the crowd.

The pain I felt from the vision revisited me. The wound it caused was too deep. Illaria must be feeling the same daggers stabbing her.

She was in love with someone she could never be with.

Her brown eyes never looked so lonely. She was smiling but it was for show. She was breaking.

My ribcage tightened at the heightened emotions I felt for the woman who looked longingly at the Duke of Therion. My hand reached for the sapphire on my chest. I immediately touched the cold pendant, searching for comfort.

Why were my emotions mixed?

The cold gem turned warm in my hand. I stared down at the stone and I swallowed hard as my sight befuddled me.

Clattered was my heart, and I was certain my brain was about to follow suit. I hid the deadening shock that drained me of blood as soon as I saw the mysterious blue ball of fire in my head, now scorching inside the Duke's precious sapphire.

A/N

Oops. I did it again (To the tune of Brittney Spears)

Did I shock you?

Ooooh. I like goading people's curiosity.

Who is this other king and why is Freya having visions of him?

Well, let's find out more in the coming chapters! I have so much more in store for you!

Thanks for all the votes, comments, and empowering messages~ I am super touched! 😊😄

Love,

Lady Therese