A/N

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The Castle of Therion was quiet once more, but strong auras filled the atmosphere since most of the alphas and the royals decided to spend the night here after the party. I had to endure the crowd of significant wolves, and by the end of it, I felt suffocated by the Duke's company.

I couldn't even look at him straight in the eye, for I was drawn to something else- the sapphire resting on my chest. And I felt as though our bond seemed to have been tangled by the vision.

I was downright confused. Who wouldn't be?

There were too many questions in my head. There was that eventful day and I had to keep it all to myself. I wasn't sure why I felt the notion to keep it a secret. I just knew it was the right thing to do at the moment.

And I... I had to figure out how I lost those memories with him. On my own. I didn't need Apollo meddling with my personal affairs.

I had to know more about the Warrior King and me. Our connection was undoubtedly affecting me more than it should. For I was fated and betrothed to the Duke of Therion before I even existed as the Queen stated. I remembered every piece of my life, and it seemed absurd that I'd easily forgotten such heavy memory of someone I loved.

"Are you ill?"

The Duke's footsteps stopped, and this urged me to do the same as he escorted me to my chamber.

The halls were quiet, and his voice simply echoed. The vision I had was already disconcerting, but the Duke's sudden care and display of affection pretty much had the same effect on me. The entire day he seemed to be composed as usual, but his gestures towards me were of how a gentleman should be or how one should rightly treat his fated.

My heart ached at the sight of him trying to put the bond he had broken back together.

Was he too late?

I decided not to pay heed to the care I heard in his voice.

"I am not. I'm just tired."

The Duke stepped forward and turned his heel to face me, blocking my trail. He knew I was about to walk away. He looked at me with an unreadable expression. One that I felt was heavy but if it wasn't for the bond, I wouldn't know that it was.

"Look me in the eye, Freya." He commanded.

He didn't have to force me. I didn't have to be told twice and I did as he wished. And I somehow hoped that I didn't. His eyes reminded me of my lost love.

Was he going to sweep me off my feet and then take me away from this mysterious Duke?

I touched the sapphire to find comfort. The blue ball of fire was now keeping it warm. It was another puzzle I had to solve. The Duke had seen it glowing in my head before but it was like he was oblivious of the blue fire swirling in his favorite gem right now.

The longer I stared at him, the more the hurt of the night he rejected me captured my body. I wasn't going to be his pawn.

I am my own queen.

"I'd take it you have no penchant for me, Apollo. This is all an act to draw me to your side and to convince the royals of our bond. It is only the two of us now; you may proceed to being an ass to me again. I don't need your concern."

Poison dripped from every word. The bond did not surface, but I knew it had an effect on him. He was only good at masking pain. Everyone experiences pain.

"Who said I didn't have anything for you?" He smiled.

I wanted to slap it off his face but not in these hallways. I wasn't going to humiliate myself again. And what was it about him having anything for me? Nobody told me. I could tell by his actions from before that he clearly didn't care for me in a romantic way.

"You'll be a good queen." He dropped and walked away, moving to the opposite end of the hallway.

I clenched my fists and stomped towards my chambers. I wasn't a fool to fall for his sarcasm. The devil deserved my distrust from the very beginning.

As soon as I was inside my chamber, I slammed the door shut. Leaning my back against the wooden door, I heaved a sigh and relaxed my body. Apollo was already a difficult walking riddle to solve. And now there were two of them...

The Warrior King...

How would I know more about him?

I resigned from my worries and removed my clothes piece by piece. Gone were the balloon skirt, the tight corset, and shoes that bound my blistered feet. I was naked as the day I was born except for the presence of jewelries.

I missed being free from all the strict traditions of this kingdom. The old ways were more comfortable and less deterring. Looking at myself in the mirror, I pulled the pins off my hair, the rings around my fingers, the gems pinned to my ears. The only thing left touching my skin was the sapphire necklace.

I stared at my reflection and held the gem in my hand, feeling its warmth and imagining the tides taking me away.

I wanted to see him again. I wanted to know him more... Hope sprung in my heart when he told me he'd come for me. I wanted to know his name and repeat it over and over again until he arrives.

How could one fall so hard for someone this way? I had only seen him twice in my visions, yet I was already head over heels in love with him?

"Won't you tell me who you are?"

I whispered this to myself before I slumped on the bed in disappointment. The tides weren't welcoming me no matter how hard I tried.

I laid there on my bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Cool breeze entered from the window but I cared not if I was completely bare, and so I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

These thoughts swirled around my head until I felt my body numbing: Maybe if I sleep the night away and try to picture him, I would remember something...

And somehow it worked.

The sound of hooves thundered across the borders of Villagio Lupus. Women wept at the sight of carriages carrying a chockfull of dead sentinels. I assumed they were from the Capital City of Therion and the Western Land of Auriga judging by the crests embedded on the shields of soldiers who brought the cadavers in town. Children hid behind their mothers and loud cries hailed as some of them recognized the face of their dead loved ones.

I could only swallow the lump in my throat. This was sick. Seven wagons of dead people had already passed me by but the line seemed endless. I looked away, no longer able to digest the scene before me. I followed the procession of the knights, and I realized they were all headed to the town square as the bell from Therion's clock tower rang.

I pushed myself out of the petrified and grieving crowd. Some of them were heading to the same direction. Snow pelted from the skies, adding to the grief of the kingdom. I pulled the hood of my cloak over my head and endured the cold.

It was the first snowfall, but a bloodbath welcomed us instead. My stomach twisted again as I realized I was stepping on the trails of blood. The stench nauseated me, and so I hurried to my destination to know more about this tragedy.

Curiosity bubbled in my head.

The bottleneck of carriages and people ended as the crowd dispersed at the town square. Black flags replaced the usual red flags of Therion, and an army marched in a cross formation.

I stopped my stride as a lady with skin as white as snow emerged from the Hall of Justice. She stood on a raised platform, wearing a golden crown whilst holding the familiar scepter of the Crown of Fenrir. Her hair was dark as midnight which contrasted her skin. Her eyes mimicked the glow of the moon, but it fainted as soon as her sight fell upon someone.

Gasps surfaced as the body of a man carried by a white horse urged the sea of people to part. I was fossilized by the influence he had on everyone as they bowed down. I followed the crowd in an instant and bent my knees, lowering my head.

The man's body was lifelessly tied to the horse, and embedded on his chest was a sword. His large hands fell limply on his sides. There was a gash on his neck too that almost made me vomit as the blood trickled. It was a gruesome death for sure.

I was near the platform and I tried to take a peek of the woman I saw earlier. She was Queen of Sidus. Nobody holds the Crown of Fenrir except the Queen. I kept my head down but I lifted my lids to see her. A tear slid down her cheek as the body of the man was taken down from the horse.

She clung to him and cried as soon as she reached him. The people around me started grieving too. He must be the King. A good king at that, for his fall instantly brought inexplicable sorrow to his people.

"Ichor."

The Queen cried, cradling the King's head on her lap. I could see the bond they had and it was starting to break thread by thread. It was heartbreaking to see she her grieving for they were not simply bound by marriage.

They were bound by fate.

Tears began to form in my eyes too as I wondered how she would hold it together without her mate. She was the Queen of the Kingdom, and she had to be strong just as Queen Robin tried to be when she lost King Licinius.

There was misery clouding the city. Everyone wept and took a moment of silence for their fallen King. It was only when light footsteps echoed from the platform when the stillness finally broke.

I raised my head once more just as the others did. The Queen looked back at the source of the sound and immediately wiped her tears. My eyes widened as I caught the view of a boy with greyish blue eyes and fair skin like the Queen's.

I stifled a gasp as I recognized his face. He looked exactly like my adopted son, Galax, except for the different color of his hair which was as brown as the fallen King's. He must be their son, the Prince of Sidus. For a child, he seemed collected amidst the disturbing event transpiring before him.

"Lykos, I told you not to come here."

The Queen extended a hand to the boy but instantly retreated when she realized her hand was stained with the King's blood.

The boy stared at his mother and passed a long look at his father's lifeless body. He was small yet brave. He reminded me so much of Galax. He truly looked like him in all angles and even their body frames matched.

He was an odd boy because he just observed in silence, not until he brought himself closer to the King and wrapped his hands around the sword pierced through his chest.

"Lykos." The Queen shook her head, but the boy continued with what he had in mind.

With an unbelievable strength, the boy twisted and pulled the sword out of the King's body and blood spattered all over his innocent face as he lifted the sword in the air and part of the King's heart remained on its tip.

An inevitable gasp escaped from my lips in horror. This boy was too fearless and odd. My eyes widened in shock as he looked at me with those blue eyes. He must have heard me.

Someone from behind suddenly clamped my mouth shut. I turned to face the intruder and as if struck by lightning, I finally saw her soft eyes and her beautiful face in person for the first time.

Mother.

How could this be? She was dead. I visited her grave with my father every year. What in the world was happening?

"Bow your head. Please." She said with worry in her eyes.

I didn't want to look away from her. I was awestruck and I wanted to cry and hug her. She was as beautiful as my father had described her to be. Her blond hair cascaded down in curls, and even when she was cloaked, she could easily be recognized because of it. I stopped studying her face when I realized the form my body took.

I became too small for the black coat I was wearing. My mother's hand was twice bigger than mine when she placed a hand on my shoulder to keep me down. I was a small girl standing in front of the crowd and the royals were looking at me. And the prince... he was staring at me intently.

"Amaree. Please." My mother beseeched.

I knew I had to do as she said, but my body wouldn't follow me. All I could do then was to stare back at the prince. We gazed at each other for what seemed like an eternity before he broke the trance and pulled the heart of his father off the sword and handed it to his mother.

The Queen was as dumbfounded as I when he nonchalantly gave his father's heart which was no longer beating. His hand and body was now stained with blood. He held the sword though it was big and moved towards my direction, making a screeching sound as the tip of the weapon scratched the cobbled ground.

"Amaree." Mother repeated.

She was calling me Amaree again. I was Freya. Not Amaree.

"You."

The Prince halted in front of me and his bloodied hand reached for my temple.

His palm touched my forehead, and I stopped breathing in shock as I felt the blood from his hand marking my skin.

"Do not be afraid."

His hand moved from my forehead to the crown of my hair, and then he lightly tapped. He did this repeatedly until I felt as though he was comforting me.

My brows furled together, and then tears sprang from my eyes. He was something else. He would be dear to me. I just knew he was going to be a big part of my identity.

"Why are these meeting?" He said, tracing a finger on the skin between my brows. He was trying to separate them and he succeeded.

"They only meet when you are unhappy, confused, or worried. You have nothing to worry about. Everything will be alright."

He was wise for a child at his age. Part of me was drawn to him but the other wanted to step back. I couldn't fathom why I was torn. This boy, he was reassuring the young me that everything was going to be okay, no matter how dreading this moment was to the whole Kingdom.

"But our King died!" I argued. It involuntarily slipped from my lips. Your father died! I wanted to add but decided not to.

His touch disappeared and the little me balled my fists. How could he be fine and composed? The Queen was drowning in grief and yet here he was, talking to a commoner, telling her that there was nothing to worry about.

"Father told me, even if he dies, our lives must go on. I am going to be king, and we will be alright."

There was sincerity and innocence in those words. I was certain that everyone heard him as their auras changed from dark clouds into gold and white- the colors of hope.

The Queen, as if revived from the sullen moment, went on her feet and gathered her child. The way he looked at him softened my heart, and she was then a mother more than a queen. She held him tightly and kissed his temple.

Removing the sword from her son's grasp, she raised it to the sky and called on her people.

"They have slayed our King but not our freedom!" The Queen looked around with determination in her eyes. She was strong and she would live, even if it meant a life without her mate. She had to be there for the future of this kingdom who was her son, the heir of the fallen king.

"The King left us hope. He sacrificed his life to vanquish the enemies. The war is not over. We shall not surrender. We will fight and avenge our kingdom!"

"Rise, descendants of Fenrir!"

The crowd roared in response to the Queen's cry of retribution. My mother carried me in her arms and wiped the blood on my face with a clean cloth. There was fear in her eyes, but she joined the crowd and cried.

I wanted to know who we were fighting. We had one kingdom. Why was there a war ensuing in Sidus?

The hood of the cloak was too large that it covered my eyes as my mother wailed. I pulled it off my head and stared at the buzzing auras of the wolves. This was our kingdom. I belonged to this kingdom. And that young boy was no longer our prince but our king...

Lykos.

I panted as the sound of crackling wood stirred my senses. I sat upright and felt his familiar aura in my chamber. I had fallen asleep. It was only a dream... but it was part of the past... my past.

Lykos.

That was his name. The King I once loved was Lykos, the youngest king in history.

I hoped to think more to recollect my dreams and write them down so I wouldn't forget, but there was an unwanted presence in my room... and he was the future king too.

The Duke of Therion's back faced me as he added more wood in the fireplace. I was out of words after that surge of memories. I didn't even want to dwell in reality. I was destined for Apollo. The Warrior King- no- Lykos. In my second vision, Lykos told me we weren't meant to be. That explained a bit of the present or so I assumed.

I did not see the bond when I looked at Lykos. It was different with him. Our love seemed real for it was not dictated by fate. It was wishful thinking... and yet I wanted that more than what I had with the Duke.

"Are you not going to ask me why I am here?"

It was the Duke who started the conversation. I rubbed my temple and sighed, and it was only when he turned around to face me when I began to feel conscious. Pulling the sheets further up to cover my body, I looked at him with an unwelcome blush on my cheeks.

"Why are you here?" I asked and shifted my gaze to the window.

My glare softened as I watched the first snowfall. Winter finally made itself known. What a big coincidence it was... my dream was set during the first day of winter too.

"If I did not come here, the winter breeze would not have welcomed you pleasantly, my betrothed." Apollo said. There was amusement in his voice and I blushed again. He saw me bare as the day I was born.

"There is no need for you to be ashamed. I thought you abided by the olden ways?"

I caught him smirk and my heart jumped. I hated the bond for doing this to me. I wanted to remove the pull it had all over my mind and my body.

Why did I have to be fated? Why was I not given a choice?

"You haven't answered my question." I digressed.

"Why are you here?"

The Duke moved towards the window and blocked my view of the beautiful snowfall. He was in his winter attire, his favorite black ensemble, but his fur cape was grey. He closed the remaining gap in between the large lancet window leafs. And then he faced me once more.

"You called for me through the bond. I have been here moments after you fell into deep slumber. I could not even close my eyes as your voice resounded in my head. There was desperation in your voice. You were repeating my name."

I was puzzled and looked at him in disbelief. I wouldn't call him, even in my dreams. It must have been a work of his mind, not mine.

"I never called your name last night."

I was thinking of someone else... I wanted to say.

Maybe that was it? Maybe because I wanted to know the Warrior King's name so much, the bond confused it with Apollo since he was all it ever knew.

I internally sighed. I could never tell him that or I would wreak havoc because of the bond. It would not be kind enough the second time around. Its effect on me had been strong, what more if it was the Duke's side of the bond that flickered? What would happen?

It would be the end of the world... I thought.

"You did. But I have no time for arguments. Let us leave it at that." He dismissed, and I was relieved he did.

"I'll go straight to my real intentions." Apollo cleared his throat.

I glanced at him with raised brow before looking away. I quickly guessed what he would have to say. Judging by his outdoor clothes, I bet he was going to say another goodbye to me. He was always occupied with his responsibilities and duties. With the Alphas here, I knew he'd be journeying with one of them before the wedding.

Besides, he preferred being away from me. He was good at doing that.

"I want to train you, Freya. Personally, I want you to win against Illaria."

Did I hear him correctly?

"You-" I couldn't gather the right words.

"You want me to win against the one you love?" I pressed, elaborating the last words as much as possible to make things straight.

"Are we never going over that jealousy, Freya?" He mocked, leaning his back against the cold glass window.

Anger coiled inside me. "Jealousy?"

"Need I remind you of how you severely broke our bond by affirming that you love her? I am your mate and I carry half of our bond. I have to live every single day with that thought in my head! How easy do you think it is to forget that?"

I evened my breathing, calming my rage. This wasn't how I envisioned things to be when it came to Apollo. I wanted to brush these feelings off my chest, but he had that hold on me ever since our eyes met for the first time. I hoped to be freed from the chains of the bond for it had always been just torturous.

A piece of wood crackled inside the fireplace, making the flames go higher. Natural heat crept closer to my skin, and my brain was hot with rage.
 
 
"But I chose you."
 
 
Death seemed to have come early. My heartbeat sped and my lungs started running out of air. The bond was in delight because of those four little words. Rationality had been overtaken in an instant and my frown softened.

"You are to be my duchess and future queen. I am a man of my words and you have my word this time. There is no one I shall worship but you from this day forward."

Was there truth in those words? I could not help but doubt him. He was speaking differently, it was becoming out of character. The Duke was showing another sign of change. I wished for this kind of comfort before but now that it was here, I couldn't wrap my mind around it. It just seemed so surreal.

"Why do you suddenly care? You're just using me for your own good."

I tried to be firm. I was determined to win this battle. Besides, there was somebody else in my heart who captured my soul even without the bond. I felt as though he'd be here soon enough. I could feel that all these visions of Lykos meant that he was close and—

"I do not want a broken family."

Apollo's answer knocked off every single logical excuse I could ever think of to refrain from pursuing our bond. He was... opening up to me? I believed in him for the first time today.

I gazed at him and gave him a look I never thought I could ever show him. He was sincere as the sunlight. The thick clouds of smoke that hid his true intentions and emotions from me were now replaced by the color of the morning sun.

I grew up without my mother, and fate was bad enough to take my father away from me too. As I thought of it carefully, the Duke of Therion had lost his father at a young age too. He always seemed cold and unhappy. The royals did tell me he was a family man... They truly believed he was.

"Family is important to me. Blood always comes first. I spent years searching for my queen, and the moon goddess that I hate, she prepared one for me. It seemed ironic and ridiculous at first. But as soon as I found you, I left Illaria without regret."

I nodded and looked away. I couldn't look at him now. He was garnering fragile emotions from me. The strings of the bond were weaving themselves together once more. It was my healing. He was my healing.

"I told you the truth. You deserve my candour from the very beginning. I care for Illaria's welfare and to break the years we spent experiencing life together is no easy feat."

"If you have loved anyone before, you would understand."

At that statement, my body froze. Guilt pinned me to my place, shaking the newly weaved threads of the bond. I was speechless; indubitably lost.

"I accept that we are different. We have been tied together by fate in the great tapestry of life. I accept the bond but it does not change me. I want power over my domain and I still aim for revenge against the perpetrator of my father's disappearance.

"I am a wolf with the blood of Fenrir running thick in my veins. It is an instinct to seek revenge against anyone who harms my own blood even if it is the moon we are talking about. We were all born with a purpose, and I would like to think that this is mine.

"But that purpose had been overpowered by you handed over to me on a silver platter. I became more wary with my actions and decisions. You were weak, too weak you even killed yourself. And when you died, part of me was shattered, and I vowed to fight the bond for you have become my only weakness. All the while, I thought of you as a challenge from the moon. And all I ever did was to evade you.

"This time around, I will no longer do that. You have shown me how strong you are to be beside me for the rest of eternity. Without notice, you bravely accepted the bond even after I broke it. My mind reeled at how stupid it was of me to still fight you.

"You are to be my family and once you become mine, I will worship you with my whole being.

"You have that power over me, Freya. I will turn things around and bare myself to you for I do not want a broken family."

My throat felt parched, and there were butterflies in my stomach. I was thunderstruck by his honesty. There was nothing false in his revelation. It was only during this time that I hated seeing the color of truth in one's aura.

He was finally going to fight for the bond. He was looking ahead, thinking of the future I always dreaded.

Somehow, hope cradled my heart. Our threads of fate would soon be tied all together once the bond was fulfilled by marriage. I prepared myself for this. The day the Queen and I agreed on this, I kept my head steady and my heart ready for an unknown future with my fated.

"If you have loved anyone before, you would understand."

His words echoed in my head.

What about Lykos?

A/N

Another long chapter for you!
I hope you are still enjoying this story.
My heart is torn too!

Are you:

Team Apollo

Or

Team Lykos

(and why?)

Let me know your thoughts 😉
See you on the next update!
-Lady Therese