Nicholae watched Niko and Rex look angrily at a number of pups who, just the other day, had been close to Niko's height but today, towered over him.

He found Lupé making his way to them, hopefully, to diffuse whatever was happening.
'You can't trust anyone else. Don't tell them you were here or what you saw; you weren't supposed to be in the Esse garden alone.'

Seth sighed.
'You don't have to tell me I already know that. the dragons will roast me before and use my skin for leather.'

'How did you come to work for them anyway?'

Seth shrugged.
'My mother, she's worked for the Dragon masters all of her life. I was basically born into their service.'

His mother, depending on how their relationship was, might Seth already told her about the incident?

'Did you tell your mother about what you saw at the bronze forest.'

'Of course.' He answered without hesitation.
'I tell her everything. It was her idea to have me seek you out. Neither one of us wants to turn into mindless zombies doing the will of evil.'
Under his breath he added.
'We already have enough experience in that department.'
Nicholae only assumed Seth was talking about Kentekum the conqueror.
They were all thankful that it wasn't his reign as he wasn't in power this century.

Anyways, Seth's mother was a wise woman as it appeared. Still Nicholae wasn't comfortable with inserting his mother in the fray. Parents had this uncanny ability to do the dumbest things for their children, he was a prime example. Mothers especially were notorious for going to the extreme and with Seth still barely an adult, she might not agree with the things Nicholae and Osei might make Seth do in the end.

'This alliance we have formed, it is very dangerous. We have people actively coming after us and our family just to keep us from digging and asking questions. Before you return to the mountains, you have to know the dangers.
I'm a vampire of the Tchkovsky bloodline, Osei is a werewolf and has a pack, Fauna might be young but she is a witch but you...'

'I'm just a boy.' Seth finished for him.

'Exactly. Your coming here alone puts you on a watch list especially since it was for 'dragon business.''

Nicholae studied the young boy who was just around Fauna's age, his expression showed no sign of fear. Their second meeting and Nicholae already had a budding respect for the young man. His warning wasn't to scare the boy but to prepare him for what will ensue.

'Go back. Return to the mountains and think about if you really want to join our cause. Fauna will give you a mode to communicate to us, that way we'll know your final decision.'

Seth nodded as if considering his options but something told Nicholae the boy had already made up his mind.

Nicholae went in search of Fauna and found her in Valentina's room.
'Can you meet with Seth before he leaves?' He asked her from the door.
'We need a way to communicate with him after he returns home.'

'My Lord.' Fauna nodded and obeyed his request.

The look on Valentina's face didn't encourage Nicholae to close the door behind him but alas he did for the semblance of privacy.

'I know your big secret Nicholae. I remembered somethings today.'

So she'd drank the first vial. That was.... he hadn't been mentally prepared although he'd tried. What did she remember? Was God angry with him that the first thing he'd made Valentina remember was his betrayal? He was sorry he broke the promise he'd made to her but at the time, like Danielle, he was under someone's intricate deception.

'Did you ever love me? I want to know.'

That was not the question he had been expecting. He tried to search his vast memories for a moment when he was ever unfaithful to Valentina to make her doubt him. No. He couldn't remember such an instance.
'Yes.' He took his time answering.

'You sure took your time to answer that simple question.' Valentina came to him poking an accusing finger into his chest.

'But after you thought I was dead, you decided to have an affair with the entire Tchkovsky household while my body laid right beneath their noses.' Valentina laughed without mirth.
'You must have been happy to be free and continue on with your bachelor ways.'

'Wait Val, I'm confused.'

'I don't remember our vows but I don't think I signed off on 'Till death do us part.' You should have been faithful even after death or still loved and respected me. Instead you perpetuated an identity as a man slut sleeping with the help: men and women alike.'
Nicholae was bewildered. He could identify the head or tails of this nonsense.
'Who told you I was sleeping with the help?'

'I remember your father talking about it. You men are something really.'  Switching over her tirade to what really had her riled up.
'We turn around for one moment and you're already kissing the next girl. I mean.'
She walked away and came back throwing her hands about.
'And do you go chasing after her, no you stand there like a startled duck.'
Nicholae tried to interject but an evil glare from her kept him in check.

'From What I remember she was the only one there to console you and protect you after the other woman broke your heart and tried to kill you! Would you even be alive today to be kissing other girls if it wasn't for her?'

She finally stopped to catch her breath.
'Val, I think we've gone off topic.'

'Shut up. This is still about you. You're his friend.' She poked him one more time.
'So yes she made a mistake, a huge mistake. A very bad mistake. Some may call it unforgivable. But in context I understand Semi because I helped her, I provided the spell. I also thought we were doing Osei and Danielle a favor. She called him a monster and wanted to cure him. What experiments would she have subjected her child to in the name of finding a cure? We had no idea she'd have such a change of heart.'

Nicholae exhaled.
He had already heard a version of the story from Danielle.

'Val, I never stopped loving you.'
And then Niko opens the door knocking it into his father. In his hands was a bag of cookies.
'Papa! Is it true! Is it true!'
Nicholae wanted to kick himself. He still hadn't told Niko that he was married to Valentina.

'I know you haven't told him about us either.'

'I already know you two are married!' He jumped about careful not to crush his cookies.
'The wolves are terrible at keeping secrets from Rex and me.' He proudly said.
'Why are you crying Valentina ? Papa?!' His son's thunderous expression aimed at him automatically assuming that his father was at fault.

'I didn't do anything.'

'I'm not sharing my cookies with you anymore.'

'Come here Niko. I'll share with you.' Valentina beckoned him to his arms and the traitor went happily.

Nicholae closed the door and went in search for the one he felt sorry for.

He found Osei throwing stones into a puddle of water.
'Is it okay if I join you?'

Osei said nothing so Nicholae moved to sit beside him.
The puddle was quickly becoming more stones that water.

'What do you want? Aren't you also not talking to me, everyone isn't.'
By everyone he meant everyone. In the eyes of his siblings, Cayden, Athens and his foster mom, he'd broken Semi's heart- which he had. In Danielle's eyes, he had wronged her by getting with Semi and having a child. Fauna wasn't talking to him either, she was team Semi and she knew the full story as well. Obviously Fauna didn't support everything Semi had done.

'Nah. I can't talking to everyone, and the ones I can talk to don't want to talk to me. So that leaves you.' Nicholae joked.

'What do you want?' He said gruffly.

'I'm the only one who understands you right now.'

'Bullshit. I don't even understand myself.'

'Exactly. That's why I said I'm the only one.' He went on.
'What you're feeling right now is guilt.'

Osei scoffed chucking away another pebble.

'You are also very confused about what to do. You see you have two women who love you and you love them but each of them have committed great crimes. I feel sorry for you because you have a huge decision to make. But don't take too long or one would be make for you.'

'I don't love two women. Plus, Semi already made her decision.'

'Ah. So you're going to let her go. Interesting. Once you're healed, you can start a new life with Danielle. Share all your darkest secrets, open and non secretive about your life.'

'I have no secrets.'
Osei's sounded oddly familiar to himself.

'And fairies are angels.' Nicholae replied in the same tone.

'Do you have an advice or not?'

Nicholae thought he'd just given one. Fine, he had a question then.
'Who do you love?'

Osei opened his mouth and closed it.

'We've found our problem.' Nicholae announced.

'Have you ever told either one of them you love them?'
Nicholae and Osei turned to find Seth. Neither one of them heard his approach.

'No he hasn't.' Nicholae ignored Osei's 'what the hell look' He needed to trust people more.

'How long have you been listening?' Osei asked, he wasn't even angry anymore. He'd brought this upon himself honestly.

'I just got here. But Fauna filled me in on most of the drama.'
Seth clucked his tongue.
'My mama would have turned your behind sore.'

'Any advice for our soon to be bachelor over here.'
Seth pondered.
'I don't actually. I don't know what I'd do in his shoes.' He paused weighing the options.
'I think, I'd ride out the storm and wait for the choice to get easier.'

'Get out of here. You don't know what you're talking about.' Nicholae shouldn't have asked the boy anything, after all what did he know.

'You asked me.' Seth countered.

'That's true.' Osei backed him.
'You don't like his advice because it contradicts yours.'

That was true.
'That's not true. I just have more years, so I know what I'm talking about.'

Seth laughed.
'The women and drama were different in your time old man.'

This boy needed to be smacked. But Osei actually cracked a smile and even chuckled so, he was useful.

'Cayden will get them to the cottage safely.' Cayden and a few others took Clarissa and Danielle away from all the drama. The wolves would watch them faithfully.
It was better this way.

Osei stood.
'Seth you should get going. Don't want you to get into trouble. Nicholae, follow me.'

Nicholae did.

He couldn't have foreseen the moment Osei would instill so much trust in him. And should he have even seen it, he wouldn't believe that it would be over women drama. Alas it was.
Osei entered a tent which appeared out of no where with two wolves guarding it.
Nicholae followed him in.

To his surprise, there chained up to a pole.
'Nicholae, this is Jeffery Logan, my lifeline.'

Nicholae's stomach tightened in a sudden cramp making him feel extremely sick and lightheaded.
What was wrong with him?
He must have passed out because his vision went dark.

A/N( SING-A-LONG)
🎶What's going to happen to our poor Osei?🎶
🎶If you had to choose? Who would you choose? Danielle or Semi?🎶
🎶What's wrong with Nicholae?🎶
🎶Please suffer in wait you'll find out next week Saturday🎶
🎶Don't forget to vote, comment and share.🎶
🎶Until next time my lovelies 🎶
UNTO THE NEXT CHAPTER—- NEXT SATURDAY!