Torn between mates

30. A safe place

3rd Person POV

Valentin flashes them to Lea’s room. 

“Please put me on the bed,” Lea asks. 

Valentin obliges. Richard gets closer to his mate. His wolf is growling inside his head, urging to check on their mate and make sure she is not hurt. He moves his hand to touch her arm but is met by some resistance in the air, like some sort of invisible barrier.  

“Please no” She hisses. “I am thankful that you rescued me and very happy to see you both… but please don’t touch me or get any closer… I can’t take it right now.” Lea lets out, looking down. 

Valentin nods. It pains him deeply to see his sweet mate so hurt. 

Richard's wolf is on edge, his eyes are glowing, and his fingernails have already changed into claws. He is on the verge of losing control and shifting, of going feral. His wolf urges to comfort their mate, to make her feel safe and whole again. 

Seeing his agony, Lea tries to reach to him and soothe him, forgetting her own pain. However, she is also faced with the barrier of energy preventing her to touch her mate. 

She gasps. “What is it?”

“You created a camp field, angel,” Valentin answers, looking at Lea in awe. 

“Oh… How did I do it? I didn’t intend to… How can I undo it?” She asks.

“I don’t know much about it. It’s Elf magic. My guess is that you created it unconsciously.” The Fae King replies. 

Lea gapes at him surprised, “But I am not able to do Elf magic. My Elf magic is blocked, it is totally dormant.” 

“Somehow you unleashed it by yourself,” Valentin tells her with a soft smile.  

“That is not possible. Just King Elric could take off the blockage he put on me.” She muttered.  

“But you did it, my Angel.” He replies.  

Lea gazes at Richard, who still seems very tense. Now his fangs have started to grow down his bottom lip. “Richard, look at me.” She says softly, but resolutely. 

He looks at her, “I need to hold you mate, my Wolf, and I have to make sure you are safe.”

“I am safe, and I am fine. Nothing is going to happen to me. I am out of harm’s way.” She reassures him looking deeply into his eyes. She can’t appease him and his wolf with her touch, so she hopes that her words will be enough. 

“MINE”, he growls in a gruffly animalistic voice. 

“I am yours. I am safe, and I am not going anywhere, mate.” Lea says, her voice laced with sweetness and firmness.  

Richard’s fangs and claws retract, his eyes are now only glowing faintly. He breathes deeply recovering some self-control. 

Valentin watches his mate in wonder. She is more powerful than she knows. Even after such a traumatic experience, she is not curling up into a ball and drowning in her own pain. Instead, she is making sure Richard and his wolf are fine. 

“You must rest, Luna Mine,” Richard says in a husky voice, making it clear that his wolf is still on the surface. 

“I will, but before it, I have to make sure my mom is well,” Lea says.  

After been rescued, Lea could only think about one thing: her mom. Mel must be in pain, because of the blood spell. As the effect on her mom was proportional to the danger that Lea faced, she can only imagine that her mom must be feeling extremely bad. 

“I will go see her. I can heal her.” Valentin utters. 

“No, Valentin. Thank you, but I can do it. I should be the one to do it, just seeing me can cut the effects of the spell completely.” Lea reasons and he nods in response. 

Richard and his wolf have a hard time having Lea out of their sight after what just happened to her. But he had to control his basic instincts, fight with his own nature to provide his mate with what she needs: some space to heal herself.

Lea stands up, still wrapped on the sheets, and goes to her bathroom to change. 

She looks carefully at herself in the mirror, her eyes look dull, but her skin is glowing daintily, it is emanating a soft golden light. 

She is broken. But she can’t give up and she won’t. She bends down in front of the toilet to empty her stomach contents, trying to get rid of part of the pain. After it, she washes her face, dresses up, and goes to see her mother.  

~ * ~

Lea

“Mom, are you feeling better?” I asked worried, as I entered my mom’s room. I was carrying a small tray with mugs of soothing tea made with my flower’s petals and pollen. A tea that could bring one some calmness, comfort, and warmness. Exactly what we all need now. 

Liv was already there, sat on mom’s bed beside her. Her arms were wrapped around mom’s shoulders in a tender way. 

“I am the one who should ask how you are, sweetheart.” Mom’s voice was weak and laced with worry.

“I’m… I’m okay. I will ask Valentin to come and heal you.” I said as I was about to turn around.

“It’s not necessary sweetie, Sienna has already healed me. Now I’m just a bit tired.” She patted the place on the bed next to her and I sat there, giving a mug to her, one to Liv, and taking one for myself.

“Thanks, Lea, your brews are almost as good as Fae-healing.” Mom smiled. 

“Yes!! This tea smells so good Lea.” Liv said as she took a long sniff of the tea and sighed in contentment. “The baby likes it too, he or she just gave me a happy kick at the smell.” 

I smiled at Liv, and she took my hand in hers stroking it lightly. 

I took a large sip of my tea and felt its warmness radiating through my body and washing me over with some sense of serenity. I sighed. 

I’m safe now. I did it, I bought myself enough time, I escaped him. I’m free. 

I’m safe now. He won’t hurt me anymore.

Goddess, I still couldn’t believe that my mate tried to do it. 

But he isn’t my mate, at least he doesn’t feel like it. 

He doesn’t want to be my mate. To him, I’m only a blood bag, a pretty piece of flesh, a ‘pathetic bimbo’ in his words. 

But he is not the one who gets to say who I am. The one is me! 

However, I can’t help feeling somehow ashamed, humiliated, violated on my dignity.

“I feel so ashamed and dirty,” I said clenching my eyes shut.  

“No, no. You have no reason to feel like this, sweetie. You have nothing to be ashamed of. It wasn’t your fault.” My mom said softly as she wrapped me in her arms. 

“You should be proud of yourself! You put yourself together in the middle of that freaking torture he submitted you to. You put up a fight. I’m so very proud of you. Lea, you found a way to unlock your powers by yourself, I mean wowww, you were amazing, girl!” Liv said proudly with a big smile, she hugged me as much as her big belly let her to. I stroke her cute baby bump and felt my nephew or niece kicking softly, which made me smile. 

“You see, I’m not the only one proud,” Liv added with a smile. “Your aunty Lea is amazing, right little bun?” Liv asked looking at her round stomach and caressing it. 

I knew I didn’t do something wrong; I wasn’t blaming myself. But it didn’t wash the feeling of humiliation away. 

I need time to heal myself, as potions and brews need time to fulfil their potential, mature, and produce their effects. 

Liv’s voice brought me back from my reverie. 

“Father beat psycho-vamp to a pulp, it was incredible! I think I’ve never felt that good seeing someone getting beaten before. Not that I like to watch this kind of thing at all, but that vamp...” Liv muttered looking angry just to think about Alexus. I squeezed her hand in reassurance. 

“Yes, dad was quite brave,” I added. 

I was so glad that I could reach him and they could arrive before something happened. 

I looked at mom, her eyes were cast down, she hasn’t spoken with dad yet. She might still be so confused.

“Mom, have you thought about what to do about dad? Talk to him or…” I started. 

“I don’t want to think about it now. At this moment all that matters are my girls, and especially to make you feel better sweetheart. You’ve been through something no female should ever be through in her life.” Mom said looking sad.  

“It’s okay mom, take your time.” Liv uttered and flashed me a pointed but soft gaze, as if to say, ‘let it be.’ 

Liv is rarely into pressuring people into doing what they don’t want or to do something faster. She values her freedom a lot, and that makes her also respect other people’s freedom. 

We drank more tea and enjoyed the comfortable silence of being with each other. A safe place, a place full of love; regardless of how many problems we have, being around these two will always bring this kind of sensation to me. 

My mind wandered again to King Alexus. Where is he now? In a Dungeon?

I want him as far away from me as possible. In fact, I don’t want to see him ever again. Maybe I should be angrier, I am angry. But more than that, I'm crushed by such an overwhelming feeling of hurt, that my other emotions towards him got numb. 

What he did was horrible and vile, unforgivable and I regret that I didn't slap him across the face once more. But sadly, he is still my mate and I’m bonded to feel some sympathy towards him, even when he doesn’t feel the same way. I don’t understand why he can’t feel the mate bond and the pull. However, unfortunately, I can feel it, and it prevents me from wanting him to be tortured or killed. Although I know that having him at large could be dangerous for me and that he could even attack me again. 

~ * ~

Richard

My poor Luna was through so much in the claws of that filthy monster.

He is even sicker and crueller than I thought. Who the hell would hurt their own mate?! Not even the Devil, Laius. 

However, Alexus was always more ruthless than the Devil himself. He never respected or had any love for anything in his miserable life. 

That bloodsucker doesn’t even have emotions. The only occasion he had any feelings for something, someone, was for that red-haired female, Elisa. 

His little capability to have feelings died with her and his monstrosity and bloodlust grew tenfold.

He didn’t kill only for riches, power, or even blood. He killed for pleasure. He destroyed almost 30% of the Elf population in a day. 

He is a soulless monster! 

And now even my sweet Luna suffered in his hands. 

I’m so relieved that we arrived on time before he could violate my Lea and sever our mate bond. 

Before he could break her even further. 

Titan wasn’t calmer, not at all. He would only feel at peace when we could take our mate in our arms. 

After we could avenge her fully. 

We were doing so well, she was growing very comfortable and less shy around me, almost ready to have my hands and my mouth all over her body. But that damned leech had to ruin everything! Hurt and traumatize my poor female. My poor love. Now I cåouldn’t even comfort her, take her in my embrace and make her feel safe. My wolf urged me to soothe her, take away her pain and make her whole again. But there wasn’t anything I could do. 

I hate the feeling of impotence more than anything, especially when it’s about my dear Luna. 

Titan was pacing restlessly inside my head, on the brink of taking control and paying a visit to the dungeon. A visit that would end up with Alexus’ corpse.

* AUTHOR'S NOTE! *

Guys, 

I heard you. Some of you were quite shocked about Lea's reaction towards Alexus. She was still in shock and now she's starting to process it. Don't worry, a lot of things will happen.