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3: One final request

"Oh, so you do speak?"

I blushed an intense shade of scarlet and looked away from his amused eyes. "Sometimes I do..." I managed to utter out. He chuckled at this and then smiled, before asking, "Care to take me around your pack grounds? How about we get to know each other a little?"

I hesitated at this. My father and I had never discussed the possibility of me having a mate, and now that he was standing right here, in front of me, I was going out of my mind, both in confusion and the tingling sensations of curiosity.

"Come on, I won't take up too much of your time... unless you want me to, then, I'd happily oblige." He chuckled and smiled. It was nothing suggestive, but rather it carried a sense of genuity, as though he truly did want to spend time with me. And so, as a result of his genuity and the added effect of his gorgeous smile, I agreed with a small nod. He held out a hand for me and said, "Lead the way," taking my hand in his. The familiar feeling of sparks began to engulf my skin and I couldn't help but blush even more.

I guided him silently to our first destination, the massive rose garden which framed the outskirts of the property. It was the largest array of roses he had ever seen- apparently.

"Wow, no wonder your pack is known as not only the most powerful, but most beautiful as well."

For a moment, he let go of my hand, walked towards a bush of red roses, and plucked a single rose from the bush. But as he did, he winced slightly as a thorn of it pricked at his finger. He stuck it in his mouth, sucking the blood from his finger and I quickly looked away as my heartrate began soaring and the heat of my blush soon began to turn into something darker and hungrier.

"Are you alright, you look quite pale?" He asked, handing me the rose.

"I um... I'm alright, thank you. I'm probably just a bit hungry." He nodded and said, "Just a few more minutes, then I can take you back and, hopefully we can announce our relationship?"

It was more of a question than a command and I found it quite refreshing. In fact, his entire demeanor was quite refreshing. He was, although quite powerful by status as an alpha's son, less overbearing and authoritative and more considerate. Again, his manners had me agreeing to his requests and he took my hand again. I was grateful that it was healed up by now and no more traces of the delicious metallic liquid lingered in the air, threatening to expose what I fought so hard to conceal.

Demetri and I eventually made it right to the outskirts of the residential area, and we stopped there for a while, sitting on the grass.

"You're quite the mysterious girl. You don't say much, but your golden eyes seem to hold many secrets behind them. Secrets which it seems you are itching to tell someone."

I looked down at this, with my breath hitched and yet heavy. He was prying, and I was not sure I was comfortable with it. I felt as though the more time I spent with Demetri, the more he was beginning to strip me naked of the walls my father and I had worked blood, sweat and tears to build up, and the thought of it had me terrified to the point where I moved away from him. It caught his attention, and immediately a soft look of regret appeared on his face. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay, it's just, talking to a stranger who seems to stare right through me is quite nerve-racking."

He smiled and, once again, moved closer. He placed his delicate fingers underneath my chin, making me look into his gentle blue eyes. "Perhaps this is sudden but, could I perhaps make it up to you with a kiss?"

My breath hitched and I remained frozen in his gaze which became more intense, now turning a colour blue I was unfamiliar with, shifting from its brilliant, light aquamarine colour to a bold, bright shade of dark sapphire. It made me gulp down hard and I found myself speechless as he began to lean in.

"I'll take your silence as consent," he breathed, slowly closing his eyes. I mirrored his action, prepared to feel his lips against mine, and to taste him, when suddenly I heard my father's voice yell in my mind.

"Phoenix, where are you? You need to come here right now, it's an emergency!" The loudness of his voice made me clutch at the sides of my head and pull away from Demetri.

"Are you alright?" He asked, wrapping his arms around me in concern. I nodded.

"My dad just called me back-"

He froze for a second and he began focusing on the distance in front of us and nodding. After a few seconds he said, "My father is also calling me. I take it that it's something urgent from the sound of his voice. Shall we go? Perhaps after they've said what needs to be said, we can make our announcement?"

I nodded and took a hand which he held out for me.

When we made it back to the hall, we were both surprised to see the place in pure chaos with loud shouts, cheers and yells. We both stood confused for a while, before my dad approached us. As soon as he saw our intertwined hands a dark, questioning look appeared on his face and I immediately let go of Demetri's hand and gulped. It seemed as though he were about to question us both, until he shook his head at himself and grabbed my hand tightly, dragging me through the crowd. Once we were in a quieter, more secluded corner, he leaned down and began to speak hurriedly.

"King Dionysus has passed away!"

My eyes widened at the mention of the now-deceased vampire king.

"That's... great news dad?" I said, hoping that this was the reason that everyone was so ecstatic.

“It is, do you know what it means for you?"

I shook my head, genuinely not connecting the dots he had drawn for me. He sighed hopelessly and placed his fingers on the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

"It means that there is a vacancy to the throne since he had no heirs nor any other family... It means you have a shot at taking the throne."

I gulped down and shuddered at the thought. I was not at all prepared for such a possibility. My mother, the former Vampire Queen had died only leaving me behind and nothing and no one else. So instead, her ruthless brother took the throne and my existence as her daughter was overshadowed by my existence as my father’s child.

I had never ever thought that I'd even be able to associate myself with anything attached to her, not until now at least. The thought of it had me cowering slightly.

"W-what?" I uttered, still trying to process what my father had said. He smiled and gripped my shoulders excitedly. "It means that you can finally do what your mother and I failed to do, you can unite both species and end this meaningless, old rivalry. Just think about the possibility of a world in which vampires and werewolves can co-exist peacefully?"

I'd never seen my father this excited about anything in my life before. The sight had me highly disturbed and I wanted to run away from him and his words, especially the next few he uttered.

"So, I have one final request to make. After this request is fulfilled, I will allow you to make your own choices and live your life the way you choose. You are to go to the Palace of Immortalis and take the throne for your own. Is that understood?"

I froze, unable to comprehend what he had said, and waited a full ten minutes before answering something which, although I meant, I had never meant to say.

"No."

As soon as the word left my tongue, my father's hand made contact with my cheek. The sound it emitted was loud enough to silence the entire which now stood in absolute shock, watching both my father and me. I made no sound either, not even when my cheek burned, and hot tears began flowing down my face. I should have known better. There was no way to say "no" to my father

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