Chapter 34
"Yes...Luna Athena...I was mated to Neticia,"
I can't speak. I couldn't believe what I heard. I stared at Jules for a long time, who was now looking up at the orange sky. I can see the pain and sorrow in his eyes. Is this why he hates Alpha Damon and Alpha Devon so much?
"Mate bond is something you can't just forget, Luna Athena..." he added while looking at the sky. I felt a pain in my chest when he said that.
"And because I can't forget that the pain only gets worse with each passage of time," he said and gazed at me. His eyes were cold. But for some reason, I didn't feel fear...all I felt was the sadness in his eyes.
If so, is this also the reason why Damon still can't forget? Does he also blame himself for Neticia's death? What really happened then? What really happened to Neticia? How did they die?
"Tell me...how did they...die?" I asked hesitantly. I don't want to get the answer from him, but something is urging me to ask him.
His eyes looked down like he was trying to remember what happened years ago. I still hate him. But now that I see him hurt, I realized that...he has a deep reason for his anger. I never imagined that he was mated to Neticia. But Neticia...loved someone else.
Jules and I...are the same.
"Long ago...when Alpha Damon's parents were still alive, they instilled with Alpha Devon's mind that he will be the next Alpha king. Alpha Devon did his very best to be tough and strong yet...his parents weren't satisfied..." Jules started. I don't know if I will believe his story, but I will keep listening until the end.
I realized that maybe Damon's parents must be strict.
"So...their parents formed a plan in order to make Alpha Devon strong. And they noticed...Alpha Devon's weakness is his younger brother, Damon Scot," my lips twitched at what he said. I didn't think that was the world that Damon grew up in. Does it mean every Alpha king has to go through like that?
"I was there when Uncle...hostage Alpha Damon and angered Alpha Devon. Alpha Devon asked for my help, but I couldn't say yes because Uncle threatened me. So…Alpha Devon had no choice but to do the mission assigned to him…”
I can't imagine how torn Alpha Devon was then. I'm slowly getting to know what kind of Alpha king Damon's brother and Mommy's ex-mate is.
"What's his mission?" I asked. He looked at me.
"His mission was to kill the Queen of the Rema Kingdom. A kingdom near here. They are also one of the large packs of wolves. One of the strong ones since then...they became a fierce enemy of our kingdom,"
What the hell? Then...Alpha Devon really killed the Queen of the Rema Kingdom? He did that to save Damon from his own parents.
"How cruel..." I mumbled under my breath.
"That's how the Alpha king must live, Luna Athena. You have to be ready to kill someone in order to save someone you love. If you're wondering why Uncle wants to kill the Queen of the Rema Kingdom is because she was strong...a threat to the Scot family," Jules continued.
I can't believe that so much has happened in the past. And it's not just a coincidence. It also left a big wound in the people who were left behind by those who died before.
"And that's when everything started. Alpha Devon's parents were killed, and it was so sudden that the Agama Kingdom blamed the Rema Kingdom. A war ignited between the largest kingdom of Wolves. And that was the time Alpha Devon met Neticia. Neticia was an orphan. She was one of the products of the war. Alpha Devon welcomed her in. And then...I met her. Neticia was warm, and she brought joy to the whole palace. Damon who was quiet and gloomy started to smile because of Neticia. The war was stopped because of Alpha Devon's settlement with the Rema Kingdom after getting evidence that the Rema Kingdom may not have killed their parents,"
He looked at the sky again.
"And then Alpha Devon came back home with a girl. A human girl, Solidad Madrigal. Alpha Devon announced that he was mated to Solidad Madrigal. Then...Neticia...became sad. Damon and I knew how Neticia loved Alpha Devon. I was jealous of him actually. But we can't do anything about it. Alpha Devon was already mated. Like I said...mate bond is not something you can easily forget. I thought it was my chance to be with Neticia but...Damon...was a pest hindering me to get close with Neticia," I saw his clenched fist.
"Because of Damon Neticia started to smile again and that's when I realized maybe...I wasn't the one who can make her happy. I can't make her happy even though I know...I was mated to her. I knew she could feel the sensation towards me...because we are mated but she was refusing it, she was denying it. She sticks with Damon, and I know the reason why. It was because when she's with Damon...she can also be close with Devon," Jules smiled sadly. I felt pain because of what he said.
"She's a fool to still hope for Devon when she knows that it was already hopeless. I tried to pursue her but in the end she...ignored our mate bond and...stayed with Damon because she wanted to be close to Devon. Even though he knows that Devon is happy with Solidad. I left the kingdom and decided to travel around the world to forget Neticia but...news broke me down. Everyone says it was an accident, but I know it wasn't…”
His voice trembled. I saw even more sorrow in his eyes.
"It was hunting season when Alpha Devon led the pack to the forest. Someone reported to him that Solidad was in danger on the end of the Agama's land. That end was a high cliff. When you fall there is no water to catch you but a rocky land. Anyone who falls there will die immediately," I couldn't process the words he was saying.
In that case...Alpha Devon died because of...
"Someone falsified reports that Solidad was in danger on that cliff while Alpha Devon was in the middle of hunting. Without thinking twice Alpha Devon ran to the hills just to save his beloved Luna...and Neticia was there to follow the Alpha. She was in that group of hunters when that happened. But what they found there was not Solidad it was a trap. An unknown creature sent an arrow flying. Alpha Devon tried to evade it, but he was out of control that he fell on that cliff. But it didn't end there. Neticia saved him. Neticia managed to grab Alpha's hand to keep him from falling off the cliff. But Neticia was weak to save the Alpha. Alpha Devon yelled at her to go back and leave him already, but Neticia was stubborn. Neticia willingly died along with Alpha Devon…”
The cold wind blew hard. In that case...Alpha Devon didn't accidentally fall off that cliff. I stared at Jules. How…
"Are you wondering why I know the details of it?" he raised an eyebrow. I swallowed hard. "Because..." he stopped speaking when I felt someone behind me. My eyes widened when I smelled his familiar scent. I blinked when in an instant I was behind...Damon!
"D-Damon..." I uttered his name.
"Because you were the one who...throw the arrow, aren't you?" Damon's words caught my breath. I looked at Jules who now had a big smile on Damon.
"No wonder you're Alpha Devon's younger brother...you're both smart," Jules said mockingly. My eyes widened. Then…he really shot Alpha Devon?! Why…
"You'll pay for this Jules," Damon said firmly. I can feel Damon's anger towards Jules. Jules laughed in front of us. And because Damon was holding me, I could feel his grip tightening on me.
"Don't be too angry Alpha Damon. If you thought I did it alone…you're wrong,” Jules chuckled. I clenched my jaw. What does he mean?! That he wasn't the only one planning to take Damon down?!
"What the fuck do you mean?!" Damon asked in shock.
"Why don't you check the people you think are faithful to you? Check them if they are loyal...maybe you'll find out the traitor," Jules laughed mockingly and suddenly turned himself into a wolf. My eyes widened at what happened.
"Run, Athena! Go get some help!” Damon pushed me away from him. I saw how Damon's appearance changed as well. My chest filled with worry and nervousness.
"Please...be safe, Damon," I whispered to him, and before I ran, his golden eyes met mine.
"I'll come back...I promise..." he whispered inside my mind.