"Avelphi sashee"

The English translation to 'avelphi sashee' could not be found.

"Avelphi sashee!"

The English translation to 'avelphi sashee' could not be found.

"Dammit!"

The English translation to 'dammit' is 'dam—

I gave up, exhausted and frustrated. A long, tired breath left my lips and I slumped my head down on the books I'd been trying to research from.

The large desk stood scattered with half-open books, all open to a page missing a number of pages, torn, some carefully, the edges clean and sharp while the others ripped, almost demolished.

Somehow, I knew they had information about the very thing I was looking for. But what I didn't understand was why someone would rip the pages out, and what for?

The books were no help, I'd even tried searching for them in local bookstores, and now, neither was technology.

I groaned, frustrated, as I rubbed my forehead on the old pages of the book, Tier.

The lights around the room were dim and apart from the low table lamps and the bright moonlight soaring in from the open window, the room was in slight darkness.

One glance at the old clock and I cringed at the time.

3:01AM

Glancing to my left, the Chinese takeaway Romanov had gotten sat on the side of the table untouched and my empty stomach growled at the thought of food.

After the 'River' accident that had almost happened only a few hours ago — I hadn't been much into eating. But now, I was starving.

Eyeing the takeaway for a second, I finally gave in — and reaching the fork and box, I slowly began digging in. My mind however seemed still on the word Abigail had told me about,

"Avelphi sashee"

"Avelpi sashee"

"Alvelphi sishee"

"Alvelphi syshee"

A groan left my lips and I shook my head. Was I ever going to find out what the ripped pages held? And what did avelphi sashi even mean.

I sighed. Would I ever know?

~^~
Under the pelting showers of a morning rain, numerous umbrellas waltzed around as people rushed about trying to get to their work.

Red, Orange, Blue... Black.

My own bright yellow umbrella leaned closed against my booth bench as I sat, and patiently waited for Drew to get me my usual.

Sleeping last night had not been an easy task. Waking up to finding River gone, Letty beside me in bed, and Romanov on the couch in the living room, I had tried to take the day as positively as I could, but last night's scarring flashes kept popping up in my mind and I thanked God for the hundredth time that River had come out safe.

It seemed strange though, what sort of a man was Romanov to save the very man he clearly didn't like to the least.

Coming out of nearly having an accident left River quite shaken for the rest of the night. So much so that he bunked in the guest room — while Romanov continued to stay. Or maybe it was seeing because of seeing Romanov as he is.

Recalling the shock on Prue's face when we'd told her as soon as she arrived was something I didn't think I could easily forget.

Accidents were very serious for my family. They had very well nearly depleted most of our line after all.

My eyes narrowed as I looked through the fogging glass, trying to make out the people on the streets.

My fingers running along the hem of the only sweater I had in my closet at Prue's, I leaned further into the seat, stretching my feet out in front of me.

"Steak and Egg, with chips."

An awkwardly looking Drew stood at the side of my table and I smiled curiously as his expression.

"Thank you, Drew. Is something wrong?"

Drew's awkward expression stayed. Looking away from the plate I was already digging in, he shook his head as his gaze met mine.

"Sorry. It's just that... steak and egg and chips? Honestly?"

A grin splashed itself across myself immediately and I happily plopped a piece of chips into my mouth, "It's amazing, honestly. Wanna try?"

A whacky smile slowly made its way on Drew's face and shaking his head he placed the glass of orange juice beside the platter.

"I believe you." He smiled before turning away, Drew walked back into the restaurant's kitchen. Happily, I went back to my meal.

"Surprise I'd catch you here!"

Looking up in surprise I almost did a double take when my gaze landed on Dominic's dazzling hazel ones.

Dressed up in a blue suit jacket, and pants, and a plain white shirt, he looked extremely out of place between all the more casually dressed customers in the quaint little restaurant.

I grinned as he slumped down in front of me and stole a chip away. Giggling I mocked a pout, "Hey! Give me my chips back!"

A deep chuckle left Dominic's and I watched mesmerised as the greens in his eyes brightened, the light browns turned almost yellow.

"Your London accent makes everything you say sound like a serenade."

I gasped when suddenly leaning forward he stole another chip. Looking accomplished Dominic plopped the chips into his mouth and licked the tip of his finger, "Also, I'll pretend I didn't understand what you just said because we call chips, fries, in America."

Right...

Rolling my eyes, I went back to eating, happily ignoring Dominic until his silent patient self-seated in front of me began making me feel awkward. I placed the folk and knife neatly on the plate.

"What are you doing here anyway?" I asked, curious suddenly at how bright and happy Dominic looked today.

Maybe he's waiting for a date?

"Heard they made great fish and chips here," Dom shrugged, a smile still gracing his lips.

I looked at him curiously, in a new light when I realised that I didn't know much about him at all.

"So where in America are you from?"

Dominic's eyes met mine and he settled his hands on the table as he leaned onto it. His fingers finding another one of those chips.

"Seattle. And you're from London, aren't you?"

I grinned, grabbing the piece of chips with my fingers too, and then quickly plopping them into my mouth. Looking at Dominic doing the same, a glint of amusement in his eyes I realized It wasn't that bad eating with my hands.

"Correct for three points!" I exclaimed in a mock announcement, another piece of chips and steak found their way into my mouth.

"So, Olivia, have you found your soul mate yet?"

I stilled. Soulmate?

Wide eyed I looked up to a curious looking Dominic, one eyebrow tilted up as he waited for me to reply.

Something felt like it fell and crashed in my chest and I almost gasped as the realisation hit me.

You're his adelfí psychí, Olivia. His only aselfí psychí

My insides began fluttering and the cold dread slowly sneaked up in my gut.

Ask him. Ask him.

"Olivia?"

My eyes snapped to Dom's,

"That's what avelphi syshee means, doesn't it, in Greek?"

Dominic frowned, his eyebrows still tilted up as he watched me silently for a second or two, before he replied.

"Yes. Olivia, is something wrong?"

Yes... Yes... Yes...

"Olivia!"

I blinked, my blank eyes on Dom.

Yes...

Soulmate...

"Who's your soulmate?" I whispered stupidly, Dominic's eyes hardened and both he and I didn't even glance at Drew when he came to place Dom's order on our table. Dominic just remained seated with a new sense of seriousness — and I with bafflement.

"I never said that they—" No Dominic don't lie to me...

He stopped. Slowly his intent eyes left mine and moved to the plate in front of him. He broke a piece of the fish apart, pairing it with a good piece of chips before dipping it into ketchup and eating the delicious looking pairing.

"Her name was Emily."

His name is Romanov...

"You must really love her,"

Dominic stilled in front of me and I blinked, still dazed.

"Since the very moment I laid eyes on her."

Romanov barely tolerates me...

Suddenly a tiny word brushed over came back with a dead silence and I found myself freezing. A sharp feeling of chill ran down my spine.

My already tearing eyes snapped to Dominic, "Was?"

This time Dominic blinked and shook his head, looking away, a faraway smile on his face. For lookers who could see him from a distance it would look like Dominic really was happy but seated here only a few inches away I noticed how the spark in his greens died down a little and the yellows turned back to brown. Dominic was not a happy man.

"Emily was my kid sister's best friend. I met her when she was fourteen, I was fifteen. It was love at first smile—" as if witnessing the smile again Dominic let out a soft smile of his own before he continued, "—She was smiling the first time I saw her. My first memory of her is smiling. But then..."

Dominic seemed to almost slump down, shaking his head, another piece of fish and chips entered his mouth, "But while at sixteen I vowed to win her love, she had already made her own promises."

I stilled. "Wait! She was married?"

Sighing, Dominic shook his head, "She loved someone else, Olivia. She loved him. She waited for him for ten years. And when he finally got back, she waited some more. But the part that made me back out wasn't that. The rude bastard loved her back."

Oh...

"So, you're n—"

Dominic cut me off, shaking his head, his serious eyes on my foggy ones.

"No. We're not together. But all that matters is that she is happy, "

Looking at me again he sent me a sad smile. I felt myself tear up more.

"But you're soulmates..." A small whisper left my lips, the pure basis of these two-word's meaning seemed to be dangling by a string, now, in front of me, and I revaluated the actual meaning of the word.

How could someone just look past their soulmate?

Dominic smiled the broken smile again before he quickly straightened in his seat.

"You didn't tell me who your mate is,"

Beasty.... Romanov.... Alpha King Romanov...

A loud sigh left my lips and I looked straight into Dominic's sad unblinking eyes.

"I'm mated to the Alpha King, Dominic, I'm mated to the Alpha King."

~^~

It was one of those days today. No part of the blue cloudless sky was visible, and while it rained for an hour and stopped, it could start raining the next minute again.

Large puffs of grey cloud covered the sky above us, some even reaching lower. Midday fog. I watched silently as a row of trees passed by, light green, dark green, some even red, infested with its red flowers.

"You've been very silent ever since we got out of the restaurant,"

Releasing a breath, I shrugged, turning to my right.

"I'm just so confused. And shocked. I can't believe Romanov's my—my soulmate! And that you're a royal too, I can't believe you know him! I can't believe how everyone whose seen this mark and understood its meaning knows I'm...— I can't believe there are so many Royals out there! I can't believe not all of them are Kings! I can't believe Royals can't see which King a mark belongs to! I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY CAN TAKE ANY GIRL MARKED BUT NOT 'REALLY MARKED' WHATEVER THAT MEANS! AND I CAN'T BELIEVE ROMANOV HASN'T TOLD ME ANYTHING! I MEAN—does—doesn't he want me?"

The car was now stopped and parked on the side of the highway, and I continued to heave as a wide-eyed Dominic stared at me.

"That was a lot,"

I sent a bitter look Dominic's way before turning towards my lap.

"I can't believe I won't wake up tomorrow in a mental institute and all this—" I moved my hands around me, "—will all just be my delusions."

A silent second passed before Dominic's fingers found my chin. As my gaze lifted and met his I realized he was frowning, he rubbed his thumb softly against my chin. "Why do you say that?"

I felt my eyes steel over and I shrugged.

"Because stuff like this doesn't belong in the real world." I mumbled slowly.

Surprising me, Dominic smiled and for the first time I noticed that his browns didn't turn yellow, they turned bright gold, tiny flecks of darker gold dusting around his iris whenever he smiled or seemed happy.

"And yet, we still are, Olivia. I still am, as real as you. As real as everything."

I knew that. I knew they were real, everything was real. Giving in, I nodded.

"I just—don't know what to do now." I finally admitted in a low voice, looking at my fingers. A loud chuckle rang around the car and I looked up surprised just as the car started again and Dominic drove it back onto the lane.

Chuckling again his left hand found mine above my thighs and squeezed them in a comforting manner.

"All you do now, is wait for him to crack. Because trust me, if the idiot didn't want you, he wouldn't keep you in that lord forbidden castle."

"We're here! Alright, trust me and stick close. Pretend like we're best friends. Romanov is home." Dominic whispered hurriedly as he pulled back a few strands of my hair behind my ear under my beanie, running his eyes over my face like a mother usually would before opening the car's door, he motioned me to hurry. I rushed out of the car and at once his arm found my shoulder.

Oh no...

I gasped looking at Dominic when I realized what he was planning to do while I 'waited' for Romanov to crack, and shook my head desperately, "We can't!"

Dominic smirked, his grip around my shoulder tightening as he led us towards the entrance of the castle, "Oh Olivia, but we must."

"You know there is a great new restaurant open down town, just beside your favourite one. I've heard It's really good, think you wanna grab some takeaways before heading to Prue's?" Dominic spoke up suddenly, loudly as he moved us towards the large parlour, I almost bolted out of the room when I noticed a serious looking Romanov seated on one of the large single sofas, Greyson seated on another, while a soft smiling Marsha continued to serve Romanov coffee.

A tiny pinch to my upper arm shocked me out of my panic and I rubbed at the sore skin bitterly as I looked up at a blank looking Dominic. My eyes narrowed harder when I noticed a ghost of a smile on his lips.

"Yeah, why not? Prue's going to London for three days and I'm sure Jaydin will stop by, you should tag along." I tried to fake a cheerful aloofness, my eyes widened when I noticed Romanov stand from the corner of my eyes.

Soon enough we reached the the men, Marsha stood behind Greyson, frozen, looking like she was almost wanted to bolt me away from this place and I almost wished she would.

There was a silence around the parlour and I counted the seconds to the Dominic's lazy breaths. I didn't understand how he could be so calm and collected in front of Romanov. Shrugging internally, I let it go, maybe it was a Royal thing.

Finally, the silence dropped, and Romanov spoke, his deep voice sharp and chilled to the core, "Dominic, can I have a word. Please."

~^~
"What were you thinking, dear?"

In the shower, under the warm drizzles I shrugged and continued to wash the soap away.

"I was thinking—actually I'm still thinking about a lot too many things I just can't begin to believe, Marsha."

Wrapping a towel around me I stepped out of the shower just in time to see the concerned look on Marsha's face soften as she placed my bed clothes on the vanity.

"Get dressed, I'll be outside." She said softly, petting the the tiny pile twice before moving out of the bathroom and closing the door behind her.

As the door click closed I let myself slump against the vanity. There seemed to be so much to wonder about, so much to start believing that I felt lost.

Months ago, I'd just been a normal girl, a normal girl who'd only recently lost her sister, gained custody of their three-month baby, and went to college. A normal girl who worried about the length of the assignment she had to give in, not large black beasts, half wolves, and half humans.

And today, standing here I'd found that my soulmate was a— I shook my head. As I pulled my crop tank top down my head, and then my knickers and short white cotton shorts I tried to make sense of the situation I called my life.

Minutes passed but it felt like an eternity when I walked out of the bathroom. Marsha sat patiently on the bed, a hair brush in her hand. Smiling, tearing up, I sunk myself down near her feet and leaned against her legs. The brush at once found my hair.

"It's all right to cry, you know?"

I nodded. The overwhelming tears kept slipping down my face and I let it all out. The confusion I felt about everything, the hurt I felt for mum, dad, Lizzy, the warm feelings I felt for Romanov, the fear I felt for the future, for the confusion.

"You know it would have been easier if you had watched The Vampire Diaries."

Oh no...

My eyes widened, and I gasped, "Vampires exist?"

Marsha took a minute to pause before she replied, amusement clear in her voice, "Maybe."

I cried harder.

The brush ran through the length of my hair and I leaned into the stroke, "I don't know what's normal anymore, Marsha. I'm lost."

"Oh child—" Marsha ran her fingers through my bangs and brought them back to join the rest of my hair, "—The normality in life can only be found when nothing is normal, and everything is but."

Suddenly a sudden screech, and the bamn of the doors fly open echoed around the large room and both Marsha and I let aloud screeches. Our simultaneous gasp ripping out only seconds after when Romanov stormed into the room.

Gone was his fair skin, in place dark grey fur covered every part of his body, standing on two hind legs the beast looked nearly twice Romanov's size, his golden eyes burned bright as he stormed towards me angrily.

Bending, his hand wrapped around my arm and I stilled, scared beyond belief. Behind me Marsha yelped, and her hand found my shoulders, holding me firmly to her, not letting me go.

"Marsha, out. Please." Romanov snapped curtly, his voice now far heavier than his human voice.

I didn't know how it was so, but witnessing his beast talk, made him feel more like Romanov to me.

A minute passed before Marsha's grip loosened on my shoulder and I watched as she slowly walked towards the door.

"Close it."

Turning around Marsha sent me an apologetic smile before pulling the door to a close.

Click.

"Look at me dammit!"

My eyes snapped to Romanov's golden orbs and he leaned closer, his muzzle touching my nose. I noticed it wasn't wet.

"I told you, you are mine,"

My eyes widened but I didn't reply, this seemed to make him angrier.

I couldn't help it though. This beast was standing before me, his claws almost sinking into my vulnerable skin— how could anyone possibly talk in this situation?

"Speak!"

I did.

"Why can't you just tell me what you mean when you say I'm yours instead of beating around the whole forest!"

A loud growl ripped from the black monster's throat and his golden eyes narrowed, his grip tightened on my arm and he pulled me up in a quick jolt, I almost flew up to meet him, my face smacking straight into his furry chest. He smelt like rain.

"Do you really want to know? Because you still smell just like Dominic!"

I narrowed my eyes at him, my jaw tightening. "What do you mean?" I hissed.

"You know exactly what I mean! Did he kiss–"

Irritated, I stomped my feet on the floorboard unconsciously.

I couldn't talk to him this way. No matter how much I knew this was a part of me. I was still too scared to speak my mind. Or do what I suddenly really felt like doing.

"Change."

Romanov stilled, "What?"

I grasped handfuls of his fur, holding onto him. He needed to change. I needed to see that face of his!

"Change!" I snapped again. I was mad. Furious that he could even suggest such a thing, patience ran thin when a minute later he didn't change.

I snapped, completely. "CHANGE!"

I almost gasped as the fur slowly disappeared from between my fingers, and the scar marred skin appeared in its place.

Romanov's height decreased, and I watched as his forehead came back, then his nose, his mouth, his hair. Everything human came back, except his eyes. It was then that I realized how often I'd seen him with his beast's eyes. How often Romanov stayed completely in tune with his beast.

"Scared of my beast, Olivia? My beast too ugly for—"

I broke him off, lunching forward faster than I could even think capable I took his face between my hands and smacked my lips on his.

Romanov stilled. His hands found my wrists but didn't move them away. I held my breath, pressing my lips harder against Romanov's. Moments passed, and we stayed that way, just lips pressed together before slowly his hands moved and slipped around my waist. I gasped when he pulled me flush against him.

And then, he began kissing me.

Every nibble, every nip, every light lick, the sudden jolts of demands in his strokes, I didn't even know when my leg hit the edge of the bed and I fell back, now seated on it.

Romanov followed me down, nipping at my bottom lip as I let out a tiny sound — both my hands holding his face still.

It seemed like forever when I pulled back, gasping for air. Taking in deep breaths my eyes found Romanov's dark golden ones and I shivered. He, on the other hand, continued to stare at me.

"Say it. Say what I mean to you. Just one-word Romanov, one word." I whispered, almost begging him to validate it, validate us.

It didn't bother me that werewolves existed, what bothered me was how little soulmates could mean. After hearing Dominic's story, even one slight evidence made such a meaningful word sound so little.

Growing up I had never thought life was peachy, that life was a walk in the park. But every girl growing up, no matter how much of a realist, no matter how strong, secretly hoped that one day she would meet a guy, who fit her missing piece, and maybe he would be her soulmate. Her happily ever after. And I was just an ordinary girl after all.

Sitting there, in front of a quiet, calculating Romanov, I ran my gaze along his shoulder, the beginning of the scar he'd gotten while saving me lay on his left, silver and thick.

Kneeling in front of me, he was completely exposed, vulnerable, but he still managed to make me feel like I was the one naked, and to see him sitting so calmly after asking him a question that could alter my life. I grew a little panicked when he took his time.

Slowly he leaned forward and touched our foreheads together, and for the first time I felt him give him, weaken.

"I can't. I can't say it. Because if I do, she will unleash herself on you, and I can't lose you. I can't lose you."