The laughter of children drifted in a soft melody while they played without care or fear of what had transpired in these wrecked grounds. They playfully shoved each other, with some children taking the action with delight while the others wailed from being ill-tempered.

Sevor took leadership with the restoration of the tents while Slade hunted for the ingredients that he will use for dinner. Elik and the other freed slaves helped around with the chores while Caleb and I rested underneath a tree. Peaches was nowhere to be found but Kox assured us that he was still here and was not used with this many people relaxed around him.

The Vosredal Prince was recuperating inside the first tent that Sevor managed to fix. Although he didn't deserve to have his wounds treated, Sevor patched him up but tied him down with the same chains that he used on his slaves. He had passed out from fear and exhaustion but his arm was managed to be reattached. Vampires had a fast recovery rate.

Crowley and Ziru were taking a nap with the young boy laying his head on Crowley's stomach. They always seem to show their dislike for each other but anyone could see that these two had a special bond-much like father and son or so what Caleb had told me.

Somehow I could understand what Caleb meant by that kind of bond. I had some of my memories of my otousan when I was a child. Those pieces of memories had good parts in them that would depict my father's adoration for me, but what stood out the most in those memories was when he turned his back on me and never once protected me when I needed him the most.

He was my father but he acted more like a stranger. Both he and his wife abandoned me. They left me to be scarred. They left me to be broken over and over again. I bled and no one came for me.

They betrayed me yet okaasan would claim her love for her child as if she had shown it in the past years of the suffering they willingly put me through.

"Lucian?" Caleb called out and placed his hand on my clenching fist.

I didn't notice that I was holding my breath until his voice pulled me out from my deep thoughts.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I barely nodded my head and I relaxed my hand under his grasp.

"What is your father like?" I asked Caleb who seemed to be startled by my question. His gaze relaxed when the reason for my question dawned on him.

"My father was a great man. He was a brave, fair, and strong alpha. He saw something in me that no one could. He never gave up on me even when I had already lost hope in myself. Even in his last breath, he protected me. He never blamed me for my weaknesses and instead; he helped me overcome them," Caleb told me, his eyes and lips were smiling from pride before he became embarrassed and let out a sheepish laugh.

"I could go on and on about him but it'll take me more than a day to boast that man. I miss him. I miss my family," Caleb lamented.

His eyes glimmered with tears and he groaned and shut his eyes tightly to refrain himself from crying.

I reached out to gently pat his head and Caleb responded by hugging me from the side.

"Every child is a parent's pride and joy," the voice in my head whispered. "I'm sure King Lohann and Meria saw you just the same, but fear caused them to make fallacious decisions."

They were afraid?

What were they so scared of?

I was just their child but I was never their pride and joy. They should not act as if they were the victims.

"Caleb..." I whispered, feeling restless because of the painful thumping in my chest.

Caleb pulled away but had his hands remain on my wrists.

"What is it?" He asked.

"I will never go back to that Kingdom. Even if they cut off my limbs, blind me, or severe my tongue; I rather choose death than to go back," I told him firmly.

Caleb pursed his lips and his eyes refilled with resolve. "They can try, but I won't let them take you from us."

I was the heir to the throne and everyone was expecting me to take after my father. They would want me to lead, rule, and manage but with the Higher-Order present, they would only have me sit on that opulent and powerful chair while they manipulated me and the entire race.

Children swarmed around us, shutting down the solemn atmosphere that we had.

"Lucian-onii, Caleb-onii, come play with us!"

No matter the riches that the Kingdom of Cludea may offer...

"You lil buggers, can't I have my private time with my mate?!" Caleb groaned.

I already had everything that they could never afford to offer.

"Please!" the children sweetly pleaded as they already succeeded in pulling us to a stand.

They may offer me the throne.

"Oi! Get your lazy asses over here and help me gather more food!" Slade nagged.

But I already had a family that no throne can ever compete with.

Night settled down and we gathered around the pyram to feast on the food that Slade had worked hard to cook. We still haven't decided on who would stay here with the children once we depart for the mountain. The twins proved to be persistent yet they fervently rejected my proposal of having Peaches watch over the children.

While everyone enjoyed their perfectly roasted corpses of antlers with sautéed mushrooms and roasted sweet potatoes, artichokes, and tomatoes, I searched the place for Peaches. I carried his bowl of food and my own. Slade didn't want to give him food but I had convinced him politely with a mild jab to the gut.

"BAH! He doesn't need to eat, why do we have to- WHY YOU LITTLE-"

There was a trail going up the cliff and I figured that Peaches went up alone.

"Peaches, it is time to have dinner," I called out monotonously.

I began to climb up the long trail in search for him but it didn't take a while for him to show up.

"That is not my name," Peaches chided, but didn't seem to be that bothered by the name anymore.

"It is time to eat, the food will get cold," I replied.

Peaches turned his hooded head to the side.

"I do not consume food made for the weak flesh and blood. I do not experience any hunger," he spoke.

"But it is nice to have something tasty even if you are not famished."

"That is a waste of my time."

I tilted my head at him. "Do you have somewhere to go?"

Silence erupted between us and I took it upon myself to decide for him.

"If you are not going anywhere any time soon, let us appreciate the food that is cooked for us. Slade is very passionate about cooking; you will very much like it."

I walked past by him and continued my climb for the top of the cliff. Every time I reached a certain level, Peaches was already there waiting with his back against the wall. It was a long climb, I could take myself up using my powers, but I would rather take my time with this given freedom.

With another level successfully climbed, Peaches had his back turned at me.

"Why don't you fly?" he asked.

"There is no need to use my power for that reason. It is nice to have this walk."

Peaches took my words in before disappearing. I was swept off my feet and found myself carried by the reaper. My eyes looked at him widely and I abruptly remembered Saint that caused my throat to twinge from the sudden delight taking over my body.

"One d-day... I will ca-carry you l-like this...one day...wherever you-you wa-want to go...I-I will carry you."

"I didn't expect this from you," I deadpanned.

The reaper remained silent with an unreadable expression on his face.

He took me on top of the cliff without breaking a sweat and gently placed me down on the ground. The moon looked so easy to grasp from where we were. A forest was on the other side and a cold breeze continued to dance around us. I sat down on the grass and patted my side for Peaches to sit down.

The man knelt on one knee and I offered him his bowl. He stared at the food, unsure of what to do or how to even handle the situation at hand which led me to feeding him.

I forked the vegetable and poked his shut lips. His bright red and piercing eyes crossed and he brought out the tip of his tongue to touch the food.

"Say ahh," I deadpanned.

"Ahh-"

I shoved the fork into his mouth and the reaper bit down on the fork before chewing.

I brought the fork to my face and my eyes widened when I found that the head of the fork was gone yet the reaper was masticating it so easily.

My hand automatically went to grasp my throat when I saw Peaches swallow.

"From now on, you are banned from using forks," I deadpanned. "Let me see your teeth," I commanded.

Peaches' lips twitched as he mimicked my lips widening to show my teeth. Clean, strong, and shatterproof pearls exhibited and not a single tooth went missing.

Peaches was looking at the food I was holding as if desiring for more. I decided not to use any utensil to feed this man; I'll just have to resort to my hands.

I gingerly fed the reaper as he sat obediently with folded legs. He patiently waited for the food to come to his mouth and I would find him licking his lips as if he was already tasting the food that I was scooping with my hand. Once his bowl was empty, Peaches picked up mine and grabbed a handful of vegetables and offered it to me.

"Your turn."

I blinked at his messy handling of the food but acknowledged his efforts. I turned his palm up and Peaches uncurled his fingers so that I can gain access to the food. I held his wrist and supported the rest of his hand with my other hand. It was rather challenging to eat like this but seeing the reaper's eyes lose its glint of distrust, I took this as a privilege to eat from his hand.

Once my bowl was voided of food, the reaper looked at his sauce-covered hand before licking it clean.

"Do you still want more?" I asked him.

Peaches' eyes reluctantly met with mine before he nodded shyly.

"Let us go to the others then. I am sure Slade will be overjoyed to find that you enjoy his cooking."

Before I could stand up, he held my wrist and picked me up again like a sack of feathers.

"Do you not find me heavy?" I questioned. I should have asked the same question to Caleb since he always carried me around.

"If you didn't speak I would have thought that I was carrying air," he replied.

Peaches walked to the edge of the cliff and leaped. My sides tingled from our drop and even more so when Peaches' gaze pinned mine. We perched on the ground and I slid off of his arms, still connecting my eyes with him.

"Lucian?" Sevor intervened.

I turned around and found him looking at us with a troubled expression. "We were looking for you, you were with him?" he asked.

"I brought him food and we ate together," I explained.

Sevor did not lose that unsettling expression on his face and his soft gaze was turning into a sharp glare. His eyes shifted into a dangerous red and he emitted a menacing aura aiming to intimidate Peaches.

The way he looked at him...I wish to slap that look away.

"You should always take into account of who you trust your life with," he advised.

"I do," I replied before finally addressing the main matter at hand. "But why do you look at him like that?" I questioned, not pleased with his glare at Peaches that was getting intense at every second.

"I will be frank with you Lucian; I do not trust him. No matter what you say, he has a reputation of killing people in cold blood."

I took a step forward and tilted my head at him in question. I could feel my eyes drying from having them grow wide all of a sudden.

"Do not act as if you haven't taken lives in your own accord. Do not act as if you have not tainted your hands with other people's blood," I began.

I took more steps towards Sevor before finally stopping face-to-face with him. His eyes narrowed, still aggravated.

"If you ever try to ruin him again, I will leave with or without you," I murmured.

His hand gripped my arm tightly and he looked at me deeply in the eyes.

"Why would you defend someone who is not defenseless?" he questioned.

"Why do you need soldiers in a walled Kingdom?" I softly retorted. I turned around to gaze at Peaches who was watching and listening to us.

"And even if you do not consider him as family, I consider him as mine," I proclaimed. "So do not hurt my family."

Sevor was smacked with guilt and he released me from his grasp. He withdrew his offending stare before stepping back and bowing his head in shame. The colors of his eyes shifted in their original state before addressing the problem that he had started.

"I will respect your decision," he breathed out. "But please understand..." he trailed before giving me a side glance and a smile that was a bit unbecoming of the usual kind and understanding Sevor. "I may be a pushover, but I'm an alpha nonetheless. I can become selfish and inconsiderate...every once in a while."

He sauntered towards me and placed his hand over my shoulder. My head throbbed and my vision blurred before a wave of smoldering heat run up and down my body. My nostrils filled with Sevor's spicy scent and just when he lifted his palm, I was released from his binding spell that left my lower half in a throbbing and wet mess.

My knees trembled and Sevor caught my body before I could collapsed to the ground.

"I am your mate after all."

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A/N: I think I'll finish this book at chapter 61

SEVOR YOU BIG MEANIE