Namaste,

Chapter 11 is here and it is dedicated to @cutejaya1 :D

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TURMERIC:

This spice is used in almost every Indian Cusine and has been so for thousands of years. Besides being used as a spice, it's also known for its medicinal properties. The curcumin in turmeric has strong anti-inflammatory properties that help the body fight foreign invaders. The very same properties also make it effective in treating arthritis and diabetes. Though not proven, studies have indicated that curcumin can reduce the growth of cancerous cells in the body.

I'm not going to talk about why young girls in India are asked to apply turmeric on their face; Instead, let's talk about its actual benefits for skin... Turmeric is also known to heal wounds by speeding up the skin's ability to form new healthy tissues. It is a natural medicine for the skin as it is known to reduce acne scars, and treat severe skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema.

Turmeric should be consumed in small quantities because high doses might cause stomach upset.

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"In some ways, we will always be different. In other ways, we will always be the same. There is always room to disagree and blame, just as there is always room to take a new perspective and empathize. Understanding is a choice."
― Vironika Tugaleva

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CHAPTER 11 – THE GRANDPARENTS

Cyane hoped with everything in her that Xanthos didn't notice that error. However, that slight twitch of his mouth told her otherwise.

Theé mou! How could she be so stupid? She had to do something, anything!

She gulped and looked around the room, towards the kitchen. She then signalled for food with her hand. He typed something on his phone and passed it to her.

Cyane stiffened when she saw the message. He was asking her if she was a vegetarian or not. It might have been a simple yes or no answers for others, but for her, it was not.

Sylvan fairies were vegetarians but werewolves weren't. As a kid, she had eaten eggs and chicken whenever her father had taken her out. But at home, only vegetarian food was prepared since her mother was one.

After moving to Sylvan Castle, she was told to become strictly vegetarian; however, her grandpa had always encouraged her to cheat on that rule and when she would go to his home, she would often have scrambled eggs for breakfast. The minute she would return to the palace, she would often feel guilty for eating and liking the non-vegetarian food.

When Yolanda had asked her the same question, Cyane had told her she was a vegetarian and so, she gave the same answer to Xanthos.

He paced the room, scrolling through his phone and Cyane craned her neck, curious to see what he was looking at. When he kept the phone on the table, she leaned back in her seat and scratched the back of her neck.

"Ten minutes" he signalled with his hand and walked into the bedroom.

Cyane heaved a sigh when he was out of the room and picked up his mobile phone. She opened the screen before it could lock itself and dialled Gian's number again to ask if he had informed Yolanda.

His reply came almost immediately.

Gian: I did and she seemed very doubtful. I don't think she will be convinced until she hears it from you.

Cyane groaned. That was the one thing she couldn't do when she was trapped here.

Gian: Are you safe?

Cyane: Yes 😊

She replied without hesitation. She wasn't really scared of these guys. They were criminals, yes, but they didn't give her the creeps like Crown Prince Saint Winthrop. Xanthos and his friends wouldn't harm her physically, she was sure of that.

Gian: Where are you exactly? Why did you move from their place?

Cyane: I am safe. I'm in one of their apartments.

She was pretty sure this small apartment belonged to Xanthos alone.

Gian: Fly away. Why do you have to stay there?

Cyane looked at the railings in the balcony and sighed. There was no way she could fly away through the window or the balcony. If she wanted to get out of this place, she had to do it through the front door.

Cyane: I owe it to Yolanda's family. Don't worry about me. Also don't contact me until I do.

Gian: Ok. Be safe.

The phone pinged again.

Gian: Yolanda just called me again. What do I do?

Cyane stood up and paced. Theos! Yolanda is worried which means she would inform Lysander and very soon, Lysander would organize a search party for her and it means, Minerva would also get distracted in her mission.

No. She couldn't let that happen.

As she paced around, she wondered what she would say to Yolanda because she had made up her mind of talking to Yolanda.

That was the moment Cyane realized that Xan hadn't come out yet. She padded towards the bedroom door and pushed it open. When she saw the lights of the bathroom switched on, she heaved a sigh.

This was her chance.

Slowly closing the door behind her, she locked it from the outside and dialled Yolanda's number.

"Hello?" Cyane smiled in relief when she heard Yolanda's voice.

"Yolanda... Hi, it's me. Cyane" she whispered.

"Cyane? Where are you? Where did you go?" Yolanda was anxious.

"My friend texted you right? I told him to. I am at his place. I met him in the food court" Cyane continued whispering, staring at the door.

"Why are you whispering?" Yolanda demanded. "And who is this friend?"

"Someone who has connections with my grandmother. I need to convince him to shut his mouth about where I am." Cyane hated lying to Yolanda, who has only ever helped her, but if Yolanda found out where she was then Minerva's plan would be pushed back which Cyane didn't want to happen.

"Why are you whispering?" Yolanda asked again.

Cyane never moved her eyes from the door as she answered, "I don't want him to overhear. I will be back soon. Maybe in a day or two."

"You trust this guy?"

It was Xanthos's image that came to her mind when Yolanda asked that question. "Strangely, I think I do."

"But I don't. Why do I get the feeling you are not fine?"

"There's nothing to worry. Honestly, Yolanda, I will be fine. How is Minerva?" she asked.

"She is worried about you. We all are. She just lost you. I will give the phone to her."

Before Cyane could protest Yolanda had passed the phone. "Cyane, seriously? Who the hell is this guy? When did you meet him and where is your phone?" Minerva was even more suspicious than her mother.

"I really cannot talk right now. You carry on with your plan as usual. Don't worry about me and don't call this number until I do" with that said, Cyane cut the call.

Deleting the number and Gian's messages, she quickly unlocked the door. A split second later, the door opened and Cyane jumped back, the phone slipping from her nervous fingers.

Xanthos stood at the threshold of the door and Cyane gulped, wondering if he heard her talking. He raised a questioning brow when he noticed the fear apparent in her eyes.

The doorbell rang at the same time and Cyane pointed towards it. When he walked past her to answer the door, Cyane sighed in relief.

As she picked up the phone, she berated herself for not being very careful. Now, she understood why lying was bad because once a person started lying, they had to keep weaving a web of lies until they get trapped in it.

It was the delivery guy with two boxes of pizza. Cyane had eaten pizza once before this when she was twelve and she had hated it. She had fallen so sick after eating the pizza that she had to be admitted.

Xanthos placed one box with the vegetarian mark on the table, while he held another box and walked into the kitchen. Pulling open the fridge door, he picked up a bottle of beer and went to sit on the dining table, without looking at her.

His phone pinged and he turned to look at her. Cyane wanted to check it but since he was already moving towards her, she extended her hand and handed over the phone, all the while praying that the message wasn't from Yolanda or Minerva.

Xanthos growled lowly and Cyane stiffened when he turned to face her. "Eat" he muttered and placing the phone next to his ears, he walked back into the room, closing the door shut behind him.

Cyane moved her ears towards the door and was surprised to notice that she couldn't hear anything. Are the walls soundproof?

Normally, she was able to hear the conversations of the room next door if she paid enough attention.

Wait... She had overheard his friends talking earlier. But the door had been open then, so it does mean that the walls of this apartment were soundproof. And it also means that he didn't overhear her conversation.

A grin formed on her lips and she did a little happy dance where she stood. Now, she only had to hope that Minerva listened to her and didn't call her back.

When Xanthos stepped out of the room again, Cyane was sitting quietly in the couch with the unopened box of pizza in front of her. He had a scowl on his face that only deepened when he noticed that she hadn't eaten yet.

Through the translating app, he asked her if she didn't like pizza and Cyane replied with an affirmative. Sighing, he ordered something again and Cyane was truly grateful until he opened the box containing chicken pizza.

She turned her head to look at him as she took in the aroma of the chicken. He was just about to put it into his mouth and when he noticed her, he stopped. Arctic blue eyes looked at her quizzically until he slightly moved the pizza towards her, asking her, without words, if she wanted it with a nod of his head.

Refusing with a shake of her head, Cyane looked away. Her heart continued to leap and bounce as she resisted the urge to rest her palm across her chest.

___

After having a salad for dinner, Xanthos had asked her to move to his room, while he went to sleep in another room.

Cyane was grateful, truly grateful for his consideration and it made her wonder if he can change? Yes, he worked for the king, but if in time he realizes how bad the king and his son are, is he going to change and be loyal to Lysander?

With that thought in mind, Cyane had just closed the door behind her, when there was a knock.

She opened it and stepped back when she saw Xanthos. She wanted to ask things, talk to him... suddenly it felt like playing mute was a really stupid idea.

He entered the room and she held her breath when he towered over her. He was tall, around six feet in height, while she was only five feet and four inches. The room felt small all of a sudden and Cyane gulped.

His eyes that were fixed on hers lowered and she felt the blood rush in her veins as her heart thumped violently in her chest.

When he moved towards the bed, she exhaled and watched as he picked up the pillow. Nodding at her once, he walked out and this time, when Cyane closed the door, she leaned against it and slipped onto the floor to sit and bring her knees closer to her chest.

Her breathing was heavy and she could still feel the thumpity-thump of her heart.

What was wrong with her? She needed to stop this weird reaction her body was having whenever he was around. It was not good. Not good at all!

Or was it?

She placed her palms in front of her, belatedly realizing that Mr Black wasn't here to give her the answer she wanted. She had sent him away, to look for Mel or at least Winnie and her sister. He would find a way to get back to her, she knew he would because he always did. Yet, at the minute, she couldn't help but miss her friend.

Compressing her lips, she got off the floor and moved towards the huge bed.

___

The loud, angry banging of the door was what woke Cyane up the next morning. Moaning in complain, Cyane opened her eyes and pushed the blanket away.

The banging did not stop and Cyane realized that whoever was banging on the other side was doing it purposefully, but they were so loud that it seemed any moment now, the door would fall off its hinges.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Cyane opened the door and frowned when the first thing she saw was Miki's smug face. She had an idea of how this day would turn out!

"Morning Princess" he carolled and Cyane stiffened, the sleep gone like a poof. How did he find out?

"I hope you had a wonderful, restive night. Would you like some piping hot tea to be served for you in bed?" Cyane tensed further. How did they find out? What should she do now? How can she shut them all up at once?

She looked at the living room and noticed that Brody was already on the couch with a newspaper in his hand, watching their interaction, while Xanthos was on the phone, pacing around the kitchen. She could do it. She could hit Miki and escape, only it would cause a scene.

"Well, you are going to get none. Here, no one prepares breakfast and we have it if we feel like it. If you are hungry, you can join us or else you can starve here alone. The latter would suit me perfectly but my friends wouldn't appreciate it" Miki said flatly and Cyane heaved a sigh of relief, belatedly grasping that he was being sarcastic earlier.

He hadn't figured out anything yet. She had nothing to worry about!

"Just so you know, whatever expenses we bear on your behalf, we expect a full repayment, along with the rental charges for your accommodation" Miki added bluntly and Cyane blinked in surprise.

"Shut up Man!" Brody folded the newspaper and threw it at Miki. "He is kidding" Brody looked at her.

"Am I?" Miki cocked an eyebrow and Cyane narrowed her eyes. She wanted to stick her tongue out at him, but that would have been termed as childish.

"Why do you keep forgetting that she doesn't speak English" Brody questioned and with a scowl on his face, Miki walked away.

"I still cannot believe you let her sleep on the bed" he was complaining while Cyane went to clean up. "She should have slept on the floor."

She desperately wanted to know if Minerva had gone ahead with her plan last night, but she very much doubted that because Minerva had been at her home when she had called last night.

So hopefully, tonight, Minerva will make a move and then she can get away from here.

Splashing cold water on her face, Cyane stared at her reflection in the mirror. She cannot let these men go after Minerva. They may have offered her food and shelter but they couldn't be trusted. She had to keep reminding herself of that truth.

After freshening up, Cyane picked up a towel and stiffened when she caught his scent in it. Closing her eyes, she took the scent in and then realizing she was being creepy, she threw the towel away as if it burnt her.

What the hell was wrong with her? Why is Xanthos's scent bothering her so much?

There was a knock on the door and startled, Cyane jumped before placing the towel back up and pulling open the door only to see the person she had just been thinking about!

"Are you finished?" Xanthos asked her, his voice low and Cyane nodded. He stepped into the room and suddenly the already small washroom, felt smaller.

After picking up the brush and the toothpaste, he slid close the mirror cabinet and their eyes met through their reflection. Colour flooded her cheeks again and this time, it was more because of confusion and irritation.

He raised a questioning brow as she stood standing near the door, lost to the whole world except for him. There was a deep furrow between her brows as she concentrated on his facial features. That strong jawline, the straight and beautiful Greek nose... Cyane frowned when she realized, it was a familiar feature that she had noticed before somewhere.

His unsmiling mouth moved but Cyane didn't grasp what he said. She shook her head and his eyebrows shot up. His hair was messy and few strands of it, that fell over his forehead, canopied the raised brows.

It made him look unkempt and it was a look, she realized to her surprise, she quite liked on him. It made him more approachable.

Crossing his hands, he held the hem of his t-shirt and began pulling it upwards. Her eyes rounded to their fullest extent when his torso was visible- all lean muscles and dusted dark hair. As he placed his shirt on the edge of the basin, their eyes met again. Her shocked; and his challenging ones.

She couldn't help but remember the last time she had seen him without any clothes. As her cheeks started to burn, she quickly turned and ran out of the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

Her breathing was heavy and she covered her face with her cold hands.

Of course, he needed privacy! How could she keep staring at him like that? He must be thinking she is a pervert.

After taking deep breaths and composing herself, she stepped into the living room and was relieved to see that Miki and Brody had already left for she didn't want them to see her so flustered!

As she stood unsurely, her eyes flickered to Xanthos phone lying on the counter and without any hesitation, she picked it up.

The lock hadn't fallen on the screen yet and Cyane immediately used that opportunity to call Yolanda.

"Cyane?" Yolanda asked hesitantly when she answered the call.

"Yes."

"Oh! Thank God! I was really worried about you. How are you? Are you safe?" Yolanda sounded anxious and Cyane felt the guilt all over again.

"Yes. I am. I am fine."

"Look, I know you are not fine. Just tell me where you are and I can come and get you" Yolanda said worriedly.

Touched by Yolanda's concern for her, Cyane smiled, "Honestly Yolanda. You don't have to worry."

"Who is this guy? Why can't you tell him anything?"

"He... he is my ex-fiancé."

There was a pause after that. "Oh! Is he... threatening you or something?"

"No. We are talking about things. I just need some privacy" Cyane closed her eyes in pain but she had to be strong because this was the only way Yolanda and Minerva would back off.

"I understand. Wait, Minerva wants to talk to you."

A split second later, "Cyane.... Your fiancé? How did he find you?"

"Ex-fiancé. I had contacted him... after what happened with Gideon" Cyane answered tightly and there was a low growl on the other side.

"You are trying to work things out?" Minerva asked hopefully. She didn't know the whole story. No one did. Cyane hadn't told them about Gian and Lucy. She had only mentioned that she had run away because she didn't want to get married.

"Something like that and I need some time" Cyane whispered staring at the closed door, hoping Xanthos wouldn't come out any moment.

"Yeah. Okay. I get it" Minerva sighed.

"But you don't have time. You need to go to Gideon tonight. You need to help him escape. I am sorry you had to postpone your plans because of me but please go ahead with it tonight."

"I will." The growl that came from Minerva was loud and confident and Cyane smiled. Just one more day and she can leave from here. Strangely, as she stared at the closed door, she realized she wasn't feeling very happy at the thought.

"Good. Don't worry about me" Cyane said and after promising to call soon, she cut the call, deleted the number and placed the phone back in its place.

Five minutes later, Xanthos stepped out fully dressed in jeans and T-shirt the colour of his eyes. Cyane stood up the moment he entered and after pocketing his phone, he picked up the keys and leather jacket that hung on the wall.

With his hand, he signalled for her to follow him and hesitantly, she stepped out. As he was walked towards the stairs, she stood near the closed but unlocked door and frowned at his retreating figure.

When he noticed she wasn't following him, he shot her a questioning look. Cyane looked at the unlocked door and him again. He smirked, "No one would dare."

She didn't fully realize what he meant until he stepped into a crowded hotel. It was walking distance apart from his apartment and on the ground floor of an old building. Cyane's eyes rounded when she watched people standing outside and having breakfast because there wasn't any vacant table on the inside. She hadn't ever been to such a crowded hotel and when she saw so many people, she concluded that either the food is very good or it's cheap or it's both!

A sudden silence fell over when Xanthos stepped in and almost every single head turned to look at him. Some glared, some growled and some watched with wide fearful eyes, as he passed through the crowd to a table where Miki, Grayson, Brody and another guy, were already seated.

People spread to make way for him, but when Cyane followed him, she was pushed around by the crowd and when it happened for the third time, she accidentally hit a guy who was sipping coffee. When it spilt over his mouth and chest, he turned and glared at her.

Cyane gulped when she saw his eyes turn the colour of dark chocolate. Sneering at her, the maniac looking guy, took a step forward. Wolf!

"Viktor" There was a warning in that voice and as Viktor moved his gaze towards Xanthos, Cyane followed and noticed Xanthos shaking his head in warning.

Baring his teeth at her, Viktor shot her a hateful look and marched past. After that, the crowd spread to make way for her too. Grayson smiled at her and patted at the empty chair next to him.

"Hey," he said with a genuine smile. Cyane's eyes flickered towards the fifth guy, a teenager in uniform and the similarities between him and Grayson were so very visible that she knew the teenager was his younger brother and also, the fifth wolf, who had been in the woods that day.

"She is truly beautiful" Grayson's brother whispered in a daze and then smiled brightly. Grayson's eyes widened while Brody cleared his throat.

Confused the teenager looked around and froze when he met Xanthos's blank stare.

"Min bror- Jayson" Grayson introduced, quickly changing the topic and Cyane smiled because she knew he had practised that bit.

"Hi" Jayson waved at her, "I don't know if you remember me, but we did meet before."

"Of course, she remembers you. She is very clever. Don't go by that innocent face" Miki, who was taking large bites of his pancake was glaring at her and it took everything in her not to react.

"Miki, it's not even nine yet. Please don't start something and ruin my whole day" Grayson pleaded.

"What do you want for breakfast?" Brody passed the phone. They were having eggs and beacon and the smell was getting to her but aware of Xanthos's quiet, unwavering gaze on her, Cyane knew she couldn't have that.

She was used to rusk, bread, butter and fresh fruit juice for breakfast in the castle and so she wrote just that.

"No wonder she looks so delicate" Brody commented after he read her choice of breakfast. He was what people called a fitness freak and after looking at his plate, Cyane knew he preferred healthy breakfast.

When she waited for her order to come, Cyane looked around the hotel room and found that many curious eyes were already fixed on her. Stiffening, she remembered where she was.

In Aelius, where Crown Prince Saint was next in line for the throne. If someone recognized her then... But there was a low chance of that happening, Cyane assured herself. She had learnt from Lysander that Saint Winthrop had slipped into a coma and his friends, who had been with him that day, were killed.

It was unlikely anyone else would recognize her, but she had to be careful. What if someone working for Lysander saw her? Ducking her head, she ran her fingers on her hair to rearrange it so that it covered the sides of her face.

"How old is she?" Jayson asked randomly.

"Don't know. It doesn't feel right to ask" Grayson answered.

"She looks about eighteen" Miki mumbled watching her with a frown. Cyane was twenty-two and she was offended he thought she was a teenager.

"Eighteen?" Jayson grinned excitedly but it got wiped off from his face when he met Xanthos's harsh glare.

"Yeah. That's ten years younger than us. Surely, you don't like girls that young right? You prefer them closer to our age" Miki stressed looking hopefully at Xanthos.

A hollow feeling crept into her and her fingers shook as she felt pain course through the length of her body, after hearing what Miki said. The thought of Xanthos with other girls... it shouldn't hurt her; it shouldn't bother her but it did both and she paled all over.

Her grandmamma had always told her that the morals and values of the people in this part of the world were much different from theirs. Though the wolves have this concept of mate, which her grandmamma agreed was lovely, the wolves openly spat on it. So much so that now they weren't many mated couples at all. Yet, when she had witnessed the love between Yolanda and Lysander, Minerva and Gideon, who were mates, she had naively assumed that it was the same all over. Waiting for the one, just like the fairies in her clan did. They all believed in love and marriage.

However, now the reality sank in. While the men and the women in her clan believed in waiting until marriage, people here didn't. For them, sex wasn't something soul shifting or bound within the confines of marriage.

No, pre-marital sex wasn't wrong, Ari and Ronnie had once told her that, as long as both the parties are willing and want it at the moment sex isn't wrong. Sex isn't soul shifting to everyone. To some, it's just an exercise, or hunger that needs to be satiated or an act of pure physical pleasure or just something that provides comfort. They aren't wrong and they shouldn't be judged for it— Ari had stressed and at the moment, Cyane was trying very hard not to be judgemental.

Cyane knew she had, what these people would consider as rigid morals, but she wasn't ashamed of it and she refused to shame them for their choices either. However, she did want to shame Saint because for him consent didn't come into consideration. He was a creep whose place was beneath the worms.

She still didn't understand why Xanthos having a sex life should hurt her like she was physically thrown around several times, but it did. He wasn't her mate. Surely, she would have fallen in love at first sight if he had been. At least that what's happened to mates, from what she had heard!

But no, it did hurt her. It hurt her so much that she felt cold and sick.

"Are you okay?" Grayson asked noticing her pallor. Xanthos's eyes met hers and his brows furrowed when he noticed the pain in her eyes.

Realising that she was letting him get into her mind and in the processing forgetting why she was here, she gritted her teeth and forced a smile, while at the same time tucking her hands below her lap as she felt them getting hot. She wanted to smash something or more specifically punch someone's perfectly sculpted face.

His gaze was still on her and when she looked away, her gaze met Miki's. He stared at her until suddenly the carnelian eyes brightened as if a light was lit up. Leaning back in his seat, Miki took a sip of his melon juice with a smug smile on his face that she instantly wanted to wipe off.

Theos! She hated the guy!

"That's enough for you?" Brody asked worriedly when her breakfast arrived along with Xanthos's. While he had eggs, bacon, bread and tomatoes, hers only had bread, butter and a small cup of baby carrots and blueberries along with musk melon juice.

Cyane grinned as she took a large bite of the baby carrot. It was more than enough.

"One Sylvan coffee" the waiter announced.

The fruit fork slipped from her hands and fell to the plate with a clatter the very moment Xanthos said, "Here."

Cyane stared at the coffee and took in the aroma. It was the aroma that she had grown up to. She remembered running in between the coffee fields as water sprinkled all over the estate. She remembered her triumphant grin when she had first collected a handful of the coffee cherry before being shooed away by the estate manager because princesses didn't do such menial jobs. The coffee beans from Sylvan were one of the best in the world and several families owned huge estates.

Cyane too owned an estate that she had inherited from her mother. Her grandmamma employed several people to look after it and paid them handsomely. It was just another one of their family business.

Her grandpa also loved their coffee and she had gifted him a bag of those beans for his sixtieth birthday.

Every single head in the table turned to look at her questioningly. Shaking her head, she picked up the fork and continued eating as if the word Sylvan hadn't affected her at all.

"Ugh! Coffee" Grayson muttered in disdain.

"Not just any coffee. Sylvan coffee. The best" Jayson shared. "I love it."

"Want it?" Xanthos pushed the cup towards him.

"Not right now. No." he shook his head. "Maybe tomorrow. I need to go now."

"Yeah. Bye" Grayson said and when Jayson waved at her, she waved back.

"Will she be there tomorrow as well?" he asked Xanthos.

"NO"

"Yes."

Miki and Xanthos replied at the same time. Jayson ignored Miki and looked at Xanthos, "When will her brother come back?"

"Hopefully today," Miki said and Cyane had to stifle a smile. There is no way they would get rid of her today because today was the day Minerva would make a move to rescue Gideon.

"Doesn't she have anyone else? There's only her brother? What about the rest of her family?" Jayson asked innocently.

At the mention of the word family, Cyane stiffened and she thought about her family. Her grandmamma, her grandpa, Ronnie, Ari, her bodyguards... Mr Black.

How were they? How was everyone?

Gian had told her that they were constantly looking for her and Cyane's eyes welled up because she knew she didn't have to do all this. Go to such extreme lengths. She just had to contact her grandpa and then she would be back in the castle. It would take her grandmamma less than ten minutes to make all the arrangements.

But then, she remembered what kept her here and swallowing back a lump in her throat, she continued eating.

•••

The clouds turned darker and denser when Roderick Swafford climbed out of the driver's seat of his car. Though it was only eleven in the morning, the headlight of the car was fully lit up for it seemed like dusk was fast approaching.

He was a werewolf and had thick skin and fur to protect him from the cold, but he still needed to use a sweater whenever he came anywhere close to the Sylvan mountain range.

After handing over the car keys to the security, he climbed up the entrance stairs and stood in front of the large set of double doors. He didn't bother knocking because he knew they were already made aware of his arrival by the security guards.

A split second later, the doors to Valley Villa a chalet at the foothills of Mount Delias, was pulled open.

"Good Morning, Mr Swafford" Sijo, one of Cyane's bodyguards greeted him at the door. The heater was on and the inside of the house felt like a toaster.

"Good morning" Roderick replied as he pulled off his sweater and handed it to Sijo. "Is she here?" he enquired as he straightened his shirt.

"Yes. She is waiting for you in her office room. I will take you there" Sijo replied in an accented voice after hanging the sweater in the stand.

"Very well" Roderick nodded and followed after him. He has been to this place several times. It is the place he often chose to conduct his meeting with Cyane's grandmother. He was too old to climb the mountain and it had been years since he had stepped foot into the castle. Hence, Ianthe would descend from her home and meet him in this chalet, where they had had countless arguments regarding Cyane's welfare.

Roderick knew like him, Ianthe too genuinely cared about Cyane and wanted the best for her, but their views and methods of achieving it were different and so, they often ended up arguing over everything. Hence, a third person, usually a peacemaker would always be in the room. Usually, it was Dion, Cyane's grand-uncle and Ianthe's younger brother.

Roderick had already caught their scent the moment he stepped inside the house and as he moved closer to the closed door, he could already hear their arguments from the inside. They were talking in Greek and though they spoke too fast for him to understand everything, he was able to catch up with certain words they were using.

Sijo knocked the door twice and when he was permitted to enter, he made known of the guest's arrival to Ianthe and her brother.

"They are ready to see you," Sijo said and pulled open the door for him to enter.

"Roderick, it's good to see you" Dion greeted warmly, standing up to shake Roderick's hand, while Ianthe sat rigidly in her seat behind the desk and refused to stand up.

Once a queen, always a queen! Roderick knew she had great manners, but she was furious with him and so, she refused to make him feel welcome.

Twin spots of colour appeared on Dion's otherwise pale cheeks when he noticed that his sister didn't make any move to welcome Cyane's grandpa.

Fifteen years younger than Ianthe, Dion always reminded Roderick of his son Duke, who would have been the same age as him had he been alive. Though he looked nothing like Duke because Duke had been tall and dark-haired, while Dion was shorter, leaner and had platinum blonde hair just like his sister.

"Take a seat" he gestured to Roderick as he pulled back the wooden armchair. "Would you like anything?"

"Just coffee" Roderick cleared his throat and looked at Ianthe, who was openly glaring at him. Her purple eyes were the same shade as Cyane's, and whenever he looked into those eyes, he was reminded of the reason why he was here, facing this haughty woman.

It was all for Cyane. Only for Cyane, Roderick kept reminding himself over and over again, as he had done, since the moment he handed over Cyane's custody to Ianthe, with certain terms and conditions of his own.

He loved his granddaughter more than anyone and anything in this world and she is the only person that had kept him going all these years. Roderick knew he was old and didn't have much time left, but before he left this world for good, he wanted to ensure that Cyane was married to someone, who would love her and accept her just the way she was. Someone, who would treat her right! Someone who would know how precious, how kind and how lovable she was.

Just like him, Ianthe had many faults; Roderick knew that but she was also the only other person in this world who loved Cyane just as much as he did. For that reason alone, he often tried to be civil with her.

Even though Ianthe was fifty-five years old, she had always seemed much younger to Roderick, but now, to him, it seemed that she had suddenly aged. There were dark circles under her eyes and her lips were chapped and broken. The meeting which was scheduled to happen last week had been postponed because Ianthe had come down with a fever last week. Worry about Cyane was doing to her, what it did to him.

"So, why am I called here this time?" Roderick demanded, leaning back in his seat.

"It's been one month since we last saw you and in all this time, you never bothered to contact us" Ianthe rebuked sharply, in her crisp, accented voice. "You told me the last time you left this place that you were going to find my granddaughter—"

"Our granddaughter" Roderick corrected with a growl.

"Our granddaughter. So, what happened? What did you and your friend find out? Or do you still have nothing on her?" Ianthe demanded angrily.

"Bardo's men are looking for her. They think—" Roderick cleared his throat again before adding, "They suspect she has crossed the border and stepped into Aelius."

Pushing her chair back, Ianthe stood up in outrage and placed her hand on the table. "Aelius?" she hissed. "The same kingdom you had to run away from? Cyane knows about that place. She would never set her foot there."

"What if she flew there by accident? What then?" Roderick asked.

"She won't always be flying. At some point in time, she must have realized where she was. It's been two months" Dion stated.

"But she has escaped. She wanted to get away from Bardo and his men. She wanted to run away from us" Roderick whispered the last bit.

How could one find someone who didn't want to be found?

"This would have never happened had you not helped her escape from her wedding" Ianthe snapped at Roderick.

Angry at that remark, Roderick pushed his chair back and stood up. "A wedding? Is that what you call a business arrangement? You all but purchased the cheapest product in the market for my granddaughter."

"I did not know Gian was involved with another woman. If I had an inkling about it—"

"It does not matter" Roderick raised his hand to silence Ianthe. "The fact that you arranged a wedding for her, knowing fully well that she is a daughter of a wolf, is in itself wrong!"

"She is a fairy" Ianthe hissed.

"Eleni was one too" Roderick reminded. "And she was mated to my son. You daughter wouldn't bend to your will and not ready to accept that defeat, you chose the next best option. But I will not allow it. I will never let you arrange a wedding for Cyane ever again. She gets to choose what she wants to do with her life and whom she wants to marry. You do not have any say in it!"

"You want her to choose an animal like you, is that it?" Ianthe spat and Roderick growled at her. "My daughter chose to be with your son and do you not know what happened to her?"

"What happened to Eleni is not Duke's fault. You as well as I know who and what led those creatures into their home that night" Roderick gritted out.

"She is dead. They both are. You should know better than me, how it feels to have your child die before you" Ianthe shouted shakily, tears welling up her eyes.

"Aderfí" Dion whispered, moving to stand closer to his sister.

At the reminder that he has lost both his children well before their time, Roderick paled and sank into the seat.

"My apologies" Dion mumbled, looking at Roderick who shrank in his seat.

There was a knock and a split second later, Sijo stepped in to announce that the maid was here. There was complete silence in the room when the maid placed the coffee and some snacks on the table and left, with her head bent low.

With hands that were visibly shaking, Roderick picked up the enamel cup and took a sip of the hot brew. "When I helped Cyane escape from the wedding, I had everything planned. But somewhere, somehow, they got the news and... her blood... she cut herself in the airport. They caught her scent and followed her" Roderick said placing the cup back on the table, relishing the taste of the caffeine.

"But they knew she was coming to the airport. Someone working for you must have let it get out" Dion reminded.

"Yes," Roderick admitted sadly because that's why the creatures had been at the airport. Waiting for Cyane. They would have failed to recognize her because he had her scent covered.... If only that tiny accident with the minister's son hadn't happened and if only, she hadn't bled.

"What about the black wolf? Did you find out who he is?" Dion questioned.

"It's an unusual animal... it's not a werewolf. The size is not the same as us and the scent that had lingered that day had been of an animal. No one could trace its scent completely. It's like that animal appeared out of nowhere, but it had followed Cyane when she flew out of the airport after..." Roderick rubbed his nose with his fingers.

"The wolf had protected her, though right? It had killed several of them. Which means it wouldn't hurt her" Dion said hopefully.

"The wolf wasn't with her when she met Bardo. She was all alone. The police and the family that let her stay with them have also confirmed the same. No animal, no other person had been with her. However, Jack, the guy who had found her in the woods had said he had been chasing a panther when he had come across Cyane in the woods."

"A panther? Black fur and golden eyes I presume? The same as the wolf?" Ianthe asked and Roderick nodded as a reply. "It's one of her creatures. It has to be her— The sleeping mother, that witch! She created those monsters and she might have even created this wolf... this panther... whatever that animal is" Ianthe said in a voice that was shaking with anger and eyes that were unfocused.

"Why would the wolf kill the creatures then? It doesn't make sense" Dion pointed out. "Why would anyone kill one of their own?"

Roderick and Ianthe flinched at that comment. Dion closed his eyes and lowered his head in shame, when he realized what he had just said, "Sygnómi Aderfí" he apologized.

Ianthe raised her hand to silence him.

Roderick gulped audibly and spoke again, "Bardo is trying his best to find the wolf. So far, we have no leads, but he has sent Cyane's photo to someone in Aelius. Someone whom we can trust and someone who can also protect her there."

"Let me guess, Acheron Zeke?" Ianthe demanded.

"Yes," Roderick met her gaze unflinchingly.

"Has he agreed to find her?"

"Yes."

Ianthe took a deep breath and then turned to look at the artfully arranged photo frames in the wall. Her eyes always sought her husband's photo first and then they would flicker to her daughter's. As she looked at the photos, her eyes stayed put on the photo of two kids. One boy and a girl. Cyane was only four when the photo had been taken and unsure of what was happening around her, she had no smile on her face as she stood on one leg, while the boy who had been eight at the time, beamed brightly as he stood beside her with his arms crossed.

It was the lively smile on his face that had tears clouding her eyes again. Sniffing and hastily wiping her tears, she turned back to face Roderick, as he asked, "What about your people? Did they find anything? Ari, Ronnie?"

"There was an incident recently. A theft. Ronnie and Ari have gone after the guy, but they will be back soon" Dion replied.

"A theft? And Ron left because of that?" Roderick asked in confusion, ignoring Ianthe's scowl at that shortening of an already short nickname.

"Three security guards were killed," Dion said regretfully and Roderick's lips curved to form an O because it explained why Ronnie had left too.

"They are going to—"

"Kill him. Obviously. They have to. He killed our people and we do not forgive that" Ianthe said sharply.

"Ronnie has promised to contact Gian on the way back" Dion added.

"Gian?" Roderick said with a frown. "Why would Cyane contact him?"

"We are not taking any chances and besides, Alfonsi clan is ashamed by the behaviour of their prince and they are ready to help us in any way they can," Ianthe said snootily.

"They might be back by next week and once they are back, I will ask Ari to go to Aelius. He and his men are ready to go there and look for her, but—"

"No" Roderick cut in sharply. "Not right now, no. Acheron attacked the king's men last week in which the Crown Prince Saint was also attacked and he had slipped into a coma. Now is not the right time to go to Aelius. Let things cool down there a bit. Let Acheron do his work first. He has a network of his own and he can look for Cyane with their help."

"He attacked the Crown Prince?" Ianthe asked with a frown.

"No. Someone else did but they took Ash's name" Roderick said pointedly. "He lost the person who took his name, but managed to kill those who were in the same place."

"Ah! That explains it" Ianthe nodded in understanding. "He has everything under his control?"

"He is clever and he knows how to move the pieces in the game that he is playing. He has things under control" Roderick admitted.

"But he is not under your control. He is a rogue" Dion furrowed his brows.

"So am I," Roderick said flatly. "In recent years, I have learned to trust rogues more than a pack wolf and Acheron cannot be bought by the king or anyone else for that matter. He is motivated by revenge and his end goal is the same as mine— Watch Stanislaus crawl and bleed."

"You believed... what's the other rogue's name? The one who cut the King's hands?"

"Lysander" Roderick supplied.

"Yes. Lysander. You had once thought he would kill the king too. He had more reasons than Ash" Dion pointed out.

"He still does. He had his chance and he blew it up. Maybe because of his mate... she is Stan's daughter after all. I don't know why they spared him. No one knows the details but I am disappointed with both of them. They were friends with Lisa and they did nothing to avenge her death. My daughter was killed because she kept their romance a secret. A rogue and a princess... Stan hated it just because Lysander was a Zeke and his uncle was Alexander Zeke, who had killed Stan's parents. Come to think of it, Xander had a chance to kill Stanislaus when he was a boy, but the old wolf didn't." When his back started to ache, Roderick sat straight in his seat and groaned.

"Have you checked your back?" Ianthe asked with a frown.

"Yes. I have been put on a sixty-day course actually" Roderick answered with a hesitant smile.

"This Acheron Zeke, he is an orphan, right? Not in any way related to the actual Zeke's?" Dion asked doubtfully.

"God no! The last name Zeke was given by the people because he is a rogue. It's not his choice but he has learned to go with it" Roderick shrugged.

"That's great because it seems to me, the true born Zeke always spare Stanislaus's useless life" Dion muttered and Roderick laughed. "Well, that's settled then. Ari won't come to Aelius until you give the green signal."

"Speaking of Ari, I am sorry his engagement had to get postponed," Roderick said quietly as he thought of Dion's son.

"No. Don't be. Cyane is more important for us" Dion smiled kindly.

Ari and Layla's engagement was supposed to take place a week after Cyane's wedding but the wedding never happened and after Cyane went missing, the royal family of Lycoris, officially decided to postpone Ari's engagement until foreseeable future.

"Ari is okay with it? I have never got a chance to apologize to him" Roderick continued.

"He is okay. There were some in Layla's family who started some rumours but Ari shut them up" Dion said proudly.

"What rumours? The boy is completely besotted by her. He is never going to leave her" Roderick grinned and Dion chuckled.

"I know. They feared they would lose face if the engagement got cancelled" Dion sighed. "Anyway, everything got sorted out well. Now, Ari can focus on looking for Cyane and I will tell him what you just did."

"Good. He won't come to Aelius until I say so. Neither will Ron" Roderick added sharply.

"That we don't get to decide" Ianthe compressed her lips and Roderick sighed. "Speaking of whom, Ronnie heard something about an attack... Ash's attack. Some fifteen days ago in the middle of the woods. A family was killed and the case was ruled out as an animal attack" Ianthe leaned forward suspiciously. "Have you heard about that?"

"I did. They were humans and there weren't any survivors. Some bodies are missing and most recently I have heard that the search ops have stopped. I have seen the pictures too... it was those creatures who attacked the family. But the burnt bodies were because of the car engine explosion. For a second, I had thought..." Roderick closed his eyes and shook his head. "I wonder where she is... how she is..." he trailed off thinking about Cyane.

"Ever since she came to the castle, I always knew where she is, what she is doing and now... nothing" Ianthe said painfully.

"She is angry with us for lying to her... but the truth... if she comes to know the whole truth, then... I... I am glad she forgot because she wouldn't be able to live with that pain" Roderick shook his head and swallowed.

"But Cyane is going to ask when she returns, she is going to have a lot of questions. Are we to keep the truth from her even then?" Dion asked thoughtfully.

"What's the other option? Tell her what exactly happened that night?" Ianthe countered. "We cannot... we cannot because we don't know how she is going to take it. What if she gets angry and leaves again... or... or what if she forgets again?"

"Forget what? Only the truth, right? She will only forget the truth and then what? The whole cycle is going to repeat" Roderick shook his head angrily. "When she comes back, she won't be asking about what happened to her parents. She is going to ask us why she cannot remember anything. Why she keeps forgetting, because surely by now she has realized that she forgets certain incidents. We cannot lie to her like we always did in the past and wherever she is, people around won't be lying to her either. What are you going to tell her then, Ianthe?" Roderick glared at Ianthe, who simply compressed her lips and refused to answer him.

"Roderick, please..." Dion urged. "Let's not revisit the past again and again."

"Why not? After all, that very past has shaped my granddaughters present and future! She is being punished for a 'crime' that had happened even before she was born" Roderick said sharply and Dion tensed. "Cyane is being punished because she is her mother's daughter."

"Eleni was supposed to be a queen" Ianthe snapped losing her head as she angrily got off her seat. "She was my heir and she was supposed to rule our kingdom and our people. She was my only daughter, my everything after my husband. I had so many plans for her... how do you think I felt when she came up and suddenly announced to me that she is going to marry a guy I didn't even know about... a shape-shifting werewolf at the top of that? The very same werewolves, whom my mother tried to protect from that evil witch and what did she get in return for offering that protection? She fell into a coma for ten years while your people completely forgot about her sacrifice!" Ianthe lashed out angrily. "The crown had been put on my head when I was just three years old. I kept asking my father what happened to mama, why she is sleeping all the time. Eventually, I got the answer and when I did, I started hating your kind. So, imagine my shock, when my daughter brings a werewolf home and claims her everlasting love for him. How do you think I should have felt?" Ianthe demanded angrily. "Yes. I let anger overpower me that day and I have regretted it every day since."

"Your regret won't stop those creatures from coming after Cyane," Roderick said bitterly.

"But it will protect her from them" Ianthe cut in sharply. "And don't you dare point that finger at me... you know why those creatures were created in the first place. Your kind is responsible for their birth! Half-human, half-animal, you don't even know how to maintain a balance between the two" Ianthe muttered in disgust.

When Roderick stood up, his chair toppled over, "Before you insult me or my kind, do remember that Cyane has my blood running in her veins too."

"And it's your hot-headed animal blood that has her behaving so recklessly now" Ianthe gritted out. Dion stood up too, ready to come in between if the fight gets too intense. He knew Sijo and his men were outside, ready to intervene the moment he rings the bell.

"How dare you? Just because I do not have a blood of an angel running through my veins doesn't mean I am inferior to you in any way... and what good is that fairy blood of yours either? It is the reason my granddaughter is being attacked time and again by those creatures" Roderick lashed out angrily.

"But we were protecting her from those creatures, weren't we? She was safe here. It was you who allowed her to escape and it was your friend who messed up when protecting her. So, don't you dare point that accusing finger at me" Ianthe advised.

"I will. I will point it time and again. What are you going to do?" Roderick raised his voice. "You are not the queen anymore, or have you forgotten that bit?" he taunted and Ianthe stiffened. "Have you forgotten what happened in the Duel of the Daughters? Cyane might have forgotten, but I haven't and neither did the crowd present there. Cyane might still think you are the queen, but we know you aren't. You lost that day, Ianthe. You were defeated in the duel! Do remember than when you try to get all haughty with me."

With that said, Roderick turned to leave. However, before opening the door, he stopped and looked through his shoulder at Dion, "I am sorry for putting you through this all again, but your sister needs to know that her rule has ended!"

___

Aha!

Surprised? Cyane's grandmamma is no longer the queen which means, the queen of Lycoris is....?

Please do share your thoughts about this chapter because I simply love reading it :D

Chapter 12 will be posted on 5th July and just to enhance your imagination...

A shirtless Christian Hogue :D Yeah... this is how I spent my quarantine. 

Lol.... Bye.

Stay safe lovelies :D:-*