HAPPY GANESH CHATURTHI!

As it's one of my favourite festivals, I updated a day early and this chapter is dedicated to @bindu2112 :D

****

WALNUT:

Best eaten early in the morning, walnut is one of the healthiest snack options as it is very rich in protein and contains high amounts of fiber. As it's a nut with the highest amount of antioxidants, they are effective in preventing heart disease.

The walnut shell looks like a human brain and that's just weird but studies have shown that walnut is good for brain function as it aids in better memory, learning skills and also help fight stress and reduce anxiety.

Walnut also contains Biotin i.e Vitamin B7, which strengthens hair and reduces hair fall, helping in overall hair growth. Walnut is better just eaten plain or as a topping with a healthy oatmeal.

____

"Hunter versus prey, and the look in his eyes told her, in no uncertain terms, eating her alive was a distinct possibility."
― Kelly Moran, Tracking You

____

CHAPTER 16 – HER NAME

"With wings like bats and hawk-like talons, the harpies swooped in and carried away everything precious to mankind. They killed innocents and feasted on their blood until their lizard-like skin was drenched in them. The sufferings of the people grew terrible as the harpies also ruined their harvests. With no food to eat and no place to hide, the humans ran to the fairies for shelter and thus began the First Battle of the Wings.

The Harpy queen knew humans would seek the help of fairies who were also hunters and warriors. But the fairies had a weakness... their strengths depended on the existence of the Pure Soul in their clan and only one person in the clan could see them and they called her the rider. So, the Harpy queen asked for her sisters to kill rider first and then the Pure Soul.

When the Pure Soul of a clan was killed, the clan too fell apart. The harpies grew in strength while the fairies fell to their death. The First Battle of the wings ended with the victory to Harpies and a period of Great Grief for the fairies in which several clans were completely wiped out.

Pained by the death of her siblings, Queen Magdalena asked for God Supreme to interfere and on their instructions, an Angel descended to the earth. The fairy queen and the angel were to have a child, who would be the first of her kind. She would have powers that no one before ever possessed.

They named her Cyrena, for she was to be the queen who would then not only defeat the harpies but also, wipe out their kind from the surface of the earth.

Intelligent, kind and extremely powerful, Cyrena possessed the strength of her mother and the ruthlessness of her father. Her enemies trembled in fear when they heard her wings flapping like thunder. With a single-minded purpose, she would step into the battlefield and tear apart the wings of her enemies and pierce their cold, cruel heart with a—"

The clanking sound of a steel vessel dropping on to the floor was what woke Cyane up.

She had the dream again. The same dream that she had been having for years. A young boy was reading to her the story of Queen Cyrena, the first half-breed fairy of their family. She was the first Sylvan fairy to have an angel like wings and all her children and all their children possessed the same gifts that she did. Cyane and all the current members of the Lycoris royal family were a direct descendent of Queen Cyrena from her first daughter.

She did know queen Cyrena's story because all the children in Sylvan clan were taught about it at a young age but in the dream that she just had, someone else was reading the story to her. A young boy!

But who was it?

As she wondered about her strange dream, she looked at the ceiling and her brows furrowed when she saw the ceiling fan. There was something strange about it... it's colour. The ceiling fan in Xanthos's place was black while this one was dark blue.

Sitting up straight in the bed, Cyane looked around and found that she was in an unfamiliar place. In some bedroom. But whose house was this?

She had been to every room in Yolanda's house... well, every room except for the one they kept locked and which Minerva had said brings painful memories! However, she was pretty sure this wasn't that room because she just had a feeling she wasn't in their house. Where was she?

Pushing off the covers, she got up from the bed and then took a deep breath. She caught two unfamiliar scents and her heart hammered in her chest.

Seriously... where was she? How did she end up here? She remembered phoning Yolanda and walking around Brigade Street. Then... then she remembered nothing!

She was still wearing the same clothes that she had been wearing around the market. Hoodie and black pants. The back was torn and there was a large hole on one sleeve. The back of it must have torn while she spread her wings, but the sleeves... she couldn't explain the sleeves or the specks of dust on them. Mud... Red mud.

It means she flew from the market. But why did she fly? Why did she release her wings? What happened? What did she forget this time?

Her heart in her mouth, she slowly pushed open the room door and peeked her head out. The first thing she noticed was the empty living room. Hesitantly, she stepped out and looked around before walking into the living room.

"Oh! The noise woke you up!" an unfamiliar male voice said and Cyane whipped her head towards the direction of the voice.

A very tall man, with thick black hair and stormy grey eyes, smiled at her, while he wiped a bowl with a towel. His hair was so thick that it made her envious and his grey eyes were so assessing that it made her nervous.

Cyane stiffened the moment she recognized him from the photos Minerva had shown her that day. His name was—

"Hi, I am Lachlan Knox" he introduced himself after he dropped the towel on the kitchen counter and then pulled a wooden stool and sat on the other side of the dining counter.

Cyane knew his name and she also knew that he was Ash's bodyguard. The very famous Ash, who Lysander believed, had killed her friends. The same Ash who had kidnapped Gideon. The same Ash who was also the reason Minerva was very upset at the moment.

Narrowing her eyes, Cyane just stood in her spot and watched him. He was a wolf and he was so tall; he made her feel like a dwarf. But he was associated with Ash and according to Minerva and Lysander, he was bad news.

She was about to continue with the act of being a mute when he spoke again, "Take a seat... Cyane."

Her eyes almost popped out as her whole body turned rigid when he said her name. How did this guy know her name?

"How do you know my name?" she asked with a frown, her whole stance suspicious of this stranger.

"Take a seat." His smile long vanished, he gestured with his eyes for her to sit on the opposite stool and hesitantly, Cyane walked over. She was curious and at the moment he was the only guy who could ebb it.

He screamed danger but his eyes weren't cruel or harsh or creepy. The warning signals in her head were mostly telling her that she had to think twice before messing with him. He was calm. Extremely calm and that made him even more dangerous.

"How do you know my name?" she demanded sitting on the wooden stool. He was a lone wolf and she had nothing to fear from him, but he still somehow managed to make her jumpy. Maybe it was because of tall, brooding look he had or maybe it was because of the bomb he had just dropped by saying her name.

"I believe people are looking for you," he said watching her carefully and Cyane paled because that meant, the king's men are looking for her. "People from Scevola" he clarified and her head whipped up to look at him in shock.

"Scevola" she whispered. Her grandpa and Bardo were from Scevola. They have a reason to look for her. "Who?"

"I don't know. All I know is that you are wanted back by the people you left behind" Lachlan said with a shrug.

"How do you know I left them?" Cyane demanded.

"You are staying in a stranger's house because you have no place to go. I know Lysander has no family apart from his mate and daughter. So, the little fact of you staying with them as a relative of a sort is odd" Lachlan tossed at her and Cyane tensed.

Cyane was about to ask him if he was keeping tabs on her but stopped because she was sure, he wasn't keeping tabs on her. He was after Lysander and since she had been in Lysander's home, he had automatically wanted to know more about her.

Instead, she asked, "Why am I here? How did I end up here?"

"I was going for my early morning run when I found you unconscious in the middle of the woods."

"The last thing I remember was walking down Brigade Street" Cyane countered and Lachlan furrowed his brows.

"That's almost ten kilometres away from here. How did you end up in the middle of the woods?" he asked.

"I..." Cyane had no answer. She forgot again... she couldn't believe it happened again and even this time, no one could help her remember. No one had been with her when she had been in the Brigade Street. She had been alone.

"I don't know," She said truthfully. "Why... why did you bring me here? What do you want?" She had to ask because she wanted to know what his intentions were.

"Even if there was someone else other than you, lying there unconscious and in need of help, I would have brought them here" Lachlan stated firmly and Cyane grudgingly respected that kind of righteous behaviour.

"Thank-you" she meant it, but he merely cocked a dark brow, which was as thick as his dark hair. "Was I injured?"

"Do you heal?" he countered and compressing her lips, Cyane nodded. Lachlan stared at her for a long while before saying, "You ran away from your kingdom."

Cyane's lips parted company for this one particular man completely stunned her. How did he...? There was no way Bardo or her grandpa would reveal that she is a fairy when they make enquires about her. And no way people from her kingdom would do that either because fairies guard their secrets even more closely than werewolves.

Leaning forward in her seat, she narrowed her eyes, before saying, "How do you know who I am?"

There was no point in lying or playing games with him. He got to the point, which meant she had to do the same.

"I just know" he shrugged.

"Then, do you also know that I could kill you right now—"

"No. You cannot" he cut in unfazed and Cyane furrowed her brows.

Lachlan leaned forward, just the way she had done seconds earlier and somehow, he succeeded in being very intimidating when he did that. His grey eyes turned dark every passing second and her heart thumped in her chest and it was not in a good way. "I am not Xanthos," he said slowly, deliberately and Cyane reared back as if he had struck her.

She was wrong. He was keeping tabs on her!

Furious, she violently got off the stool and then demanded, "Why are you following me? What do you want? Did you do something to me? Is that why I am don't remember—"

"Dada"

At the sound of a little girl's voice, Cyane stopped hurtling questions and turned her head in shock to look at a toddler in shortie pyjamas tiptoe sleepily into the kitchen, clutching a stuffed horse.

"The noise woke you up?" he asked as the little girl, held forth her arms, wanting to be picked up. Lachlan did so with a smile and then placed her on his lap.

Through sleepy eyes, the little girl looked at her and Cyane immediately knew the child was Lachlan's daughter because she had the same angry nose and thick black hair as her father, but her eyes were bright as emeralds and Cyane believed she inherited those from her mother.

However, what had her speechless was the way the little girl's eyes glowed brightly when they met Cyane's amethyst ones. She wasn't doing it consciously, Cyane knew that for sure because it happened automatically when a fairy met another of her kind.

Cyane knew her own eyes glowed in acknowledgement. It was how fairies recognized others of their kind and it was how, at the moment, she found out that she wasn't the only fairy in the room.

She had caught the other scent early on but only now did she realize that there was a little person in this house. What shocked Cyane the most was the truth that the little girl was also a fairy.

Without tearing her eyes off the toddler, Cyane sat on the stool.

"Who she?" the little girl asked pointing at Cyane.

"A friend," Lachlan said and Cyane smiled at the toddler but didn't get back one in return.

Lachlan brushed dark locks away from his daughter's face and then tied it into a little plait, while Cyane and the little girl watched each other in curiosity.

Who was the toddler's mother? Which clan did she belong to?

"Bekfast?" the girl asked, slapping her hands on the countertop, while Lachlan placed a gentle kiss on top of her head.

When he looked up, his eyes met Cyane's stupefied ones and there was a warning look in his gaze that told her that all talks and accusations would have to stop, as long as the little girl was in the room.

"We have to brush your teeth first" Lachlan reminded, picking her up and then carrying her toward the bathroom.

For the next fifteen minutes, Cyane simply paced around his living room, looking at the photos. There were several photos of the child with Lachlan, a teenage girl and two young boys, but no photo with the mother and it made Cyane all the more curious. Where was the mother?

At the moment phoning Yolanda was the last thing on her mind!

When Lachlan brought his daughter out again, he placed her on the high stool chair and gave her a bottle of hot water.

"What's your name?" she asked the little girl.

"Dwyn-Dwyn" the girl answered happily and Cyane smiled, before looking at Lachlan. That couldn't be her real name!

However, Lachlan didn't correct her and she presumed that was the kid's real name. "She is—"

"Like you," Lachlan said looking her in the eye.

"You know who I am?"

"Honestly, before today, I didn't know. I just happened to figure it out when I saw that your clothes were torn at the back... the same place where your wings come out. Happens with my daughter too" he said sincerely.

"Where's her mother?"

"Topsy is not with us anymore," Lachlan said grimly.

"Oh! I am so sorry" Cyane said ruefully, sad that the child lost her mother so young.

Lachlan cocked an eyebrow before adding, "I meant we are not together anymore. She left when our daughter was six months old."

Cyane inhaled sharply at that piece of information. How could a mother leave her baby? What kind of woman was this... this Topsy? And who was she? Which clan did she belong? She was a hundred per cent sure there was no one called Topsy in her clan. Then, which clan did the little girl's mom belong to?

Cyane knew she could find it out. Hold Dwyn-Dwyn's hand and help her fly. It is what mothers did with their little children during their first flight. However, Cyane just felt wrong doing it.

No matter what happened, Topsy was still her mother and she had the right to be the first one to teach her daughter how to fly. Cyane just felt it would be wrong of her to compel the girl to bring out her wings because it was a mother's privilege and she had seen mother's in her clan cherish and treasure that moment.

Her mother had an artist paint that moment, just like her grandmamma had done before her!

"Finish," Dwyn-Dwyn said cheerfully when she emptied the bottle.

"Good Babai" Lachlan grinned proudly and then wiped her mouth with a towel. Cyane then realized that the girl was brought up by her father, who was a wolf and who probably knew nothing of their kind.

"Did she ever fly?" Cyane asked in a whisper when Lachlan set a healthy breakfast of chopped veggies in front of the little girl.

"No. She doesn't know how to and there's no one there to teach her" Lachlan said as he picked up another plate. "Why? She should have flown by now?"

"Yes. We do it immediately after we learn to walk" Cyane said sincerely and Lachlan simply raised his brows before passing on the plate of the omelette to her.

"No. Thank-you" Cyane pushed the plate back. She was a vegetarian... at the moment and she was planning to stick to that for the rest of her life! Fairies usually were vegetarians, but she suspected, like her, Dwyn-Dwyn was also taught by her father to eat meat.

"Do you know which clan Topsy belonged to?"

"I don't know and I don't care," Lachlan said, his voice harsh and she knew there was bad blood between him and his ex.

She did want to find out more about Topsy but she could do it properly only after she returned home. There she would have the necessary means and she could contact the necessary investigators who would look for this fairy, who was cruel enough to leave her six-month-old baby.

"You no eat bekfast?" Dwyn-Dwyn asked her when Cyane made no move to have the omelette.

"I am a vegetarian," she told the little girl with a sheepish smile, before looking at Lachlan, "Most fairies are."

Lachlan scowled but gave no response to that. "What is vegiten?" the little girl asked her father.

"It means she doesn't eat eggs or chicken" Lachlan explained.

"I love eggs" Dwyn-Dwyn cried happily and when Cyane raised her eyebrows, Lachlan shot her a smug smile.

"How old is she?" Cyane questioned, still watching the little girl.

"She turned two recently."

"She is adorable" Cyane grinned, running her index on Dwyn-Dwyn's chubby cheeks. She was super cute and Cyane wanted to hug her close.

"I know" Lachlan's soft eyes were on his daughter and Cyane realized this girl was well cared and protected for by her father. It told her that Lachlan was not a bad guy, but he worked for—

Tensing, she whispered, "You know, I was told things about you too."

"Let me guess, Lysander?" Lachlan simply raised a brow and Cyane didn't refute his claim.

"They say he is a bad guy and yet, you work for him?" Cyane whispered again, the bad guy referring to Acheron Zeke.

"What do you think Ash is?" Lachlan asked her instead.

"I don't know. I never met him" Cyane answered truthfully.

"Then how can you judge him based on others words?" he continued, raising a brow and Cyane blinked before gulping audibly.

"So, you are saying he is misunderstood?"

"He is fighting fire with fire. No one had the guts to do that before because all they ever cared about was the destruction it would cause" Lachlan replied in a quiet voice.

"It would. It would destroy everything" Cyane protested and then smiled at Dwyn-Dwyn when she shot her a questioning look.

"I think a total wipe-out is what Aelius needs" Lachlan simply shrugged and Cyane flinched as she heard it.

She didn't like Aelius at all, but she did not believe in totally wiping it out mainly because Yolanda and Lysander considered it their home. It was home to Xanthos too and Ash was planning on completely wiping the foundation of the kingdom.

The fact that Lachlan agreed with it, told her that like Ash, he didn't care about the consequences or was not bothered by it at all!

"Finish" the little girl cried again and Lachlan helped her get off the stool, before telling her to go to her room and play.

Once the child was out of their sight, Cyane turned to glare at Lachlan. "You are mad. You both are" she hissed and he chuckled.

"Someone has to get mad," he told her with a cruel smirk and shaking her head, Cyane stood up.

"Your daughter considers this her home... what if it's gone?"

"This isn't her home and when I reclaim my home, I will take her there myself and show her how much she is loved" he hissed glaring at Cyane and she knew, his words held a meaning, held some pain but she didn't want to figure it out because she knew it would be a waste of time.

He was far gone and she supposed, so was Ash. She would try to rescue his daughter though... somehow!

"Your decision is going to have consequences" she reminded him.

"Are you going to preach to me now?" Lachlan raised an amused brow and Cyane furrowed her brows, "Did you think about the consequences of your decision when you ran away from your home?" he asked cruelly and Cyane gulped.

"Who wants me back home?" she asked.

"Should I tell you their names or should I mention their license number too?" Lachlan asked and Cyane gulped because he got it right! Her grandpa owned a transport company.

Placing his hands on the counter he leaned forward and even though there was a good amount of distance between them, he still managed to make her feel like a fly under a microscope.

"They want you back and I want you to go back to them" he added looking her in the eye.

Cyane gulped shakily before asking, "Why?"

"You. Are. Trouble!" Lachlan hissed and Cyane paled. "You are messing up everything and you have to leave."

"I don't know what you are—"

"I know Saint kidnapped you" he broke in and Cyane inhaled sharply. "I also know that you were with Xanthos until yesterday. One phone call from me is all it would take to bring chaos. Is that what you want?"

"No. No" Cyane stepped back and shook her head in fear, for she knew if the king finds out then he would come not just after her but after Lysander's family as well. "You are threatening me," she told Lachlan.

"Oh yes! I am" Lachlan agreed shamelessly, grey eyes turning black. "I have a plan and you are being an unnecessary obstacle in it. So, I am giving you two choices, 1) Go back to your home or 2) Continue living with Xanthos and face the chaos."

It was the first option that he gave, that brought back Cyane's spine of steel. Clenching her fists, she glared at him, before saying, "I choose option two."

Lachlan's eyes showed his surprise because he wasn't expecting that answer, and then he narrowed them again.

"I have more reason than you to hate Aelius and I still do, but I do not want it to be erased because it has its own story. Every place has. It's on us to turn it from something bad to something good. Maybe you and your friend cannot do it, but I can and I will. I will change the future of Aelius and this is my promise" Cyane vowed and then to add extra emphasis to her words, she crossed her arms across her chest and did the bird gesture, to show a Lycorian's promise.

Lachlan's eyes widened when he saw the gesture and not caring enough to wait for his reply, Cyane turned on her heels and marched out of the front door of Lachlan's house.

___

Shit!

She was a Lycorian!

What the fuck? She was Lycorian? Shit! If her clan members find her here, then they are going to bring war and that should never happen because that is going to mess up his plans forever.

At least with Cyane, Lachlan knew, she could be controlled or manipulated.

When he rushed out of the door to follow her, he found no signs of her anywhere and he sighed. Of course, she flew away... the stairways balcony had no proper barrier and she could have easily flown out of there. He caught her scent eastwards.

Rubbing his temples, he entered his house and found his phone ringing. However, it stopped ringing by the time he reached it. Checking the screen, he noticed it was from his father-in-law.

When she left, Topsy not just broke contact with him, but also with her father. However, Dwyn-Dwyn's grandpa loved the girl to death and whenever Lachlan got too busy with work, he left her with her grandpa and step-grandma.

He wanted to call Skyla but for Lachlan, his daughter came first and so, he called his father-in-law and arranged for Dwyn-Dwyn to be picked up before lunch. Only then he called Skyla.

"This better be important" Skyla muttered answering the call and Lachlan grimaced because morning was not the right time to call her.

Clearing his throat, Lachlan got straight to the point, "I found Cyane."

There was a clanking sound and then he could hear Izara asking where her maroon hairband was, "Give me one-minute" Skyla told her daughter and then answered Lachlan again, "Where did you find her?"

"She was unconscious in the woods. I brought her home" Lachlan muttered.

"She is still there?"

"No... she left," he said and grimaced again before hesitantly sharing what exactly had happened. However, he didn't tell her that Cyane was a fairy because Skyla wasn't aware that his daughter was one too. It was a secret he and his father-in-law had agreed to keep for Dwyn-Dwyn's protection.

"How could you threaten her like that?" There was unhidden annoyance in Skyla's tone.

"She is an unnecessary distraction" he growled defensively.

"No. You don't understand. Cyane is not a distraction. She is Xanthos's mate. Just like Topsy was to you" Skyla whispered.

At the mention of Topsy, Lachlan's wolf whined softly but he just clenched his fists because he was still furious with his ex-wife for just dumping him and their baby without any note.

"I didn't know she was his mate" Lachlan pronounced through gritted teeth.

"Yeah. Well, they are mates and for Ash to win this war, the whole kingdom of Aelius must stand against King Stanislaus" Skyla said and he furrowed his brows.

"That does not sound like you or Ash. That sounds like someone else's words" he growled.

"It's Gideon's" Skyla shared reluctantly and he frowned.

"Why the hell would you listen to that pack wolf?" Lachlan was appalled by that thought because he hated pack wolves.

"After Ash and Minerva's fight the other day, Ash made a deal with Gideon" Skyla began and Lachlan sat on the stool, curious to know more. Skyla had called him yesterday, but he had been too busy to attend her call.

His grey eyes hardened immediately and he was furious. How dare Ash make a deal with Gideon? How dare he get help from a pack wolf?

"He would let Minerva go on the condition that Gideon stay imprisoned and share Lysander's plan for the king."

"The only plan that Lysander has is to become the king himself" Lachlan hissed.

"That's where we were wrong" Skyla sighed and his frown deepened, "Lysander and Gideon are on a mission to take down King Stanislaus too. The only difference is, they are planning a rebellion."

"I don't care. I just want Ash to kill the king" he growled in anger.

"Yes. That's what we all want. The deal was that Ash gets to kill the king, while at the same time, Lysander will start a rebellion against the king. If just the king gets killed, then there will be chaos and a chance of either of his sons ascending the throne."

"Ash doesn't care what happens once the king is killed" Lachlan pointed out because, over the years, Ash had never talked about what is going to happen afterwards.

"Yes. But Gideon does and to be honest, the people do to" Skyla said gently and Lachlan compressed his lips because he knew this was Skyla's decision more than Ash. She had a soft spot for Lysander and she might have compelled Ash to think this way or at least see the greater good for he knew, just like him, Ash was a stone-hearted person.

Refraining himself from saying what was on the tip of his tongue, he instead asked, "How will the rebellion start?"

"It will start when the king comes to know that Xanthos's mate and the girl Saint had kidnapped are the same," Skyla said smugly and Lachlan laughed. Out loud.

"Xanthos will rebel against the king?" He asked because he thought Ash would make the first move.

"He will have to. Cyane is his mate and that's not something he can hide or leave behind" Skyla murmured.

"Oh! Are you sure about that?" Lachlan asked tautly and he heard Skyla wincing. Topsy had left him behind and that had made him doubt on the whole concept of mates, especially when the other one was not a wolf.

"Well... he will. He is already getting attached to her."

"And how do you know this?" Lachlan was curious.

"I have my spies" Skyla muttered and Lachlan chuckled.

Oh! He is going to enjoy watching this. He is going to enjoy everything that was coming and maybe, just for that one reason, he would go along with their plan.

"So, does that mean you are okay with it?" Skyla asked hesitantly.

Lachlan smirked before saying, "As long as the ending remains the same, I am okay."

"Okay. Now, can you do me a favour?" she requested and he agreed immediately, "Call Grayson and let him know where Cyane has gone. So, that way Xanthos can get her."

"He cannot trap her" Lachlan warned.

"No. But maybe their bond will compel her to stay" Skyla said wistfully and Lachlan sighed.

Cyane was a fairy, not a she-wolf! The mate bond would mean nothing to her and Lachlan knew that from experience because his mate had left him.

At the moment, he kind of understood why Ash agreed to this plan.

He sincerely hoped this great plan of theirs worked and even if it did fall through, he knew Ash would still end up killing King Stanislaus. Of that bit, he was very sure!

His brows furrowed when he recalled Cyane's promise at the end. People around her had made plans that included her but none of them knew what was her plan and Lachlan knew she had one too or else why would she refuse to go back to the people who are asking for her?

It might be because she hated them but Lachlan had seen the pain in her eyes at the mention of her home, so it's obvious she missed it!

She did have a plan and Lachlan sincerely hoped, it was parallel with Ash's plans or else chaos would descend everywhere and Aelius would burn.

He didn't give two flying fucks about Aelius or it's people. All he wanted was to avenge the wrong done to him by his father and take his daughter back to her rightful place in Scevola.

Sighing, he got off the stool and made the call that would help get Cyane back to her mate.

•••

Cyane knew she shouldn't have stepped down to the ground, but she had done so when she saw the broken and burnt trees in this part of the woods. There were several broken branches scattered on the burnt pasture and curious, she had decided to inspect.

Her fingers traced the long claw marks on the branches and she furrowed her brows. She couldn't be sure it was a wolf, because it was abnormally long and the paw marks on the red mud were like that of a large cat.

What happened here? Why was only this particular area of the woods burnt? Everything around was completely fine and though she was glad for it, she couldn't help but be curious.

She then looked at the sleeves of her hoodie and noticed the burnt clothing there. She had been burnt too but she didn't think the burn of her hoodie sleeves had anything to do with these burnt trees.

She took off the hoodie, grateful that she was still wearing a striped t-shirt underneath it.

No. The burnt area of her hoodie was long and cylindrical. It looked like a pole... more like an iron rod. Someone had hit her with an iron rod and she didn't even know who it was.

She had just forgotten.

Someone had attacked her and that's why she had flown away from the market. She got that part but she didn't know who it was. Someone in Aelius was after her and she believed they were those creatures... the ones who had killed her parents.

Other than Saint Winthrop, she had no enemies in this world and the only enemy she could think of were those creatures. But why couldn't she remember what happened to her?

She had been hurt by iron before too but she never lost her memory like this. What other tricks did these creatures use? Why couldn't she remember them?

Why was this happening to her? Her grandparents might have known but they had lied to her and at the moment, she hated them for doing this to her.

Her eyes welled up and unable to hold back the tears, she sniffed audibly as tears ran down her cheeks. They had lied to her all her life and she didn't want to go back to them, to hear more lies. She was so very disappointed with both of them that she just didn't want to go back to them. Angrily wiping away her tears, she threw away the hoodie.

Lysander and Minerva did not believe her when she told them that there are other creatures and she had no means to prove the truth either.

Mr Black might have known but he was a mute animal and she really couldn't blame him. She let out a cry and slumped on the ground because she missed her only friend. She missed him terribly and wanted him to come back to her.

When she thought of a pair of arctic blue eyes, she winced. He had not lied to her, but she had done to him and now, even though she wanted to, she couldn't go back to him. She couldn't go back to Yolanda either because she did not know the way to her house and if those creatures followed her to the Brigade Market, then it would be easy for them to follow her to their house too.

She had no one with her and she had no place to go. She had no friends and she had never felt this lonely ever.

At that thought, she let out another sob and then wiped her cheeks because she felt really stupid for crying like this in the middle of the woods. She could go back to her castle...

No! She couldn't fall weak like this. She had to stay strong. She had to remember what her goal was!

Taking a deep breath, Cyane tried to compose herself but failed and then let out another sob because she was alone now. She had wings, only she didn't know where to go!

Lachlan's threats echoed in her head and she brushed them off. It wasn't like she would go back to Xanthos. He would throw her out himself or send her to the king and then everything could go downhill.

Her heart told her to go to him but she knew it wasn't a sensible thing to do. How could she get attached to a guy she hadn't spoken a word to?

Covering her face with her hands, she cried some more because she missed him and she felt terrible for lying to him. Like Yolanda, he and his friends had been genuinely good to her and she had broken their trust.

A flock of birds flew away in a flutter and the noise forced her to look up at the sky. It was the reminder she needed that she had to keep flying, to keep finding a way to get to Yolanda's house.

Sniffling, she wiped her cheeks and then gasped when she saw a huge wolf with white and grey fur and blue eyes. The blue eyes reminded her of Xanthos and when she thought of him, her vision got blurry as tears filled her eyes.

Closing them in pain, she let the tears flow down her cheeks and when she opened them again, she noticed that the wolf was walking towards her.

The wolf looked familiar and if her nose wasn't blocked after all the crying, she could have caught his scent. She sniffed and wiped her nose with her fingers and watched the wolf that was standing right in front of her.

Grey ruled over white and he was more of a grey wolf than a mix of both. He was huge and furry and it brought a small smile to her face.

"You are so fluffy," she said extending her arms so that he could come closer. She was mesmerized by the wolf because he was very beautiful.

He leaned forward and when her fingers connected with his fur, electric jolts ran from her fingertips to the entire length of her body and she watched at her arms in confusion.

What just happened?

The wolf stepped closer and when she looked up, her eyes met a pair of blue eyes.

"You have arctic blue eyes," she said, her gaze fixed on the wolf's eyes for they were looking at her intently. "Just like him" she whispered the last bit and the wolf's face morphed into a frown.

When she realized what she said, Cyane froze and when she got a proper look at the wolf again, her eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

Theos!

This was no normal wolf. This was...

She was still holding his face in her hands when he began to shift back. Her hands dropped on their own accord and when she attempted to move away, her back hit the trunk of a tree and she groaned because she was the idiot who got herself trapped.

Gulping audibly, her knees against her chest, she watched as limbs turned into muscles as fur disappeared and smooth skin appeared. The tattoo on his back was visible again.

Once Xanthos was fully shifted to his human form, he raised his head and then sat on his heels. He was naked again and as her heart rate increased, she let her eyes trail down his chest, towards his abs and then... before they could drift lower, she forced herself to look at his eyes and they were hard and angry.

She whimpered softly and looked to her right, hoping for some form of escape without revealing herself. He growled and shrinking lower, she turned back to face him.

His jaw was clenched hard and his eyes were shooting daggers at her. He was furious. With her.

She attempted to smile but when it came out as a grimace, she gave up. Breathing heavily, she watched... mesmerised by the way he was staring at her.

She blinked. Once. Twice. But he didn't. His gaze was fixed on her and then before she could even guess his intentions, he wrapped a firm hand around her calf muscles and then dragged her towards him, until she was sitting on his lap, her legs on either side of him.

When her hand slapped his chest, Cyane gasped stunned at the sudden movement and her mouth remained wide open when she was mere inches from his face.

Theos! He was naked and she was sitting on his lap. She could feel all of him and she could feel the blush on her chest too. It was a very intimate position and she had never been this close to a man in her life.

Speechless, she just stared at Xanthos. How did he do that so fast?

When he lowered his eyes to look at her agape mouth, she promptly closed them. As he raised those dark lashes, arctic blue eyes collided with hers again.

She attempted to move, but clamping an arm around her waist, he pressed her against his chest and this time, she felt the growl that rumbled through his body. Her pulse rate spiked to abnormal level and she marvelled that she wasn't feeling dizzy at all.

"Mine" he spelt out and she heard it loud and clear. It was possessive and territorial and though she should be angry with it, she found she wasn't.

Before today, she could have sworn she disliked the chest-thumping kind of a man, but now she realized that she was one of those girls who not only liked it but was also attracted to it!

Cyane couldn't have guessed what Xanthos wanted to do next because she was lost in the possessive look in his face and before she could snap out of the moment, he roughly moved her hair away from her neck and then holding the back of her head, he tilted her towards him and lowering his head, he bared his fangs and laid his claim on her neck.

At the feel of his mouth on her skin, Cyane closed her eyes and then when she felt the first pang of pain, her eyes flew open and as she realized what he was doing she tried to push him off, but his hold on her waist tightened and so did his grip on her head. She gave up, too drained because suddenly, she felt exhausted. Like he had sucked all the blood and energy out of her body, living her limp and desperate for support.

She cried when she felt the cut and he soothingly sucked on the blood before it could drop further from her skin and then placing a light kiss on her skin, he pulled back to look at her shocked face.

His face was stoic at first, but when it turned into a frown, he became blurry and before she could utter a word her world went dark.

___

When she woke up, Cyane had a feeling she wasn't the only person in the room. She felt rested but she was also very hungry. Her stomach made a rumbling noise and groaning, Cyane sat up.

It was Xanthos's stoic face she saw first. He was straddling a chair, with his hands crossed on the top rail of the chair's back. Mercifully, he was fully clothed in faded olive denim, grey t-shirt and a brown jacket that only added to his appeal.

Of course, he brought her back to his place!

She frowned at him, before wearily sagging her shoulders. She supposed she should be grateful his friends weren't around.

Leaning on to armrest at the other end of the couch, she pulled her knees closer to her chest. She had years of practising silent, mute behaviour and she wasn't going to break the silence in the room.

Xanthos must have realized it because his eyes gleamed before he opened his mouth, "How did you escape from the changing room?"

That was his first question? Well, she had an easy answer for that, "You were on your phone."

"I didn't touch my phone the entire time I was there," he told her roundly and she blinked.

Cyane thought for a while and then said, "You were looking the other way?"

He just narrowed his eyes and Cyane shook her head, "I don't know. I was just trying to run away from you, not look at you and get your attention."

"Why?"

"Why?" she was confused.

"Why run away?"

"Are you serious? Your friend kidnapped me!" she said in disbelief.

"Then why not run away the first time?"

Good question. "I never got the chance," she said smoothly, but it was an absolute lie.

He merely cocked a dark eyebrow and she looked away, refusing to answer further.

"Okay. I will buy that" he stated and with her head still turned to her side, she looked at him through the corner of her eye.

Really? Well, that was a stupid answer!

She stared at him suspiciously but he gave nothing away and it made her angry because his face was like a marble.

"What's your name?" he asked then.

"Cookie," she said flatly.

One corner of his mouth tilted upwards and her heart fluttered in her chest when she saw that. "I will buy that too," he said graciously and she narrowed her eyes. "Where are you from?"

"I was born in Scevola." That bit was real!

"What are you doing here?"

She pretended to think about it by tucking her lips into her mouth, before opening it with a pop and then saying, "I don't know. You are the one who brought me here."

Xanthos narrowed his eyes but other than that, her snarky replies had no impact on him. It irritated her.

"I meant Aelius" he pointed out.

Cyane pretended to think about it too, before saying, "Sight-seeing, shopping, camping. Whatever. Why should I tell you? What are we playing twenty questions?"

She showed her irritation by pushing off the covers and vaulting upright, "I don't have to answer to you. I am leaving" she huffed and then turning, she started towards the door.

"To Lysander?"

She froze mid-way after hearing his words and as her heart thudded in her chest, she slowly turned to face him. There was no smug look in his face, even when he knew he had trapped her.

Taking his own sweet time, Xanthos straightened and got off the chair. "I only ever spoke to you in English and you understood it every single time" he began walking towards her while she stood frozen. "However, the first time you slipped was when Miki refused to apologize and you told him to go to hell. You are not a good liar" he shook his head pitifully and Cyane paled because she just realized that he had been onto her from the start.

"The first time I saw you, it was in the woods and the second time... in the factory" he shared and gasping, Cyane took a step back as her heart rammed against her ribcage. "Gideon thumped me, right here," he said gently tapping the back of his head and Cyane's eyes flared in surprise as she took a further step backwards.

That was Xanthos? Gideon had hit Xanthos that day?

His head had been bent low and he had been on the knees. Cyane had spared a glance and with the newfound information, she realized that it had been Xanthos who had dropped down there. She had already known Xanthos was in the building and to know that he had been that close to her... That bit was shocking.

Staring at her surprised face, Xanthos continued, "Before I passed out, I heard him saying your name and that was—"

"Cyane" she breathed out when her back hit the closed door and at the very same moment, Xanthos placed his palms, on either side of her head against the door.

"Cyane" he pronounced out loud and clear, his face mere inches away from her as he raised his lashes to look at her. Her heart continued beating rapidly in her chest and colour crept back into her skin at the intensity of his gaze.

"And you know who I am?" he asked, his eyes lowering again to look at her lips.

Swallowing audibly, she nodded.

"Do I have to say the rules out loud?" he asked, getting straight to the point and Cyane whimpered. The only reaction it got was a raised brow.

"You cannot do this" she cried, angry at his lack of morality. "You cannot blackmail me" she shoved his chest but he was unfazed.

"I can and I will," he said shamelessly and she frowned at him.

"Lysander will kill you if he comes to know you are keeping me here against my will" she growled.

"I want to see that old wolf try" he smirked and she scowled. Lysander wasn't that old. He was a middle-aged man and Xanthos's mockery of his age shocked her, while at the same time, his amusement at her threat irked her.

Clutching the collar of his shirt in a tight grip, she leaned closer and gritted out, "I could kill you."

"Then do it" he breathed out looking her in the eye. Though she felt a tremor run through her body just by touching him, she also felt hollow at the thought of something happening to him. It pained her.

No. She couldn't hurt him. Nor she would let anyone hurt him.

The breath she exhaled from her mouth was what broke the sudden lingering silence in the room.

Overwhelmed and driven out of her mind by his proximity, she closed the distance between them as her lips claimed his.

Cyane had never been kissed before but she had often thought that in her first-ever kiss, it would be the guy taking the lead and she had forced herself several times to think of that guy as Gian, only because he was supposed to be her husband. She had never imagined she would be the one taking the initiative but here she was, kissing Xanthos Zeke, a guy she was hopelessly attracted to.

The moment her mouth touched his, a strange box full of feelings unlocked within her. It was full of need, desire and arousal. Feelings she had never known before.

At the moment, she didn't care who he was, what he was. All she cared about was the way he made her feel and it excited her because she had never felt this blood rush.

As she curled her hands around his neck and stood on her tiptoes, he wrapped his hands around her waist and pressed her closer, so that her whole body was pressed against his strong frame. His tongue plunged deeper into her mouth as he angled his head and cupped her face with his free hand.

She was floating in the air and she knew she would eventually hit the ground hard, but at the moment, she didn't seem to care. All she wanted was him.

She moaned in satisfaction for his lips were hard and urgent and without his arm around her waist, she knew she would have slipped to the floor. There was a new ache at the apex of her thighs and her lower belly and she supposed it was the effects of having these new feelings unlocked from within her.

Her heart raced in her chest and when she felt a strange sensation of tightness in her chest, she realized that it was the feeling of having her nipples pressed against the soft cotton of her hoodie.

Shocked by that and the wetness she could feel in between her legs, Cyane broke apart with a gasp and then shoved him away. Stunned, he stumbled a little but quickly regained balance and then stared at her with wide eyes.

Breathing heavily, she stared at him. She didn't need a mirror to know how she looked and that thought mortified her.

What was she doing? How could she just kiss him like that? How could she like that? It was so wrong... but then, how was it wrong when he too kissed her back?

What was he doing to her?

He took a step forward and she held her hands defensively in front of her, "Ochi" she said in a commanding tone.

"What?" he asked her in confusion.

"Meínete ekeí" she ordered angrily in her mother tongue and he raised an eyebrow, "Káneis káti gia ména. Xéro óti eísai, allá tha tréxo xaná kai aftí ti forá, den tha boréseis na me stamatíseis."

With that promise made, she marched towards her old room in the apartment and slammed the door shut, leaving Xanthos completely perplexed.

****

Haha, those who have already guessed... yes! Xanthos knew her game from the start! And oh... they kissed :D:D

So, now Xanthos is blackmailing her to stay. Do you think Cyane will just give in?

The English to Greek translation is directly from an app. Forgive me for any errors!

BUT THIS IS WHAT CYANE MEANT: You're doing something to me. I know that you are, but I'll run again and this time, you won't be able to stop me.

Please vote and comment and share your views :D

Next update on 6TH September and it has THE FIRST TWIST OF THE STORY.

BTW, My very hot Lachlan Knox-

Stay safe!