“It’s Allie’s birthday! Here, wish her!” There was some rustling and Van was screaming for Allie to come to her.
Next thing I knew, I heard some more screaming before the line went dead. I sighed. It was bad timing. But at least she was having fun.
When Adrik and Nikolai made the deal… the one where Nikolai agreed to sacrifice himself in the end, he also agreed when Adrik demanded for Adrian and Vanessa to be sent to live in the human world. I don’t know why and I don’t even think Nikolai knew the reason. But Adrik promised he wouldn’t harm them in any way. That was enough for Nikolai.
Nikolai said that Adrik’s word could be trusted. So that was what we did.
Adrik also wanted us to stop searching for him and to leave him be. In return, he handed an unharmed Mikhail back and promised that he would not harm our family, our pack and leave Jiv and never come back.
The sacrifice Nikolai had made for his mate and his family was something that most people couldn’t fathom. He gave up on his lifelong hatred for father and his life so that Avalyn could live a happy and safe life with their kids like she always wanted.
He knew that it came at a great cost but he was willing to pay. And it’s been a whole damn year since that unfortunate day.
He had lied to us. He told us that it was just going to be some money and a promise to leave Adrik alone in exchange of Mikhail and him leaving us alone. We had been so angry at him. But now, I could see the reason behind his lie. If he had told us the truth, we wouldn’t have let him do that.
It was a well thought out, calculated decision that Nikolai had taken a long while ago. All of us received letters from him. He had apologised and told us why he did it. He also told us that we needed to take care of our family and that he loved us. Avalyn and the twins received dozens of them. I wasn’t sure what was in them but I knew he had written them all during the month he was away, looking for Adrik.
Suddenly, I felt Avalyn’s anger. I hadn’t felt it since a very long time. I jumped out of bed and ran to her bedroom. The door was opened and Avalyn had pushed a slave against the wall, holding her throat.
“Who the hell are you?” She hissed.
I looked around and saw that the twins were still sleeping in their cribs. There was no other sign of anything wrong.
The slave opened her mouth but Avalyn was clearly choking her hard enough that she couldn’t speak. And she didn’t realise that in her rage.
I didn’t know how to handle this. Nikolai was the one who handled her fits of anger. I sure as hell couldn’t use his method. And she would fling me out of the balcony if I said anything wrong. I guess I’ll have to wing it. Because I know that if she actually kills this female, she will feel terrible after her anger diminishes. And she doesn’t need that right now.
“Avalyn? Let me handle this, please.” I said softly.
Avalyn’s head snapped to mine and I forced myself not to flinch at the fury in her eyes. She grunted, released the slave and stepped back.
The slave slumped to the floor, coughing and heaving hard to get in more oxygen.
“Who are you?” I asked.
She looked up at me with watery eyes. “R-Raine.”
“Okay, Raine, what were you doing here?” I asked.
She wiped her cheeks and looked at me fearfully, “N-nothing. I swear! I was just looking after the babies!”
“Who gave you the permission to touch my kids?” Avalyn snarled, “Who gave you the permission to enter my bedroom?”
Eli came into the room and was looking at me with questions in his eyes but I shook my head discreetly. This was bad. No, it was the worst thing that could happen. Avalyn had PTSD after what happened with Althea. And with Nikolai gone-who always took care of her safety, she felt like she was left to fend for herself. And that it was her job alone to protect herself and her kids. I would go as far as saying that she was even more paranoid than Nikolai about safety and security.
Tears grew in Raine’s eyes, “Tessa a-asked me to-” Damnit. Tessa should have known this. This isn’t going to end well.
“Call Tessa.” She told Eliyah who nodded, “I mind linked a guard to get her. But what’s going on?”
“I saw this female in my room when I came in, trying to pick up Klaus.” She threw Raine a scathing look and the slave shrank back.
“Explain yourself, Raine.” Eli crossed his arms.
Tessa came running in the bedroom, looking at us with wide eyes. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair still looked wet from her shower. Her gaze fell on Raine who was still on the floor and then she looked worried.
“Tessa called me and asked me to look after the kids for little but so she could freshen up. I was about to pick up Nikl-
“Prince Niklaus.” Avalyn barked in a hushed tone so she wouldn’t wake up her kids but it was enough to make Raine flinch nod quickly.
“I was about to pick up Prince Niklaus because he had wet himself. I- I thought I would change his diaper.”
That made Avalyn more mad. “Don’t lie to me!” She gritted.
“I -I am not lying, Mis-”
“Niklaus cries when he needs a diaper change. I changed it before leaving. Why the hell were you touching him?” She hissed.
Tears grew in Raine’s eyes, “He-he is cute? I thought I could play with him a little.” Big mistake. Avalyn is extremely protective about her kids. They are the only reason she is alive. They are the only reason she is able to survive without Nikolai. No one outside our family is supposed to touch them. Especially not the humans. Avalyn feared they were prone to make mistakes and would drop them or something. Only Tessa was allowed to touch them as far as slaves were concerned.
I could practically see the steam come out of Avalyn’s ears.
“Want to explain yourself?” Avalyn snapped her head towards Tessa.
“I didn’t know when you would come back, Mistress. I needed to take a shower and-”
“Needed to take a shower?” Avalyn echoed, “you don’t need anything. You are my slave! All you need to do is follow my orders! Don’t forget that Nikolai saved your life! Is this how you repay it?” Avalyn hissed at her.
Tears grew in Tessa’s eyes at her harsh words. Hell, I was shocked. Avalyn has never, never talked to her that way.
“I’m going to punish you.” Avalyn spoke, her voice void, “and you too.” She looked at Raine.
Both the slaves looked scared.
“Avalyn, I think it was a genuine mistake.” Eli said softly, “it’s Tessa. You know she wouldn’t wish bad for you or your kids. You’re just too angry right now.”
Her fiery eyes stilled me with a glare, “you won’t understand, Eli because you don’t have kids whom you need to protect.” And then she looked at Tessa. “I told you to look after them when I left. What made you think you could leave? What made you think you can order some other slave to follow the order that I gave you? What made you think you could invite another slave into my bedroom? Who gave you that authority?”
Avalyn was like a wounded she-wolf who had pups to protect-ferociously protective about her children. This definitely was not going to end well.
“And you,” she focused her glare on Raine, “how dare you step into my bedroom? It is common knowledge that you do not step into a Royal’s bedroom without their explicit order. You cannot lie when you are asked a question! And you absolutely cannot touch the Prince just because he is cute.” She almost screamed the last sentence. It was good that the twins usually slept good. “His life is much, much, much more important than you and your entire lineage combined!”
Avalyn was a hundred percent right.
And then I heard a cry. Dammit.
Avalyn immediately went and picked up Viktoria and then focused on calming the girl before she woke up Niklaus too. She glared at the two females, “I will overlook both your punishments later.”
“Allow me, Avalyn.” I cut in. “I’m sure you have much more important things to do than punish them. Eli and I will take care of it.”
“We will?” He asked me, raising his brows.
“Yes, we will.” I gave him a look before I looked at Avalyn again. “I believe you need to feed them and get them ready soon? I’ll send in Nat to help.”
“Fine.” She scowled and then turned away from us, focusing in her child.
Tessa was looking at me with wide, teary eyes. She opened her mouth and I shook my head. I grabbed her arm and pulled her out. I jerked my head at Eli, motioning him to leave with me. He too grabbed Raine and we walked out, shutting the door after us.
Avalyn
I released a breath.