Scorpio
I wasn’t named Scorpio at birth. It was a nickname but had loved it more than my name that I stopped answering to my own name that everyone around me had finally started calling me with the nickname instead of my name.
How wouldn’t they when I didn’t answer anyone unless they called me Scorpio? I had forced them into accepting my new Identity and I loved it. My real name was Anthony but I had always felt it didn’t suit me. It didn’t suit my personality at all and I was glad when I was finally able to change it.
It wasn’t a deliberate change but it had been welcome all the same. It had been years ago when I had been a teenager, when I was still a young prince and not yet the ruler of the clan.
I had been playing with my friends and we had been trying to run to know who is stronger among all of us by running around. It had been agreed that the winner would get to share my space with me.
I didn’t know why I was always the prize but this time I didn’t mind. Why? Because I wasn’t going to let them win anything this time, whether I was the prize or not.
I flew into action as the whistle got blown and started running, my limbs moving as fast as the wind did. I yelled in victory, grinning as I looked back and realized that no one was behind me. They were all miles away. They were all breathing hard as they matched up to where I was but I wasn’t breathing hard at all. I didn’t even feel like I had run. I felt refreshed and would like to take another go at the race but had to consider my friends. I winced as I looked at them, watching as they were trying to catch their breath.
We were all vampires and had inconceivable strength but we had pushed ourselves to the limit to make being with the vampire prince a worthy king. I was glad that they didn’t win as I wanted to be alone. Why did they agree to the race when they knew that they weren’t strong enough for it?
I didn’t know how I could have won the race as well as it was a challenging one. I had even thought that Jasper would win as he was the fastest among all of us but I was glad he didn’t. I hadn’t pushed myself for nothing. I guessed I really loved my privacy and I didn’t mind losing a leg while running to secure it.
“Truly, you are the prince.” Jasper breathed as he finally got to where I was.
It was after that that someone had jokingly called me a scorpion and my friends suddenly started shouting scorpion till they adapted it to Scorpio. I had blushed at their hails but eventually I had loved the name, especially when I analyzed the reason they called me Scorpio.
Scorpio meant that I was rugged and determined till I got what I wanted. I had thought I could get everything that I ever wanted with my strength, determination and just by my desire until I had to learn the hard way that it didn’t work the same way with the human heart. Regardless of what you did, someone who didn’t like you wouldn’t like you, even if you decided to die for them.
That was my case with Ava. What did I didn’t have that Ethan had that made her choose him over me? I growled as I thought of her. I was always furious anytime I thought of her and didn’t know what to do about it.
I had met her years ago when father was still king. As a prince, I had gone with him on a visit to know the neighborhood vampire clans and make sure our alliance was still intact.
I had seen her walking out of the palace as we were walking in and had fallen in love with her at first sight and hoped to see her again. I didn’t think I listened to anything throughout the meeting and had only kept a plastic smile on my face for father’s face, knowing he was going to introduce me to everyone around us that I was his heir and didn’t want to be seen as rude and embarrass him.
I smiled when I needed to and bowed my head when I heard my name. I just kept wishing to see her again. I felt like my prayers were answered when I saw her again as I was moving out of the palace with father. I was glad when he suddenly stooped and told me to wait for him that he had forgotten something he had to discuss with the king. I smiled, thinking the universe was on my side.
I had been thinking of how I was going to tell dad to excuse me for a moment so I can go talk to her and he excused himself before I could talk. I nodded and told him to take his time and I seriously meant it.
I had walked up to Ava and told her of how much I liked her and would like to know more of her. I still bristled with annoyance anytime I thought of how she had rejected me. She hadn’t even made me talk too much before shaking her head and telling me that she was in love with Ethan, the prince of their land. In a bid to be clear, I had apologized and told her that I wasn’t told that the prince had a mate yet. I wouldn’t have discussed anything with her if I had known that she was his mate.
The sadness in her eyes as she shook her head again and told me that it was a crush on her own side was a picture that I wouldn’t ever forget. I had decided then that the prince had to be a fool if he couldn’t see the beautiful girl in his kingdom and leave her with unrequited love. I was more than determined to get her for myself and make her my mate, my queen. I had been about to lay my charms thickly on her when dad came back and I had to excuse myself from her.
I had plans of going again to their kingdom and seek her out when I heard from the spies that I had placed on her that she had started dating Ethan. I had been angry at the news but based on the vampire code of conduct, if a vampire claim a lady as his mate, all other vampires who liked the lady had to step back.
I had stopped myself from pursuing Ava though I never stopped myself from loving her. Even though years had passed and I knew that Ethan and Ava weren’t going to break up, I still found it hard to stop myself from getting over her.
“Are you listening to us, your majesty?” Jason, one of the palace chiefs, asked, breaking into my thoughts.
I rolled my eyes and stopped myself from snorting at them. How could I listen to them when they were boring me? I had tuned in to thoughts of Ava as I always did whenever I was bored.
“Um, yes.” I lied to them. “So, what did you decide on?”
They looked at me in a strange manner and I quickly caught myself and corrected my errors, realizing that they were waiting for me to make a decision.
“I mean what did everyone say?”
Hudson chuckled. “You were clearly not listening, your highness.”
“I think I zoned out for a minute.”
“I didn’t think it was for a minute.”
I blushed, hating how he was being insistent. “Let’s call it a day.”
“Maybe we should.” They agreed.
They were about to leave when the spies I had set on Ava’s kingdom came. They had long faces and I was worried, wondering what they could have heard that their eyes were that drawn. My heart started to beat fast, worried that she might be pregnant.
No, she shouldn’t be. I didn’t want her to be pregnant. That meant that I was finally going to have to let go of her if she was and that was something I wasn’t ready to. I wouldn’t be able to bring her to this kingdom and make her mine if she was pregnant as she would have to be the mother of the heir to the throne even if Ethan died.
“Greetings, your highness.” The two spies bowed as they walked in.
“Tell me what is going on there.” I urged them and moved forward on my throne.
“I don’t get what your obsession with the vampires of the other land is.” Jasper grumbled.
I held a hand to silence him. “You don’t have to know.” I turned to the spies. “Tell me what is going on.”
“I heard the king is crazy.”
“Ethan?”
“Yes. He has been acting strangely, locking his people in jail. He even slapped his bride on their mating ceremony and it got postponed.”
I held in my growl, my fingers clamping hard on the arm of the throne. “He slapped Ava?” I asked, rasping out a curse.
The spies didn’t look surprised at my outburst of emotions. Maybe they already found out the reason I had made them spies on the land but I didn’t care.
“Yes, your highness.” They bowed.
That was it. How could he dare to go crazy and raise his hand on Ava? He had never deserved her. She belonged with me. She had always belonged with me and now I was getting her back.
“Prepare for war.” I told the men in the room.
They gasped, looking at me with shock. “Why should we? Because the king of the other land slapped his bride? I don’t think that is any of our business. That is not enough reason to mobilize our army.”
I snorted. “We are going to war because the king of the other land has gone crazy and shouldn’t be made to rule at all. This is the best time to take over the land and expand our territory. I believe we would all like that. Is that enough reason to go to war and mobilize our highly trained army which you seem to cherish so much?”
“But Your Majesty,”
“If you tell me that it’s none of my business any longer, I would have your tongue cut off.” I growled. “I am the king and I say that we are going to war. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, your majesty.” They murmured and bowed, without a word again.
Good. I smiled as I leaned back in my throne. I didn’t think I had ever smiled that brightly in a long time, not even when I was made the king. It wasn’t time to take back the woman who belonged to me.