It shocked my mates when they returned to the palace, to learn what happened. They were sad they missed out on the fight and on an opportunity to show me how badass they were. It was funny, though. I had seen them fight and knew what they were capable of, yet they wanted to show me they were good. It wasn’t until I spoke with Devon that I realized what was going on with them.
With how powerful I had become, my mates were trying to let me know they could also protect me, even though I was more powerful than they were. I thought it was cute. They didn’t feel intimidated by my powers. They only wanted me to know I could rely on them most times, that I didn’t have to act all badass with them.
After the fight, everything returned to normal. Well, as normal as our family could get. Chrys was still reluctant to start her studies fully and the darling always kept Chris on her toes. The babies weren’t helping at all. The bigger they got, the more it became impossible for us to hold them down. With a big sister like Chrys, of course, they had to act like her.
I stood outside the door with Devon, giving him my best puppy dog eyes. Two days ago, he broke the news to me. One that shattered my heart. He was leaving. With my powers awakened, and the hybrids now living freely, he wanted to go over to their town and stay, to help those who needed help to transition into their second being.
I didn’t want to let him go, didn’t want the pretty witch with a beautiful smile to leave, but he didn’t want to stay. I begged him for two days, but he was adamant. He told me he had made his mind up and was leaving.
I looked at him, frowning at the thought of losing a dear friend. Ever since he arrived, Devon had proved countless that he was a good person, a friend I could rely on. Seeing him leaving hurts more than I thought it would. It felt like I was bidding farewell to a friend I had known for years.
“Is there anything I can do to change your mind?” I asked in a small voice, looking at him, and hoping he would change his mind after seeing my expression.
“I’m afraid not.” He forced a smile as he tore his gaze away from me. “The town I’m going over to isn’t that far. You can always come over when you miss me. My door will always be open for you.”
“It’s not the same!” I whined like a kid. Luckily, there were no guards around, else it would have looked bad for them to see their queen acting like a child.
“I know it’s not.” He returned his gaze to my face. “But we can make do with what we have. If you miss me, you can always come over for a visit. You can even stay for the weekend if you like. I won’t mind.”
“I hate you!”
“I love you.” He grinned before a sad expression took over. This time, when he locked his eyes with mine, I noticed that sadness in his gaze. “I love you, Bella. I still do. Which is why I need to leave.”
“Pardon?” I blinked, not understanding what he was saying. The way he said those words made me realize it wasn’t a playful banter.
“I love you, but not as a friend. From the first time I visited you, I discovered what it means to fall in love at first sight. You were the first woman my heart beat for and the -”
“Wait a damned minute,” I lifted my right palm, stopping him from completing his words. “You love me? Like romantically?”
He nodded.
The knowledge made me gulp. I didn’t even know how to react to this. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Devon, my friend, my confidant, was in love with me? Romantically? I didn’t know how to process this information. I had always considered him to be just a friend, someone I could trust and rely on. But now, I was seeing him in a whole new light.
It was then that I realized why he was always shy with me, why he always avoided my stare most times, and the intense look he always sent my way. I figured that was how he looked at people, not knowing it was because of his feelings for me.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Would it have made any difference?” Devon shrugged, his eyes looking down at the ground. He heaved a sigh before he focused his attention back on me. His silver eyes were expressive enough, saying words he didn’t let out. “I was afraid of ruining our friendship,” he said. “I didn’t want to lose you. Having you as a friend was better than breaking up with you over something as trivial as my feelings for you.”
I felt a pang of guilt and regret. I did not know that Devon felt this way about me. And now he was leaving because of it. If only I’d known, I would have…
What would I have done? Stopped his feelings? How? It wasn’t as if that were a simple thing to do.
“Devon, wait,” I said, reaching out to grab his arm. “Don’t go. We can work through this.” I begged sigh my eyes. “You don’t have to leave because of this.”
Devon looked at me, his eyes filled with a mix of sadness and longing. He glanced down at the hand holding him before he lifted it. His gaze locked with mine. “I’m sorry, Bella,” he said. “But I have to go. I need to get away from you, from the pain of loving you and not being able to have you.”
And with that, he turned and walked away, leaving me standing there, feeling lost and confused.
“Devon!” I yelled out, causing him to stop.
Whirling around to face me, he waved, smiling. “Don’t miss me too much, Bella! Please keep in mind, the offer still stands. You can visit me whenever you want! Bring the kids over when you do.”
“I will!”
Even though I wanted to ask him to stay, to beg him not to leave, I knew he wouldn’t listen to me. He had made his mind up. There was no turning back for him.
“Take care!”
“I will!”
As he walked out of the gate, I felt tears slide down my eyes, rolling down my cheeks as I watched a friend leave just because of his feelings for me…