Book 5: Chapter 46 – To Pieria

Book 5: Chapter 46 – To Pieria
Alexandrios’s POV 

We boarded the flight just in time, and Cerelia smiled with relief. “Phew! That was a close call. I thought we would miss the flight.” 

I smiled at her enthusiasm, unable to share any of it. Since her grandfather sent the flight tickets, it had been a mad rush for us. He hadn’t given us much time to pack or check out of the hotel. We had to rush with everything at the last minute. 

I secretly wished Cerelia would decline her grandfather’s proposal. Why did she need to live with her species when she had met her mate already? Now that nothing could stop us from staying with one another, she could have returned to Lucania with me. We were mated and had every right to start a life together. Her grandfather couldn’t separate us. We only needed to stand our ground. 

But Cerelia didn’t. She jumped at the opportunity to live with her family. She was ready to overlook our mate bond and let go of me. It proved she didn’t love me. Maybe I had wasted my time, my efforts, and my feelings after her for the last one month. 

How could she be ready to let go of it all?

Yes, I was disappointed in her. It had me dumbstruck and all I could do was nod at her. What else could I do? It was useless to persuade her to stay with me. Her decision was made right from the start. Only I was dis-illusional.

The flight took off, and I closed my eyes to block her out. Cerelia watched a movie, least aware of what I was going through. 

“Xandrios, I’m hungry.” She tapped me on my arm when the cabin crew brought in tidbits for sale. 

I opened my eyes and handed her some money. 

“Do you need something?” she asked me, but I shook my head, closing my eyes again. My throat was choked with grief. I could hardly swallow a thing. I could hear her munching her food as she watched the movie. 

I couldn’t open my eyes to look at her. How could she be so unaffected? Didn’t she know her grandfather would separate us the moment we reached her village? I noticed the same hatred towards shifters in her grandfather, too. It was the same as her father had. Maybe it ran in the family. 

“Why are you so quiet, Xandrios? Are you angry with me?” I sighed, not opening my eyes to look at her. 

“No. I’m resting. It’s a strenuous journey ahead. You should rest too.” I could hear her switch off the movie. 

“I’ll catch up on some sleep then.”

After a few minutes, her even breathing made me open my eyes. She was fast asleep already, while I hardly could get a wink of sleep. But she had no idea about my ordeal. I had purposefully blocked her out this time, not wanting her to feel what I was going through. I knew she was euphoric at the prospect of meeting her extended family. It was normal when you had no one in the world for so long. She might be excited to meet her family. But what about us? How could she forget about us? 

I lay awake all the time she slept. There was a lot of turbulence as the flight crossed the Atlantic Ocean. Cerelia woke up with a start and grabbed my hand with fright. 

“Will we crash?” she gasped in fear. 

“No. Just relax. The weather deteriorated a little, that’s all.” She sat clinging to me for dear life while I basked in her warmth. 

Why did it feel like this was the last few moments I had with her? 

I was very apprehensive now. My intuitions have never failed me. She seemed oblivious to our ordeal, concentrating more on the turbulence instead. 

“Phew! We’ve crossed it, I think.” She relaxed and switched on her movie. “When will they serve lunch?” 

“In a few minutes.” 

All the while, I half-heartedly watched the movie and engaged in mindless banter about everything under the sun except about our separation. I didn’t know her plans, and I had no courage to ask her. She seemed lost in her own excited bubble. 

“Why do you think my dad hid his family from me? Why didn’t he mention about his family in Pieria?” She gave me a tormented look, and I sighed. The answer was obvious, but maybe she was too young to understand it. 

“Maybe he left home after a clash with them. I’m not sure, Cerelia. You can ask your grandfather. I’m sure he’ll tell you everything about it.” 

She nodded. “I have so many questions to ask him. I want to know if my dad killed my mom.” She gave me a torn look that had me confused. Was she going to her homeland to clear her doubts? Is there any hope for me? 

I nodded and looked away, afraid to ask her. 

We reached London and boarded the connecting flight to Thessaloniki. Cerelia slept peacefully after dinner, but I couldn’t get a wink of sleep. A strange anxiety gripped my heart with every passing hour. 

All night, I lay awake, waiting for my fate. Cerelia woke up and frowned at me. “What’s wrong with you, Xandrios?” 

I shook my head, unable to tell her about my deepest inhibitions. “Nothing. I’m just tired.” 

“When will we reach?” 

“In another two hours.” After breakfast, the flight landed in Thessaloniki. There was a car waiting to take us to Pieria. Apparently, Cerelia’s grandfather had sent it for us. 

“Hello, I am Pedro. Welcome to Greece. It’s a five-hour drive to Pieria. We’ll stop twice on the way.” I understood his language, having lived in Aromania almost all my life. I hadn’t expected Cerelia to know Greek, but strangely, she did. 

“Thank you. I’m so excited to be here. Do you work for my grandpa, Alpha Cassius Belmont?” asked Cerelia, looking more excited. 

“Yes, miss. Are you visiting for the first time? I haven’t seen you before.”

I wasn’t interested in making conversation with him, although I could feel his curious gaze on me occasionally. 

“Yes. I lived in Canada with my dad, Cedrik Belmont. Do you know him?” 

“Ah! Yes, of course, I know him.” It got my attention, and I hesitated a little. Should I ask him? 

“Why did my dad leave home? He never told me anything about my family here.” Cerelia couldn’t stop herself, saving me the trouble. 

“He left home after a fight. That’s all I can tell you, miss. I think you should ask your grandfather. I’ll lose my job if I open my mouth.” 

I looked away, having expected such an answer. 

“Who’s this with you?” Pedro asked about me. 

Before Cerelia could answer, I looked at him through the rear-view mirror. “I’m Dr. Alexandrios Vasiliou of the Luceres Pack, Lucania, Canada. We’re fated mates.” 

Pedro’s eyes widened as he drove on in silence. “Are you a Silver Wolf?” He held my gaze through the rear-view mirror for a second. 

“No, why?” I didn’t flinch at all while admitting the truth. 

“I thought as much.” He drove on with a grim look on his face. There was a sudden change in his demeanor. He wasn’t the friendly, welcoming wolf anymore.

Cerelia watched the scenery in awe while I noted the way back to the airport. I had to be ready to escape if the need arose. 

“We’re about to reach in an hour. Do you need to freshen up?” Pedro’s grave tone made me wary. Why was he so tense? Something was terribly wrong here, but I couldn’t pinpoint the issue. 

“No, I’m good. Xandrios, how about you?” Cerelia gave me a worried look, but I shook my head. No words came out of my mouth. I instinctively knew this was the last hour before we would be separated forever. My heart prodded me to escape with her while I could, but my mind didn’t agree. I didn’t believe in using force. Cerelia wanted to be here, and I had to honor her wishes. 

After an hour, the car crossed the territorial borders and entered Pieria, the home of the Silvermane Warriors. There were silver wolves all around me, staring at us as the car sped along the rugged, mountainous roads. 

“Why are they staring at us?” gasped Cerelia. 

“That’s because they all know your father, but not you,” said Pedro.

“Oh, do they know me?”

Pedro gave her a tense smile. “Yes, word travels fast here. They all know you’re back where you belong.” His gaze briefly flickered to me and I had the feeling he wanted to tell me something. 

Cerelia clutched my hand the moment her palatial ancestral house came into view. 

“We’ve reached,” announced Pedro. He drove in and parked in the sloping driveway. Uniformed guards rushed to help us. They surrounded us from all sides as if we were prisoners. 

“Miss Belmont, please come this way. Your family is waiting to meet you.” Cerelia gave me a frantic look. 

“Xandrios, come.” She didn’t let go of my hand. 

I glanced at Pedro to see the grave look on his face. “Why did you come here?” he muttered, but I heard him distinctly.