Chapter 37: When did you come back?

**BEA**

Though she felt as if everything finally went back to its place, Bea couldn't get rid of the feeling that tore her in half. She had just found out that her mate was a traitor, one who would do anything to kill her. How could the Moon Goddess be so cruel and mate her to someone who'd do anything to end her life? Wasn't he the one who was supposed to love and care for her? Shouldn't he need to go to extents such as bringing stars down from the sky just to make her smile? Because despite everything she knows, Bea wants to do everything and more for him. The Princess would gladly give in and let River kill her if only that made him smile. Whatever it takes, she'd give up on the only things she ever cared about, just to make him happy.

As the rebellion rose and Bea spent time with her father's grandmother, she forgot about an important part of her life. The Watchers. Anto and Baka were nowhere to be seen, and as the days went by, she missed them more. The Princess tried to call them, but each attempt was left hanging; none answered. She thought of asking her parents where she could find the creatures, yet Bea knew that neither of them would allow her to leave the castle. Not now or anytime soon.

The Princess felt like the women in fairytales she read- imprisoned in a tower, waiting for someone to save her. But who would come to her rescue? Certainly not her mate. "I think I love him," she whispered under her breath as a tear escaped her eye. Until now, Bea didn't believe in love from first sight, and though the stories she heard about mates were beautiful, she didn't think she'd ever live up to the day when the same happens to her.

As Bea drowned in self-pity, which she didn't believe in having the right to, she didn't notice how someone walked into her room until a hand landed on her shoulder. The Princess jumped to her feet and gasped in surprise.

A tall, extremely muscular man stood before her. The silver hair made his green eyes stand out. Bea tilted her head as she tried to figure out who was the young man, but she couldn't understand where she had seen him before. The man had familiar traits to his looks, but she still couldn't wrap her mind around where she had met him.

He took a step closer and opened his arms for Bea. "Since when I don't deserve a hug from my sister? You hurt my feelings," Adonis grinned as the look of realization crossed Bea's face.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she instantly wrapped her arms around his neck. Bea cried against his chest, unable to accept that her brother finally came home. Part of her thought she was stuck in a dream while the other hammered her thoughts about how real the situation was. "Shhh, don't cry, Bea bear, I'm here, and I won't leave you. Not anymore," Adonis whispered as he held her.

The day their father announced that Adonis had to leave was one of the worst days in Bea's life. She was too attached to her brother, and at one point, she became dependant on him. Their parents were busy for the most part, so these two stuck together like a hand and glove. Bea followed him everywhere, and Adonis did everything his little sister asked him to do. Surely, she was older than he was; technically, Adonis was the youngest child in the family, but he still reminded Bea that she was the baby of the family.

Bea placed her hands on Adonis' cheeks and looked at her brother teary-eyed. "I can't believe you're actually here. I can't believe it. It's you," she cried out. Life suddenly didn't feel as complicated and unfair as it was during the absence of her brother. "When did you come back?"

"I just arrived. I wanted to meet mom and dad first, for obvious reasons, but I don't think this is the best moment to get close to their bedroom. I swear those two are animals whenever it comes to having sex. The sounds they make- disgusting. If they don't stop, we will have another sibling or maybe like twelve," Aldonis laughed as he let go of Bea and sat in her bed. "Then, I decided that it would be nice to check on you as you refuse to leave the bedroom. Besides, I missed you the most."

Bea followed her brother and quickly sat next to him. She slapped his shoulder, just like she did when she was younger and giggled. "Now you're just trying to get on my best side. But you're right about mom and dad; I've been avoiding their bedroom for ages. It's better if you try to talk to them when they're in dad's office. But that place isn't safe anymore, just like the kitchen, the living room and the garden. Anyway, nowhere is safe when it comes to those two. But let's not discuss their animalistic needs. Have you met Ally yet?"

Aldonis shook his head. "No, I was planning to go see her after dad tells me everything about the situation here. Heard you left for a bit."

"It was a bit for me, like weeks, but everyone's telling me that I was away for three years." Bea didn't hide anything from her brother. Adonis could see through her lies, so wasting her breath trying to hide something from him was useless.

She thought that Adonis would give her a lection of her lifetime, but instead, he threw an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in. "No worries, sis, I'm not angry, if that's what you think. I was gone for years, and though I did my best to come home sooner, I couldn't be here when needed the most. I should have been here to look for you the same as everyone else. So, trust me, you have nothing to worry about. Sometimes, everyone needs time away from their loved ones, no matter how much we care for them. Anyway, we can discuss the details later. Have you eaten yet?" Bea started at her brother as if he was replaced. Adonis had always been one to speak his mind and jump in whenever something happened to his sisters, but not this time. He seemed more mature and calmer than ever. Did the training do this to him, or did their parents really replace him with an alien?

Bea shook her head. She hadn't eaten anything for a while, nor she felt hungry. There was too much on her mind to waste time on thoughts about food. Besides, everyone decided that it was best to let her be, and no one bothered her with another reminder about food. She'd eat whenever she felt hungry. Adonis grabbed her hand and dragged Bea to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and frowned.

"Well, I can offer you something that looks like leftovers from yesterday's dinner or my famous sandwiches. It's up to you." As always, Bea chose anything that her brother could make for her. Adonis wasn't the best cook, and sometimes even sandwiches tasted weird, but Bea always ate everything till the last crumb.

She watched Adonis cutting off the edges of the bread and grinned. He remembered that she didn't like those. Only now Bea understood how much she had missed her bother and his attempts to step over any limits to make her smile. "So, is there anything else that's new?" Adonis placed the plate with the sandwich in front of Bea and sat across the table from her. He wanted to watch her; if she had anything to hide- he'd notice that.

Bea took a moment to bite the bread and enjoy the moment before she answered any questions. The Princess shrugged and stared at the bread as if it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. "Nothing much; I met my mate and all that." She spoke as if it was another everyday thing. Adonis had met some people who had met their mates, and they had glow in their eyes, smiles all over their faces, and those people radiated pure happiness. For some reason, it wasn't the same with his sister. That made him wonder if something was wrong. Everyone knew who Bea's mate was, everyone had met the man, she was the only one who was yet to find out. So, now, when she knew- why wasn't Bea acting like she was over the moon.

Adonis raised an eyebrow, but Bea ignored the small action. She knew that he had a few questions, but the Princess focused her attention on the food. They have enough time to poke the topic; they could rather talk about the rebellion or laugh at their parents again. Bea wanted to facepalm herself for bringing up the subject of her mate. How was she to tell her brother all those terrifying things she found out. "Oh, and also, apparently, I'm cursed. Some stupid thing about dad's bloodline from the side of his vampire grandmother or something. Gosh, how difficult it is to explain. Anyway, Ally dodged the bullet once she met Darius, but I can't avoid it. Not that I'd want to because the curse would just hop to the next girl born in our family. I wouldn't want to see my sister, which we could have if mom and dad keep up with their rural mating, or see my daughter suffer." Bea spoke as if she wasn't bothered about a thing. In reality, she really wasn't. Life was about surprises, and some things were impossible to avoid. Everyone had struggles, and it was only fair that she had a few as well.

Adonis stared at her wide-eyed. "How can you be so calm? A curse? A mate? Holy Hell, sis, you've been up to some things. Alright, let's discuss one thing at a time. First, what's up with the mate? Where is this guy?"

Bea sighed and hid her face behind her hands. "I don't know, somewhere busy with the rebellion, I guess. Planning to kill me and all that."