Chapter 161
Felix ran towards Mercedes. He had to see her face, touch her, kiss her and embrace her. It didn't matter what was going on at the moment. He had long run out of patience, and he could not let her go. Not again. Jake watched his Alpha run towards his mate. The situation was tense since Drakoen came into the picture. He just hoped that the Alpha wouldn't get hurt in his reunion with his mate.
" I see that I have greatly underestimated you, once again, Mercedes. I thought that things were completely under my control, but that was my mistake."
" I was never yours to control. You just got lucky that you were able to keep me under your control for so long. I hope you have used me for all my worth, because you won't be getting that chance again."
Mercedes glared at him standing ground to show him that play time was over. She stood tall and made sure to shield Isadora and Alexa from his menacing gaze. Drakoen's eyes burned with fury at Mercedes' words.
" I must say. You really are a loyal person to those you love and care about. You have killed and spilled the blood of innocence, yet you never broke out of my control. The moment you had to kill your mentor, you found the strength to break through my spell. I guess all those other people you killed were not so important," Drakoen said in a mocking voice.
Mercedes couldn't say anything back to him. He was not completely wrong. The thought of killing Alexa was more intense than how it felt when she killed the others. Even so, it didn't make her feel less guilty about it. The pain and guilt of killing and spilling their blood would always haunt her for as long as she lives. But she was going to let Drakoen use that against her. It was him who made her kill them. She was the weapon he welded against them.
" Yes, I killed those people. It was what you wanted, isn't it? You got what you wanted, so nothing else should matter to you."
" I should have known that the people you care about are not only your weakness, but they are also your strength. I shouldn't have let you try to kill them. I should've done it for you. Perhaps my plan could have gone way smoother."
Isadora hugged Alexa closer to her and protectively. She could hear the threat in Drakoen's words, and she was afraid that he would try to kill Alexa. Even though she was weaker than Drakoen, she wasn't going to let him harm Alexa. Alexa was concerned for Mercedes. In the state she was in, she wouldn't be much help to Mercedes. If she tried, she would only be in her way and Drakoen would use her to tame Mercedes. She didn't want to cause her any trouble. She just hoped that Mercedes was strong enough to go against Drakoen.
" Mercedes!" Felix yelled when he got closer to her. He stood a distance away from her and could now see her clearly. How it had been a long time since he laid his eyes on her face. He had settled for seeing it in pictures in their room. For him, that moment felt like the world stopped and everything around them disappeared, leaving only him and Mercedes. He ignored everyone's presence and could only see Mercedes. In his life, crying has never been an easy thing for him. It always took a lot for him to give in to his emotions. At that moment, he was so overcome with emotions as he walked with ladened steps towards Mercedes.
Mercedes had forgotten that she had sensed his presence earlier on the battlefield. She couldn't see him then, but now that he was a few feet away from her, she'd felt all the tense muscles in her body relax. Her weary and constricted heart started pumping and beating faster. She was happy to see him after so long, and she was also feeling guilty towards him. She'd left him alone back then, and she knew that he must have gone through a lot without her.
Felix stood right in front of Mercedes. He was frozen and didn't know what to do now that he could reach for her after not being able to do so for a long time.
" Mercedes," he said her name, making Mercedes shiver from hearing her name roll off his tongue so smoothly.
" Felix," Mercedes uttered his name as well.
Without giving it a thought, Felix took the initiative and pulled Mercedes into his arms. The moment their bodies collided, it felt like the world was shaking beneath their feet. Each of them sought to hold on to the other tightly as tears slipped out of both their eyes. No words were needed. Everything could be felt through the hug. Their desperation and longing of the time that was lost between them. Mercedes felt like new life had been breathed into her. She never thought she would get to see Felix again. She didn't know what she would say once she was before him, but now that they finally met, it seemed she was over thinking things.
" I'm sorry," Mercedes whispered to him in a broken voice, still in his tight embrace. Felix ddinr respond. He was over the moon to have Mercedes in his arms. He had so much to say to her, including scolding her for daring to leave him alone, but he didn't want to do that at that moment. He didn't want to ruin the mood and lose the feeling that was bursting in his heart.
" I am sorry," she repeated as she squeezed her and buried her face in the crook of his neck, taking in the scent she had been yearning for.
Leaving him was not the only thing that she was apologizing for. She was apologizing because, once again, she was going to do something that he wouldn't approve of and there was a risk that the moment they were sharing, their long-awaited reunion would be the last one. Thinking about that made tears steam out of her eyes profusely.
" Well, this is odd. What a touching display of affection. It almost brings tears to my eyes," Drakoen said in a mocking manner, interrupting their moment. They snapped back into reality, and they realized that they were amongst an audience and not truly alone. Felix was annoyed by Drakoen's voice and the fact that he had spoiled their mood, but he managed to pull away from Mercedes even though he wanted to keep holding on to her. He still had a bone to pick with him.
" So you are the crazy son of a bitch who keeps going after what doesn't belong to him. I've been meaning to meet you for some time. I didn't know you were good at playing hide and seek. It took this long to see the person who had been messing with me and my family."
Felix was boiling with anger and his veins appeared as he clenched his jaw. He was angry and his wolf Roland was about to surface. The only thing that managed to calm him down was Mercedes holding his hand. His anger instantly melted away.
Mercedes knew how Felix was feeling, but she couldn't let him lose his cool and try to attack Drakoen. It wouldn't end well for him or her.
" And you are the mutt who is supposedly Mercedes's mate. How did that happen? I might not be on good terms with Mercedes, but I know that she deserves someone better than you. You know, someone on her level."
Felix's jaw ticked, and he was about to attack Drakoen for the snide comment he had just made about him, but Mercedes hugged him back.
" Shut up, Drakoen. Don't you dare insult my Alpha. You are in no position to judge who is deserving of me and who is not. Do not cross your limits more than you already have. Leave him out of this. Leave everyone out of this. This fight is between me and you."
Felix stared at Mercedes in disbelief. Mercedes didn't dare meet his eyes. She already knew what he was thinking. She felt his grip on her hand tighten.
' Mercedes, what are you talking about?'
Felix asked through the mind link. It was the first time in a while that she was able to hear his voice in her head.
' Don't worry about anything. I will fix this. Just stay back and trust me. I will come back. I...I promise you.'
Before he could ask her what she was talking about and to explain her words, Mercedes let go of his hand. Without warning, she quickly opened a portal behind Drakoen. Mercedes pushed Drakoen into the portal and just in herself. She could hear Felix, Alexa and Isadora call out to her, but there was no use. It was the only way she could think she could think of to distance everyone from Drakoen. She could fight and defeat him without worrying about anyone's safety. Even though they were willing to go through it all with her, and even lay down their lives, Mercedes wasn't willing to lose anyone else to Drakoen. So she absolutely had to defeat him or die trying.