Once Upon a Child of the Stars

Twenty Nine- Found

We finished our dinner and headed straight for Alpha Maddox to inform him on Xavian's arrival and the revelation we had come upon. 

"He is going to find her much sooner than we expected. We know you have an underground bunker. We think that the bunker walls and dirt between them will help shield the connection a bit and give us a little more time to prepare a plan," Raegar says to Maddox.

Maddox nods his head. Maddox was a lot like what I have heard his father to be, both in looks and in his loyalty and protectiveness. Like his father, he had black hair and fairly dark skin. He was pure muscle and I am sure his father once was in his prime as well. His father, former alpha Lycus, is who helped my mother back in the day. 

"The bunker is yours. It has beds and everything you would need including a food supply. Just make sure you write down anything you use so we can restock," Maddox says with a warm smile. 

"I don't think we can thank you enough, Alpha," I say. 

"I'm sure someday we will need some help for something or another," he says with a smile. 

"Thank you again," Raegar says as we turn to leave. 

We make our way down the stone paths and back to the small house to gather our small bunch of belongings to take with us to the bunker. 

"Got everything?" Raegar asks me. 

"Yeah," I say, but I feel a sudden pull to the door to the house. It feels as though I am being guided to it, but then I realize why that feeling is there. 

"Wait," I say, and Raegar and Kaedian both stop. My heart begins to race, thumping through my chest. 

"What's wrong, Lu?" Kaedian asks, his face looking concerned. 

"He's close. We have to go. Now!" I state firmly. 

We all run out the door and sprint towards the bunker. Pushing past confused lycans and pushing our muscles to the limit in order to get to the bunker before Xavian gets any closer. 

The bunker door is in the forest for added protection and with the forest line right in front of us, we keep running. Suddenly, the sky darkens as a large shadow passes overhead. My gut sinks while my heart pulls me to a stop. 

"No," I whisper to myself. 

Xavian lands right in front of the treeline as his wings fold into his back while he shifts back. Raegar and Kaedian are standing to my sides but slightly in front of me. 

My heart feels like it is being pulled out of my chest. The connection between Xavian and I is practically unbearable as it tries to pull us together after being apart for a while. All I want to do is rush into his strong arms and let him hold me for the rest of time. Fortunately, my personal strength allows me to not do exactly what the connection wants me to. 

"Hello, little mate. That was a good attempt when you decided to hide with these furry little creatures. Unfortunately, you did not know about the strength of the bond, especially since we are both of royal blood," Xavian says, his voice smooth and deadly but his eyes flash red, showing he too feels the connections pull. His eyes shift to me and then to the men around me. 

"Brother. I can't say I am surprised that you have helped this little spitfire, you have always had a liking for her. Kaedian, now you surprised me. I thought you were a loyal little servant," he says and he steps forward. All three of us step back, trying to keep the distance between us. 

"Stay back," Raegar threatens his brother. 

"She is my mate. I can't really avoid the little hybrid now can I?" he says. 

"You can leave her alone. Let her live peacefully on her planet. Go back to Hellian, Xavian," Raegar says. 

"You know very well what happens when mates are too far apart. It causes the one who is left agonizing pain. You know what it is like to hurt because of a mate, brother. We need to be together. It is part of nature's rules," Xavian states. 

"It is not natural to lock your mate up and mentally abuse them though," I speak up and Xavian's eyes snap to my own. 

"You were  not exactly willing to stay with me to begin with, little hybrid," Xavian says through gritted teeth. "Now. Where's the hotel?" he says with a sly smile. 

Not wanting to start a commotion more than we already had, we began to walk back to the small house. Of course, we had attracted many eyes on our first run through and even more now that we were walking back with another Hellian. 

"Excuse me," the beta, Theo stops us. "Who are you?" he asks, looking at Xavian with a concerned look. He must know who he is, and who we were hiding from. 

"It's okay, Beta Theo. He's with us. It'll be no trouble," I say with a facade of a smile. 

"Are you sure?" Theo asks, concern showing in his brown eyes. 

"Positive," I say. He gives us a solid nod before walking away. 

"Well looks like you've gotten comfy with the natives, little hybrid," Xavian says as he throws his arm over my shoulder. I am grateful for the jacket he wears as it is the only thing preventing skin to skin contact. I quickly shake his arm off and he flashes his gaze down to me. I see what could possibly be a spark of hurt in them, but I immediately decide that is not in his nature. 

We arrive at the house and walk in with an awkward sigh from all of us. 

"It's a two bedroom so you'll probably-" I start to say but am cut off by my so called mate. 

"Perfect. One bed for us and one for them," Xavian says with a cocky smile. 

"Yeah not in your wildest dreams," I scoff and cross my arms. 

"We are mates. Mates are supposed to share a bed, are they not?" he rhetorically questions. 

"Not this mate pairing. I prefer my own bed. You're free to the bed, I can take the floor if need be," I shrug. 

"Perfect because being king means I need my beauty sleep and a floor or couch would simply not be very good for that," Xavian states, but I see the plan bubbling up within his mind. 

"Great. It's settled then. Me floor, you bed," I say with a sarcastic smile before I walk away from the Hellian.