I gasped when I quickly turned my head and felt something prick in my heart. My eyes were fixating on the way where the villa was, which was a little far from here.
"Mother?" I snapped back when Demetrius gathered my attention. "Is there something wrong?" he asked as he straightened his back after making a fighting stance, panting.
My eyes were on the pathway to the villa house before returning my gaze to him. "Just a moment... I feel something..." I caressed my left chest since my wolf could not hold her concerns.
"What do you mean, Mother?" Demetrius hastily went beside me, looking worried. "Are you alright?"
"This anxious feeling... Did something happen to Valerian?" I couldn't help saying it out loud, heaving a sigh.
"Perhaps, Father is sulking?" Demetrius looked at me with those adorable, gorgeous eyes.
"I am not... certain." I became attentive if Valerian was in danger. The last time I felt this was when I betrayed him as Lady Clockwork.
"Mother?"
I turned at Demetrius, who was tilting his head. There was hope in his eyes that I would spend more time with him, which prevailed before I nodded. "Shall we rest a bit?" I asked.
"Alright."
I looked at where the villa's direction was before I dismissed it. Perhaps, Valerian was sulking so severely. I fished out my pocket watch and saw that it was already afternoon.
"Come here, Demetrius," I said when I grabbed a towel before wiping the beads of sweat on his face and neck.
Demetrius brightened up. "Thank you, Mother." He hugged me.
"You are most welcome." This child deserved to be loved. If I got to conceive him, I would do anything to bestow the world to him.
We rested, soaking our feet in the cool water of the falls. I could have wished Valerian was here, too, but I promised Demetrius we would be alone here.
"How I wish I could stay here..."
I turned at Demetrius, whose face was downward, looking melancholy while he fluttered his feet in the water, staring at it with longing.
"My life is way better than my original timeline." His hands kept shuffling together before he looked at me. "You are way better than my real mother..."
I felt my heart being clenched at his words. He was still talking about me from another timeline, but my behavior there was unforgivable.
"On her behalf, I would like to ask for your forgiveness. What she did cannot be justified." I cupped his cheek, seeing his eyes express pain. I knew that Demetrius had been looking for disclosure with his mother. Then I should be the way for that.
I would be the bridge so he would heal soon. But in my case, I wouldn't be able to receive asking forgiveness from Papa. But I could live without it.
Demetrius did not say anything, but he placed my hand on my head. "Mother, please pat me." He pleaded.
I did as he wanted, adoring him silently. But there was this nagging feeling that was disturbing me when I laid my eyes in the direction where the villa. My wolf kept urging me to go home now.
"Shall we head back? I think Valerian will sulk more now that he is alone." I patted his head again before standing up.
"Aww..." I could tell how disappointed he was.
Even though it looked like Demetrius did not want to leave, the determination on my face said I wished to. He frowned, but when I patted him again, his face brightened up. It took a pat for him to agree with me on going back to the villa.
Upon arriving there, my heart stopped when I saw three familiar people sitting on the front porch. I quickly halted Demetrius when I spotted Arthur, Britanny, and...
"Papa..." I swallowed a gulp upon seeing them, feeling my heart was about to burst out of my ribcage, especially since Britanny smirked while Arthur waved his hand in our direction.
"Mother, are they...?"
"Step back, Demetrius." I halted him, not leaving my eyes on those three dangerous people I had ever known. Mustering up some courage, I held my head high, taking a toll of approaching them. "How did you know that I am here?"
My voice was as calm as the after-storm sea, but inside, I felt like I wanted to run away. Having to see Papa here was something unexpected. And no one knew that we were here. How did they know about my whereabouts?
Hold on...
They were here? Which means...
"Where's Valerian?" I asked in a thunderous tone.
I could feel my wolf raging inside me as if she wanted to come out from me as soon as Papa smiled from ear to ear.
I controlled my temper, clenching my skirt. "Where is he, Papa?" By clenching my teeth, I was close to reaching my dagger, wanting to attack them. But I did not dare since if I let myself be blinded by emotions, I would certainly falter. "What have you done to him?"
This time, I managed to keep calm and collected. But I could feel a bitter taste dawdling in my stomach up to my esophagus. It wouldn't go away until I got information about where my Valerian was.
Papa went down the front porch and offered his hand to me. "Playtime is over, Dominixe. It is time to go home where you belong."
"No," I said firmly. "Tell me where Valerian is, Papa." Please... Let no harm be touched him.
Mother... Please let Valerian be safe...
Papa stroked his chin. "Oh! That man?" He fluttered his eyelids, feigning ignorance. "I saw him jumping off the cliff earlier. Did you not see him?"
What he said made me feel like someone had clawed my heart out. "The cliff...?" I parroted, feeling my chest rise up and down.
Did he mean the cliff before the waterfalls, where there were some spiky rock formations if someone was about to fall from there?
"Yes." Papa smiled more. "Now, shall we? Your mate killed himself." He heaved a sigh before crossing his arms over his chest. "Let's go home now, Dominixe. I have been resilient with you and let you play outside. But it is time to return to where you are."
"Fret not, Domi. Your position as one of the heir candidates remains the same." Arthur just spoke and walked a few steps in my direction.
Britanny scoffed bitterly. "And your fiance is there waiting for you."
I remained silent, not being able to come up with any words. My feet were nailed to the ground, and my emotions were in turmoil.
"You scoundrels!" I reached for my dagger, gripping it tightly when everything returned as soon as I remembered that nervous feeling I had felt earlier. I should have listened to my instincts that it was related to Valerian. "What have you done to—"
I felt something pierce my back just before finishing what I was about to say. At the same time, I felt a familiar presence before I slowly turned my head and gasped upon meeting menacing, frigid chartreuse eyes coming from...
"Demetrius...?" My voice was raspy, wide-eyed, not believing what I was seeing.
Demetrius' lips stretched out into an empty one. "Surprise, Mother."
I gasped more when he deepened the way he pierced what seemed like a dagger into my back before I had finally made a move to make a roundhouse kick which Demetrius managed to block.
I stepped back, touching what was piercing my back, and noticed that it was his dagger his initials were carved in there. I tossed it aside, panting, feeling my heart shatter into pieces.
"Why are you doing this?" I tried to calm myself, but my emotions obscured my judgment. I couldn't find the idea of being in a peaceful state now that I happened to know that Demetrius had done this to me. "Why...?" I muttered. "Why?!"
Demetrius smiled sweetly. "I just only want to be with you, Mother. I am only doing this for your sake."
"My sake?! What the fuck do you mean by my sake?!" I growled, feeling dejected that this was happening to me.
I kept my distance from him while maintaining alert to those three people who were watching with amusement. In my peripheral vision, I could see Papa's shoulders shaking as if he was warding off from laughing until he couldn't handle it anymore.
I turned my head when he was marching towards Demetrius' way while dismissing Arthur and Britanny, seeing they were out of sight.
"I'd say... my grandson is the best Alpha slayer, honestly."
It seemed like someone threw my body into the pool of icy water, hearing those words from Papa. My eyes were so vast that it seemed like I had seen a ghost.
"You did well, Demetrius," Papa said with a smile, patting Demetrius' head.
Demetrius giggled. "Thank you, Grandpa! I am happy to be praised by you!"
"W-What is the meaning of this?" I muttered in disbelief.
It was also the moment when Rachelle's words echoed in my head.
"I want you to watch over Demetrius."
"Huh?"
"There is something ominous about him. I cannot fathom it, but... I want you to be careful whenever you are alone with him."
Was this what she was talking about? Was Demetrius going to betray me—us from the very beginning?
"No..." I gritted my teeth before I felt my legs wobbly. Then I closed my eyes as the poison succumbed, making me fall to the ground.