CHAPTER 15
(VASTY'S P.O.V)
----------Flashbak---------------------
"Mommy, I want my prince charming to hold me though!" Erah whined.
"Erah, my princess, don't bother Vasty like that, and now come to Mommy,"
"No,"
"Aunt Helen, I don't mind, really," I told her. I scoop up Erah and smile at her.
"Uncle Arnoh, can I keep him?" I remember Erah couldn't say Arnold correctly.
"Well, I don't know Erah, Aunt Caren would like to get him back," Erah pouts and is on the verge of tears.
"Erah, I'll make you a deal," I told her.
"When you're big and strong, I will comeback and you can keep me then, how does that sound?"
"Really?" she smiled big and cups her hands together.
"Really,"
"Promise?"
"Promise."
"Alright, smile everyone!" Uncle Damian shouted as he set the camera n a self timer and ran over.
"Remember Erah, when you're big and strong, you get to keep me,"
"Forever?"
"Forever." She kissed my cheek making me smile just as the flash went off.
----------End of Flashback--------------
I need to show this picture to Erah as soon as possible. I prayed that she would be able to remember, and it would be able to speed tings up a bit. Not only that, but to remember how much fun she had before everything went to shit.
(ERAH'S P.O.V)
I was getting so tired from the tour of the castle and we barely got through the first floor. I would honestly need a guide for the first year while living here because I would get so turned around if I try to go to anywhere by myself.
"And this is the most heavenly place in the castle," Mulan said while spreading her arms wide with a huge grin. "Where the most amazing things were created, and where you can have whatever your heart desires," we went through a door way, and it was the kitchen. I gasped at the size of it. It was easily three times bigger than the one at Bluemoon. There were at least six refrigerators, four stovetops, six ovens, five microwaves, two large sinks, a handwashing statins and a cabinets galore.
"The kitchen is beyond heavenly," I say while holding my hands to my face.
"These are the pantries," Did she say Pantries? as in Plural? She pointed at three doors. I opened the first one taht is full of snacks, so help yourself anytime. The other two are where we keep groceries, boxed meals, and dry goods. If there is anything you want that we don't have, which is highly unlikely, just let Mr. and Mrs. Johnson know, and they will get it for you.
"Who is Mr. and Mrs. Johnson?"
"We are," two voices said coming into the kitchen behind us.
"Gamma, who is this lovely young lady?" Mr. Johnson asked.
"This is Erah, our Luna," they both gasps and immediately bowed their heads.
"Oh no, please don't do that, I'm not actually the Luna... Yet. Please, just call me Erah and greet me like you would to anyone else,"
"If that's what you insists, Erah," Mrs. Johnson replied with a warm smile.
"Erah, are you hungry at all?" Mrs. Johnson asked.
"Yes, but I can make something myself. Please just tell me where everything is,"
"Nonsense child, this is our kitchen and we will not have our Luna getting her hands dirty, at least not on her first day," Mrs. Johnson said.
"Let's not ruin her appetite dear," Mr. Johnson interjected. "Erah,we will be making lunch shortly, and we do not want to ruin your appetite. So, how about some fresh fruit and yogurt to keep you sustained until then?"
"That sounds wonderful, thank you,"
"Gamma?"
"Sure, count me in!" Mulan exclaimed. We sat on he island together and ate our fruit and yogurt. I hadn't had fruit in so long, I didn't realize how fast I had eaten until I was down to my last strawberry. "Wow, you ate that really fast,"
"Uh, Yes, I guess I was hungrier than I thought," Mulan was about to say something else when her eyes glazed over.
"The Alpha is coming," she said. "So, how old are you Erah?"
"I just turned 18, five days ago," she looked at me in shock.
"Wow, you are young,"
"I am?"
"Well, compared to all of us, you are," I just gave her a weird look.
"How old are you?" I asked.
"I'm 25, and so is Jason," my eyes widened in shock.
"Alfred is 26 and Vasty is 26 also,"
What? Vasty is 8 years older than me?"
"Yeah, that's a big age gap if you ask me, I'm surprise that you're his mate,"
"Gamma, finding one's mate has nothing to do with their age, and you know that," Mr. Johnson said from the kitchen counter. I look to see what he was doing, and he look like he was slicing deli meat.
"I know, but still, it's rare to see a ranked pair so far apart in age," Mulan said. I kind of slumped in my seat unsure of how to respond to that.
"I like that she's younger than me," I heard a soothing voice say. I looked up and saw Vasty enter the kitchen. "How was the tour, my love?"
"It was long," I replied. "I need a map of the castle, I'm going to get lost," Vasty chuckled at my statement.
"You get used to it; besides, you won't be alone. Mulan here will escort you anywhere you want to go until you are able to get around yourself,"
"That's right, it's going to be you and I tied to the hip," she says with a big smile.
"Is there anywhere in he castle that i'm not allowed to go?" I asked. Mulan looks at me funny and then back at Vasty.
"My love, I don't run my pack the way Maximiano does. You're free to go whereve you please," I smiled at his response. "With that being said, you are not allowed to go outside of the castle without Mulan, Jason, Alfred or myself, is that understood?"
"Yes, I honestly don't think I'm ready to go outside just yet. The territory is massive,"
"When you are, I will gladly take you on a tour of the territory. We can eve go out onto yhe lake with my boat," I smiled and nodded. "Anyway, if you're done with your snack, I'd like you to come to my office,"
"Sure," I grab the plate and place it i the sink. I turn on the water to clean it, but Mrs. Johnson stops me.
"Go on, Erah, I got it from here,"
Okay, thank you," Vasty takes my hand and interlocks our fingers. I can't help but blush from how nice it felt, but I was a little uncomfortable at the same time. Vasty has been showing a lot of affection, and I don't know how to respond to it. I was surprised when we almost kissed in the guestroom at Bluemoon, I honestly couldn't believe that I haad dropped my guard that easily with him. Stupid Mate Bond.
Vasty led me to his office on the fifth floor and I was completely breathless, and my legs were burning,
"I'm sorry, love, we should have taken the elavator,"
"There's an elevator!?" I gawked at him. "You could have said that sooner!" I shouted and slumped in the nearest chair I could find catching my breath.
"Well, you seem to do okay at Bluemoon,"
"Vasty, one floor here it two floors there. I essentially just walked up, what is that two, four, six... ten flights of stairs1" he sat there and laugh at me. I took a few minutes to catch my breath and finally was able to think again. "What did you want to talk to me about?"
"I need to come clean about something," oh, he doesn't love me. He's going to reject me. I knew it, this was all too good to be true. I was going to be rejected again, only tis time, this was going to hurt even more because I actually care to Vasty. I couldn't help the tears forming in my eyes.
"Erah, why are you crying?"
"You're going to reject me, aren't you?"
"What!? No, my love, I'm not going to reject you! Why would you think that?" he jumped out of his seat and pulled me out of mine, engulfing me in a hug. "Dearest, don't ever think that, I will never reject you," he said as he creddled my head.
"But you said you needed to come to clean about something, I thought you were going to tell me that you didn't actually love me,"
"No, goddess no, Erah, please don't ever think that again. I told you..." he pulled awway and cupped my cheeks," "...I would die from heartbreak if I will lost you," I pouted and avoided looking him in the eyes. "Get that shit out of your head, you're not going anywhere, and you're not getting rid of me that easily," he said and pulled me iinto another hug. We stood there a minute before I slowly wrapped my arms around his waist.
"If you're not rejecting me, then what did you need to tell me?"
"That you and I have met before," I pulled away and look at him furrowing my brows. "We met when you were only eight, right before Maximiano killed your pack,"
"What are you talking about?"
"Do you remember this?" he asks and hands me a photo from his desk. I looked at it, ans I see my parents, Vasty's Dad, a younger version of Vasty, and me, kissing his cheek. I looked up at Vasty and then back at the picture.
"I know that's me, and my family and you and your dad, but I don't remember taking this photo,"
"Erah, do you remember telling a boy that you wanted to keep him?" I looked at Vasty like he was crazy. I thought really hard,
"Can I keep you?"
"When you're big and strong, I'll coome back and you can keep me then,"
"Forever?"
"Forever."
I looked at Vasty and studied his face. I looked back at the photo and thought back.
"Prince Charmng," I whisper.
"What did you say?" Vasty asked with an excitement.
"Prince Charming," I say again while looking straight at him. "Oh my God! you're Prince Charming!"
"Yeah, you called me that the entire weekend when we were visitiing you,"
"Arnold.... Uncle Arnoh," tears were flooding my eyes and feel on their own accord. "Oh my God, we have met before, that's why I felt so drawn to you,"
"Erah, back then, I was already 18, and had gained my wolf ," he said and took my hands in his. The sparks and tingling sensation he was giving me was sending chills all across my body. "My love, I already knew you were my mate, even then,"
"What?"
"You did too, but you were just too young to know. My father says it's because we're both Alphas. That your dormant responding to my active one, and vice versa,"
"That's why I wanted to keep you,"
Yeah, and that's why I said once you're big and strong, you would get to keep me forever," Vasty was my mate. He's my true mate. How did I not remember until right now?
"I don't understand, if you're my true mate, why was I mated to Max?"
"We think that it was the Moon Goddess way of punishing him and his pack, Karma if you will," tears kept streaming down my face the more I looked at Vasty. I loved him even when I was a child. "Erah, when your pack was attacked, it was reported that there no survivors, and I swear, I felt like a part of me was gone," I looked at him, and saw that he also has tears in his eyes.
"Vasty,"
"I thought that I had lost you, my tiny mate, before I eally had the chance to really love you. All this time, I always wondered why I was not given a second chance, but then when you told me your name at the pack clinic at the Bluemoon, I realized that I wasn't given asecond chance because my true mate, my first love is still alive. I know that sounds a little creepy, me, having been inlove with a eight year old when I was 18, but I was going to wait patiently for you to grow up, but then I thought you had died, and I felt so empty," I dont know this all happened, but somehow, someway, the moongoddess led him back to me. He loved me when i was an annoying little girl, he mourned me because he thought I was died with my pack, and now he's here in front of me. The one I do want to keep.