Maximus felt worn yet the strongest alive at the same time as they sat in the car heading to the castle. Amoura on the other hand found delight in how her body came alive at the new baritone that came with the change, it sounded raw yet smooth as silk to her ears, it felt primal, even when he said the simplest things like 'little red'.
It became her undoing as it sounded so suggestive she couldn't help but torture the Alpha with her scent, which in turn caused him to groan in frustration and possessiveness for he knew he wasn't the only one that could smell it. Citrus had never smelt so disarming combined with a pinch of roses, he thought her an angel sent down to earth simply for the purpose of tempting him.
Both marinated in the silence filled with the knowledge of what was to come. That was when a notion struck and both hoped it would actually work, whilst Amoura refused to acknowledge the guilt she felt, she justified it by telling herself that she couldn't have him distracted when he needed to be fully about his wits. Although she was powerful as she was, she seemed to have forgotten or perhaps lacked the full knowledge of matehood.
Because in that moment, Maximus knew her every thought, heard it like it was his own and could since his change, and although he understood her reasons, he was angry and hurt that she kept the piece of information from him, even though he knew it wasn't a matter of trust, he took it that way, that she didn't trust that no matter the hurt he would choose right.
He couldn't believe that she thought he could possibly be so selfish as to have such tunnel vision. Alas, he pushed it to the deepest part of his mind, and unlike Amoura, he locked his thoughts away along with what he felt. They would discuss it later, for now, now was time to fight and the opponent probably sat on his throne awaiting their arrival.
The king may have known that they were mated and that Maximus had his power, yet he also knew he still held more power over the boy, ignorant to just who he was mated to and although she appeared human, looks could truly be deceiving.
He had already been more agitated than normal, frustrated by the endless rabid attacks on packs all around the country, he couldn't understand or more so refused to acknowledge that the words the human had spoken were meant for him and just who had sent them his way, for surely Selene wouldn't let them all die into nonexistence.
His lust for power had him fooled and his arrogance blinded, perhaps it was why, as Maximus stood clutching his true mate's hand, refusing to be locked up only to be sacrificed to the rabids, he spoke the words that only had the king laughing in ridicule. And although the king laughed at being challenged, that the boy now thought himself man enough to fight him simply because he had awakened his power by marking the human, he gladly accepted.
For the boy had amused him enough and he thought it time to have him put down, for good. It was a shock to the whole pack when they heard the news, tickets were free, for all were to witness the end of their precious holier than though Maximus Dimitre Augustine. Because he would die today and by his hand.
It all had gone according to plan, the king had played into their hand and accepted the challenge and the news were airborne like a lethal virus. Amoura munched on the bag of sour gummy bears as she sat between stretched out legs, only for hands to wrap around her waist, her back was to his chest and she found herself calmed by the beat of his heart.
The moment was perfect as they sat in his bedchamber, the king had set the time for when he knew he would be the strongest, when the moon was high up, and that gave the pair this time they let waste away in their serenity. And Maximus found it enough as certain raging thoughts wouldn't leave his mind and he found himself speaking.
"I know Amoura" which prompted the woman to sit up only to clearly look at him. Her brows were cutely furrowed in confusion and he refused to be distracted by that, steeling his face at her clueless question
"Know what?" Amoura honestly had no clue as to what her mate was referring to, until she was forced to gulp down at his next words
"That once you have all your power you'll be forced to ascend to the moon" he saw her face change from shock to guilt to sorrow and his heart ached from a lot of things.
"Why didn't you tell me, how could you think I would discard the lives of everyone for my own heart? Do you really think me that selfish Amoura?" he saw her face turn cold at his words and she spat
"Don't go on and be stupid now. You know that's not it, if you could hear my bloody thoughts so clearly then you must have enough brain capacity to understand why I kept it from you." she was upset and angry that he had had no problem invading her privacy, only to use it against her like that, she got up from the bed and rushed to the bathroom only to lock the door.
She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry, had he no idea just how much she had tried to ignore the matter, simply because the notion of leaving him again hurt too much she wondered if she could bear it. Bear to leave him again when she was only starting to get to know him all over again.
"Amoura, open the door" he said feeling like absolute shit as he felt her tornado of emotions rip him apart. They felt the same, neither wished to watch the other leave or be left behind only to possibly never see each other again, especially when they had just found each other. They couldn't understand how they were meant to be only to always be torn apart as if the universe was against them. However, they also understood that they had to do it again, had to be separated and for the greater good this time.
"Amoura, little red please, I'm sorry, can you just come out and talk to me" he saw the door open, and the image before him broke his heart.
"I don't wanna leave again Maximus" she croaked out, he nodded and pulled her into his arms.
"I know, neither do I" he said only to feel himself being punched by the woman as she sniffed
"This is why I never brought it up, I didn't want you distracted, and we both know I'm your biggest distraction there is" she explained
"With hard punches like that, you sure are going to leave me distracted, when did you get so strong little red, where did my little red's pillow punches disappear to?" he pouted as if upset at the notion. And when he saw her lips twitch into a smile he knew his plan succeeded, he wanted to make her smile, always, especially since he was the reason her eyes were red and tears stained her cheeks.
"Had to turn them in since they yielded no results" she retorted only to make him chuckle.
"I love you Amoura"
"And I love you.." her sentence and moment was cut short when a voice taunted
"Awe, saying your goodbyes are we?" Clair wore a smirk although it did little to hide the bags under her eyes and the odd paleness of her skin.
"And did you just rise from the dead or something?" Amoura was the one to retaliate
"Watch your words bitch, just because you're mated to Maximus, it doesn't mean you can speak to me like that" the princess spat.
"Anyways, I came to check if whether you made a run for it like everyone suspects you did, or just might. Now that I see that isn't the case, I'm gonna leave, before I hurl" she continued, her arms crossed on her chest. At her last word she sashayed out of the room.
Her departure made the pair aware of the fact that night had fallen, and soon it would be time. With this realisation, Amoura unconsciously ironed out her floor length white dress with her hands only to take a fistful of sour gummy bears and shoved them into her mouth, which caused Maximus to let out a chuckle, highly amused by his mate's silly action. Only she came to regret her decision when all the sourness combined became too much on her sensitive taste buds and she cringed at the pulling ache that pinched the sensitive part beneath her ears.
"You never learn, do you? "he asked with a shake of his head and a smile on his lips. Content with the sight before him being the last image of her he'll be left with, or should he possibly die. She merely gave him a sheepish candy filled grin with a shrug as she took hold of his extended hand and made to exit the room.
It was obvious that the fight would be above the pit and not within it, when they heard no sound coming from the arena when they walked past the row of cells heading for the door that led outside. The Alpha found himself oddly calm as Aurelius pranced about in his mind, he wondered if whether he should be worried for that fact alone, for the king was actually more experienced than him, he was ancient after all, despite their shared ancient power. Amoura on the other hand felt restless, like something was coming and she didn't know what, she ended up frustrated by her inability to figure it out. And she had unconsciously sealed their bond hence Maximus couldn't feel her frazzled nerves.
She hoped whatever it was that came, wouldn't be the death of her mate, anything else but that. It seemed that everyone was there, for the open field was filled to the brim. Both mates remained hand in hand as they walked through the open path between the werewolves, toward the king that stood in the centre waiting for their arrival.
Gone was his royal attire as he stood in nothing but an unbuttoned shirt and black slacks and he was barefoot. Maximus on the other hand was a dinner to be feasted upon judging by the looks she wolves shot his way, and Amoura couldn't fault their behaviour because he wore nothing but cotton shorts.
An elder appeared from the crowd when Maximus took his place before the king, and he stood before the two of them and questioned as per procedure
"Do you Alpha Maximus Dimitre Augustine, confirm that today at noon you challenged the king to the game of death?" his voice carried out to everyone, and Maximus gave his answer
"Yes" the elder nodded and looked to his majesty and asked
"And did his majesty accept the challenge?" to this the king merely gave a nod, smirking at Maximus
"Well then, you may begin". With the elder's words they would have begun, had it not been for the voice that cut it. Everyone's attention had been so directed on the king, they had missed the change in the atmosphere.
"Not just yet, I'm afraid, for I must firstly take that which belongs to me" Amoura spoke as if in a trance and barely shot her mate a glance. She felt like she watched from the back of her mind as somebody else overtook her body minute her eyes had seen it. The jewel had been like some sort of a trigger and she had lost control over her conscious being as another came forth.
It gleamed teasingly from behind the unbuttoned shirt of the king's. The man himself saw it then, just what her gaze was set on, and when he looked down he saw it shine, and the light of it beamed brighter with every nearing step she took as if excited by her presence, or was it at the prospect of finally being free, of finally returning home.
"What the hell do you think you're doing human?" the king angrily spat, shooting Amoura a look that would have made anyone else cower away, however, Amoura wasn't just anyone was she.
"Amoura?" it was Maximus that questioned, confused because he couldn't feel her even though she was right in front of him. And when her eyes shot to his, he saw then that it wasn't her, confirmed when she spoke
"Oh dear Demetre, I'm afraid she's unavailable right now, do try again later, okay?." her gaze returned to the king and she spoke
"Hello again, Alaric, had enough fun? Cause I'm afraid it's about to come to an end" she taunted
"And who the hell do you think you are?" he questioned, hoping that this human wasn't who he thought her to be, only to be disappointed when she spoke
"It's no matter who I am, the matter is what you stole, it doesn't belong to you, never did and never will it. I think I'll have it back now" the man found himself paralyzed as he tried to move but he couldn't.
The king could only watch and feel as her palm landed over the pendant that dangled from his neck to his chest. The light became the blinding kind that had everyone cringe and squint their sensitive eyes at the loudness of it. It turned into white pulsing of vines full to the brim with energy, only to wrap around her arm, it stretched out to the rest of her body to the point she became mummified by it.
Her body ate it up as if she had been starved for decades and couldn't stop, not even when the king let out screams of pain, unadulterated agony from his very life being sucked out of him. It was when she felt nothing but bones beneath her palm that she left go and finally opened her eyes.
The light around her receded and she became a mystical imagine before everyone and they found themselves stunned and brought to their knees, for even they knew who it was that stood before them. Gone was the human they had thought insignificant or a mere mate to an Alpha somehow. No, in her place stood a woman that had purple and bluish hue that pulsed around her, her eyes an alight purple in place of her silvers, she was simply breath-taking.
"Don't look so crestfallen child, vengeance was always mine to take, but don't worry, his soul is right where it belongs, besides, you still have a lot of fighting to do" she spoke her voice carrying a symphony that clung to every word, aiming her words at Maximus who still stood stunned at what he had just witnessed, however, he no longer had the energy to be surprised at anything anymore.
"Amoura" he started, his heart clenching at what it all possibly meant. His eyes and word spoke all he couldn't articulate and the woman before him knew.
"Dear Maximus, you are her Maximus are you not?" she started, her palm against his jaw and he could only nod, tears prickling at his eyes
"She knows, as you should" she reassured and the Alpha knew just what she meant. Laying one last kiss to his forehead she parted with these words
"You have done your parents proud child" though her heart ached at the trail of tears that sneaked down his cheeks, she turned to look at the rest of her children that bowed in her presence, she walked toward one in particular until she stopped before him.
"Stand up child" Eurich did as commanded, refusing to dwell on the fact that he hadn't treated the human well before. Though it wasn't really her that stood before him.
"Rule justly and protect your kind as a valiant would, lest you crumble as your father did. Heed my words young Alpha, for you're no king, not yet" she warned. She watched him give a firm nod as he straightened up as a soldier would in the presence of their commander.
She threw one cold glance at the woman that had killed her own mate in pursuit of another that wasn't hers, however, she said nothing as she turned. Only to close her eyes and fizzle out into the sky and she faded into nothing, yet not before she paid one last visit to the man in the cells beneath the ground. She offered him freedom and gave him back years lost.
"For your loyalty, dear seer". Her last deed done she ascended to the moon. And all Maximus could think was, she's gone, again. However, he didn't let that diminish his hope that he would see her again, she had come back the first time, surely she could do it again, she was his little red of wonders after all.