Standing inside a room which hadn't been used for many years, Valeria's eyes roamed around as the memories flooded her mind.
The thing people didn't know was that she never really moved on after Reginald's father's death.
He died with her heart, with the love she had for him.
Her eyes watered when she remembered how he looked at her like she was a god.
She shut her eyes tightly and inhaled deeply as she tried to control her emotions.
He was the best that happened to her.
She sat on the bed and ran her hand along the bed, feeling it.
"I can't go on like this anymore Allen, I miss you…it's not easy without you even though your memories are forever engraved in my heart…I still need you…I…" she choked on her words as tears spilled out of her eyes and ran down her cheeks.
She thought things would be easy because she had Reginald but it wasn't easy.
Reginald made it hard for her by continuously blaming her and looking at her like she was the villain.
She was hurting deeply not just from the loss of Allen but also from the pain of everything. The burden she had to carry in silence.
She was tired of everything.
She took off her shoes and climbed the bed before lying on it. A sigh of contentment escaped her lips as she touched the spot where he once laid on. The tears rolled out of her eyes and stained the sheets as she wept in silence.
Coming back to the pack brought a lot of memories and it was very overwhelming.
Her lips trembled and she clasped her hands over them to stop herself from making sounds that would attract people.
She could clearly hear him speak to her, how he kept reminding her that everything would be fine…
.
'You'll be fine my Ria…everyone will be…please calm down dear.' Allen assured her as his gaze held hers.
And she had pleaded with him never to leave her side.
'No matter what happens…please don't leave my side.'
.
Allen was her true soulmate and the only person she wanted to spend her life with but the devil took him away from her.
"Oh God, I can't continue like this…living without him is like breathing in air with difficulty…I loved him." She wept bitterly as she poured out her heart.
'My Ria.'
He was the only one who called her that way, making her feel special.
The day Allen had brought her to his pack, the people had immediately accepted her. Disregarding the fact that she was a brown skinned lady with strange ocean blue eyes.
She was perfect for their Alpha and Valeria had decided to give him a try but it turned to love.
After nearly an hour, Valeria remained on the bed as her eyes kept staring with longing at his side of the bed.
*
"Have any of you seen Angelina?"
"I thought she was with you, Desmond." Spencer assumed.
"No, she was not Spencer," came Desmond's response.
Reginald squinted his eyes briefly before saying something.
"You know she likes to be alone. Have you tried checking the places she visits a lot?"
Thinking deeply, Desmond's eyes lowered to the ground before it dawned on him where she might be.
"That's right! I forgot to check the lone tree in the field…thank you Reginald."
Before he could leave, Spencer questioned him.
"Aren't you too clingy Desmond? Is something going on between the two of you?"
Desmond froze in place and slowly turned to face Spencer with a look of incredulity.
"I have a mate for goodness sake Spencer, as well as a remarkable daughter. Why will I need someone else?"
At his question, Spencer shrugged his shoulders and it made Desmond frown at him.
That little information caught Reginald's interest and a deep furrow came to settle on his forehead.
"You have a daughter? When?"
Giving Reginald a look, Desmond sighed before explaining.
"I had her long before you guys left the pack."
"Then why wasn't anyone aware of it? We all thought you were destined to be with Angelina." Spencer spoke his mind and Desmond glared at him.
"Where is she right now?" Reginald inquired as his brows drew closer.
"With her mother, why?"
Desmond couldn't seem to understand their obsession with his daughter.
"And where is her mother?"
"With her."
Reginald gave him a stern look and he laughed.
"Ever since you were little you were always getting under my nerves Reginald. With all due respect, I can't reveal where they are until they are ready to show themselves."
"Why is that?"
Reginald took a step forward in an intimidating way and Desmond sighed.
"When my mate put to birth, it was observed that the baby was hideous to look at. No one could look at her, not even me because of the bad luck she carried. Only her mother."
Now that explained everything, Spencer thought to himself with a look of awe.
"But many years after her birth, I was finally able to meet her because the bad luck got lifted…"
"How is she now?" Spencer inquired.
"A beauty to behold." Desmond answered with a look of tranquility and pride in his eyes.
"When last did you see her?" Reginald probed.
Desmond gave both of them a look of exhaustion as he set his arms akimbo.
"I don't know what you men are up to but anyways, if you're so eager to see her then I can assure you that you'll get to see her soon…I'll catch you guys later."
He turned and left without another word.
"See! That wasn't hard for him to explain, yet he kept dodging the question whenever I and Amelia asked him about it." Spencer complained and clicked his tongue.
Nevertheless, Reginald's eyes watched Desmond as he walked along the corridor until he was out of sight.
*
Her eyes roamed about the woods as she tried to find a way out but everywhere was filled with trees and the ground was somewhat rocky.
The thought of shouting came through her mind but she brushed it off because it was unreasonable and useless.
She moved stealthily as she listened to the eerie sounds around her.
She heard another crow cawing and she followed the sound, after all it was the crow that brought her to the unknown place.
"Angelina."
Someone whispered her name but it echoed round the woods, making her look around for any threat.
"Angelina."
This time around, the voice came from behind her and when she turned, she found someone covered in a long black hood.
Her eyes narrowed at the person as she took a step back and her fighting instinct came in.
"Who are you?" She didn't hesitate to ask the question as she glared.
The hooded figure was three steps away from her with its back facing her.
"Why am I here?" She asked another question but it remained silent for a while.
"Because you agreed to be here," came the man's answer to her question and she frowned.
"I don't want to be here…"
The person turned around and faced her but she couldn't see his face.
"But you're here…and do you know what that means?" He calmly asked her but she glared at him in silence, waiting for him to tell her.
"You're bound to the dark side."
She stared at him in confusion, wondering what he was driving at because none of it made sense to her.
"I'm not bound to…" she bluntly wanted to refuse but he cut her shut with his words.
"Didn't you let the crow bite you?"
"I didn't!" She stated.
A brief silence fell before the hooded man finally spoke.
"You felt the pull and so did the crow…that's what really matters."
"So who are you precisely? The lord of crows? Or are you in charge of every familiar?" She wanted to know because it was foreign to her.
A gentle breeze blew and her black long hair danced behind her as the hooded man took his precious time to respond.
"Patience my dear. It's not advisable to chew everything all at once, give it time."
Her gaze lingered on him for a little longer as if scrutinizing him.
"Take me back." She instructed.
"You didn't go anywhere to begin with Angelina, this is your inner self…your body is trying to adjust that's why you're here."