It had been three weeks now, and things were going smoothly for everyone. Dave and Kelvin had resumed school, and Dave's friends were thrilled to see him again. Their parents had returned to their normal routines, and life had settled back into its regular rhythm. Everything was back to normal.
Even Sebastian and Valerian were doing well. During those weeks, Valerian had visited Dave, and they had the best time together. Valerian couldn't help but feel a sense of calm and safety while being in Sebastian's care. Despite being captured and locked away, he had this undeniable feeling that the kind of protection Sebastian provided was something he would never find anywhere else, not even from his own boss.
To him, it felt less like Sebastian was holding him captive and more like he was protecting him. It was a strange sensation, one that he couldn't quite explain.
Valerian could be seen resting his head on Sebastian's lap in the living room, watching TV. Sebastian had no plans for the day, even though it was a Tuesday, which was unusual for him.
One of Sebastian's hands rested lazily on the couch's headrest, while the other held the remote control. Valerian couldn't deny it; he knew Sebastian was already falling for him. There was no doubt about it. He wasn't as toxic as he had once been, and his attitude toward Sebastian had softened, a change that Valerian never thought would happen. Deep down, he found himself liking it more than he cared to admit.
Valerian had gone to Dave's place on a Saturday, and he had to admit, he loved it. He had been nervous when Dave invited his friends over to meet him, unsure of what to expect. But after spending just a few minutes with them, he saw how kind, fun, and friendly they were. They had made him feel welcome.
Glancing over at Sebastian, Valerian quickly turned his gaze back to the TV, trying to suppress the smile that was threatening to form on his lips.
"What is it?" Sebastian asked, looking down at him. "What are you thinking about? You've been glancing at me every now and then." He lowered his hand to gently caress Valerian's lap.
"N-nothing," Valerian replied, not meeting his gaze.
"Really, nothing?" Sebastian pressed again. "If you have any questions, ask, and I'll answer." This made Valerian look at him, suddenly remembering that there were indeed things he wanted to ask.
"Yeah… I remember now. I have some questions. Can I ask you?" he asked, his voice hesitant but curious.
"Okay. Go ahead, I'll answer all your questions," Sebastian said, shifting his hand from Valerian's lap to tuck a stray lock of hair behind his ear.
Sebastian was fully aware of what Valerian's beauty was doing to him, how his very presence was slowly changing him, but he accepted it. He didn't care, even though he knew the kind of fire he was playing with—the kind that would burn him and leave nothing but ashes.
"So… Tell me about your parents," Valerian asked nervously, unsure of what answer he would get.
"Oh, them?" Sebastian replied, his tone shifting. "Okay. You know about this forbidden love stuff? Two hybrids falling in love?"
"Yeah, I know."
"Well… that's what happened with my parents. My father was a werewolf, and my mother was a witch—a very powerful one, to be precise. She was the leader before the War of the witches and werewolf." Sebastian said taking a deep breath, his eyes clouding with memories.
"You mean Queen Mara?" Valerian asked, surprised. "Your mother is the queen? She is the leader?"
"She was," Sebastian said through gritted teeth. "She was the queen and the leader."
Valerian could see the anger bubbling just beneath the surface, and it made him hesitate before asking, "So… what led to their… death?"
Sebastian's hand clenched tightly, his anger flaring as memories of that painful time resurfaced. "Well, before the war, your current leader had always been jealous of my mother. When she found out my mother was in love with a werewolf—something forbidden—she took the opportunity to bring her down."
"So… she killed them?" Valerian asked, his confusion evident. "How? Your mom was immortal."
"Yeah, she was, but she was so in love with my father. She wanted to either live forever with him or die together," Sebastian said, his voice thick with emotion.
"Wait, what? So she turned herself mortal?" Valerian's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Yeah," Sebastian said with a pained expression, his teeth gritting. "The biggest mistake ever."
Sebastian leaned forward, his hand tightening on Valerian's lap, but Valerian didn't pull away. He understood the pain Sebastian was feeling. "She turned herself mortal. Do you know why?"
Valerian shook his head. "No, why?"
"One day, your so-called 'useless leader'—who already knew about their secret relationship—exposed it. The people turned against her, calling it despicable. She had no power anymore, not with Selvara manipulating them all. My father was kidnapped by her, and when my mother found him, he was already shot with a silver bullet —a weapon that no werewolf could survive. It was lethal. And to top it all off, it was made with wolfsbane. She decided that if she couldn't have him, she would die with him."
"No way…" Valerian whispered. "She turned herself mortal so she could die with him? That's insane."
"Yeah," Sebastian said bitterly. "The biggest mistake ever. She became vulnerable, and despite all her power and knowledge,she couldn't do anything. That's how they killed her. They used a sword called The Forbidden. It was so powerful that she stood no chance against it. And they both died right in front of my eyes. I couldn't do anything. I was useless. I was hiding, just as she told me to. I couldn't leave, not even if I wanted to, because she cast a spell that would only break when no one was around, or when she removed it herself. But she never got the chance to do that."
Sebastian paused, taking a shuddering breath. "And do you know what she did after that?" He asked making valerian shook his head as a no
" After they killed them, they beheaded them. They hung their heads makinh everyone see it and they called them sinners. After a few days, that bastard sitting on the throne now was made queen. When she became queen, she instigated a huge war between witches and werewolves, and the werewolves couldn't win. The witches had the upper hand. She's been ruling for decades, making herself a god that people fear"
Valerian sat up, his heart heavy with the sorrow and pain in Sebastian's voice. "See, it's not your fault. You were just a kid, Sebastian. You couldn't do anything. They were just in love, and they were killed for it. The one to blame is Selvara. She did something truly despicable just so she could become queen. She needs to be punished for what she did." Valerian's voice was firm, though sympathy still laced his words. "Even after hearing what she did to Kelvin and his parents too, she's gone too far."
Sebastian turned to look at him, his expression unreadable. "She's your boss, you know?"
"Was," Valerian corrected, using the same words as Sebastian and that made him smile a little,
"If I had known she was this cruel, I never would have worked for her," Valerian muttered, rolling his eyes. "Well, it wasn't like I had a choice." "If you want to go undercover, I'll help. I'll lay out a plan to get into her clan without being noticed. But be warned—she has a lot of guards, and she has created lots of dangerous creatures for war."
Valerian looked at him with squinted eyes, " Are you sure you want to do this?"
Valerian nodded. "I'm sure about this. She's cruel, and she's taken too many lives. It's time she pays for what she's done. It's an eye for an eye, Sebastian."
Sebastian's eyes narrowed as he studied Valerian but he sees that he's very serious about what he's saying.
"She lied to me too. Told me that Kelvin killed her son on purpose, gave me some stupid excuse. She said we needed to capture him because he's an 'unclaimed and she needs to avenge cause of some stupid shit."
Before Sebastian could respond, valerian suddenly stood up and rushed upstairs to the bathroom which made Sebastian followed him, worry written all over his face.