Roses Wither: Into the Darkness
Twenty-four

Aiden

The night that my father died, we felt a surge of pain coming from a higher wolf. It was Rosa, during the breaking of our bond.

Clara called to report to me two days after my father's passing. I assumed she was reporting back to her Queen, but had said nothing on the matter.

Every shifter in my pack now spoke in whispers behind my back, as if I couldn't hear them. They knew what I had done.

In one night, in mere moments of feeling her pain, they knew that we had been mated, and that I had broken it.

Marcus had left that night and I couldn't reach him at all, while Nitala was holed up with my mother, who I just found out was pregnant. She hadn’t told my father yet. Shocker...

Fucking wolves and their secrets. But, I wasn't any better, I had kept my relationship with Rosa until the moment it ended.

I couldn't focus on that though. I had the legalities of becoming the Alpha to attend to, along with new spurts of memories from my father.

It was as if the more prominent ones had come that night, and as days went on the weaker memories came to me.

It killed me. He had truly loved Rosa as a daughter, and seeing it now, seeing her light and beauty after what I'd done, was complete bullshit.

This mistake, this foolish, childish, rash decision, was proof that I wasn't meant to be with her. I was too weak for my Queen.

"Alpha Aiden?" Megan, our now female Beta, came into my office, "The princess is on line one."

"The-" I let out a breath, "Rosa?"

She nodded, tears falling from her eyes. She was still broken by my father's death. We all were. He had been Alpha for centuries.

"Her accent is thick and she barely spoke to me," She sniffled, "But it's her."

When her accent thickened, she was angry. I knew this from our history. It took Rosa a lot to lose her temper, but when she did, she either spoke Romanian, or had a thicker accent.

"Thank you." I nodded and reached for the phone, as she left the room in tears.

"Rosa?" I held my breath, waiting for her to speak.

"I would like to congratulate you Alpha Aiden, on your new post," She spoke in all formality, "Although I truly am sorry about the circumstances. Your father was a very loved and respected man."

"Rosa, I-"

"I expect that the guard is still healthy, although you lost some other men that night."

"Yes," I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, "Seven others."

"Jason Calens, was one," Her voice was ridden with sadness, "How are his wife and children?"

She was concerned with them? When I had put her through that pain?

"They are making due. She went back to work today and Jonathan and Talia have been back in school the past two days." I told her.

"Their funerals?" She asked.

"Taken care of." I sighed, "Look, Rosa-"

"Your father and I had an agreement, as I am sure that you are aware of." She cut me off again.

"Yes, but-"

"Can I expect the same agreement from you from here on?" She asked.

"I will always protect you." I whispered, the words coming out before I could correct myself.

I closed my eyes, feeling my wolf surface in his anger with me.

"My family is who I am concerned about." Her accent was thicker, her voice ridden with tears now, "Alpha Taima wasn't protecting me, he was protecting my family. He was keeping them safe."

She didn't know. I knew now that she had no idea who Yuma was to her. She also didn't know that my father had done everything for her family because he loved her as his own daughter. He secretly watched her and had me guard her.

I couldn't tell her now. Not after what I had done to her. I had felt the pain through my father's memories, and I had put her through that.

"I'm so fucking sorry, Rosa." Hearing her broken voice killed me in the worst way, "Goddess, I am so fucking sorry. I-"

"Good-bye, Alpha Aiden." She whispered, and a sob sounded before the line went dead.

Rosa

When my tears dried, I knew it was time to face everyone. After what had happened, I didn't know if I could. The only I was certain of, during that brief instant of pain that had felt like forever, was Chase's eyes.

How they bore into mine and helped me relax, in the complexity of their depths.

I emerged slowly, still thinking about those eyes, how sad they looked and how much I had needed them in my life, but what I found in the hall confused me and gave me pause.

Chase and Matthias looked out onto the common as though they were deep in thought.

I saw Chase’s back stiffen and knew he felt me there, but he didn’t turn to face me- thank the Goddess- as Matthias spoke.

“I honestly didn’t expect him to do it to his own son.” He cocked his head to the side, “It doesn’t look comfortable at all, but then again, I suppose it isn't supposed to be.”

I moved behind them, but their massive bodies blocked my view of what they were looking at.

“What did my father do now?” I asked and as soon as the words were out of my mouth, they both turned to me, making an impenetrable wall between me and the window.

When Chase’s eyes met mine they instantly silvered over, before he looked away. The unease that I saw in his eyes though, shocked me. Those eyes had seemed so confident and so determined the last time I had seen them.

“You’re open.” It wasn’t a question, not the way he whispered it, but he was shocked and caught off guard. I could tell because his lips were tight and his voice had the slightest stiffness.

It was a little Chase-ism that I was quickly picking up on. I was certain that to anyone else, he would appear aloof, but I saw it there, non-the-less.

“It’s amazing what a broken mate bond can do.” I stared up at him, feeling my skin roll, just from his presence alone.

It had to be because I no longer carried any part of Aiden with me. Not even his markings and mate bite.

“Do you feel that?” Matthias looked between us with a big grin, “The electricity between you two is amazing. It’s almost like a power surge.”

“What did my father do to my brother?” I asked him, not moving my eyes away from Chase, replaceing that I liked reading his face.

“It wasn’t your father to Marcus.” Mathias snickered, “It was The Impaler himself, to Nicolae.”

“Vlad the Impaler? He’s here?” My head tilted, trying to feel him and feeling his power three floors down.

I traced it to my father’s office. Curious as he sat there and pondered over my father's bills.

"Why is he going to dinner?" He mused, looking at a picture of me in my father's office, "I cannot remember the last time I spent money on food. Perhaps I can take the child to eat, I am rather curious about her..."

I could hear thoughts... That was new... Fun and new, but why couldn't I hear their thoughts? And why was I hearing the words "pain," "hurts," and "So thirsty," on repeat in my head?

“Yes,” Matthias grinned, “When you started screaming and carrying on, he helped hold you down. He was less than pleased to replace that you existed and he wasn’t told.”

“And why are you idiots blocking the window. I can feel that my father is out there. What is going on?”

“He's just hanging around really.” Matthias snorted and Chase shook his head at his brother with a grin that didn’t show in his eyes.

“Move.” I glared at them.

“Maybe you should go down and get something to eat, you lost a lot of blood.” Chase tried to usher me away from the window, but due to the fact that he was afraid to touch me, made it hard. I wasn’t moving.

“I already ate.” I lied, standing my ground and Matthias started laughing.

I took my vantage point of Chase having moved two inches and swept Matthias’s leg out from under him. He fell flat on his ass, giving me full view of the courtyard.

My eyes searched the ground, but my father wasn’t there, just a pole stood in the middle. Then, my eyes wandered up the stake and my blood went cold.

“It won’t kill him,” Matthias cringed, “But it has to hurt.”

“Is that my father?!” I screeched, knowing that Tati heard me, or felt my power as I released the Queen within, and his eyes darted to the window that I stood in.

"She shouldn't see me like this." He thought, "It will scare my baby."

Suddenly gone, was fear the fear of my vampire's strength. Her retribution and anger were on the forefront. No one did this to my father! No one!

“Where. Is. He?!” I screamed as I stomped through the castle.

“Vlad is not one to be messed with, Rosa.” Chase grabbed my arm and a deep need caressed me. I had to fight against the electric pull to him by reminding myself that my father was impaled in the courtyard.

“I am going to kill him!” I pulled away and continued down the hallway, my voice raised.

“I don’t think you want to replace him.” Matthias and Chase began to follow.

“I don’t give a flying fuck!” I screeched, marching toward my father’s office, where I felt a presence I had never felt before today

“Rosa!” Chase called as I swung the office door open wide, revealing a man with long, black hair and a scarred face.

He stopped mulling over my father's books and looked up at me with an expression that I could only describe as boredom. He had no idea that I could hear his thoughts and that I knew he was amused by my storming in.

“He comes down NOW!” I ordered the vampire.

“No.” He looked away from me and continued to review my online shopping bills.

“I said NOW!” I shouted, my anger growing as he ignored me.

“And I said no.” He was ignoring me to see how I would react. Now I knew where I got it from, and I knew how my father felt when I did this shit to him.

“Your son is on a pole!” I glared at him.

“I know. I put him there. He lied to me for Twenty-Two years and he is being punished,” He spoke in Romanian, “It is not the first time. I gave him clothes this time, he is fine where he is."

“He lied to protect me!” I shouted.

“From your own Bunic?” He scoffed.

“Bunic?” I glared.

“Grandfather.” Matthias whispered in my ear and my head jerked to face him.

“Yes, we understand many languages.” He smiled tightly, "Romanian being one."

So, they knew every time we spoke about them? Great! Just sign me up for the fucking nuthouse now! I searched to see if I could hear what Chase was thinking, as I came to realization, but there was nothing except Bunic and his guard's thoughts.

I turned back to the man, Bunic, and gave my final order.

“My father comes down. NOW!” He examined me for a moment, curiosity marring his face.

“Odious,” He spoke and his guard, who was mentally humming some classical tune, stepped forward, “You can let Nicolae down now.”

“Yes sir.” The man nodded and headed past toward the door, but I heard Bunic's thoughts and stopped him.

“He will be brought to HIS CHAMBERS, and nowhere else.” I ordered Odious and he froze, turning back to Vladimir.

“I did not give the order.” He eyed Odious, who was now mentally torn, “You know where he goes.”

“MY ORDERS, are to bring my father to his chambers.” I eyed Bunic as the guard mentally freaked out.

“I am confused, sire.” Odious swallowed hard, “I feel compelled to listen to the child, but I know if I do not listen to you-.”

“Listen to her.” Vladimir examined me as the guard left, then he held his palm to the air.

I saw what he intended and I wanted him to try. I was that angry.

“Rosa-” Chase grabbed me and it sent a rivet of warmth threw me that caused me to cry out and pull away.

“No! Don’t touch me!” I’d had enough with men at this point. I never wanted to relive what Aiden had done to me, and who knew if Chase would ever do the same.

“Curious.” Vladimir- or Bunic, appeared intrigued by what had just happened, as he looked between the two of us now.

“He has powers, Rosa.” Chase spoke stiffly as he pulled his hand back and stood straight. Like a well trained guard, he stood stiff and straightened his features.

“And he won’t use them on me.” I stood my ground and glared at the vampire seated at my father's desk, "He's testing me. Aren't you, Bunic?"

He put his palm up higher and smiled. I could feel the nudge of him trying to use his power. It was like a light switch with no bulb and confusion rambled in his mind as he looked between his hand and me.

“Shit out of luck, Bunic.” I snorted, “Go ahead, piss me off some more, because my vampire thrives off of anger, betrayal and pain.”

“Stand down, child.” He glared at me, but his thoughts were curious as he wondered what else I could do.

"Can you hear my mind?" He mentally asked.

"Apparently just as you can hear mine." I mentally scoffed

"We will keep this to ourselves." He thought softly, "I see why your father treasures you."