Forbidden Mate: Awakening

~LILY’S POV~

That night, when we made camp, I watched Sarah and Theo talk and laugh together. They had inside jokes and shared looks that made me feel a little left out. I used to be really close with Sarah, I mean she still is my best friend, but now it seemed like she found more comfort and connection with Theo. They understood each other in a way that I didn’t understand. I wanted to be happy for them, but part of me felt jealous and left behind.

It was very hard to scale through that night. As I laid under the stars, I couldn’t stop thinking about Adrian. I missed him so much. His absence felt like a big hole in my heart. I couldn’t forget the image of him hurt and weak. It made me even more anxious to find a way to save him. I had promised to and I would.

But while I longed for Adrian, I also felt the space growing between Sarah and me. It felt like something was keeping us apart. I missed the times when we laughed and shared everything. I wondered if we could ever go back to that, if I could feel that close to her again. She and Theo were talking about something before he went off to clean his clothes by a pond and knelt beside it, shirtless.

She sat down on a log close to me and I watched as she couldn’t stop staring lustfully at him. She couldn’t take her eyes off him. I smiled to myself and nudged her a little but she didn’t notice me. I did it for the second then third time before she turned to face me,

“Uhn?”

I chuckled, “You like him, don’t you?”

She scoffed, “No…what are you saying, Lily?”

“You’ve been staring at him like a hungry dog for the past 20 minutes.” I said and folded my hands on my laps.

“Yeah…he is…kinda hot.” She said and I saw a pink tint rise on her cheek.

“Have you guys done anything yet?” I said with a wistful smile.

She looked at me, abashed and then pulled a long face, “No…Lily, you’re getting it wrong. I just think he’s hot.”

I knew she was lying and the fact she was hiding this from me made me feel ever farther from her. “When did you start hiding things from me, Sarah?”

She looked at me sympathetically then shrugged, “Okay, fine. We made out…last night…it was a mistake.”

As she was talking I noticed her face got redder and she was trying her best to sound convincing.

“Was it really a mistake?” I smirked at her and she looked away for a while.

Theo, who had finally put a cloth back on walked over to us, “I’m going to patrol around for a while,” then turned to Sarah, “you should get some sleep.” Their gaze lingered a bit before he turned back to me, “you should too.”

I nodded at him and then he left. I faced Sarah again and then I knew.

“Just admit you like him, Sarah.” I said to her.

“Okay, fine…but does it really matter?” She rolled her eyes and placed her chin on her palm.

“Of course it does. It seems he likes you too.”

“Do you really think so?” Her eyes shone innocently as she faced me.

“Yeah,” I nodded.

“Who would’ve thought I’d fall for him?” She spoke as if she was talking to herself. “Like the way you just fell for Adrian who was a random stranger…so unpredictable.”

That unsettled me. When she saw my reaction she quickly stretched out her hands to hold mine, “Oh Lily, I’m sorry. I was insensitive. I didn’t mean that.”

“It’s okay. It IS the truth.”

“But still, I shouldn’t have said it like that… I’ve been here too absolved with my own love stuff that I forgot about you.”

She finally sat beside me and placed an arm over my shoulder, “I’m really glad you’re back and safe, babes. I missed you every second.”

“Me too…”

“I’m sorry about…Adrian.”

My eyelashes curled and my stomach turned. “It’s alright. He’ll be fine…he’ll get out soon.”

“He will. You should know that you’ll always be my best friend, Lily. You’re never alone, and I’m here for you, no matter what.”

I chuckled and hugged her, “I never once thought otherwise, Sarah. I love you and I’m happy for you.”

“Love you too, babes.”

Though my heart ached for Adrian, I found comfort in Sarah’s presence by my side. She was going to be my best friend for life and even though seeing her with Theo made me feel alone in a sense, I realised it’s better she’s happy with who she was with the same way she was happy for me and Adrian. I would be happy for her.

°°°°°°°°°

Morning was drawing near. I checked my watch and it was around 4am. I hadn’t slept all night and just watched Sarah sleep quite peacefully. She was always the one who was levelheaded even in tricky situations but I knew she struggled with personal conflicts. I admired her strong will and self-control. Those were two things I’d never had but tried to build. Theo came back later and spread a bed for me. He also couldn’t sleep but we didn’t have anything to talk about because we were both obviously tired. He told me to go to sleep and I wished him goodnight.

But in bed, 4 hours later, and sleep didn’t come. I didn’t turn recklessly – I just faced the woods, those unsuspecting woods, and thought of everything and anything I could possibly think of.

So much had happened in the span of 6 months. It’s so bizzare how one’s life can change in such a short span of time but then again, is it surprising?

Finally, I closed my eyes, seeking comfort in the darkness. I just needed a few hours of sleep for tomorrow – the day we would face the ring.

It didn’t take long till I was transported to another place. It was like the other visions I had before, but I wasn’t actively partaking in it. I was onlooking the events.

This was a time when my father and Adrian fought together in a fierce manner. They looked like they were in my father’s study room but not renovated like it was in the present time. The air crackled with energy, blades clashed, and the smell of dry blood filled the air. I wandered what they were fighting about.

I watched closely as my father and Adrian struck heavy blows against each other, destroying most of the furniture in the room and scattering all the books in the shelves by the impact of their bodies on them. I could see guards outside the room watching them closely, but no one dared to enter.

This was like a vivid scene unfolding before me but there was no premise. Why were they fighting?

In the midst of the struggle, there was a tense moment between my dad and Adrian. They locked eyes, and their voices carried on the atmosphere. I strained to hear their conversation, curious about what they were saying.From NôvelDrama.Org.

“I won’t let you take it,” my father’s voice rang out, “The journal holds secrets that must not fall into the wrong hands. It is too dangerous!”

Adrian’s eyes narrowed, “I will not rest until I have what is rightfully mine. You have taken enough from me, Henry. Not anymore!” His eyes flared up and I had never seen Adrian that way, ever.

I felt my heart race as I took in the weight of their words. I wanted to intercede, to pull them apart and settle the fight but my body was stationed to the ground beneath me. I wanted to shout at those cowardly guards outside to come in and separate them but it’s as if my voice had been taken from me and all I could do was stand and watch.

As I was trying to understand what was going on and why I was shown this vision, it’s as if information started downloading into my head. I started to realize. My father and Adrian had a long-standing conflict, a clash of desires and wills that had lasted for years. But that was after decades of an alliance and friendship.

“So what Adrian told me was true?” I thought to myself. When we first met, when he told me he knew my father after he asked for my name…. he wasn’t lying?

But their tussle wasn’t just about power or dominion; there was something deeper at play, something I couldn’t fully comprehend at the moment.

When the vision ended, I immediately opened my eyes and I was back in my body, on the hard and rough ground. My mind was buzzing with questions. I now had known the complexities of my father and Adrian’s relationship but the big question was, what really happened? I needed to know the full truth. If I kept getting visions of the two of them, there needed to be a connection between it and what may help me in my fight against the vampires, I was guessing.

Someone tapped on my shoulder and I looked up to see Theo, the sunlight making me quickly look away, “I hope you slept well? We have to start going now.”

It’s morning already? Oh shit. I barely slept for an hour, that’s if I even slept.

“What’s the time?” I said while yawning.

“5:30. We need to leave early so we can get there early.”

I cleaned my eyes and sat up. Sarah had also just gotten up. I rubbed my eyes again then told him I’d be ready in a few minutes.

I stood up and took a bottle of water to wash up behind a huge tree.

The vision clarification had to wait. It was time to get the ring.