CHAPTER 44

Alexander's POV

She released a shaky breath as the indecisiveness in her eyes died to be replaced by something firm. She nodded and I knew it was time to finally put it all out in front of everyone.

'Just do it. You two can finally be together in front of everyone' Elias urged me to speak up.

"Because it is the truth." Gabriel and his family froze in their spot, not believing what I said.

Too bad it is the truth and they cannot change it.

"She is my mate. The queen and leader of the demons. I expect you to talk to her with respect." Each of her family received a cold glare from me as I spoke.

What I said was the truth. I had not yet introduced her to anyone at my kingdom and no ceremony had been done yet to coronate her as queen but she was their leader. She was their queen and she needed no crown.

Countless gasps erupted in the crowd again as they all looked taken aback. The only person smiling in the room was grandmother and I knew that she would support us no matter what others said or however many norms we went against. From the several talks we had, somehow, she worked her charms and became a mother-figure in my life.

"This cannot be true." Analise's mother, Isabella said.

"Too bad it is." Diana said as she stood behind Analise, supporting her.

"Everybody clear the room." Gabriel said, motioning for the guards to get everyone out. "Please tell your people to leave the room." He requested the other leaders who complied. People from both sides of the carpet moved towards the big doors, emerging into the hallways. Their voices got locked outside the room as the door closed.

"King Gabriel, our people are leaving but we are staying." King Tarsal said and Gabriel seemed taken aback by his words. "I know that this is a personal matter to you but I feel there are things that have been kept hidden from us."

"Yes and we need to know if this could affect us. The war with the vampires." Queen Elena said. "Not only this, but we need to know if we are standing on the right side." King Tarsal added, looking between Gabriel and I.

"We understand your concerns." Grandmother accepts.

"This cannot happen." Gabriel said, the vein in his forehead making its appearance. "You two cannot be together. He is our enemy and will always be. We do not accept this and will not allow it. I will do whatever it takes to keep you away from my daughter Alexander because you have corrupted her." I nearly scoffed at his words.

"With what rights?" Analise suddenly snaps, her eyes burning with anger and her voice firm. "With what rights do you think you can or cannot accept this? What makes you think that your approval matters to me?" She scoffed, glaring at Gabriel. "I don't know how you have a say in my life when all of this time you made it clear that you wanted nothing to do with me. With my life. You did not even consider me your daughter, did you?"

"What does she mean?" Queen Elena asked, her eyes curious as she looked at Analise and her family.

"She is just mad right now." Isabella spoke up, laughing awkwardly. "I am sure she will understand that we want what is best for her and our people."

Analise let out a cold, dark chuckle as she looked at her mother. "What happened? Afraid the truth will be out?" She raised a brow at them. Despite the mock in her voice, her eyes showed nothing but pure anger.

Anger that had been kept hidden inside of her since a long time. Anger that had been suppressed because she felt she was at fault and she was not enough for them. Now that she knew it was not her fault, there was no stopping the anger from overflowing.

"You did not send me away to some school for studying or improving my skills and powers like you claim to."

"You don't know what you are saying-" Gabriel started and advanced towards her, glaring at her.

"King Gabriel. Let her speak." King Tarsal said firmly. "You can share your thoughts later."

"Are you trying to conceal something from us King Gabriel?" Queen Elena asked.

"No." Rayna spoke up. "Analise is just shaken. She-"

"Rayna, let Analise continue what she was saying." Grandmother spoke firmly and they all kept quiet.

"I have had enough of you. All of you. I have had enough of your thoughts on me and your way to treat me. I am not interested to air our dirty laundry in front of all these people. I am not going to stoop to your level." She said, glaring at her family and I could not help but feel proud of her. "Just know that I will be with him, irrespective of your wishes. You cannot separate us simply because of an enmity you guys are not willing to let go."

"There is a reason why we are not letting it go Analise and that is for our safety, including you. Everything we did was for your best and also for our kingdom." Isabella said a soft voice, tears pooling in her eyes as she stretched an arm towards Analise. The way her mother changed her expressions, her tone so quickly to manipulate the situation into her favour actually surprised me.

"No. Everything you did was for your best. Nothing else." Analise said as she took a step back, looking at her mother's hand with disgust and disbelief.

"Analise, please." She gave her a pleading look, a tear rolling down her cheeks.

Analise let out a scoff, shaking her head. "Stop the act. Just minutes earlier you called me a disgrace and now you are shedding tears for me? You cannot change my mind no matter what you do."

"You don't get a say in this." Gabriel said firmly. "You." He pointed to me and I gave him an unbothered look. "you will leave my castle right now and never step back in here and as for you," He looked at Analise. "You will reject him right now in front of me."

"It is good to have dreams." Analise said, crossing her arms in front of her. "But not all dreams are fulfilled."

"I don't care what I have to do to keep you two away but I will do it. Don't underestimate me." Gabriel said. "Even if it involves having to kill you." Rayan looked at me, his eyes changing colour.

"I would like to see you try." I stood up taller, meeting his challenge.

"Rayan stop it." Grandmother intervened. "You are threatening a king in front of everyone right now. Let the others handle it."

"He is telling the truth." Gabriel supported his son. "If it means killing him to get them to separate, I will do it."

"Go ahead." I shrugged. "This way everyone will see how you lose."

He growled, his eyes changing colours while glaring at me. "Gabriel." Grandmother glared at him. "Calm down and solve this matter in a more mature way please."

"This must be what the seer was talking about." Rayna spoke up as her eyes darted between Analise and I like she solved the greatest mystery on Earth. "This is how she will be our doom. Backstabbing us by siding with them. She knows the demons are our enemies yet she still is willing to go with him."

"That is the most inaccurate analysis of the prophecy." I said, not bothering to hold back my irritation.

"You-" Gabriel started only to get cut off by Analise.

"Enough now." She glared at them all. "You are nothing to me. Your opinions mean nothing to me. Your decisions are futile because I will not be going along with it. Your words are meaningless and so are your thoughts."

"We are your family Analise. When he breaks your heart and trust you will have to come to us. You need us." Isabella said.

"I don't need you." Analise said angrily. "I spent all these years on my own and survived. I am here, aren't I. I am proof that I do not need you. In fact, you need me. That's why you called me here, remember?"

"People make mistakes Analise. Family-"

"You don't know what family is!" She exclaimed. "You all chose a prophecy over your own daughter. You chose to believe that without even understanding it fully. You chose the words of a stranger over the pleas of your daughter. You chose to send me away. You chose to not contact me even when I reached out to you. If you were my family, you would have chosen me but you did not." Her voice turned shaky at the end as she got everything off her chest.

In a few steps I was at her side and entwined our fingers together, pulling her closer to me. I felt the presence of Diana and Adrian as they flanked our sides as we looked at Analise's fuming family.

"Everything that happened till today was because of what you wanted but not anymore. I will get that I want. I will choose what I want. And I want to be with Alexander." Her tone left no room for arguments

"Fine. If you want to be together with him, then I don't want to see you in my castle anymore."

"It is not like you ever wanted to." Analise mumbled under her breath.

"If I see you anywhere near this castle or my family, I will not hesitate to kill you. Get out of my castle and know one thing- You were right. I never considered you as my daughter." I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "You don't deserve to be my daughter. You are nothing but a shame and disgrace to the royal family." He spat and I saw his eyes change colour as he lunged towards Analise.

In a split second, I pulled Analise behind me, letting go of her hand and punching Gabriel right in the face, causing him to stumble back a few steps. He groaned, glaring at me.

"Watch your tongue and keep your hands to yourself or you will find them both detached from your body." I glared at him which only fuelled his anger.

He lunged at me, claws extended as the voice of the other leaders fell on deaf ears. I caught his hands in mine. I kicked him hard in the knee and he fell down with a pained groan. Letting go of his hand, I grabbed him by his collar and threw him off the stage against one of the old pillars in the room.

"You-" Rayan's words got stuck mid-sentence as he levitated above the floor, eyes wide. My eyes went to Analise who despite had her hands by her side, was responsible for Rayan's state. I watched as he thrashed around and started wheezing for air, his hands going around his neck.

"What-" Isabella's words turned into a shocked scream as Rayan was thrown against the wall. As soon as he was about to hit the floor, he was lifted up again before getting thrown against another pillar and finally against the ceiling from where he fell freely on the floor.

"Someone stop it." Ivory said. "Queen Elena, do something. You are a witch."

"I cannot control it. The power around him is very strong."

"You are the damn queen of witches. There cannot be anyone who is stronger than you! " Rayna shouts at her.

"Princess, it would be better if you knew to respect others." Queen Elena said sharply. "And as for your brother, I cannot do anything." She said, looking at Rayan.

But Analise was not finished with him as she lifted him yet again, doing some sort of spell that had him screaming as he levitated above the floor. His hands and feet were immobile, the only movement were that of his lips for his shouts. Soon blood dripped from his nose and his eyes turned red as blood pooled in them instead of tears. A drop of blood rolled down his cheek.

He was the epitome of making someone cry tears of blood.

Analise let go of him and he fell on the floor. Her eyes fell on mine but she just shrugged, giving me an innocent look.

"You," Gabriel's pissed off voice reached our ears as he dashed to the stage, standing in front of us, eyes glowing. "You will regret this." He told Analise. "You might be with him for the time but that will not last long because he will see the real you. The weak, pathetic, wort-"

I saw red as I punched him again before wrapping my hand around his throat, pushing him against the nearest wall. He looked at me with wide eyes, as he thrashed in my hold which kept tightening. I lifted his body up, his feet dangling in the air. He extended his claws and tried to make me loosen my hold around him but his scratches were just scratches.

"Tell him to stop!" Isabella's panicked voice rung in my ears and from the corner of my eyes I caught her next to Analise, a pleading look in her eyes.

"Why should I?" Analise replied, not removing her cold eyes from us.

"He asked for it Isabella. You two are too blinded by the hunger of power that you never realised what you did to your own daughter." Grandmother said.

I felt him trying to shift but my hold withheld him. With my free hand, I threw another fist at his face, causing his head to bump into the wall behind him. Letting go of him, he fell to the floor as the rest came rushing to his aid.

"As for staying in your castle, we are leaving." I informed him, brushing my hands together. "And, I will make sure this enmity between us will come to an end but it will be by killing you."

"You- you will regret this! Both of you!" His shouts turned into a fit of cough behind me as I walked towards Analise, snaking my hand around her waist and pulling her out of the room, Diana and Adrian following us.