16- Secrets Unfold

*Picture Reference: Fire everywhere, it's such a sad part in the story.*

Elian's POV

How is it possible to be able to care for a well being that you have not even known for more than a week? To be able to feel the pain, both emotional and mental? I needed reassurance that Zane was okay because, quite frankly if he wasn't... I wouldn't be either.

I flew over to his body, not caring that anyone else had seen the Lord of the Fae at the sight of this traumatizing event. My knees collapsed to the ground, the scorched dirt scattered on top of Zane's unconscious body. I placed my hand over his wrist and found the weakest pulse that worried me to no end. My arms found their way underneath his back as I tried to pick up his light body and take him into my arms. I held him close to my chest before I rose from my position and started to fly into the woods, far away from the scene.

Where the hell was Stefan?

As I whizzed through the forest, with blurs of dark brown, green, and a fiery orange colors by my side. Whimpers were heard below me and I looked down to find Zane moving about in my arms. His eyes fluttered and soon widened when he say my face. He soon pushed himself out of my arms while I was in the air and started to freefall in the sky. With a sigh, I flew after him and once I had him in my arms, I gave him a piece of my mind.

"Don't do that again! You could have just killed yourself. What?... What happened back there?"

He started to frantically mutter inaudible words, "Sacrifice... need... die..."

I scrunched my nose as I soon reached a stream of cool water that was a respectable distance from the pack grounds and it would be secure enough to stop for the night or at least a little while before moving on again. Or, perhaps, I could just teleport to wherever he'd like.

As I placed him down onto his feet, he stumbled for a bit before regaining his balance.

"Zane, please stop the muttering, you need to tell me what's wrong. I want to help," I pleaded with him for answers.

"That's exactly the problem! Why do you need to help me? Everything was perfectly fine until you showed up!" He yelled in my face, with a finger pointing at my chest every now and then.

Now, I was definitely confused and worried for his mental state, he couldn't be serious right now.

It was my turn to become upset because I was blamed for saving his bloody life, "You mean that I should have left you to die in the ditch back there?! That definitely makes sense, Zane."

He shook his head and sat down on a boulder with his head in his hands, "I needed to go, to die, for everyone else. I couldn't let him hurt anyone else."

I kneeled down beside him and placed my hand on his knee, "Zane, please fully explain what this is about. If you haven't noticed, I care about you too much to let you ever go."

"He came to me this morning, as a incredibly different person that I once knew, demanding that he would come for everyone else. Everyone else, meaning homosexual, werewolf couples. He said I would be able to prevent it, if I gave up myself. My head wasn't screwed on right this morning, I had just had a fight with Stefan about pups and I thought he would be better off without me as well... When the fire and disaster started, I knew it was my time," he finished with tears streaming down his face, trembling to the core.

"Who is he?"

"Nikolai, he was so unlike himself. At first, I believed the words coming out of his mouth to be a joke, which was soon forgotten. His eyes were all black, as if he were possessed or being controlled. He needs help, you need to help him."

Nikolai? No, it couldn't be. He was with Ambrogio at the moment.

"Are you positive it was Nikolai? He was in Italy this morning," I asked, wondering if Zane was actually being sane right now.

"I'm sure, there is no one else quite like him that I have ever met. That is besides the point, I need you to kill me now," he mentioned with a small smile.

"Are fucking serious?"

My head hurts, my body hurts from the sudden and overwhelming teleportation, I'm hurting all over.

"You're the one who messed up my plan! I need to die, you don't understand. There are others that will be hurt if I still live, I cannot let that happen," he urged me to listen and give in.

"How about we come to a more reasonable conclusion? We can pretend that you're dead, your ashes in the aftermath of the fire back at the pack grounds. Everyone believes me and you are off to my realm, in hiding and for your own safety. Only a handful of my people will know of your existence there and they can be trusted, I promise. Does that sound like a plan?" My voice was on the brink of begging for his cooperation.

He thinks about it for a while and finally nods, "You can't tell anyone here about me, you saw my body burn when you found me, it was too late."

I swallowed hard, "I understand."

>>

"You're lying, tell me you're lying and this is all a joke," Stefan whispered as if he were trying to deny himself the ultimate truth about his beloved mate's death. Although, he seemed to be saddened but not entirely distraught. It was confusing to me as I thought he would be crying and wallowing himself in his own pity.

The important wolves of the pack, which included everyone from our journey, crowded around Stefan who was standing at the moment. My Fae warriors were present as well, but they were positioned outside of the doors to forbid anyone from walking into the room.

After the talk between Zane and I about his arrangements at my realm, I teleported him there and told a handful of people about his situation. Afterwards, I made them take a blood oath. To put it simply, I didn't need my own realm to be attacked due to one of my own people not being able to shut his/her mouth.

I came back immediately with tears in my eyes and told the lie that will haunt me until this whole situation is dealt with.

Little of the pack became survivors including Stefan, I started to question as to why he didn't stay back and look for his cherished mate. I couldn't mention that little fight that he and Zane had last night because that would immediately show that Zane was indeed alive.

"Where were you? Why didn't you stay back to look for Zane?" I pressured him to answer with all of my persistent questions.

He sighed at first but proceeded to telling his side of the story, "At first, when I noticed the small fires around the pack house begin to grow, I started to help and direct my pack to this location straightaway. Everyone who had seen me, came to me and begged for help. I had so many things on my hands that it was too much to go and look for Zane. Though, I also figured that as an Alpha, he should be quite alright."

Was he serious right now?

Jasper suddenly approached Stefan and angrily grabbed ahold of his shirt while pushing his back against a wall, "Are you fucking stupid? How could you leave your mate to defend himself? What kind of mate does that make you? I would die trying to find my mate, I would look until I couldn't anymore. I wouldn't walk away and hope for the best."

The twins pulled Jasper off of Stefan and reprimanded him before returning to Stefan.

"I don't mean to seem a bit annoyed, but Jasper is right. You should have went back and now it's a little too late," Kasey confessed.

"Well, I think everyone needs to take a breather and do whatever duties they have," Kaspar declared and everyone exited the room except for Stefan and I right after I kissed the Alphas goodbye.

Before he could exit the room as well, I zipped right in front of him and glared.

"I don't know what game you're trying to play, but you should knock it off. Your mate is dead and not even a single tear is shedded? So pathetic if you ask me."

Stefan frowned, "Elian, I am deeply disheartened by the news of my dead mate. How could you not see this?"

By the time those sarcastic words left his mouth, I was seething in fury.

"I honestly cannot believe you right now, I hope you perish in hell," I stated before leaving the room and heading to the garden, where I could calm my anger down.

When I entered the garden, I instantly noticed Jasper sitting down on one of the benches with his head in his hands. I went over and sat down next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Everything alright, Jasper? I know that it was pretty heated back there."

He looked up with a small smile and nodded, "Luna, I didn't mean to startle you. I just couldn't hold in the anger that I felt towards Stefan. How could he act the way he acted? I mean, if I had a mate once more, I would cherish it and love it unconditionally. And be the most possessive mate in the world to top it off. Even I want to go and look for Zane, even though you had seen him die."

I bit my lip before asking this personal question, "What do you mean by having a mate once more?"

"Ah, the Alphas haven't told you then? When I was younger, I had already found my mate. Our pack was raided shortly after and she was killed. And since then, I could never find another mate because there is only one mate for everyone."

My stomach twisted and turned at the thought of never seeing my Alphas again, it hurt to imagine what kind of pain Jasper was going through.

"It's okay though. You don't have to feel bad for me, I am quite content with my life at the moment. That part in the past is long gone," he said, making me feel slightly better.

I nodded, trying to not look so sympathetic.

He then stood up and sighed, "I'll be going now, have a good rest of your day, Luna."

It always warmed my heart whenever a pack member called me their Luna. Although Luna is often referred to a female Alpha, it didn't bother me one bit.

When he left, I decided to check in with Zane back at my own home in the realm of the Fae. I teleported to the front of his temporary room and swiftly knocked three times. The door opened slowly and peeking his tiny head out, was Zane.

As he realized that it was I on the other end of the door and not a servant, he attacked me with one of the biggest hugs that a tiny Alpha could pull off.

"Elian, I'm so glad you're here."

I chuckled a little and returned the hug, "I only left a couple of hours ago."

"I know, but since then I haven't seen any familiar faces. Come in, come in. We need to clear the air about a few things."

And that was the understatement of the century.

>>

One can only discover so many secrets in one day, or so I thought. Once Zane and I settled on his bed, crossing our legs and munching on pastries from the kitchen, we got to business.

Apparently, it all started the day before the fire, when Stefan and Zane were having a fight over pups. The morning after, Stefan was no where to be found. Zane had then started getting ready for the day ahead of him and when he looked out of the balcony, Nikolai was there. He was hovering in the sky, his wings keeping him steady as he delivered a message. The message consisted of the following things Zane would have to do in order for there to be no more casualties. And when the fires started, Zane knew it was his time. Well, until I was there to rescue him.

I stopped his story a few times to fill in some empty clues, "Nikolai was there? Are you sure? I thought that when you said that earlier, that you weren't in your right state of mind."

Zane rolled his eyes, "Yes, I am positive. Although, I did tell you earlier that he didn't seem himself, almost as if he were being controlled. Anyways, has Stefan asked about me?"

I tensed but knew that I had to ask, "Wait, Zane, I know that this may seem a bit personal for me to know. But, was Stefan ever disrespectful or rude to you as a mate?"

He cocked his head to the side and bit his lip, "He's had mishaps before with me, but they were nothing."

As soon as he said that, I felt pity. Zane thought that being treated that way by his mate was nothing, it simply wasn't a problem. Though it was.

"Zane, you should never have to feel that way about your mate. They should be loving and kind all of the time. And I understand when there are small arguments, but I have a feeling that these small arguments between you and Stefan don't come and go. They stay, don't they?"

He slowly nodded, his eyes showing a glossy layer.

"He always argues with me over the petty things. When he is upset with me, I sleep on the floor. Like when we went over and sat with the Alphas while they were discussing important matters, he punished me later that day. He doesn't believe in equality in a relationship."

My own eyes were beginning to build up with tears and my throat was hoarse. I couldn't understand how any of this was okay to someone. I opened my arms to Zane, he scooted closer, and soon enough, he was sobbing with sadness into my chest.

"Everything will be okay, don't you worry."

I repeated that saying a thousand times, maybe I will start to believe in it too.