Chapter 4

Ariela

I stood in front of the large window and looked down into the garden. The otherwise beautiful sight seemed desolate today. Even though the sun was shining and thanks to the tilted window I could hear the birds chirping happily.

My focus was on the huge oak tree in the middle of the garden. It was my favorite tree that my great-grandfather planted. The trunk was thick with many branches reaching up to the sky.

I had loved climbing up there since I was a child. As a werewolf, that wasn't a problem, no matter how skeptical my mom liked to be. Sometimes she had too many worries when it came to us children. Although we were all grown up by now.

I even had a favorite branch that I liked to sit on. Up there you could enjoy the peace and have time for yourself. In spring and summer, you were hidden behind the canopy of leaves. One of the reasons why I loved this cookie so much.

Of course, I could have holed up there, but there were only fond memories of this tree. I didn't want to destroy it.

With my arms crossed, I tilted my head and surrendered to my inner chaos. My thoughts involuntarily went to the Vampire King.

Who the hell bought another person?

If I didn't know better, I'd wonder if he was stuck in the wrong century.

However, vampires lived to about the same age as werewolves. The average lived about 200 years.

And as far as I knew, Darkbloom was probably in his mid-20s. However, that was pure speculation. You also didn't tell your enemy when you had children. My knowledge consisted only of rumors.

I guess I should be thankful that no old man bought me.

Through it all, I still wondered what exactly he wanted me for. It would be much easier for him to get a cleaning lady. I would be ideal for torture; the daughter of the arch-enemy would come in handy. Or the king wanted a pet.

My gaze stopped at the magnolia tree, which was in full bloom. The breathtaking flowers on the branches had no effect today. There was no other joy about it.

Why me?

My eyes continued to wander over the sea of ​​flowers that grew all over the garden. With my good visibility, I didn't even miss the bees helping themselves to the nectar. For once I envied her carefree life. None of them were sold off to a cruel king.

A knock on the door sparked an internal discussion. I considered ignoring it, but then again that would be mean. I should enjoy my last days, or who knows how long, here with my family. There was a chance I would never meet her again afterward.

Just as I made up my mind and turned around, the door opened. The visitor seemed to have little patience.

The sight of this made my heart heavy. My grandma entered the room. She had herself under control and a sad smile was on her lips. At least I assumed the news had already reached them.

She rushed towards me and I said very quietly, "Hi."

"Come here, little one."

I went to meet her and threw myself into her arms. My grandma wrapped it tightly around me, suffocating me for a moment. No matter how strong it was, you felt loved.

Her scent hit my nose, which smelled like a mixture of flowers. She owed this to the garden, which she always tended. She had always spent more time outside than inside.

We stayed like that for a while and no one made a sound. It didn't need anything more, just this hug.

At some point, life had to come back to us and in order not to steer the mood in a negative direction, I asked: "Where is the cake?"

She baked one for any occasion, especially when there was bad news. In her opinion, food was the panacea for everything.

"It's in your kitchen, but it's nothing elaborate." That was to be expected because she wanted to get to me quickly. The woman had a heart like no one else.

"Ariela, I love you."

My poor heart wouldn't take it much longer. I will likely hear such confessions often shortly. Saying goodbye was much more difficult.

"Same to you."

Because the tears wanted to come, I pulled away from her. I had to stay brave because if I behaved differently my family would drown themselves in sorrow.

My grandma took my face in her hands and looked me over closely. As if she wanted to memorize my facial features. I could do the same thing. What I liked most was her smile lines, they indicated a happy life. There was always love to be found in her warm brown eyes, today you could see the pain in them just as much. Today she had hastily put her hair up because a few strands came loose from the hairstyle, which made her previous haste clear.

She stroked my cheek with her thumb as she said, "Remember, everything will be okay in the end." At the same time, we continued: "And if it is not good, then it is not the end." With her saying she managed to bring a slight smile to my lips.

The old lady always had a saying, advice, or wisdom as needed. After 187 years, a lot of knowledge had been collected.

She pulled me tightly into her arms again and briefly cut off my breath. This time I reciprocated and clung to my grandma like she was my lifeline.

She had left the door open and now she heard footsteps coming in.

A moment later, a strong pair of arms were wrapped around us. I didn't even have to look to know it was my grandpa.

The two lived in the same house, just in the right wing. This meant that in emergencies they were with us immediately. In general, it was nice to have my grandparents in the same building.

He kissed me on the head, otherwise it was completely silent.