A Stark Difference In His Eyes

Tashina who had woken up long ago was seated on the bed, staring out at nothing in particular, her head raging with unknown questions.

She thought about her kingdom, Queen Sania, her stepmother, her brother, Prince Lane, her people, and...Xavier.

He always managed to occupy a huge space in her head. No matter how hard she tries to push him away, he only comes harder than before.

She didn't understand how she could be his mate, she wasn't a werewolf so how was her soul connected to a werewolf's.

Even though she didn't understand how but deep down, she knew it was true. The way her heartbeat and longed for him was far too superior and even though the rational part of her head was protesting against it, she believed Xavier was her mate.

She knew that if there was anyone she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, it would no doubt be Xavier, the Alpha of North-Eastern Pack.

That information still weighed heavily on her.

The man she was sent down to kill was the one who saved her from death, not once but twice now.

She scoffed darkly.

What a cruel way of fate to bring two hearts together.

One question kept on unleashing a dark shadow on her and she couldn't push it out.

If a time comes when she would have to pick between South-Mairak, her kingdom, or Xavier, the one she loved, which would she pick?

The answer remained troubling to Tashina.

She quickly put up guard when she heard a click and the door was pushed open.

What she saw left her confused,

A lady about her age, dark-skinned and with gorgeous curly hair, stood by the door, staring at her with wonder.

Her dark attire stood out vividly from the white walls of the room and for a moment, Tashina thought she had lost her way and ended up here.

When she stepped in and closed the door behind her, Tashina raised her eyebrows and used her eyes to search for the dagger.

"Uh... unbelievable...!" the lady breathed out in amazement and somehow her voice soothed any doubts Tashina had.

"You're gorgeous..." Chivia let out a pearly smile and Tashina became even more confused.

"Excuse me?" Tashina frowned.

"Umm...I'm sorry, I didn't even knock before I entered nor even introduced myself," Chivia apologized.

"I'm Chivia Alegard Ren Niroma, the head of the female warriors and Ren's wife" she brought her hand forth and Tashina simply looked at her.

Her expression giving away nothing.

"Uh..." Chivia squirmed uncomfortably and slowly retracted her hand.

"Sorry I barged in like that. I was just so excited to see you and..." Chivia smiled sheepishly.

"Why?" Tashina asked.

"What?"

"Why were you excited to see me?"

"Oh, because you're Xavier's mate and Xavier is family to me and also... because I haven't seen a vampire before" Chivia chuckled.

"You haven't seen a vampire before?"

"I thought you said you're a warrior, that means you must have been in wars and definitely must have killed thousands of my kind" Tashina kept her eyes steady on Chivia.

"Um..." Chivia swallowed hard.

"Well, the boys, my husband, and Xavier are very protective of me and they would never allow me to go on a battle in a vampire's territory so I'm mostly deployed to the humans' realm" Chivia explained.

"Oh..." Tashina sighed.

"Sorry if I was a little bit edgy, after what I experienced yesterday, I'm quite cautious of your kind" Tashina gave a small smile as a truce.

"It's okay, I understand" Chivia beamed and took that sign as an invitation to sit beside her.

"I want to apologize for everything my Pack did to you. It was unseemly and uncalled for but you've got to understand that they have never seen a live vampire before and they were merely acting on their survival instincts" Chivia appealed to Tashina.

"I get it"

"I don't know how this may sound but thank you" Chivia smiled.

"Why are you thanking me?"

"Just for being you, for being Xavier's mate, for decoding to stay here after all that happened. It means a lot to me and to Xavier, even though the ass would never admit it"

Tashina chuckled at Chivia's reference to Xavier, she felt comfortable around her and for once, she let her guard down.

"You don't need to thank-" she was cut off when Chivia held her hands.

"You don't understand. When a werewolf can't find its mate, it kills them, it mortifies them, it takes away our soul and life.

"Ren and I have been together for almost a century now and for that short time I have known Xavier, he has always been alone. He was always cooped up in this room and he would always put on a mask of indifference,

"I always tried to break him through that wall, Ren and I have been fighting for him to step out of his dark cupboard and live life the way he should. That's why we were always extra bubbly and ridiculous around him just so we could put a smile on his face" Tashina gulped when she saw the tears in Chivia's eyes.

"Even though he smiled, we knew it was never from his heart and it killed us to know that Xavier would never be revived again but today I saw it," Chivia paused.

"Saw what?" Tashina asked quietly, not wanting to break Chivia from her reverie.

"The life in his eyes, the fire, the happiness, and the love he had for you. It was like he was a different person, the weight that always laid on his shoulders was long gone and it made him lighter, happier, and alive," Chivia eyes twinkled as she spoke and Tashina was mesmerized by the love in her eyes.

"And I know all that it is thanks to you, you don't know how much you have given to us, to Xavier, just by being in this palace. You've saved a life" Chivia brought her hands forth and hugged Tashina.

Tashina didn't resist her touch and merely relaxed in her arms, savoring her sweet scent and kind ambiance.

"Oh, silly me! My husband's dramatic attitude has rubbed off on me. Excuse me and my hormones!" Chivia grinned and wiped off her tears.

"It's OK" Tashina smiled.

"By the way, I'm Tashina"

"Oh my God, your name is as beautiful as you" Chivia smiled.

"Thank you" Tashina returned the kind smile.

"Enough with the sappy stories, aren't you hungry? Cuz I'm dying to get some food," Chivia crinkled her eyebrows mischievously.

"Thinking about it, I am hungry" Tashina agreed.

"But before you should take a bath. No offense but I'm not going to let you go down my castle looking like that" Chivia pointed out and Tashina suddenly felt self-conscious.

Chivia was standing there, looking beautiful, clean, and fresh in her black clothes while she was on the bed, almost half of her body bandaged and in a smelly huge T-shirt.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it" Chivia pressed a button which was next to the bedside table on the wall.

In a minute, a maid came knocking at the door.

"You called, ma'am?" the young maid bowed her head after sending an obvious look of discontent to Tashina.

"I want you to draw a bath for our first here. Make it warm and fizzy" Chivia ordered.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" The maid asked for confirmation.

"Did I stutter?" Chivia hissed menacingly and in a split second, her bubbly attitude died down as she glared at the maid.

Tashina gulped, she never thought Chivia could be this scary when she wasn't smiling. Even to the unbeatable Crown Princess, Chivia left the impression that nobody can mess with her.

"N-no, ma'am. I will get it done right away" she stammered and rushed into the adjoining bathroom by the left side of the room.

"Forget about that stupid thing. What type of clothes do you wear?" Chivia smiled and it was like she was a different person.

"Uh...?" Tashina frowned.

"You will need to change into clean clothes and going to the mall in the city now so I would have to fetch some from the small closet we have down there"

"So dresses or pants?" Chivia asked.

"Definitely pants. I hate dresses" Tashina scowled.

"Touché, sister. I thought I was the only female in the world that hated dresses. If not for the royal ball that I have to attend yearly, I would never have several gowns in my closet" Chivia rolled her eyes and stood up from the bed.

The maid came out from the bathroom.

"The bath is ready, ma'am" she bowed her head.

"Great, now get me a pair of jeans and a comfy shirt from the closet downstairs" Chivia ordered without taking a single glance at the maid.

"Yes, ma'am," she said and left the room.

"Now, honey, let's get those bandages off your body" Chivia smiled affectionately.

Tashina let Chivia take off the multiple bandages all over her body and when she stepped into the bathtub, the water soothed the dull ache in her muscles.

She stayed longer than she thought as she washed off the dirt in her long, gingery hair. When she felt she was clean enough, she came out with a white towel wrapped around her body.

"There you are, took you long enough" Chivia teased with a smile.

"Here are your clothes and some lotion so your skin won't dry out, get dressed while I go get the hairdryer" Chivia left the room.

Tashina laid her gaze at the baggy jeans and beige T-shirt that was on the bed. She was happy they were big enough not to graze her wounds.

When she took off her towel and looked into the mirror, an unconscious gasp left her mouth as she saw how last night changed her body.

The pale, porcelain skin was now a canvas of numerous slashes shooting out from different angles. She had red scratches everywhere and some on her faces as well.

Although the wound in her stomach has almost healed, the huge scar was still evident on her stomach. She knew in a few days, they will be gone but still, she felt horrified to see what damage the werewolves caused yesterday.

She quickly put on her clothes and at the right time, Chivia stepped in with a hairdryer in her hands.

She made Tashina sit down on the chair as she dried her damp hair for her. Chivia kept on talking about different stories just to keep Tashina company.

"God, I love your hair!" Chivia gushed.

Tashina simply smiled.

"Why are you being so nice to...?" Tashina hesitated.

"To a vampire? Our arch-enemy?" Chivia answered and Tashina nodded.

"Well... " Chivia dropped the hairdryer and sat on the table as she faced Tashina.

"I grew up in a house that taught me being different is not horrible rather it is beautiful. My mother was a black human while my dad was a white werewolf, the king's royal guard. Despite the differences in their culture, their realms, they still fitted each other like a key to a lock. My mother always taught me how diversity was a gift and not a curse. She said that different realms don't eliminate one another but rather, they complement one another"

"Just because you're a vampire and I'm a werewolf, it doesn't mean that you are superior to me or vice versa, as long as you have a good heart and I like you, we can be best friends. My favorite quote from my mother is A garden is never beautiful until different types and colors of flowers are planted there" Chivia smiled.

"That's... amazing" Tashina breathed out.

"Your mother is really cool"

"She was. Until my father died in a battle and her heart turned into stone few months later" Chivia said quietly as she focused on her fingers.

"It still hurts no matter how long it has been" Chivia choked out as she held back her tears.

"I know" Tashina hugged her as she thought of her parents too.