"I thought you knew better than to get mixed up with witches. They only bring trouble. We have managed to keep things under control for so many years. Now, the entire kingdom is in danger because of your poor choices! Of all the choices in this kingdom and every other kingdom, you chose a witch! And how could you not inform us about Harold? He is like a son to us! Now, he is in a coma!" Titus bellowed as he paced back and forth in his chambers.
"I did not want to worry you about Harold, father. I had it under control. I did not plan for any of this to happen. I also cannot choose who I am mated to. It was completely out of my hands. You know how the mate bond works." Sargon explained as calmly as possible while he rubbed his brows with his fingers in annoyance, watching his father pace. Titus stopped and glared at him.
"Of course I know how the mate bond works! I also know that you can choose someone else to mate with. Even if you are not fated you could have chosen someone else. You were better off with an Omega before a goddam witch, Sargon! Titus hollered as his fangs began to extend.
"Father. It is not that simple!"
"Not that simple? Look at you! Your eyes are dark, you look like you have been drinking and not taking care of yourself. Do you think this is how a leader behaves? Do you not realize your people are watching? Your son is watching!" He growled as his anger brewed.
"Enough father!" Sargon shouted rising from his sitting position and moving towards his father as his eyes glowed.
"She was my choice! She is still my choice! There is nothing you can do about it! You know nothing about her. If you did, you would not feel so infuriated by her! You are either going to help or you will sit back as I rule this Kingdom. I do not need a lecture. I need your support and possible solutions. I am the King until I hand over my crown to my son or until death finds me. You will treat me as the king and not as a child." Sargon stood face to face with his father standing only inches away as he spoke.
"Then behave like the king and protect your kingdom. Death will find you sooner than you anticipate at the rate you are going." He said lowly while his nostrils flared.
"I am trying, father. This is a situation I could have never been prepared for. With or without Marie in the picture, we were being attacked. She came afterwards to help us! Somehow everything is connected and I need to figure out how."
"You need to try harder. How do you know she is not the one who is responsible for all of this chaos? She is a witch, Sargon! Nothing good ever comes from a witch!" Titus exclaimed as he stormed out of his chambers, cursing and leaving Sargon behind with his own thoughts."
In his entire existence, Sargon had never experienced such anger that had just emanated from his father. He had no idea how to react to him. The gravity of being mated to a witch and completing the mate bond was not evident until the situation escalated. How was he to know this is what would have happened?
Still, in the midst of the madness, frustration and heart ache, he wanted Marie. He was more concerned about her with each passing moment. He knew the mate bond was fading but his feelings for her remained. He would mark her over and over no matter how many times the mark faded. She was his and no one on this earth could change that.
He thought about how much love his mother and father shared and couldn't understand why his father couldn't at least try to understand why he chose Marie. He didn't have to agree with his choice. He had given up on ever feeling what it felt like to love someone until he met Marie. When he finally was able to feel, he wanted to hold on to the feeling that gave him new meaning to his life.
"Are you alright, dear?" A calm familiar voice entered the room, disturbing his thoughts.
Sargon turned around as his mother enveloped him in a warm embrace.
"It will be alright, son. We are all allowed a moment to fall apart." She said, releasing their embrace and cupping his face with her gentle hands as she looked him in the eyes.
"What is important is how we piece ourselves back together. That is what separates a good leader from everyone else." She said, guiding him to a tea table near a large window. She opened the heavy curtains and tied them open at both sides of the window, allowing the sun to shine through.
"I will never understand why your father loves the darkness so. The sunlight energizes just as the moon does, but you know your father. You can't teach an old wolf new tricks." She said teasingly while she poured them two cups of tea and placed honey and lemon in both.
"Here, this will relax you. It is my special mix of herbs. Your father is who really needs it." She winked as she took a sip of her tea, closing her eyes at the delightful taste.
"Mother, I feel so confused. I have no idea what I am doing. You would think I started training to rule this kingdom yesterday. The kingdom is in disarray and father is angry with me. I do not even know how everything unraveled so quickly." Sargon slouched back in his chair with hands crossed in front of him.
"Oh Sargon, your father will come around. He is more worried about you than angry with you. We heard about the attacks. You are always so hard on yourself. You made decisions that you thought were good at the time. Sometimes things do not work out as we expect them to or even how we need them to. We must just try our best to adjust and find a better solution. Life never remains easy. It would be dreadfully boring if there were no hiccups along the way. Facing complicated matters helps you to grow stronger as a ruler and as a person." She said with a pleasantness to her voice that always soothed him as a child. She was always a very calm, understanding woman with an old soul that carried knowledge of many ages.
"I don't know how to fix this, mother. If I knew this is what would have come out of falling in love with a witch, maybe I would have handled things differently. If I never crossed that line, I would not have had a taste of what it feels like, and I wouldn't miss it the way I do now."
"Never feel regretful for allowing yourself to feel. When people do not feel, that is when they become angry and bitter. There is nothing wrong with love. We need more of it in this place. Your father knows that better than anyone. Before he met me, he felt much like you before you found your mate.
Together, him and I ruled this kingdom with honor and compassion." She said with a slight smile as she continued to sip her tea while fond memories circulated in her mind.
"Yes, you both did. That is all I wanted as well. I saw someone with compassion and determination in Marie. She would have made a brilliant Queen. I still believe so regardless of what is happening. She is the most selfless person I have met in a very long time. She gave herself to help me and my kingdom." Sargon looked out of the window, fighting rage combined with sadness that ignited with his thoughts of his last moments seeing Marie.
"I will tell you this, if this woman is all you have described to me, there is no force on the face of this world that could prevent you both from being together. If she is your mate, it will be so. She is witch, she will not give up easily. Get yourself together and focus. She needs you to be the King she fell in love with so that she can be the woman you need."
"I truly hope what you say is true. I will do my best."
"I know you will, dear. Now come, get cleaned up and let us go see Harold. I may have a solution to what is happening to him."