Chapter 153 - The Beginning Of The End Pt. 1

He loved the days that he spent with Philip, one by one were filled with joy and happiness. He didn't mind keeping their relationship a secret, he knew though that as the time passed he would have to bid him farewell. That was one of his biggest concerns, having to stay away from him, find a way to meet him again even though they were forbidden to be. 

He hadn't shared that thought with him, even though he was sure Philip felt the same way. All he could think about after all was him, even when they weren't together. His summer had turned into a dream he couldn't really believe it was reality. So both of them, the two men that longed for each other even when they were together put their worries aside, deciding that they could at least enjoy their time before their problems knocked on their doors. Kai hoped, they wouldn't be too surprised with the difficulties ahead. 

And what days they were, beautiful, filled with laughter and teasing. Kai had never felt such joy before. It was as if Philip accepted every piece of him in a way no one else could. His spoiled side, his playful and his dramatic. Every single flaw turned into a positive in his eyes and well, the young prince who would always hear from his family that was flawed in many ways couldn't be more thankful to his lover for accepting him. 

Kai would close his eyes when he was right beside him and realize that he was living in a perfect reality. It was that simple for him to forget his worries and every little bit of pain he carried in him. He just looked at Philip's hazel eyes and everything seemed to turn into dust, small pieces that didn't matter anymore. They had zero meaning.

He was happy, simple as that. He would smile at random moments, he would find himself absentminded during his studies and people would talk, whisper when he walked through the halls, a cheerful hum lingering on his pink lips. He was alright with it though, his hazed mind couldn't believe what would follow. 

He hadn't thought about the whispers, he barely even noticed them but his mother would. The woman had ears everywhere and obviously her eyes would be glued to her usually rebellious son. She waited, observing him as he lived in his own bliss, unaware of how everyone in the palace had their eyes on him. The queen knew and even though she pretended as she didn't soon she reached her limit. 

It  was one day that Kai was summoned to her room, unaware of what she wanted. Him and his mother never really talked that much, especially alone. He did have a better relationship with his father but he was still at the border. As he walked there he wondered if her reason for searching for him was that he had missed a meeting. He used to be punctual, even if he didn't want to but he had spent the previous night with Philip and the warmth of his embrace was too tempting for him to simply get up and leave. Nonetheless he had responded to his mother's call, thinking that a scolding would follow. 

Kai hadn't really realized that when he missed that important meeting he had actually made his mother take her final decision. It had become the reason for what would follow, a little trigger that would ruin everything. The young prince had been careless, he had let go and now he had been caught in his mother's own trap. Without knowing it, carefree he knocked on her door, hearing her stern voice calling him in. 

"Good evening." the queen greeted him. She was sitting on her desk. A wide wooden table, with carved legs in the shape of lion's feet. Her chair was comfortable, dressed in red velvet and she raised her head from the book she was reading to meet her son's face. Her cold eyes were void of any emotion. No anger, no anything. Kai wouldn't know if she hated him right now or not. 

"If it's about the meeting I am very sorry. I won't do it again. I had a slight headache." he apologized immediately, spurting out some kind of half thought excuse. The queen stood up, circling her desk until she stood in front of it. She had closed the book, carefully leaving it on the side.

She crossed her hands over her chest, her eyes looking at her son from head to toe. Kai frowned, unaware of why she was speaking. By now she would have start rumbling about all the things he did wrong, how he should have been more careful and all the little things she had heard about him from the servants. He tilted his head to the side, his eyes showing confusion and his mother sighed. 

"Leave him." she stated and the young prince frowned, unable to understand what she had been talking about. 

"What? I don't know what you're talking about." he told her. 

"Leave that werewolf. I don't want you to be with him. Do you know what will happen if word gets out?" she asked. Kai's eyes widened in shock. He did not expect this, he hadn't even realized he was being watched, usually he was always ready, in place but now…now he had been crushed into his harsh reality. His moments with Philip were just a dream, his mother the beginning of his nightmare. 

He took a step back, his mind racing, his lips parted in a poor attempt to utter something, find an excuse, whatever he could to not have this matter getting in the surface. 

"Don't even try to tell me it's not happening. I know. I also know that you drank his blood. You chose him. Are you completely insane?" she asked again, now her tone getting a bit higher, her expression turning even more aggressive. "He is a werewolf! You chose a werewolf!. Do you even know how criticized that decision will be? Not from me but from everyone! Leave that dog, don't ever get close to him again and when he leaves with his Alpha don't even think about finding a way to keep in touch with him, am I clear?" 

"No." Kai answered sternly, surprising his mother. A huge crease had been created between her eyebrows as she walked towards him. She raised her thin arm and slapped  him, her palm leaving a mark momentarily on his cheek. The blond prince didn't say anything. He stood there. 

"Don't make me force you." 

"You can't force me. I am his mate. I can't be away from him. I won't because I don't want to. I love him" 

"Love him? LOVE HIM?" she screamed in his face. "Are you completely insane?"

"Maybe I am!" Kai shouted back at her. He didn't care anymore. He didn't care about the so-called palace, the etiquette and all those things his mother had been always trying to stuff his head with. Philip. That's who he cared about and he was not going to leave him, he couldn't. He loved him so much that even the thought of it was hurting. There was no way he would back down, even if he was scared of his mother. Even if he lost his title and his home. He didn't care. "I don't care about what you think. I don't care about your stupid rules and the fact that you always want to control me. I want to be with him, I want to be by his side and if that's a problem for you I can always leave."

"Leave?" his mother repeated and a mocking laugh followed. "You think you could leave? And do what? The idea of you being on your own and surviving is a joke. A very good one indeed. You are spoiled, bad mannered and know nothing of the world. You haven't even worked a day your entire life. The moment you left your comfortable little room your world would crumble." she attacked him and Kai frowned. 

"My world will be fine, as long as I have Philip with me. I will be fine." he told her. 

She wasn't happy with Kai's words. Her whole body was shaking, her face a faint shade of red as he overflowed with anger. This was the first time, the very first time Kai decided to go against her. After him being whipped, the way he looked at her had changed. The woman in front of him wasn't acting like a mother so he did not have the obligation to act like her well mannered son.

"I always let you do whatever you wanted. Be a brat with zero responsibilities. All I asked you was to not shame the Avger name, not to shame the monarchy but you had to go and do that! In love with a werewolf? You know it's not how a proper vampire should be. You know that you need to be fixed." she told him and Kai frowned. He gasped, as her words started to make sense in his mind. He took a step back, stunned by what his mother was saying.

"You didn't…" her son mumbled, his face looking as if he had seen a ghost. "How could you…" he asked and turned around. He had to escape, he couldn't let her do this to him. He started running towards the door but it was too late. 

A man appeared before him, a black robe hiding his face and Kai stopped.

"Mother…no." he begged her as he turned around. "How could you do this to me?" he asked. 

"You had to be fixed." his mother said. "Take him away. Do not kill him." she ordered. 

Kai tried to escape, he wanted to push the man away and leave. Find Philip and disappear. Even his own mother had betrayed him in the worst possible way. 

He couldn't move, he was frozen and his eyes landed on his mother. She was using her powers on him. Kai wanted to cry but soon he was unconscious, everything had happened so fast that when he would wake up he wouldn't be able to describe it, not even to his own self. 

All he knew was that the queen, his mother had called the Nightshades on him.