We were dancing, and the music had forgotten, when in my peripheral view, I saw a faint smile curve at the corner of her lips after hearing my side-annoyed comment. That smile looked like a gentle smirk, but quickly vanished when Mirxalyn noticed me staring and looked away.
I don't know what came to me when I found myself smiling smugly, teasing about what I had seen before saying softly, "I saw that."
Hearing that comment, she clenched her jaw. However, this was the first time I could clearly study her – closer than just a vibe. My wife was an annoyingly breathtaking goddess, intimidating, but beautiful. Her dark, bloody hair cascaded messily down her chest, showing how strong and sexy her jawline was whenever she clenched it. She even had a little cut on her right brow, making her dangerous. Her body was well-toned but powerful, making her presence demand respect. She's beautifully commanding, cold and distant, but somehow, it felt warm. It's like she cared in her silent way. But her eyes, her bloody-mauve eyes, felt empty like she had lost the light she once had.
She's longing for something, and my heart tightened upon staring too much. Then I found myself thinking, "What made those eyes look sad and lonely?"
I snapped. I don't like how my empath side reacted to it. She already had everything and didn't need empathy from a weakling like me, who always needed saving; however, a part of me desired to hold and protect her when she needed to be vulnerable. I'm not sure why I felt this way. She confused me. She annoyed me, but I found myself whispering some lines from the same song in the background.
"How many times do I have to tell you?
Even when you're crying, you're beautiful too.
The world is beating you down; I'm around through every mood…" I sang out of the blue, lost in thoughts and in her eyes, where I noticed parted lips, but no words were coming out, aside from a clenched jaw. I sighed as the music softened, fading lowly where I found my mouth surprisingly ran what I've noticed, saying, "You're keeping things in length but secretly cared." I even gently pressed my hand over her chest, feeling a faint beat against my palm. It was a rare, faint beat as if trusting me to take care of it, and I softly smiled before wondering, "How can you affect me like this? You aren't just a mate to me, are you?"
Hearing my confusion, I noticed Mirxalyn's jaw clench as she tried to suppress the answer to my question. I narrowed my eyes at her, trying to uncover her truth, and daring her to tell me, but she was hard to crack. Like what I felt that night we crossed our wooden swords, I easily got annoyed around her before sighing.
"Fine, keep your words to yourself. I'll do the same. I'll pretend not to feel these feelings for you…" It may hurt, but I said it directly. I may not be the person who opens up to my feelings or thoughts around a stranger, but, as her being my wife, I'll try. "But when it comes to marriage – our marriage, arranged or not, I hope we could at least be friends." Even if it's not affection or love, I still hoped to find friendship in our marriage since we're living in the same roof and now in one room, in one bed, before asking hopefully, "Can we even do at least that?"
I braced myself for a reply - anything, but there was none. She suppressed her words with her signature jaw clenching, leaving me sighing. I didn't say anything, but there was a thickening silence, filled with tension, until we stopped dancing. I was about to pull away when her hand gently cupped my face, caressing as if I would disappear if she got too close. I was speechless, caught off guard by the sudden gesture, but my heart ached from the softness reflected in her face until she spoke.
"You'll never be just a friend, Bernila." With sincerity, Mirxalyn said softly, not daring to finish her words or express the real feelings she had for me. She just kissed my temple, lingering, making my mark faintly burn before she left a respectful kiss on my hand, and then left before my adoptive parents came.
Again, I'm speechless. Puzzled as I watched her speak to her family and some invited visitors, but the flame on my chest was nearing its peak. I frowned furiously as she began leaving an impression on me.
"YOU, ANNOYING, INTIMIDATINGLY UNREADABLE, INSUFFERABLE, BEAUTIFUL WIFE..."I screamed inside my head, whatever names I could muster to call her. I'm so annoyed at how she left me hanging in confusion. She is becoming an unpredictable storm in my life. "...DAMN! WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO ATTRACTIVELY BEAUTIFUL, AND A COLD FREAKING WIFE AT THE SAME TIME?!"
She's possessive when she claimed me as hers. She's gentle and protective when she was being my savior. She's intimidatingly cold when she's in front of everyone. It's annoying me to the bones, making me want to strangle her right now. But I took a deep, calming breath since I don't want to make a scene on my wedding day.
"Now, I understand why Talia said about awakening your grumpy mood." Alon, my adoptive father, noticed my grumpiness that I had no idea was already showing, or perhaps, they knew me too well to notice it. I sighed, pouting, but he grinned before teasing, "Is she already getting into your nerves, sweetheart?"
"She does, Dad. She's so annoying, frustrating, and hard to read or crack." With a defeated sigh, I admitted, making him laugh. He really laughed, and I frowned. "It's not funny, Dad."
"It is, Bernila. You never get interested in someone after he rejected you." Dad chuckled, but noticing my sour mood, he stopped and continued, clarifying his words, "What I'm trying to say is, give her a chance. Give this marriage a chance and see where it's going to lead you."
"If it's not working?" I wondered, skeptical of what could happen in my marriage with Mirxalyn, a bloody vampire queen.
"It'll work." Dad firmly responded, convinced it would be fine, making me frown. Then he added. "It'll work because from what I see, the way she watches you like a hawk is like she won't let you go. She had been like that ever since she helped you around your nightmares."
I narrowed my eyes, sensing some hidden message beneath his tone before stating a guess, "Dad, are you aiming for something because you sounded convinced that she's for me?"
"It is." He replied firmly, and I was taken aback, speechless, and confused, which made us stop dancing. Then he gently added, saying, "Bernila, she's yours to claim."
Claim. That word alone struck me like thunder, reminding me of the attraction, emotions, and the pull brewing between Mirxalyn and me. I knew it, I felt it, our mate bond has started forming, but I'm skeptical.
"No…" I mumbled almost to myself. I can't admit it, not yet, because of what ruined me. It was still there like a fresh, deep wound. "...I...I can't..."
"I know what happened, Bernila. We know what happened, but we're not saying anything to anyone, not even to our pack leaders, because we're respecting you. We wanted you to heal and take this chance for yourself." He said softly, gently patting my shoulder as we went to their table before adding, "Take it, Bernila, and give it a chance. Heal, change, and give your heart a chance to love again."
I was surprised that they knew about it already, but still didn't say anything. I started crying before saying, "That's easier for you to say than it does, Dad."
"Then just flow. Keep moving, even in tiny steps, as you do what you love. Don't let the storms stop you till you get there." He gently advised before assuring, "Trust me, it'll be fruitful in the end."
"That's convincing." I teased, wiping my tears away before adding, "Is that how you found Mom?"
"Yes, she's very hard to get." He chuckled, but suddenly flinched when his wife, my adoptive mother, Sandra, pinched his side.
"You're the one who's hard to get." She corrected my father before turning to me, sharing a piece of advice. "Love comes in mysterious ways. It'll make you feel everything, which would overwhelm you, but you'll do it again even though you said no. Because when it's for you, it'll come to you; no matter how hard you try to avoid it, it'll happen. So, sweetie, give it a chance and don't be hard on yourself."
I became silent, trying to process her advice before they gave me a reassuring hug. They let me think carefully before enjoying the rest of the reception party, leaving me with my thoughts.
I was lost and let my eyes scan the happy crowd, but the truth is, I'm searching for her. When my eyes found hers looking at me too, I sighed, muttering, "I'll try…"
***
The party went on, but something strange began to shift in the air. I suddenly tensed up, making me alert, but none of them seemed to notice. I scanned the entire area where I found her staring back at me, as if she was reading me. My eyes narrowed, trying to read my unreadable wife, when an explosion happened, and it's not far from here.
I stiffened because I knew who the trespasser was. "Rogues." I mumbled softly, looking around searching for something – rather, for someone, my wife, before whispering with worry, "Where are you?"
Squeals and panic erupted among the weaklings, or those who were not fit to fight. They hid behind the protective knights surrounding the area. As for me, I was disoriented, panicking in the middle. I was looking for a place to hide from the ruckus, but I barely moved from my spot until they came. Rogues recklessly ruined everything in their sight, freezing me to my spot. It was terrifying, making my knees quiver, until bats flew around me, securing me. Then I heard her calm but cold, assuring voice.
'Stay around the bats. I've got you.'
I wanted to argue, but it was not the time for that. I looked around the chaos and saw my wife leading the knights without fear, only imperious authority.
"Mirxa…" I whispered softly, making her glance over her shoulder, and with a slight nod, her aura shifted dangerously.
She became what the rumors said about her. She became a winter storm as she led a battalion, and a ruthless huntress as she easily killed rogues without remorse, making her knight follow.
"She's…wonderful…" With fascination, I mumbled, staring at my wife's commanding power, which I didn't realize a sneaky rogue had gone to my side.
"Hello, Miss Bride." A sinister voice from a disgusting rogue greeted me, making me want to throw up. I was about to react when he swung his claw at me, but surprisingly, weakly, I managed to dodge it. But he taunted amusingly, trying to hit me again, "Nice try, but not for too long."
I don't know what annoyed me, whether it was the disgusting rogue attacking me or ruining my fascination with my wife's intimidating leadership, because something twitched in me. My body trembles, and my blood boils, making me hot and short-tempered. I clenched my fist as I kept dodging his reckless attacks, not caring if my wedding dress got ruined or filled with filth, since life was more important than wearing anything. I may be surprised by my dodging instincts, as I had never done any combat-intensive training before aside from the beginner's training; however, now, I'm doing well.
But it wasn't long before my back hit a long table, and I was cornered. I even heard my name as my family searched for me in the midst of chaos, but I couldn't respond. Not that I'm cornered and was about to die.
"Finally, it's going to end," I muttered as I was ready to give up my miserable life.
However, in a split second of slow motion, Mirxalyn's longing expression quickly pulled me back, and I dodged for another try. My hand miraculously touched some broken wood from a destroyed chair and hit the rogue's head. It gave me a few seconds to compose myself and get ready for real combat.
"Seriously, Mirxalyn, you're getting into me…" I breathed slightly, annoyed, but my lips curved into something not me from the past.