"Rise and shine, people! Some farm boy is here for ya." Exclaimed the innkeeper, shoving open their room door.

Gauri was the first to jolt awake and peer at the old man through half closed eyes. She sat up and covered herself and Omkara  with the plain white sheets before rubbing her eyes and yawning. "Baby, get up."

Omkara only snuggled closer to her and stayed asleep, giving her no other choice but to lean down and whisper into his ear. "Baby ,Thereʼs a man in here and Iʼm naked.." She whispered.

That sure got him up as he growled out and cast a deadly glare towards the old man. The man smiled, "Farm boy is outside. Blame him, not me. He said it was urgent, plus paid me to tell you so-..." He paused looking at the not so happy man that could easily put him six feet underground and so he just quickly gave them a small wave. Now shutting the door and leaving them in peace.

"Iʼm going to go have a little chat with the 'farmʼ boy." Omkara then replied and moved off the bed. He pulled a plain tee shirt on, along with some jeans, and stormed out the bedroom door.

Gauri  let out a quiet sigh and got up, pulling on a pale blue dress that stopped above her knees, then fixed her hair, pulling it up into a bun.

"Om?" She called once she stepped out of the bedroom, going down the creaky stairs and out the front door.

As she suspsected he was standing there, pinning the poor boy up against the wall by his throat, with one massive hand.

The boys eyes were wide in fear as he tried to explain himself, not wanting to die. "Please! Let me go! I was just doing what my king ordered me to.." The farmboy only continued to plead when Omkara's grip on his throat tightened.

"Om." A soft voice called his name again, making the built man release the young boy.

The farm boy fell to the ground and coughed loudly, rubbing his red throat, it sure was gonna leave an awful bruise. "Thank you mylady. Look, I know where you guys are trying to get to. King Abhay's kingdom is right in the middle, I can take both of you there before sun fall."

"How is that possible...?" Gauri  then asked, Omkara standing back by her side, his eyes still dark and narrowed on the boy.

The boy gulped and stood, dusting himself off before responding. "My family owns the fastest horses and thereʼs a portal..behind the waterfall. Sorry, but thatʼs all I can tell you for now."

"How can we trust what you say is true?" Gauri asked the boy, still wary about the whole thing.

Omkara on the other hand glared, his eyes dark and as cold as ever. The boy only gulped and kept his gaze on the beautiful woman. ".Iʼm afraid youʼll have to come with me to find out for yourself, I swear on my mum's grave that it is true. Please come with me or else..." He paused and lowered his gaze to the ground before continuing. "The king will kill my father..and brother. I canʼt go back until you both come with me. I-..I beg you to."

Surprising them both, the boy got down on his knees and clasped him hands together, entwining his fingers as he lowered his body to the ground, pleading them to.

Gauri frowned, knowing how that felt like, since she too had lost most of her family due to the orders of a King. The boy was as desperate as she was and would do anything to save his family.

Omkara watched, his eyes still an icy blue, before his lips pressed into a firm line, sensing his mates sorrow.

Gauri leaned down and grasped his hand, helping the farm boy onto his feet. Her eyes filled with understanding as she nodded to him and gave him a warm smile. "Weʼll go. We just need to pack up a bit first. Oh! I havenʼt properly introduced myself. Iʼm Gauri , and thatʼs my husband, Omkara . He may seem a bit intimidating at first, but later youʼll come to find out that heʼs actually a huge softie. Now, whatʼs your name?" She asked politely, genuine as always, while Omkara just grunted and went back inside to retrieve their things.

"I-Iʼm Avinash..And thank you so much maʼam.! I donʼt know how to show you how grateful I am..But I will be forever in you debt." The boy exclaimed, tears brimming his dark lashes as he took her hands in his before bowing to her with gratitude.

Avinash then almost stumbled back when something heavy hit him, he blinked and straightened up. His eyes growing wide as he looked first down at the bag that was thrown at him and then looked towards the inn, only to see the man named Omkara , standing with a dark gaze in the doorway.

The man only gave him another impassive look before carrying two more bags on his broad shoulders, heading towards the carriage. Shoving the bags into the carriage, he motioned to his wife to get inside with one harsh look.

Gauri  noticed his displeased expression and didnʼt dare to disobey him, knowing very well that he was not in the mood.

Hurriedly, she got into the carriage and sat
down near the open door, wanting to watch out of it. But Omkara shut the door and stared the now trembling boy down. '..Om..ʼ She spoke to him through their mind link, but he blocked her out, making her even more worried for the boy.

Avinash  gulped and lowered his head as it was just him and the man now. The manʼs gaze didnʼt waver as he only took a step closer to the scared boy. "..Take us to that so called King of yours. And I want you to get one thing straight first. Gauri is mine. Do not touch her, if you lay even one finger on her again, I will kill you. You got it?" Omkara growled lowly into the boys ear after grabbing the collar of his coat tightly.

The farm boy couldnʼt speak and only nodded his head up and down quickly. Relief spread across his boyish features as the man finally let him go and gave him a hard pat on the back. "Good. Now letʼs go pay a visit to that 'kingʼ of yours." Omkara muttered before getting into the carriage, he shut the door and sat back against the seat, earning only a glare from his mate. Avinash could finally breathe and stammered out.

"Y-Yes sir, of course." He got up onto the other seat on the front of the carriage and grabbed the small whip, lashing it at the two horses back sides.

The horses let out loud whinnies in response before taking off swiftly down the dirt path that was surrounded by dense woods.

-•-•-• Gauri -•-•-•

My eyes slowly open as I heard a voice call my name, my gaze soon meeting a pair of blue eyes. "Hm?" I murmur out to my beloved man who wore the same expression as before, but I could tell he was much calmer and seemed to be a bit surprised by something.

Moving my head off his leg, I sat up and realized I had fallen asleep on the way, thankfully Omkara woke me up just in time. I could hear the roars of the waterfall, I could smell the fresh water and a few pine trees that were nearby, along with sensing something entirely unfamiliar and strange.

The aura or power of something, I didnʼt quite know what it was. But then it hit me. It must be the portal that Avinash was going on about.

"He was...right." I blurted out, rushing to the side to peek out the carriage window. That was why it was taking us so long to get to our destination. We could only get to it by going through a portal. So all this time we were just wandering around trying to find it, but probably wouldnʼt have ever found it. But thanks to Avinash  we had.

Looking through the clear glass, my eyes roamed over the huge waterfall and watched as an opening appeared, parting the water like Moses had did to the Red Sea (as described in bible) The sides separated and revealed a glowing opening, one we would race off into, in hope of getting to the other side before the opening closed.

I could hear the words that Avinash was chanting from his position outside of the carriage. His chants were in another language , one line that was repeated.

Which translated to, By day, by night, by sun, by moon, by wind, by rain, by fire, by ice.

Repeat this thrice.

Soon the horses raced down the wooden planks that created a path that led into the waterfall, before it could close, the carriage shot into the opening and went through the glowing portal.

Not even a second later, we reappeared in the woods again, but these woods seemed to be different. I could smell strange smells, none were familiar.

The scent that bothered me most seemed to grow stronger and stronger, causing me to tense up.

Omkara protectively placed his arm around my waist, quickly pulling me away from the window, "Gauri , I sense something. Somethings coming.Brace yourself!!!" He shouted to me, I quickly gripped onto the thick handle of the carriage door as he cursed and hesitantly left my side when Avinash screamed out.

No sooner did I feel my breath get knocked out of me as something rammed straight into the side of the carriage, knocking it over.

Everything seemed to slow and go fuzzy, I was losing consciousness. I slowly brought my hand to my throbbing head and then brought it back down to my face, seeing that my blurry fingers were stained red.

A small cry of pain soon left my throat as my other hand continued to grip onto the handle of the side door that wasnʼt rammed into as the carriage rolled a few more times before coming to a complete stop.

I didnʼt dare to move for a second until I noticed everything go silent.

My vision kept going dark and then light again as I began to crawl my way out of the broken window, not caring as the glass shards scraped across my exposed skin, the light fabric of my dress getting ripped up from the sharp edges.

I continued to crawl till I was a few feet away from the carriage, my eyes darting around, trying to find Omkara and Avinash. Panic started to overcome me as I laid in shock, my vision starting to blur even more.

"..Omkara !..." I cried out, though it came out more as a raspy yelp. I could feel tears trickle down my face, the liquid hot against my paling skin. I had to find him. Where was he? Did...something happen?

Hoping not, I pushed myself back up and used the side of the carriage,which laid on its back, to help me get onto my feet.

My legs trembling, but I forced myself to take a few small steps around to the front of the carriage, though I leaned onto the hard, slightly crushed material for support.

I could hear my heart beat faster and the drops of my blood as it hit the ground.
I couldnʼt give up, I needed to find them.

Suddenly a roar-like growl echoed throughout the area, making me let out a relieved exhale.
He was alive. But he was quite a distance away, I couldnʼt see him. But I could hear and feel him.

Then loud yowls sounded soon after, a large blur of golden leapt out of the trees, followed by another blur, this one was black though. Or at least, I thought it was.

I could barely see as I stayed where I was and watched the two blurs clash with one another, more growls and hisses was all I could hear along with a faint cry. "Mylady.!!!" I pinned the voice to none other than Avinash , sure enough a figure rushed towards me, but didnʼt touch me.

"..Please donʼt die.." The boy pleaded while quickly catching me before I could stumble and hit the ground as I felt my legs give way out from under me. "..Wh- Whereʼs Omkara ?" I ask as my eyes close shut, I couldnʼt help but feel weak in that moment, my body going limp in his arms. "..Heʼll be here soon, heʼs fighting off the Saber that attacked us. Donʼt worry.

Just keep your eyes open Jaan.." Omkara said all too quickly, urging me to open my eyes.

I force myself to lift my heavy eyelids and stared up at him, wheezing as one of my ribs felt out of place, my lungs burning with every breath. It hurt to breathe.

"Sir !!!! Sir !!!!" Avinash shouted out loudly, tears in his eyes. The 16 year old, seemed so scared as he shook but continued to shout.

Omkara on the other hand growled out, his pulse racing as he finally landed a final blow on the large feline creature, his jaws snapping down hard onto itʼs flank.

He dug his fangs ruthlessly into the sabers skin and tore away at the first layer, exposing its bloody flesh. It let out a loud yowl of pain, giving him a furious glance before it threw him off and escaped through the trees.

It retreated and he made sure of it before swiftly shifting back into his human form to run to his mates side. "..Gauri ! Jaan..stay with me." He growled out, shoving Avinash  to the side and pulling his bloody mate up into his arms.

His gaze ran over her limp body, almost roaring out as he saw the wounds left on her skin. He watched as her eyes dropped close and then opened up halfway again.

"..Om..thank goodness..youʼre okay..." She sobbed out quietly, the side of her ribs burning again.

"Iʼm sorry I left you, I had to save farmboy..I shouldnʼt have left your side. But I knew you wouldnʼt ever forgive me if I just let him die." He said quietly, a whimper leaving him as he pulled her closer and buried his nose into the crook of her neck.

She only gave him a weak smile, "You.. know me so well Om ."It was the last she could get out before she slipped into unconsciousness, blacking out in his arms.

Her body no longer in pain as her eyes shut and rolled back, her breaths soft and ragged.
Omkara quickly carried her towards one of the horses that was unlatched from the carriage before the crash.

It had came back right when Avinash let out a loud whistle. He had to get her to the King Abhay's guys palace. It was the only way to get her wounds patched up so she could heal much quicker and not bleed out.

Growling, he motioned Avinash  to lead the way as the young farm boy scrambled onto the second horse that also had barely escaped death just moments ago.

The boy gave Omkara a curt nod, knowing what he meant and began to take off to lead the way to the Kingdom.

Omkara put gauri onto the saddle first, having to drape her over, before getting on shortly after. He placed her back into his arms and used one hand to keep her close to him so she wouldnʼt slip off the horse, while the other hand gripped onto the horses reins.

Shoving his heel into its side, the horse instantly responded with a loud neigh before racing after Avinash .
"Stay in there, my little chirraya."

"Gauri ..my beautiful Gauri ." The same voice whispered in her head, causing her to feel sick to her stomach.

It was that voice again, so horribly familiar, yet she still couldnʼt pin it. "Stop!!!" She growled out in her sleep, her claws tearing into the sheets of the bed, while her fangs were bared.

Her eyes were squeezed shut as she only heard laughter, then frustrated as it only grew louder.

Mocking her.

"Jaan ." Another voice called to her in her head, making the other voice disappear again.

She felt a hand touch her arm, causing her to instinctively shoot upwards and attack the person that had touched her. Her eyes flew open and glowed a bright golden , her breaths heavy as she glared down at her beloved man .

She stared into his set of beautiful blue eyes and relaxed, her claws and fangs sheathing as she let out a sharp intake of breath.

Her body felt renewed, no longer aching or burning. Slumping down onto him, she inhaled his fresh and wild scent, her breaths returning to normal.

Gauri rested her cheek against his hot chest, her hands gripping onto his shoulders, afraid that heʼd leave her again. A growl rumbled out of his throat, assuring that he wouldnʼt leave her side again.

His arms wrapped around her thin waist protectively as always, his embrace firm and reassuring. She felt his fingertips run through her hair, the small gesture was enough to make waves of pure bliss spread through every part of her.

He seemed to be pleased by her small shudder of pleasure and kissed the top of her head. ".Youʼre okay. Iʼm not going to leave you Jaan . Iʼm right here. And Iʼm sure as hell staying."

"Om. What happened?..Where are we?" His beautiful wife asked, the vulnerable tone to her voice made his jaw tick with anger and anguish.

He shouldnʼt have left her side and protected her in the carriage, but she wouldʼve hated him if he left the young farm boy to die. He knew she had grown fond of the kid, and decided to protect him, she already had enough people die in front of her. He wasnʼt going to let her witness another one.

"Weʼre at the palace. You passed out after the carriage was knocked over. Donʼt worry, the doctor said you would fully heal up and just needed some rest. I also..met with King Abhay, we had a small talk about a few things. I cleared some things up and so did he. He wants to properly introduce himself tonight at his masquerade ball, but we donʼt have to go if you donʼt want to or arenʼt up to it." He spoke, his face showed no sign of humor, he was serious.

"No, no. Iʼm fine. Iʼd like to attend his ball, Om. We havenʼt danced in awhile, itʼd be nice to. Donʼt you think?" Gauri lifted her head to glance up at him, gently kissing his chin.

He made another animalistic noise in response before lifting her chin and pressing a hard kiss against her lips. The kiss was a reminder that she was his and he wouldnʼt leave her side again, no matter what.

His lips hot and demanding, as if embedding a promise onto hers as she couldnʼt help but moan out softly into his mouth. It flowed like silk past his lips and echoed down his throat, making him snarl lowly in response.

"If I see you wince once or even sense that youʼre in any sort of pain, weʼre not going." He spoke after pulling away, much to her displeasure.

Gauri planted a small kiss on the tip of his nose and agreed, "Alright." She then rested against him again, not wanting to waste her energy to protest or bicker with him.

He always won in the end, making her not want to argue with him anymore. Like a child that lost a game too many times, she sunk in defeat in that moment.

Omkara ran his fingers back through her hair, coaxing her to sleep as her eyes finally drooped shut again. She didnʼt feel afraid, her mate was there, holding her. Protecting her. Carressing her. She felt calm and her body seemed heavy and eager to get sleep after waking up in the middle of the night due to another terror.

It wasnʼt long before she fell back asleep, curled up on her mate while he stroked his fingers slowly through her hair. His touch gentle and comforting, reminding her that he was there, chasing away the terrors that threatened to come back.
————————

"Would you like anything else, your highness?" A maid named Rati asked, the young womanʼs eyes shimmering with happiness at the sight of King Abhay's guest, Queen Gauri .

She had helped the woman get dressed, hoping to make her look presentable for the ball. But once she set her eyes on the kind woman, her beauty was beyond compare.

No trace of makeup on her heart-shaped face.
Rati admired the Queenʼs beautiful features.
She put the Gauri's  long deep brown hair up into a simple updo, then do her mascara and eyeliner to make her golden eyes stand out even more, not caring to add much of anything else, but did just one final touch, red lipstick.

The servant girl placed tiny white flowers into some parts of Gauri's  hair, helping zip up the back of the long light turquoise gown, that she had chosen. The dress suited the womanʼs beautiful curvy form, making her thin waist more prominent while showing off the curves of her slightly wider hips.
It was well fitted on the top, and flowy at the bottom, the fabric soft as it brushed against her legs and pooled over her matching heels.

Rati dashed around Gauri , spraying a sweet smelling body mist onto her, making sure that the woman not only looked great. But smelled great too.

Gently, she placed the mask that also matched the dress, onto Gauri's  face and a simple heart-shaped necklace onto her neck.

Gauri objected anything too fancy and rather keep her look simple yet elegant.

"Thank you.." Gauri  gave the young servant girl a small smile, Rati only bowed her head in respect. ".Of course. I hope you are pleased with this look. Your majesty."

Gauri  walked over to the large mirror in the bedroom and almost gasped out, she could barely recognize herself.

She looked so...stunning. Her golden  eyes stared back at her before she turned around and pulled Rati into a warm embrace. "I love it. You did an amazing job."

".It..I couldʼve done better. That was nothing..But thank you, Queen Gauri ." Rati replied, though she began to frown when she saw the sky grow dark, it was going to be night soon.

"..Iʼm sorry. I must be going now, please have fun and...donʼt drink or eat too much. You may fall ill if you do...Iʼll be off now. I hope to see you again."

Gauri  watched as the girl bowed and hurriedly left the room, wondering why the girl was suddenly frantic and whispered her last response to her. Trying to shake off the chills that ran through her, she straightened up and left the room, her heels clicking against the marble floor.

Hopefully Omkara was in the ballroom, waiting for her. She didnʼt know what to expect when she got there.

But as she finally made it to the large ballroom doors, she took in a deep breath before the guards on both sides opened them up for her.

The sight in front of her had surprised her as everyone in the ballroom seemed to dance in sync and seemed as lifeless as robots.

Once she entered the large room, the music stopped and everyone casted stares her way. Their eyes impassive and the atmosphere wasnʼt as inviting as she had thought.

"You must be Queen Gauri. Iʼve been expecting you." A voice boomed suddenly, making everyone bow their heads towards her.

Gauri eyes were wide before she offered, who she guessed was the King, a polite smile. "Yes, I am. And so Iʼve heard from my husband. Itʼs nice to finally meet you, King Abhay." The man arose from his chair at the large dining table before making his way towards her.

His body broad, his skin is light , and his eyes a dark shade of brown. She couldnʼt read into his mysterious orbs, getting a weird feeling that made her realize that she couldnʼt pin the man down as neither a friend nor foe. She had to just wait to find out.

He reached out to grasp her hand and give it a kiss, but before he could, a hand reached out and gripped his wrist firmly. King Abhay only smiled, "Nice to see you again too, King Omkara . Iʼm afraid I canʼt stay and chat, but please enjoy the dance."

Omkara released Abhay's wrist after giving him a dark look, his face impassive as he then watched Abhay head back to the dining table.

Gauri  blinked up at her mate in surprise, before smiling and placing her hand in his, their fingers intertwining. "..I was wondering when youʼd come."

"Sorry for the wait,my little chirraya. Shall we dance?" He finally spoke and turned to face her, bringing his hand up to gently cup her face, his thumb brushing over her cheek. "By the way, you look beautiful as always."

"Iʼd love to. And you donʼt look so bad yourself, my handsome beast." She smiles up at him, a blush appearing on her cheeks quickly after he ran his thumb over it.

He leads her to the center of the ballroom and placed his arm around her waist, his hand holding hers. Her other hand rested on his chest as they swayed around, her bright golden trained on his through their black masks.

She admired his blue eyes which shone through the eye slits in the decorative mask he wore, while they danced gracefully around the ballroom.

'He looks so ravishing in a tux. Come on, Gauri . Snap out of it.ʼ She tried not to be aroused by her handsome mate.

The corners of his lips started to rise into a small smirk as he lowered his head to then whisper in her ear. "Iʼm afraid Iʼll have to take you back to the bedroom if you keep staring at me like that. And you might..want to keep those thoughts to yourself.."

Her eyes widened before she held her chin up high and stared him in the eyes, challenge sparking in them. Her golden orbs darkening to a deep brown, 'Or what?ʼ She sent through their mind link, watching as his blue eyes turned a darker shade as well.

'..Or else. Iʼll just have to take you right here, right now. In front of all these people. You know I will my little chirraya . So donʼt tempt me.ʼ

'You wouldnʼt dare..ʼ

ʼOh, really? Do you want proof that I will?ʼ ʼ

'N-No..ʼ
She blushed profusely as he dipped his head down low again to kiss the old marks he had left on her shoulder and neck when they had first met, it brought back memories.

Her eyes closed as she remembered them first meeting at a masquerade ball, as soon as he entered the room with those beautiful blue eyes, she couldnʼt take her eyes off him.

The way he confidently strided near her only to grab the girl next to her, in that moment she couldnʼt deny that she was a bit disappointed and scared, yet she gained the courage to order him to take her instead. Ordered Omkara Singh Oberoi . The now Direwolf King.

Her memories went way back to when he had dared her to kiss him as if it were some cruel punishment, he had pushed her up against the wall after she had took on his dare.

Their lips meeting for the first time, their mouths greedy on each others, hungry. And then he bit down hard onto her shoulder, claiming her instantly as his own. And that was when the spark between them bursted into wild flames, uncontrollable and exciting. Since then they were inseparable.

She opened her eyes, his blue ones capturing her gaze. He had seen her memories and felt them too, his eyes glimmering with love for her.

They had come a long way.

Gauri  didnʼt realize tears had escaped her eyes and slid down her cheeks, until he wiped them away, cradling her face in his hands.

Before they could come any closer to each other, a horn was blown. King Abhay clapped his hands and grinned, "I apologize for having to stop the dance for a moment, but Iʼd like to get dinner started. You all must be starving, so please take a seat and enjoy!"

Omkara brushed his thumb over her bottom lip, then pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "We should eat. Youʼre probably hungry after everything thatʼs happened today." He murmured, leading her now towards the long dining table. Pulling out a chair for her, she nodded and thanked him before sitting down.

Her stomach growling loudly when she smelled the enticing aroma of food, the servants bringing out plates and setting them down on the table in front of each person.

Omkara sat down next to her, his eyes trained on her and then King Abhay. He could sense something weird about him, but didnʼt know exactly what it was. He watched as the King stood and raised his wine glass, everyone standing up when he did. "Iʼd like to make a toast to our special guests, King Omkara and Queen Gauri !" Everyone started to murmur, "too King Omkara and Queen
Gauri." Then clinked their wine glasses together, he and Gauri  raising their own before politely drinking the crimson red wine.

After Gauri  had taken a sip, she stood there, feeling strange sensations writhe through her, her head pounding. ". Om...." She turned slowly to look at him, her glass slipping from her fingers as she gasped out.

The wine spilling over the floor as the glass instantly shattered, Gauri  fell to her knees as Omkara laid unconscious on the floor. "..Om!! What did you do?" She shot Abhay a glare, her eyes turning darker and darker.

The king only smiled, "I need you both, but donʼt worry. Iʼll take good care of you two, in return you both will help me whether youʼre aware of it or not."

"What do you mean..?" She asked, her vision going hazy as the pain in her head grew worse.

"Just sleep, darling. Youʼll see in the morning."
Barely able to stay upright anymore, she fell to the floor beside her mate, her eyelids felt like they had boulders were resting on them, causing her eyes to shut closed.

As her vision went completely black, there was a sudden glow appearing in front of her, first as a small dot, before it got bigger and bigger till it exploded.

All her memories shot out of it, spinning around her, until they one by one started to fade away, making her panic and try to grab onto them to keep them. But it was no use, soon no memories were left and she was stuck in just the complete darkness.

One word echoing in her head before the word itself faded away.
"Om."