~•~

Dante's POV

"What's on your mind?" Gavina asked me as we danced, her usual seductive tone now more soft and worried.

I closed my eyes. She had been asking me this question for years and even if I did tell her she would never understand. Gavina was beautiful, and compassionate when she wanted to be, but she was also selfish and reckless. Sleeping with her and playing this little game of a love affair didn't make anything different. She wasn't my mate and the truth was she was a distraction at the most.

"Don't worry about it," I told her, averting her eyes.

Her delicate hand tilted my chin back to her. "Dante, please, tell me."

I looked into her familiar blue eyes and for some reason all I could picture was Amabelle's big brown horrified ones. The way her bottom lip trembled and her wolf crying of aching hurt and fear.

My eyes shut again, feeling the guilt and shame once more.

"GET OUT! LEAVE!"

Despite the pleading of my wolf to stop, to calm myself, the anger and jealousy from earlier fried my logical thinking. It didn't help that she had come into my private study, a place no one except me had ever been in.

"But Dante I-" She begged, her eyes so wide with fright and confusion that part of me wished I hadn't gone looking for her in the first place.

"I SAID GET OUT! GET OUT!"

She fled from me, her shoulder just barely touching me as she ran. It took everything in me to keep from running after her, to tell her that I was sorry, and that I would never scare her again.

But I didn't.

I took out my emotions instead upon my writing desk, flipping it from it's wall. I took my journal entries and trashed them in the fire. Then I snuck into Xavier's hold of liquor, where I told him to put all the alcohol. It was selfish of me to use our alcohol for my personal substance abuse, but after so many years I began to wonder if by sharing the supply would cause it to decrease into extinction.

Once I had drank at least half the bottle, I went back to the ballroom where Gavina was waiting for me.

Opening my eyes again, I felt all the guilt in my throat. Guilt piled on guilt. Not just Amabelle, but all the times I had hurt someone.

My hands fell from Gavina and I took a step away from her. "I can't."

She was hurt, pure pain was in her crystalized eyes. But it dissolved into fury like grease sizzling on a grill.

"You always shut me out, Dante, why?" She pleaded still trying to be civil.

I knew that if she had been talking to anyone else, she would have already lashed out at them. What was more shameful of me was that I took advantage of this constantly, just so I didn't sleep alone in my bed.

"Dante," Gavina whispered, her hand interlocked with mine.

I took a long look at her and felt absolutely nothing.

"I'll see you later on tonight," I promised, and left her on the dance floor.

Even though I couldn't confide in her, there was someone I could confide in. That person was Xavier. He was my best friend and had been before this dreadful curse had even been upon us. We grew up together, fought together, celebrated together and learned together. He always knew what to say and what to do, in all honesty I wished I was more like him.

Xavier was by his lonesome on the balcony that overlooked the rose gardens, which wasn't unusual for him. He turned his head at me, a peculiar look on his face. He raised an eyebrow, which was his way of saying; "Are you alright?" I just shook my head, and stood beside him.

"You know it can't be a coincidence." Xavier said, appearing to be thinking out loud.

Confused, I furrowed my eyebrows at him. "What do you mean?"

He continued staring off into the distance. "Amabelle. She isn't here by accident."

Not this again. "Xavier, Amabelle is not the one."

He had told me previously of his theory that Amabelle was my mate, that I had it in my best interest to charm her, maybe even get to know her and eventually we would discover for sure whether or not we were mates. I, of course refuse to believe this. The witch put me through years of suffering, she would not get my hopes up only to crush them.

"Oh and Gavina is?" Xavier jabbed, his eyes hardened.

I let out a warning growl. "Watch it Xavier."

He sighed, and glanced at me. "We have two months left Dante, all I'm saying is that you should try. She has brought hope to our pack, something we haven't felt in ages."

Relaxing a little, I understood what he meant. People truly were in higher spirits than usual. I knew what they expected from me, they just wanted me to do something I wasn't sure I could do. I've never believed in mates before the curse, and now. Now nothing was certain.

I let out a long breath, breathing in the night. "I screwed up tonight."

"How so?"

Shutting my eyes, I played the whole scene again. "I... lost my temper on her."

"On who? Amabelle?!"

I sighed defeated, and nodded my head slowly. "She was in my private study."

"You know that's not the only reason you were mad..." He said, making me remember the real reason I had been so angry.

The way she looked at Kamil, and the way he looked at her. They clearly had something special; it made me furious. I didn't like his hands on her, or how she reacted to his touch. The whole scene had me wanting to tear something apart. I had been that envious.

"I know." I replied, looking off at the sky.

"You need to apologize Dante. That's the only way you'll feel better." Xavier advised, watching me for a reaction.

He was right. This time I hated that he was right. "I'll be back."

Xavier smiled a little. "Where are you going?"

I sighed with my back turned. "To apologize."

He didn't say anything to me after that, but I knew he was smiling. That was Xavier. The righteous and good natured one out of all of us. He wanted Amabelle and I to be together. He must have seen something about her that I didn't.

Standing in front of her door, I suddenly felt nervous. I was worried she wouldn't even open up her door. Who would after what I did to her? The answer was no one in their right mind.

I was attempting to apologize which was out of character enough as it is, I told myself. Listening through the door, I heard pretty much nothing. She might have been asleep. If that was the case I'd have to apologize in the morning. There was no way I would go into her private bedroom while she's sleeping or possibly indecent.

Taking a deep breath, I readied myself. Then, I knocked.

But by me knocking, the door slowly crept open as it hadn't been completely shut. I clenched my eyes, breathing out again.

"No," I whispered to myself, feeling my curious wolf inside edging me to further inside the room.

I peeked in a little, seeing that her gorgeous pink gown from earlier had been tossed onto the floor. Swallowing down the uncontrollable images surfacing in my head, I closed my eyes and sighed again.

"I shouldn't go in," I explained to my wolf, but he didn't care.

He wanted in that room. It smelled like her, even though she had only slept one night in our pack. And her smell... lilies, vanilla, and roses... it was intoxicating.

"Okay, but only for a second," I ordered my wolf who yipped in excitement.

Once inside, I felt overwhelmed by her scent. It overcame me like an ocean wave does when it pulls you under. I breathed it in, envisioning her tan, agonizingly looking smooth skin, her bold, big chocolate enchanted doe wide eyes, long dark wisps of soft hair, plump lips, and goddess crafted, slender body. She was absolute perfection and it both exhilarated me and infuriated me that she made me so weak.

I casted a look to the bathroom, in which the door was open and was empty inside. The bed was unoccupied, and her closet door had been abandoned. Shivering abruptly, I realized something wasn't right. My wolf began to get anxious as I searched for her but found no one and nothing. All traces of her that had been left were pieces of blue cloth and scissors.

"Dante!"

Turning to the doorway I saw Xavier standing there, out of breath. Something was very wrong...

"She left! She ran away! I saw her from the balcony... But there's rogues out there right now- she could-"

I roared in fury, cutting him off. "Get a search party ready but wait until I return. If I don't come back by the dawn look for me."

Quickly, I went to the weapons room. Anger, worry and plain fear of harm coming to Amabelle were all coursing through my body. I was mad at myself for the way I treated her, mad at her for running into danger, and terrified of losing the one person who was secretly precious to me.

Grabbing my silver sword, arrows and bow, I thundered down the corridors to the entrance of my castle. Gavina stood by the opening, worry in her eyes.

"Dante, don't go. She is going to get herself killed, and what about you? You could get hurt or worse-"

"Gavina," I didn't have time for this, "I have to help her."

I start to leave again, but she stops me, standing directly in front of me. "Dante, I love you."

My heart dropped from my chest as I stared directly into her eyes. This was her ultimatum in a way, and I knew denying the truth would only fuel her hopeless feelings for me. Sighing, I moved past her.

"I'm sorry, Gavina." I murmured, and then took off into the night without waiting for a response from her.

Gavina would never be my mate, and maybe she needed to face reality. I was facing it now, running through these woods. Howls and growls summoned among the dark trees reminding me of just how much danger Amabelle was in. I ran harder, following her scent.

She couldn't of been far, her scent was getting stronger the more I ran. And then, in the blanket of darkness, I heard the last thing I wanted that night.

Amabelle was screaming.

Terror and fury pushed me faster. If Amabelle came to any harm, it would be all my fault. I couldn't let her get hurt.

"I'm coming Amabelle, I promise."

———

Author's Note

Another update and not a month later?? What? Who am I??😂

Comments?? Where are they? Don't be afraid to voice your opinions! Thank you!

Thank you for reading! Have a nice day!💖

Another update coming soon!😉