Victoria's POV

After a little bit more of Neptune's and Alexander's childish banter, we were now finally on our way towards Ashton's kingdom. ​ ​

To say I was anxious would be an understatement.

I don't know why but I was feeling like a high school girl who was going to live in the university for the first time.

There will be new friends, new people I need to interact with, however, this time something will be different. I won't have to fall in love with any boy.

I already have three boys that I need to sort my feelings with.

"You okay, Victoria?" Neptune asked, clasping my hand in his, and the fuzzy feeling that I felt inside my heart immediately got triggered.

Yeah, that's true. I get fuzzy feelings for him. Feelings that I am myself afraid of.

"I am good. A little tired maybe, but overall I am fine." I said, making him smile before he touched my nose with his knuckle adoringly. Something that I have noticed he quite likes doing.

"Do tell me if you feel uncomfortable. We will take a little bit of rest. We have a good amount of days before your training, and I think we can have a one-day rest in between." Neptune said, and I know he was saying all of this only to comfort me.

Looking into his turquoise eyes, I found nothing but love and adoration for myself, and as much guilty I was for not reciprocating the same amount of emotions, there was a little part of me that wanted his adoration for the rest of my life. Not as a lover but as a friend at least.

"You know, if you keep looking at me like that, you will surely fall in love with me. Don’t humans believe in that four minutes rule? Something like, if you stare into someone’s eyes for four minutes, then you are bound to fall in love with that person. And as much as I would love the idea of it, I don't want Alexander coming at my door, banging like crazy and shouting something along the lines of I stole his love from him." Daniel said, and I came out of my trance in an instant.

He was right. What the hell I was doing? How can I even think about another man like this?

Mate or no mate, Alexander is my love, and I will only love him.

Gazing back at Daniel, I looked at the slightly sad expression on his face that flickered for a second before it evened back into his normal soft smile. Sometimes I feel like he can know whatever goes inside my head, and I can’t help but feel a little edgy about it.

"You are such a happy soul, Daniel. How did you even become the king of the dark witches?" I couldn't help but ask after some time to keep my mind off things. Things that I didn’t want to think about.

From what I had read in the books that were in the library of pearly Canines, only after committing a sin that is not forgiven by the gods can someone enter the dark world.

"Well, I don't think you would like to hear the reason," Neptune said, his turquoise eyes turning a shade darker.

"You can trust me with all your secrets. I am good at keeping one." I said. Holding his hand in mine. comfortingly, not knowing where did it even come from.

"Well, it happened roughly around 600 years ago. It was at that time I thought I had found my mate. It was Carla. I thought my mate has been reincarnated as a wolf. I was wrong. I was attracted to her only because she was with Madeline when my mate Jasmine was there, so a few of their powers got entangled.

Carla was Damien's mate, who was the alpha king at that time.

So, I uhh…" Daniel paused, probably contemplating if he should tell me the truth or not.

"You killed Damien to get Carla." I completed for him, making his eyes go wide for a second before he nodded his head.

"Yeah… I thought she'll become mine after Damien is out of the picture. I was also the one who had filled Ashton against Carla because just like me, he had also thought that Carla was his mate. It was because of me he ended up killing himself in the sorrow of Carla. I thought all my competitors were dead, and I would easily be able to get my mate back. But in the sorrow of Damien's death, Carla tortured herself to death, and since she had never changed into the wolf, I was never able to know the whole truth until 100 years later when I became the king of the dark witches. It is something even I can’t forgive myself for, let alone gods." Neptune said, making me nod my head.

I know I should say something like what he did was wrong, and I should be feeling disgusted with that, but rather than feeling horrible, it felt like my feelings for him were only triggered.

Is it because I have his mate Jasmine inside me, who is falling for him harder and is affecting my emotions now? Does that mean Jasmine likes this kind of dark love and possessiveness? I couldn’t help but wonder.

"I know you probably think that I am a monster now. But I have already paid enough for my sins. I have to live in a place where no one can come and meet me. I have been living as a mateless witch for 500 years, waiting every second of my life that I will find her again. I know that you loath me, thinking how I killed and separated two mates-" Daniel started, and I couldn't help but cut him off.

"I think whatever you did was reasonable." I shrugged, saying whatever was on my mind.

"What did you say? You think whatever I did was reasonable?" He asked, widening his eyes as if he couldn't believe his ears.

"Yeah. I mean, you did all of that for your love. You didn't know the truth, and no one ever tried to tell you about it either. So what you did was kind of reasoned given how you loved your mate soo much, and it was kind of unfair to you that you didn’t found your mate even after soo many years. Carla was like a ray of hope you were hanging on. I get it. Honestly, we all have committed some kinds of sins or other, but aren't the gods who put us in this situation responsible for that?

You don't have to think like you committed some kind of sin. Alphas kill rogues, sometimes innocent rogues all the time, and it is justified in the name of safety. Aren't they lives too?" I shrugged again.

Looking out of the window, I was about to ask him how far we have come, but the next thing he did render me completely speechless.

He took me in his arms and hugged me tightly, and I was about to create some distance between us, but the icy cold wetness on my shoulder froze my hands in place.

Was he… Was he crying?