"It's weird" Lia pointed out, " Why would Sabrina suddenly cheat on you during your absence, don't you find it strange?"

Dan's brows furrowed," What's strange about it?"

"I don't know about Sabrina's sexual orientation but I'm sure she's straight. Moreover, you both are the best vampire-witch couple out there. Your relationship withstood numerous trials, why would she suddenly cheat on you? Haven't you thought about that"

"I thought about it and came up with one answer," Dan looked her straight in the eyes, "This was her plan all along. She was never truly in love with me"

Lia scratched the bridge of her nose before throwing her hands up in disbelief.

"That doesn't make actual sense, why would Sabrina date you just to cheat on you in the end"

"I hurt Sabrina real bad" Dan started,

"That time I broke up with her and left her stranded in Antarctica, I was the only one she could depend on but I abandoned her.

"You saw the first time we met after so many years, she hated my guts. My departure devastated her, but she used the pain to make herself stronger which is why when push comes to shove, Sabrina might choose to save herself before anyone else. You might call it selfishness, but that's her adaptational way of surviving. "

Lia facepalmed," If you know her this well, why don't you just walk up to her and ask her why she cheated on you instead of coming up with an unusual hypothesis and wallowing in self-pity" came her suggestion.

"Don't you get it? I'm scared! " Dan snapped at Lia but she wasn't fazed.

She understood that Dan was going through heartbreak. As vampires, their emotions were heightened and so was experiencing two times, a normal human being's heartbreak.

He continued," I'm scared that if I confront her that she would admit to it. Sabrina's is a blunt person, she would not hide any fact and would bring them all to light and I don't think I can handle that "

"Because you love her"

"Yeah, because I love her" Dan let out a wry smile," She's the first woman I have ever given my heart to after the death of my mate"

Lia shivered upon hearing Dan's statement which made a feeling of dreadfulness wash over her. She glanced up at Dan and couldn't help but ask, "How does it feel to lose a mate?"

Dan blinked, startled by her question. "Why do you ask?"

Lia bites on her lower lips, "I just want to know" she lied through her teeth.

The hybrid had a feeling the journey ahead was dark and stormy, so she couldn't help but want to get prepared for the worst scenario.

"If you're worried about Asher dying, then I'll assure you that it won't happen. I'll protect him with my life " Dan vowed to her.

"I still want to know," Lia maintained.

"Fine" Dan sighed. He hated going over that painful memory but there was nothing he could do, Asher had bidden him to do whatever she asked of him.

"Losing a mate is one of the most awful feelings in the world." He began, "I don't know how your story would turn out to be but I hope you don't lose any of your mates cause trust me, it would break you.

"If any of your mates die, he would take a piece of your soul with him. The emptiness" he placed a hand on his chest, " Would be there forever."

"At first, you would feel numb and helpless as you watch his life force seep away slowly but that moment his eyes closed forever? The memory would assault you; flood your head in such a way that you're better off dead. There would be an acute pain in your heart that would make breathing so difficult - if you're a human.

"Your interest in the things of this world would dwindle instantaneously because your beloved has taken your heart with him. You would howl in pain, your scream so feral and animalistic that you would scare off people around you. They would feel your pain but not as intense as you do"

Lia stared at Dan's face, he looked so lost narrating those words to her. It must be so painful for him to recall memories he must have tucked away over the years.

"That would be the beginning of your agony. His memory would interfere with your daily life and your dreams haunted by the constant reminder of your grave loss for eternity. That duration, it's easy to lose yourself.

"We the vampires might indulge in gluttonous consumption of blood to diminish the pain; the feeling of emptiness. But once you start, it's difficult to stop and unless you have a strong will to survive, you might have to be put down.

"Only the sands of time would be able to take away the pains. Yet your soul will still be incomplete until you find someone who brings back life in you or wither for eternity"

Perhaps Lia was really scared by Dan's words that when the door to the room was opened, revealing her mate Daniel, she ran to him and engulfed him in a tight embrace.

Her heart was pounding against her chest, what would she have done if she lost Daniel. There were no scratches on him nor signs of any fight which meant the crisis was averted - for now.

Lia had a nagging feeling Tristan would be back. That egotistical bastard has proved his strong will to bring her under his possession last night; she was sure he wouldn't rest until he had her.

But this time, she would be prepared for him and wouldn't hesitate to rip out his heart. No one messes with her nor her boyfriends and goes scot-free.

This wasn't the first time his mate welcomed him quite enthusiastically yet this time, Daniel could smell fear off of her.

He couldn't speak to her about it since she silenced him with a fiery kiss. This had to be the best way of being welcomed back but since last night, his wolf had been screaming "mark her, mate with her" in his head so he had to be careful here.

He had no choice but to pull away and surprisingly, Lia who didn't take no for an answer in cases like this complied with him.

Daniel rested his forehead on hers murmuring, "Don't be afraid mate, you're never going to lose me" he finally figured out why her pheromone was giving off fear.

The thought of losing Asher or Daniel to the hands of death scared Lia to the bones. What Dan experienced was so scary that she would rather die than go through it.

Lia shut her eyes, took a deep breath before reopening them with an air of positivity."How was everything?"

"Fine"

"Liar" she accused him.

Daniel didn't know whether to laugh or cry, his mate knew him too well.

"He's coming back, isn't he?"

"Kind of"

"War then?"

"Not sure but I pray he comes for peace talks"

"I hope so too " Else, she would squash his brains with her hands and feed it to the zombies - wait a minute, where were the zombies? If there were vampires, there should be zombies too, right? Well, Asher would answer that when she gets back.

"I heard you fought" Daniel brought up the topic.

Lia pursed her lips and looked towards the direction of Dan who was nowhere to be found - shit, that old man had left her at her mate's mercy.

"You do know you're a bully" Daniel flicked her on the forehead earning an "ouch" from her.

"What do you want me to do then?" Lia scowled at him, "Besides, this is partly your fault"

"My fault" Daniel was baffled by his mate's accusation.

"If you have not been flashing them the cute smile and teeth, they would not have been infatuated with you"

Oh, so that was the problem, Daniel thought. She was still angry at him for smiling at them but what could he do? He was the host and supposed to be warm and welcoming, not cold and unapproachable.

"Fine, let's go and remedy the situation," Daniel told her.

" Huh?"

Lia was still not clear on his intentions when he grabbed her hand, leading her towards the direction of the leisure room.

The once hubbub of activities quieted down as soon as the alpha stepped into the room with Lia by his side. Everyone's gaze rested on their intertwined hands questioningly but none said a word.

Lia felt numerous heated gazes on her including Caroline's yet wasn't fazed- her minions fixed her face already.

Daniel cleared his throat, "I'm here this moment for various reasons but first of all, I would like to apologize for the disturbances you all experienced this morning.

Due to the severity of the situation, I'm sorry to announce that the school trip has been cut short for your safety purpose. Which means the whole of you would be returning right after the impending breakfast"

Great murmuring arose from the crowd, even Lia whipped her head towards him from surprise - she didn't see that one coming.

Lia had a feeling they would be sent back to Little Town, but since the Ranger pack had retreated, she had thought they could now get to spend the night. Who knew her mates had other mates.

She was not a fool not to know that Asher and Daniel must have decided on this. Her werewolf mate would not just make the decision himself, Dan must have been the errand boy.

"Daniel?" a student raised her hand from the back.

"Yes?" He answered.

"If I may ask, what's the reason for this unexpected evacuation?"

Daniel explained with his head held high, "We had an altercation with a neighboring village over a property- which belongs to me to be clear "

Lia choked on her saliva upon hearing Daniel's shameless lie. Well, he did a good job with the excuse - her mate deserved the praise.

"Oh," the questioner nodded her head in understanding.

"Secondly" Daniel pressed Lia to his side and disclosed proudly," I'm in love with this woman"