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"Dummy," she whispered and hit my chest with her clenched fist. "Dummy. Dummy. Dummy!" She kept hitting me with her fists, but we both knew it wasn't even close to hard enough to hurt me. Her tears continued to spill down her face as she kept insulting me, her lips trembling as she lifted her head to look up at me.
"You know you're stuck with me," she seethed. "Damn asshole!"
"So you forgive me?" I offered with a slight smile that was nowhere near joyous. It was a sad smile, one that made my heart clench and triggered more tears while Aurelia began to sob.
"Obviously, stupid," she cried. "I forgive you."
I took that moment to hug her, and she cried into my hold. I didn't fight my own muffled sobs. The last time I cried as a male was when I'd triggered this magical shift for the first time as a child. It was the moment when I realized I could gain my father's love, even if it wasn't a permanent change.
The moment triggered tears, and I vowed I wouldn't cry again in this form of power, but this was the only exception because I needed to let go of these feelings. Let the guilt flow outward, just like I had with the Forbidden Pack.
There was still one more person I needed to confront, and I would before my grand debut from the "dead", but until then, I'd embrace these emotions and let them all out, for Aurelia deserved to know how regretful I was.
She had to be reminded that she was still and always would be important to me.
When we both calmed down, she turned away to compose herself.
"You need to eat. If you want to shower, best do it now. Your set of clothes is in the closet but call me when you're done because it's going to be tricky." She headed to the door. "And before you freak out, yes, I paid for that."
I had no clue what she meant, but she was gone with the slide of the door. I knew she needed a moment to get back to her joyful, slightly crazy self, so I wasn't worried she'd change her mind.
My eyes drifted around the room until they literally froze on the magnificent artwork I was shocked had been placed there this entire time. She had to have used some magic to hide its magnificent display. The conversation from earlier when I was barely awake suddenly made perfect sense as I took it all in.
I expected it to be a picture of me and one of the guys due to the last painting being of Dimitris and me, but no. This masterpiece wasn't just me.
It was three of us: Onyx, Neo, and me as Willow.
There I stood in between them like in the forest after our mate bond had activated - Neo standing in front of me with my hand in his grasp and his lips tenderly pressed against my branded hand, while Onyx stood behind me, my other hand in his grasp, while his lips tenderly brushed my temple.
The three of us were in attire that screamed royalty. I was impressed by the crowns that sat upon our heads; each one was different and unique, as if to accent the idea that we were from different kingdoms.
My dress was pink, as was my hair, and shifted to various colors of gold and blue. The material was sheer in nature, with sleeves that were so thin they showed my peachy flesh and the fine design of my wolf tattoo.
My hair was in a crown braid, and my eyes were as vivid as ever. They somehow captured pure happiness, as if this were an alternate universe where the world wasn't so dark and cruel.
Neo looked superb, his eyes of red giving me a glimpse of how they must have once looked: rubies that looked at me with immense appreciation. A slight smile was on his lips, and he wore a suit of royalty, one of red with black accents that decorated the attire and made the gold trimming pop out further.
Onyx carried his possessive dominance even in the hand-painted image, that confident smile of his, even as he placed a kiss on my cheek, was exactly what he'd do in real life, while his eyes sparkled with deadly mischief.
He wore a similar suit to Neo, only the color combination was black and silver with white trimming. His crown of metallic silver made the onyx jewels embedded in the center and around the crown decoratively stand out even more and was completely different from Neo's gold crown with red rubies.
I took a better glance at my crown, one of black with various colored jewels. The variation in shades reminded me of the moment in the ring weeks ago, when my vision had been damaged. I would never forget the sight of my men standing in the silent crowd after a glorious victory.
This entire painting left me wondering what mindset Neo was in to create such a piece of work. The theme was so random and yet fit perfectly in a world I knew nothing about.
There was so much to unravel, and no time in our current cycle of circumstances to dive into what I felt was vital to grasp in this new world I'd stumbled right into. My preparation for this world was tossed out when I didn't shift like so many my age, but I guess there was no point in worrying about the past.
All those who dismissed me will one day witness me with a fearless smile upon my face.
The knock on the door tugged me out of my thoughts, and there was Neo, leaning against the door frame.
"Are you going to shower or do you need company?"
His direct question actually caught me off guard, enough for me to feel the heat rush to my cheeks. It only pissed me off. He smirked at my reaction but remained in his place while his eyes drifted to the painting I'd just acknowledged.
"Like it?" he quietly asked. "It's one of the very few pieces where I let my imagination do its own thing. That's one of the first images I wanted to paint when I met you. Only felt natural to let Onyx join the scene because I'm sure he'd stalk himself into the scenario in real life."
That comment made me smirk, but I moved from where I stood to walk right over to him. He still remained in place, completely calm, even as I reached where he stood.
