Chapter 60
Tuesday 22nd September, 2020 (Continued)
Harper’s POV
Soaring across the wintry landscape with my dragon was the most exhilarating thing I had ever done and I was known to crowd-surf when my band played a venue. It was surreal that this dragon and these pack lands were mine. I felt a dull ache in me though out of nowhere as though something important was missing. My wolf told me what was missing: my mate. I pushed those thoughts away. I was big on living in the moment. I once read some book that said anxiety can be caused by living in the future and depression can be caused by living in the past. I was pretty sure anxiety and depression was much more complicated than that but I still liked the idea of focusing on the present. I landed my dragon near the castle, realising I left my twin, Dad, cousin, great-grand mother and her staff in the middle of nowhere with some wild dragons. I slid off of my dragon’s back to talk to her.
“I messed up,” I said to my dragon.
She was looking at me with a “hell yeah” kind of expression.
“We should go back?” I said to her.
She actually nodded. I opened my mouth in shock.
“Um, do you already have a name?” I wondered aloud.
She existed before I came along. It felt presumptions and maybe even controlling to name such a creature. What if she was hundreds of years old? How could I just show up and assign her a random name like Goldie or something.
I realised my dragon was walking away from me. I ran after her. She shuffled over to something. I looked ahead of us. She was approaching some ice, a lake that was frozen. She put her paw on the ice. I stared at what she was doing. She was carving something with her claw. My dragon was a f*****g genius. Had Haven named himself? Had his Dragon Mommy or Daddy named him? She carved a name.
HelenaContent rights belong to NôvelDrama.Org.
“Helena! That’s perfect for you!” I exclaimed.
She nodded.
“You know that means ‘shining light’?” I informed her.
She knew. She nodded. I had an ex with that name. She had not been a shining light but my dragon was gonna redeem this name to me.
“Ok,” I said to myself. I was thinking about how Haven was called “the hellish”.
“Do you have a…title? A…um,” I fumbled, unsure what to call it.
She began carving again, adding to the name.
Helena the Heaven-born
“Awwww, that’s so pretty!” I exclaimed. I was ‘fan-girling’ over my own dragon.
Helena the Heaven-born went so well with Haven the Hellish. It also matched my twin’s name and mine. At least, fate had style.
Helena made a screeching sound which I realised meant that she thought we had talked enough and she wanted to go back and check on the others. My dragon was a boss lady, already complaining. Had my ex died and been reincarnated as my dragon?
“All right, boss lady, Helena,” I said.
She grunted as if I was corny. I climbed up and she took off, gliding easily and quickly through the pale sky. I spotted them. My family was waiting around for me. Why hadn’t they drove away? I looked closely. One carriage was already on the way back but my twin, Dad and cousin were near their carriage with a few staff members from the castle. Helena dove to the ground so sharply, I almost had a heart attack but I needed to look cool coming off of my dragon so I kept my face neutral. I slid off and Star ran to me. I embraced her warmly. She was squealing with excitement about us both having dragons. Asriel and Dad hugged me.
“Um, I don’t actually want to ride in the carriage back to the castle but I came back to tell you guys to leave. There’s still wild dragons around here,” I pointed out.
“Oh,” said Star, her face falling a little. “I wish I had brought Haven.”
“It’s better not to bring Haven. He used to be like the one who breathed fire on Harper, going around freezing random people with his ice breath,” said Dad.
For some reason, that made me snort with laughter. Dad looked at me indignantly. I stopped laughing instantly. I knew frozen subjects should not be funny to a King or Alpha. I put on a serious face. Asriel was talking to his earrings. Rein was bored and wanted to go home but Erin was pleading to stay a bit longer so he could snap some pictures of other dragons for his Instagram. Why did an earring have an Instagram?
“I have six thousand followers,” Erin told us.
“What?” I said, shocked.
“That’s a lie,” said Rein. “He has one follower, Mom. Asriel and I don’t even follow him.”
“Erin, I will follow you, one follower or six thousand,” I said. I actually would.
Erin was elated. “Prince Harper, I don’t know what to say…I…I know you’re single but I just told Zaya I wasn’t ready. Oh no, I don’t want him to be mad but…I have to think carefully about this one,” said Erin more to himself than to me.
Star was looking at Erin strangely at the mention of Zaya. She chuckled a little.
“Let’s go back, Alpha Harper,” said Star.
I grinned at her.
Jamie’s POV
“Jessie! Wait!” I yelled.
I ran after him. He was making his way back to our tent.
“Wait! Please! Don’t give up!” I called after him.
“We’re gonna figure this out!” I yelled.
He went into our tent, without turning back. I sighed. I ducked into the tent.
“Jessie?” I cooed.
He had already turned the lantern off and gotten under the blankets. I crawled under there with him and spooned him. I kissed the nape of his neck and smoothed his hair.
“I love you,” I said softly.
“I know. I love you. What if we have to part?” He said.
“No, you won’t have to be with Georgianna,” I said.
Not ever. He was mine. I felt sorry for her but this was personal now. That was her misfortune and this my man. I was livid. I sighed. It probably was not her fault that Alto’s body was not there. If she knew where it was, she would probably genuinely want it laid to rest next to hers. No Luna could resist her own Alpha. No Luna would prefer another Alpha over her own.
“Noah offered to go go in your place if need be,” I told him.
I knew he was listening but he did not reply.
“I know your pride as an Alpha would not allow that but I sure as hell will allow that,” I told him.
“But I’m going to do everything possible so that no one has to go,” I continued.
I was not giving up on the Quads and Star either. I genuinely wanted to help them but I never thought it would be at my own mate’s expense. I could not lose my first everything, my husband, the father of my children, my Jessie.
“Jessie,” I whispered.
“No matter what happens, I want you to be brave for the twins. Don’t ever forget to be there for them because you’re grieving,” Jessie said. “Don’t do what Star’s father did to Star and her brother.”
Noah had told me about Heath, Star’s Dad, and how he had stayed out of his children’s lives for so many years.
“Heath’s situations was complicated and I would never do that but don’t talk like you’re going anywhere because you’re not!” I said fiercely.
Jessie sighed.
“Come with me! I need to ask Alpha Quaid something,” I said.
Jessie mumbled, “I’m tired, Jamie. Let’s go to bed.”
I sighed. It was evening time, just after sunset. He just did not want to talk about it anymore which was very unlike the communicative Jessie to whom I was accustomed. I slipped out of the tent. I had to fix this.
Wednesday 23rd September, 2020 (Continued)
Noah’s POV
“What do you mean the body is missing?!” I said.
Jamie was talking to me through the same mirror she had called me on earlier. Alpha Alto’s coffin had been empty. Ice-cold dread crept through me. I had promised Jamie something huge, to go in Jessie’s place if Georgianna intended to take an alpha with her. It would not be fair to Jessie and Jamie to be parted due to the curse. They were not at a part of this. I felt so guilty for bringing them in harm’s way but I had been desperate.
“But I have an idea,” said Jamie.
My mood picked up immediately. I was inclined to put a lot of faith in Jamie and her ideas. She really was a brilliant witch.
“I’ll try anything at this point!” I told her. “What do you have in mind?”
It was around two in the morning. Apparently Jamie and Dad had discovered that the coffin was empty hours ago.
“I had your Dad excavate Oleander’s tomb to see if his coffin was empty to!” Said Jamie.
“Was it?” I asked eagerly, not entirely sure where she was going with this but knowing whatever it was probably hinged on being able to locate Oleander at least.
“No, he was there.” She said, sounding satisfied.
“So what does that mean? What do we have to do?” I asked, getting anxious to hear her idea.
I was a drowning man grasping at straws.
Jamie smiled, a determined glint in her eyes.