Triton's Oath - His Hybrid Princess

3 - They will die!

Triton

“I don’t know how to go about this.”

My mother rolls her eyes. “You’re overthinking things again, Triton.”

I nod while pacing. “What if Ava doesn’t understand why I didn’t go to her as soon as my sentence was up? The first place I should have gone was to my mate.”

Why didn’t I?

My father wouldn’t allow me to leave until he believed I had learned my lesson. As if I hadn’t already had ten years to think about it! I also did my part to help Hel and Kayson save their children. But that was months ago, so that’s not really an excuse or reason I can use.

My mother takes my arms, stopping me from pacing. “Triton, Ava will understand why you couldn’t go to her sooner. Just tell her the truth. She will also understand why you locked away her memories of you. You helped save the world, Triton. How could Ava be mad at that? Do you honestly, in your heart of hearts, believe that Ava won’t be happy to see you?”

“I know she will.” Once I open that locket, at least.

“Then what are you waiting for, Triton?”

What am I waiting for?

Ten years of longing and waiting to be with Ava are finally over. I don’t need to wait any longer. I need to be with my mate. I want to hold her, kiss, and make love to her for days on end. I want Ava to know that I was faithful to her from the moment I knew I had a mate out there. Even before I knew who that mate was, not once had my lips touched another’s.

I cannot be angry if Ava has kissed another man or even slept with him. I knew it was possible when I took her memories all those years ago. It will hurt, but that’s just the way it is. I did what was right for Ava when I took her memories. My little mate was mentally damaged by what happened when I ordered my cousin, Ares, to kill Levi Lightborne, grandson of Leviathan. I did so because I was sick of waiting for Selene to reveal my mate, and I wanted Levi’s mate as a replacement.

Well, if Selene wouldn’t give me my mate, I would take someone else’s. As Aurora was the daughter of the Lycan King, a man I saved the life of when he was but a small boy, she would do.

Yes, I had lost my mind. But centuries of loneliness will do that to a person.

My uncle Hades managed to talk sense into me, and I tried to stop Ares. But I was too late, and Ivy now mated to Azrael, Angel of Death, got in the way and saved Levi. However, Ivy died in the process.

Aurora managed to bring her cousin back from the dead. Hades played his part in that, and I thought everything would be okay.

I met Ava that day. I was floored because Ava was just thirteen years old, way too young for me. But I would have to wait only five years, and she would be mine. However, Zeus had other plans. He imprisoned me in my father’s underwater palace for ten years. It devastated me, but not more so than when my mother carried Ava to me two and a half years later.

Ava had tried to end her own life. She wanted to be with me so badly that she jumped off a cliff. She was just sixteen years old, and she didn’t want to live without me. I kept Ava with me, but she was not whole. Her soul had been torn in two, and she wouldn’t last much longer.

Then, Azrael appeared. He reconnected Ava’s broken soul, making her whole again. However, Ava refused to return home, but I knew she had to. The right thing to do was take her memories of me, which I did and then handed my mate over to Azreal. It was the most unselfish thing I had ever done, and Ava was the only person I would have done such a thing for.

I’ve heard things over the years about how Ava is doing. Nobody ever reported anything bad, which settled my mind. They could have been lying, though I hope they weren’t. If I find out they were, they’ll wish they’d never been born!

After kissing my mother’s cheek, I teleport to the surface near Knight Castle. I don’t know where Ava lives, so I’ll go to the castle and look for her there. Someone will know where to find my mate and point me in the right direction.

I groan at the human clothing now on my body. I don’t wear such garments in Atlantis; there is no need for such things. I think they call these black things trousers and a dress shirt. I open the top three buttons of the shirt and sigh in relief. The shoes on my feet are uncomfortable, but I need to look presentable when I see Ava. I run my fingers through my collar-length blond hair and take a deep breath.

Why am I so nervous?

Because I don’t know what Ava will think of me. She won’t know that I’m her mate because the locket in which I trapped her memories of me hides the mate bond. Only when Ava or I open the locket will everything return to her. I only hope she forgives me for what I did.

“State your business!” A guard at the gate holds a sword across my chest, stopping me from stepping forward.

I roll my eyes and blow into his face, instantly putting the fool to sleep. I chuckle as he falls to the floor in a heap. I sigh when three more guards come running. Typical. I blow air at them, and they all fall down like dominoes. I don’t care who tries to stop me from entering the castle; no one will stop me from getting Ava.

“Who are you?” A small female child enquires as I enter the front doors and step into the vast hallway. She must be the Lycan King’s daughter. She resembles him a lot.

“You must be the King’s daughter.”

“Yes,” The child smiles. “I am Princess Ruby Knight, the King’s second daughter.”

“Ruby!” A young boy around Ruby’s age comes up behind her and grabs her arm. “What has father told you about approaching strangers and talking to them?”

Ruby rolls her eyes. “This is my twin brother Colton. He thinks he’s the King, even though he never will be.”

“Hey!” Colton yells.

“I can see whose son you are. You look just as your father did when he was a young boy.”

“You knew our dad when he was our age?” Ruby asks excitedly.

I nod. “Though I believe he was younger than you are now – just six years old.”

“Wow! We’re ten.”

“Who are you?” The boy asks. “How did you get in here? Where are the guards? Why hasn’t my father been informed of your arrival?”

I cannot make my mind up whether this boy is amusing or annoying.

I fold my arms over my chest. “Which of those questions would you like me to answer first?”

The boy squints his eyes. “Who are you?”

He’s a brave boy, standing up to one as big as I am. He’ll be a fine man one day.

“My name is Triton, and I’m here for Ava.”

Both child’s eyes widen in shock, and their mouths drop. The girl begins to scream, causing my ears to ring.

“Daddy!”

I cringe at how loud the girl yelled.

Females, as much as they deny it, they’re all the same. Banshees, the lot of them!

The Lycan King comes running with his Queen and a dozen others, including guards. Thane’s eyes widen upon seeing me. His mate pulls their children against her, holding them protectively as they bury their faces in her chest. A handful of guards hold swords out and point them at me.

“Long time no see, Thane.”

“What the hell are you doing here?”

I flick my hand, sending the guards careering into the walls around us. The little girl whimpers while holding onto her mother even tighter.

“I’m here for my mate, Thane, and I am not leaving without her.”

“Oh, fuckin.g wonderful!” I turn my head to see a male walking around me, clutching the arm of a young girl. “Has it been ten years already?”

“Sebastian, don’t,”

“Ah, the future Lycan King.”

“Triton.”

I chuckle at Sebastian, hissing my name with his gritted teeth. I guess I haven’t been forgiven for my past mistakes. I can’t say as it bothers me because it doesn’t. I wasn’t created to care what others think of me. Ava is the only person who matters, whom I would lay down my life for and care about what she thinks of me. Everyone else is beneath me.

“Triton,” Thane draws my eye. “Perhaps we should talk in my office?”

“Perhaps not.” I’m not here to play nice.

“Dad, this really can’t wait. Elle has something she needs to tell you. It concerns Ava.”

My ears twitch at the use of my mate’s name.

“Can it not wait?”

“No, Dad, it can’t. I think Triton should come, too. He’s here for Ava. After all, she is his mate. It would only be right for him to know.”

Thane rolls his eyes. “Very well. Lyric?”

The Queen looks at her mate and then down at her children, clinging tightly to her.

“Mommy, please don’t leave me! I’m frightened!” The young girl sobs.

Curious, she’s not as strong as her older sister. But then, I suppose she wouldn’t at almost twenty years Aurora’s junior. Still, this is a Royal Lycan Princess, the daughter of a King. I thought she would be stronger than this.

The King’s eyes cloud over, and I wait while he converses silently with his Queen. A moment later, he kisses her, and she walks away with her children, two guards following her. The guards I threw across the room watch me with sneers on their faces as I follow Thane into his office. I smirk at them because I find their anger amusing.

Thane offers me a seat, and I take it with a sneer of disgust, which I pull back. I’m trying not to be disrespectful. I don’t want my mate to have another reason to hate me, and she might when I open that locket, and Ava remembers what I did regarding her cousins.

Thane sits behind his desk, me a little to his left, and Sebastian next to the girl he brought with him in front of the desk.

“Now, Elle. What is it you wanted to say?”

The red-haired girl looks at her King nervously. Her eyes seem sad. “Last night, when our friendship group went to the lake to party, I couldn’t go. I promised to meet Ava this afternoon for lunch, but she didn’t show up.”

I squint my eyes slightly.

The girl wrings her fingers together and swallows hard. “I was on my way to Gamma Blaze’s house to see if Ava was home. I thought perhaps she’d lost track of time. But halfway there, I bumped into Yolanda and Philip.” The girl stops talking and looks at Sebastian.

“It’s okay, Elle. Just tell my father what you told me.” He nods encouragingly.

The girl sighs. “They seemed jumpy, wanting to know if I’d seen Ava today. I didn’t think that was weird coming from Philip. He’s always asking where Ava is. Ava hates him because he’s always trying to get her to sleep with him.”

“What?!” I roar while jumping to my feet.

The girl screams in fear.

“Calm down!” Thane yells. “Let the girl finish, Triton!”

“Tri-Triton?” The girl stammers.

Was she deaf out there when Sebastian said my name?

Stupid girl!

I glare at her wide-eyed, and she shrinks in her seat.

“What did this person do to my mate?”

“Mate? Ava?”

“Yes!” I bellow, causing the girl to whimper.

“Just tell him, Elle!”

“I can’t!” She sobs while shaking her head at Sebastian.

Thane yells for me to calm down, but his orders will not work on me. He is not my King!

Sebastian stands. “Calm down, and I’ll tell you! But you need to listen until I’m done talking, Triton. No matter how hard it will be. For Ava, you must calm down because she will need you to put her first.”

I breathe deeply through my nose, trying to calm myself. It’s not easy, but I would do anything for Ava. So, I nod for Sebastian to continue.

“Elle has the ability to see when someone has committed a sexua.l crime, not the details or who the victim was, and only if the person who committed the crime is feeling guilty or anxious. Basically, if the person who assaulted someone leaves their mind and feelings open to be read, Elle will read them.”

“Wait,” Thane holds his hand. “Are you saying that Philip and Yolanda assaulted someone?”

Sebastian nods. “Elle called them out on what she sensed, and they admitted they’d drunk too much last night. Philip said that Ava had been drinking, too, adding Kathien to her drink in excess. Then Yolanda cracked, probably through guilt, and admitted that Philip was the one adding the Kathien to Ava’s drinks without her knowledge; he also added Radsium, essentially drugging Ava.”

I’ve never heard of either of those things. There are no such things in Atlantis. But I assume they are some kind of drug used to help add in these Lycans getting drunk.

“According to Yolanda, Philip planned to walk Ava home and sleep with her because Ava wouldn’t have known what was happening. Basically, Ava couldn’t say no. Yolanda knew what Philip was up to, and as Ava’s best friend, you would have thought she would have stopped him. However, instead of helping Ava, Yolanda helped Philip assault Ava.

“They didn’t go into graphic detail, but they swore they didn’t have penetrative se.x with Ava. But they admitted to sexuall.y assaulting her and then leaving Ava in the woods like garbage. They were so under the influence of Kathien that they didn’t think of the consequences of what would happen when Ava woke up. The stupid fools were worried that Ava might have told her parents what happened. They were probably hoping she couldn’t remember who hurt her.”

My eyes are now glowing. I’m trying to contain the anger, but it’s hard. Those bastards touched what’s mine against her will! Now, they will die!

But first, which isn’t like me, I must see Ava and ensure she isn’t injured. I am not a forgiving man, and I will tear those who harmed her apart!

“Show me these monsters,” I demand.

“They’ve been arrested,” Sebastian tells me. “But Ava is missing.”

I drop my hands to my sides, the anger disappearing. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Seb,” Thane stands. “What do you mean ‘Ava is missing’?”

“After I had Philip and Yolanda arrested, I sent warriors to search the woods where Yolanda claimed they’d left Ava. But Ava was nowhere to be found. I mind-linked Michael to ask if Ava had made it home. He told me that he’d seen Ava this morning heading home. Michael thought Ava had spent the night with a man.”

The very thought makes my stomach churn! No, I will not be angry about Ava being with other men. But I am furious that she was attacked!

Sebastian continues. “Michael said Ava didn’t seem with it, but she didn’t want to talk to him. She went home, and Michael didn’t have the chance to stop her. He had to get back to work. Once I cut the link with Michael, I checked in with Rain. Rain said Ava had been home, but she went out, and no one has seen her since.

“No one can get in contact with her, so I’ve sent people out to search for her. Bolton said Ava’s car was found at the beach, but Ava was nowhere to be found. She’s gone, Dad.”

No, she isn’t. I will find Ava; you mark my words!