h4Chapter 357: Agreement/h4

strongKatrina~/strong

I never knew what pain truly was until that night. In all my eighteen years, I’d been shielded from it like a fragile artifact in my family’s royal vault. Mom—Queen Natalie, the Celestial Princess—had always been there with her glowing hands, mending any scrape or ache before it could take root. Grandma, the Moon Goddess herself, would descend from her ethereal realm during her visits, her silver light wrapping around Alex and me like a warm nket. She’d teach us how to channel celestial energy, how to weave threads of light to heal wounds or soothe fevers. Alex, my big brother, wasn’t born with the gift, but Grandma had given him a piece of it anyway—like a secret inheritance only she could bestow. He carried it proudly, though Mom’s powers eclipsed ours; she could banish any illness, any shadow of suffering, with a mere touch. Pain was a myth to me, something I read about in books or heard from the pce guards, maids and everyone in general. But when Vincent— this enigmatic stranger who’d crashed into my world like a storm, my mate—ran away, dragging Winter with him, pain, the same one I always heard about, hit me like a thunderbolt straight to the soul.

That kind of pain, it wasn’t just heartache—though that alone seared hot enough to burn me hollow. No, this was something sharper, crueler. It was physical agony, a merciless vise mping down on my chest, twisting until every beat of my heart felt like shards of ss grinding me from the inside out.

Nick and I had chased after them—ran until my legs screamed, until the night air tore at our throats—but they slipped away, swallowed by shadows and distance. And that’s when the real weight hit. Breathing turned into a war. Each inhale stabbed like a thousand frozen needles in my lungs.

It wasn’t just loss. It was betrayal wrapped in lightning, grief woven into my very bones. For the first time in my life, I understood what it meant to hurt.

I crumpled to the muddy ground, a few meters away from the party, the world spinning in a haze of distant music and shing lights. Nichs dropped beside me, his face twisted in the same torment. His vampire side must have given him some edge, because he managed to grit his teeth and stay upright longer than I did, but even he looked like death warmed over.

"Kat, what the hell is this?" Nick gasped, clutching his chest as if he could rip the pain out. His ck hair was disheveled from the party chaos, and his dark eyes, usually sparkling with that maic arrogance, were wide with shock.

"I... I don’t know," I wheezed, tears streaming down my face, "It feels like... like my heart’s being torn apart. I think it’s because Vincent left. And Winter... she’s your mate as well, that’s why you’re hurting too."

Nick nodded weakly, his werewolf strength warring with the vampire resilience, but the mate bond’s pull was merciless. "Yeah. Damn it, Winter. When she ran... it was like someone stabbed me right here." He thumped his chest, echoing the hits I’dter give Vincent. We were frozen there, two friends in the mud, feeling like we were dying inch by inch, the party’sughter mocking our misery.

Then, by some miracle, I spotted them—Vincent and Winter, emerging from the shadows like ghosts returning from the grave. Winter was perched on Vincent’s back, her arms wrapped around his neck, her face pale and streaked with grime. Vincent’s calcting eyes locked on mine, and in that instant, the pain eased just a fraction, enough to let me stagger to my feet.

"Vincent!" I cried, my voice raw, and I ran—my lycan grace propelling me through the mud like a wolf on the hunt.

He pulled me into his arms without a word, crushing me against him. Mud be damned, his strength enveloped me, and his scent—dark, smoky, with an undercurrent of forbidden allure—washed over me, chasing away the decay of the forest. For the second time that evening, I was in his embrace, and oh gods, it felt like home. His heartbeat synced with mine, strong and steady, his fingers tangling in my hair. The pain vanishedpletely, reced by a warmth that spread through my veins like celestial light. Right then, I knew—I never wanted to leave his side again. I never wanted to feel that agony, that soul-shredding void. He was mine, this mysterious stranger with his shadow powers and cautious eyes, and I wasn’t letting go.

But he had toe with me. Home. To the pce, where Mom and Dad could make sense of this madness. I didn’t know who he truly was, the bond didn’t care about secrets. It just demanded we stay together.

I pulled back slightly, still clinging to him, my eyes locking onto his. "Vincent, please," I whispered, my voice trembling with the remnants of pain. "You have toe home with me. I can’t... I can’t go through that again. That pain—it was like dying. I’ve never felt anything like it. My mom heals everything; I’ve never even had a headache. But when you left... gods, it hurt so much."

He winced, his charming facade cracking, those enhanced senses probably picking up every nuance of my desperation. "Kat, I... I want to. More than anything. But Winter and I—we have things we need to do. Obligations. We can’t just leave all that and go with you."

From nearby, Winter’s voice broke through the night like a fragile thread, soft and trembling, as she clung to Nick. She had slid down from Vincent’s back with a desperate grace, legs carrying her straight into Nick’s arms as if she’d been holding her breath just to reach him. Her sobs weren’t delicate—they shook her slender frame, raw and unguarded, spilling what felt like years of restraint into his chest.

Nick wrapped around her instantly, his cocky, untouchable exterior shattering like ss. To the world he was swagger and sharp edges, but right now he held her like she was the only thing tethering him to the earth. His jaw tightened, his usually smug grin reced with something raw and protective.

"Nick, I... I couldn’t stay away," Winter whispered, the words breaking between sobs. Her quiet, unreadable mask cracked wide open—for him, and maybe for Vincent too.

"Shh, I’ve got you," Nick murmured, voice hoarse, heavy with emotion he’d never admit to anyone else. A tear glistened in his dark eye, catching the moonlight before he blinked it away. "I felt it too. Thought I was losing my mind. But I’m not letting go. Not now."

When Winter tilted her head up, her enigmatic eyes softened in a way that tugged at my heartstrings. "I just want to be wherever you and Vincent are. Please, Nick...e with us."

Nick’s gaze flicked to me, then to Vincent, pulling us into his orbit without even trying. His voice dropped, steady and maic. "Winter, I don’t care where we go, as long as it’s with you. Kat’s house? Fine. My parents and hers—Dad and hers—they’re practically brothers. They’ll fix this, one way or another."

Hope surged through me, reckless and impatient. I grabbed Vincent’s arms, clinging like my words alone could keep him from slipping away. "See? Nick’s in. Winter wants to stay with both of you. And me—gods, Vincent, I just want to be with you. Don’t shut me out. Whatever obligations you’re carrying, we’ll face them together. You’ve got me now."

Vincent’s eyes darkened, that dangerous calcting spark flickering beneath the surface. I could almost see the war in him—ambition, secrecy, power—crashing against the undeniable pull of this bond. His gaze slid to Winter, who gave the smallest nod, her sharp edges softening in Nick’s hold.

"Brother..." she whispered.

The word snapped in my head like a puzzle piece clicking into ce. Brother. Relief washed over me; at least that mystery was settled.

Vincent exhaled slowly, the sound like surrender and resolve twisted together. He pulled me closer, his grip steady, strong but tender. "Alright. But only because I can’t bear to see that pain in your eyes again, Kat. And Winter... you’re right. We stick together."

Relief hit me so hard it left me dizzy. But it wasn’t all joy—my stomach tightened at the thought of going home. iMom and Dad. I’d snuck out like a reckless kid, leaving nothing but an empty bed./i Dad’s overprotectiveness would explode, and Mom’s prophetic senses... gods, she’d know everything.

"Okay, great!" I said too quickly, my voice pitching higher than I intended. "I can teleport us. It’ll be fast—"

"Whoa, hold up." Nick’s head snapped up, his dark gaze sharp, protective instincts back in full force. "No teleporting, Kat. Remember what happened two hours ago? You practically dumped yourself into some alley from hell. With these mate bonds screwing with our heads, who knows where we’llnd next. Middle of the ocean? Lava pit?"

Despite the tension, a shakyugh bubbled out of me. Nick always knew how to cut through my panic. "Fine, fine. Mr. Practical. But then what? We’re stranded, covered in mud, miles from anywhere."

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"Call your parents," Nick said simply, still stroking Winter’s back with absent tenderness. She leaned into him, quiet but safe. "I’ll call mine. Dad’s probably out patrolling with Luke anyway. They’ll meet us at your ce. Safer that way."

Winter tilted her head, brows furrowing. "Call them? With... a phone?"

Nick chuckled, shing that crooked grin that could melt steel. "Not us. Me and Kat—we’ve got the mind link."

Heat rushed to my cheeks, even through the grime and exhaustion. "Yeah. Mind link... to Dad. But Nick, I’m nervous. They think I’m asleep. Dad’s going to freak, and Mom—she’ll feel it. She always feels everything."

Vincent’s hand slid into mine, grounding me. His dangerous aura softened, turning supportive. "Then let them freak. They’re your parents—they’lle for you. And for us. We’re in this together." Nick replied.

Winter’s voice, unusually gentle, followed. "He’s right. And... I trust Nick. If he says it’s safe, then it is."

I took a breath, steadying myself, and reached for the thread inside me. The mind link hummed alive, warm and powerful, tethering me across the distance to my father. i"Daddy? It’s me. Please don’t be mad—I snuck out. But something happened. Something big. We need you. We need help. Come get us. Please." /i

His alpha presence surged through the link, shock bleeding into fierce concern. "Katrina? Where are you? Stay where you are. We’reing."

The connection faded, leaving me trembling, not from fear but from the weight of what wasing.

I opened my eyes to find Vincent watching me, moonlight carving shadows over his face, his power thrumming like a storm just beneath the surface. Nick still held Winter like she was the center of his universe. And me—I stood in the middle of it all, bound to them, bound to destiny.

The night was thick with tension, with secrets, with bonds too strong to break. Storms were on their way. But for now, we weren’t apart anymore. We were together. And that was enough.

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