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He hid it so well that no one would have thought this perfect man had been hurt before.

But now, he was laying himself bare in front of her. Exposing the most vulnerable side of himself, the part he had kept hidden away.

He was showing her the shattered pieces of his heart and soul, and she didn\'t know what to do, or how to feel.

"She was one of the maids\' daughters and was also the kindest, most selfless, most purely innocent woman I\'ve ever known. She was stubborn though. My little spitfire.

Marcus paused, the corners of his lips pulling upward slightly.

"I had just turned 18years and was sitting under the cherry blossom tree, my secret hideout after a beating from my dad.

I was sad, angry and hurt that I had such awful parents whom people feared and respected. And I hated how weak I was that I couldn\'t stand up to them.

The first time I saw her…. I didn\'t know what was happening to me. My heart was pounding hard in my chest and it felt like I had met her before.

I still remember the beautiful smile on her face as the wind blew her blonde hair to her face and when my eyes met hers…..something in me recognized her as mine. Only mine. "

Meredith stared at him. She knew vampires aged slower once they reached their twenties and he was just eighteen when he met her.

That would mean he had met her about a hundred years ago? What had happened? And for him to still remember her like this he might have loved her so much so what had happened? Why was he now engaged to her?

Meredith had so many questions but she held her tongue.

"I was terrified,confused about the overwhelming feeling I had for her. For the longest time, we just stared at each other in a trance.

My instincts were in overdrive, and I wanted to close the distance between us. I wanted to touch her and sank my fangs into her to claim her.

"I\'d never felt anything like it for any other female

before. As a prince a lot of women wanted me but I knew right away she was different.

She walked up to me, smiled, and asked, "Are you my Prince Charming? You\'re so beautiful and from now you\'re mine. Just like that. She was so brave, so blunt, so unexpected.... I couldn\'t believe it.

Most people were scared to approach me but she was so carefree. She sat beside me and started talking about herself. I listened quietly without saying a word.

But she didn\'t mind. She kept coming everyday and told me about her day and I listened without a word.

I just enjoyed her company and just like that we were inseparable. No one knew about our meeting. The cherry blossom was our secret hideout.

I knew my feelings for her were weird and it seems to grow stronger everyday so I asked your father. He was my fight instructor . He told me about mates."

Meredith furrowed her brows and interrupted him,

"Mates?"

Marcus turned to look at her and nodded stiffly.

"Magical beings are blessed once in a millennium by the gods. Not all but some lucky ones get soulmates and it\'s so rare that 1 out of 10 people actually gets a mate.

Marriage is by choice but mates are different. Just like the mate ritual where souls are tied together.

The mate ritual is done by a witch to tie two people together just like the mate bond except this one is natural and is a blessing by the gods."

Meredith nodded in understanding.

"Your dad didn\'t marry my aunt who was the female in the next line for the vampire throne because your mother was his mate. He couldn\'t be bonded to another."

Meredith\'s eyes widened at the news.

"So if I\'m mated to another one I can\'t do the ritual with you?"

"Yes….same as me. If I\'m mated to another we can\'t do the ritual."

Meredith was confused. So Anastasia was his mate?

"So she was your mate?." Meredith questioned.

Marcus nodded and looked away lost in memory.

"Yes."

He sucked in a deep breath and his shoulders hunched.

A sad, empty silence settled over them as Meredith waited for him to continue, but he didn\'t.

Marcus sat there motionless with his eyes closed. He wasn\'t smiling, or frowning. He looked serene, like a beautiful statue, the wind blowing his silvered hair.

He was so beautiful and unreal. If she didn\'t have Atlas maybe….just maybe.

Meredith whispered quietly, "So what happened?"

Marcus opened his eyes and complete devastation glinted through them.

"My dad found out…and he wasn\'t happy. Anastasia was a werewolf, an omega at that. The weakest of their kind so my dad was furious.

He had planned all my life…. I was supposed to be betrothed to the princess of the city of Arkaans once your parents gave birth and if it\'s a boy, I was supposed to be his best friend and nothing was going to destroy his perfectly crafted plans for my life, not even the gods."

A chill ran along Meredith\'s spine .

"He-he killed her and made me watch. As a punishment for challenging and threatening him that I will run away with her if he forces us to be apart."

Marcus lifted his gaze, meeting her eyes. There was no softness in them. This was a look that she had never seen on his face before. It was complete emptiness.

"Apparently the only way to break a mate bond is if one of the mate dies," He continued quietly, his eyes still locked with hers.

Meredith didn\'t even think her heart was

beating. How could someone be so cruel to his own son?The thought of someone murdering Atlas.

The thought of such a thing happening, of watching him die right in front of her... she couldn\'t imagine the anguish.

"I never got to say goodbye." Marcus added.