Chapter Twenty Four: The Only Candidate

(WARNING: This Chapter contains graphic violence)

A few months had passed since the death of Victoria. Kara has been training with her mother every single day since then.She knew she would have to be alot more skilled to at least defend herself. Though, no word from the Lycans had come No attack has come from the Lycan Kingdom despite the fact that there should have been one. Everything feels calm. Calm and yet unsettling

Kara has also managed to make vast improvements over her spell working. She has managed to learn a variety of 200 spells or more. And not to mention the fact that she's also been working out now. She wanted to get her body in the best of shape. Which meant she had to constantly be exercising. But the result, has left her toned, and significantly stronger than before.

She now feels a lot more confident in herself. More Bold and prepared to handle herself if the need should arise. She didn't need a protector anymore.

Though every single day, she thinks of Gabriel. She wants to see him more than anything, but she knows that she can't. There was no way that she would be welcomed and the Lycan Kingdom.

But despite that, it didn't make her miss him any less. She just wanted to know that he was safe. That he was okay. She wondered if he had woken up yet or not. No way. She had no way of getting the answer to this question though. And that ate at her inside. So much so that Aurora could tell Something was wrong.

And whilst she had tried talking to her about it many times in the past, Kara always brushed it off. It was too difficult to bring up. It was too difficult to talk about. If anything, she shouldn't even be thinking about it because of how much it lowers her mood but she can't help herself. She misses him. And she missed his voice, she missed his smile what she rarely ever got to see. And she missed his sarcastic comments. The same comments that use to make her feel stupid and less than equal in his eyes. She now saw them differently. She knew he was just closed off.

Kara kept thinking back to what Jack said. About Gabriel being in love with her. About How heartbroken he looked when he found out that she was married. She still felt horrible about that. She could never love someone else the same way she loves him. She wishes he could know that. He was all she would ever think about.

" Kara honey, I think you need to slow down.. " Aurora said as she watched Kara competing her thousandth sit up" Kara laughs and asks why as she flips around begins doing her push-ups.

"Because I know what you are doing. You are over working yourself so you don't have to deal with your emotions. I do the same damn thing Kara. You need to talk about it. Holding it inside, is only going to make you feel worse in the long run. You can never outrun these kinds of things. Trust me" Aurora just wanted Kara to open up. She was convinced it would help. She had made this same mistake many times in the past and didn't want to see her daughter pay the same price that she had. A price she had tried to push as far out of her head as possible.

" Mom I don't know what to say. I do know what I'm feeling is good right now. I know that the Victoria thing..still bothers me from time to time but I also understand it wasn't my fault. She jumped in front of the blade to protect Santara. It's not my fault. I can't and won't let that weigh on me. I didn't want her to die..Hell I would've healed her if I could've but I know my healing spells were exactly perfect at the time. And a far as Gabriel well..." Kara proceeds to pick up the pace with the push ups.Trying to move the ground beneath her.

" Theeeere it is. Its something about Gabriel that you aren't dealing with. I knew it. It is always Gabriel with you. " Aurora smirks a little..

Kara tries her best to ignore her mother but she continues to pressure her for answers until finally Kara stops and turns to her.

" Okay fine. You wanna know the truth? I'm in love with him. Okay? You happy? There! I said it! I'm in love with him. And I have been for a long time. You and apparently everyone else already fucking knows it. Except the one person who actually needs to know it. " Kara wouldn't say she felt good about saying to Aurora but she knew it would get her off her back. " Thats...really good. So then what is the problem? " Aurora was impressed that she had finally admitted it. She could tell that Kara had been training herself in more ways than she had seen.

Kara Sighs.

" The problem is, that Gabriel had a couple of options. He chose one of the options that would be for the betterment of his people and sustain his future. Not only that but it would also help his role as King. He made his choice. And then I proceeded to kill his choice. That is the problem. And now, I'm not even a choice. I'm just the fucking bitch who exists and ruined his life " Kara wipes the sweat from her brow and proceeds to do some leg stretches.

" So you would say things were easier with Victoria around? " Aurora asked which made Kara pause. "No..but also yes. At least then he could simply hate me and could've been happy with her" Kara knew that Victoria has a role and place in his life and whilst that was a role that Kara would've loved to have. She could never be Victoria. Something that Victoria had consistently tried to get across to Kara. Something Kara wished she had just listened to. Victoria's words began to feel less like hurting barbs and more so just stating the facts. Facts that with Kara fighting against, made all of their lives more difficult.

Queen Aurora thinks on this for a moment. Trying to understand completely what Kara is saying. Her daughter had so many realizations and accepting all of this as reality which on some level, it was. But it was also slightly warped and Aurora could see that.

" I suppose I'm just having difficulty understanding how This makes things easier and/or more difficult for you" Aurora answers.

" Because to my knowledge, he was always in love with you anyway. Despite going to earth. And despite when Victoria came back. He still really wanted to be with you even if he didn't say it. And maybe Victoria would have made.more sense for him to be with. But love rarely makes sense.."

" Yes Mom" Kara answers and points out " But Victoria has been there for him. Hell, she saved him from Jack. Hell, she was taking care of him while I was still thinking he was there just looking for the cure. And there I was, trying to invade my way in through their ranks so I could get him out. And how do you think that looks? ' Oh you are being tortured? Well let me marry a creature that has made your life hell and that you've been protecting me from for the last 18 years. Oh and btw, I'm in love with you hahahaha" She mocks herself which makes Aurora even more deeply concerned.

" I don't think you place enough faith in Gabriel to be honest with you. Yes it does look bad, but it can be worked through. If Gabriel really does care about you then anything can be worked through and the same goes for you. If you love him as much as you say you do, then you can work through any argument with him. No matter how big or small. But this requires team work which I know damn good and well you both have" Queen Aurora indicates. " The only problem with you too is that you're both stubborn and neither one of you wanna give in" Kara continues to listen but also let's her thoughts trail off back to her exercise. She needs to remain focused. Her mother made good points but she still felt as though things had changed. The reality of the present was different from the options she had months ago.

Back at the Lycan Kingdom, a beautiful burriel site had been selected for Victoria. Filled with Flowers and wild berry bushes.

Santara spent alot of her time just sitting by the grave. In complete silence.

Typically the bodies of Lycans are burned. But Santara refused to let Victoria's body be burned. She didn't provide her reason for it. And whilst her people found it almost disrespectful, she objected even to Victoria's parents about it who finally relented.

When she wasn't at the Grave, she was spending time in Gabriel's room. Feeding him. Giving him water to drink. And washing him and changing his bedsheets. She was doing everything she could to make him feel comfortable. But since Victoria's death, she had developed a cold state. That she offered to Gabriel as well.

It was unclear when he would completely recover but she had been reading as many books as she could find about healing herbs which was a hobby she had recently started. She had been mixing different concoctions in the water hoping to see some sort of result but nothing had worked yet. This made her more and more frustrated with every single failed attempt.

And whilst he said that he would return, Shawn never came back. Which Santara felt was for the best. She didn't want to see him. She he could cause problems for her in the long run. And she couldn't let that happen. She couldn't let him stand in her way. Fighting him would be a mistake for her one on one. But she had the Kingdom behind her now.

Santara stands up and makes her way to the council room where she takes her seat at the head of the table. The council had not appointed her like they did with Victoria. Instead, she simply took charge. She rubbed the wood beneath her fingers and smirked slightly at it.

The council members had taken their seat. Many had lost hope that Gabriel would ever awaken. And after Victoria passed, most of their hope had been lost. She was their best option for proper leadership without Gabriel.

" As you know, I have been planning an attack on the Kingdom of Witches for months now" She purrs as she leans back in the seat. The council members watch closely. Almost.worried as they awaited each word to leave her lips..

" Gabriel is making progress" She lies. She didn't allow the other council members to see him any longer. She kept him closed off from everyone except herself. She kept things controlled. It was best for the time being that they believed he was actually making progress. I would help calm their worries to a degree and oppose her significantly less with the possibility of Gabriel's return any day now.

" And soon, he will wake up again. And when he does, we will bring down the Lycan vengeance upon the Kingdom. And leave nothing standing and Noone alive " as far as the council members knew, Kara had killed Victoria in cold blood so the majority were completely supportive with this plan.

" And...since my sister's passing. I am to take her place as Gabriel's Queen. It is what she would want, and I would be able to sufficiently provide him with the assistance he would need. "

It was at this point that one council member spoke up.He had heard enough of this dillusion.

" I have been thinking about this. If Gabriel does awaken- Santata cuts him off " WHEN...he wakes up" a silence falls over the council.

" When...he wakes up...I think the choice would be up to him on who chooses as a Queen. We are all former tribe leaders and we all have daughters. My daughter Hemaphi would be a good contender"

Santara cocks her head quickly to this particular council member. " Bring your daughter to me" The council member remains seated despite her commands. He had a bad feeling about this.

" I SAID GO GET HER" her voice deepens, mixing with her wolf form which makes him get up and head outside. After a short time he returns with a tall, slender, blonde girl. Her eyes are as blue as the ice of the snowlands " Hemaphi..I pressume " Santara says very methodically as she stares the girl up and down.

" Y...yes.." Hemaphi answers. Santara raises her finger and motions for the young girl to come closer to her. The girl, looks back to her father who nods. Knowing that going against what Santara says would result in violence. Hemaphi moves closer to Santara who reaches out and pulls her closer and yanks her down to her knees. She then moves her hand to the back of Hemaphis head as Santara stares her up and down. " You have good hips..nice tits..I'm sure you could make him very happy. You really are a good candidate..and I bet your pups would be absolutely adorable"

Her grip tightens around Hemaphi, as she slams her face into the hard table repeatedly. She repeats this action until Hemaphis face has caved completely in. Then and only then does she release her head and let's her fall to the floor. Hemaphis father rushes to her side as Santara drags her finger across the table through the blood and skull fragments, and coats it in the blood. She then brings her finger to her lips and sucks the blood off and smiles wickedly. She then proceeds to dip her finger into the blood and draws her own war paint from Hemaphis blood.

" I am going to make this clear. I AM..-" she turns to the father and sticks out her tongue that is stained with his daughters blood as the Council watches on, horrified and disgusted " The only...Cantitdate".