" Don't worry," she says sweetly before taking his hand in hers. There was an unfamiliar sparkle in her eyes that could light up the room. " I am still the same person you know. Nothing has changed. My heart beats for you," she added, taking his hand and placing it on her chest where her heart beats. Felix felt a steady heartbeat. Felix closed his eyes and concentrated on the rhythm of her heart. He connected with it and let it guide his heart to hers.
" Do you feel it?" she asks while he still has his eyes closed. He opens them and smiles before saying," Yes, I do."
Mercedes had not said anything to Felix, but she felt different now. She was conscious to a greater extent of her past. Remembering everything that she went through in her previous life was an eye-opener. She now understood why she had to be the one to defeat Drakoen. This was truly het fight, no matter how much she hated it. But now she was worried about everything. She didn't want to fail and see all of her people die once again. She didn't want to lose Felix when they had yet to spend time with each other, get to know each other and love each other.
But she knew that in a fight there would be some casualties, which saddened her. Back then, if she was not naive and easily trusted, she wouldn't go through what she went through, but it was meant to happen and there was no way to avoid it.
Marina is a deity of rebirth. She made a deal with her when she appeared before her when she was on the verge of death and asked if she wanted to be reborn. She agreed immediately, knowing that she would have to finish what she started and it happened. She is really back to end what she couldn't in the past.
Marina cleared her throat, getting the attention of the two. " I warn you that, from here onwards, the journey will get tough. It is up to you whether you will be able to survive this ordeal or not."
" I know Marina. As you say, everything is up to me, and it is a great weight on my shoulders. I am afraid...," she shivered while shaking with anger. " I don't think that I am strong enough to take on Drakoen. W-what if I fail again?"
" Have faith, my Princess. This war is inevitable for it has been foreseen and will come to be. All you need is to gather your courage and harness your strength and power. Like before, you will not be in this alone. Everyone will fight with you to protect the realm from that monster. "
" You are right, Marina. I will have to have faith in myself and the ones who support me. One way or another, we will have to defeat Drakoen and regain control of the realm. I cannot fail this time. I will not allow that to happen again. I will give it everything I have got," Mercedes says with sudden determination in her tone.
Felix placed his hand on her shoulder to offer his support. After talking and having a mini-reunion, it was time for Felix and Mercedes to leave. They had gone from home for a long time now, and it was time to head home. They drove back home in awkward silence. What was supposed to be a simple date turned into something totally different. Mercedes kinda felt bad for taking him off guard like that.
" Are you okay," Felix asked, taking him off the gear and placing it on hers. He briefly took his eyes off the road to look at her.
" I am fine," she replied with a reassuring smile and joined their hands properly. Felix's big hand completely envelopes Mercedes's petite hand, providing much-needed warmth.
" Are you okay," Mercedes asks Felix. " I mean...with everything that happened?"
Felix sighed. " Well, I can't say I am really okay." That made Mercedes nervous, but Felix continued," I just found out something big that puts you in even more danger now that you sort of have a past with Drakoen. " He sounded jealous and bitter about it. Mercedes found it amusing and secretly smiled, biting her bottom lip to prevent herself from laughing.
" Don't worry. It's in the past plus it was nothing."
" I just wish all this would go away. You being at the center of all this mess makes me worried. I can't lose you no matter what.
" Hey. Look at me," she says, and Felix turns to look at her.
" You won't lose and I won't lose you. I will never allow that to happen. We will win, and we will leave our lives happily and peacefully after we defeat Drakoen."
Seeing the determination in her eyes cleansed away worry from his heart momentarily. She definitely was not the same as before. She was now firm and decisive. A good change it is.
" Alright then. For as long as you are by my side, I'll worry not. We will figure everything out together."
Felix continued to drive while holding her hand for comfort until they arrived at the pack house. They got out of the car and found Jake, Crystal, and Alexa waiting for them. Jake called Felix earlier to find out where they were, and he informed him about the situation. Everyone was worried about their Alpha, so they eagerly awaited their return. As soon as they were in sight, Crystal ran over to Mercedes but was careful enough not to fall.
She engulfed Mercedes in an embrace. It was hard for her to hold as tightly as she desired because of the baby bump. She let her sisterly affection show towards Mercedes, catching her by surprise. Mercedes, who was still shocked, recovered and hugged her back. She soothingly ran her palm up and her back to appease her.
" Oh, Luna. Do you know how scared I was when I heard you fell unconscious? I almost thought the worst."
She pulled back to get a full inspection of Mercedes to see if she had any injuries to her. Seeing none, she sighed in relief.
" Nothing will happen to me when I am with Felix. I am sorry if I worried you. It's not good for the baby," Mercedes says, giving her baby bump a rub. Right then she felt the baby kick, startling her.
" Oh, did you feel that Crystal? The baby just kicked!" she exclaimed excitedly.
" What? Let me feel it as well," Jake cut in as he placed his hand on Crystal's bump in anticipation. It took a few seconds before he felt the kick as well.
" Oh, oh! I felt it too." Jake jumped in excitement and hugged Felix, who was happy for him. " I want to feel it too," Alexa exclaimed, and pushed Jake and Felix out of the way, making everyone laugh. The atmosphere became lively as everyone was engrossed in the fascination of the baby's kick. Everything is alright for now. Now there was a new hope that they could be saved from all of this and put an end to Drakoen.