The Evolution Chronicles

An hour later, a rhythmic knock sounded against the front door, and Bella eagerly went to open the door, revealing Brendan, who had a wide smile on his face.

"Are you two done chatting?" He asked as he gave his demi-human lover a peck on the cheek.

"Not nearly." Bella giggled as she embraced the prince. Lena just watched the two with a soft smile, truly happy for her brother having found someone good in his life, and also happy that she did not have to break ties with him.

She also wondered if she would ever find someone like that to take care of her. The stories that Bella had shared with her over the hour had truly warmed her heart. Her older brother had quite literally swooped into Bella's life, and swept her off her feet, saving her from a future of pain and torment.

Bella had told her that although she had been quite hostile to Brendan, he had never reacted with violence, and always made sure to treat her with care and kindness. Even now, he had yet to even raise his voice at her.

Brendan had taken care of her for several months, until he had expressed his feelings for her, telling her that he had basically fallen in love at first sight. It had taken a long time until the two had been able to properly express their feelings, and they had only been a couple for around a year at this point in time. To Bella, it was something out of a fairy tale.

"Oh, how terrible of me!" Bella suddenly gasped, startling Lena out of her fantasies.

"What's wrong?" Brendan asked with concern written all over his face.

"I'm a terrible host! I didn't even think of getting you two anything to eat!" Bella exclaimed and rushed straight to the kitchen to see what she could make quickly to feed her lover and his sister.

"Oh, no. It's fine, Bella." Brendan tried to calm the white furred demi-human that was running around the kitchen like a headless chicken.

"It's not fine! You have to eat something!" Bella refuted with an annoyed stare directed at Brendan. "How can I let Lena leave here without eating anything? How else can she know whether I've been feeding you well?!" Brendan's brows shot up upon realizing that his sister and lover had gotten to a first name basis, but he was even more happy that she was trying to prove herself to his family. It meant a lot to him.

Lena peeked into the kitchen, where a pleasant aroma had begun to emanate from, with a curious face. She had overheard the last bit of Bella's sentence, so she was truly curious, wanting to know how the Werecat's cooking tasted like.

She watched as Bella pulled out various ingredients and utensils from different drawers, as she stirred whatever impromptu meal she was making, and as she chatted with Brendan in a casual manner that hinted at the fact that they often conversed in such a manner. Her curious smile turned into a soft and warm one as she thought of how much the couple cared for each other.

The cooking continued for a while more before Bella started dishing the food into three plates, for Lena, Brendan, and herself. She served them up in the small dining room that was merged with the living room.

"Mm! This is great!" Lena couldn't help but exclaim as soon as she tasted a spoonful of the porridge that Bella had miraculously made in such a short time span. "How dare you deprive me of such wonderful cooking?!" She glared at her older brother as she spoke around a mouthful of food.

The trio continued to talk and joke for a while more until it became quite late.

"It's already past midnight. I think we should return." Brendan said as he took Bella into his arms and gave her a light peck.

"Mm, I'll miss you, Bren." Bella hugged Brendan and laid her head on his chest. "Come back tomorrow, okay? And with Lena if possible." She added.

"Don't worry. I'm sure I will be coming over here much more than you think." Lena chuckled lightly as she made her way over to hug Bella goodbye. "Take care of yourself, Bella. I would like to see a ring around your finger someday soon."

"I-I will." Bella stuttered, surprised that Lena said what she did. She never really thought about a ring around her finger before. What she knew was that when Brendan finally claimed her, then they would be together forever.

The siblings soon left the house after saying their goodbyes to Bella. Of course, Brendan wasted a bit more time as he tried to steal a couple of kisses from her.

"You should have told me about this earlier, you know." Lena said as the two made their way back across the city to the entryway that they had used to come down here from the Royal Castle. A few guards greeted the two when they ran into them, but otherwise, the streets were completely deserted at this time of night.

"I was worried that you would not take it too well. After all, she's a demi-human. I know you care for them, but I was still worried about your reaction to seeing me with Bella." Brendan shrugged.

"...True... It might have been a bit awkward, but I think it's better this way. It all happened for a reason, don't you think?" Lena replied.

"Indeed. Things do happen for a reason. Look at how well you two get along together." Brendan laughed as the two of the got back to the secret passageway.

"By the way, you never told me that you were into cute girls like that. I was thinking that I would have a plotter for a sister-in-law." Lena laughed, causing Brendan to roll his eyes.

"Why would I tell you my preference in women? That sounds so awkward." Brendan grimaced. He could already picture the scene of himself sharing his taste in women with Lena or someone else. He thought that he would rather spend a day running around the castle than do such.

"Well, you sure did pick the right person. Bella was so cute! I would have eaten her if I could. You better make sure to keep her happy, and I want to see a ring on her finger as soon as possible!" Lena harassed her older brother as the two made their way back to the castle.

They emerged from a doorway that appeared beside a statue that was close to one of the balconies of the castle. Brendan made sure that no one was out on the balcony and that the hallway was empty before they stepped out of the passage.

When the two began making their way back to Lena's room, they suddenly stumbled upon their older brother, Alaric, the Crown Prince.

"Oh? What are you two doing at such a time? Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Alaric asked with a smirk on his face.

"Alaric." Brendan greets his older brother with a calm face, "We were just walking around and discussing some matters."

"Oh, yes. I remember sensing some tension between you two a few times. Have you settled your differences yet?" The crown prince asks with a short laugh at the end of his sentence.

"Yes, we have. It's none of your business anyway." Lena huffed and crossed her arms. Alaric gave her a side glance before scoffing.

"Brother, what are you doing up by this time?" Brendan stopped Alaric from leaving immediately, curious to know why he himself had been up this late. Normally, Alaric would already be in bed around nine in the night. It was already a couple hours past midnight, and seeing Alaric awake made him feel unsettled.

"Me? I was simply just leaving the meeting that father was holding with his advisors. As Crown Prince, I have an obligation to be there." Alaric answered and smirked, eyeing Brendan subtly. The two of them were those with leadership qualities, and they both knew this, so Alaric liked to occasionally reminding Brendan of the fact that he was better than him.

"What would father be discussing this late at night that can't be left to rest until tomorrow?" Brendan frowned.

"Well, father is eager to put an end to the Zelan pack. It's only a matter of time until he gets his way. Perhaps a week or so. Let's wait and see, shall we?" Alaric chuckled, "Well then, I guess I should head to bed. I need my beauty sleep after all." The pompous prince said as he walked past his two younger siblings.

He walked away, turning down the hall, and leaving his two younger siblings to their unsettled thoughts on how things were going to turn out.

Unknown to the crown prince, things were going to turn out much much different than he thought in the next week.