LUNA ASTERBELLE’S POV
God knows how desperate I was in my journey in search of Jazpher’s whereabouts inside the Dark Shadow Clan’s territories. I could have easily asked the king, but judging by the way he left me earlier, I doubt that he’d still bother to converse with me.
"Miss Asterbelle."
My ears tingled at the voice of the man who called me at the same time that the insides of my body ignited. "E-Eman..?" I uttered the name of the man who I haven’t seen for months before I turned to look behind me and confirm who it was.
"I don’t know who Eman is, but I heard from the king that you were looking for me," Jazpher said, which made me a bit disappointed. "What’s the matter?"
I heaved out a soft sigh, then shook my head. "Nothing. I just mistook you for someone else," I answered. "How did the king know that I was searching for you?"
Jazpher pointed to the location of the second floor. I glanced there, and my lips parted in surprise to see the king watching over us. I briefly bowed my head as a greeting, but he only raised a brow, as if to tell me that I had no right to interact with him.
Is he in his rebellious phase?
"King Dawn was extremely afraid yesterday when he barged into my room, furiously telling me that I should save you from the alpha’s rage," Jazpher beamed.
My fingers fidgeted as I remembered how I acted that night. Jazpher further told me that Dawn gave him a photo of me, which explains why he recognized me. I thought that there might be another chance for me to reconcile with Yve, but I know that’s way too impossible, especially now, she probably doesn't have the slightest clue that I exist.
In the evening of the same day, I had the urge to get out of their turf, but before I could’ve stepped out of the dining room, I was held captive by who knows who.
"What do you want?" I asked without bothering to look at the person behind me. The absence of his aura was enough for me to know his identity.
King Dawn released my forearm. "Stay the night, Luna," he said.
The calmness in his voice made me shudder. The second that I glanced at him, I was in immense pain just at the sight of Dawn frowning.
"What’s wrong with you?" I shook my head in disbelief, then asked, "Why are you trying so hard to keep me safe and within your reach?"
Dawn stood straight. One of his hands was holding his neck firmly, as if he were hiding something. Every time I attempted to take a peek, he would step back. He even almost pushed me to the ground just to protect his neck from being seen.
"Stop, Luna. You’ll only hurt yourself if you see what’s on my neck," Dawn seriously warned me.
I raised both of my hands as a sign that I surrendered, and that made him vulnerable.
At the speed of light, I got to stand by his side, then aggressively pulled his hand away from his neck. My eyes burned the instant that they made contact with the mark on his neck. I crouched as I continuously rubbed my eyes.
"W-what is that thing?"
Dawn hissed, then stomped his foot like a child in a tantrum. "I clearly told you that you'd be the one who ends up hurting—you’re so stubborn!"
My chest aches when I hear the king shout at me for the first time. "I’m sorry…"
***
Hours have surely gone by since I passed out. I woke up in the same room where I was brought yesterday.
"A-ahh!" I panicked when I saw a handsome figure sleeping soundly right beside me on his bed.
"F*cking noisy…" Dawn groaned.
Heat flushed through my face. His voice made me freeze in the same spot, which made Dawn stretch his arm above me, resting it on my waist as he pulled me closer for an embrace. My face was buried in his broad chest, where I heard how rapidly his heart was beating.
"Hey… Get up; someone might see us," I whispered.
He made sure that I wouldn’t be able to get away from his grasp, no matter how hard I tried to push him away.
"Let them see us like this. There’s nothing wrong with that, right, Jazpher?" he murmured, the name of his keeper, whom I didn’t notice inside.
I stood up with all my might and got out of his bed. From the corner of his room, I saw Jazpher, who was leaning on the wall with both of his arms crossed and seemed to be uninterested.
"Jazpher doesn’t know you," Dawn said as he was dressing himself up.
His hair flew along as he brushed it with his fingers. He may be doing it on purpose to make himself appear alluring to my eyes.
Jazpher lent his hand to me, so I gave him a confused look. "Breakfast is waiting for you downstairs. You also have someone waiting for you," he said.
"What do you mean, Jazpher?" Dawn questioned, as if he didn’t know that they had a guest. "No one told me that someone was coming over for Luna," he added with furrowed eyebrows.
"It might be Jerome…" I mumbled to myself, but I didn’t feel quite convinced.
Something doesn’t seem right.
"Do you know who it is?" I asked Jazpher, and I was only given a shrug of his shoulder as a response.
With a troubled mind, I had no choice other than to head downstairs and meet whoever it was. I couldn’t even sense either Jerome or Joseph around, and I doubt that they’ll be able to enter this place without prior notice.
Every step that I took felt like a lifetime. My instincts were telling me to be cautious.
"I could smell the fragrance of your sweet blood even from afar, Luna Asterbelle," said a man who suddenly showed himself in front of me before I could’ve finished walking down the stairs.
Right.
The man was floating in the middle of the stairs, just to greet me.