LUNA ASTERBELLE'S POV
I struggled to stand back up when my back smacked to the ground full of flesh as soon as my wings got burned by Althea's flames. My muscles didn't stop having cramps while the rest of my body was aching. I could feel that I was on the verge of death, and yet, it seemed that the moon goddess wouldn't allow me to just die at this point.
"W-why won't you kill me now that I'm vulnerable?" I asked her, my voice stuttering.
Althea bent one of her knees, and then she placed the glowing stone above my forehead. "I was just testing you, Luna. I never planned to kill you. How can I take the life of my son's mate?" she responded as she assisted me in rising on my own two feet.
I made sure that the stone wouldn't fall from my forehead, so I picked it up and gripped it tightly. "Can I ask you one thing about Jerome?" I seriously uttered, and she nodded to let me continue what I wanted to say. "Is Jerome Dawson… the one who summoned the portal that led me to your dimension?"
Althea's facial expression answered me before she could even speak, which made me feel relieved at least a little. Even though Eman never told me anything about his past other than his parents being killed, I still had a hunch that he felt somehow familiar to me ever since the first time we met at that cafeteria.
"My doubts are now cleared." I smiled at the goddess despite the fact that she made a mess out of me. "I assume that I can return to my world now?"
She shrugged at the same time that she opened the portal leading out of her dimension. "Jerome is waiting for you outside. I blocked him from going in here. The fate of Grimstone is now in your hands, Luna Asterbelle."
The moon goddess disappeared from my sight, which made the skies appear brighter. Along the way back to the real world, I couldn’t help but think about how I should face Jerome from now on, now that I know his secret.
“What’s bothering you now? Did Althea turn your request down?” I heard Eman asking me, which got me flabbergasted.
I kept my head bowed down, and I didn’t even notice that I was no longer inside the moon goddess’ realm. The instant that I glanced up to meet Eman’s gaze, I almost broke into tears. I don’t even know how I should address him now; should it be Jerome or Eman?
He immediately came to my side to hold both of my shoulders as he tried to comfort me with his mere presence. I could feel how much he was resisting pulling me into an embrace. “What’s the matter? Did Althea torture you there? You look like you’re the only one who received damage,” he worriedly said.
“A-are you lying to me, Eman?”
I would depend on what my next step would be, depending on what his answer would be. If he says he’s been honest with me all the time he was with me, then I’ll pretend like Jerome and Eman are totally different people. I’ll confront him if he does tell me that he’s hiding something from me.
Eman’s hands shook as he avoided having eye contact with me. “Did Althea tell you anything about me?” he asked first, but he never gave me the time to respond. “Of course she did. Althea told you about my secret—that I’m Jerome, didn’t she?”
My eyes widened, totally not expecting that he would catch up with it that quickly. “H-how did you—”
“I can read the thoughts inside your head just by looking at the fear in your eyes, Luna. Don’t forget that we’re bound by Althea as mates.”
Jerome finally hugged me, locking me up in his arms as he caressed the back of my head. His heartbeat was thumping at a fast pace. It didn’t feel like it was due to our embrace, since this wasn’t our first. It’s like there’s still something else that I do not know about Jerome, and he’s afraid that I might question him at this moment.
I let my hands roam his nape before I tilted my head up to steal a kiss, then stepped away from our close distance. “I have somewhere I need to be,” I said, without telling him the exact details.
Just like in the old days, Jerome didn’t bother to follow me around, as he let me be.
***
It took me half an hour before I could return to the Dark Shadow Clan’s turf. The gates were open as if they were expecting my arrival, so I walked through until I headed down the basement where the mafias were hiding. The ones who guarded the place all had a deadly glare on me, but no one dared to touch me—I forgot that they didn’t know who I was.
Luckily, they obediently opened the door for me without asking me anything.
My feet automatically stopped moving when I saw Dawn and Yve together. He had a stern expression on his face, though he had his arms wrapped around Yve’s shoulder. “I told you not to come here, Luna,” Dawn coldly said before he removed his arms from her.
“Is that the reason why? So you can have your sweet time with my friend?”
“We were in the middle of an important discussion, Luna. Don’t get me wrong.”
I nodded consecutively to mock his response. “Yeah, yeah. You were busy trying to find a solution to feed your lust, and you thought of using Yve. You’re no different with—”
“I said, we were in the midst of a conversation!” Dawn irritatedly cut me off, which made me cover my ears because of how loud he was. “I’m not going to do anything indecent to your friend. I don’t even have any reason to!” he added.
His aura suddenly showed, and it was white, indicating that he was sincere with his words, so I gave up trying to provoke him. “Is this about the war?” I inquired.
Dawn invited me to have a seat in the center aisle. He ordered the rest to dismiss the current training session as he wanted to have a peaceful discussion with me about the war, which he believed that I didn’t know about.
The king informed me that he teamed up with Holmes' youngest sibling, Yuki. She was the only one he could rely on, since both Shin and Nero seemed to be self-centered. She already had a plan with Dawn even before Nero brought me to be Shin’s chosen mate. The Crimson Moon Pack and Blood Moon Pack would soon have a battle wherein they would each put their lives and titles at risk. The Asterbelles would face the Holmes siblings, so I was kind of anxious.
“Was Mr. Asterbelle anticipating the war to happen? It’s impossible that they haven’t heard some rumors about your plan yet. Believe it or not, their intelligence can’t be surpassed by anyone,” I mumbled.
Dawn placed his elbows on the table as he intertwined his fingers where he placed his chin. “Belle and Brian, huh… Those two couldn’t possibly win against the Crimson Moon and my clan. Why? Are you frightened to witness their deaths?”
I bit my lower lip, unsure what to say. I owe half of my life to my adoptive parents, but I don’t owe them my whole life. I still hate them for treating me as an outcast just because of my curse instead of accepting me.
“It’s not that I don’t want to see them lying on the ground, completely lifeless and out of breath,” I muttered, clenching my jaw before I continued, “I just swore that I would be the one to kill Mr. Asterbelle. I can’t have you or anyone else do it for me.”