Reed's POV
"Refill it and leave the bottle," I ordered the waitress. She silently nodded and sprinted back to the counter. I gulped the first glass like it was water and refilled the glass quickly. Today was one of the longest days of my life.
I hated that Asher ditched me at the last second. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here in the first place, tolerating the presence of these scumbags. I doubted if Asher's presence would make any difference now. After all, she was here.
As if on cue, she walked through the stairs, walking in her own glory. Her red dress was not helping either. Her hazel brown eyes were the first thing that always caught my attention. So vibrant, fierce, but still laced with innocence. Her deep brown hair was longer than I remembered. My hands ached to play with her curls.
I shook my head. I was acting like some lovesick teenager. I decided to leave the room before I would do something I regretted.
I walked through the crowd silently and closed the main door behind me. The evening breeze welcomed me. It somewhat helped me to relax. I continued walking until I was at the outskirts of the city.
This was no man's land. It wasn't under anyone's jurisdiction. I knew every path of it, every road, every street. This was the place I was born. I walked further, remembering my childhood with every step I took. My feet carried me themselves, and soon I was walking into the forest.
I had walked for two miles because soon I was standing in front of a very familiar tree I could never forget. I pulled out my knife and started clearing the lichen from the bark, and automatically, it brought a smile to my face. I don't know when I smiled last. I put my hands on it. A crescent moon and a star on the apex. Below the moon were the initials J&R. It reminded me; this was the second most important reason I attended that meeting. With the last lingering look, I continued walking further.
After another ten minutes' walk, I finally reached my destination. The moon was peeking through the clouds, reflecting its light across the lake. The light of the moon illuminated the whole lake. It was the most beautiful sight for my eyes. Without wasting any seconds, I quickly pulled my coat off my body and shoes aside, folded my sleeves, and sat beside the lake. I dipped my legs in the lake and sighed deeply. I don't remember how many times I had visited this place when I was a young boy.
I closed my eyes and tried to inhale as much air I could to carry it with me. Now, I realized I had missed this place like hell. I started to drink the wine from the bottle.
Suddenly, a twig snapped, and my senses alerted me to check for any danger. Nobody knows about this place, except if someone had discovered it by mistake or if somebody had followed me. With my eyes still closed, I tried to listen again. I could easily hear the approaching footsteps. When the sound of the footsteps stopped, I looked back only to encounter the person I hated most. The woman I despise. Moon Goddess herself.
She was literally glowing, illuminating the whole surrounding with her aura. She took each step slowly toward my direction as if testing the waters, trying to gauge my expression. I remained stoic and averted my gaze from her to the lake, and sipped the wine.
She sat beside me and put her legs in the water. The whole lake glowed like never before; the fishes came upon the surface to greet the deity who visited them today. She nor I uttered a word. The air thickened with every passing minute.
"You know you have not cursed me in a while," she said in her melody voice which I loved at some point in my life. I looked at her from the corner of my eyes.
"I am pretty sure you are not here to listen to my curses," I murmured, still not looking at her.
"Maybe, maybe not," she said, laughing.
My blood boiled with every second. She was finding it amusing. Hell, she was; she always loved to see me miserable.
"Don't beat around the bush; tell me what you want. Why did you send her? To use her against me? You were better than this," I spat angrily.
"Reed..."
"Reed is dead," I closed my eyes and looked away. She pursed her lips and averted her eyes to the lake.
"To answer your first question, I wanted nothing from you except that you leave this path of your self-destruction. I didn't send her; you were the one who approached her in the first place. You were the one who attacked her pack." She stated the facts, still looking at the lake.
"You know I come here every night," she said, now looking straight in my eyes, wanting me to believe her. I looked at her and scoffed, not believing any of her lies, but remained silent.
"You remember when you used to come here and play with me all day, and when I had to go, you made me promise that no matter what, I had to come back here?"
The flashes of my childhood flooded my mind, me and her sitting beside the lake, playing, laughing. I closed my eyes and tried to compose myself. I picked up my bottle, only to find it empty like my heart.
"I kept my promise."
A single tear threatened to escape my eye. I quickly whipped it before she noticed, and cleared my throat.
"See, who's talking about promises?" I scoffed.
"Please be my guest to 'come' here daily and excuse me. I don't have time and patience for your games." With that, I stood up, picked up my coat, and started walking back.
"You are scared, Reed. You are scared that she would change you. She would break the shield that you have made around yourself and capture your heart." I stopped walking.
"That is your master plan, Luna?" I asked, smirking. I stepped toward her and stood in front of her, just mere inches away so we could be face to face.
"Try me, Luna; you would lose." And with that, I started walking back to the party.
After walking a few steps, I looked back at her. "You should go back, Luna; the wolves are waiting for you," I smirked.
She looked disappointed but soon disappeared into thin air.
I looked at the sky and saw her sitting on her throne, looking everywhere but me. The howling of wolves filled the air.
I shook my head and continued walking back to the castle, the words of Luna ringing in my head.