He spent another day with Sherizzah, and that same day, I spent it with Maia and her wolves. They bound my hands behind and took me to a cavern far from the castle. Ominous growls of the werewolves surrounded me while being interrogated by their Luna. "Have we been conned by a moon servant? Perhaps some hunters offered you a bribe?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't deny it. Your action seems dubious. My wolves saw you opened the gate of this land. One of my wolves was found wounded because of an attempted invasion of hunters. How could you do such a horrible betrayal? You must have a purpose why you took the silver wolf here."
"..." It was the consequences of my bargain with the moon. All the white wolves hated me, they either wanted death or eviction for me. The giant thorns and the frightful hole behind the Luna told me that they wanted death. Lying or diverting the truth has no room. "I made no bribe with the hunters. What profit can I gain from them anyway?"
"Then why did you put this place in danger by opening the gate?" she asked, extremely calm and elegant by maintaining her chin up.
"It is my bribe with the moon. You should be more concerned with the upcoming pack that would cross your zone. Two moon priestesses and a silver wolf would be enough to cast them out."
"Are you trying to be heroic by picking your own garbage? Full of uppity. I shall not let the criminal stroll with my wolves unpunished for the reason that they can still be helpful in other ways. You laid a threat to the peace of this land. You threaten the safety of my werewolves." Her wolves were growling and pushing me step by step towards the hole.
"Please. I would willingly accept your punishment if something happened after the pack's arrival!"
"Silence! Exonerating you means neglecting my wolves!" Her raging stride toward me made the werewolves step aside. "You are a criminal. Stay away from my wolves. Stay away from our future rulers. You don't deserve the silver wolf." The next thing I knew after I was wavered by her words was me falling down the deadly pit, pushed by the Luna who purposely wanted to take Hessuel away from me. They must've known our affair because of that affectionate night under the fireworks.
The thorns cut my skin. The air was getting hotter the deeper I fell. The enchanted circle that shielded me cracked weaker and weaker. Then when I reached the ground, the circle shattered. My power diminished from little to null. My hands were turning old and skinny when I looked at it. I walked around for a way to escape but gas diminished even my strength.
Perhaps I don't deserve Hessuel. I was only mated with him because of my foolish desire to take Shun back. It would be unfair to him that I think about him as my first man. I should be sleeping silently in my coffin at this age than wanting more romance that would add life to my years. Hessuel deserves more than an old lady like me.
And he proved me wrong with a kiss.
I heard him call. He risked his life to save me notwithstanding I dug my own grave. I've never been so ashamed before that day but he didn't feel the same way. I wish I could see myself the way he sees me too. If not my betrayal nor age could turn him off, then nothing will. I had a private discussion with Lanasia in my room and told her every word contrary to what my heart would say.
"I'll still reject him as my mate."
She countered, "But your plan worked well! It'll all be wasted if you reject him! And he loves you so much. It's your loss if you reject him."
"His love will lead him to nothing. Unlike here, the whole pack waited for him. He could be a great werewolf once he becomes the Alpha. And this is where he belongs. Misfortune only awaits him if he comes with me. I don't want to overlook his potential because of this blinding love."
"But what about you? Are you okay with this?"
"I’ll lie if I say yes. It'll be alright in time."
"It's not alright with me!! I rooted for you ever since my grandparents told me about you! ever since I was a little girl! You know that! And I live today to fulfill Rossy's promise!"
"Oh child, this isn't some sort of teen romance you've read in a book and root for them 'til they get adult. This isn't about what you love the most, sometimes, what you love doesn't matter the most. And that sometimes is in my situation. What matters most to you? Our romance or the hope of the pack you nurtured?"
"I can't give you the answer. Then... Then how about Hessuel? I'm certain he won't accept your rejection after all he's been through... unlike you."
"He doesn't have to. The easiest way might be to erase and alter his memories of me."
"What!?" She jolted from her seat.
"Once that happens, don't tell him about me. It is my way to give him a better life... A life where he never knows me." I couldn't stop my tears just by hearing them from my lips. I thought it would stop the war if Hessuel stayed in his imposing homeland forever. Everything would afloat happiness without the weight of our selfish love.
Lanasia forewarned, "I'll slap you in the face if Hessuel didn't become what you believe he would be."
When my power was back, I restored my age at 23 and dyed my hair white to disguise myself outside. It was the night I confronted Hessuel, and it was the night that he made me realize an important thing:
"I'm looking for the feelings I had felt with her, and I found it again with you."
I thought I was looking for Shun in him as well. But I've been looking for the feelings Shun made me feel and I found it again in Hessuel. I gave up on my abstinence from love. And gave in to him that unforgettable night. I forgot every burden on my shoulders. Just him and me. We gave our all; strength, flesh, and kisses. As if it was the first time I fed what my body needs. And the response from him was the same. However, I was disappointed with myself that I couldn't sustain what his body wanted and snapped out of my limit!
That morning was filled with sweetness. The pain in between my thighs was pounding. I was only covering my naked body with a blanket when I told him to leave. He kissed my hand, my arm and shoulder while removing the blanket on me. "I'll bathe you," he whispered to my ear, then lifted me on his shoulder naked.
He was sketching with a finger on my knee as we soak in the bubbly bathtub. I asked him, "Hessuel, would you accept Sherizzah as your Luna?"
"Hm? What kind of question was that?"
"One of a kind."
"No. Would you like to be my Luna?"
"What kind of question was that?"
"Kind of a question from the bottom of my heart." He rubbed his hands on my thighs and kissed my knees. "I'm not letting you go. I could never replace the one who watched over me since childhood. There's nothing else but you. What secrets do you else have?"
"..." I crawled closer to him to lean on his chest. The futile spell that concealed my wolf was lifted. I could see the details of his eyes clearly, felt the fangs behind my lips, and smelled him. "You're the sweetest cabbage I've ever smelled."
"Dan! Seriously?" He chuckled. The stare he gave to my eyes was intimate. We couldn't keep our eyes off each other.
"My father is a human. My mother is a werewolf. I am a hybrid just like Zaeramil," I confessed. At least I could tell him more about me before he forgot about me. He kissed his mark on my shoulder.
"Whatever you are, you're still mine."
I caressed his cheeks before I crawled my arms about his neck. "And I shall make you mine." My finger sparked when I kissed it, then kissed Hessuel, sucking his lower lip to leave a mark on him too. I kissed him on his neck and he squeezed me with a tight hug! His hands were exploring my body underwater while I kissed him once more. We came out covered only with a towel. I sat on the bed while watching him comb his hair using his claws.
"I hope my love is enough to heal your trauma."
"..." He put a smile on his lips before he kissed my legs and knees again. "Thank you." And he pulled up my towel to kiss my thighs. "Thank you for entrusting me with your body, too." It tickled when his kiss reached my belly button to my stomach. His strong arms lifted my legs and I wrapped his loins. He dropped me on the bed, rubbed and pinned my hands on top of my head, then painted me with slow and passionate kisses.
He lifted me to his loins again in a cinch. I hugged him on his shoulder with burning kisses. And then I whispered in the name of my turned-on pleasure, "Please... do what pleases you." He dropped me on the bed again and gave me a hard peck.
"What pleases me... Let's have breakfast."
How dare—! I pulled him by the necklace and glared at him. His teasing smile flustered me! He showered my face with peck kisses, then went down to my neck, untied my towel, and he did what pleases me instead. I've always wanted the feeling of his flesh in mine. Feelings that make me involuntarily moan and scrub his back. Feelings that make me safe in his arms around me. He wiped my sweat on my forehead and landed a kiss on my lips more intimately.
Apparently, those are wonderful memories with him. The choking pain I felt when I erased his memories of me broke me down on my knees. The way he begged, pulled my cloth, and told me not to leave him broke my heart into tears. I kissed him dearly. "I love you, Hessuel." I staggered when I left him unconscious under Acro's watch. I walked backward “Please don’t love someone else,” I whispered and watched him get farther from me before I turned my back to meet Elibur outside Asfara.
‘Twas like abandoning a beloved dog! I thought it was for the best of us. I've only known that I'll have to cross hell before I move on, especially that I carry his seed in my womb.