Chapter 18: Spending the night in the forest

Leondra stared at Henary, determined not to let him return to that foolish Wolf. No matter what it took, Henary had to be hers.

"I have to think of a way to make sure Henary never goes back to Almarjaf," Leondra growled silently, holding back her anger.

"Why aren't you answering my question, Henary?" Leondra asked, staring intently at Henary.

"I don't know, because all this time I thought Alpha Almarjaf was just being cold to me. It's just that when Earl often slandered me and spread bad rumors about me, he became very cruel and didn't treat me like a wife," explained Henary.

"From the beginning, that stupid Wolf didn't love you, Henary. He shouldn't have trusted Earl so easily, especially since he knew that at that time you were just a weak woman with the strength of a servant," said Leondra.

"But in reality, he trusted Earl more because the two of them were in love with each other. It's possible that Almarjaf already knew that you weren't having an affair and didn't kill his mother, so that was their way of uniting by spreading bad rumors about you," she continued.

"I don't think that's the case, Leondra. I know for a fact that it was Earl who killed the Queen Mother. But Alpha Almarjaf doesn't believe me," said Henary.

"That means he never loved you," Leondra grumbled.

"Yes. You're right," Henary muttered with a forced smile. It hurt so much to remember it again.

"Never mind, don't talk about that stupid Wolf anymore and don't ever go back to him. He already has the woman he loves," said Leondra.

"Even that stupid Wolf hasn't performed the ritual yet, because he already knows who you really are and what benefits he will get later. Maybe after that stupid Wolf unites with you, once you're pregnant, you'll be killed or made into a servant," she continued with an angry expression.

"I don't plan on going back to Alpha Almarjaf either, Leondra. So just relax," replied Henary with a slight smile.

Leondra only cleared her throat softly in response to Henary's words.

"Why do you seem so unsure of me?" asked Henary.

"Because I really don't want you to go back to that stupid Wolf," replied Leondra.

"I don't want you to feel that pain again," she continued softly.

"I can't destroy my life again. It's enough that I was a weak and foolish woman before," Henary said with a chuckle.

"Alright, I believe you," Leondra said with a forced smile.

Henary rested his head on Leondra's shoulder. "I know you're a good person, and so are your parents. But I really can't return your feelings of love." Henary tried to be honest about his feelings.

"It's okay. I already told you before that I won't force you. Besides, we haven't been living together for very long," replied Leondra.

"Thank you, Leondra, for your understanding," said Henary with a slight smile.

"How about we spend the night here? Are you brave enough?" asked Leondra with a smile.

Actually, Leondra invited Henary to spend the night here because she had a bad feeling. And Leondra suspected that the Wolf was already in the Vampire's territory.

Leondra had already found out about this. She had received a vision about Alpha Almarjaf and the Wizard Xiof.

"It's impossible for Almarjaf to meet the Wizard Xiof if his goal isn't Henary," Leondra thought angrily.

"You're not joking about staying here tonight, are you?" asked Henary with a look of surprise on his face.

"Why? Are you afraid?" Leondra smiled teasingly at Henary.

"I'm much more afraid of you doing something reckless here," Henary grumbled with an annoyed look on his face.

"What do you mean, dear? I won't do anything that would harm us both," replied Leondra.

Leondra understood what Henary meant, of course. But she wanted to tease Henary.

"Don't pretend you don't know what I mean, Leondra. You understand perfectly well," Henary growled.

"I couldn't possibly invite you to enjoy yourself in this forest, this place is quite sacred. Besides, there are beds that are much more comfortable," Leondra said casually.

"Oh my god, you're being too blunt." Henary stared at Leondra with an incredulous look.

"You provoked me first, even though I didn't want to say that earlier," said Leondra.

"Now answer my question, are you willing to stay here?" asked Leondra as she hugged Henary from behind.

"Why are you asking me to stay here? Are you planning something?" Henary replied, her voice slightly nervous.

"Trust me, I won't do anything unless you want me to. Yesterday, I was overcome with emotion, which made me lose control." Leondra tried to explain so that Henary would trust her and not be afraid of her.

"Do you promise you won't do that to me?" Henary looked at Leondra seriously.

"I promise, Henary. Maybe if I can't control my passion. Later, I'll just kiss you like usual," Leondra replied with a chuckle.

"But where are we going to sleep?" asked Henary, looking around the forest.

"Right here. Don't worry, this forest is safe," said Leondra.

"You can use my thigh as a pillow," she continued.

Henary was still hesitant. Why did Leondra suddenly invite her to stay in the forest? Besides being afraid that Leondra would do something reckless, Leondra must be hiding something.

Leondra smiled, knowing what Henary was thinking. "All right, I'll be honest with you. But don't worry, I'll definitely protect you."

"What's wrong, Leondra?" asked Henary with a curious look on his face.

"It's possible that the stupid wolf is already in the Vampire territory. I've been feeling uneasy and have a bad feeling about this since earlier," explained Leondra.

"Then, won't Alpha Almarjaf find us when we spend the night in this forest?" said Henary with a panicked look on his face.

"It's quite difficult. The wolf clearly knows that this forest is also a place where the power of vampires increases many times over," replied Leondra.

"So for now, let's just stay here until I find a strategy to protect you," she continued.

"Okay," replied Henary softly.

"Actually, I'm not afraid of that stupid wolf, I'm just forced to avoid it. If I force myself to fight, Henary will know that I am the vampire king," Leondra growled silently.

"Hopefully we'll be safe here," muttered Henary.

"Of course, I'll protect you. Now go to sleep," said Leondra, patting her thigh gently.

"No need, Leondra. Your leg will hurt," Henary refused.

"I'm not a weak man. Lie down quickly. Besides, I don't want your head to hurt if you don't use my leg as a pillow," said Leondra, pulling Henary's body slowly.

Henary finally complied, lying down with Leondra's thigh as a pillow.

"Sleep. After that, I'll be gone for a while. I've made a plan to keep you by my side," Leondra thought to herself as she kissed Henary's forehead. Slowly, Henary closed his eyes and began to drift off to sleep.