Chapter 125
Kingdom of Aftermoon
Felix Fire and Joaquim Brown
Felix nodded, casting another glance at the other pregnant woman. Lucinda was grinning from ear to ear. The wolf stretched, yawning, and pushed his hair away from falling into his eyes. Soon after, he and Lucinda continued talking for a few more minutes. Everything flowed smoothly between them; they truly seemed like a family they were becoming one. For the wolf, it felt good, a pleasant sensation. He noticed Lucinda felt it too—her heart beating strongly. He sensed her happiness, which was perfect for him. Yet, he noticed something about the other pregnant woman; she would glance at him from the corner of her eye at times. Her heart seemed to beat rapidly, her cheeks flushed.
He understood what that meant. He only hoped she would stop and give up soon.
Days passed, and the day of Joaquim's hearing arrived. The wolves waited in the castle. After the war, they rested, enjoying the kingdom of Aftermoon. Now, Felix's brother-in-law was the only Lord, and he knew there would be no more wars between their people. Diego would be happy to hear such news. After so much bloodshed and hatred, finally, peace
The wolves stood guard in the forest on the day of the hearing.
Everything unfolded in the middle of the city. Several happy humans cheered and revealed; that Sirio's petty reign had ended. Everything went perfectly; Joaquim was crowned, as was Lucinda. They were finally acknowledged.
The king left after completing his task, casting many glances at Lucinda. However, Felix and the other wolves remained vigilant; if he did anything to his in-laws, they would kill him in the blink of an eye.
A little over a month had passed since their arrival in Aftermoon, and the wolves couldn't wait to return to Wisdy.
Felix was longing for his beloved and didn't know where to start in recounting his adventure with the wolves. Everything had gone well, and he would show his father that he was capable.
In the late afternoon, everyone packed their belongings into the carriages and bid farewell. It was time to depart. Lucinda sent some sweets and preserves made by her and her mother; she knew Wisdy didn't have such things. Cateline would probably be homesick, and she hoped this would make her feel a bit more at home.
"Thank you! For everything!"
Milenna couldn't hold back her tears any longer and, without asking for permission, suddenly hugged Felix, who returned the embrace, surprised. Soon, he gently placed his hands on the woman's back, smelling her, reminiscent of his wife. He smiled thinking of Cate and listened to his mother-in-law saying,
"Tell Cate we miss her... if it's not too much to ask, we want to visit when the baby is born..."
Milenna was direct in her request. Felix knew his father would complain, but he wouldn't pay attention to him anymore.
"My house is your house... feel free to come..."
Felix said excitedly. They broke the hug and smiled at each other. Milenna was happy; soon, she could visit her daughter.
Joaquim sent some gifts, knowing it wasn't enough. There was no way to fully thank for all the help he had received.
He approached the wolf, saying,
"Thank you... I don't know how to repay you..."
Joaquim extended his hand and shook Felix's firmly; the two had become great friends despite their differences.
"Whenever you need... send me a letter..."
He winked at the human in front of him, and he nodded, releasing his hand.
On the other side, Sandy said in a gentle voice to Felix,
"It was nice meeting you, Felix..."
He nodded to the human and quickly averted his gaze; he wanted to avoid giving attention because he felt she was looking at him strangely, and he didn't like that...
Josefa bid farewell to each of the wolves, insisting on hugging them slowly; she had never been so happy in her life to meet such people.
"Visit us more often, guys."
She said, waving as they were about to leave.
Tomas still felt uncomfortable with the lady's closeness. He didn't understand why her heart beat so fast that way; she seemed to blush whenever he was around. Tomas just gave her a brief smile before entering the carriage.
Soon after, all the wolves got into the carriage, and Felix waved to them. Milenna, Lucinda, and Joaquim waved back, smiling. Felix settled inside the carriage and finally departed.
As the gates of the castle opened, Zebeu appeared running, carrying his bag.
"Wait! I'll go with you..."
He shouted for the carriages to wait for him.
"Zebeu?"
Lucinda looked startled.
"I'll be going, my Lady. I need to check on your sister. I promised Frederico that I would take care of you, now that you're safe, I'll see how Cate is..."
The old man spoke breathlessly, and Felix stopped the carriages, waiting for the healer to bid everyone farewell.
"Thank you for everything, Zebeu. Send me news."
Lucinda said.
"Of course, my Lady. Goodbye, my friend."
He said to Milenna, who hugged him, and he waved to her and Joaquim, who did the same.
Martin, on the other hand, was in his room sleeping. Thank God, the boy didn't witness the war; he always stayed with a maid in the room or with his mother.
Lucinda and Milenna wanted to prevent him from knowing what had happened. Whenever he heard sounds of soldiers' screams from the battle, the maids or even Milenna and Lucinda told him stories to make him fall asleep, to shield him from the chaos that was happening. Now that madness had passed, the child could live his youth in peace, having fun and being with family; that was all his mother and sister wanted.
The Healer ran towards the carriage and settled inside; Zebeu knew the Alpha would be on his case, but he would stay strong. Cateline was a human and needed care from a human as well, just like her baby, who was half-human.
The carriages set off towards Wisdy; all the wolves were happy and excited; they missed their homes.
Felix remained mostly silent, thinking about his beloved.
Many weeks had passed; his love's belly should have grown a bit. He was eager to see her, smell her, kiss her... he wanted to quench all the longing he felt... he had news for her, about his sister's letters and also about the battle; his family was safe. Felix smiled at the thought and looked out of the carriage window.
His friend Fabrício spoke, diverting the wolf's attention...
" Felix, did you know that Tomas has an admirer?"
The wolf looked at them without understanding and shook his head. Fabrício continued,
"Well... he wasn't lucky; he was quite the ladies' man at the banquet today and captured the heart of a maid."
He couldn't help but start laughing; all the other werewolves in the cart laughed too. Felix was puzzled but smiled at seeing them laugh like that.
"Go on, tell me, I want to know."
Felix crossed his arms, smiling at him. Curious, Tomas stepped in, looking serious at the others, and said,
"Shut up, don't start..."
Felix wasn't going to let that conversation end there; he said determinedly,
"Don't even try it, you can tell me. I want to know who the human woman is who became interested in our friend Tomas."
He tapped his friend's arm, who turned to the other side, fuming with anger...
Fabrício then laughed as he talked about the elderly maid, Josefa. He described how she was, using a cane, and Felix remembered her. In the end, he concluded,
"She even offered sweets to Tomas at the end of the banquet. They make a lovely couple... you should've seen it, Felix."
Felix chuckled. Tomas didn't like the joke and remained silent. Felix then said to everyone,
"Okay... Tomas kind of deserved it, he was getting too full of himself. But so what, buddy? You're single; it's normal for someone to be attracted to a wolf like you..."
Tomas shrugged and said, looking at everyone,
"Besides, my friends, I would never be interested in a human. I prefer my kind."
Felix shrugged.
"Well, we don't control the heart, my friend. When I saw Cate for the first time, I couldn't stay away from her. It can happen to any of you, so never say you won't fall in love with a human, because it can happen... Cate was the best thing that happened in my life..."
Felix smiled, remembering the scent of his beloved. Soon, he would be with her.