“Are you going to explain the bleeding?” Rose questioned when Rune walked in with a neatly wrapped mattress in his hands and some fabric beneath his armpit. “And where is this place? Also, that thing where you read my mind, why are you the only one that can read minds? It is creepy when you do it. Also, if you can zap us from point A to point B with your powers, why didn’t you do it on time? You should have not waited for those angsty wolves to speak at all.”“Rose?” Rune queried with a raised brow, his entire body stuck in a rather funny position because of how overwhelmed he was. “Also, you have a wolf too, right? Will you show me? Will I be scared of it?”“Rose…” Rune became sterner. “Those are a lot of questions,” he commented when she turned to look at him. “Your bleeding has stopped?”Rune found her cute and a bit hilariously stubborn. She was not bothered by his comment, she barely blinked in reaction. But, Rune quickly realised that maybe it was not hilarious. At all. Those
Meanwhile, in the castle of the Brunia Pack, Rune’s presence in the pack had just reached the ears of the current Alpha King - Alpha Maxon. The tall man who was not as powerful as his brother could not hide how worried the news made him. He always knew it was a matter of time before his brother would come back to question the illegality of his banishment, he just did not expect it to be so soon. And he did not expect that he would come back with a pregnant human mate.His right hand on his chin, Maxon debated in his mind, ways to get rid of his brother before he could make any move. Sending assassin wolves to quietly murder him was not an option. Rune would not die easily even if he was in his weakest state and Maxon did not want to be branded as the Alpha that tried to kill his brother.Maxon then further wondered if it was possible to do something about the human mate. She was, after all, a great abomination that should not exist in their pack. At the end of that deliberation, Rune
“You were bleeding earlier…” Rose decided to revisit her earlier questions which she uttered in a slightly oblivious state. “Why?”Rune, with a small smile, folded the leaves that they used to plate the deer meat he hunted. “I cannot escape your query.”“Are you dying?” Rose looked at him hopefully, more than she wished to. Before he replied, she imagined what would happen if he died the next day. Thinking about it upset her so much. That was her answer. She was bothered by Rune and possibly leaning towards him second after second. “Maybe.” He shrugged as he rinsed his hands in the bowl he found in a corner of the ruins. “I could be. But it doesn't matter.”“It doesn't matter if you die?” With her pupils enlarged, she wished to slap those words out of his mouth. “I mean…” He sighed. “If I am truly dying, I don't care because my final days will be filled with memories of you and the days we have spent together. That is enough.”“I hate you,” she blurted with a visible ache in her voi
When Rose woke up the next day, Rune informed her that he was ready to open the gateway. That was the only statement shared between them. She went on to have a quick bath. Afterwards, she joined Rune, who was facing the forest with a greenish stone in his palms. “Are you sure you are better now?” she eventually asked when the silence between them started to make her feel weird. “We can stay back till you feel-”“No. I am okay.” He grunted confidently to prove his point, then returned to focusing on the stone. Moments later, he tsked and murmured, “Why is it not working?”“Is something wrong?”“The gate should be open by now. I am putting all my focus on it.”“It will never work,” responded the voice of Rune’s mother. Quietly, like a vampire on a hunt, the woman stepped into the sunlight, the ridiculous straw hat on her head making her look like a royal servant. “You can’t leave yet, my son.”“What bullshit are you trying to pull this time?” Rune asked tiredly.The Luna Dowager fixed
During their hushed and impactful conversation, Luna Dowager also offered a place to stay since residing in the castle would rouse unnecessary attention. So, as they walked into the simple house provided, Rose tried to occupy her racing mind with the view of the rooms. But there was nothing much to see. “Rose.” Rune pulled her from behind before she could check the last room. He had been following her quietly, but it seemed he could not endure the silence for long. “I want to understand what you and the Luna Dowager discussed. Why are we doing this?”Rose, with a little brow lift, made sure not to turn. “Let us prepare to-”“Fuck?” he interrupted with distaste. “Is this a joke, Rose? Do you think I see you as some sort of pregnancy vessel?”Rose was not willing to hear the flaws of her decision. She sighed. “When you are ready, let us get it done with.”“Rose.” Exasperatedly, he let go of her hand and walked to her front before she could escape. “Our bond is too sacred for us to use
“I will be fine,” Rose urged Rune, who had just told her that he needed to meet his mother. “I can’t help but feel that something might go wrong,” he continued, his worry multiplying as seconds passed. “Putting the Luna Dowager in her place is necessary. We also need the assurance that she will not back away from our deal,” Rose pointed out. She then got up and walked to the nearest window. “I know it is silly to claim that I would be perfectly alright. But as much as possible, I am going to stay safe.” She faced him. “I will lock the doors and draw the curtains.”Rune sighed. “If only my powers were protective.”“Powers? Oh, never mind.” Rose recalled how he easily zapped them out of places. “Rune, the more you put it off, the worse it gets. Get it done and come back to me.”His eyes lit up, and he got up from the patterned sofa. “I will be quick.”“I will be waiting.” If they were not under exigent circumstances, their conversation could have simply been one between lovers who did
Rune met all the doors and windows tightly closed. He had to force one of the windows open to get in. Thankfully, he wasn't too loud. He met Rose contentedly asleep on the bed. After keeping the letter he made his mother sign in the safest place he could think of, he opened some windows, disrobed, took a quick bath and joined Rose in the bed after finding baggy shorts in the doorless wardrobe seated in the corner of the room. Without distracting her sleep, he joined her under the huge blanket and almost started laughing when he saw how cutely she held on to the knife she had mentioned she would take. Once he placed the knife aside, his hand slid into hers, and like that, he fell asleep, peace and joy dominating every other feeling in his soul. [break]Rose waking up next to Rune reminded her of one of the things she used to desire in her hellish marriage. Many days, she wished to wake up next to Richard. But no matter how much her heart ached for such, it never happened. However,
“It is louder than I imagined,” Rose pointed out as their paces followed the path that led to the main market of the Brunia Pack. “And it appears normal.”“Normal or not,” Rune held her hand more firmly, “these wolves can suddenly decide to spill blood.” His cautious eyes were everywhere. “Stay close to me.”“Okay.” She shifted closer as if their joined hands were not enough for them to survive the crowd. “I need to find a way to make money,” Rune said after seconds of pushing past the people trying to purchase one thing or another. “Otherwise, our time here will be a waste.”“Or we could enter a contest.”“Huh?”She pointed at the banner highly displayed in front of them. “It is a fruit-eating contest. The winner gets two crates of eggs and a half bag of flour and rice.” Rose wondered why her excitement grew as she read out the details. “That is a pretty good deal, isn’t it?”“It is.” He looked hesitant.“Should we leave?” She looked around. “I am sure we can find a quick job to-”H
“This is insane,” Symon broke the silence in the room after plating everyone's food. “I am not comfortable with this.” His eyes were intently fixed on Catherine. He never liked her when she was Rune's Luna, she seemed dubious and too obvious about her feelings, which she knew would never be reciprocated. “I gave Rune a choice,” she replied. “Blame him.”Symon’s dislike grew. “Aren't you ashamed? This is not a setup that will make you happy. Are you that desperate to hurt yourself? Do you love it when others see you in pain?”“Since when did you become a Healer? What makes you think I am in pain?”“I-”“Let us eat,” Rune ordered, and Symon paused his intention to chase the woman out of their abode. Minutes were spent eating in silence. Despite the quietness, Symon found the scene dear since he had spent many days without seeing Alpha Rune. While watching the Alpha focus on the human, he checked to see if Rune was eating well. Once satisfied by how much Rune had eaten, he returned to
“What took you so long?” Symon firmly questioned the duo after they arrived. After Rune's suspicion of someone watching them, he did a quick sweep of the environment. He did not find anyone lurking, but his suspicion did not cease. However, he focused on their journey ahead, and while he made sure Rose did not feel afraid, he transformed into his wolf- a mighty beast with a brown-white mane. Rose enjoyed the ride and somehow felt more connected with Rune. Perhaps that was because she could feel the carefulness he and his wolf put into transporting them despite the high speed. “We left five minutes after you,” Rune said to Symon. “Don't be silly.”On the other hand, while staring at the greenery ahead, Rose imagined how fun it would be to go on another ride with his wolf. “You should have left earlier. We have a little problem.” Symon sure had a knack for speaking in a zig-zag manner. “What little problem?”Rose tuned out her thoughts and focused on the conversation after glancin
“We have done nothing wrong. We-”“Alpha Rune,” Symon interrupted, “that does not matter to these humans. They are keen on-” Loud noise from a helicopter deafened them. “We need to leave!” Symon concluded. Rose, on the other hand, wiped her face clean and stood up. “Leave to where?” Rune probed. “This is the only home we have.”“I don’t… I don’t know either! Okay! I don’t know!”Rose chose to voice the escape route she had thought about. “Let us…” She cleared her throat. “Let us go to the Brunia Pack.”“Rose.” Rune frowned. “We cannot go back there. The enemies there are worse.”“The enemies in this place will separate us. If I dare to reason why they have chosen to create lies against you, it must be because they know your true identity. Why else would they go through so much trouble?”“That is sensible,” Symon supported. “Let us go to the pack, Alpha Rune. I already prepared some bags for emergencies. We don’t need to leave the house to access the pack’s gateway, it is the best es
“H-how come?” Beta Symon stuttered. He ended up sitting because he was not expecting that confession. As his eyes wandered the fineness of the tiles, he became curious about Alpha Rune’s reaction. So he looked up. It was surprising to see the Alpha staring at the woman with curiosity, not perplexity. “Murder?” Alpha Rune asked, his eyes showing a bit of delight. “That is very intriguing.”The woman faced the Alpha, her frown very deep. “Intriguing? I killed people, Rune.”“P-people?!” Symon almost choked on saliva. “Not one. Or two. People? Woman, what exactly are you?”“It happened.”Symon became certain that Rose was a psychopath. How could she say that without remorse? Even as a werewolf with a natural thirst for blood, he never shed the blood of fellow wolves. “Do you not feel sorry for the people who lost their lives?”“Why would I? None of them cared.”“Who are these people? Were they close to you?”“I don’t want to talk about it.” She cleared her throat. “It is in the past. Wh
The beast exploded before it could do anything. Its blood and body parts were scattered all over the floor. When she opened her eyes, Rose noted the shock on Richard’s face. Then, she looked at Rune, who barely moved while protecting her. His sight was fixed on Symon, so she did the same. The rude Beta glared at Richard, who was still perplexed.“Wh-” Richard audibly processed the moment. “What just happened?”“You said your powers were weak,” Rune said to Symon. “Was that a lie?”“Not really. I didn’t want to believe that I still had my powers.” The Beta shrugged. “It turns out I can still explode things.”“Powers?” Richard exhaled hard, his frown deepening as seconds flew past. “What the hell are you guys? How did you murder my beast? She is one of the best from hell.”‘Hell?’ Rose pondered. Why on earth would Richard mention hell? What was he even doing with that kind of animal in the first place? And how, just how, did he manage to enter the house without anyone noticing?Rose lo
Rose was now asleep. After ensuring the heat-padded blanket was keeping the severe chilliness of the night away from her, Rune dimmed the lights in the room and briefly stepped out to converse with Symon.He met the Beta standing not too far from the room. His frown was prominent, his paces were filled with confusion and contemplation. “Shall we have a drink?” Rune walked past the man. “Whiskey or tea?”“Uhm… Tea. You need tea after your long journey.” Symon hurried his steps, and soon, he was in front, leading them to the kitchen. The men sat by the marbled island in the middle of the kitchen while the water for the tea boiled.“She is pregnant with your pup?” Symon voiced the question that was already written on his face. “How did that happen?”“We had sex.”“Right.” Symon crossed his arms. “How else would it happen?”“Have you found potential Doctors?”“I am still scrutinizing my list because I have to consider the current situation.”Rune was already thinking about Rose, he abse
Well?” The Luna Dowager was standing at a far corner, her gaze and poise as impatient as her voice. The healer glanced up after reviewing the report she had just filled in. “Based on my observations, it is possible that she is pregnant.”“She is?” The Dowager jumped while Rose felt as though cold water was poured on her. When she agreed to the Luna Dowager’s threat, she thought it would not hurt to fulfil her lifelong desire to have a complete family while ensuring the safety of her and Rune. But the possibility of being pregnant was starting to sound scary. She hurriedly searched for Rune’s presence, and when she confirmed that he was still next to her, she held out her hand. He received it and tried to assure her unspoken by caressing her hand.“She has to come to the clinic to confirm it. But there is a little problem.” The healer was approaching a path that easily increased Rose’s fear. “Problem? What is that?”“If she is indeed pregnant, it could pose a danger to her health. S
With a heart racing out of excitement, Rune put on his clothes. He was buttoning his shirt when Rose came to him and helped him with it. His gaze fell on her roughened hair, and he wondered what his mother was thinking. She had no right to send ambushers to inject him with an Eroject, especially when she knew that it was not something he had used before. Grateful that the substance did not halt his heart or something, Rune secretly loved that he got a chance to sexually connect with Rose.He had been loving their conversations; the seriousness and jokes embedded. But since the deal with his mother, he became worried that Rose would not enjoy sex with him as she should because of the pressure to stay alive. He was also concerned that her mind would bother her with the memory of the men who tried to harm her. A soft smile lit his eyes because his concerns were put to shame. “What are you thinking?” she asked, her tender touch patting his chest. “Nothing much.” Rune adjusted her point
“I noticed you have not been bleeding,” Rose pointed out when they reached the dark path leading to their secluded house. “Did the Luna Dowager give you a fix?”“Yes. She had no choice. She badly wants an heir.”“That woman is crazy.” “Tell me something I don’t know,” Rune mumbled. “I don’t know how I lived with her.”“You probably didn’t have a choice.”“You know,” he turned very serious, “it never made sense to me that I had to put up with her. Whenever a council member saw that I was fed up with her, they always advised me to endure. I should have cut ties with her instead of listening to them. If I had done that, we would not be struggling to leave the pack right now.”Rose could not fully relate to him, but the pain in his voice reached her. She looked at him and said, “It is never easy to cut ties with certain people.”“I am jealous of those who have done it. My mother tires me. And I bet she’s giving my brother hell right now.”“Your brother? The Alpha?” Rose remembered ponder