NOAHTelling everything to Andrew made me feel lighter, hiding all this from him was making me very anxious, after all we are in a relationship, we are predestined and it wouldn't be fair to hide something so important from him. What we should be doing right now is thinking carefully about escape, but his mouth devouring mine doesn't allow me to think about anything but the sensations. I feel happy and relaxed when his tongue meets mine. His lips are extremely soft, what started as a tender, soft kiss is taking on a much bigger, hotter proportion for the moment. My tongue roams his mouth as I wrap my hands around his neck and our kiss becomes more intense, my heart beats a mile a minute. Andrew pulls away from my lips, our breaths ragged. I open my eyes, and meet his intense and warm gaze at me, I smile slightly at him, who moves away a little.— What's it? — I ask him, while watching him stare at nothing in front of him.— Nothing.— Nothing? And are you like this?— It's nothing, No
NOAHBefore I turn the handle, it turns on its own. I look at Balck, my heart is beating wildly, instinctively holding tight, and the other person says something.— I think they must have locked it, I can't open it!The voice on the other side of the door is high pitched, too irritating, and familiar to my ears. Artanis. The sound of her voice is silenced, we stand there for a few minutes, in silence waiting for some movement, and apparently she seems to have gone away.— I think we can go now! — Balck exclaims. — How did you manage to hold the door? Was it the ring?— I think so, I wouldn't have so much strength to hold the door with just my hand![...]— Wow, it's so dusty in here! — Balck says admiringly.— Of course, since it was isolated, no one else has entered here, other than some magic preventing anyone from entering! — Andrew responds.— How are we going to get out of here? Do you have a plan? — Balck asks.— So, it looks like they still haven't realized that the guards have
NOAHI open my eyes with difficulty, a bright light makes it difficult, but it's not the glow of the ring. The sunlight hits my face, I cover it with my hands to block the rays, that's when the images pop into my mind, hitting me so hard I have an instant headache. What a realistic dream, it was the most surreal dream I've ever had. Wait... I wasn't dreaming! Everything I saw was real, I ran away from the Palace, and along with me were my brother and Andrew.— Balck, Andrew... Where are they?I hear the bedroom door opening, but where am I? I look at my body, I realize that I'm wearing clothes that aren't mine, a T-shirt that shows my arms too much, and my torso is practically naked, in addition to a pair of shorts that expose my legs. The first reaction is to cover the body with the sheet. The person enters. Long hair, a tender smile on his face, stubble. My Alpha, Andrew.— Are you okay? he asks, comes over, sits next to me, and something in his worried expression startles me.I l
NOAHI go downstairs and follow the delicious aroma of coffee that comes out of Veronica's kitchen, who is sitting with a cup in her hand. Next to her in the picture is a boy with the same welcoming smile. He has the same dark skin as Veronica. He turns around the moment I step foot into the kitchen.— Hi, I'm Luke! — he says, standing up and extending his hand towards me. I smile back and try to smile as he smiles back.— Hi Luke, I'm Noah!— He's my son, Noah!— Veronica, have you seen Andrew? I woke up and he was gone...— He left early in the morning, accompanying my husband, in order to find out something about a young man you are looking for...— It's my brother, he was with us...— When did you have an accident? — She asks, but I don't remember saying that, maybe it was Andrew who told that.— Yeah.I answer and sit at the table next to Veronica and Luke, and enjoy the pancakes with strawberry jam. After having my coffee, we go to the living room, just the two of us.— Come on
NOAHWhen I open my eyes and around me I see the crystalline waters of Lagoa de Pedra. I squeeze Andrew's hand who still has his eyes closed.— Open your eyes, we're back, Andrew! — when she hears my voice, she does what I say.— Good, I think we can look for Balck now!— I think we'd better head to the territory, there we'll ask Duric's help to find Balck, I don't want to run the risk of stopping in another place, or another dimension!— I think you're exaggerating with this story of another dimension, but I have to agree with you!— Then let's go... — As soon as I speak, he takes my hand and we follow our path towards the main road that leads to the Petrified Forest.[...]When we finally see the entrance to the territory, before we can take another step, we are surprised by some soldiers who were hiding among the trees.— Stop, where are you going? — one of the soldiers asks, and I lower my hood, followed by Andrew. — Noah? Why are you here?— It's a long story! We need to talk to
NOAHWhen Duric talked about whether we had time to hear what he had to report, I already know that there are many stories, he loves to tell them. And as I expected, he always starts at the beginning since the foundation of Ascabaltt, and then goes on to talk about something like a kingdom with a huge population formed by men and women of Lycanthropic nature, divided between Alphas, Omegas and Betas.A Kingdom divided into four large State Cities, the first Venas, close to one of the branches of the Alerro River that surrounds the entire extensive territory of the other State Cities, was governed by thePrince Algor, from a noble lineage of very powerful and sensitive Betas. The way he talks about Algor makes me think they once had a romance. The second, Conrai is very close to the mountains of Ascabaltt, and was ruled by Duric himself and the most distant lineage of his family, they had an incredible intelligence for war strategies.The third Royal House is to the south and is called
NOAH— He's always wanted the throne, it's the great obsession of his life! — He accused me and Algor of having taken the lives of Moriam and Sattir, and since Killian was in meditation, we had no one to help us!— My mother also suspects him to this day!— Because she was married to him, and lived with her father's dark side.— Too bad he has the alibi of being on a drunken night with Guilhermo! — Andrew exclaims.— Like this? If he always said he was on an expedition to Volcann...— He never said that to my mother, he always said that he was drinking with Guilhermo in a tavern!— Can we use that against him?— I don't think that information is worth much today, after all, twenty years have passed and he can claim so much, besides him being the King and not allowing a new investigation to be opened against him!— Ah... We forgot to tell, someone appeared claiming to be the Lost Prince...— What? At whose behest?— We do not know! Andrew replies.— That sounds like the sort of thing W
NOAH— If you are brought before the Council, you may be put to the test and given the choice between staying with me or abdicating the throne!— What? What's the idea, Andrew?— But it's true, Noah! — I don't feel good about this situation, I...— So, you want to break up, is that it? — This is what you want? — I ask, and my heart beats wildly, I feel my eyes teary. — You seem to have forgotten that we are predestined...— I haven't forgotten that we're predestined, and I don't want to break up, but I can't look at you and not remember all the harm my father did to you, you know?— I know it's not easy, but I don't look at you and see the son of the man who hurt my family, I see the man I love, my fated mate![...]A few days passed, and the situation remained the same, even after the conversation we had. Andrew still thinks he doesn't deserve to be by my side because of everything his father did, and because he thinks that the people of Ascabaltt will punish him for it, and they won
NOAHThis is wrong!This is wrong!This is wrong!That phrase has been playing around in my head for days, and the memories of that night are so fresh. I remember every detail, but I blame myself for it, after all it is the most absurd thing that has ever happened in my life, Andrew is my cousin, and maybe if I really felt something for him, this would not be allowed according to the laws of Ascabaltt, not that I'm really interested, which would be absurd. I shouldn't feel this way. That kiss wasn't supposed to leave me like this, and it left me extremely disturbed, I haven't been able to sleep very well. No, I didn't feel that way about Andrew, or did I really?I've never felt this way about anyone, it's just too weird. The few times I've been in a relationship with someone, I've never felt as lost as I am right now, what's going on? Why does my mind remind me of the damn kiss every time I think of something that reminds me of him? There are so many questions, and I don't have answer
NOAH— Noah, Noah! — Balck screams desperately as I raise my sword in the air, before counterattacking my opponent. — Noah, your mother is looking for you!— Balck, I can't now! — I answer and continue my fight. — Can't you see I'm in training!— Your mother is coming here...— What? Why didn't you stop her? — I answer, I stop my training, put the sword in my scabbard, and face Balck.— As if there's a way to stop your mother, please, you know there isn't!—I hurry through the large courtyard until I reach one of the entrances that leads to the entrance hall of the palace.— Andrew is at the palace!— What? Who called you?Whenever I think about having any contact with my cousin, my stomach hurts. Andrew is an Alpha Lupus, annoying, arrogant, and thinks the world revolves around him. Since we're kids, there's not been a minute of peace between us, he's always up to something to piss me off, take my peace.— He came to the ball!— But there's a week left for that to happen...— But his
ANDREW — Well, well... It's not that he believed, and followed his uncle's ghost! — the damned Direl manifests himself, and soon afterwards he lets out a great laugh, which echoes throughout the place. — I figured you'd follow your uncle, you're as predictable as your father!The mention of my father makes my blood boil. I stare at Direl with great anger remembering everything that happened.— Who are you to talk about my father? After all, you helped him create this chaos.— Yes, I helped because I took his word for it, that Sattir would be mine, but your father broke his word, in fact Alexander never had a word!— Why did you draw me here? — I ask and observe the place around me, dirty, many cages, and one of them is open.— Very simple, I'll lock you up!The cynical smile on his face is annoying, he walks back and forth, but before he does anything I smell a very familiar smell, and I hear a familiar voice coming from behind me.— You are not going to lock anyone in this cage, you
NOAHLast night's dream doesn't leave my head, I seem to be in an eternal temporal loop. What was it really about? It seemed to be a time that never existed, but that could exist if nothing bad had happened to me, and to my biological parents, and consequently to my adoptive parents. A reality I can never experience. I feel something strange since leaving Andrew's mother's house, Hannah made me agree with the idea that I should wait, I believe she knows something else that I don't, when she told me that, I had the same feeling as Duric passed it to me, they know something, they know Killian's whereabouts, and they know what weapon he's looking for.If I'm going to be the King of Ascabaltt, why are they hiding so much information from me? I know that sometimes I'm very stubborn, and even arrogant in thinking I can beat something, or someone, but everything they hide from me is related to my past, and possibly the future. So, there's no reason to hide anything from me, that's not fair t
NOAH— You must be looking for my son, am I right? — she asks, I shake my head. — I think you better come in, we have a lot to talk about!Hearing this my heart races, I feel that something is wrong, that something has happened to Andrew. She invites us into the house, pushes the door aside and lets us in. I go in, followed by my brother and brother-in-law. The room is not very large, there are some paintings of flowers and landscapes on the wall, a large wooden table with many seats, in the corner of the room by the window.— Feel free! — she says, goes through the door next to the table, and then returns with a tray, with a china vase and some glasses of the same material. — Here's fresh water for you to drink, I think you walked a long way to get here.— Yeah. — I answer, put my backpack on the floor, in the corner of the door, and then sit at the table, take a glass and pour water into it. — You said we have a lot to talk about, does that mean Andrew? Did something happen to him?
NOAHI observe everything carefully to assess the environment around me, I feel frustrated and tired, there is no way I can fight, they are small, but there are many of them, by the heaps. I try to concentrate, like I did at Catarina's, I try to get the power out of me, but it seems impossible, I feel exhausted. Desperation starts to take over my mind as all attempts to get the power out fail. Maybe it's because I'm so tired, I don't know, what's the point of having something like that if it doesn't work when I need it? When I use too much I get weak, and when I'm too tired, it doesn't show up? I'm on my own and alone. With no apparent alternative, I take off running into the forest, tripping over my own feet on the way. Branches scrape my arms and legs, slicing my face as I desperately try to brush them away. I scream for help, I call my brother and brother-in-law's name, but the monsters scream louder and louder as they chase me. I dare to look back if I see them running so fast the
NOAH— What if he isn't on Volcann, what if this is one of Direl's grand schemes to lure you in, and trap you? — Yan asks as we walk between the trees of the forest that gives access to the bridge that connects the petrified area of the territory to Volcann.— I don't know Noah, I don't want to be pessimistic, but what if it doesn't work out? Or we don't find it, what will we do?— Oh, shut up, my God! I heard something, shhh!I look around.— What's it?— No, shhhh!— What's it?— I don't know, I think it came from there! — Balck says and points to a dark cavern just a few meters to our right. —There's something there.— What? I ask, approaching the cave.— Calm down, not so fast! — Yan holds me by the arm.— Stay there, I'll look! — Balck says.— Be careful! Yan replies.Balck walks towards the cave, slowly. He stops beside the entrance, half-hides himself in a mound of crowded leaves, and carefully cranes his neck inward. Yan and I watched in silence.— I think I made a mistake, I
NOAHThe days drag on and I still have no news of Andrew's whereabouts. After that dream, I have other dreams, and I feel like he uses them to communicate with me. Today's training makes me a little tired, restless, until I see Balck from afar, and his expression doesn't look very good, he makes a sign with his hand, for me to go to him. I walk quickly, my heart beating faster than normal, I approach.— What's? Any news from… — he doesn't let me finish.— Yes, I have news from him. Can we get out of here?We leave the training site. We walked towards Balck's house, which is close to where we were. He opens the door, I go in, drag a chair, and sit at the table, while my brother does the same.— So what's new?— The soldiers have returned, and they tell Duric that there is none of the former royal family in the palace of Venas...— What do you mean, there's no one? Is the palace empty?— It's not empty, it's been occupied by a new crop of nobles who seem to support the new King...— But
NOAHHe looks at me intently, lowers his head, then opens his mouth and says something.— Okay, I'll get it for you!— Look for him?— Yeah.— No, I want you to help me look for him!— What? Got mad? You know you can't leave here, Direl is looking for you...— I can't stay here waiting to find out what really happened to him, I can't wait, I want to see him, I need to do this!— Noah, don't be stubborn, you know you can't!I end my discussion with Balck as I know it will get me nowhere. I miss you, I know it may seem stubborn, and reckless, but I need to do something to find you.[...]It rains outside. The rain doesn't seem to want to stop, but along with it, I smell a very familiar smell, which puts me on alert. Andrew is here? How can you be here in this rain? I look around me, and I don't see him in any room in my house, my heart beats wildly, I need to find my love. I open the door, run, following his scent, which is stronger, more intense. The rain keeps falling, but that doesn'