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125. Defeated
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 126. Teleport
Callista.The next morning, I wake up in the Birdhouse feeling fresh as a flower. No fatigue from the party last night, no feeling like I should roll over and never leave my precious sleeping spot.Instead, I feel as perky as a baby griffin, ready to start my day.And the rest of my life.The party had gone on and on, and by the end of it we were all too lazy to go back to our respective rooms, so we decided to crash in Ophelia’s room in the Birdhouse on some spare sleeping bags the residents had stashed just for moments like these.Last night I’d forgotten that the room had not been protected against nightmares like my own. But in the end, it does not matter.Because I don't have any nightmares. I sleep like a kitten on that bedroll, flanked by Do Hyun, Mariz, and Leita, right there on the wooden floor of Ophelia’s room.After I stretch the remnants of sleep away, I walk towards the window and look outside.The storm has subsided, and the morning sun gleams on the fresh-looking leave
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 127. Shock
Theon.The first time Valencia kissed me, I was shocked to my core. It had been years after she'd left my pack, but her lips were still familiar.And just as unwelcome.I got over my shock pretty quickly and shoved her back, my heart racing in my chest. Then, I’d immediately looked around to make sure that no one had seen us before tearing into her."What the hell are you doing?" I'd screamed at her, wiping my lips furiously. The kiss, however brief it was, felt so wrong.Just like it was when I kissed Ruelle before. The only person whose kiss felt right was Callista, and I had no intention of doing that with anyone else but her.Valencia had looked confused. "But Theon," she'd protested. “We’re both mateless now. We’re free! Our mates are dead so we can finally be together. There's no one to stop us!""Valencia, I don't know how your relationship was with your mate," I let my anger show on my face because I didn't like her thinking one bit.I'd thought she'd gotten over this by now.
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 128. Betrayal
Callista.For a moment, all I can do is to gape at them.This is the last thing I expected to see upon my arrival at the castle, and the only thing I feel is betrayal.And confusion. But mostly betrayal."What the hell?" I exclaim, because what the actual hell are they doing?"Callista, I can explain-" Theon roughly shoves a dazed-looking Valencia off him and strides towards me, but I take a few steps back, as if by instinct. I stare at his face, noticing how distressed he is. His expression is the personification of regret, complimented by the deep furrow of his eyebrows, the hurt in his eyes, and his open mouth.But all I can focus on are his lips, which are red and shiny from the kiss.The same lips that kissed me before he let me in the Guild. "Really?" I say, in a tone that borders hysterical. "Because I'd love to hear it."Just then, I hear footsteps coming towards us, followed by Haden’s screams."Alpha!" He yells, before even turning the corner. "The barrier was breached! Som
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 129. Explain
Callista.My heart lurches to my throat, and I gulp, schooling my expression so I won’t show what I’m really feeling. Then, I go to the door and open before I can start doubting myself again.Theon stares at me as I stare at him, looking into each other's eyes. He opens his mouth, then closes it. He bites the inside of his lip."You look well," finally, he says. It’s disconcerting to hear him be so meek."I feel well," I reply, maintaining the calm. "I'm completely healed. No more episodes when it starts to rain."We're hedging, I know that. It takes me such an effort to restrain myself from demanding an explanation for what I saw downstairs."That's great. That's more than great," he nods furiously as if he was a bobbing head.Suddenly, everything feels too much. I don't want to tiptoe around the incident anymore. I need answers."What was that with Valencia in the hallway?" I ask."I didn't kiss her!" He blurts out as if he had been waiting to say that. "But it's not the first time
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 130. Wrecked
Callista."Yeah?" I croak. My voice sounds wrecked, and I hope she doesn’t look too closely into it.Theon shakes his head at me, eyes wide. I remember everything he told me about her, and I make a healthy guess. I nod at him, and he visibly deflates in relief.We jump out of the bed and straighten our clothes. I comb my fingers through the mess of my hair, trying to make it look a bit more acceptable. Theon does the same, rubbing at his lips to wipe away any moisture. "May I come in?" Valencia asks, her voice toned down and defeated. After I feel like we look decent enough, I reply. "Yeah, sure, come on in."Hesitantly, she opens the door. Upon seeing Theon, who looks pretty intimidating at the moment, she backtracks."I can come back later," she mutters, but I cut in.“No, it's fine, Theon was just checking in," I send Theon a look.I need to talk with her. She is clearly not in a good place, and I feel sorry for her. Just days ago, I was the same. And even though she'd come on
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 131. Rise
Callista.I meet Valencia as the sun begins to rise. She waits for me in the training area with two wooden swords in hand, idly swirling them."I hope you remember the last things I taught you," she says, and I feel myself blush. With everything that has transpired, I'd totally forgotten all my sword lessons."Um," I try to find words. "I guess?"Valencia shakes her head. "Well, why don't we spar and find out how much you remember, huh?""Sure," I reply.We take the swords and get into position. I feel a tingle run through my body starting from my ring. I glance at it, trying to see if it's glowing, but it's not. Why was I feeling the tingle then? Perhaps it's adrenaline."Get ready!" Valencia yells and lunges.Now, I had forgotten everything. My mind is clear of any sword art techniques, and I feel like an idiot. But it seems like my muscles hadn't forgotten what Valencia taught me days ago. My sword's arm moves at the speed of sound, countering her every strike. My legs and body mo
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 132. Bitch
Valencia.I can’t get it out of my head.What I saw…it cannot be. Please, don’t let it be so!Surely, I’m overthinking this. There is no way….But every time I even blink, I see the image of Callista and Theon together, strolling through the garden, smiling at each other, and talking. I try to tell myself that it's probably nothing. She just came back from the Guild, and he was asking her about her experiences. She did have quite a harrowing time. Also, he'd known her for quite a while.But I can't shake it off. When I stared at them as they strolled, I felt something wrong in my gut. And my gut I never wrong!As I step through the hallways in the castle, my mind runs back to yesterday. As soon as Theon saw her appear, he pushed me away. He had done it before too, but this time, he'd done it when he saw her.And she'd looked shocked. And hurt. Why did she look hurt?In my room, I throw my sword on my bed and sit down next to it, dragging my fingers through my hair. What did it mean? W
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 133. Gamma
Callista."Hey, Callista!" Haden's voice comes, and I see the man himself approaching me, carrying a heavy looking cardboard box. "What are you up to?""Oh, nothing," I comment, falling into a lazy walk beside him. "I'm just going to my room to get something."I'd taken my breakfast trays back to the kitchen so as not to bother the maids, and in my haste, I'd forgotten my ring. I only noticed that after I'd opened the door to go into the kitchen. It felt wrong not to have my ring on me. The crystal piece of jewelry had grown on me in such a short time. I feel almost naked when I don’t wear it."Oh, good, I'm going the same way. I need to deliver these to the guards near Elias's room.""How is Elias, by the way?" I ask and immediately regret it when Haden sighs sadly."He gets worse by the day," he says. "He's gotten to the point that he bites his own hide just to release the bloodlust he feels, and we don't have a way to treat his wounds. It sucks, to watch your friend turn to that. I
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Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 145. Kill
Theon.Barely concealing my mounting anger, I follow Valencia.I didn't know why she was so snappish at Callista before, but I'd chalked that up to her having her own issues to deal with. Perhaps she got a troubling message from her pack. Perhaps her father was calling her back to the Galdine pack to carry on with her duties.The only reason I asked for a sparring session was to show her that she had a lot to teach Callista still. Callista absolutely obliterating her in the duel was something I did not expect. I knew Callista had a natural talent for swordsmanship, but the way she moved today was similar to that of a pro. She defeated Valencia in record time, and she did that while using a real sword for the first time. That was almost unheard of, and I still wonder how she did that without even injuring herself.I saw the way Valencia fought with Callista, and I noticed how towards the end Valencia aimed at her gut.I watched with fear as the sharp sword tip neared my mate's abdomen
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 144. Learned
Callista.I can't believe what I'm hearing."Really?" I ask, confused.I don't think I'm as good as she is as a fighter yet. Maybe her tiredness was making her see things that aren't necessarily true. Also, this whole thing just lands out of nowhere.Just yesterday she told me that I need to adjust my form a bit more because I was a little wobbly on my right leg still."Because I don't feel like I'm that good yet.""Trust me, you are," Valencia replies in an offhanded way. "Besides, you must have more important things to do than waste the morning with me. I mean, you should be close to finishing with your GED now. You should pay more attention to those."I notice that her voice becomes sharper as she spits out the last part, and the expression on her face is strange. It looks almost like she is angry about something.Just as I open my mouth to ask Valencia what was really troubling her, Theon walks up to us, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his overcoat."I heard some of your dis
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 143. Stop
Callista.I wake up in my own bed in the morning, and for a brief second, I wonder how I ended up here. But then I remember how I was afraid that someone would catch me and Theon in bed together, and how I'd snuck out of his room in the middle of the night, dressed in my wrinkled clothes. The very memory of the last night makes me blush and grin like an idiot. It had been so amazing.I still can't believe it happened, that Theon and I finally made love.I know that it had only been a few months since we even met, but werewolf relationships progressed much faster than humans. Most of the time, those who found that were mates carried on with mating just days after.Theon and I haven’t mated yet because it still wasn't the right time for us. I know this, and so does he, and we were fine with waiting. We still had a lot of problems, and mating with each other was the last thing we ought to do right now. Honestly, sleeping together was also the last thing we should be doing.But last nigh
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 142. Bashful
Theon.My heart races in my chest as I guide Callista to my room. My room is just two doors away from my office, so it doesn't take long. We sneak in, glancing around to see if there was anyone watching us."No one's there," Callista whispers. "It's near lights out time, so all the servants are in their quarters.""Better be safe," I reply. "I don't want anyone to know it just yet.""Me too," Callista agrees.As soon as I close the door behind me, Callista slams me into the door. I'm a little surprised by her eagerness, although I wonder why I am. Callista is confident in almost all aspects of her life, so why shouldn't she be the same with sex?Her energy excites me in return, and I feel myself harden in my pants. I twirl us around and push her against the door, kissing a line down her neck to the collarbone. Kissing her neck is addictive, as she reacts deliciously to every sensation. I can't get enough of the sounds she makes.I grind my pelvis on her thigh, letting her feel the har
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 141. Kiss
Callista.We forget the crashed chandelier. We forget about the glass-embedded muffins. We forget the castle, the pack, and the staff. We forget everything except for ourselves. Because at that moment, we are the ones that only matter. Here in this room, warmed by the lit fireplace, surrounded by his wonderful scent that seems so intense, we are the world itself. Our souls sing for each other, and we dance to their song.We kiss and kiss, not wanting to stop. It’s always like this with him. His lips glide over mine, languid and warm, equally soft and equally firm. He's such a passionate kisser, and I can't help but sigh into his mouth. His hands take my waist, and I marvel at how his hands just feel so right. I let my own arms wound around his neck, and I use them to raise on my tip toes so I can feel him more."I know that you're still unsure," I tell him. "So please, don't feel pressured...""I'm not unsure about this, Callista," Theon replies. "You're my mate. You're my intended."
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 140. Deserve
Callista."You know what, I’m going to call the Headmistress and ask her if invisible people are a part of the supernatural world," I inform Theon as we sit in his office, once again sharing drinks. Him a glass of whiskey, and me a glass of ginger ale. "Because at this point, that's the only explanation I have for this whole thing. How can anyone be clever enough to erase their traces so well?”As I'd thought, we'd found nothing. The camera hadn't caught a single suspicious activity, not even someone loitering next to my door. There were the usual appearances of me and Haden, Valencia, and Kellin, the maids, butlers, and guards. And all of them went on in their own businesses."I don't know," Theon sighs. "At this point, maybe you should. Maybe we got the damned invisible man haunting the halls of the castle.""Or a ghost," I suggest. "Can ghosts hold things though? I've always believed their translucent hands sort of went through physical stuff. Does this castle have ghosts, Theon?"
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 139. Safe
Callista."Whoever they were, they didn't want to kill you," Theon says.He holds the bags of muffins in his hands, squinting at the torn up, vandalized particles of food within. We sit on either end of my bed, and the doors are locked, and the curtains drawn. Two guards are placed outside the door, because Theon was not going to take any chances. Theon’s still sweaty from running all the way from the university to the castle. I cannot help but feel relieved knowing he was taking this so seriously."I gathered that," I say in a meek tone, feeling weary to my very soul from it all. "There's no way I would've swalLeanderd that big of a glass shard.""And this handwriting is so different from mine," he taps the note. "I don't write this clearly. My handwriting is basically scrawling. Also, the signature is visibly forged. I don't have so much finesse when drawing out the 'T' of my name.""I wasn't thinking when I saw it," I confess sheepishly. "I just saw the note and naively thought i
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 138. Bag
Callista.Cautiously, I approach the bag. There had been far too many weird things happening lately that my paranoia acts on overdrive, and I won’t be taking chances with something so suspicious.As I get close, I nice, buttery scent wafting from it, and marginally relax. Pinned to the bag there is a note."Hey, I'm sorry I couldn't help you with the move. Consider these compensations until I get back :)"The note is signed by Theon.I smile. I've never seen his handwriting before, and I'm awed at how neat it looks.I open the brown paper bag to find three muffins inside. I love muffins, and my heart warms because Theon managed to find that out!They are warm, fresh from the oven, and I don’t hesitate before taking a bite.That's when I feel excruciating pain in my mouth, along with the taste of blood. As soon as I taste blood, I spit the bite of the muffin to the ground.A bloody glob smears the plush rug, and for a brief moment, I feel pity for whoever will clean the thing.That’s
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 137. Reputation
Callista."I won’t lie, Callista, but this won’t do your reputation any favors," Haden ribs me as we carry boxes from my room.It is the morning, two days after the accident, and I’ve already finished with my swords practice. Valencia goes easy on me and lets me off early due to the 'accident', which I was still bummed about.I’ve got two hours before class, so I thought that I might as well use the time to pack up my things to move.After the incident, the very thought of being alone in the tower with only a bunch of guards and a manic wolf was not soothing. I barely slept the last two nights because the smallest sound woke me up. Elias’s howls, which I'd gotten used to were suddenly scary to me once again.So, when I woke up this morning, I knew my time in the tower was done. I had to take Theon up in his offer.I really didn't expect Theon to make the offer to move in next to him, and when he did, I was ecstatic with joy. It felt like a significant step in our relationship.I mean,
