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22. Mistake
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Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 23. My Ally
Callista.I look at my face in the mirror, hours after the assault, and realize that yeah, I do look as horrible as I feel.My face is swollen with purple bruises, and my eye which got hit was blackened. My eyes are tinged with red from all that crying, and my white t-shirt is white no longer. I look like I’d gone a few rounds in a boxing ring and lost the fight at the end.I have no one but myself to blame for this whole thing. If only I had controlled my temper and not fallen into Ruelle’s ploy... A knock comes from my door, and boy, I’ve had enough human interaction for the day.“Go away,” I reply petulantly, cringing at how wounded my voice sounds. Ugh, it’s going to take a while for me to heal, given how I was still wolfless.“Yeah, not doing that.” The friendly guard says as he opens the door. I turn to him, only to see him holding a Ziploc bag in one hand and my dinner in the other. I didn’t even realize it was nighttime already, and I don’t particularly feel hungry, but the
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 24. Meeting
Callista.“Ruelle,” I greet her, vowing to be on my best behavior this time although the very sight of her makes my blood boil. The last thing I want is to associate with her in any way, seriously, can’t she leave me alone?Not to mention what she said about meeting my actual mate. A sense of foreboding settles in me once again, and I force myself to be calm and collected rather than panicking.“Hello, Callista, don’t you look nice?” She gives me such a sunny fake smile that I feel like gagging, “How’s the eye?”“Perfect, how’s the nose?” I retort. The guards around us are watching us like an interesting football match.Her smile doesn’t reach her eyes, “Healed the same day. You know, because I’m a full werewolf.”Ouch. I walked right into that one, I need to do better.“So, what’s on the itinerary today?” I ask in a cheerful tone. “What’s this about my actual mate then? Ready to give up your ruse, finally?”Instead of denying anything, Ruelle gives me a shark’s grin, “Theon’s Beta to
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 25. Hospital
Theon.She’s in the hospital, having lost too much blood. As a result, her healing had slowed down, so we had no choice but to take her to meet the head doctor of the Rexellen Hospital. As werewolves, we rarely ever visit hospitals, as our natural healing factor takes care of most of our scrapes and sicknesses before they can become problematic. When a wolf goes to a hospital, it could mean only one thing. They’d caught an unnatural sickness, had a mental ailment, or had been grievously injured.More often than not, the case is the latter.“She’s going to be okay.” Says Dr. Haeger, “At first, she was in a critical condition, and her body had slowed down healing to keep her alive But her natural healing accelerated as soon as we did a blood transfusion. She’d passed out from the mixture of blood loss, pain, and shock, I believe. She might possibly have a brain concussion, albeit a mild one. Other than that, Ruelle is steady and out of the danger zone for now.”“What about the stealer?”
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 26. Doubt
Theon.Dr. Haeger sighs after thinking for a moment about the question.“Perhaps a historian can give a better answer than I can, Alpha. They are quite knowledgeable in the subject after all. But with my limited knowledge, I wish I could give you the right answer to that question, Theon, but the records we have about stealers are so biased that I do not know what to believe most of the time. As far as I know, that theory is still up to debate. There is a distinct lack of research on stealer biology. There is no way to even hear rumors as we haven’t had a stealer come around in a while. The last known stealer lived about 200 years ago if I’m correct, and the wolves then didn’t care enough to record such information about them. Yes, the stealer can mate with a widowed wolf. But can she cure a rogue one?”I curse myself for lacking that insight in the beginning.“I don’t think your plan is going to work, Theon. It’s not possible to heal a wolf going rogue.” Dr. Haeger’s words ring in my
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 27. Idiot
Ruelle.Theon is not an idiot.By now I’ve realized that much. While he did believe I was his mate, he had his suspicions about Callista too. The only thing that kept him from actually believing a word that came from Callista was that he did not want her to be his mate. He even doubted his supposed knowledge about the stealer when it came to her. I suppose that was a perk of trying to be the mate of a King. Thank the Goddess for that.I mean, how can he ever pursue her? She is the stealer. He is the Alpha King of all of the Lycan Kingdom of North America. His very blood demanded respect, and he would do nothing to jeopardize the standing of his family. Callista and Theon is the most absurd combination to ever exist. Imagine how the masses under him would react if they thought the stealer of all people is his mate? They wouldn’t even care for the sacredness of the mate bond or whatever, they would only believe that the stealer is manipulating him with her abilities.No, I am the safer
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 28. Dark
Callista.I've got to stop passing out all the time.Really, I am so tired of waking up in places that I had no idea of getting into. This time, I find myself bound to a dark, stone wall with manacles and chains. With the dim light that illuminates my surroundings, I can see bars in front of me. I’m groggy and my whole body aches, but as soon as the bars register in my mind, my whole body tenses. An awful sense of déjà vu washes through me.A jail cell. Was I in a jail cell again? Why?What the actual hell? What did I do this time? If my memory serves me correctly, I was just about to die on the hands of a maniacal werewolf before I lost consciousness and I was trying to save that asshole sister of mine. And knowing Ruelle, she has got to have a hand with this. I never knew my sister was this vicious before, but now that I do, I wouldn’t put it past her to spin some story to Theon that would make me sound awful and land me in jail yet again.Unlike the last time, when I had been terri
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 29. Torture
Callista.When J comes for me, I am in so much pain. The numbness from the first time had long gone, and I’d passed out and come back to consciousness a few times. Whenever I passed out, I was given a reprieve but when my traitorous body decided to wake up, I was shown a preview of hell again.In the past unforgettable several hours, I’ve been physically assaulted, whipped, beaten with batons, and waterboarded. That last one made me think I would really die, thankfully it hadn’t gone for long. I had a feeling I was going to be really careful around water for a long while to come. If I thought breathing was a labor before, now it feels like torture itself.When J comes, I’ve been moved to another room and strapped into a chair from my wrists and ankles. I feel like every bone in my body has been broken, and a keening voice, filled with whimpers and pathetic moans leaves my lips, accompanied occasionally by a dribble of blood. The dungeon master is in the process of binding my eyes when
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 30. Apology
Callista.How could Theon have let this happen to me?I’ve been pondering that question since I woke up in the infirmary and am no closer to finding an answer than I did before. It is far too devastating just to be a misunderstanding.Later, I am laid on a crisp infirmary bed after being treated and bandaged, dressed in a loose hospital gown. I feel like a mummy, wrapped from head to toe. Dr. Harris had told me that I didn’t have any internal bleeding, fortunately. The dungeon master hadn’t damaged me that bad, despite all the blood.Like, he hadn’t done anything that would take a long while to heal. He’d hurt me plenty.But he’d done enough. I was once again bed-bound, and in my state, I’m going to take at least a month to fully recover. I’ve got four broken ribs, a sprained wrist, a full-blown concussion which had thankfully already healed into a mild concussion, and a whole lot of cuts and bruises. My whole back had been sewn up.I feel like a soldier who’d gone to war.The infirma
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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,
