Alisha's POVI turned back, looking at Taria, and asked, "Is there anything else?"She took a deep breath, seemingly struggling with something. Then she looked sharply at me. "Do you know about the prophecy concerning Louie?"I shrugged and calmly replied, "If you are referring to the one that he was unable to find his mate, then my answer is yes. He has spoken to me about it. So, there is no need to use that reason to prevent us from being together. Honestly, I don't think whether we are destined as mates matters much now."Archie and I were mates, and although we discovered it too late, our marriage still ended in failure. It proved that being mates wasn't a panacea for a happy marriage. "If there is nothing else, I should go. In case Louie wakes up, I need to be there for him." I opened to door and prepare to leave.Taria continued to gaze at me and said, "Didn't you ask me why I dislike you? I can tell you the answer, but you have to promise me that our conversation will never be
Alisha's POVWhen I heard the word "fiancée," my face instantly reddened.Taria bypassed me and quickly went to Louie, hurriedly pulling him to sit on the couch, then said to Louie, "Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere? I have been worried about you. I didn't expect you would step in for her...""Mom, Alisha is my fiancée. No matter what happens, I will protect her," Louie interjected."Louie! You!" Taria exclaimed."Mom, I just heard what you said outside. I know you meant to protect me, but I want to choose my own path. If it's Alisha, then no matter the risks ahead, I am willing to face them with her. Protecting her has become my instinct," Louie explained softly."No, you can't!" Taria hugged Louie tightly, shaking her head desperately.Louie gently held her back, then whispered to her, "Forgive me for this stubbornness. I truly love Alisha, and I want to be with her no matter what. Please, agree with me this time, mom.""Louie, how can you say such words? Are you going to make
Alisha's POVUpon hearing Louie's words, I felt frozen in place. I stared at him dumbfounded, hardly believing that it was him who confidently lied in front of his mother, Taria.I was so shocked that I couldn't even gather myself to refute his absurd claims. Taria was equally surprised and coughed even more vigorously.Louie, the perpetrator of all this chaos, remained unusually calm. He calmly retrieved tissues from the table, then gently helped Taria dry her wet clothes caused by the water spray. He even gently patted her back to ease her breathing. While patting, Louie continued to embellish the lie, "I didn't plan to tell you this, Mom, because Alisha is terribly shy and didn't want me to disclose it..."Taria heard this and coughed even more violently. Meanwhile, I widened my eyes, watching Louie incredulously. I couldn't believe he dare continue lying. Not only did he fail to correct the previous mistake, but he intensified the rumors. I finally reacted and started to deny, "Th
Alisha's POV"Nova, what are you talking about!" I complained, blushing."Hey, sexual life is also an important factor for marital happiness! In case Louie is..." Nova didn’t finish her words, but raised an eyebrow, looking at me with a suggestive smile.I got her meaning immediately, and then grabbed a pillow from the sofa and covered Nova's face. "Stop talking about it!""Alright, alright! No more of that topic." Nova raised her hands in surrender, then asked me, "So, can you tell me how you decided to be with Louie? You were too brief on the phone. I want to hear the whole story.""Are you sure you want to hear it now? You just arrived at Blood Dawn, maybe you wouldd want to rest a bit. After all, the wedding is the day after tomorrow, and you might be busy without time to rest later.""Absolutely sure, tell me quickly!" Nova urged, her eyes filled with curiosity and eagerness.I sighed, "Okay, let me think where to start." So, for the entire afternoon, I slowly recounted my experi
Alisha's POVI can never forget the look Louie gave me at that moment, full of boundless love. It seemed like he knew that, by using his body to shield me from that ominous black flame, it meant a permanent farewell between us.In that brief moment, grief overwhelmed my heart. Before I could say anything, Gray swiftly arrived at our side. With a firm grip, he pulled me away from Louie, separating us completely.I understood that Gray was acting in my best interest, trying to save me from being entangled in the black flame's curse. But as I watched the black flames swiftly engulfing Louie, I couldn't help but scream in despair.His body was almost entirely covered by the flames, yet he continued to smile at me, devoid of any signs of pain or resentment, just like the first time I met him, so gentle.I immediately wanted to throw myself onto him, to extinguish the dreadful flames that could take away his life. Gray, with both arms, held me back, refusing to let me go no matter how much
Orathe's POVGray and I stood in a depression deep within the Dark Forest, gazing at the scattered white bones exposed at the bottom of the pit. In the dim night, they emitted a chilling aura. Gray remained silent, while I offered a nearly imperceptible smile at the sight of the skull."Mom, he..." Gray finally spoke, his voice a whisper."Yeah, Gray, just as I told you before you came here with me. Samuel has long turned into a pile of bones. When I found out he was the mastermind behind Alisha's kidnapping, I was so furious. I almost wanted to peel off his skin or cut him into pieces! No matter how I pressed him, he refused to tell me where he had taken Alisha, but he... he..."Recalling the pain from before, I involuntarily paused my narration, composing myself before continuing, "He even told me he had killed Alisha... it almost made me completely break down... so later..." Gray walked up to me and gently embraced me.Looking at the now tall and strong Gray, I felt a bit of relief
Archie's POVWhen I arrived at Blood Dawn, I dared not reflect on how I had spent this period. Every minute, every second, for me, was torture.Since I learned from Shuanda that Alisha was going to marry Louie, I have been in constant pain and agony. I even decided to break into Blood Dawn directly, snatch Alisha back to my side, and keep her with me forever. Other than that, I didn't know what else I could do. The pain of losing a mate filled every cell in my body.But Shuanda stopped me. She completely disagreed with my plan. "Archie, you have made mistakes in the past. You can't continue on this wrong path!""I don't care about any mistakes. As long as I can have Alisha back, no mistake matters!""No! Using force will only push Alisha further away from you! Make her more distant! Is that what you expect?"Under Shuanda's stern questioning, I couldn't find any words to say.Yes, I had hurt her before, pushed Alisha away, and she left me with hatred. Did I want to hurt her more?In a
Archie's POVUpon hearing Stephenie's words, this time my wolf, instead of waiting for me to get angry, became furious on its own.Ever since it heard Shaunda say that Alisha was going to marry Louie, it had been uncharacteristically silent. It curled up in the bay, indifferent to whatever was happening outside.But this time, Stephenie's words clearly infuriated it. It burst out of the bay on its own, manifested next to me, and roared angrily at Stephenie. Its sharp teeth gleamed, and its claws fiercely dug into the ground, leaving terrifying marks.Stephenie, startled by the sudden appearance of my wolf, screamed and retreated. My wolf even took two threatening steps forward, its expression fiercely hostile, seemingly intending to tear Stephenie apart and swallow her.Stephenie fell to the ground in fear, waving her handbag and shouting, "Get away, you monster!"I knew Stephenie always disliked me and my wolf. This wasn't the first time I heard the wo