Chapter 4

Ella's POV

My heart pounded as the man got closer and lowered his body to pick up the shirt I dropped on the ground.

I had panicked so much that I had unconsciously thrown the shirt away, before I went into the river.

I silently kept watching the man's movements from the water.

I couldn't see his face clearly because the refractive light reflecting off the surface of the water interfered with my vision. However, my eyes could catch his tall burly body, and his firm jaw.

His hair was black and allowed to grow until it covered part of his nape. The man looked handsome with everything he had, even though I couldn't clearly see what his face looked like.

He paused for a moment where he stood, looking around while clutching the shirt in his right hand. Then, he stepped away.

When the man had completely disappeared from sight, I hurriedly got out of the water. My breath was almost gone and I quickly sucked in as much air as I could to fill my lungs.

"Ahh ... that was close," I muttered which was immediately answered by Alice with her disappointed words.

"We shouldn't have hidden earlier, Ella. We should have gone after him and gotten him." Alice grumbled in annoyance.

I shrugged lightly. "We'll definitely meet him again, Alice. Now is not the time to show ourselves to him. The Moon Goddess will surely bring us together again. I hope so."

Alice gave up on arguing with me, and she chose to sleep. I sat down on a boulder, letting my body be buffeted by the wind that made my skin become half-dry.

I've had my fill, now all I need is clothes.

I could have worn the clothes earlier, but they were taken by the owner.

I racked my brain to think. Finally, I decided to approach one of the nearby houses.

The house was deserted, with no one inside. I targeted the clothesline and managed to get my hands on a pair of flower-printed trousers, and a short-sleeved white shirt. Well, it wasn't any worse than me wandering around in just my underwear.

I returned to the hut, grateful that there were no other werewolves here.

I don't know where to go now, my only destination is home. But, going home now is not a good idea.

I was still afraid of seeing my stepfather, and still reluctant to meet my mother and Harmony. Hatred instantly filled me at the thought of them.

I sat curled up for a long time inside the hut. There was nothing I could really do now but sit and sigh repeatedly.

Alice didn't want to talk to me, so I could only remain silent and chose to sleep instead.

Time went by so fast, by the time I woke up it was already dark. It's a full moon night. I rubbed my eyes and heard howling in the distance. It looks like rogue wolves.

I stood up as I realized my surroundings were very dark. The candle that accompanied me yesterday is now gone.

Just as I was about to take a step, I was startled by the arrival of another werewolf at the door of the hut. I could tell it was rogue wolves who were starving. Werewolves have keen senses and can use them well, even at night.

I took a step back, trying not to make any noise.

The rogue wolves seemed to have scented my presence. He roared and lumbered closer, sniffing around.

I almost screamed, but I hurriedly covered my mouth with my hand.

What should I do now? I won't be able to fight the rogue wolves with my bare hands, my abilities are no match for him.

I just got my first shift last month, right on my seventeenth birthday. And during that time I didn't train my wolf to the fullest.

"Get the hell out of here!"

The fierce growling voice and the flash of light from the small lamp startled me.

I widened my eyes. Other werewolves had come and fought the rogue wolves. They were clawing at each other, biting each other. And the scent of blood and the all-too-familiar scent of mint filled my surroundings.

Alice woke up to find that the minty scent she craved so much was there again.

"There he is, Ella. Our partner. He came to save us." Alice said.

But, a doubt arose in me. Did that man know I was here and came to save me? Or was he targeting rogue wolves and accidentally came here?

"Are you Lunarflare?" the man asked, breathing heavily.

I nodded. For a moment I realized he must have had trouble seeing my nod because of the darkness, so I decided to answer him out loud.

"Yes, I'm Lunarflare."

Lunarflare was one of those advantages that other werewolves rarely had.

I'm lucky to be a Lunarflare because I can heal other injured werewolves. I once tried this power on Black when he was training and got injured by his seniors. The wound wasn't too bad and managed to heal quickly after I touched him. Unfortunately, I can't do that to myself. To heal my own wounds, I need to shift until I recover.

"Alright. I'll need you after this."

His voice was so husky and determined, which somehow awakened something in me that had long been dormant. I felt passion coursing through my blood.

The man managed to knock out the lifeless rogue wolves. The small lamp that he had placed on the floor, he picked up to serve as lighting as he stepped towards me. Slowly, he became human. Completely.

"Can you heal me now?" he asked once he was standing right in front of me.

I could now clearly see my destined partner. I was mesmerized by his good looks.

His eyes were amber-colored with golden hues surrounding his luminous irises. His thick, dark eyebrows emphasized his handsome face. Then, the thin fur that adorned his strong chin made him the most handsome werewolf I had ever seen. I couldn't even blink when I looked at him.

"Hey! I asked you a question. Can you heal me now?"

I realized and blinked rapidly, like a fool I couldn't answer and instead stammered. "Y—yes. I—I can."

"Thank goodness." He let out a sigh of relief. He then took off his clothes and by the Moon Goddess, his body was very good. Although, there were many scars, but it did not cover the beauty of his muscular body. Then, my gaze was drawn to the gaping wound on his right chest. There were three scratches there and they were quite deep.

"What's your name?"

I answered in embarrassment. I felt a burning sensation on my face and I'm sure by now my face must be as red as a tomato. But, I'm grateful that the darkness camouflaged it a bit so I don't have to worry about it. "My name is Ella Felicity Lunarflare."

"You have a nice name," he complimented, sounding sincere. He paused for a moment, then spoke again. "Aren't you the one at the river?"

"What? Did you see me?" I asked back frantically.

Oh no, my life is going to end now because of embarrassment. Does he know that I sniffed his shirt too? I look like a perverted girl. That's not me at all!

He grinned "You're so cute. I saw everything you did at the river. Do you like my scent?"

He brought his face closer until we were very close. So close that I could feel his warm breath on my face. He then smiled slightly.

"I love your sweet scent too, Ella."

No! This is so bad for my heart!