Chapter 24
1625 Words
Naelis woke up with a sharp breath, her body jolting as her eyes flew open.
For a moment, she was extremely disoriented. Her head felt heavy, her limbs warm and weak, like she had been dragged out of deep sleep too suddenly.
The first thing she noticed was the ceiling, she frowned at the familiar ceiling.
She pushed herself up from the bed, her chest tightening as memories from earlier rushed back all at once.
She remembered being in Zoran’s room, getting f****d by him and falling asleep in his arms.
She couldn't understand how she wasn’t there but in her room instead.
She felt confused and a terrible feeling welled up in her chest. She looked around again, slower this time, as if the room might change if she stared hard enough but It didn’t.
“Why am I here?” she whispered.
Her voice sounded hoarse from all the screaming while getting f****d earlier.
She swung her legs off the bed and stood up, ignoring the slight dizziness she felt as soon as her legs touched the ground. The silence around her felt too suffocating.
There was nothing to remind her of their first time, even her clothes had been changed. Nothing made sense to her at the moment
The thought that Zoran might have regretted what happened, made her stomach sink.
She stepped into the corridor and almost ran straight into Silas.
He looked relieved when he saw her. “Naelis, you’re awake. Are you feeling better?”
Feeling better?
She is not sick, so why is Silas asking her such a question?
“Better from what?” she asked with a confused expression.
Silas frowned slightly, like he was surprised she would even ask. “You collapsed because your heat was too intense. It was the servants that brought you back.” he explained with a serious expression.
Her brows drew together and her frown deepened.
“I collapsed?” she repeated.
“Yes,” he said gently, his voice carrying a hint of worry. “You scared everyone.”
Naelis stared at him, really looked at him this time. His expression was sincere and there was no sign of lying or any reason to doubt what he was saying.
She suddenly felt a chill run down her spine as the bad feeling from earlier returned.
“Silas,” she said carefully, “do you remember who told you that I fainted?”
He opened his mouth to answer, then stopped.
His frown deepened as he was struggling to remember. “I…” He rubbed the side of his head. “I don’t know.”
Her chest tightened painfully.
“I just know you were sick,” he continued. “That’s all I remember.”
That was enough to confirm that Zoran must have used his memory tampering power again.
Anger flared in Naelis’s head, burning through the confusion. Her jaw tightened as she turned away without another word, her steps quick and sharp as she headed straight for Zoran’s room.
“Nae, where are you going?” Silas asked with a frown but Naelis didn't stop or respond to him.
He ran his hand through his hair, his head still hurting from trying to remember who had told him about Nealis's condition earlier.
Naelis’s heartbeat grew louder with every step. She suddenly felt scared as her mind played different scenarios of what must have happened.
She was about to place her hand on the scanner to open Zoran’s room door as she did earlier but was interrupted by footsteps heading her way.
A guard walked over to her and nodded respectfully “Are you looking for Elder Zoran?” he asked with a calm voice.
“Yes,” she said. “Where is he?”
“He left a few hours ago,” the guard replied. “He said to inform anyone that looks for him that he has gone on a spiritual journey with the other monks.”
The words hit her harder than she expected, she suddenly staggered and the guard had to support her or else she would have fallen down.
Her hands curled slowly at her sides. “He didn’t leave a message?”
The guard shook his head. “No.”
Something inside her cracked, her heart felt like it was being twisted by an invisible hand.
She turned away before the guard could see her expression and walked fast, her steps uneven as she made her way out of the building.
Naelis’s throat suddenly felt dried and even breathing was difficult.
She rushed to the entrance of the woods, her long red hair looked messy after being blown by the wind. Her legs felt weak, so she shifted into her wolf.
Her majestic wolf stood tall, its red fur glimmering among the green leaves and trees.
Her wolf ran into the woods with lightning speed, the only thing that could be seen was a flash of red. It kept running as it could feel Naelis’s sadness.
After running for a few minutes, Naelis shifted back to her human form, breathing hard while holding her chest.
Her body trembled as hot tears spilled without warning. A broken sob tore out of her chest as she dropped to her knees, her hands pressing into the dirt.
Her shoulders shook violently.
“Why would you do that?” she whispered, her voice cracking. “Why would you touch me, let me believe something, then leave?”
Naelis couldn't explain how she got so attached to Zoran, she only wanted to have fun with him but now, she just couldn't explain these feelings.
Her chest hurt in a deep, aching way that made it hard to breathe properly.
She felt stupid for crying but she couldn't stop the tears that kept falling, blurring her vision as she hugged herself tightly
What Naelis didn't realize was that she was being watched by a maniac, she was too absorbed in her crying to notice Lihont’s gleaming eyes behind her.
He didn't come closer or say anything, he just kept watching her like a maniac while grinning at her miserable state.
—-------
TWO HOURS EARLIER….
Zoran lay on his back, staring at the ceiling as the aftermath of what they had done settled into him.
For the first time in years, he felt calm and hopeful.
Naelis was asleep beside him, her face relaxed, her breathing slow and steady. He turned his head and studied her quietly.
A future where he could be with her, claim her and accept Rowan’s offer to be his Beta, crossed Zoran’s mind.
His hand lifted without thought, his thumb brushing softly against her cheek.
Then all of a sudden, his vision flashed red.
Pain slammed into him so suddenly that he gasped for air. His claws elongated instantly, tearing through the sheets as they shot out and they hovered dangerously close to Naelis’s face.
Fear ripped through him “No,” he rasped.
Zoran quickly scrambled off the bed, putting a distance between him and Naelis as his fangs pushed down painfully and a violent urge took hold of his mind.
Mark her…… Claim her.
He was horrified by his own thoughts and quickly staggered into the bathroom. He gripped the sink, lifting his head slowly to look in the mirror.
The reflection staring back at him wasn’t fully his anymore. Fur spread across his face, His eyes glowed red, his fangs were long and his claws scraped against porcelain.
“This shouldn’t be happening,” he whispered.
Pain tore through his body relentlessly, worse than anything he had ever endured. His muscles shook as instincts screamed at him to go back to Naelis, to finish what fate demanded.
This was the first time that Zoran was experiencing this kind of pain and it felt unbearable.
He collapsed against the wall, drenched in sweat, forcing himself to breathe through the pain.
The pain continued to torment him for nearly an hour. When the pain stopped and he finally gained control, it left him weak and shaking on the ground.
He struggled to take a bath, the cold water from the shower seemed to calm the pain.
He stepped out of the bathroom and looked at Naelis, who was still sleeping.
He felt fear as he didn't know when he would lose control again. He couldn't afford to hurt her.
Zoran moved quickly, lifting her gently and carrying her to her room at a speed no one could see. He laid her down carefully, wore her a gown, as the clothes she wore earlier were already ripped to shreds, then he tucked her in the bed.
He quickly headed to Silas' room.
“Uncle!” Silas was shocked to see Zoran in his room. He panicked and quickly hid his phone which was displaying nudes that Jamie just sent him.
Zoran didn’t say anything, he just placed his hand on Silas head while muttering some ancient words that he couldn't understand.
Silas' eyes closed and he fell on the bed. Zoran walked out of the room without looking back.
“If anyone asks me tell them that I have gone on a spiritual journey with the other monks” he instructed the guard that was patrolling the hallway. Then he grabbed a small bag and left.
By the time Naelis woke up, he was already beyond Frostpine borders, driven by one desperate question that he needed answers to.
Why would the Moon Goddess give him a mate he was not allowed to claim? And why couldn't Naelis feel their mate bond?.
He was determined to find out as soon as possible, as Lihont might come for Naelis if he finds out that Zoran isn't around.
- Writer
