Moonlit Waltz

Chapter 4 - Dark King’s Warmth

Ria had never seen such a look in Nicholas’s eyes, not even during her days as this Alpha’s Luna.

If not for the fact that this warmth remained in his eyes, Ria might have assumed that she was just mistaken. After all, Nicholas had never shown her the slightest warmth in all the days she spent by his side.

For the first time in her life, Ria got to know just how gentle the affection of this man, known for his cold and ruthless nature, could be, and it turned out that he was not as heartless as he was known to be. His emotions were just buried deep within himself.

Was it because she saved him?

Just as such thoughts raced through Ria's mind, Nicholas interrupted her train of thought. "My dear luna, the cunning Night Pack has turned against my people. My own wife betrayed me. It was she who tricked me into coming to this canyon where I nearly lost my life. It was you who saved me, and for that, I am ever grateful. If you don’t mind me asking… could you tell me your name and which pack you’re from?”

Ria suddenly felt pity for Nicholas. Even though she was Nicholas’s dearest luna in the past, his indifferent character was like an impregnable wall that kept her at arm’s length. Ria never learned anything about his past, even until her death. It was now that Ria finally discovered that Nicholas was not devoid of feelings… he had just buried them inside himself. This made Ria more and more curious as to what sort of cruel life Nicholas had lived before she came into his life to have shaped him into the heartless monster he was infamous for being.

“My name is Ria Ellison… I’m from the Thorn Wolf Pack.” Ria did not try to hide her identity. Though she thought about whether she should be honest or not, she decided to tell Nicholas the truth. She knew how this man was. Despite his cruel nature, she would never assume that he would turn against her simply because she was a rebel from the Thorn Pack, much less scorn her for her lowly upbringing.

Then, Ria told Nicholas all about her life in the Thorn Pack and her subsequent defection.

Nicholas kept quiet as he listened to her story from beginning to end. Other than the silver glint flickering in his eyes from time to time, a terrifying bloodthirst seemed to permeate his entire being, ready to erupt at any moment.

Ria’s heart was beating violently. Nicholas’s current appearance frightened her. Could it be that he was actually angry for her sake?

“Please, allow me to introduce myself. I am Nicholas Dane, Alpha of the Storm Wolves. Well, to be precise… I was the Alpha of the Storm Wolves until they betrayed me, but I’ll make sure all those traitors pay the price for this betrayal.”

Ria was taken aback for a moment. It only just occurred to her that Nicholas was only an ordinary alpha right now, not the infamous Dark King she knew in the past.

“I was betrayed by my dearest lover, only to be saved by my fated luna… Should I count myself lucky or not? I wonder…” Nicholas laughed self-deprecatingly before pulling Ria into his arms. “You don’t have to fear the Thorn Pack any longer. I’ll protect you.”

Nicholas gazed at Ria. However, it felt more like… he was gazing into her soul. She almost felt like she was going to lose herself in his eyes. The current Nicholas was less dark and guarded compared to the Nicholas she knew in the past, now more gentle and sincere. He had a powerful charm that pulled Ria in and made her heart race.

Ria did not doubt this man’s commitment in the slightest. After all, this was the man who was going to become the Dark King in the future.

After laying her on the sofa, taking special care to avoid the parts that were injured, he stood up. “This is one of my safe houses. There are special plants around the periphery that will cover our smell, so it’s safe here. There’s enough food in the fridge to last a while, so you can just rest here without worrying about anything.

“Are you leaving now?” Ria asked.

“I’m afraid so. There’s little need for the Storm Pack and the Night Pack to exist in this world any longer…” Bloodlust permeated the man’s body. When he looked at Ria with his cold and confident eyes, the iciness that she found in his gaze was almost suffocating.

“Oh, yes. How could I forget? There’s the Thorn Pack, too…” Nicholas added, “I’ll kill their Alpha and all that dare to rebel, then I will rebuild my forces. I’ll be back, my luna. Wait for my return.”

With that, he left.

“He’ll come back alive… won’t he, Sherry?” Ria asked apprehensively.

“Of course, he will. He’s the future Dark King!” Sherry was confident. “Ria, do you realize how hard your heart was beating just now? You haven’t fallen for him already, have you?”

“Of course not…” Ria answered guiltily. “I just… empathize with him, that’s all.”

“Well, he’s your fated mate, after all. If he falls in love with you for real this time and doesn’t act like that cold-blooded beast we knew, I really can’t think of a better candidate to be your partner, Ria.” Sherry was optimistic.

Ria’s eyes glittered for a moment, but the sparks quickly faded. “I really don’t want a redo of the past, Sherry. If the tragedy of our past repeats itself, I’m going to become a sinner among the wolves again…”

“It won’t happen, Ria. I’m sure things will change this time around. The Dark King changed, didn’t he?”

“Perhaps… We still have some time before the worst happens, so I guess we’ll take it one step at a time.” Ria sighed.

“Regardless, I think we can stay here for now. This is probably the safest place we can be right now.”

“Of course! He’s fighting for my sake, after all… How could I leave him and run away by myself? I’m not heartless, you know?”

Werewolves recover quickly from their injuries. It only took Ria half a day of rest before her back stopped hurting as much and she could walk again. The first thing she did was look around the house. It was a small house in a quiet and remote area surrounded by trees and dense shrubbery. It was equipped with a kitchen, a toilet, and a bathroom, as well as a living room and a bedroom. There was even a bathtub, which Ria was pleased to find.

Ria glanced down and noticed that her feet were covered in dust. It was clear that this place had not been cleaned for a while. Looking inside the fridge, there were a few varieties of simple foods with a long shelf life. As for the wardrobe, only some men’s clothes were inside. Other than that, all necessities were prepared. This place was probably one of Nicholas’s secret hideouts.

After familiarizing herself with the place, Ria cleaned up the dusty place to a tolerable degree before dropping herself onto the sofa, satisfied. Since there was nothing else to do, she decided to watch TV.

In the days that followed, countless deaths popped up on the local news. Someone was dying in an accident practically every single day, but Ria knew they were not accidents. It was all Nicholas’s doing. When she saw the name of the Thorn Pack’s leader, Gino, appearing to have died in a fire, Ria felt warmth for the first time in her life. Tears fell uncontrollably, but they were not tears of sadness; they were tears of joy.

By the seventh day, Ria had fully recovered, but Nicholas had yet to return. Even though Ria was sure that nothing bad would happen to Nicholas, she could not help but worry about him.

That night, while Ria was taking her evening bath, she heard the door open.

She quickly grabbed a towel, wrapping it around herself before looking warily out the door. There, she saw a blood-covered Nicholas stumble into the living room before toppling over onto the ground.