365 MOONS TO LOVE A WOLF KING

CHAPTER 5

AMELIA

Furthermore, I'm not dead or trapped.

I don't know what they did to me, but all I remember is the king's kiss.

I blink, feeling a shiver running through my body, when I turn my head and see him standing by the window of the room.

"I see that I need to keep all the castle windows completely closed from now on.", he murmurs, turning his head.

I sit on the bed looking at him feeling confused, the king's eyes seem to shine in the darkness of the room as he continues to watch me.

"And I see that I should stay as far away from kings as possible.", I whisper, seeing a small smile growing on his lips.

I touch my forehead seeing that it's no longer bleeding and that someone took care of me while I was sleeping.

"If you hurt my mother..."

"Your mother is fine, Amelia."

I sigh, closing my eyes for a few seconds, watching him walk closer to the bed. I keep looking at him and waiting for the king's next actions.

"Why am I here?"

"Because I was unable to do what I should have done.", he murmurs.

"Kill me?"

He nods as if he doesn't like to hear that word.

"Why haven't you killed me yet?", I ask curiously.

"You are different."

"Different? I was the only one of your wives who tried to kill you? I'm surprised."

"I see you have a nice sense of humor, but that's not the reason you're here, Amelia."

"Then tell me."

"When I saw you wearing a red dress among all the other human girls at that ball I knew you were different. Something inside me screamed for me to choose you."

"What kind of curse is there in the kingdom?", I ask, seeing him sitting on the bed far enough away from me.

He looks at his own hands sighing as if he were preparing to tell me something very horrible.

"A witch did this many centuries ago, we never managed to break the curse she placed."

"Is that why you sacrifice so many girls? You never found the girl who would break the curse?"

He shakes his head.

"Only the heart of a pure and brave girl could save the kingdom from the curse. Only that girl could save me."

I furrow my brow still not quite understanding a lot at this moment.

"Save you?"

"Yes, when the witch placed the curse she didn't just do it with the entire kingdom, Amelia. When 200 years pass after the curse, I will die and the whole kingdom will die too."

I feel a shiver running through my body, knowing that the stories of this kingdom are much darker.

"Your life is connected to the lives of all the people in the kingdom?" I ask and he nods.

"Exactly, so now you understand the reason why I say I'm doing this for the kingdom and for everyone who lives in it? If I die, all the people will die."

"How long ago was this curse made?", I ask hesitantly, seeing the serious expression on his face.

"199 years ago"

I sigh, closing my eyes and feeling fear dominating me at this moment. We only have one year of life in this kingdom; we are all condemned together to death.

I don't want to die; I want to live long enough to see the world change and be free. But in one year, the king will die, and so will all of us.

"Are you telling me we only have one year of life?", I ask with tears in my eyes and he nods.

"I'm sorry, Amelia. I never wanted this."

He stands up, and I furrow my brow, looking at him and seeing that when the king removes his white shirt, displaying his body, my eyes drop to his shoulders and his chest, seeing various types of marks on his skin.

"What is this?"

"Every year I get closer to the end, and every year the marks grow as if they were warning me about death.", he whispers.

I feel tears wetting my face as I realize more closely that the marks are like thin black veins dominating his skin, I realize that they are getting closer and closer to his heart.

"What happens when the marks reach your heart? You and all of us die?", I ask, knowing exactly what his answer will be.

"How can you stop this from happening? How can the curse be broken?"

"Only when a girl with a pure and brave heart is found, but I think I've already found that.", he murmurs, and I look at him confused.

"You're talking about me? I'm not that girl.", I say shaking my head.

"For all 200 years, I've never seen a girl like you, Amelia."

"But that doesn't mean I'm the right girl."

"Why do I think you're not telling me the most important part?", I ask, seeing him turn his head away from me.

"The curse can only be broken with true love, only when the right girl loves me...", he whispers, and I widen my eyes.

"What? So why were you sacrificing the girls all this time?"

"To have enough time to find the right girl, I needed more time to find you before it's too late."

"I don't know why that witch did this to you, but I have no connection to this. I'm just a human girl who dreams of a free world, I'm not your chosen one."

"You still don't know many things, but I'm sure I finally found the right person."

"I still don't understand what you're asking me.", I say, seeing him sitting on the bed again, closer to me this time and still shirtless.

"I'm asking you to love me, Amelia. Love me and save all the people of the kingdom...", he whispers, looking at me with shining golden pupils.

I'm in shock, I can't believe he's asking me to fall in love with him.

"Are you asking me to fall in love with you in a year before everyone else dies?"

The alpha king nods silently, and I sigh, closing my eyes again.

When I open my eyes again, I look at the marks on his body. We don't have much time, and everyone will die in just 365 days.

I dry my eyes, but the tears don't stop flowing down my face. I never asked for a life like this, and now it seems that I have no choice again.

"I don't know if I can do this, I don't know if I can love you in 365 days."

"You have the power to save the world; I'm not a monster, Amelia. I wish you knew me more..."

365 days and everything can change.

"Give me your heart, and mine will be yours..."

I continue looking at him as if he were telling me something very unbelievable, I blink my eyes, shaking my head and realizing that I have the power to save or kill everyone.

"Why me? Why do you think I'm the right girl?"

"The witch who did this assured me that I would know when I saw the girl who would change everything and that happened to me when I saw you wearing the red dress at the ball, Amelia."

"You tried to kill me, I don't know how I could love you."

"I was wrong, and I'm sorry. An angel can fall in love with a demon; there are no limits to love, Amelia.", he whispers, touching my hand.

"I'm begging you. Don't let everyone die, please.", he whispers, staring at me intensely, and I still don't know what to say to him at this moment.

He takes my hand to his chest, and I sigh when I feel his heart beating. I touch his warm skin and lift my head, finding his golden pupils watching me.

"Don't run from me, Amelia."

I blink my eyes, feeling his fingers drying my eyes. I look back at his chest, seeing the marks all over his skin.

"Why did she do this to you?"

"To show me that love can be more important and stronger than anything."

I open my mouth to reply, but I hear someone knocking on the door of the room and the king quickly gets up putting on his shirt and covering the curse marks.

I sigh, still sitting on the bed, watching a guard talking to him at the door.

"I need to go now.", he says, approaching me again.

I close my eyes, feeling my heart beating hard inside my chest. When I feel his lips against my forehead, I could push him away or move away from him, but I can't do that now.

I just keep my eyes closed, feeling his lips against my skin. My hand finds him, and I open my eyes before lifting my head.

"You married me; will we still be like husband and wife?", I ask, seeing a smile on his lips.

"If you wish it to be so, then so it shall be, Amelia."

I nodded, releasing his hand and watching him leave the room quickly.

When the door closes, I lie back on the bed, close my eyes, and start to cry again.

All of this is more complex than I ever imagined. I only have one year to fall in love with a wolf and save people, including my mother's life.

One year and nothing more.

I cry, hugging the pillow, afraid that I won't be able to do it.

An angel can fall in love with a demon...

I keep thinking about his words as I completely lose myself in tears.

My marriage was not how I always imagined it, but now I have the mission to love a man who is condemned to death.

That same night, sleeping in the bed of the castle room, I had a very strange dream—a kind of dream that I had never had before.

I turn my head, realizing that I am running through the castle garden wearing a very heavy crown on my head.

I feel happy and keep running wearing a long red dress, and it's at that moment that I turn, seeing Aaron leaving the castle.

Furthermore, I smile even more, running to him, but I furrow my brow when I realize a young woman talking to him.

They can't see me, and I'm next to Aaron, watching the woman begging and crying to him.

"Please, my king. I love you so much, please..."

"I don't love you, I could never love a witch, Marie."

"Please, can we be together forever, please don't reject me, majesty..."

"I'm sorry, Marie. But I can't give you love."

The woman's look changes, she dries her eyes approaching Aaron before whispering in his ear:

"You will understand my pain, you will feel what it's like to love someone you can't have, majesty. I curse you, when two hundred years pass everything you love the most will die..."

"I curse you, only a pure heart can save you, only a woman can love you before your time ends forever."

I widen my eyes as I watch the witch begin to speak words I don't understand, and then I realize she's casting a spell on the king.

"Love is the only thing that can save his life."

I watch as she touches the king and he screams as the marks start to dominate his skin.

The witch disappears, and I turn my head, screaming when I hear her voice.

"You are the only one who can save him."

I open my eyes, screaming, feeling my sweaty skin, and I turn my head to find a soft, bright light illuminating the room.

I furrow my brow, get out of bed, and start to follow the lights. Furthermore, I continue walking as if I'm completely hypnotized by the unknown magic.

Walking further, I see the guards in the hallway, but when the bright lights disappear, I blink my eyes, realizing I'm in front of a room.

My hand touches the door handle, and seconds later, my eyes fixate on the grand royal bed; the king is sleeping, and the bright lights are over his body.

The room is dark, but I notice when he moves, opening his eyes and watching me.

"Amelia?"

"I accept the challenge. I will try to love you in less than a year, even if it breaks my heart...", I whisper, walking towards him.

In the very real dream, the king rejected the love of a woman in the past, and I could feel her pain. I don't want to feel that way, but I need to save my mother's life and everyone else in this kingdom.

The king is silent as I sit next to him on the bed, he just continues to sit, watching me as I raise my hand to touch his face.

"If you want me to fall in love with you, then show me you're not the villain of my story; show me you're not the monstrous and cruel king I think you are...", I whisper, touching his face.

At that moment, I feel something pulling me towards him—something I still can't understand or describe.

The king closes his eyes with my touch, and I feel my heart beating faster as I get closer to him.

I feel his hand touching my waist; he opens his bright pupils, and I fix my gaze on his lips.

"We don't have much time...", I whisper before kissing him.

I close my eyes, feeling his warm lips against mine. His hands grip my waist as we continue our kiss.

My hands travel down his neck to his chest, the king sighs and moans against my lips as our tongues meet.

"Amelia...", he moans my name, and I feel his hands moving up my body.

I sigh against his lips, and I'm ready to continue when I feel him pulling away from me. I open my eyes quickly when I hear the king groaning.

Furthermore, I widen my eyes, unable to understand what's happening, and then I look at his body. The marks on his body are becoming more intense.

I feel tense as I hear him groaning, I look at his arm, seeing the thin black veins dominating the other part of his arm.

"We don't have much time; only 364 days, Amelia...", he says, groaning in pain, and I feel the tears returning to my eyes again.

I feel his hand gripping mine tightly, and I look back at his heart.

"What do I need to do?", I ask nervously, seeing that he's in a lot of pain.

"Just stay with me..."

I look at our hands together and nod before lying down next to him. The king continues to groan in pain as I feel fear growing inside me, and then I remember that he's my husband and close my eyes, deciding to trust my future.

I don't know how much time has passed, but I'm lying on Aaron's chest when we hear loud noises. I furrow my brow, raising my head, and see that the king is now on alert.

Likewise, I continue sitting on the bed, looking at the door of the room, hearing the sounds of fighting and swords, my heart starts beating faster in my chest when I see Aaron getting up quickly.

"What's happening?", I ask fearfully, hearing quick footsteps in the corridor.

Seconds later, my body trembles when someone knocks forcefully on the door of the room. I get up quickly and put my hands over my mouth when I see the king opening the door, and seconds later one of the guards falls to the ground, wounded and bleeding heavily.