19:
1035 Words
Javier didn’t know what had come over him. He hadn’t thought it through. The idea just popped into his mind. It had been over two years since his Luna, Beatrice, had died in an accident, and since then, his life had never been the same. For him, Beatrice was his entire world. But he understood that no matter how much he grieved, his wife would never come back.
But now, he saw a glimmer of hope. Through Veronica. If Veronica used the face of his Luna, it might ease some of the sorrow he felt from losing her.
And it wasn’t just that. He believed it could also benefit Veronica in some way.
Veronica, on the other hand, felt like she was about to faint from what she was hearing. Earlier, she found out Javier was a werewolf, and now he suddenly wanted her to use his wife’s face! Was Javier trying to drive her insane?
“What did you say? You want me to use your wife’s face? Are you out of your mind?” she nearly shouted at him. She didn’t care if he was much stronger than her. The things he was saying were driving her crazy.
She couldn’t believe it!
“I’m not losing my mind, Veronica. But listen to me carefully—” She didn’t let him finish speaking.
"Everything you want is nonsense, Javier! You may have saved me, but at what cost? You just want your late wife to live on through me!" Veronica didn’t know exactly where her anger was coming from, but all she knew was that she felt deeply hurt.
She had thought Javier was helping her purely out of kindness. She hadn’t realized he had another motive. "I thought you were being nice to me. But you had an agenda all along."
Javier sighed, understanding how shocking his words must have been. "This is not just for me, it’s for both of us."
Veronica let out a bitter laugh, unable to believe what she was hearing. "What did you say? For both of us? Go ahead, explain how this could possibly be for both of us. It’s only for you! You want to operate on my face just so you can see your wife again!" she yelled at him.
She was startled when Javier's voice suddenly broke. He walked weakly back to the couch and sat down. "Can you really blame me, Veronica? I’m a lonely man. I loved my wife so much. She was the reason I woke up with a smile on my face. She was my strength. We werewolves aren’t like humans who can switch partners whenever they want. We are very faithful to our mates. We know when someone is our mate, if they’re meant for us, and we can’t reject the bond. If we do, it feels like a slow, painful death. So when Beatrice was taken from me… I was left just breathing, but no longer living…"
Veronica could see the tears forming in his eyes, though he tried to stay strong in front of her. "My dreams and my life shattered when she died. She was such a good and decent woman. Any man would have considered himself lucky to be her husband. Her heart was pure; she was incredibly compassionate. A woman with no enemies. Everyone in the Black Moon Pack respected and loved her. But she was taken from me very early," his voice cracked with emotion.
She swallowed hard as he looked at her. "We are both broken souls, Veronica. You, betrayed by your devil husband. And me, left by my wife. I know you understand the loneliness I'm feeling right now..."
Suddenly, she felt a pang of sympathy for him. She hadn’t lost a loved one, but she imagined that the pain her husband had caused her was similar to the pain Javier felt when his wife died. She understood him.
"But that’s still not enough of a reason for me to let you use your wife’s face. Even if I agreed, do you think Beatrice would be happy? That someone else is using her face? You should respect her and let her rest in peace," she reasoned.
He shook his head and smiled. "That would be your answer. But not my wife's. You and Beatrice are different, Veronica. If I could get her answer, I’m sure she would agree," he answered confidently.
"And why? How can you be so sure?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Because my wife wasn’t selfish. She trusted me completely. She knew I wouldn’t disrespect her face. She knew I’d only do it for a strong reason. Beatrice was very faithful to her commitment to me. She would do whatever she thought would make me happy. That’s why she became my Luna."
Veronica almost rolled her eyes but restrained herself. "She was very faithful to her commitment to you? Well, no wonder she’s dead," she thought of adding, but she knew it would be harsh. She wasn’t that insensitive.
"You still haven't answered me about how this benefits me. If I use your wife’s face, it means I’ll erase my identity as Veronica Albert-Fuentebella in this world. I’ll disappear like a puff of smoke, and no one will ever know what happened to me."
He smiled and nodded. "Exactly. I get to see my wife’s face again. And you, you’ll have the freedom to carry out your plans and seek your revenge."
She gasped, her eyes widening. "R-Revenge?"
"Don’t tell me you’re not planning to get revenge? Come on, I don’t believe that. You wouldn’t be so determined to survive death if you didn’t want to seek justice for what happened to you."
"And what does this have to do with your wife’s face?"
"It’s simple. If you use Beatrice’s face, everyone will think you’re Beatrice Romanov, the wife and Luna of the Black Moon Pack. The Fuentebella family won’t even suspect that you’re still alive and that you’re Veronica. You’ll be free to move around and get the justice that’s difficult to achieve. No one will ever suspect that you’re the mastermind behind the downfall of the Fuentebella family," he answered seriously, sending chills down her spine.
- Writer
