Page 20

F laora got up from the floor with the fluidity of a cat and stretched languidly, "Are you sure you don't want to be...uhm...intimate?" Her voice was hoarse, her eyes tinged with regret.

Wolfariane tugged his half-hard erection back into his pants, and shook his head, "No, this will do." She'd given him head, "Now, I need to get some sleep."

Her eyes racked his body hungrily but worried at the same time. "Those wounds are too fetal, they will not heal just by sleeping. And I heard you ran all night last night, it is not an option now." She paused, "Are you sure you don't need me to—"

"I'm sure. Go away." He snapped, the wolf growling through his mouth.

Her eyes widened. He has never snapped at her before. "O-Oh, okay. I'm s- sorry, I d-didn't—"

"No," his eyes closed and he took a deep breath, "No, I apologize for snapping at you, Flaora, it is not your fault, you were only trying to help." He's frustrated and angry at the same time. "Just go away, okay?"

"Okay, Alpha King." She inclined her head, licking her lips again to get every taste of him lingering on her tongue.

After she left, Wolfariane walked into one of the adjourning rooms—the bathroom and took his shower. Later, he stared at the large mirror dominating half of the bathroom walls.

He was angry at himself. Not the wolf, this time around, or even the mountain lion. His eyes scanned the bruises on him through the mirror, the bloody gashes on his cheek.

All it will take is a good sex and a better sleep, and these bruises will heal before the day after tomorrow.

It's not the first time he'd given himself to Nalaila to save her from going more insane, but it is the first time his wolf had clawed at him in rage from the inside when he tried to 'heal' himself through a female.

This time around, the wolf doesn't want just any woman. It wants one woman in particular. It was frustrating, but that isn't all.

What is worse is that the man wants her too. Badly. Hungrily.

He'd put his hands on Flaora, but all he could see is a beautiful blond human with big brown-eyes and a tempting smile.

And even when he'd settled for the blows just to keep his head clear enough and let the healing process begin no matter how slowly it does, all that filled his head was Ismena's achy moans as he'd pushed her up against that wall in her bathroom and devoured her lips.

The remembered scent of her arousal wisped through his nose, messing with his senses, hardening his cock, and had his teeth sharpening hungrily for that sensitive vein of her neck that begs to be licked and bitten.

It only made him angrier at himself than he already is. So much anger, he was in a black mood as he lay on his bed and closed his eyes for sleep.

He is not taking a human to his bed.

He is not mating with one either.

Alphose was waiting for Ismena when she woke up from the five hours sleep she'd taken. It was early afternoon.

She walked fuzzily into the kitchen when the sitting room appeared empty, and she heard voices from there. Eline offered her coffee when she lowered herself to a stool beside the kitchen table.

"Yes, please. Thank you." She responded foggily, rubbing her eyes to clear the rest of the sleep away, "Can't believe I slept for that long."

"I can. You were pretty tired. I don't blame you for it at all." Eline commented, stirring some kind of liquid on a stove.

"I don't sleep well because of some persistent aches in my chest these past few days." A reminder that she has less than eight weeks to live, and she's in a strange world without her meds.

"Alphose told me about your bad heart. I'm sorry about that."

The woman's voice rang with sincerity, Ismena found herself nodding her hair, "Thank you."

"It must be shitty living with the knowledge that you will die very soon." She handed her a cup of coffee.

"Oh, it's very shitty, alright." Shitty is actually an understatement .

"Speaking of your condition, can you write down all the meds you need?" Alphose spoke for the first time.

His tone was just as deep as she remembered it to be and just as dangerous, but surprisingly, his doesn't scare her as it did before. Ismena turned towards him at the opposite side of the kitchen, "All my meds?

"Yes, all of them."

What will he use it for?

Doesn't matter. She shrugged it away from her mind. "Okay, I will do that."

"What do you say I take you around town?" Eline offered with a warm smile.

"I will love that so much!" Already, she was feeling excited about it. "Can't wait to see all of this place. Naturiah."

Eline snorted out laughter, "If you do nothing but walk around for seven days in a row, you wouldn't be able to see all of Naturiah."

"Really?" Brown-eyes widened fascinatingly, "It's that big here?"

A nod from Eline. "We have about thirty-six clans here and two general dwellings."

"Clans? Dwellings? you have lost me."

Eline smiled at her confusion. "I heard you saw Degar change into his other half, the Leopard?" At Ismena's nod, she continued, "The home for all leopards is their clan—The Leopard Clan, with the strongest Alpha as a leader. Degar is the strongest of his kind and the leader of the leopard clan. "

Strong. Powerful. A conqueror. She remembered Wolfariane's words about the man. "I understand now. Although so many things are still unclear."

"Oh, don't worry about it. You will become very familiar with us in no time." She paused, "At least until the Alpha King retrieves his ring, and you leave us."

"I'm really sorry about his ring. You must have heard what happened..." Her cheeks flushed with guilt, "I put you all in danger."

"It's okay, don't sweat it." Eline waved her off, "We can take care of ourselves. Also, the ring will be retrieved, so you needn't worry yourself to death."

Bathed and feeling refreshed again, Ismena glanced at herself in the big mirror of the bedroom. Eline had been kind enough to lend her her clothes because they're almost the same size. It's her waist that wanted to disgrace her at first, rejecting all the clothes Eline picked out before.

But now, she's in a simple loose dress that only hugged her waist before it flowed loosely down her legs. Feeling satisfied with what she's seeing, she walked out of the bedroom only to see Eline and Alphose putting on their extra uniforms.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Ismena. But there was an emergency in the market we're posted on this week, that requires our attention.

I'm afraid that I won't be able to take you around town today, after all.

" Elaine informed her as she hurriedly strapped in her guns to the bandoliers on her waist and shoulder.

"Don't worry about it. You go attend to business. I'll wait right here. "

"Thank you. The television is old but it's working, so you can keep yourself busy. Bye...!" She flew out of the wooden door, Alphose following closely behind her.

Alone, Ismena glanced around at the house. Well, she can totally do this.

Three days later, Ismena is going out of her mind doing nothing and staying indoors.

She has never really been a sit-at-home-doing-nothing kinda person, so, saying its hard is a huge understatement. Plus the fact that she hasn't got much time left. These past few days she feels like she has been wasting the little time she has.

She has watched TV, all the shows going on are extremely boring. Just one managed to get her attention, but that one isn't been aired today. And without these shows, she's left with the thought of one man that has become an obsession in her head.

Wolfariane, the Alpha King, according to his people. She's not surprised that the man is King, he'd always had that elegance in his bearing...that sophistication in each step he takes.

In the past three days, she hasn't seen or heard about it, and even though she tries her possible best not to think about him, she still finds herself doing exactly that for seventeen hours every day, much to her consternation. Her boredom wasn't helping at all.

I have to go out of this house or I'll go crazy, Ismena decided when she couldn't take it anymore.

It was early evening when she stepped out of the house. The gentle breeze nuzzled her body, instantly setting her mind at peace. But not the fires in her blood, caused by the thoughts of Big Bad Wolfe .

Ismena likes the isolation of this place...the quietness. As she walked out of the compound, she admired the land that stretched for miles. Her eyes took in the beautiful views of other dwellings.

Meanwhile, people out on the routes and pathways stared at her as she walked. They were curious about her. Who is this woman? Who is this human?

Changelings are confused about who she might be because rumors have gone around the better part of town about a new human in Naturiah. An unmated human who has no business being here.

Ismena noticed the glances from them. She managed a polite smile to everyone she passed on the way. Some returned the smile while others were outrightly hostile.

Some bared their teeth at her greeting, showing off sharp elongated fangs that had her clinging with barely contained fear. But apart from these few people that obviously don't like her, the view was so wonderful.

Ismena was so carried away by her sightseeing, she wandered through the forest, down the river. A wide smile on her face.

"Oh, I'm definitely adding 'Living In A New World' to my To-Do list." She wondered aloud, "Just wait till I tell all this to Sandra." She giggled. Her poor friend will never believe it. Then, she will go right ahead and tell her everything she—

A growl. A growl had her crashing back to reality.

That was when she looked ahead of her...and saw it. A huge cat—or is it a lion?—besides a tree, staring right at her.

No, not really a cat. Having a Bachelor's degree in forestry, agriculture, and resource economics comes in handy here, because it helps her in identifying this animal that is watching her like it just saw a good meal .

It's a cougar. A living...breathing... cougar !!!

There was hate in its eyes. Ismena doesn't know how she knows this, but she does. She can FEEL it.

"Ohmygoooood!!!!" Ismena screeched loudly and took off in a dead run.

The cougar roared in rage. Its roar can be heard through the forest. Then, it chased after her.

Fear becomes a living entity inside Ismena as she ran and ran and ran. Her heart beating loudly to her own ears. Her legs carrying her so far, so fast.

She ran for so long, trying to find her way out. Whenever she turned back, the Cougar was not far from her, running after her...stalking her...hunting her.

"Oh, God, I'm gonna die today...!" She cried when she found out that she's truly lost in the forest because she couldn't find a way out.

But, she didn't give up. Even when her legs were tired and almost gave out, she kept running.

And then, she ran into a wall.

No, not a wall, she thought as she breathed in and smelled that familiar scent that has lived with her for the past three days.

She glanced up, up, up, up, into that bluest eyes she'd never forgotten. Behind her, the cougar was still raging closer.

"Wolfariane...!" She cried out in sheer fear and panic .

Then, she moved quickly behind him, climbed onto his back, squeezed her eyes closed, wrapped her arms and legs around his neck and his waist. She held on tightly.