Page 35

H ours later, the sun is down and the breeze of the early evening came through the open windows of the bedroom Alphose laid in.

His condition had been critical, Wolfariane did not want to imagine what would have happened if he'd found the cougar Alpha five minutes after the time he'd found him. A lot has happened after he'd found him in a pool of his own blood.

The Sentinel's had helped transport Alphose out of Nalaila's dungeon-room to another bedroom on the fourth floor of the tower, while two other Sentinels had run out to call the healers of Naturiah on his orders.

Another Sentinel he'd sent out to get Eline. She'd been Alphose's last intimate partner, so she's most likely to be of help in this situation.

When the three healers came, including Harhan; the medicine man of the Royals, they'd quickly gotten to work on Alphose. Narosa, who's the only female among them was herded off to Ismena's bedroom to take care of the bruises on her human skin.

Now, the Alpha King stood inside of the bedroom, watching Alphose sleep with his body all bandaged up and bruised.

The herbs Harhan had used were powerful ones, coupled with the sex from Eline to help heal him, calm his other half and make them stronger, his wounds were already healing. They were severe but within a few more days of medicine and body intimacy with a female, he will be much better.

Wolfariane closed his eyes, tight.

He'd lost it.

He'd almost killed Ismena. His mate. A human.

He'd almost killed his own people. A changeling. His friend.

Even now, his body still hummed from the satisfaction the brave woman had given him, eyes wide with so many emotions which the strongest of them were innocence, excitement, and intense fear.

She'd driven him to the blink of the dark haze of insanity, and also pulled him out of it when he'd almost lost it completely. He'd bruised her white flawless skin in his own insanity, but she'd stood and never ran away.

Now, his mind, body, and soul are calmer than ever because of her braveness. But his heart is heavy.

"A-Alpha King?"

The familiar deep tone dragged him out of his own mind, he glanced at an Alphose whose eyes were open, his cheek bandaged. "How are you feeling now?"

"Dizzy. I think Harhan has pumped me full with one of those damned herbs that keeps you in dreamland for days." He tried to smile and winced when the stretching of his cheek made his bruises hurt.

The heaviness in Wolfariane's heart only intensified at the sight of it. "Why did you do it? I almost killed you." He never meant for his own to come out harsh, but it did .

The big guy on the bed only shrugged, "I had to try and get you out of it. We would have lost you...you would have killed her."

"I would have killed you too. In a case like this, you try to save yourself too, Alpha Alphose.

Instead of taking your animal form and battling me for your own life, you remained in half-shift, and you weren't even fighting me.

You have any idea what would have happened to you, dammit!

" He wasn't shouting, but his anger was obvious with each calm volcanic word that came out of his mouth.

I had freaked him out.

Alphose suddenly knew how badly he'd scared this strong male at the door who is never afraid of anything. Even now, it's not on his hard face or his demure, but Alphose knows the fear he isn't projecting.

"I'm sorry about that, Alpha King." He said in a low voice. Talking is hard.

"What exactly are you sorry for? I should be the one apologizing for almost killing you."

His lips curved in the slightest of smile, "I'm not that easy to kill, Alpha King, and you know it. Don't worry so much about it."

"I am not worried."

"Of course." The male only smiled again, "Before I lost consciousness, I felt like I've been trampled upon by five bull changelings. I still feel that way but I'm feeling way better at the same time. The herbs must be doing wonders, but it's not just the herbs, is it?"

"No. Eline shared body intimacies with you. She went back to her duty post." Thankfully, a male changeling's body reacts to a feminine's touch even if the male is sick, fainted, or asleep because his other half might still be awake then, and welcomes that touch .

"By God, I can't thank that woman enough." He groaned hoarsely, his tone filled with gratitude, his eyes dizzy.

"Get some sleep. You shouldn't be awake now, you need rest." Wolfariane stated.

"Mmh," The big guy nodded his head, "How is Nalaila...?"

"She lost it and kept screaming and raging." He swallowed tightly and averted his eyes, "The sentinels were able to put her to sleep."

Alphose saw the banked pain in those blue eyes before he'd averted it.

"She will be fine, Wolfariane. One day, she will be better.

.." His eyes were closing in sleep. They were so heavy, ".

..she will take her human form again... She will smile again.

.. She will stop hurting at the smell of humans. .. She will stop hating them..."

His eyes became heavier, it began sliding shut again. "...Also, she will realize that it wasn't your fault. Whatever happened in those labs...wasn't your fault. Whatever...they...forced you to do...to her... wasn't your fault."

Long after he fell back to the deepest of slumber, Wolfariane stood there still watching him, his heart heavier than ever.

Ismena knew the exact moment she wasn't alone anymore, even before she saw him at the door through the mirror.

She turned and faced him. His eyes took her in, including what she's wearing. And it made her lick her lips in nervousness.

She was dressed in a taffeta shirt the housekeeper named Mirian, gave to her to put on. The material doesn't look like something Wolfariane will wear but the scent she has come to uniquely associate with him also came from the shirt, so she believes it to be his .

"There was no other clothing for me to wear, so she gave me this one. The housekeeper." Ismena explained, nervously when his eyes touched every single part of her body without him saying a word.

Walking into this bedroom only to see her in one of his nightclothes has his body reacting to her instantly. All his blood went south and his dick hardened. Hell, the woman is already in his blood.

That, made his face go hard "Why did you come here today?" His voice was clipped.

"Huh?" The question and the tone were so unexpected.

"Why did you come here today?" He repeated through gritted teeth.

That's right? Why did she come here?

Ismena was having a hard time recalling why she came here, after the events of the day. She can still taste him in her mouth. And her voice was still a bit hoarse too. Her cheeks reddened at the reason why.

"You shouldn't have come here, Ismena. I also told you not to move around." He said, harshly.

The harsh tone coupled with his unsmiling and angry face threw Ismena off-guard. "Uhm...I didn't remember that particular instructi—"

"You didn't remember or you didn't think?" He stated in a hard tone, "You almost got killed today. Alphose almost got killed too because of you."

"What!? I d-don't understand. There were two lions that chased me, and then attacked themselves and—"

"They didn't attack themselves. One of them was going to attack you to shred you to pieces, while the other one was trying to stop him. "

"Attack me...? But w-why...?" But even as she asked, the answer was coming to her, "Because I'm human?"

"Yes. Not all of us are fond of humans as you already know. In fact, only a few of us likes humans, the rest of us hate your kind with passion." He threw the words at her.

Ismena felt each word to her bone, but at the same time, she was remembering what Eline said to her about what the humans did to the changelings. To the werewolves.

"I heard about what humans...my kind...did to your kind." She whispered, "I am sorry about that, Wolfariane."

"I see that Eline has been talking to you." He stated frowning harder, crossing his arms.

Ismena doesn't want to put her friend in trouble. "She didn't say anything out of the ordinary, and besides, she's my friend."

"Eline does not know anything. Your kind did much more than you will ever know."

"I'm so sorry about that—"

The wild mane of his silver-gold hair shook firmly. "Sorry does not make anything alright. It does not change anything. It does not undo any damage the humans did to us."

The hate that coated the word 'humans' coming from his mouth made her shiver. It was intense.

And that was when she remembered why she came here. She had to ask him. It doesn't matter how angry he is at her, she has to ask him...!

"It has been nine days." She said unexpectedly .

He was taken aback. "What has been nine days?"

"My stay here. I have been here for nine days Wolfariane." She whispered.

His brow knitted tighter, "What has that got to do with anything?" He asked in confusion.

"As you know, I have a very bad heart disease that has shortened my life drastically. So drastic that I only have six weeks to live. My doctor always told me that I should never miss my dosages. I take my pills three times a day, or I will be unable to function."

He is already seeing where she's going with this. Suddenly, the frown disappeared and his face went blank.

It didn't stop Ismena.

Her head was working, her heart was beating faster in her chest and it wasn't because of her condition. The more she spoke, the greater sense her analysis are making to her. The more she's believing what Eline insinuated.

She continued in a whisper, "But when we were attacked at home, you brought me here without my pills.

.." Her eyes met his, "It has been nine days but I feel better every single day.

Instead of feeling worse...instead of dying, I feel stronger and so much better.

Especially after every...uhm...make out with you. "

He hasn't heard it being called 'make out' before, but he didn't need to ask what she meant by that.