Louisa's POV
"I'm paying for a dress to make you happy," Lucas said. "Is that a crime?"
"It's a wedding dress, Lucas," I said.
"I like you best when you're not wearing anything," Lucas said. "Long skirt, short skirt, they all look the same to me."
"Lucas, you don't have to buy me a wedding dress if you don't want to get married to me. I don't need your sympathy. I'll find someone who loves me and wants to get married to me. If he's poor, I'll buy a few yards of cheap cloth and sew my own wedding dress. Then, I'll cook and give him a family," I said.
"You're not going to get married to anyone, woman. That's not going to happen. You're mine. You'll die with me in a fucking pit." He sounded very irritated even in a cold voice.
"Fuck, woman. I've already put a fucking ring on you and I'm paying for your wedding dress. What else do you want me to say?"
"Tell me that you love me. Tell me that you want nobody else but me to be your wife," I said.
"I can't tell you that," he said.
"Why?" I asked desperately.
"Because that will be fucking lying to you. I never make fucking promises that I can't cash," he said. "I'm an asshole, but not a liar."
"Lucas, I can't just be with you like this without..."
"Without what?! A title? I'm not a fucking royalty. You don't get married to me to be a duchess or something. You're my woman. Everybody knows about it. You sleep with me and cook for me. Wherever I go, you go with me. A lot of fucking couples can't do things like that. I don't know why you have to want me to marry you."
"Because I don't want you to sleep with other people!" I shouted in the wind. "Whenever you sleep with others, I feel tremendous pain. It hurts so much that I want to kill myself!"
"Oh, really? I don't know anything about it. You should have told me," he said.
"You shouldn't have slept with other people in the first place! I'm your mate. If you want to sleep with someone, you should come to my tent!" I said indignantly.
His casual attitude was so annoying. I really shouldn't have started this conversation with him. There was no use. Monogamy seemed to be beyond the threshold of his conception of life.
"Even if I get married to you, that doesn't mean that I won't fuck around. A lot of husbands cheat on their wives and that's why there are fucking bastard sons everywhere," he said.
I sighed. I knew it. He just didn't understand what I was talking about.
Just when my blood went cold, I heard his voice again -
"Well, I certainly don't want you to get hurt," he mumbled. "A hooker in Juicy Lou used to tell me that sex kills and I guess it's true after all."
Then, he took a pause and looked down at me.
"I won't do that again," he said.
I frowned and I couldn't believe what I had heard.
"What... What did you say?" I asked.
"You've heard me," he said.
"I want to hear it again," I said.
"I won't fuck other people again," he said in the softest voice he could pull off. "I don't want you to get hurt."
I melted immediately in his voice and gaze.
He had a very special way to express his feelings. Even the slightest tenderness was sufficient to make me overwhelmed.
"Now it's the time for you to say you love me and you will never ever leave me," he said.
"Lucas, I really wish I could tell you that, but that won't be fair to me. I will only tell my husband in my wedding oath," I lowered my head and said.
"You..." Lucas said and then he stopped.
I could see that we had already arrived at the camp.
Wolves were still attacking ferociously at one another. But as soon as they saw Lucas, they immediately stopped fighting and lowered their bodies to the ground, whimpering like submissive dogs.
Lucas jumped off Torrent with me in his arms and walked into the camp.
Wherever he went, the wolves lay down and withdrew, giving way to him.
It seemed that they were all really afraid of him.
"Damn, this feels good," Lucas looked around and said with a big smirk on his face.
I looked at him and felt extremely confused.
How could crazy wolves recognize Lucas' face and yield to him? I thought to myself.
I knew nothing about who Lucas really was. He never talked about it.
Even Leo didn't know what happened to him before he was found at the dump site.
I turned my head back and saw Zackery walking behind us.
He looked at me with a curious look on his face.
At that time, Jafar came up to Zackery in a hurry.
"Your Excellency, please come with me," he said. "Zabel is..."
"Sorry, little girl. I have to deal with something. I'll go to Luna Tent and look for you first thing in the morning," he said.
I nodded at him and he quickly walked away with Jafar.
Then, I heard someone crying for help in a distance.
"Give my brother back to me!"
It was Mana's voice.
"Lucas, there!" I pointed at the front.
Lucas quickly walked to the front and I saw Mana trying to strangle a wolf's neck.
The wolf saw us coming and immediately shook Mana away from his neck and lay down on the ground.
Mana rolled a few rounds on the ground and jumped at him again.
"Spite it out! Give my brother back to me!" He strangled the wolf's neck.
The wolf retched and coughed, and eventually spat Mata out of his mouth.
"Ahh, potty mouth! Talk to me!" Mana cried out and shook his brother.
"Put me down, Lucas," I said.
Lucas put me down on the ground.
I ran forward, lifted Mata in my arms and cleared out the fluid on his face. Then, I flipped his body and patted his back.
Mata suddenly gasped and started to cough.
"Ah, he's alive! My brother's still alive!" Mana exclaimed with excitement, eventually kneeling on the ground, holding Mata in his arms.
"Thank you, miss! You've saved my brother's life!" Mana wiped his tears and said.
I patted his head and said, "I'm sorry that we haven't come back earlier. How's Darren? Did you find him?"
"We've got good news and bad news, miss," Mana said.
"Which one do you want to hear first?" Mata asked.