Hours 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.
"Not to mention that my body...my body stops being mine whenever you're near. Always reacting to you so strangely, so intensely."
"That is because you are attracted to me." He intoned bluntly.
She continued anyway, "Then, today... I have no idea the exact detail of what happened but when you roared..." She swallowed, "When you roared...I was unable to hold myself. I've hidden in your bedroom but I was unable to stay hidden. It's like a force was pushing me to go to you..."
His face didn't change a bit, but a muscle twitched in his forehead.
"I caught a glimpse of your face before I threw myself at you. It was...the most savage look I've ever seen in my life. Very wild. But when I did that, I expected you to tear me apart...but you didn't."
"I would have." He stated matter-of-factly.
"But you didn't." She insisted, "You just...calmed." she added for lack of better words, "You turned all your focus on me and..." Her cheeks reddened further. Her jaws were sore, a reminder of what happened.
He said nothing.
"Then, Alphose said something. He hasn't mated before so he has no idea what I was supposed to do for you." She finished then, looking him in the eyes.
"Shit." He cursed then.
"I'm your mate, aren't I?" She asked then, her heart in her throat, beating wildly. "That is why all this is happening, right?"
The silence that followed that question was deafening. It stretched...and only lengthened.
Ismena waited him out patiently, her eyes never leaving his face.
"Yes." He said, at last, uncrossing his arms. He walked to the nearest window and looked out to the wilds that are the only view the window oversees.
Oh my God. She staggered back.
No matter how true she'd expected it to be, it didn't prepare her for his admission.
"Were you ever going to tell me?" She let out in a whisper, her throat dry like sandpaper.
"No."
It hurt. It wasn't supposed to, but it did. "Why?"
"Because I have no intentions of ever taking a mate. Not you or anybody else. I do not want a mate. I do not want a child." Each word was clipped and hard.
"Why?"
"I love my life the way it is."
"What about me? I'm going to die, Wolfariane. Your touch keeps me alive. I've felt better than I have in a long time and it is all because of you."
"Alphose returned today from New York with your pills. The next time he wakes, I will get the information about where the pills are and give them to you."
"Those pills are not going to keep me alive, Wolfariane. I need to stay alive! Please, if there is a way for me to stay alive, can't you help me?" She asked, suddenly desperate when it finally dawned on her that she can have real hope...she can hold onto real hope...!
This man can make her live! "I don't want to die! Please, I don't want to die!"
He whirled around and looked her in the eyes then, "I am not mating with you, Ismena. Not even to save your own life." He said in that calm, deadly tone of his.
This time around, it hurt more than the very first time.
Her heart felt like a train was running over it so ruthlessly. Her eyes watered, which she didn't expect.
When she blinked and felt the tears, it made her angry.
"Do you hate humans that much? Do you hate me that much?" She whispered, swallowed to wet her dry throat.
A muscle ticked in his jaw. He turned away from her and faced the window again, "Do you have any idea that I almost killed you today?"
"When I threw myself on yo-"
"Not only that time. I was the 'lion' that gave you a chase." He revealed then, "You remember, don't you?"
How can she ever forget? Just the remember has the fear creeping up her spine. And he just said...
"That was you?" She asked disbelievingly, her eyes wide.
"Yes." He stated firmly, "Alphose was the other 'lion' that followed but he wasn't trying to attack you, instead, he was trying to stop me from killing you."
"You were g-going to k-kill me?" She swallowed again.
"I was going to shred you to pieces, eat your flesh and chew on your bone for days to come." He said, bluntly.
"Oh, God..." How can he say something like that to her? Instinctively, she took a step back, away from him.
"That was the instinct I had. That was the instinct I was riding on. If I had caught you...if Alphose hadn't stopped me..." He paused and shook his head, "I hate humans, Ismena. It is so deep, I do not know where my hatred ended and the part of me that is a mountain lion's own began. It is my hate for your kind that feeds the hate and the rage of that part of me. I can't un-hate your kind."
"Today, if I had caught you in the form of the mountain lion, I would have killed you in the most horrible way. Alphose was stopping me and I hurt him too, just to get to you. Not only can I not mate you, but having sexual intimacies with you will also be very dangerous for you because I have a part of me that loathes everything you are."
The tears were threatening again, but Ismena blinked them back so hard.
God, she does not want to cry for this. She does not want to cry for this tragedy that is her life. At least, not here.
"I heard the things you went through-"
"You heard nothing, Ismena." He whirled around and faced her again. Anger filled his blue eyes, "You heard nothing. You have no idea what I went through...what my people went through...what the wolf-clan went through..." His eyes darkened, "You have no idea what Nalaila went through."
The fact that he called that woman's name wasn't helping her at all.
"She's the main reason you are being this way, right? She is the main reason you don't want to be with me...not even to save my life, right?" Please, say no.
"Yes." He didn't bait an eyelash.
Jealousy and pain fixed together, burning through Ismena's chest like an acid. The room was suddenly suffocating for her, she needed to leave this place. She needed to breathe...away from here.
It's suddenly too much. Being chased by a huge lion. Almost meeting death twice today. Being rejected so blatantly. Being told so bluntly that the rejection is mainly because of his hate for her kind and another woman. It was too much.
It was becoming hard to battle these tears, so she has to go away from here or she will embarrass herself.
She faced the door and walked towards it.
But at the door, she stopped and turned.
She can still feel him on her tongue, in her throat. She can still taste him, this man that hates everything she represents. This man that is her mate. This man that will not claim her because of another woman. This man that will not claim her, not even for her to live.
"I have been here in Naturiah for nine days, I have learned quite a lot about your people and your ways by being here. I have also learned that a potential mate who hasn't been claimed can be compatible to more than one unmated male, but whoever claims her first becomes her mate, right?"
Wolfariane turned around and looked at her. He has no idea where she was going with that. "Not in all cases, but yes. Sometimes, a potential mate's compatibility can match more than one, it depends on who she is most compatible with or which of them claims her first. Why?"
"I am dying, Wolfariane." She raised her chin proudly, "If I'm going to die, I still have a few more things in my list I'm going to explore before I die which includes 'Having A One-night-stand' and 'Having A Constant Fuck Buddy'. Eline mentioned a club before, so I know for sure that Naturiah has a club. I am going to the club tonight."
She faced the door then, "Who knows, I might find another changeling male who I'm compatible with, who I can start fucking and it'll keep me alive."
She paused, "But even if I don't find another compatible mate, it doesn't matter. I'm still going to fuck around and fulfill my list while I wait for my death. I'm going to the club tonight." With that, she walked out of the bedroom.