Alisha's POV
I was well aware that my first meeting with Taria went completely awry. It was unexpected that Orathe agreed me to marry Louie, but Taria opposed our marriage.
I understand Taria's dislike for me, but I absolutely cannot let her take Louie away. Otherwise, his wounds...
Even though I know that if I speak out against Taria now, she will despise me even more, I still gathered the courage to try to stop her. However, it seems Louie sensed my intention. He gently shook his head at me, then turned to Taria, "Sorry, Mom, I won't leave Alisha. If you can't accept us temporarily, then I can't force you. But please, don’t force me too."
"Louie... Louie, what do you mean?" Taria asked, wide-eyed, seemingly in disbelief.
"Mom, I have decided to spend my life with Alisha. No matter what happens, I won't run away from her. If you truly can't accept her, refuse to bless us... then I can't change your mind. But don't try to change or stop mine. I want to be with Alisha; that is my only request."
Hearing Louie's words, I felt immensely relieved and moved. It is so heartwarming to have someone unconditionally stand by you when you're doubted and hurt.
Taria obviously couldn't accept Louie's words. She reached out, trembling, pointing at Louie, "For her, are you... are you going to leave me, or even... even abandon your family?"
Louie's face contorted in anguish at Taria's words. "Mom, don't force me. You mean a lot to me, but I also want to marry the woman I love. I yearn for my own love!"
"Louie! Have you forgotten the prophesy that you can't find your destined mate? This woman won't be your destined partner; she will only bring you shame and misfortune. Listen to me, leave her immediately!"
Taria's emotions escalated; she stepped forward, grabbing Louie's arm, attempting to pull him away. However, Louie resisted vehemently, trying to free himself from Taria, yet he didn't dare to struggle forcefully against his mother. "Mom, let go! I told you I won't leave!"
"No, you must come with me. You must be under her spell! Why else would you ignore the prophecy and stubbornly marry her? I heard the news, when you were fighting the Black Furies, you even risked getting hurt to protect her. She just only bring you danger. Believe me, leave her immediately and come with me!"
"Since you know, then you should understand that in my eyes, Alisha is more important than my life! For her, I can even sacrifice my life, so how could I leave her?"
Upon hearing this, Taria suddenly slapped Louie! "Shut up! Your life was given by me! I absolutely won't allow you to give it away to someone else, especially such a woman like her!"
Louie's face quickly showed a bright red mark from the slap. He slowly turned his face towards the furious Taria. "If you want me to leave Alisha, it would only be if I die. If you think my life belongs to you, then kill me. Otherwise, I will never leave you!"
I admit, Louie's unwavering commitment to our relationship deeply moved me. Although he bravely resisted his mother to defend our marriage, I truly didn't want their relationship to be damaged because of me.
I spoke to Taria, "Mrs. Blancato, I'm sorry for the previous thing that left a bad impression on you. But I have always appreciated Louie's care and support for me. I'm willing to spend my life with him, creating happiness together. It is sorry that we met today in this way, but Louie's stance is clear. It might not yield results if you keep entangling yourselves. Perhaps you should rest for now, and tomorrow we can find an opportunity to talk properly. Louie needs proper rest too, so..."
Before I could finish, Taria suddenly yelled at me, "Enough!" I instantly felt a surge of danger, the wolf inside me stirring. The next moment, I felt a gust of wind approaching, very strong. How could wind appear in the house?
In the next moment, Gray lunged forward and pushed Taria to the ground. "Wretch, how dare you lay a hand on Alisha!" Simultaneously, Louie pulled me into his arms, then swiftly turned around, using his back to shield me from the raging wind.
The hall was instantly in chaos, the sofa moved, the carpet rolled up, tables overturned, paintings shook, vases, and cups shattered on the floor... only I remained unscathed in Louie's arms.
I realized this must be Taria's innate ability. I never expected she could spew out such a strong wind from her mouth while she was speaking. A very discreet yet highly potent Gift.
I looked up at Louie, only to find his face extremely pale. Furrowing my brows, I nervously asked, "Louie, what's wrong, are you feeling unwell?"
Louie gave a faint smile, closing his eyes gently, and collapsed onto me, saying in a very low voice, "Sorry..."
"Louie!" both Taria and I exclaimed loudly.
That night, after confirming Louie was okay, I adjusted his blanket and left his room, heading to another. Two Blood Dawn guards stood by the door, ordered by Gray to watch over Taria inside.
Initially, Gray wanted to confine her to the dungeon, but I refused. On one hand, she is Louie's mother, and I didn't want to treat her like that. On the other hand, she is also the Luna of the Deep Moon, mishandling this situation could potentially lead to a war between the two packs. So, in the end, Taria was temporarily kept under guard here.
I had just entered the room when Taria immediately stood up anxiously and asked me, "How is Louie now? It is for Louie that I have endured your insults. You promised me before that you would treat him properly and take care of him well. If you dare to harm him or neglect him, I won't let you get away with it!"
I sensed her anxiety and concern and told her, "Louie is sleeping now. He has been treated, and his condition is stable now. But he had previous injuries, which worsened this time. He needs good rest."
"I want to see him!"
"No, you can't leave this room for now. You have to pay for your previous actions."
"Hmph, as expected, when Louie isn't around, you change your tune to me."
"Do you think I'm targeting you on purpose? If you weren't his mother, I would make you pay a much heavier price than being able to stand here and talk to me now."
"Truly a descendant of Orathe, just as domineering and arrogant as her. Does Louie know this side of you?" Taria crossed her arms and asking me with a sarcastic smile.
"I'm curious. From the moment we met, I felt your hostility. Maybe my past marriage and status displeased you, but it shouldn't make you hate me this much. I even saw a murderous intent in your eyes. Otherwise, you wouldn't take such a huge risk, making an attack against me on Blood Dawn's territory. I want to know, what reason makes you hate me so much?"
"That question is meaningless. I simply find you unpleasant," Taria said, turning towards the window, her back to me.
"Anyway, I will marry Louie no matter what. That is my promise to him. Since you are unwilling to bless us, please leave tomorrow," I said, gripping the door handle, preparing to leave. I couldn't win everyone's favor, and I couldn't change the past. So, I had no choice but to ask her to leave. This would be the best solution to all of us.
However, just as I was about to leave the room, Taria suddenly spoke, “Wait!"