Alisha's POV
After the wedding ceremony, considering Louie's health, I chose not to attend the evening party. With Nova's assistance, I changed out of my wedding gown and took Louie back to the room to rest.
Tonight was the first night of our marriage, and as we entered the room, I felt a hint of nervousness. On the night I married Archie, he didn't sleep with me; instead, he slept in a guest room. Now, looking at our bridal chamber, I felt a bit lost.
Louie seemed to sense my nervousness. He comfortingly smiled at me and said, "Sorry, because of me, you can't join the evening gathering."
I helped him sit on the bed and gently shook my head. "Not a big deal. How are you feeling now?"
"Probably because of the previous injuries, I always feel a bit lethargic, easily fatigued, always wanting to sleep. Don't worry about it."
Upon hearing Louie's response, my heart sank. Louie's situation seemed not good.
I tried hard to squeeze out a smile, not wanting him to see my concern. "Then why didn't I notice you being tired during the wedding? You looked so lively."
Louie held my hand, "This wedding has been my dream for so long; how could I fall asleep?"
My face instantly turned red.
"Alisha, I'm really, truly grateful that you are willing to marry me. I feel like I am dreaming."
Hearing this, I squeezed his hand, "Does it hurt? Do you still feel like you are dreaming?"
"Not a dream. I'm just so happy." Louie said while gently kissing me on the cheek.
I tried to relax my body, not to be too tense. Louie's passionate kisses traveled from my forehead to my nose, to my lips, and then down, lingering on my neck. He placed one hand on my waist and the other on the back of my head. His touch, where his skin met mine, felt like flames, making me break into a sweat.
His hands began to move gradually downward. Our breaths became rapid, and I felt like I was running out of air. At that moment, a sudden, inexplicable sound from outside the window interrupted this intimate and lingering kiss.
Seizing this opportunity, I began to breathe deeply. Louie suddenly chuckled and rested his forehead on my shoulder. The rising and falling of his chest revealed the urgency he shared with me.
I felt extremely awkward for some reason, then whispered, "Sorry, I want to take a bath."
As soon as I said that, I felt even more embarrassed. What if Louie said he wanted to join me in the bath? What would I do?
Why did I say that? Alisha, you are so stupid! I avoided eye contact, feeling guilty. As expected, Louie said, "A bath? I..."
I swallowed nervously, conflicted about how to refuse Louie when he wanted to shower with me together.
"I also think you could take a bath to relax, especially after a long day." Louie said.
"Ah? Oh, okay." Upon hearing Louie's response, I quickly jumped off the bed and ran towards the bathroom.
Once inside the bathroom, I quickly closed the door, sat on the toilet, and pounded my chest, trying to calm my heartbeat.
But just as I felt I had calmed down, my wolf seemed to wake up.
It had been using a lot of energy lately, helping to heal Louie. So, when it didn't need to treat Louie, it slept in the Bay, recovering its strength. It had spent the entire wedding process sleeping in dreams. I thought it was going to sleep until tomorrow morning, but unexpectedly, it was awake now.
It seemed to want to come out and get some fresh air. I let it out, and in no time, it squatted next to me, seemingly wanting to squeeze into the bathroom.
"Alisha, I want to go out."
"Now? It's already late."
"Yes, I just sensed an unsettling aura. I want to go out and check."
"What? Is it serious?" I asked nervously. There were many guests in my pack today. I was a bit worried.
"But it's gone now. Maybe I was mistaken, but I want to go out for a run and relax."
"Okay, just don't run too far. If something happens, inform me quickly or contact the guards, okay?"
After getting my permission, my wolf went to the window, leaped onto the windowsill, then turned back to look at me. "Don't mind me. Enjoy your wonderful wedding night with Louie." With that, it jumped into the dark night.
I stood in place, listening to its words, and a flush of warmth appeared on my face.
After finishing my bath, I put on a bathrobe and stood in front of the bathroom mirror, but I lacked the courage to open the bathroom door and step out. I didn't even know what I was thinking, but there I stood, foolishly in the bathroom.
Suddenly, I heard a commotion from the room. Worried, I called out, "Louie?" But there was no response.
Could something have happened to Louie? Thinking about his health, I hurriedly ran out, only to find him lying on the floor. I quickly rushed over and helped him onto the bed.
"Louie, are you okay? What happened?"
"Oh, Alisha, I... I'm fine... just accidentally fell."
I looked at Louie with concern. Suddenly, he said to me, "Alisha, you are beautiful. Can you close your eyes? I want to kiss you."
I felt a bit strange, but also very shy. However, Louie was my husband, and I shouldn't hesitate or shy away. So, suppressing my embarrassment, I grabbed my bathrobe with both hands and slowly closed my eyes.
I felt exceptionally nervous, and my breath seemed to carry a hint of warmth. But after waiting for a while, there was no kiss from Louie. Just as I found it odd and was about to sneak a peek, I suddenly felt a terrifying aura. Then, I heard a loud shattering noise of glass, and a dark figure flashed before my eyes—it was Archie!
Like a maniac, Archie was pinning Louie down, ruthlessly strangling his neck. Louie, in turn, gripped Archie's hands, trying to loosen the grip, kicking the floor helplessly, throat making "ho ho" sounds. Archie, unmoved, continued to strangle Louie without easing up.
"Archie!" I shouted at him. He was insane! How dare he lay hands on Louie! However, Archie only glanced at me and continued to viciously stare at Louie, showing no sign of loosening his grip.
I quickly summoned my wolf, calling for others through the mindlink to help. Seeing Louie's painful expression, I knew I couldn't delay any longer.
Considering the power disparity between me and Archie, I directly picked up a fruit knife from the floor and rushed toward Archie, stabbing him directly in the chest.
I distinctly heard the sound of the knife tearing through clothes, penetrating his flesh. Blood gushed out instantly, staining my hands red.
"Let go of Louie!" I commanded Archie!
Archie turned to look at me, a hint of sorrow in his eyes. "Alisha..."
Unmoved, I tightly held the knife. "If you don't let go, I will use this knife to dig out your heart. I mean what I say."
"You are willing to kill me for him..." Archie's voice trembled, eyes reddening. I didn't understand why, despite being the aggressor, he portrayed himself as a victim.
I forcefully pushed the knife deeper into his body, coldly responding, "He is my husband, my other half in life. You, on the other hand, are nothing to me but an ex-husband. If you dare to harm him, I won't spare you!"
Upon hearing my words, Archie showed a cruel smile. "Fine, go ahead and kill me. I would rather die at your hands!"
"Release Louie!" I shouted.
"No, since I couldn't have you, he couldn't either. He must die today."
Archie seemed completely insane. I twisted the knife in his body even more, and more blood surged out, instantly soaking both of us, but Archie still showed no change in expression. His grip tightened on Louie's throat, seemingly about to snap it.
Finally, my wolf appeared. It emerged through the broken window, pounced on Archie, bit his arm, and toppled him to the ground, releasing Louie.
Shortly after, another wolf appeared through the window—a towering, robust black wolf. I instantly understood; this was Archie's wolf. I hurriedly ran to Louie's side, but by then, Louie had already passed out.
The black wolf looked at the situation in the room, seemingly extremely confused. It rushed to Archie, while the white wolf, still biting Archie's arm, roared and growled at the black wolf, preventing it from approaching to save Archie.
The black wolf hesitated for a moment, speaking softly to my wolf, "Please, let go of Archie. There must be some misunderstanding!"
Archie coughed twice, then looked at me weakly, saying, "Alisha, don't get close to him!"
I looked at Louie's pale face, the distinct marks on his neck, and felt anger welling up inside me. "Archie! I hate you! Why won't you leave me alone? You have already ruined my past life; why do you want to destroy my future too?"
"I didn't..."
"Archie, the thing I regret most in my life is meeting you!" I gritted my teeth, expressing my hatred.
Archie, like a statue, stared at me without moving, and I actually saw a tear fall from his eye. "Alisha..."
"Enough! You have no right to call her name." Gray's voice suddenly sounded, and he arrived with guards at my room. "You dared to infiltrate our pack. Go repent in Blood Dawn's dungeon!" With that, Gray waved, commanding the guards behind him to capture Archie.
At this moment, the black wolf suddenly roared, seemingly about to pounce on me. My wolf immediately released Archie from its mouth and rushed over to protect me. However, the black wolf suddenly turned and charged at Archie, grabbing him by the arm, evading the two guards, and leaping out of the window.
Gray angrily picked up a chair and swung it at the black wolf. The chair shattered into many pieces, but the black wolf didn't pause, disappearing through the window.