Chapter 55: Evelyn: Fireflies to the Lake
Evelyn~
Theron didn’t say anything as he leaned against my shoulder, and after a while, I finally realized he had already fallen asleep.
I figured the earlier fight must have drained him too much. Well, of course it did.
His healing ability was probably working overtime to mend every wound and replace all the blood his body had lost.
No wonder he passed out the moment he found some peace.
But then my thoughts drifted elsewhere. Was Rael alright out there? I wasn’t worried about him catching a cold or anything like that. What scared me was the thought that, in his condition, he might try to hurt himself.
"Why would you think that?" my wolf’s voice suddenly echoed inside me.
I lowered my head and answered silently in my mind so I wouldn’t disturb Theron. Because I do the same. When I’m overwhelmed, I end up hurting myself.’
Whenever the weight of my emotions became too much, I would find release by turning that pain into something physical. At least physical wounds could heal, so I thought if I bled on the outside, maybe it would quiet the storm inside.
It wasn’t a healthy way to cope—I knew that—but in those moments, I didn’t care. The scars on my body faded with time, but the scars in my heart never seemed to go away.
That was why I worried about Rael. He carried his pain so heavily, and I could see it in his eyes, in the way his hands sometimes trembled.
Well, he wasn’t exactly as lonely as I was, but still ... having people around didn’t mean he wasn’t in pain. Sometimes the worst kind of suffering was the one you carried quietly in a crowded room.
"Why don’t you go to him?" my wolf suggested. "Theron is fast asleep. He won’t even notice if you leave for a while."
I hesitated for a moment before finally deciding to follow my wolf’s advice.
Moving slowly, I slipped my hand beneath Theron’s head and carefully stood up from the chair. I stacked a few pillows at the end of the sofa, gently lowering his head onto them. Then I lifted his legs and placed them across the cushions so he could rest more comfortably.
My wolf had been right, Theron didn’t wake up at all!
I tucked another pillow into the crook of his arm before slipping out of the house as quietly as I could, determined to find Rael.
But the moment I stepped outside, I froze. All around the house, soldiers from Valedorn and wolves from the Nocthra Pack stood on guard, their presence pressing down on the night like a heavy weight.
No one had drawn blood, yet the tension between them was sharp enough to taste.
"Luna! You finally came out!" Marek, who had been standing near the gate, rushed toward me at once. His eyes scanned me quickly, sharp with concern. "Did that bastard hurt you?"
Before I could respond, a Valedorn soldier unsheathed his sword in a flash, pressing the blade against Marek’s neck. His voice was cold. "Didn’t we agree to keep our distance from our Luna? If we allow you and your savage friends near her, you’ll try to take her away!"
Marek’s eyes twitched in anger, and he snapped back, "Take her away? Don’t you dare play games with me. Your king is the one trying to take our Luna away!"
"You—"
"Enough," I finally cut in before their argument could go any further. "Please, don’t start a fight here. His Majesty is resting inside, and your shouting could disturb him."
The soldier of Valedorn was the first to clamp his mouth shut. He slid his sword back into its sheath and quickly stepped a few paces back, as if he couldn’t stand to face Marek any longer.
"Beta Marek," I called out gently. "Did you see your Alpha?"
Marek’s lips pressed into a thin line, his expression showing clearly that he didn’t want to tell me where Rael was.
"Please ... if you know, tell me." My voice softened into a plea. "I don’t want to leave him alone in the middle of the night."
It was a silly excuse, really. What kind of Alpha would ever get hurt just for spending the night alone? But somehow, my words seemed to stir Marek’s heart.
His gaze softened as it landed on me. "To be honest, I wouldn’t suggest meeting the Alpha when he’s angry ... but if you really insist, he usually goes near the lake."
"The lake?" I frowned in confusion. "I haven’t seen any lake around here."
"Ah ... the lake isn’t nearby," Marek explained. "It’s deep inside the forest. That’s why you didn’t notice it."
In other words, I had to step out of the Nocthra Pack’s territory. I wasn’t afraid of the darkness or the towering trees in the forest, but running into a wild demon beast would definitely be a problem.
Before I could say anything, Marek spoke again. "Don’t worry, the path is actually safe to pass through since the Alpha often hunts there." He continued, "The fireflies usually fly along the path that leads to the lake. Just follow them, and they’ll guide you straight there."
"But I can escort you—"
"No need," I cut him off quickly. "I’m not sure he would be happy to sense your presence there."
Rael was still vulnerable, and I wasn’t even sure if he wanted me to come.
Still, there was no harm in trying.
I left the settlement and walked into the forest. To my surprise, it wasn’t as dark as I thought. Fireflies floated everywhere, glowing softly like scattered stars. Strangely, they formed a straight line, lighting up a path that seemed to lead straight to the lake.
"This is the first time I’ve seen something like this," I whispered to my wolf.
She chuckled. "Maybe this forest is a bit special."
Special indeed, so special that demon beasts also roamed here.
"Or maybe Rael is the one behind this," my wolf guessed. "I never thought he could be such a melancholy person."
I thought the same. At first glance, he looked like a barbarian who lived for chaos, the kind of man who might kidnap women just for fun. But after spending even a little time with him, I saw something else, someone unexpectedly gentle, someone who never forced himself on me.
It was strange behavior for an Alpha who had waited so long for his Luna.
After walking for almost half an hour, I faintly heard the sound of water trickling in the distance, like someone tossing stones across the lake’s surface.
When I stepped closer, the view took my breath away. A lake stretched before me, its surface shimmering with a green glow. Around it, trees draped with purple leaves leaned toward the water, their vines trailing down like curtains. It was so beautiful, it felt unreal.
"Rael," I breathed out softly when I spotted him. He was sitting on a large rock, his red hair glowing faintly under the fireflies’ light, casually throwing pebbles into the lake.
The moment he turned his head toward me, I froze in place, not daring to get too close too suddenly.
"What are you doing here?" Rael asked, his voice flat, but with no malice in it. "Did that bastard throw you out?"
"No ..." I paused for a moment before continuing. "He’s asleep, so I decided to come and see you." I looked at him deeply, then asked, "That is ... if you want me to."