My senior healer once told me a fable from the human world about a princess who was cursed to sleep until a prince woke her up with a true love kiss. I thought the story was ridiculous.

But when I wake up today, I feel like I had been that sleeping princess. Especially when I learn that I've been sleeping for almost two days.

The only thing that the princess has that I don't have is a prince waking me up with a kiss. I wake up alone. The side of the bed where Lyall slept is now cold.

I look at the opened window. The afternoon wind makes the thin curtain dance a little. The room is a bit chilly, so I tiptoe to close the window. That's when I notice the lingering scent of Lyall. Musk and a little smoky scent.

It's faint, which means he has been gone for quite some time.

As I lock the window and close the curtains, I feel a heavy anchor weighing my heart deep under the earth.

He left me.

For the rest of the day, I spend my time looking at the door, waiting for him. I feel stupid, but I hold on to that hope that he will come back. Maybe he just needs time to accept what happened.

What I did to him is worthy of punishment in my old pack. A female can't claim a male without the male's permission. It's unheard of. Even if they are mates, if the female claims the male first, the male will consider that an insult.

I know the lycan kingdom is much more forward than my old pack. But as I have only been a few months in this kingdom, I can't be sure how they will take some things. What if they also have the same belief as my old pack?

Especially because Lyall is the king, the highest one in power. Claiming him first can be considered an act of insulting his authority. Even if I did it to save him.

When Lyall doesn't come back until sundown, I begin to worry if my thoughts have been correct. I don't dare to ask about it to anyone because I also don't know if Lyall would like it if words spread around about me having claimed him.

In the end, I am tired of waiting. So I go to the academy, and live my life like that day never happened. Everyone keeps giving me sly eyes, but none would ask me about it. It doesn't help that my belly is no longer able to be hidden.

Lola tells me that one particular rumor has been going around the kingdom, that I am conceiving Lyall's son. She also tells me that Adina's supporters are not having it, but somehow, they are forced to stay quiet for the time being. Something is holding them back from taking action on me.

This pony-tailed girl has made significant progress in her transformation. Unlike Lyall, who has it hard and painful in transforming, Lola's trouble is in the mind. Her body is ready to transform, but her mind cannot synch with her body. I have helped her to synch both and now she can transform for a few minutes.

She has also become one of my fiercest protectors in the academy. None of the students dare to mock me because of her.

Well, also because they are all intimidated by Grey's deadly stare.

I find out recently that Grey is dating the academy's herbalist, which, to my surprise, is a rogue werewolf. His name is Marlin, and he is a mute. But his soul is like blooming jasmine, pretty and pure. He is the first person I have met that offers for me to read his soul from the get-go. That's how I understand the reason he had to become rogue; he was born in the wrong body and no one in his pack could understand that. As much as they pressure women to act a certain way, they also pressure men to... well, act like a bunch of douchebags.

"I hate the system," Marlin gestured to me. "It puts us in boxes that cage us, preventing us from living totally free. Those labels only limit us."

I could not agree more.

Just like me, he felt he was being caged, so he became a rogue Naver accepted him in this kingdom personally because of his gift in herbs.

As soon as Marlin and I hit it off, Grey has become softer to me. Well, I guess Grey has a certain image he wants to maintain with his lover.

Other than meeting Marlin, nothing else happens. Except for that one time Roy apologizes to me. And some influential people have sent me letters to gain my favor. I guess the rumor about me carrying Lyall's child makes some people turn their heads to me. Grey recognizes some of Adina's followers' names among the senders.

"You shouldn't reply back so soon," Athena advises me. "Make them wait for your reply."

"I think you also need to take bed rest until the baby is born, too," Grey says this at least twice a day. "It's easier to guard you safe if in this room."

My usual response is to roll my eyes. "You're saying I should wait for Lyall like a fool, too?"

"You are waiting for him," both Athena and Grey say at the same time.

Because they annoy me, I send them away earlier. But not long after, I regret sending my only companions of the day away. Naver and Ganesh usually visit me, but today, none of the legendary twins will come because they are on a field trip to another village.

I try to squash away from the lonely feeling by reading the medical books I have taken from the library. But no matter how many books I read or how long I have been reading, that empty feeling inside of me won't go away. The room only becomes so colder every second I spend time alone.

And without knowing, I keep looking at the door, waiting for someone I probably shouldn't.

It's stupid, I know.

I am just about to turn in for the night when the door opens. My first reaction is to freeze on the spot. It takes me a few seconds to make sure that I wasn't hearing things. And when I look at who is entering the room, my heart stops right then.

I blink a few times. Again, making sure I am not seeing things.

"Hi," he says.

Um... hello? He hasn't visited me for days with no explanation and the only thing he has to say to me is, 'Hi'?

"Hi," I stand to greet him back. It's getting hard to breathe. There are so many things I want to ask him, that I want to say to him.

And it turns out he has a lot to say to me too. So I listen.

"I don't want to reject you," he says, "I want you as mine. I want the entire world to know that this werewolf girl is mine. And if you will allow me, I would love to be the father of your child."

That's when I can no longer hold the emotions piling inside of me. It pours out of me whether I like it or not. Without sobbing, a tear falls on my cheek. Then another. And another.

"Lyall," I call him after making sure my breath is steady. He keeps looking at his empty glass. His fingers clench and unclench. "Why won't you look at me?"

He keeps his eyes down. "I know it's asking a lot from you," he says, "It might be a burden. And you'll probably hate that I can only give you the title Concubine for now. But I've made plans and set them. With the support of some influential families, I can turn the council to let me give you the title Queen."

"I thought the council would only allow me to be here for a year," my tears fall even more when I hear he has been setting his plans straight. He's thought ahead for me. Yet he still won't look at me.

"I've... uh... pressured the council to give you citizenship," he opens another bottle clumsily. "There might be war in the near future, but it's nothing we can't handle. However, it has put you as a target to some people because we haven't had a war in many years. Rest assured, I've planned security around you. Grey will make sure you're safe and Naver will help you prepare politically–"

I have to stop him. "Lyall," I call to him. "Have you fallen for me?"

His body freezes for some time. Then finally, he turns to me. His mouth is open to say something. But the moment he sees my tears, he panics. He walks fast to me, his hands cupping my face. "Oh Goddess, did I say something wrong?"

"No." I shake my head. "You're saying all the right things."

"Then why are you crying?"

Can't he tell why I am crying? The lump inside my throat prevents me from spilling everything that's running through my mind. All my mouth can spit out is, "Answer me. Please."

He rubs under my eyes gently. "Isn't that obvious?" he whispers. "Marsha, I am in love with you."

I blink. At the same time, another tear trails down my eye. "The curse? Does that mean your curse is broken?" The lump in my throat only gets bigger, making it painful to speak.

Lyall avoids my eyes then. And my heart slumps inside my ribcage. I pull his collar to see his shoulder.

His skin is still black and scaly. In fact, those dark scales have spread to his forearm. The curse is not broken. It's still spreading.

"I'm sorry," I whisper. I can't help the tears from falling again. This time, I am avoiding his eyes. I feel guilty.

Lyall grabs my chin, forcing me to look him in the eyes. "Don't be." His hot breaths fan my face. "You've given me the best days of my life. Don't worry about the curse anymore."

"But... that was the reason you brought me here..."

"Marsha," he lets out a little sad scoff, "I told everyone that as my reason, but the truth is... I think I've known from the beginning that I need you in my life."

I can feel my heart stopping right then. A firestorm brewing wildly inside of me, sending sparks to every fiber of my being. I lean to his touch. It feels warm, safe, and right.

My chest feels so full that it's hard to breathe, but it's not painful. And my lips... I can't stop smiling. At the same time, I can't stop crying. It doesn't help that I am heavily pregnant and my hormones are messed up.

I have never felt like this all my life. Not even Ed had ever made me feel like this. I feel like I can combust at any time, but also, I feel cool and I want to stay in this moment forever.

One word pops up in my mind to describe the feeling I am having.

Happiness.

I send the word to Lyall through our bond. Ever since I claimed him, his mental walls have been broken down and this time, he accepts me. He lets me in.

The fact that he is letting me in brings a surge of happiness inside me.

So I use this chance to tell him without words, saying nothing, without sound, that I too am in love with him.

As my tears keep on falling, ribbons of colors enter Lyall's mind. Each of them blooms into beautiful flowers. The field in Lyall's mind is now filled with flowers. That's how my love for him is blooming all at once. They are of various colors, shapes, and sizes. But they are stretched beyond sight.

That's when I see it. Lyall is shedding a tear right in front of me.

When I brush his cheek, he looks surprised to know that he's crying too. So I tell him through our bond that it's tears of joy. And that I'm happy he's happy. I also tell him I won't tell any soul about him crying. That makes him chuckle.

We join our heads and chuckle lightly. That day, without any words, we can laugh, cry, and understand each other. We stand there for hours, yet none of us would want to move away.

We both have accepted our bonds. So there's only one thing I need to do now.

"May I claim you?" he asks for permission to my ear as the sun settles down on the horizon. His fingers trace the zipper on the back of my dress. "May I claim you, My Queen?" With one smooth movement, he has unzipped my dress.

"You said the only title you can give me is Concubine." My hands unbutton his shirt one by one.

"For now," he corrects me, "But eventually you'll be the only Queen."

Slowly, he pulls my dress down. "What about Adina?" I have to ask. "And Sky?"

"Sky is fine. You'd be delighted to know that we've actually come to an agreement." Lyall pulls me up easily, even when I am pregnant. Gently, he sits on the bed and puts me on his lap, facing him. "So what do you say?"

He gulps nervously. He is ready to pull himself if I say no to him, even though his libido has risen. I know from our open bond.

"Yes," I whisper my answer.

I can feel the immense relief washing over him. Then happiness blankets him that he can't help but smile. "Yes, what?"

Oh, he has started his game. And I will play with a giddy heart, too. Sasha has not stopped wagging her tail for some time now.

"Yes, Sir."

***

–Sky–

There was no question in my mind when Lyall offered me a proposition. Lyall plans to make Mars his queen. For that, he would need to weaken Adina's biggest supporters. So he sent me to destroy some mines and factories belonging to certain families to deprive them of their economic power. He sent me to kill some people too, some unknown names that are keys to several big names' successes. And lastly, he sent me to kill Albus, Adina's biggest supporter.

Killing Albus would be my last assignment from Lyall. Then I can finally see Mars again. I miss her warmth and I really want to play chess with her again. It's been days since I last saw her.

It should be easy to kill Albus. He is old, frail, and grumpy. I never really like him, anyway.

But things go horribly wrong.

So so so wrong.

Instead of finding Albus in his room, I instead find a tall, dark-haired woman staring at her own reflection in the mirror. She is wearing a tight-fitted black dress. Her hair is rolled up neatly, and she has an expensive ruby pendant on her neck.

This is the first time I have seen her with makeup, and she looks so beautiful. Her lips are blood red. The eyeliner she uses makes her eyes look sharper and more mischievous.

"Hello, Shadow Walker," she greets my reflection in the mirror.

My heart races wildly. Even my shadows tremble at the sight of her. "Ho– how are you here? You're supposed to be locked in the Dark Tower. Yo–you were chained... You were..."

Adina makes the door clicks shut with magic and fills the entire room with darkness. Darker than my shadows.

For the first time, I feel afraid. All I can think about is Mars's smile.

And the fact that I have failed Mars.

–to be continued–