"Ed?" My voice shakes so much. Not only that, but my eyes water as the figure in front of me walks closer. With every thud of his footsteps, every rise and fall of his chest, every moment passing with him looking at me with those... those familiar eyes, and... and that warm smile I always took comfort in.

I can't even keep my mind straight. Every thought seems to jump at the speed of light inside me. I can't grasp any solid thought at all.

No matter how many times I blink, the image in front of me doesn't blur. He is real. He is here.

But how is this possible? I... saw his body got cremated into ashes, and I made sure that it was his scent. There's no way I could be wrong.

"Ed... is that really you?" My hand stretches to reach him.

There were days I hugged the urn of his ashes, crying to my sleep, wondering why fate was so cruel to take him away from me. And there were days I was so scared to even sleep because I didn't know how to face the future without him, especially knowing that I was pregnant.

Remembering those days, my tears burst without me wanting to. "Ed..." My throat wobbles so much, trying to reign in all the sobs clumping inside. "Ed..."

He cups my face with both of his hands. Our eyes meet and I can see that tears have pooled in his eyes, too. "I'm here, love." He rubs my cheeks gently, wiping away my tears one by one. His touch is cold. But his scent always brings warmth to me, it has always given me comfort. With a kind smile, he whispers, "I'm here now. And we'll be together again."

His words force me to cut our eye contact. I look down at the white blanket that, as it turns out, I have been gripping hard from the start. My knuckles are white like snow. Despite Ed trying to wipe my tears one by one, some slip and drop to my hand.

Then... What about... Lyall? My fated mate?

I nudge Sasha, who is also beyond shock, to see Ed back. She has been blinking nonstop, sniffing the air multiple times to make sure that it's truly our Ed.

'It's Ed, Sasha!' I cry out to her.

But she disregards my words and continues to feel wary about Ed. Her emotions are my emotions. So I can feel her slight fear, disbelief, and her instinct saying that something is off.

I don't understand why my wolf won't warm up to the very person who we chose as a mate before. The very person who helped us and protected us. Perhaps our current bond with Lyall stops Sasha from rekindling our previous bond with Ed.

'Mars,' Sasha says, 'We still can't reach Lyall.'

'Sasha!' I can't believe the way she is acting. 'It's Ed! It's Ed!'

'Adina said that it was your wedding dress that blocked our bond. I wonder how long the effect would last. Or is something else blocking the bon–'

'Sasha!'

'Yes, Mars, I know it's Ed!' Sasha finally addresses the issue at hand. 'The male we chose as our chosen mate. But he has died. Look at him! His hair and skin are different. Something is not right about him. And even if he didn't die, he made us think he had died and made us endure all those terrible nights.'

I blink into reality. Sasha has some good points. My gaze flicks at Mason for a short second. Alpha Mason puts his head down in the presence of Ed. He stands a respectable distance from us, but he is no longer leaning to the window. It's as if Ed is the alpha now and Mason is being submissive to him.

Sasha is right. Something is off.

Another thing that pops up in my mind is that this could probably just be a projection, or perhaps Mason manipulates my mind into seeing Ed alive again. Or... disgustingly, perhaps Mason makes me see himself as Ed in order for him to keep me as his Luna, the female equivalent of an Alpha.

Nothing makes sense. At all.

I look back at Ed's marine eyes. They are the exact same shade as I remember them. Even the green streaks at the rim of his eyes stay the same.

"H–how... are you still alive? Y– you...." I take a moment to settle my tears. My throat hurts and my nose feels stuffy. "I saw your body Ed... it was you. I saw you going into the cremation chamber. Your warriors cried for you, I cried for you..." In the end, my tears fall again. They keep falling as my chest starts to suffocate me.

"Shh..." He wipes my tears again. Sitting on one edge of the bed, he brushes my hair to comfort me. He doesn't even care if Alpha Mason is still standing.

Something is definitely wrong. Because Ed's position in the pack should have never allowed him to act this ignorant to the alpha. And Ed loved Mason. He adored and respected Mason as his alpha.

'Ed would never disrespect Mason like this,' Sasha says.

Right then, Ed's eyes move to see my baby in the cradle. She coos a little because of hearing me cry, but she keeps on sleeping soundlessly.

"Oh, she's beautiful, Mars," he whispers. His eyes glitter with longing, and right then... right then, I know he is Ed. He looks back at me and kisses me on the lips. I am not ready for the kiss, so I just stay still. He then joints our foreheads together, just like the way he used to like to do every time he came home.

"Ed," I call him again once I have calmed down, "What really happened?"

He sits closer to me on the bed. His gaze is only directed at me. There is not a single moment that he acknowledges the alpha's presence, which returns that feeling that something seems wrong inside of me. There is an inner battle inside me. And the line between what I should believe and what is reality seems to blur into non-existent. I don't know what to think.

"It's quite a story," he says while rubbing the back of his neck. From the little that his collar can show me, I can see what seems like the beginning of a large scar. He sees me looking at the scar. "Oh, this is a token from the Vampire King."

I nod, remembering how Mason told me just moments ago that while Ed bit the Vampire King's neck, his own neck was also clawed at.

However... the scar, somehow, doesn't resemble claw marks... I could just be imagining things. Heck, I don't even think I am seeing the right things with Ed in front of me. Perhaps I am still dreaming.

Or perhaps, I have died, and this is like a weird process I have to go through before I can move on.

But when Ed starts to tell his story, I become less convinced that this is a dream.

"I killed the Vampire King, Mars," he starts. His eyes flick to Mason for a fraction of a second. The way he looks at Mason is so unlike Ed, who respected Mason like an elder brother figure. It even looks like... he is looking down at Mason.

"I killed him to save Luna Gina and Alpha Mason," Ed continues, "The Vampire King clawed at my neck. But I managed to snap his neck before he could sever my own."

He smiles bitterly while reaching for my hands for him to hold. His thumbs rub each of my hands gently. The callousness of his hands is exactly the way I remember them. But his palms feel cold.

"I died, Mars," he says, looking straight into my eyes, "Memories of us being together flashed through my mind at that moment and I felt utterly sad when I thought I had to leave you alone just like that. I died because of blood loss. In the end, the Vampire King did sever my neck, too."

I don't dare to blink. Or even gulp the remaining lump in my throat. I can only wait for him to let out the next words to complete the story.

"I made Mason promise me he would take care of you. I had seen how he was changing because of Gina and I thought he would be able to keep you safe in my absence."

Needles struck my chest when I heard those words. But... Alpha Mason didn't even come to me at all until the day of Ed's burial. It was a burial of formality, just burying a coffin full of Ed's belongings because I had retrieved his ashes before.

"I died for days, Mars," he says, "The body you saw when the warriors came back to the village was my body. And those ashes were mine, too. I saw everything that day." He caresses my cheek tenderly. "How my death destroyed you. And I'm sorry I made you experience that."

"But something incredible happened to me, Mars," he says. His hand is still on my cheek. It's cold. Very cold. "My soul entered the Vampire King's body. And the body reshaped itself to resemble my own."

I blink. This is... "What?"

"I became a vampire, Mars," he says to my astonishment, "Not an ordinary vampire, but a Vampire King."

Huh?

He chuckles at the sight of my blank face. Goddess, the way he laughs is exactly the way I remember him. He is Ed. There is no doubt about it.

Yet he is telling me he is now a... Vampire King?

I look at Mason, then back at Ed. "Are you two... pranking me?"

Only Ed bursts into laughter at my question. I see Mason smiling reluctantly, but more than that, he seems uncomfortable. This is such a weird dynamic. The Beta is laughing freely without a care while the Alpha seems wary.

Seeing Mason, however, makes me put my guard up.

'Wise decision,' Sasha agrees with my thoughts. I put one hand on the cradle. My hand is ready to grab my baby at any moment.

"There are two types of vampires," Ed explains again, "First, the low-class vampires. They don't have any additional power other than inhumane strength and speed. And they can easily be made when a vampire bites someone, sucks him dry, and gives him a vampire's blood. The newly made vampires will then be connected by blood with their makers."

His blue eyes bore into me intensely. "Second, the Noble Vampires. They have extraordinary powers and are the only ones capable of leading vampire clans. A Noble Vampire is immortal and his throne is not to be given to anyone. It can only be taken by another vampire who can kill the current reigning Noble Vampire."

I blink as I connect the dots in my brain. But the words won't come out of my mouth.

"When a vampire kills a noble vampire, the vampire also dies. But only the body dies. The soul, however, is transferred to the noble vampire's body. And soon after, the noble vampire's body will transform according to the new soul in its body."

He tilts his head slowly, making sure that I am following every word.

"In a way, a noble vampire's body is like an immortal vessel with magical power residing in it. And worthy souls take control of the body every once in a while."

"Noble vampire's bodies never take souls from other species, it's just unheard of. But this time, one did." He looks down for a while. His eyes have a slight hue of sadness. "I felt myself floating in the ether, Mars. I was not sure if I was alive or if I was already dead for days. It was such a confusing feeling to see my own dead body and I couldn't do anything. And in those days, my original body had been processed, made into ashes and I somehow knew that a formal burial ceremony had been done. I didn't really know what to do in that state or how to control what I saw. It was... sort of like I was inside the gel of existence. It's hard to describe."

His eyes find mine again. The sad hue has changed into something lighter. "Then I woke up in this body in the middle of the forest. When I look at the reflection on Eclipse Lake, the body has changed into my own. Well, except the hair. I rushed back to the pack, but when Mason tried to retrieve you, I heard you had run away."

Wait... so all this time... I had misunderstood Mason's intention? But the rumors at the time made me think Mason would force me to be his new Luna. I look back at Mason, who stares at me with a gaze full of guilt. Those are pure, sincere emotions.

I feel like laughing. It is a misunderstanding from the start! Mason only wanted to take me to Ed.

"At that time," Mason says, "We have not told the entire pack that Ed has come back alive. We don't know how the pack would receive him now that he's, uh... a noble vampire." He speaks carefully, especially with the last words.

"I'm sorry that I scared you," Mason continues in a somber tone, "I guess my reputation has preceded me. Mars, I did not have any intention of forcing you to become Luna."

I look back at Ed's blue eyes, who are now drooping with regret. They look at me straight in the eyes and I feel pins and needles in my heart. If only I had waited for another day, or even another hour, before running... would things end differently?

Then, I take a careful look at Ed's body from head to toe. My eyes stick to that spot on his neck. I reach to his collar and pull down his shirt. I need to see it. I need to confirm it.

There is no mating mark on his skin. And instead of claw marks, I see bite marks on his neck.

This isn't Ed's body.

"I know what you're thinking," Ed says. He takes my hand and puts it on his chest. I can feel his steady heartbeats, deep beneath his cold skin. It's subtle and quite slow, unlike any werewolf's heartbeats. "This might not be my body. But the soul inside is me."

I blink a few times. "That means you're now..."

"A noble vampire," he answers me.

I gulp the lump in my throat. "And Ned?" Ned is Ed's wolf. A down-to-earth wolf that doesn't talk as much as Sasha.

'Hey,' Sasha protests inside me.

That sad hue returns to his eyes. "Ned has been hibernating in this new body ever since I woke up." Despite her skepticism, Sasha exhales in relief, knowing that her good friend is alive, too. Sasha is quite a dominant female wolf, and so she never got along with most of the other wolves. But Ned has always accepted her for who she was.

"So... that means you would need... blood?" My ear picks up a slight shuffling noise next to me. It's Mason, moving his feet uncomfortably.

"Occasionally," Ed shrugs in a casual manner, "But I won't drink your blood. Unless you want me to."

Right then, his eyes grow intense drastically. Any beings with an instinct could tell that there is bloodlust hiding behind his eyes. He desires my blood. And this is making Sasha so uncomfortable.

Sensing me tensing slightly, Ed shakes his head. "Sorry," he says, "It's hard to control the bloodlust sometimes. I know you felt it. It's just..." He looks at me again. "Vampires find their mates' blood to be the most delicious. Just like how werewolves desire their mates."

Do vampires have mate bonds as werewolves do? I thought they don't worship the same Moon Goddess as us.

"I've been trying to tone it down," he says when I don't respond with anything. "It won't be a problem when we're together. We can just return to how we were months ago." His grip on my hands tightened. There is a small, pleading smile across his face.

"I've been waiting for this moment ever since I woke up from the dead, Mars," he says while caressing my hair, "I told Mason to pick you up to meet me so we can tell you the whole story. But... things happened. It doesn't matter now. Because now that you're here, we can continue our life like it used to. I am so happy that you're back home, Mars." His smile blooms gorgeously.

"You have no idea how many times your image shows up in my head. How... I wish I protected you better from this pack. I didn't realize how suffocating this pack has been to females until I helped Gina during the war."

His fingers put a few strands of my hair behind my ear. They then move to cup one side of my face. "I promise you that things will be better now. Mason has made drastic changes in this pack. Female pups are enrolled in schools now, and women can apply to be warriors too. And we now have made it our mission to change the way werewolves treat females in other packs."

I blink again. The thought of my pack changing this much in a few months... I wouldn't believe any word if only Ed doesn't look at me with so much seriousness. Ed is not someone who can lie. When he doesn't want to reveal something, he'd just change the conversation or not say anything. Like the time I asked him why he confiscated some of my books. Those were books I bought with my own money, and they were rare books from the human realm.

He confiscated them because one of his warriors talked badly about me for having too many books to read. Ed had always been lenient and allowed me to do whatever I wanted, as long as it was not extreme. But if it already involves how the warriors would see him, he'd always pick his warriors than me.

It was understandable. He needed to protect how the warriors see him so I would be protected as well. A female who is known to be rebellious or who likes to disregard the pack's norms experience more assaults and bullying.

"But Ed," my tongue moves slowly. I hold his stare carefully. Using my puppy eyes–a term he used on me whenever I wanted him to do something for me. "I am... no longer your mate."

Ed only looks at me in perfect stillness. He doesn't move. I doubt he is even breathing. His gaze has turned intense again, but more than that, he appears shocked despite trying to hide it. Somehow, this side of him feels dangerous. Like the calm before a huge storm.

"We promised each other that our bond is true until death does us apart. And when you died, I felt the bond shattering to pieces." It's a natural law in werewolf packs that bonds, fated or chosen, would dissolve once death is involved. This is so that the remaining alive soul can take another bond without having complications. Having multiple bonds at the same time is considered taboo since it contradicts the monogamous rule, preached by many werewolf elders.

When it has involved twins who both feel the same mate bond with another, one twin will have to be rejected. However, I have heard stories about werewolves disregarding this rule and taking up multiple bonds. Especially those who are not happy with their current official mate but couldn't break the bond. They are mostly exiled and forced to become rogues. And those that choose to cherish their multiple bonds from the beginning are considered sinners.

"I found my fated mate when I ran away from the pack," I tell him, "His name is Lyall. And he is the Lycan King."

Ed blinks slowly. "The Lycan King is your... fated mate? I thought he coerced you to stay with him." The way he says the word, 'fated,' makes it seem like he really hates that one word.

I shake my head as an answer. "We made a deal at first. I would stay to help break his curse and he would help me to..." I look at Mason, who is looking down at his feet. The alpha has his arms on his back, a submissive, waiting posture. "...he would protect me so that Mason wouldn't be able to take me back."

Ed clicks his tongue subtly. His jaw pops and I can see rage building behind his gaze. He looks at Mason sharply, which causes Mason to shrink. The Alpha of the Moon Chaser pack is shrinking because of Ed in front of me.

Before, Mason had no qualms in declaring war against a vampire clan led by the same noble vampire body, right? Moreover, this is Ed's soul inside this body.

So, what has changed? There's something else they haven't told me.

"Are you sure he isn't making you stay for something else?" he asks. His voice has turned much colder from the moment I mentioned Lyall.

"Like what?"

"Your power, of course," he answers without missing a beat. It's as if there is no doubt in his mind that Lyall is keeping me as only an investment.

But... How does he know about my power?

"Ed," I ask him, "Why didn't you try to contact me in the Lycan Kingdom?"

Ed gives out a weak smile. "Since it has never been heard of to have a werewolf as a noble vampire," he says, "We don't want to alert the world. I've... gained some power. A lot of it."

His eyes suddenly seem to light up. "You know the feeling, right? You also just recently discovered your true power. Mars, we have to be careful with disclosing our power. This world can easily consider those with unbound power as threats. Also, we didn't want to elicit a war with the Lycan King right after just surviving a war with the vampires."

"Still," I protest, "You could at least give me a sign that you're alive. Or... or... sent a secret letter!" For the amount of heartache I had to endure when I thought he was truly gone, and the number of doubts and fear I had to fight against knowing that I have to make it on my own... his answer does not satisfy me.

I had sleepless nights and terrible panic attacks during the first days I had to adapt to his absence. I was suffering. Not only from losing him but also from worrying about how to protect my own child alone.

"I'm sorry," his voice breaks a little. "I wanted to, but a witch came to me and she advised us to not do anything. She told me she revealed herself to you as a witch and helped you snuggle my ashes out of the pack. And that she has been watching you grow your power in the Lycan Kingdom. But I will no longer heed her words. You have been taken away from me for too long."

"Wait," my head churns, my heart beats wildly, "So... the Moon Goddess told you to let me be in the Lycan Kingdom?"

There is only utter silence once I reveal that I know the true identity of the witch that helped me.

The words Ed used were 'She revealed herself to you as a witch,' which means he thought I don't know about the witch being the Moon Goddess.

I see Mason's face getting paler, dread and guilt mixed like a storm inside him. Yet Ed appears... colder, as if he is annoyed that I know.

Right then, someone enters the room. His scent is unfamiliar, unlike any werewolf's scent. The way his heart beats is similar to Ed's. Slow and subtle.

A vampire.

What is a vampire doing in the middle of a werewolf pack?

"Your Highness," he calls to Ed, "Th– there is a fight–"

Edward snarls at the young vampire. As a response, the vampire shrinks immediately at the sight of Ed's fangs. I, too, retreat my hands due to shock. His fangs are different from those of werewolves or lycans. They are longer and thinner, and they reflect the light as if they are made of translucent material.

Ed looks back at me as soon as he feels my hands withdrawing. A look of surprise paints his face. His eyebrows furrow and his lips curve down. He looks upset.

He thinks I am scared of him.

In truth, I don't know what to think of him yet.

I hear him subtly clicking his tongue again. That's what he always did whenever things annoyed him. He glares back at the young vampire, who cowers even more at Ed's piercing stare. Then he turns to me again.

"I'm sorry," Ed says in a soft voice. Behind him, I can see the young vampire's eyebrows perk up as if he is not used to hearing Ed being gentle like this. "I need to sort this out first. These bloodsuckers can be very hot-headed despite their cold arteries. They like to fight and try my patience."

I don't know what to answer him. Am I supposed to nod? Or ask Ed what is going on with the vampires?

Why are vampires even in this pack?

Ed's face crumples for a fraction of a second because of my silence. He opens his mouth to say something, but the young vampire cuts him off again. "Your Highness, you really need to come quick–"

"I'm coming!" Ed roars at the poor vampire. He takes a long last look at me, mouthing the words, 'I'll be back,' then glares at Mason as if ordering the alpha to keep watch over me. After that, Ed storms out of the room with the young vampire. The way he closes the door roughly is evidence of his vile mood.

I sit there in silence, wondering what just happened. Blinking my eyes a few times, I wonder again if anything I just saw and heard is real. But Mason reels me into reality with his words, "He has been waiting for the moment he can see you again. So he must be really upset that your moment was interrupted like that."

My eyes catch his gaze. I can recognize the tiredness weighing on him. He looks like he has aged a few years from when he first entered my room.

"Tell me everything," I demand, glaring at the alpha without care. After all, he is not my alpha anymore.

There is one more thing that both men have not mentioned at all. "And what happened to Luna Gina? We were told she was dead during the war. Yet from your story, she seems to still be alive."

Mason sighs heavily. I know now that the reason he leaned on the wall is that he needed the support to keep on standing. Something big must have happened while I was gone.

"Gina asked me to tell everyone that she is dead," Mason says in a small voice. As if retelling this story is a huge stab to his chest, and the pooling blood hinders him from using his voice too much. "I asked for her forgiveness, promising I would treat her better, that I would change the pack for her."

Goddess. Never have I thought I would see Alpha Mason in tears right in front of me. I thought seeing Ed being alive was absurd. But this? This is also absurd.

The fierce and ruthless Alpha Mason is in tears. His eyes glitter, his voice is breaking, and his gaze is pure.

This man has truly changed. Luna Gina finally has knocked some sense into this stubborn man. Better, she has broken him... with love.

"But she chose to break our bond, and she wanted to be free of the pack. She wanted to go to the human realm." Mason smiles weakly. "Actually, she wanted to go to the human realm because she remembered you telling her about the silly things humans do as a joke."

"And... I let her go," he says, "I freed her."

I can't help but pity Alpha Mason. Breaking the bond consciously brings a lot of pain to the one who got rejected. It's not just physical pain, but mental pain as well. Jen once described it as having your soul being chained on a rock and whipped a thousand times. Yet Mason endured all that to fulfill Gina's wish.

My eyes must have looked at Mason in disbelief, because he then scoffs and says, "Gina also looked at me like that when I endured the pain. She didn't think I would let her reject me because I always taunted her before the war that I would be the one rejecting her if she still couldn't conceive."

"She didn't think I would agree to set her free too," he continues, "She thought I would be an egotistical possessive bastard after confessing my feelings to her."

His facial lines clearly show that he is in a lot of pain. But we both know there are no visible wounds on his body. It's his heart that is bleeding. Somehow, I can relate to his feelings.

The pain of loving someone has no measure.

Yet as a woman myself, I think Mason deserves to suffer after everything. Good on Luna Gina for disciplining Alpha Mason and opening his eyes like this. My respect goes to the incredible woman who can change a ruthless child into a gentleman.

And as a woman... I think it's good that Gina still chose to be free. If I were here... I would choose the same thing.

The human stories I read before usually depict the female as a saint who would forgive the sins of her partner. No matter how cruel and dark her partner was to her, she would forgive and choose love. Stories like that glorify love as something wonderful, but they also make it seem like if the male partners make mistakes, the females would willingly accept them back. It normalizes males to be reckless, while females need to be perfect and act like gullible saints all the time.

'Boys will be boys,' was written in one of the books I read.

"So...," I say weakly, "Luna Gina has nothing to do with all this, huh?"

Mason gulps hard. If he looked like he was in pain before, this time, he looks like he is withholding terrible torture. His face has twisted as if in agony. He looks crestfallen, so broken, unlike the warrior alpha I used to obey.

I feel it in my gut that there is another giant piece of a puzzle in this story.

"Ed came to me right after he woke up in his new body," Mason says, "It was on the day of the formal burials of all the warriors we lost during the battle, including Gina. I thought Gina had gone halfway to the portal to the human realm by that day. But..."

The way his voice breaks makes my chest feel squeezed. "...but Ed found her in the forest and brought her into this pack to... made me submit to him."

I inhale sharply at this information.

Are we talking about the same Ed I married?

'The soul might be the same,' Sasha says, 'But the new body might make him think differently. The way we think is influenced by the chemicals in our brain too.'

'Look at you being all scientific,' I mock Sasha.

"Why would he do that?" My voice has become a whisper without me realizing it.

Mason looks in the direction of the door. His ears are perked up, listening to the voices beyond this room. I know then that he is making sure Ed won't be back anytime soon.

"Ed would be upset if he knows I've told you about this," he whispers in a hurry. "He wants to be the one who breaks the news to you first. But you need to know." He straightens his back from the wall and walks closer to my bed. Then he looks me straight in the eyes.

"He is not the same Ed we used to know," the alpha whispers. His eyes are intense. I find myself glued to my bed, unable to move. "He came to me, bringing Gina as a hostage. He told me to submit to him if I don't want Gina to get hurt. And I..."

Without him telling me, I already can predict the rest of the story just from his conflicted gaze. Such a raw and rare emotion is displayed by an alpha. There are so many storms raging inside him. Sadness, guilt, worry, fear, and helplessness. Somehow, I can sense all of those emotions just by seeing his gaze. Not only that, I can almost feel fractions of each emotion he is feeling.

Usually, I would need to touch someone to know his feelings or thoughts, but this time... I can see it all without even touching Mason.

"I submitted to him," Mason's voice breaks like an already broken vase that breaks for the second time. "His first order was to get you, but you ran away. That was why I was so upset that day. I wasn't angry at you for running away, Mars. I was angry at myself for putting Gina in danger. If only I didn't let her be alone in the forest." His jaw tightens, and he curls his fists.

His regret is immense.

'But you would not have been able to know that Ed would kidnap Gina and put her in danger,' are words popping up in my mind. For some reason, I choose not to say them. I let Mason revel in his sea of guilt and anger.

"When I came back to the pack without you," Mason continues, "Ed got angry and almost destroyed the entire pack. I tried to fight him but he has gained enormous power. It's like his strength as a werewolf is amplified by the noble vampire's body. He has become much more powerful than a dozen lycans. And the remaining alive vampires obey him based on hierarchy."

"So I had to submit to him again and pledge loyalty to him. We almost waged war with the lycans that very day, but the Moon Goddess suddenly appeared just in front of the both of us. She told us to let you be in the Lycan Kingdom. She said it is her wish to see you bloom in that kingdom so you can help others bloom, too."

Mason shakes his head as if trying to shake off the bad memories. "At first, Ed backed down because it was the Moon Goddess herself that appeared before us. The werewolf in Ed was compelled to follow the Moon Goddess' order. She told us she made herself known to you as a witch, but it turns out you recognized her from the start."

"At first I didn't," I confess to Mason. "But after I retrieved Ed's ashes from the place she promised me, I had time to think about why she felt so familiar. And somehow it just clicked in my brain."

Mason nods. It seems like the same thing happened to Mason when the Moon Goddess appeared before him and Ed. If the Moon Goddess desires to, she can make someone not recognize her at all.

"As time passes," Mason continues after checking the door again, "Ed's werewolf side wanes and the vampire side is getting stronger. Just weeks ago, he said he was done following the Moon Goddess's order and demanded our pack to wage war against the Lycan Kingdom along with his vampires."

From up close, I can see the scar on Mason's left eye clearly. They are clearly still healing, so it's a recent wound. I wonder if he got it from Ed, too. When I saw Mason ordering those healers to save me, I didn't remember seeing that scar.

"I wanted to refuse," Mason's voice keeps on breaking. I just know that it must be something with Gina. "But all this time, Ed has kept Gina as his prisoner, so I would keep my submission to him. And I..." Tears pool in his eyes now. "I... I'm sorry, Mars."

"What are you sorry for?" My heart races wildly. I even forget to breathe regularly.

Ed looks at me with tears in his eyes. Desperation is painted all over his face. The pride of the alpha I once knew has ceased to exist.

"I can't let you go back to the Lycan Kingdom." I freeze at his words. "Please, please, I'm begging you. Please stay with Ed. You're the only one who can soothe him, who he will listen to. Please help us–"

Right then, a sudden gust of wind comes from the door, across my face, and it creates a loud, sharp bumping sound. I hear the cracking sound first before my eyes can make sense of the result of the impact of the strong wind. The wall has a dent now and cracks spread from the dent to the entire wall structure.

I blink.

When I open my eyes again, I see Ed having his hand on Mason's neck against the wall. Blue veins pop on Ed's hand while his fangs are visible.

The impact must have made Mason hit his head on the wall hard because he loses his consciousness for a few seconds. When he is awake again, he produces a choking sound from his throat as he struggles to breathe against Ed's strong grip.

Right then, my baby cries because she has been startled. I panic right at that moment.

"Ed!" I cry out. Hearing the dread in my voice must have worried my daughter because she cries even harder.

Instead of soothing my baby, I get out of bed while calling Ed's name. My legs are so weak that I fall to the floor right when my feet touch the ground. I groan in pain as my knees scrape the marble floor. But when I see Mason's face getting paler, I disregard the pain and crawl my way to reach Ed's legs.

I pull on Ed's trousers. "Ed, let him go!" When Ed doesn't react to my plea, I use his legs as support for me to stand. Then I grab Ed's hand, which is choking Mason.

Mason has tried getting Ed's hand off of him. But even with his alpha warrior strength, Ed is still more powerful.

On top of that, the sight of Ed's blue-black veins popping out on his skin terrifies me. This isn't normal.

"Edward, please!" I cry out. "Please let him go!" I try to catch his gaze. But Ed only reserves his murdering gaze for Mason. It's as if he has forgotten I am even here.

I try to cup his face and force him to face me. The moment he looks at my eyes welling with tears, he is taken aback, and immediately he loosens his grip on Mason. I sigh in relief when he finally lets go of Mason.

The alpha almost falls to the ground, coughing and breathing hard to refill his lungs. But then Ed punches him hard on the face, causing Mason to drop to the ground on his side. Mason's nose has been broken and there is a cut on one of his lips. The Alpha spits blood to the floor, then keeps his eyes down, a submissive gesture.

My legs give up again right after and I would have stumbled on the floor too if it wasn't for Ed holding me up with one arm. "You shouldn't move too much," he says, "You have to be careful not to open the sutures on your stomach."

Right after he says it, I feel a pulsating pain in my lower stomach. My hand reaches to the spot where the sutures are. My head immediately becomes dizzy, thinking about the pain. The room sways around me.

Ed catches my swaying body and picks me up in his arms so easily. He then puts me back on the bed. But when he turns to Mason again, I quickly grab his sleeve. "Ed, please don't hurt him anymore."

His arm tenses underneath his sleeve. His breath is raging and his skin feels ice cold. He keeps his piercing gaze on Mason, who keeps looking down on the floor and is still coughing while holding his neck. "I was supposed to tell the entire story to you myself," Ed says, "I bet he twisted some facts to make you hate me."

"N–no," I blurt out without thinking, "He asked me to stay with you."

With those words, Ed freezes for a while. The coldness of his skin subsides, and the intensity of his gaze has calmed down. He turns to me slowly. There is not even a single remnant of anger in his eyes when he looks at me. For one moment, I think to myself that the Ed I know has come back.

The change in the room's atmosphere is so drastic that my baby stops crying. She coos a little as if protesting us for making too much noise while she is sleeping. Her eyes are wide open now.

My motherly instinct kicks in and I reach out to her to wipe her tears. "I'm sorry," I whisper to her. Giving her a gentle tap on the stomach, I sing a short lullaby, hoping she would settle into sleep again.

But she wouldn't. Her mouth opens and closes. And her eyes stare straight at me. I know exactly what she is demanding.

Wow, she really picks the perfect timing.

I try to pick her up from the cradle, but just like before, my arms are not strong enough yet. So I look at Ed. "Can you help me?" Ed's once angry face disappears immediately. He jumps at the opportunity to help pick my baby from the cradle and into my arms as I sit myself comfortably on the bed. Then I unbutton the hospital gown and let my baby drink.

For a while, we both only watch my baby feed. Unlike us, she looks so peaceful, so at ease. It doesn't concern her that just moments ago, Ed almost killed Mason.

Ed watches us as if he is in a trance. Then, without looking at Mason, he orders, "Leave us."

It still surprises me to know that the hierarchy in this pack has changed. No. It hasn't changed. I have connected the dots. This pack has been conquered by vampires, led by someone that was once a loyal member of the pack, Ed. And the once fierce alpha who led the pack to win against the vampires had crumbled because Mason had found love and his love was in danger.

What a mess. My head hurts just thinking about it.

How weird does the world spin? And why does love seem to be responsible for everything?

Before Mason closes the door, I catch his gaze. His eyes look at me as if saying, 'See? Ed listens to you. Please help the pack by staying.' He doesn't say it, but his gaze is pleading with me to help the pack.

No... I don't want to stay.

My life is in the Lycan Kingdom. I can go to the academy there, I can lead with Lyall, I can be anything I want there. And my daughter can grow beautifully there. Just like the Moon Goddess said, I have bloomed in the Lycan Kingdom.

So, wouldn't it be cruel to cut flowers just because they have bloomed?

But would it be cruel for me to disregard the pack's safety?

Ed's movement to sit on the edge of the bed stops my trail of thoughts. Cupping my cheek with one hand, he asks me, pleading, "Will you stay?"

I have one more thing I need to know.

"Ed, what have you done to Gina?" I ask, "Can you let me see her?"

I need to know what he is capable of doing in order to achieve his goal... before I can think of ways to get out of the pack safely.

–to be continued–