I was running with all my might in my wolf form, "Siran," with explosive energy and excitement, jumping from one place to another with agility and grace, completely unaware of the time passing at a maddening speed.
I didn't stop until we reached the top of a high hill, and there, the shocking scene became clear: the sun was on its way to setting.
I cursed myself inwardly with anger; long hours had passed since I went out!
"I hope no one notices my absence, especially that arrogant Night,"
I told myself with increasing anxiety.
I immediately shifted back to my human form and put on my clothes, which I had previously tied tightly to my ankle before the transformation.
I looked around in confusion:
"Where the hell am I?!"
I realized immediately that I had crossed the boundaries. I could no longer feel my strong bond with the kingdom or the presence of the nearby pack. I had ventured too far into the depths.
I retraced my steps from where I came, but nothing new became clear to me. No clear borders, no guards on the horizon, just a vast and sprawling forest.
The sky began to "fade" gradually, giving way to the pitch-black darkness of the night that began to replace the last light of the sunset.
I climbed the tallest tree I found around me to see exactly where I was.
As soon as I reached its high peak, the landmarks of the kingdom finally became clear to me, but they were very far away, barely visible as a point of light on the horizon.
"Oh my God!"
I realized that it would take me two full hours using my wolf's maximum speed to reach it.
I took off at a maddening speed toward the kingdom, completely hiding my scent and aura so as not to attract the forest monsters to me.
I ran with all the strength I was given until I stopped, catching my breath with difficulty after covering about half the distance.
Fatigue was weighing down on me exhaustingly from the continuous running, in addition to my biting feeling of extreme hunger and thirst.
I continued running again, dodging trees with amazing skill and speed, like a passing breeze, using my maximum speed.
My main concern was reaching the kingdom as quickly as possible before the situation worsened.
I finally stopped, catching my stolen breath forcefully; I felt my chest literally burning from the excessive effort and continuous running. Even my feet began to ache and scream in pain from running all this vast distance.
"Damn me and my recklessness!"
I blamed myself again.
While I was trying to recover my breath and catch it with difficulty, I felt a strange movement around me and the presence of other creatures approaching.
It wasn't long before a group of "Rogue" wolves stepped forward toward me, baring their disgusting and terrifying fangs.
They were truly many; they began circling me in a tight ring, waiting for a suitable opportunity to pounce on me.
I laughed inwardly with bitter irony. "This is exactly what I was missing," I told myself as I prepared for an imminent confrontation.
I didn't waste time in hesitation; I unsheathed my sharp claws, bared my fangs, and let out a loud and powerful growl that shook the corners of the forest, echoing through the thick trees.
But they—damn them—did not retreat an inch. On the contrary, they attacked all at once toward me.
I raised a fiery energy barrier around me with lightning speed before they pounced on me directly. Four of them caught fire as soon as they touched the barrier and burned instantly.
I ran away from the rest quickly to gain some distance and maneuver.
I spotted one of them approaching, so I swung my claw, slashing its neck in one fatal strike.
Another tried to attack from behind, so I dealt him a treacherous and deadly stab in his back.
I jumped onto the body of another wolf with supernatural speed and buried my claws violently in its neck.
I finally stopped, catching my breath with extreme difficulty, and stood watching with extreme caution for any coming movement from the rest of the rogue wolves that were still surrounding me.
Suddenly, a huge blonde wolf with glowing golden eyes threw himself directly in front of me, defending me fiercely.
I looked with a mix of surprise and relief and smiled happily; it was "Arin."
But it wasn't the time for happiness and rejoicing now, for the battle was still ongoing. Arin began his attack with absolute ferocity, surprising the rogues and taking down three of them at once with his massive strength.
While he was fighting in the front, one of the enemies was about to attack him from behind treacherously.
I rushed toward him like an arrow, kicking him with my foot forcefully to move him away from Arin.
With the other hand, I stabbed him with lightning speed in his heart, pulling it out of its place and dropping him dead.
I was protecting his back while he was protecting mine, in a wonderful combat integration. I said to him via telepathy quickly:
"Arin, stay where you are! Don't move! I have a plan. As soon as I signal you, just spin around yourself quickly. Just trust me!"
He answered me with immediate obedience:
"Alright, Syra."
The rest of the wolves attacked us all at once, and this was exactly what I wanted. I jumped quickly onto the back of his massive wolf and shouted at the top of my voice:
"Now!"
Arin responded immediately and began spinning around himself at a maddening speed.
I extended my hand forward, standing with amazing steadiness and balance on his rotating back, and released a barrage of magical fire arrows that pierced all their bodies, wiping them out to the last one.
Not a single one of them remained alive in the arena.
I shouted at him:
"Stop spinning!"
Arin stopped immediately and kept staring with immense amazement at the scene before him; the charred and scattered bodies of the rogue wolves everywhere around us.
While he was stunned by the crushing result of the battle, I climbed down from his back with extreme staggering due to the fast spinning, and said with feigned annoyance:
"Damn you, Arin!"
Arin headed quickly toward one of the nearby trees and returned to his human form.
He was wearing only shorts, and his completely bare chest showed his toned muscles.
He said with amazement mixed with sincere admiration as he looked at me:
"You are amazing, Syra!"
I smiled at him with pride and enjoyment and said as I regained my balance and caught my breath:
"We were a great duo! I have never fought alongside anyone with such coordination, integration, and harmony before. You were amazing, Arin!"
Arin chuckled with slight embarrassment at my compliment and said shyly:
"Because you are our Aluna, for example?"
I laughed quietly at his comment.
But seriousness returned to his features suddenly, and he asked me in a concerned and direct tone:
"What happened, Syra? And why are you here alone outside the kingdom's borders?"
I pulled my lip inward, nodded slowly, and said stammeringly:
"Oh... I went out for a run, and I didn't realize that I was outside the kingdom's borders. I was very far."
Then I chuckled with feigned tension in an attempt to dissipate the intensity of the situation, but I saw his features change immediately.
He said with clear anger and reproach:
"My God, Syra! Don't you know how much we searched for you?! We thought those psychos had kidnapped you! Night has gone crazy; he's become like a raging bull running from one place to another, worried and terrified for you! And you are here hanging out as if nothing happened!"
He went silent for a bit and directed harsh looks of reproach at me, then added sharply:
"Don't you know that it's dangerous for you to be here outside the kingdom's borders, and without guard or protection?!"
The words died on my lips completely, and I ignored his last insult. Then he added in a tone carrying a hidden threat:
"He is on his way here now. Show me how you will deal with his anger."
I approached Arin slowly and said in disbelief:
"You really told him? Or are you joking with me?"
He stared at me with a look of disbelief at my words, so I realized the gravity of the situation.
I cursed myself inwardly for my recklessness.
"My God, how will I deal with his anger now? And why do I feel afraid of him when he was the one who didn't listen to me in the first place?"
I felt guilt and fear clashing inside me. My guilt because I was reckless and put them in this difficult situation, and my fear of his anger, the likes of which I had never seen before.
It wasn't long before "Dark" appeared suddenly, with his pitch blackness and glowing red eyes from which sparks of anger were flying.
He let out a loud and powerful growl that shook the place. Arin looked at me with clear pity for what would happen to me and hurried to leave quickly, leaving me alone with this angry and terrifying wolf.
Dark began to circle me slowly and with careful scrutiny, his sharp eyes moving between me and the scattered bodies of the rogues everywhere.
I was staring at him and his restless, tense movements.
"Will he stay like this all night? Circling me and releasing his pheromones that express his anger and control?"
I wondered to myself with annoyance.
I was truly tired and exhausted; I could no longer bear standing any longer.
I sat on the ground slowly, watching him, waiting with exhausted patience for what he would do next.
Dark approached me and began cursing me with his muffled growls—phrases that weren't understandable in words, but the tone of anger was clear.
Damn him, doesn't he notice my extreme fatigue and exhaustion? I raised my hand slowly and passed it over his head, looking at him calmly in an attempt to soothe him.
He tilted his head back, staring at me sharply with clear rejection of my touches. I exhaled with annoyance and felt suffocated by this situation.
I said to him firmly:
"Hah?! What now? Are you going to stay all night staring at me like this?"
I sighed with fatigue and added in a supplicating tone:
"Look, Dark, I'm truly tired. I want to go back, please."
He let out a faint growl, muffled it quickly, then suddenly circled me and slapped me with his tail on purpose, staring at me from the corner of his eye with a look that was mocking and angry at the same time.
"What is this now?" I said to myself with resentment, "Is he expressing his anger at me by slapping me? And with what? With his tail! This rogue wolf!"
He signaled with his head for me to get on his back. I sighed again, this time with suffocation, and clung to him tightly.
He immediately took off at maximum speed, heading to somewhere other than the palace.
"Where the hell is this wolf taking me now?"
I wondered anxiously.
We finally arrived after a long and arduous run at a beautiful and warm house.
"Oh, I remembered it!"
I said to myself, "This is the same house we came to before; it's his private house!"
I climbed down from his back lightly and entered quietly, then sat on the comfortable sofa to catch my breath.
He entered a few moments later, returning to his human form. He was standing before me, eyeing me with burning looks of anger that weren't softened by the comfort the house provided.
He stood with his arms crossed over his chest, in a stance suggesting challenge and authority, waiting for me to provide a detailed explanation and account for what happened in terms of recklessness and absence.
I furrowed my brows with clear annoyance from these burning looks of his. I said in a sharp and clear tone:
"Don't stare at me that way!"
I saw him clenching his jaw tightly, determined in his position, then he said through gritted teeth, in a rough and terrifying voice:
"What the heaven were you doing outside the kingdom's borders?!"
I arched my lips and raised my shoulders with feigned indifference:
"I went out to run a bit and accidentally crossed the borders."
His features sharpened more, and his face filled with rampant rage. He said with nervousness and a scream that almost shook the pillars of the house:
"What?! And you say it so simply?! Your life is threatened! You must stay in the palace! How many times do I have to say it for the information to enter this empty head of yours?!"
He screamed even louder and kicked the wooden table with his foot with extreme violence, and it shattered into flying pieces everywhere.
"Why the hell didn't you tell me?! I've truly had enough!"
My mood changed completely from fear to similar anger.
"And who does he think he is to talk to me and scream at me like this?!"
I said to myself in defiance, ready to meet his anger with similar anger.
I stood before him suddenly, facing him, and said sharply and seriously:
"And for your information, which is non-existent just like you, I am not a mouse for you to lock up in this cursed palace of yours! And regarding my going out, I came to you to tell you, but what did you do? You ignored me and insulted me in front of everyone!"
I imitated him mockingly, raising my hands and waving them:
"'I'm busy Syra,' 'Not now Syra.'"
I crossed my arms again, staring at him with lethal coldness, and continued in a sarcastic tone:
"And now you come to me and blame me with all this insolence?!"
He closed his eyes tightly in a desperate attempt to control his raging anger that was escalating.
Even his face became deep red from the intensity of the agitation. He exploded in my face, screaming loudly:
"Don't you understand for heaven's sake?! This is all for your protection! I work day and night just to ensure your safety!"
I interrupted him with a similar scream, my tone no less sharp than his:
"I didn't tell you to protect me! I can protect myself by myself, you understand! I don't want you interfering in my affairs!"
I was breathing heavily and violently from the accumulation of anger, so much that I was controlling my power with extreme difficulty for fear that it would go out of control and I would burn him in his place.
I pushed him away from me forcefully by his chest and hurried up to the room before I did something I might regret later.
He rushed after me to the room, and with sudden force, he pushed me onto the bed. He pounced on me and said sharply in a commanding tone:
"So that's it... you will be punished!"
I looked at him with surprise mixed with mockery and defiance, and said in a dismissive tone:
"And what are you going to do, for example? Hah?"
He stared at me with lethal coldness, a look whose meaning I couldn't understand. Instead of doing what I expected, he calmly went to sit on the sofa directly opposite me.
I remained on the bed, watching him with my eyes and following every one of his movements with caution and anticipation for what this mysterious punishment held for me.
The wait didn't last long, for after a few moments, I began to feel a sudden heat flooding my body, and my breathing became faster and more constricted.
I blinked my eyes in an attempt to understand what was happening to me. My body heat increased rapidly, and I began to sweat and pant noticeably.
I furrowed my brows in confusion, staring at him. My gaze was focused on his cold face, on which a cunning side-smile suddenly appeared.
My eyes widened in terrifying shock as I realized the truth:
"Damn it! He is releasing his pheromones, specifically the arousal pheromone! Damn you, Night, how despicable you are!"
Waves of pain and desire began to hit my body with increasing force. I closed my eyes tightly because of the pain and the increasing heat that had become unbearable.
I was dripping with sweat; it was pouring off me like a stream of water.
I looked at him sharply, crumpled from the pain that was getting worse.
He was intentionally increasing the strength of his pheromones.
"Is this really the punishment? Damn you!".
Night stood up from his place, approaching me with deliberate and terrifying slowness. He took off his shirt and remained bare-chested before me.
His masculine appearance and defined muscles, along with his pheromones that were increasing in strength and effect, added fuel to the fire and doubled my agony.
"I will never weaken before you! You won't get the best of me, Night!"
I vowed to myself inwardly with desperate resistance.
I closed my eyes tightly, digging my nails into the bedsheet in an attempt to control my agitated body. But the pain intensified in a way I could no longer bear at all.
A pained and muffled cry escaped me. It became difficult for me to breathe, and a state of suffocation took hold of me.
I stretched out on my back, desperately trying to get air to my burning lungs.
I said with extreme fragmentation and longing:
"St... Stop!"
I screamed even louder this time because of the pain that had become intolerable.
My hot tears flowed uncontrollably, and I felt sobs rising in my chest, while he was approaching me in a dangerous way, staring at me with his cruel coldness.
I said to him faintly and with extreme weakness because of my crying and exhaustion:
"Stop..."
Suddenly, I felt a massive wave of nausea sweeping over me.
I quickly put my hand over my mouth, pushing Night away from me weakly, and headed toward the bathroom with extreme staggering, barely able to stand on my feet.
I fell over the toilet, vomiting forcefully and violently, my body shaking.
Night stepped toward me with quick steps, and on his face slight signs of concern and regret finally began to appear, breaking his mask of cruel coldness.
I pushed him away from me weakly and said in fragments and in a pained, hoarse voice:
"Don't... don't come near me... don't make me hate you, Night."
I turned my face away from him, unwilling to look at him or into his eyes that were the cause of my agony.
I felt a slight pain in my heart at that moment, but it wasn't my pain; it was his pain. My harsh words, which came from the depths of my exhausted heart, had hurt him.
He withdrew from the bathroom quickly and angrily and left the room, slamming the door behind him with immense force.
I heard him going downstairs, followed by the sound of his intense screaming and the breaking of everything in his path in a fit of rampant and painful rage.
I stood up with extreme difficulty, covered in weakness and fatigue, and headed toward the bathtub.
I filled it with cold water immediately, seeking any way to relieve the heat of my burning body that Night had left behind.
I relaxed in the water, closing my eyes, drifting in my thoughts as I vowed to him inwardly never to forgive him for this cruel act.
After I finished bathing, I wrapped my body in a towel searching for clean clothes. I found comfortable clothes and put them on quickly.
I felt exhaustion weighing heavily on my shoulders, so I headed to the nearby sofa to rest. As soon as I lay down, I fell asleep immediately.
I didn't sleep long, for I was awakened by an overwhelming feeling of extreme hunger.
I tossed and turned in my place with resentment and huffing, then finally stood up, my face covered in sleepiness.
I went downstairs feeling the exhaustion still controlling me. I was met by total chaos in the place; the traces of Night's anger were clear on everything broken, but I ignored it completely, heading directly to the kitchen.
I turned on the lights and stood pensive for a moment.
"What will I eat? Or rather, is there anything to eat in the first place?"
I felt his presence suddenly. I looked at him from the corner of my eye; he was sitting at the table, and beside him were many empty liquor bottles, staring at me with focus.
He appeared slightly intoxicated. I sighed at length, ignoring him entirely as if he weren't there.
I opened the refrigerator and took out eggs and pieces of canned meat. I smiled upon seeing some cheese as well.
There weren't many ingredients to use, but I said to myself:
"It's okay, this will do."
I began preparing an egg omelet, and I was fully aware that he was watching me with every move I made.
This situation was stressing me out internally, but I didn't show anything; only coldness and indifference were the visible traits on my features.
I finally finished preparing the food and set a plate for myself. I thought for a moment that maybe he hadn't eaten anything yet, busy with his work and protecting me despite my anger at him, so I felt a pang of conscience.
I felt a sting in my heart and screamed inwardly, cursing this kindness of my heart that would one day bring me trouble, I'm sure of it.
I brought an extra plate, poured him his portion, and put the fork in it. I looked at the table; it was full of empty liquor bottles because of their small size.
"Where did he get all these bottles from? Does he have a bar here and I don't know?"
He was staring at me with focus, sipping from his glass as if he hadn't done anything a while ago.
I approached him slowly and took the bottles one by one and placed them on the kitchen marble.
I turned to him and stood before him and snatched the glass from his hand quickly while he was eyeing me with strange looks I didn't understand.
I ignored him completely and poured what was in it into the sink, sighing with relief. I don't like the smell of liquor; it makes me feel nauseated.
I took an air freshener—luckily it was there—and sprayed it in the air with signs of disgust on my face. I breathed the clean air with relief mixed with sleepiness.
I brought the plates, put one in front of me and the other in front of him, and beside them glasses of water.
He was staring at me with wonder and amazement at my action a moment ago. I didn't care for his looks and began eating quietly.
He was staring at me with intense focus and didn't touch his plate in front of him at all. A feeling of annoyance began to seep inside me.
"Why isn't he eating? Doesn't he like my cooking? Does he feel disgusted by me to this extent?"
I felt a fit of slight and unjustified anger, so I gripped the fork in my hand more tightly.
He finally moved after a dead silence.
I caught a quick glimpse of him; he was staring at the plate in front of him, blinking his eyes several times as if making sure of what he saw.
Then he grabbed the fork and took a small piece of food and put it in his mouth. I returned my gaze to my plate immediately, pretending to be completely busy, before he caught me staring at him.
Soon the pace of his eating changed; he began eating with clear greed and great hunger, like a hungry person who hadn't tasted food for days.
It appeared that he liked my food a lot, so I felt a hidden happiness and great relief at his unexpected positive reaction.
I took my plate after wiping it completely of food remains and headed to wash it in the sink. Sleepiness was hitting my eyes hard and pushing me to head upstairs to sleep, were it not for him speaking my name:
"Syra."
I stopped for a moment and turned to him, staring at him with total coldness. I didn't utter a single word, just watching him with sharpness and waiting.
He began to approach me, his eyes carrying clear looks of regret. I raised my hand forward as a barrier, taking a step back, and said with clear sharpness that accepted no discussion:
"Don't come near!"
Night began to speak in a faint voice:
"I..."
I interrupted him with more coldness:
"I don't want to talk... just remain silent."
I noticed a quick and painful glint of pain in his eyes, but he hid it with all skill and speed behind a mask of coldness.
I didn't care and went upstairs, lying on the bed, and began to recall the events of the long and tiring day in my mind.
I closed my eyes as soon as he entered the room, pretending to be asleep with skill and perfection, even though my senses were fully alert to every move he made.
I felt him leaning beside me on the bed, then he pulled me to him with extreme gentleness, pressing my back against his broad chest and bringing his head close to my neck.
He whispered words that truly surprised me, piercing the silence of the room and reaching my depths:
"I am sorry... my little one. This is for your own good. I don't want to lose people dear to me anymore."
He said it in an extremely pained and sincere tone—a tone that broke every mask of coldness he usually wears.
Afterwards, he planted a tender and firm kiss on my neck, expressing his deep regret and concern.