The Werewolf King's Bride

"It\'s really true, huh?" I muttered as I massaged my forehead.

"What\'s true, my wife?"

"Eek!"

I was too surprised. If he was not there, I would surely fall from the bed. My body was aching and I was naked from head to toe. Earlier events came to my mind. It was so embarrassing that I just wanted to dig a grave and lie down there.

"You slept for a long time. It\'s time for lunch," he said. "Your maid said that you weren\'t waking up. So, I came to wake you up. To think that you would jump hearing that you\'re late for school..."

"So it was you...," I mumbled.

He sat beside me and put his head on my chest, rubbing against it. "There were a lot of documents to deal with. I had a hard time."

"Oh, are you okay now?" I asked as I ran my fingers through his silky black hair.

"Hold me," he said. "I will be okay."

\'Aww!\'

I wrapped my arm around him and touched his hair gently. It looked like he was clinging to me. But it was adorable.

"You know, about the banquet- it would be better if I could leave you here. But since it won\'t be safe as Mother won\'t be here as well, you need to come with me."

"I want to go too."

"Yeah, but it\'s dangerous there. Someone stole your painting."

"The one we made a few days ago?"

"Yeah, that one," he said. "I think it\'s someone of Ataraxia."

"A Royal family member?"

"I think so. It can\'t be the king. He is devoted to his wife, so other women don\'t attract him. Well, we have to see. Anyway, whoever it is can\'t do much with just a painting. In your world, pictures were normal, right?

I don\'t think it will be much of a problem. They just know a bit how you look like. And the master of the magic tower of Mazazine seems to be interested in you, in your eyes. He likes to collect eyeballs. Don\'t worry, I won\'t let anything happen to you. If I could, I would not rather let you hear about any of this.

But it\'s important for you to know. So, you can be more careful."

"I understand," I said. Perhaps because I was a human, everyone was curious about me. So, stealing the painting was one thing. But why would someone be interested in my eyes? That magician truly wanted to collect my eyes?

"Blue eyes are very rare in this world. Well, even if someone has blue eyes, they are not like your eyes. Your ones are glossy and bright and truly beautiful. There are differences between the colors of your eyes and others\'. Your ones captivate others," he said, "just like they did me."

I had heard this before too. People used to say that my eyes were so beautiful that they could stare into them for eternity. Obvious exaggeration... I never really cared about it before, but whenever he said this, I felt too happy.

"I would like to see those blue eyes bleeding. You see, I have a knack for destroying beautiful things." This was what Draven had once whispered to me. I was glad. At least, my brother called me beautiful. But the seven years old little me did not know how twisted those disgusting words were.

"I will save your eyes forever- the bright look and beauty- I want to save them all," he said.

"I know," I muttered with a smile as I gently touched his hair. "I know you will."

"Oh, there is something I have to tell you about," he said.

"What is it?"

"First of all, I\'m sorry. I really am."

"You\'re sorry?" I mumbled. It always felt weird whenever he apologized. I knew it was not supposed to be anything strange or something like that. But I always felt like he was the type of person who never apologized. Perhaps it was because of his usual smug face, though he did not have that kind of face when he was with me.

"Well, I have to leave tonight to inspect the borders. It was planned. I was just too relaxed around you that I forgot to tell you. I\'m really sorry."

"But you have to leave tonight?"

"Yes. I wish I could delay a bit, but it\'s inevitable."

"The way you\'re talking... When will you come back?" I asked. I had a feeling that it was not about a short time at all. He sounded way too apologetic.

"... A month most probably," he said. "It depends... But I can\'t return before one month."

"One month? That\'s... that\'s a long time," I muttered.

"I know. I\'m really sorry. You will be lonely..."

"It\'s not about me! Where will you be staying? In a tent?"

"We\'re not going in the forests, my wife. And besides, we\'re going to hide our identities. Of course, I can\'t go as the king. We will probably stay in the motels or something near the place..."

"Oh..."

"The motels are disgusting to stay at. The smells are really revolting. I want to have your scent all the time around me, but I have to stay without it for one month... It\'s torture."

"It\'s just one month...," I said, though I was not okay with it as well. I had never stayed away from him even for a whole day since I had come here. But to think that I needed to stay away from him for one whole month, it was tiring.

"It\'s supposed to be one month. Hope it won\'t be longer than that. I will try to finish as soon as possible."

"You don\'t have to worry about me," I said quickly. "You don\'t have to rush in any way. I will be fine."

"It\'s not just about you, my wife. I want to come back as soon as possible as well," he said. "I don\'t want to stay away for too long. Sometimes I fear the bird might fly away."

"The bird doesn\'t have a home. The outside world is dangerous for it. And besides, the bird has already found its freedom inside," I said. "The bird won\'t fly away."

\'So you don\'t have to cut its wings since it did not grow them in the first place. It\'s okay. The bird likes the cage anyway.\'

When it started I had no idea. But now we truly acted like a true couple. We would talk, express ourselves freely, make jokes, tease each other, have fun together, eat meals together, sometimes visit outside, and get intimate. We did everything.

But there was a difference between other couples and us. I did not know if it was strange that I had known it since the beginning. The line of difference was always visible in front of me. I could always sense how differently he viewed the world, just like me, how he also craved a simple life like me and how we both could match a rhythm that only was meant for us.

It was fine- I was okay being the bird. I had nothing to fear about. My wings could not be cut down since they did not exist. The cage was not locked as well. His instincts were telling him to lock it, but he did not. He was fighting against his instincts.

And most importantly, I did not have to sing. No one expected anything of me. It was freedom, the freedom I wanted.

"Dem, is it okay to visit the magic tower when you\'re not around?" I asked.

"If you want to, then you can," he said. "If it\'s inside the palace ground, you can go anywhere. The magic tower, library, my study, rooftop, garden, castle ground- you can go anywhere. But not outside. It\'s dangerous for you. And don\'t wander around alone.

Take Ezekiel with you wherever you go. And even if you go to the magic tower, don\'t let that punk get clingy. You can look around the whole castle ground and if you find something interesting, you can just tell me about it. I will bring it for you. You can also write me while I\'m away."

"Write? Like letters?"

"Yes. Letters- do you want to write me? I would like it if you do so," he said.

"I can write letters? Whoa, so cool! I never wrote letters before except in exams. Then who would deliver my letters to you?"

"Birds," he replied. "I have a weird blackbird that will deliver letters."

"Doesn\'t it have a name?"

"It\'s called the bird of death like a grim reaper. I think it\'s cool. It scares others off though... But I think you will like it," he said. "You have a strange sense of detecting weirdly cute things."

"Can I see it?"

"Alright, I will show it to you. But let\'s have lunch first," he said. "A wild rabbit almost made me weak."