JEROME DAWSON'S POVObserving from the outside, the orphanage appeared to have such stunning infrastructure, with an arched ceiling and gigantic white pillars that supported the balcony on the second story. There were also some stained glass panels that portrayed magnificent scenes. The air smelled like grass and soil since the windows weren't closed on both sides."Master Jerome, aren't you going inside?" asked Jin, the one responsible for guarding the entire orphanage. He's the only son of the owner, so I guess that he'd be the one to inherit this orphanage someday soon. "Everyone else is waiting for you in the dining area. Your lunch has been served by the maids," he added.I nodded my head, then kept my mouth shut as I entered the orphanage. The other children were really waiting for me to arrive, as they all turned to look at the entrance where I appeared. Sorry, I made you all wait for too long. Let's eat," I said.There wasn't anything special with today's meal either. I don't k
JEROME DAWSON'S POVLuna suddenly placed her palm above my hand. Despite the cold temperature coming from the breezing air of the air conditioner, Luna's hands seemed to be much cooler than that."But if I simply follow what they tell me to do, then what difference does it make from having no future?" I questioned her even though I knew that she might have difficulties finding comforting words to say. "I don't want to be someone's pawn, Luna. I want to set a future for myself; I don't want to dance through their strings.""I don't want to say that I understand how you're feeling about all of those since I'm not in your shoes, but at least let me do this."Luna almost bent down on both of her knees just to be able to reach me. Even her embrace was precisely cold."H-hey..." I was at a loss for words.In this world, I have always been given such a strong impact of mixed emotions. But somehow... I don't know what type of feeling I should express during this whole time of Luna's arms encir
JEROME DAWSON'S POV"Wait for a second. You're misunderstanding something here, Mr. Asterbelle and Mrs. Asterbelle," I politely said as I looked at each one of them as I mentioned their names. "It's not like I forced Luna to do something indecent. We were just doing what mates should be doing. That's not too wrong for us, right? In fact, it would be better for the both of us to be pronounced as mates as early as now, since we would still be able to adapt to a society where we're going to be the greatest—""Who gave you permission to speak, little boy of the Dawson Clan?" Mr. Asterbelle cut me off. His gaze was deadly, and that was enough to completely prevent me from uttering a single word. "You should know your place, boy. As far as I know, your parents don't even have anything worthy to be proud of. Your clan wouldn't even ring a bell to a stranger out there. That's how low you should think of yourself, so what right do you have to speak to someone that you should highly respect?" he
LUNA ASTERBELLE'S POVJerome kept his mouth shut for the succeeding minutes after he concluded the story about our past, which I had forgotten by force. "I still don’t understand why my parents hate you that much. There’s no clear explanation, and I guess you’re also confused," I said to break the silence between us. "Though… I’m really curious now…" I placed both of my hands above my thighs that were crossed.He only raised a brow to imply that I should continue what I wanted to say.I formed a tiny smile. "Why did you reject me if you actually knew the truth about us being bound by the moon goddess? It’s not like your memories were erased just like mine were."Jerome slightly bowed his head at the same time that he sighed. "Althea is my mother, as you already heard. That alone hinders me from getting you closer into my arms, since she was the one who gave you the curse," he coldly answered."Couldn’t you have fought for our sake?" I asked, my voice almost cracking. I bit my lip to pr
LUNA ASTERBELLE'S POVBefore I could do anything, a silhouette of a man appeared out of nowhere. I was certain that there wasn’t any way for someone to enter this place, but this man made his way just like he can pass through walls. His aura wasn’t clear, and judging from that, I instantly realized that it was him."Jerome…" I muttered his name in between my short breaths.He stood in front of the doctor, Joseph, then carefully grabbed his shoulder to help him back up. "You always get in trouble whenever you’re out of my sight, Luna," he said with such a cold tone.The moment that my father and my mate faced one another, I immediately had the urge to intervene in whatever conversation they might have. This isn’t the right time for them to talk, especially when Mr. Asterbelle still dislikes him."You accompany Luna out of this pack. I have some business with this alpha of yours." Jerome released his grip on Joseph’s arm as he pushed the doctor close to me. I was forced to catch Joseph
LUNA ASTERBELLE'S POV The way that Jerome looks deeply into my eyes made me wonder how my life would've turned out if I wasn't cursed. There's a lot of possibility that we may have been such lovely mates, but there's also the chance that we really aren't meant to be together. "Jerome..." I muttered the man's name while I slowly roamed my hands around his back. "Joseph's here." I saw from the corner of my eye how the doctor was getting kind of uncomfortable, thinking that he was disturbing us. Jerome raised a brow. "So what about it?" He smirked before he stepped back. I almost gave in when I saw how his grin turned into a playful one. I bet that he knew how I was beginning to feel hot inside, and he didn't want me to commit. I couldn't help but sigh. "What am I supposed to do now?" I asked, and neither of them bothered to give me an answer. The moon would soon rise as nighttime came c
LUNA ASTERBELLE'S POV In the midst of my shifting, I stumbled upon my father, who was silently watching me from the other side of Jerome's house. My eyes twitched in wonder at how he managed to come all the way here from his own territories. "Mr. Asterbelle, When do you plan to stop pestering me with my life? I'm no longer under your control, aren't I? It's not like I'm still the same kid that you took in from the orphanage, and neither am I still the same Luna who you used to think of as your only daughter," I said. I approached him until we were only a few steps apart from one another. "I just wanted to witness you crumble into your despair, Luna Asterbelle," he replied, which made my thumping heart race even more. "In this full moon, you have my assurance that you won't survive the pain. Once you've died, your role here in this world is finished. There's no need for you to be resurrected," he added. I
LUNA ASTERBELLE'S POV I continuously gasped for air at the same time that I lost full control over my fragile body. A stinging sensation swarmed through the deepest parts of my muscles, crawling its way up to my brain. I kept my eyes closed, and the only image that I could come up with was Jerome's face. My bones cracked the same way they did before, and I knew that there were already holes forming on my back where my wings would grow out. There wasn't anything new. I've managed to endure this much before, so I'm sure that there won't be any problems. Or so I thought. "Argh... F*ck!" I couldn't help myself from groaning when my hands strangled myself, as if I were being possessed by someone else. The thought of relying on someone to save me didn't even cross my mind. I can barely reach my pocket to take the gun that my father entrusted me with, knowing that it can calm down my system