"Are you planning to go out dressed like that?" Marguerite asked Harry. The young wolf turned his head toward her as he pulled the long black hooded cloak of the Council over his shoulders. He wore simple black cotton pants, and his leather combat boots were weary over them. "Yes. Why? Is there something wrong with my outfit?" The dwarf looked at him with a jaded expression and sighed loudly, "Men, I swear!" Then she quickly walked over to Harry's bag and unceremoniously opened it. "I can't believe it! This is a godforsaken French village in a godforsaken town, not a putain de fucking medieval city with candlelight!" She shouted victoriously and pulled a long-sleeved black shirt from the bag. Harry let out a disapproving grunt as he realized what she had chosen for him to wear. "This dress shirt doesn't fit me anymore, and I don't even know what it's doing in this bag. I must have a shirt lying around in there," Harry said as he reached for his ba
A small group of five young women was leaning on crates stacked by local farmers. The night was already well underway, and Bianca had finally been able to take a break. As soon as they saw Bianca walking away from Emmanuelle, the four young women hurried to pick her up and drag her away from the crowd. "And it is there that this bastard came to see me and tell me that he had dumped you, Bianca," declared a sublime brunette, having passed the arm under that of Emmanuelle's best friend. Bianca giggled before bursting frankly with laughter. "Ah, La Manon! What would I do without you?" she declared happily. "It made me mad when I knew that he continued to lie to me by looking me right in the eyes, Bianca!" answered, in anger, Manon. "Yes. This moron believed that we did not speak to each other. What a jerk!" said Bianca, shaking her head. The young women fell silent as soon as they saw a young boy stop in front of them,
Bianca tapped her index finger on her chin, pretending to think, then began to offer: "You're in luck. We ordered traditional pastries, especially for the party. You could try one. Although, with your size, I suppose you could even try one of each... Do you have any special allergies?" Harry shook his head again in denial. Bianca smiled patiently before listing: "We have biscotins from Aix. They're little shortbread with orange blossom flavor and hazelnut on top. We have Chanteclair, which is a meringue-based cake flavored with praline and mocha, and it is served with ice cream. We also have Jausiereine. It's a round cake with an inner filling of raspberries or blueberries. But I think it's blueberries in the ones we got. And I also got some Alpine pie." Harry stood perfectly still, unintentionally causing Bianca to smile awkwardly. "There's no vanilla in these desserts?" he asked. Bianca puffed out her cheeks before emitting a loud pff as
(A few minutes earlier.) Emmanuelle kept running her tongue over her lips. She didn't know what was going on, but it seemed to her that a tempting smell was coming from time to time. She was unable to say what it was, but she was sure of one thing: she wanted to know the source of that smell. She was slightly startled when she felt the tip of her canines scratch the tip of her tongue. It seemed to her that her heart, usually motionless, was moving in her chest and panic began to take her throat. "No. I can't be thirsty. Not now..." she muttered to herself. She had made sure to feed herself a whole bag of blood before coming. It wasn't normal for her to feel hungry so soon. She frantically searched her pockets, then her bag, and discovered with horror, that she had forgotten to take a vial of blood before coming. No. She had not forgotten it. She had simply found it unnecessary, even as a precautionary measure, since she had eaten a hearty din
Emmanuelle was almost grateful to the band. From the moment they had found themselves on the dance floor, the musicians had been playing catchy and quick rhythms. She had to admit it, Raphael was an excellent dancer. He made her turn and guided her with an expert hand. "You are gifted!", she finally declared to her dance partner. "Thank you. But, I must say, it's only possible because you let me," the young man replied happily. "Are all pastors' sons such good dancers?" she asked, her eyes shining with amusement. Raphael burst out laughing before nodding quickly. "Maybe they are. Years of practice making our old parishioners dance at fairs! It gives us unexpected skills with the ladies!" he replied, half amused, half embarrassed by his answer. Emmanuelle was surprised to hear herself laugh. Decidedly, if she had known that he would be such good company, perhaps she would have made the effort to talk to him earlier. The music ended and Rap
(N/A: if you want to experience this chapter fully, you can listen to the cover of Edith Piaf's Hymne à l'Amour on Ladaniva's YouTube) * Harry felt his heart pounding in his chest. In his mind, he could hear the heartbreaking howls of his wolf, thanking the Moon Goddess. He would never be alone again. He had never dared to speak of it, but often he thought with anguish of what might happen to him if the lunar madness took hold of him. Would he be as strong as the Mad One? Or would he be hunted down and shot by order of the Council? The question did not even arise. He had neither the power nor the authority of the Mad One, and he would have been slaughtered without a second thought the day his lunacy got out of control. _ She is beautiful, Harry! Hurry up! Get closer to Mate. Mate is waiting for us," Till cried admiringly. Harry swallowed hard and took a step forward. He felt as if he were wa
They were now just two motionless bodies amid the bustle of the enamored couple. Harry leaned his head toward her to fill his lungs and heart with the heady scent of vanilla. They slowly began to follow the rhythm of the music, their bodies moving harmoniously as if they had always danced together. Emmanuelle had kept her eyes closed. She knew the horrible truth that he would see in her eyes the moment she opened them. Her beloved would see only the blackness and darkness of her blood. She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed when she felt the tongue of her soul mate come to caress the junction between her neck and her shoulder, where the wolves put their mark. She shivered violently as she felt the tips of his canines scratch her alabaster skin. Her own fangs came down, coated with the venom that would mark this wolf as her beloved. She bitterly admitted to herself how happy she was with the growing crowd of
Screams from another alley turned both of their heads."Damn it," Emmanuelle swore when she realized that it was the one where her booth was located. She turned quickly to join Bianca, but Harry grabbed her by the elbow."Mate," he growled again.The vampire's heart began to waver, and she gave him a beaming smile. So he wasn't rejecting her, and her beloved seemed to accept her true nature."I have to hurry. My best friend is over there, and she's human," she explained as she raised her forearm to grab her beloved's elbow in turn. She moved forward, letting her hand slide from the elbow to the werewolf's hand._Mate doesn't push us away. Mate wants to keep her skin in contact with ours," Till said admiringly.Harry gritted his teeth. He was dissatisfied with the way she held his hand like a child and hurried to interlock their fingers. Then he let her lead him, watching in wonder as his future Luna led him wherever she wanted.Both of them were sli