Chapter 5

Tyler’s POV

There she is, lying atop the stone table like some sort of a call girl waiting to be thrusted wildly.

            She was beautiful in white, calmly looking at the stars above as if she was waiting for something, for someone.

            The girl was some sort of humming a tune in which I can’t vaguely recognize. I proceed to approach her in a predator walk, still in my wolf form.

            I walk nearer, closer to her. Now, I can hear clearly the song she was humming.

            It was Brahms Lullaby—but in a creepy way.

            “Gosh, when will that wolf come?” Those words coming from her mouth made me snarl. Does she really think I will eat her?

            Well, I will soon eat her. But in a different way.

            “Hahaha,” my wolf Remus’ laugh was deep and dark.

            She noticed me and her eyes grew wide. Then wider as I stood on both of my feet.

            What made me flabbergasted is that she didn’t shout or shriek or yell. She sat straight and just stared at me, assessing me in my wolf form.

            And when she didn’t budge further, I closed the distance between us and lifted her from the stone table. I carried her onto my shoulders.

            I forgot that I am in my wolf form that I’ve walked into my feet, standing and walking amidst this forest more like a man than an animal.

            Yes, I’m half and half of those two but I’m more of a man than a wolf. I mean, I act more like a man than a wolf, often forgetting that I am in my wolf form just like now.

            I can sense that Elaine is suspecting me now. Or has she figured it out already?

            She’s still quiet as the grave. But, I’m pretty sure her thoughts are shrieking in her mind. I am a White Wolf whose domain is only limited to the natural elements of this world, not a Brown Wolf who can read thoughts and memories.

            I trekked to the forest, plastering a poker face—my stone-cold wolf face. I am wholly pretending that I don’t have a fluffy heart.

            Gosh, she was even more beautiful than the last time I saw her, which makes it more difficult for me to remain poised and brute-looking.

            Every time I secretly see her, which my brother and sister-in-law don't know about and only thought that it is my first time seeing her to prove the notion of ‘love at first sight’, my childish side would automatically surface. And I hate it. 

But I also like it. I secretly smile in this form which makes Elaine turn her attention to me.

            I continued to talk, I mean walk, into the dark of the forest. I know she can’t see clearly, and I can—which makes me blushed more  as it proves that she trusts me…or perhaps she has no choice because she’s on my shoulder and I hold a grip of her because I’m basically ‘abducting’ her.

            I cringed at the term. Seriously, I dislike our tradition in compelling humans to give us women to mate, to bed, to be married. Why can’t we just go out in Moonburn and date and fall in love with random women just like mortals? We have money anyway, as well as other wealth, a well-toned body, charisma, and a ten-inch you-know-what.

            Or maybe that’s our way of making people obey us. We are also protecting them from Heart-eaters anyway. And as far as you can see, wolves like to be the dominant—the one that must always be followed. The one that, in just a single word of command, anyone will obey.

            And even though I hate to admit it, I love it that way. Because first of all, I am a fucking werewolf, and it has been embedded in our soul, been practiced by our traditions over time that we must be the dominant one—the leader-type of creature.

            We now reached Selena's Wall. It is a huge wall that serves as the border between the mortal realm of Moonburn and the hidden glorious village of Stella’s Soul. As the name suggests, it is the wall that has been erected by the eldest of our Triple Goddess—Selena, the Goddess of the Moon and the one who bestowed us with our exclusive gifts.

            Stella’s Soul, on the other hand, was crafted by its namesake—the Goddess Stella, the one who makes the stars twinkle every night and the weaver of dreams.

            The other goddess, the youngest one, is the one who gives us protection and our wealth. Aurora, the Dawn Goddess and the lady who gives hope. She is also our love deity, the giver and watcher of the sweet and truest kind of love. Selena is the one who rules the domain of bodily desires such as sex and the likes. Stella, on the other hand, is more of the familial kind of love—the friendship weaver and the family binder.

            And these three are the ones who make the werewolves in the twenty-first century prevail to exist. Mortals only know them as myths. But for us, they are the reason why we are a legendary creature in the kingdom of the night.

            She tried to move her head to see what’s in front of us. I just smiled—smirked rather. I turned her around quickly and I barely held my laugh as I glanced at her when she saw a huge rocky wall before us that extends to nowhere. Was she thinking that this was some sort of the story in Stardust? I bet she thought that I am a witch's pet and henchman.

            I moved the stone that blocks the entrance in just one hand, despite carrying her on my shoulders. We entered Selena's Wall, then pushed the huge boulder again, with the hand I used to move it.

            She's still on my shoulders. This time, she was now facing the path. I quickly summoned a flame to enlighten the path. Boy, I almost let out a giggle when she was startled that I can call forth a fire in just a heartbeat.

            “Are you a wizard or something?” she asked. I just snorted.

             “So you can understand me, huh?” I just let the quietude sink in, refusing to answer her.

            She closed her eyes after, probably because of frustration. We are now back to trekking again for a couple of minutes. Only my footsteps echoed inside Selena's Wall.

            I can now see Bryant and Flint, the two guards for tonight as I 'get' Elaine from the mortal side of Moonburn.  She finally decided to open her eyes when she discerned the cool air. I think I have no words to describe her ‘gorgeous’ face when she beheld Bryant and Flint guarding the entrance by the end of the wall, both standing on their two feet and carrying torches.

            She was like holding her astonished face but at the same time was on the verge of letting out a shrill.

            Bryant smirked at her and gave her a curtsy bow. He's definitely a brute for making fun of 'newcomer' mortal women. I mean, it was kind of fun to see him make fun of Jason’s wife last year who is now my sister-in-law.

            But this is about Elaine. And him making fun of my woman…if I wasn’t carrying Elaine on my shoulders, I’ll definitely burn an inch of his wolf ear for making my Elaine as a source of tonight’s humor.

            Trying to hold that poker face again on my face, when she was done conversing with Bryant, which is pretty much comedic especially with his wink, I proceeded to bring her to the very inside of Stella’s Soul—in front of Aurora’s Waters: the gilded fountain.

            And when she landed on the icy, cold ground of Stella’s Soul, I can obviously see that the frigid temperature is devouring her. Mud stained my moon-white fur but I just ignored it.

            I smiled as I shifted into my human form, disregarding the wintery weather as wolves are used to that, showcasing my godly body before her.