CHAPTER FIVE. 

MERILYN

Think carefully. Or I might kill you if I don’t like your answer.

I jerked awake with a scream. 

My eyes darted around searching for the threat, looking for the three-headed monster that had hovered over me, threatening to kill me. 

My stomach churned, cramps squeezing the life out of my organs. 

My heart calmed as I realized it was just a dream. 

I sighed, flopping down on the bed. Despite the chill air from the air conditioner, my skin remained sheen with sweat. 

It’s been three days since my last meeting with the Lycan King, and each night, he would visit me in various forms, repeating those words, tormenting me until I screamed myself awake. 

Why bother giving me options when I could only pick one?! 

You can always pick the other option, though. Death is not as scary as—

I buried my face in my pillow and screamed. 

Why was my fate so unlucky?! 

Many hours later, I woke up with my face under the pillow. I groaned, forcing myself to sit up. Perhaps death was better than this. 

What good was life if I couldn’t sleep properly? 

I sighed, dragging my body to the bathroom to freshen up. 

***

“I can’t believe that asshole cheated on you!” Gwendolyn screamed through the FaceTime. “Right. I wish I could see him and give him a piece of my mind.” Kitara scowled, waving her spoon in the air. 

“Does that include chopping off his balls?” I asked, and she nodded. 

“You bet!” 

“You’re the best woman any man could ask for, and he still dared cheat on you!” Gwen shrieked, angrily moving about on her bed. 

After ranting about a hundred ways to kill Warren and dispose of his body, my friends finally calmed down. 

“Don’t lie to us, Mer. How are you?” 

“Truthfully? Messed up. At times when I think I’ve gotten over it, the pain slams into me like a truck, and it becomes unbearable.”

Even now, there was a lump in my throat that made it difficult to swallow.

“You can’t just get over it, Merilyn.” Gwen frowned. “You were with him for ten years! That bastard was your first.”

“I know. But I don’t want to think about it. I just want the pain to end. But he won’t give up. He keeps calling and keeps begging.” 

Tears closed my vision; one by one, they dropped on the bed, soaking into the sheet. 

“Do you…” Kitara paused, contemplating inwardly before speaking, “Do you want to get back with him?” 

“That’s a stupid question, Kitara.” 

Kitara rolled her eyes. “Let her answer the question, Lyn.” 

Both of them stared at me expectantly. 

Did I? Every time I closed my eyes, his face would play at the back of my head: that warm smile I fell for, the feeling of his hands around my body, his forehead kisses, and every affirmation of love he ever gave. 

“I… I don’t know.” 

“Not the answer I expected.” Gwen rolled her eyes. 

“He’s her husband, Gwen. It’s not so easy to let go,” Kitara sighed.

I still loved Warren. Yeah, he hurt me badly, but the affection was still in my heart. 

I’d loved him with everything in me…but his betrayal, it cut deep. 

Too deep. 

“I don’t know if there’s still a chance somewhere in the future. I just want to deal with the pain for now.” 

“My advice: get drunk, get laid. Fastest way to get over a heartbreak.” Gwen huffed, and Kitara scowled. 

I blushed. “Actually, I may have done that already.” 

Their jaws dropped, and for the next few minutes, I narrated everything to them. 

“Merilyn! Are you nuts?! You slept with the Lycan King?!” Kitara screamed. 

“How was he in bed?” 

“Gwendolyn!” 

“What?” she shrugged. “Look at her. Does it look like she regrets it? She’s clearly blushing, Kitara.” 

“First, I didn’t know he was the Lycan King. I was drunk and in heat. Second, I’m not answering that question.” 

“Don’t be such a spoilsport.” Gwen grinned. 

“So, he gave you a month to think about it?” Kitara asked, and I nodded. “I don’t know, Mer. I don’t feel good about this.”

“Neither do I, but I don’t have a choice. It’s that, or he’d kill me.” 

“Why don’t you come live with me?” 

“I can’t run, Kitara.” 

“You’ll never know until you try, Mer. He is the Lycan King. Everyone knows how unstable he is. What if he kills you one day for breathing wrongly? Or for chewing too loudly?” 

“I’m with her on this,” Gwen butted in. “He’s too dangerous.” 

“If I ran, he’d find me, and then he might actually kill me.” 

“What if you go to the council? Tell them what happened; maybe they can help you.” 

The only ones with power greater than that of the Lycan King were the council. 

A board of beings rumored to be as old as the earth. They ruled the supernatural world and maintained peace and balance. They were also the reason the Lycan King had yet to wreak havoc on all living beings. 

“How did I not think of that?” I whispered, but as quickly as hope reared its head within me, it died.

“What if they don’t receive me?” Making the journey to Mount Harat was too tedious for me to come back empty-handed. 

“It’s about the Lycan King. I’m sure they’ll receive you. You never know until you try,” Gwen urged. 

“Okay. I’ll go there tomorrow.” 

***

I woke up with a scream, my nightgown drenched in sweat. 

A nightmare again. 

“Sleep well?” 

“Ahh!” I screamed, grabbing the first thing I laid my hands on as a weapon. 

“Y-your Majesty?” I stammered, making out his figure as my eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness. His hand reached out to flip the switch, and light flooded the room. 

“Hello, Merilyn. Nice to see you again. You can drop the pillow now. I doubt it would do much damage.” 

I dropped the pillow and got out of bed, bowing to him. “To what d-do I owe the p-pleasure of your presence?” 

“There’s been a change in my schedule.” He whispered, a shudder ran down my spine, my body reacting to his voice. 

“I’m leaving tomorrow.” My eyes snapped up to meet his. “Which means your time to decide has ended.” 

“B-But you gave me a month.” I argued, feeling my chance at escaping this blasted arrangement slip through my fingers. 

“And now I’m giving you ten seconds. Make your decision, Merilyn. Yes or no?”