Chapter 4: The Call of the Season

 

 

I was fuming when I got back to my house. I savagely threw or destroyed anything within my reach.

 

The hatred inside me grew stronger as I recalled what I saw. Jealousy consumed me. I had been waiting for that kind of look patiently. I had been waiting for years, but even now, I still couldn't get it, and I still couldn't force him to love me. Just a single glance, and I lost again. Defeated once more. All my efforts were wasted again, just to win him over.

 

My hands were covered in my own blood. I could feel that I had been cut by pieces of broken glass from the things I threw. But I didn't feel anything until I allowed them to heal, leaving only the stains of my blood. My chest rose and fell violently. I felt suffocated. I couldn’t breathe properly. I felt the weight inside me until a pair of hands held mine. My lips pressed tightly together as I looked at who it was.

 

I found Azriel. He was seriously wiping my blood with the shirt he had taken off. How long had he been here?

 

Did he see?

 

It didn’t matter to me anymore whether he had been here for a while or had just arrived. I silently watched him clean my hands, and after a while, he looked up at my face. I pursed my lips and looked away as he started to clean the bloodstains on my face.

 

“Why are you here, Azriel?” I asked lifelessly, still not looking at him.

 

“I saw you, so I followed you here.” So, he did see how I lashed out. It’s fine. I knew he already understood the reason. He knows well.

 

“So, you’ve met her already,” I forced myself to hide the bitterness in my voice. I bit the inside of my cheek, drawing blood as I heard him sigh.

 

“Yes, she’s a little different. Maybe because she’s living a fake identity and can’t remember everything,” he said plainly. I nodded and moved a bit away from him.

 

I was heading to my library, and I could feel him following me. I ignored him and grabbed a book before heading to the balcony to pass the time. And again, he followed me.

 

“Aren’t you going home yet?” I asked, not in the mood to deal with him, so it would be better if he left.

 

“Aren’t you coming with me?” My stomach churned upon hearing his question. I tried hard not to smile—that wouldn’t be cool.

 

“Why would I go with you?” I raised an eyebrow at him after a quick glance and returned to my book.

 

“I’m going to the farm, we’re harvesting there.” He informed me. I put down the book and slowly turned to him. He looked at me seriously, as if waiting for my answer. I exhaled and closed my book.

 

“Fine, I’ll come. This time, I didn’t force you to take me. You asked me, alright?” He bit his lower lip and smiled while nodding. “Good girl,” I ignored him and marched back to my room. I didn’t bother changing clothes since we were going to a farm; what I was wearing was appropriate enough.

 

“C’mon, my workers are probably waiting for us... We still need to bring the goods to town, and some will be sent to Blizmoor.” I hurried after him downstairs. He was the one who locked my doors as we walked together.

 

I could clearly hear the sounds of animals and our footsteps as Azriel and I walked in silence. It was so calm. I felt calm. I appreciated this moment, walking with him. I couldn’t help but wish this was how we always were. From time to time, I glanced at Azriel with my hands behind my back.

 

“Stop eyeing me, Lilianna,” he groaned, but I didn’t budge. We were walking in the middle of the forest, and I kept glancing at him, never tiring of it.

 

I was sure we had been walking for half an hour before we reached Azriel’s farm. It’s a huge farm filled with fruits and vegetables. He had many workers managing it, and he only visited during harvests and planting seasons.

 

“M’lord, we’ve already loaded all the cabbages into a truck, and the mangoes too,” one of Azriel’s workers approached. He was sweaty and dark-skinned, obviously young. He smiled widely at me and gave a slight bow. I nodded briefly in return. Azriel gave me a sideways glance.

 

“Let me see, Joseph,” he answered the worker before looking at me.

 

“You can rest at the rest house. I’ll send you some mangoes and strawberries there.” I looked at the rest house not far away and nodded. He turned and lightly draped his arm over Joseph’s shoulder. I watched them head toward the truck before walking to the rest house. It was built from bamboo and nipa. I could smell the fresh air, a mix of coolness and warmth. Since the sun wasn’t too harsh here on the island of Eldoria, I really loved the simple life here more than in the cities. I wasn’t sure if it was because I grew up here and got used to it or because I didn’t like noisy places.

 

“Good morning, m’lady,” an older woman came out of the rest house’s kitchen. She was the caretaker of this place. I knew her because I had visited a few times before.

 

“Aunt Seneng, how are you? It’s been almost a month since I last came here.” I looked out over the vast farm while the wind blew through my hair. She stood next to me.

 

“Oh, I’m still taking care of this house as usual. How is your relationship with the alpha?” Alpha... they still considered Azriel as their alpha even though it had been a long time since he was exiled from Lysidamus.

 

“Still hopeless, Nay. He’s still in love with his first love. I can’t compare.” My voice remained monotonous. I squinted into the distance as I recalled what I had seen earlier.

 

“That’s how it is, fighting against first love is hard, but I know that one day the alpha will love you too. It’s just that we both know many won’t approve, especially the council from various kingdoms.” I let out a deep sigh.

 

“I’m ready to fight for him against everyone if only he would love me,” I spoke determinedly. I would do that if he just told me he loved me. But until now, he remained distant from me, even though I could touch him physically.

 

Aunt Seneng excused herself, saying she had to go home to cook lunch for her husband. She was half-human and half-werewolf living here in Nightfall. Her husband was a pure-blooded werewolf from Crescent. And they were here because they still supported Azriel, even knowing that he had fallen in love and had a relationship with a vampire. That didn’t stop them from supporting him. But I knew in this world, only a few had such broad-mindedness on such matters.

 

When I had had enough of the fresh air outside, I went inside to see if I could cook something. Luckily, Nay Seneng seemed to have stocked up for this rest house, so I found something to cook for lunch. I just waited for Azriel to return.

 

I had already cooked and set the table, but Azriel hadn’t arrived yet. I couldn’t help but check outside. I was getting hungry. Where could he be?

 

Some workers had come by to deliver fruits, but still no sign of him.

 

Unable to wait any longer, I went out and headed in the direction where he and Joseph had gone earlier. But only the workers were there now, peacefully eating with their wives. The trucks were gone. Don’t tell me...

 

“M’lady, are you looking for m’lord?” Martha approached me, one of Azriel’s workers. I nodded.

 

“Oh, he went down to town with Joseph and might even have gone to Blizmoor.” What?! My eyebrows immediately furrowed, and I ignored Aling Martha, annoyed. Why did he leave me? He didn’t even say goodbye?! I was expecting him to have lunch with me! I even cooked. Why did he bring me here, then?

 

Out of frustration, I quickly returned to the rest house. I ate alone in a huff, repeatedly cursing Azriel in my mind. I felt heavy inside as I set aside the leftovers and washed the dishes. To keep myself busy, I snacked on some fruit until I eventually fell asleep.

 

I woke up to the sudden sound of heavy rain. I had to close the doors and windows because branches were hitting them, creating loud noises. Is there a storm? Did Azriel go to Blizmoor?

 

My anxiety grew. I began pacing back and forth, worrying that Azriel might not make it back due to the terrible weather. It’s getting too dangerous outside, with the strong winds and rain. Thunder and lightning followed one after the other. Since the rest house wasn’t made of concrete or sturdy roofing, I could hear the creaking of different parts of it.

 

I’m used to being alone, so I usually don’t mind such bad weather, but not here. Not here, alone.

 

I sat by the door, afraid that I might have to spend the night by myself. The temperature dropped further, making me feel even more uneasy. I hugged my knees and tucked myself into the corner, resting my head on my knees as I listened to the rain. There was no electricity, and I relied only on the oil lamps inside the rest house. Their faint light gave the room a gloomy atmosphere, with moths flying around them.

 

While waiting and thinking about Azriel, I heard some distant thuds. They were growing louder and closer. I sniffed the air, and I felt my eyes flicker from their normal color to crimson and then back again. I stood up and immediately opened the door. A gust of wind brushed against my skin, and the rain splashed over my body, but I didn’t care. I ran into the rain to meet whatever was approaching until I suddenly stopped.

 

Branches and trees were falling around me. I was drenched from head to toe, but I was more focused on the beings closing in. My body ignited with a thirst for their blood. Without hesitation, they rushed toward me, but before they could attack, I had already calculated their speed and movements. I knew where they would strike and how strong they were. I easily dodged them, even though the ground was muddy, and my feet sank into the muck. Mud splattered on my legs, and some even hit my face, but the rain quickly washed it off.

 

Thunder roared, and lightning flashed, spreading terror. But I was just as quick as the lightning as I dodged every attack before making my counterattacks. My heart pounded when I heard the same footsteps I had heard earlier. I moved faster. Someone attacked from behind, and I immediately caught his arm, breaking it before targeting his neck. I buried my fangs in his throat and violently plunged my hand into his chest. His blood mixed with the rain as he slowly faded away.

 

I was distracted again by the approaching sound, which allowed another attack to hit me hard. I was thrown back against a tree, which then fell and grazed my shoulder. I snarled angrily in shock. I hadn’t anticipated that. My rage flared, and I immediately grabbed her by the hair, yanking her down. I stomped on her neck with full force until her head separated from her body, and she disappeared. Three more to go.

 

I knew why they were here. They wanted Azriel. They could smell him. They had planned to ambush him at this very place. I didn’t know why, but I could smell wolfbane and silver. They knew it could paralyze or even kill him. Those were Azriel’s weaknesses, no matter how strong he was. Even a small graze could put him in danger.

 

I quickly defeated the remaining three, even though I was in pain. I used the dagger I had bought to easily take them down, as I could feel the impact of the fallen tree on my shoulder. I couldn’t use my ability to block out pain. I hadn’t anticipated it earlier. I wouldn’t have gotten hurt if I had prepared for that strike. I gritted my teeth as I heard the footsteps slow down until they stopped. My chest heaved as I slowly turned around, and there I saw him.

 

He was catching his breath, looking at me with worry. His brows furrowed, his lips slightly parted, and his breathing was heavy. He was holding his clothes, his shirt unbuttoned, and his belt unbuckled. The lower part of his pants was muddy, and he was soaked as well.

 

As the rain poured harder, I felt a strange warmth. Despite the pain, my mind went blank. I knew he felt the same. I didn’t know how, but it felt like our emotions were connected at that very moment. We were sharing the same feeling. Our eyes simultaneously changed colors. His glowing golden-yellow eyes mirrored my burning crimson gaze, and only one thing entered my empty mind. I was thirsty for something I couldn’t explain but knew I could get it from him.

 

In an instant, our bodies collided. We lost control for reasons neither of us knew. All I knew was that we shared the same need. We wanted the same thing. I jumped onto his body, wrapping my legs around his waist. One of his hands gripped my waist, and the other supported my back. His glowing eyes darkened, filled with desire, and I felt the same. His jaw clenched, and I gritted my teeth. Despite the cold rain pouring down on us, our bodies seemed to steam with heat. In one swift moment, I found myself trapped in a deep, rough, and wanting kiss with Azriel.

 

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