Mentality

CHAPTER NINE

AUTHOR'S POV 

Just as he left the palace in annoyance, Kieran decided to head back to the hotel where he was staying, but something in his mind wouldn't let him go. He sat down on a fallen log in a dark spot, with many thoughts flooding his mind. 

Part of him was troubled by the fact that Luna was in trouble, as he knew for sure that Liam's intention for Luna marrying Victor wasn't for a good reason. Though he'd tried his best to talk Luna out of it, he knew she didn't believe him, since he had no evidence to support his claim. 

Even though he had nothing to convince her with, the fact remained that Liam was nothing but a cunning bastard. He knew him to be deceitful - he never offered help without wanting something in return. Wanting her to marry Victor to strengthen the Pack's bloodline was a blatant lie. 

"I'm never going to watch Luna marry Victor, never!" he said to himself, when he saw someone moving in the dark. The body structure looked like Luna's, and as he watched from a corner, he soon saw her clearly. 

Where was she going at this time of night?

He'd wanted to call her to demand to know where she was going, but he changed his mind. It was best if he followed her without her knowledge. 

He kept following her, hiding from tree to tree so she wouldn't see him. As he followed her deep into the woods, he accidentally kicked a metal object, making a loud noise that caught Luna's attention. She stopped and turned around, asking, "Is anybody there?" 

He hid, remaining silent. 

"Hello!" she called out, suspecting that someone was following her.

When no one responded, she concluded that no one was following her and continued on her way. 

Still following her, he saw some wolves suddenly appear in front of Luna. Knowing they were about to attack, he rushed to rescue her, but someone pushed him from behind, sending him tumbling into a pit filled with water.

As he emerged from the water, he looked around to see who had pushed him, but there was no one in sight. Then, he heard a sound and looked ahead, only to see Luna fallen to the ground. 

Furious, he shifted into his wolf form and fought the wolves. They attacked fiercely, but he was stronger. He tore apart one of the wolves, and seeing that one was dead, the remaining two fled. He wanted to pursue them, but he realized he needed to get Luna to safety so she wouldn't die. 

With that, he let them go and carried her to the palace, where she was placed in the infirmary. A doctor administered treatment, and while the medical staff worked, Kieran paced back and forth, praying to the moon goddess that nothing would happen to Luna.

***

After hours of being unconscious, Luna's eyes opened, and she looked around, realizing she was in the infirmary. 

How did she get here? she wondered. 

She sat up in bed and felt a sharp pain in her head, noticing a bandage. Trying to recall everything, she remembered being attacked by werewolves and losing consciousness after a blow to her head. Who brought her here? Before she could ponder further, the infirmary door opened, and Kieran walked in. 

Various bruises marked his face, and Luna couldn't help but wonder how he'd gotten them. 

"Why am I here?" she demanded. He moved closer, took her hand, and asked, "Are you okay?" 

"A bit, but what happened to me?" she asked. 

Still disoriented, she wondered if she was dreaming. 

"Who brought me here?" she asked. 

"You were attacked by werewolves," he said calmly. 

"I know, but I don't know how I got here," she replied. 

"I brought you here," he said. 

Surprised, she asked, "How did you know I was there?" 

He sat beside her bed and explained, "I saw you when you left the palace." 

"You saw me leave?" she asked, incredulous. 

"Yes, I did," he said. 

"How?" she pressed. 

"No one knew I was leaving," she added. 

"I did," he said simply. 

"But you left," she said, raising confused brows. 

"I wanted to return to the hotel but changed my mind and waited," he explained. 

"You knew I was going to leave the palace?" she asked, puzzled. 

He took a deep breath and said, "No, I didn't know you were going to leave." 

Then she changed the subject, "Who were they?" 

"I don't know, but Liam is investigating," he replied. "I killed one, and the others fled," he added.

"I can tell they came for me," she told him. The attack wasn't coincidental, and she knew someone might be after her life. 

"How sure are you?" he asked her. Not that he was surprised, considering how someone had pushed him into the pit of water; he knew the plan was well-orchestrated. 

"I know they came for me, but I still don't know how they managed to know I was leaving the palace," she said, worry lines etched on her forehead. 

"Where were you going?" he asked her. "You know it's very risky following that route at night," he reminded. 

"I know, Kieran, but that's not the point. The point is, who could it be that was trying to kill me?" she demanded. 

"We'll find out soon," he assured her. 

"I don't feel safe anymore," she told him. 

" Just calm down, everything is going to be fine," he told her. 

"How can I calm down when someone is out there hunting me?" she asked him. 

"You're just regaining consciousness; you don't need to stress yourself mentally. We'll figure this out soon," he assured her.

At that moment, the door clicked open, and Liam stepped in. 

Luna felt a chill run down her spine as she saw the look on his face.