Chapter 20 Into the Cavern (2)

Wolfless.
Those words rang deep in her mind, even though Nat had pronounced them moments ago. If not that Nat had resumed walking, she would still have been trembling. She took a step at a time, walking until they passed the entrance. Nat’s palm on hers made her skin tingle, suggestive of an exchange of energy gushing between them.
She absorbed what Nat had just told her, her werewolf powers weak inside the structure. So, Regina was a wolfless werewolf. It seemed tricky: Nat having had a relationship with her for years, yet she was his perceived enemy. She didn’t know what exactly was Nat’s origin other than what he allowed her to believe; yet, their bond caused her to disregard everything about him and want him more than ever.
Some loud noises boomed just in front of them, alerting Nat to the scenario. Nat seemed unbothered by the commotion. Instead, his eyes took on a weird glow of blue. Nothing surprised her about him at this point in time.
It was apparent he wasn’t that weakling of a human that she had intended to use to pop her cherry. If the village could counter the power of werewolves, what more could they do to her, a pure-blooded werewolf with the blood of an alpha running in her? She caught her breath and kept moving while Nat effortlessly deflected some of the traps in the cavern.
“The traps set by the ancestors go off when they detect an outsider,” Nat said in a deep tone. His eyes still flashed a deep blue, which didn’t affect her at all, but gave her a surreal feeling about everything. However, she was also aware that there was a strange force that kept them unscathed, when Nat missed dodging an arrow that flew towards them from one of the rooms. The arrow seemed to hit something invisible, then bounced off and ricocheted into a different direction.
“Nat, this is?” She couldn’t help asking.
“The mantra,” he stated monotonously. He didn’t need to explain further. She could sense that unseen force, like some sort of magic. At this juncture, she considered herself lucky that he hadn’t recognised who she truly was. The mantra, Nat claimed, was a method of protecting her from the fatal powers of his ancestors since an outsider who breached the entrance of the cavern and entered their sacred temple was punishable by death.
The next day, however, they would be bound by a ritual, the rites of marriage. She had so many questions in her head, but she was not the type to speak her mind and spend time asking useless questions. In the past, up to now, she was not one to waste time on idle chatter. Her time was extremely priceless.
Counted by the hour, she could make tens of thousands of dollars, not to mention her net worth of millions, which would grow into billions. She was that rich, although she didn’t see the need to flaunt her wealth!
“Keep moving.” He gripped her hand tighter and led her through the maze in front of them. The interior of the cave just translated into a labyrinth, yet seemed to be growing as they dashed right past all the obstacles in front of them. This was not over. The force field protecting them was weakening as more dangers crossed them, repelled by what was left of the charm.
She focused on Nat, her eyes suddenly blurry from an unseen force. That was when she suddenly felt overwhelmed. They must be getting close to the destination.
After hundreds of such hindrances, she was losing her focus. Perhaps, the shield was no longer protecting them. Dodging these flying objects were physically and mentally draining to her, sapping her of her power. She began to realise that maybe these traps carried some negative effects to beings of her kind. With her fuzzy eyesight, she could barely make what was in front of her.
His right arm suddenly swung past her, swinging her to the side as a spear thrust towards her, narrowly missing her hip by inches. The force sent her falling backwards, but a quick movement from Nat hindered her from any further movement. In a flash, she was pinned to the stone floor by Nat’s strong body.
She blinked twice, feeling the exchange of energy when their bodies touched. Instead of a hazy blur, she could make out his prominent features. The burst of energy boosted her, causing her to regain her senses.
“Stay down.” His eyes flashed at her again, but she didn’t cut off their eye contact and continued to stare into his eyes. His gaze stole her soul, making her forget her surroundings. All she could see was Nat. It was a sensation she had never experienced before, one that numbed her and gave her warmth.
No… She told herself. This was the feeling of weakness. Nat and her were no more than accidental mates. But the more she looked into his eyes, the more she felt a strong feeling of anticipation. He must have wanted this so much in life, and never got it. If he loved Regina, then why was he burdened by her being a wolfless werewolf? Why had he got her to take her place?
But soon, she was losing herself into the wave of emotions that swept right into her. Nat turned out to be someone strong and emotional, while she was once cold, was starting to feel those emotions, other than lust. Nat’s desperation was strong inside her, emitting a particular heat inside her. The bridge between them formed so suddenly that she wasn’t aware of what was going on.
He pressed his body harder against her, inhibiting her from moving further. His sexy lips descended on her tiny mouth so predatorily, devouring her bit by bit. If this was a sacred spot, she figured they shouldn’t be performing such provocative acts. As if he read her mind, he ended the kiss abruptly, releasing her instantly.
It felt so good to have him on top of her. She considered this statement just when she stood up slowly, remembering the contract. All this while, she, being the CEO of AD Systems, Corp had never encountered a man that was above her. Every man she met pledged himself to her cause, even Ricky who just aspired for her attention, yet she gave them all the cold shoulder.
Nat turned out to be a different case. She regretted retrenching him. Maybe he could have gone far with his unusual powers and even contributed to the company, after all. But now wasn’t the time to continue thinking about this, she reminded herself.
He took her hand again, brushing it against his lips.
“That should be enough time for the recharge. We should keep going, Ally.”
She followed him reluctantly, feeling the palpitations of her heart inside her from their proximity. In this place, she was vulnerable and powerless when pitted against the ancient magics that deemed even regular werewolves weakened.
She didn’t know where Nat was heading to in this place or what he intended to do, but all she could make out was that she was at his mercy. He could do anything he wished to her, but she had no way of winning over his power, which gave her a feeling that she was restrained against her will. She couldn’t even leave this place. But her heart told her she still couldn’t give up easily.
After the ritual, perhaps there was a way she could escape. Furthermore, he was her mate, so what could he do to hurt her, anyway? At most, he would just be back for her. She had bigger plans for him when she left the village, but not at this time. First, she would have to sort it all out once she was out of this terrisome hole.
‘Patience, Alyssa Dawson. He won’t do anything to you while you’re here with him. Right now, he still has some use for you. Just don’t allow him to know you’re one of them. Just that simple.’
She spoke to herself in her mind, but Aria was awake and returned her talk.
‘We will be able to transform him. Convince him that not all werewolves are evil. With time, the hatred in his heart will lift. Touch him with heartwarming feelings. Emotions from the depth of the heart.’
“We’re here,” his voice disrupted the silence in the cave. She looked up. They were standing outside a ‘room’ that appeared to emit a red glow, with red lit candles illuminating the centre of the room.
Where were they, and what did he want?