The path to the house

Karina

The path to the house where we are staying is made in silence through the large trees. I didn't see any animals other than birds and the ground is already well marked, indicating where we should go, which is very different from what I expected from this place.
Only when I'm in front of what appears to be a large luxury cabin, the kind you see on websites for renting beach accommodation, does Klaus speak, probably because he won't be heard from here. — We're not going to tell Astor about everything that happened, we don't know. how will he react and we need his help, Karina, as doctors will want to dissect you and the puppy to find out information about the Persians — he says and I nod my head.
— Okay, no doctors as long as you keep listening to the baby to make sure you are alive.
I really wanted an ultrasound image to make sure it's inside me, as my belly remains the same and I don't have the same hearing as Klaus. However, I know this option is more difficult.
— Let's use the healer's brief care and then we'll leave.
Nayni and we will go to Koda, where no Persian dares to go — he speaks quietly, looking around as he heads to the cabin that is much tidier than Astor's.
— Where is Koda? — I frown.
— One of the islands in the Cosmos archipelago, that’s over there. — Points to the
right, but that doesn't make any difference, since I just see a bunch of trees everywhere. — Let's go by boat as soon as you're better. I grew up in Koda, I still know everything there. We will stay at my old house and form a plan on how to hide my transformation and our puppy.
— What about my mother and my best friend? — My chest hurts think about those two, which are too important to be abandoned. — I need to see them, Klaus.
— I promise you will see them soon, however, now we need to take
Careful. — He climbs the wooden steps in front of the house, which creak with each step, then bends down and sits me in a rocking chair on the porch. — The Persians with money haven't seen a shapeshifter in hundreds of years and that's dangerous, they might want to use me and our cub to do something bad, besides, if a human found me in wolf form, I would threaten to break the story about us being elves. Many may suffer.
- All is well then. — A sob of nervousness escapes me. All of this is bigger than me to be selfish, but it still hurts. — Just let me see them soon, please.
He kneels in front of me with his green eyes watching me in that curious way he did when we first met.
— There's no need to be afraid, I'm here to protect you and my uncle Vladimir Also, he is from the political world and is older, he has many alliances. — He touches my face and wipes away a tear that I didn't even notice shedding, which makes my body heat up quickly, especially remembering how he kissed my belly just now.
I have to put limits on this or Klaus will think he can continue treating me like an inferior fool.
— I don't know why you wanted to mate us without telling me anything, but that's not it. It can last, it has to be undone. I can see you're trying to help now, but... — I shake my head and move away from his touch. — You have to be aware that nothing will ever happen between the two of us again.
Even though I still have a lot of feelings for this man, the rational part of me knows that it's crazy to return to his arms after everything Niflin said. Who guarantees that in a while Klaus won't do something even worse? After the cub is born, he may want to get rid of me or give me to another man.
— I want a chance to explain myself, please — he asks and does something that I've never seen it before. Its large, pointy ears lower slightly, like when dogs look sad because they have done something very wrong. — Let me at least try, Karina.
I think about his words in silence for a moment and realize that perhaps this is my only chance to calculate how dangerous this man is to me.
— I want to know the plan, then. All of him, Klaus. But if you lie to me, I swear that when I find out I will never look at your face again — I threaten, even if the
my heart is racing and it's as if my hands itch to touch it. I've never seen him look so fragile.
— The torture I suffered as a young man left too many scars inside me. Niflin's mother put me inside a cage underground for days on end while she hurt me. I suffered drownings, burns and many attacks, I only survived because Persians always heal. There are few things capable of killing us.
My eyes widen at his revelation.
— Filipi told me about it, but I didn’t know that she had been the mother of Niflin!
— Me neither, because it was as if my brain had blocked the memories at some points, so I would suffer less. But as soon as this rorani appeared on my wrist at the club, I remembered everything. — He touches the black mark on his wrist gently. — Niflin's mother kidnapped me to try to make my father take over her son, and I never thought something like that was possible.
— That you had a brother?
— No, Karina, that a Persian could betray — he murmurs and seems very really devastated, still with his ears down and a lost look on his beautiful face. — I never thought that a Persian could be mated and still leave, and this… is stuck in my throat in a strange way.
— You believed in your father, right? — I whisper and I have to fight a lot I told myself not to reach out my hand and touch her dark hair.
— All my life I wanted to avenge his and my mother’s deaths, thinking that Dante's father had killed them, however, the truth is that my father was a dirty man, who preferred to let me be tortured than admit his mistakes. — His eyes fill with tears and I feel that Klaus is showing me a side of himself that appears very little, a fragile side.
— I'm sorry Klaus. I'm really sorry. — I try to console him with words, without physical touch, before I end up giving in and surrendering to the deep feeling that awakens in me.
— All that violent torture changed something in me, it left me blind for anything other than revenge. But do you know who changed me too, Karina? — He places his fingers on my chin and locks his gaze with mine. — You. The day I was going to meet you at the hotel, I dreamed of you, of your eyes, even though I had never seen you.
I remain silent, just listening to him speak with his hoarse and calming voice, with the sound of the sea and the distant wind in the background.
— At the time I didn't care, because I was too foolish. But later Then you started to invade my other dreams and then I slept next to you for the first time, little, like it had never happened to anyone else, and I didn't wake up in a panic. — The way you say "little" always gets me.
He gets even closer and puts his face right next to mine, with his mouth inches from mine, I can even feel his breath and it makes me dizzy, wanting to give in.
— It took me a while to sleep with you because all my life I
I destroyed the mattresses, I stuck my claws deep into everything that was close to me and you were too precious to be hurt. — He caresses my cheeks and I end up parting my lips, hypnotized by the silver particles in his pupils and by his words.
— But by your side I slept and did everything I thought I wasn't capable of.
By your side I had a heat, a puppy, I got a rorani, and by your side I love, mon polar. — He brushes his lips against mine and leaves me even more unresponsive.
- I love. You. Karina — whispers each well-spaced word.
I swallow hard at his final statement, which breaks the kind of trance I was in and makes me move away. I have never heard “I love you” in a romantic way from someone and the last person in the world I thought would say that to me is Klaus.
I want to stand up, but at the last second I remember better not to.
— Do you want me to forget all about this whole theater you created? And if If you hadn’t fallen… in love, what would become of me now? I would be dead in the hands of Niflin or Dante.
The whole time I was with this man I wanted to convince myself that he was just an eccentric male, who liked to play with me. I was almost certain that I was the only one nurturing real feelings, just as it was with every platonic love I had in my life. But now… he says he loves me.
— I'm sorry that I rotted along the way. I would like to have you met before and learned from your kindness—confessed and feels so real it hurts. — I'm sorry for what I did to you and I swear I will never lie to you again. Give me a second chance, please.
— It's all too recent, Klaus, we haven't even known each other for a month.
What if I accept this “I love you” easily? What if I give myself in and after a while he forgets me? Klaus himself just discovered that being mated doesn't stop a male from cheating, so I can't imagine that a man who has everything would accept being with someone so easily.
I know I'll never leave Klaus, but what if he wakes up one day and decides he's too good for the “mated” life? Even more so with a poor human who doesn't have much of anything like me.
—But you are mine, Karina. — He frowns, not understanding anything and I I look away from him, who is still too close. - You are mine.
— We are of different species, we have known each other for less than a month and I I'm already expecting your child. — I swallow hard and suddenly I feel even more uncomfortable with the heat, or maybe it's just the way my body reacts to having to lie to Klaus.If I don't lie to him and put obstacles
in front of both of us, I could end up being deceived once again. — Everything is happening too fast. — Do you want to wait and meet another male?!
— No, I just want to think more about all this, okay? — I'm fast to respond before you get angry.
Klaus considers my words for a while and I can almost see smoke coming out of his head from how much he thinks.
— Then you don't love me — he concludes in a tone of deep disappointment, if He stands up, with his ears even lower, and moves away from me. — Those who love have no doubts.
— We never had that kind of relationship, we had an agreement by
written, Klaus! — I'm trying to get your attention. I don't want to hurt him, but how can I know if he's lying or not? — You never spoke about love to me, I think I only heard that word come out of your mouth once and it must have been by mistake. And I'm inferior, remember? That's why you wanted me.
— I only said that because I was trying not to get attached, but if I stop you, our relationship was not deep enough, I will move away. — He just leaves the porch, without even looking at me. — I won't create expectations for you anymore and I will keep my distance, female. — His ears stand up straight again and his posture becomes erect, hiding his fragility. — I give you my word that I will take care of you and my cub for the rest of my days, and that will be it.
Klaus has never sounded so formal or serious about something as he does now, he reminds me of a soldier pledging the flag or something. He doesn't have his usual sarcasm or some kind of sensual laugh.
— N-not like that, Klaus — I stammer, not knowing how to fix this situation. and feeling more scared with every step you take away from me. - Hang on! Where are you going?! — I shout and he doesn't answer me, disappearing into the trees.

***

Every day Astor comes to visit me bringing something new for me to drink or rub on my belly. Our consultations are constant and carried out in the morning. Klaus watches everything, but never gets closer, just as he doesn't talk to me more than necessary. It's like a statue.
I notice in his eyes how he is always sad and thoughtful, he works a lot around the island, looking for loopholes with his uncle and looking for information about the mainland, however, he never tries to start a conversation or ask for a new chance, which leaves me with a constant burden in my chest.
With Klaus' excess blood leaving my bloodstream, the healer is able to taste my fluid and see that everything is fine with the fetus.
Astor also says I can walk around, which further dismisses Klaus and I from being together and leaves me feeling bittersweet. It's good to improve, however, it was also great to have his touch.
Apparently the story about a Persian who turned into a wolf did not generate gossip, just as Niflin's death also seems to have been hushed up. However, someone spread a rumor that Klaus had stolen something precious and so everyone who has contact with him must notify the “Persanese council”, which is how the group of older and more ancient Persians call themselves.
Four long weeks pass and I can't have contact with anyone other than the daughter of the man who picked us up by boat, as we are not supposed to draw attention to our presence. Vladimir leaves after a while to sort things out on the mainland and constantly updates us.
With each passing day, I really start to feel more like a pregnant woman. My belly is growing, morning sickness appears and
With this comes loneliness and sadness of not being able to have contact with anyone. Furthermore, I know that we will soon have to go to that Koda island, which worries me a lot, as I won't even have the healer to check on the baby.