Chapter 33

Ismena was lost in the stars. 
The cool breeze of the night—or is it early morning?—caressed her body so much, she was almost cold. So, she rubbed her bare arms rhythmically, while staring dazedly at the stars in the sky.

She knows the exact moment she's no longer alone, because heat flooded her from behind warming its way to her throbbing heart and her lower belly. Only one man can make her feel like this.

"I hope I didn't wake you? I didn't mean to." She whispered, without turning back.

Silence met her words. But only for a few seconds. Then, "No. I woke up long before you did."

"Thank you for taking care of me...again. I truly do not mean to be a burden. Sorry for retching on you...." She apologized sincerely. "I have been taking care of myself for as long as I can remember, I'm not usually so accident-prone, or such a trouble magnet too." A small crossed her lips, her eyes glued to the dark sky, "I guess a lot comes from being badly ill. Not just dying."

Now that she is stargazing, he should be in his bedroom behind his office chair trying to get some work done. But instead, he found himself taking steps closer to her to stand beside her on the balcony. Although, he couldn't produce a word.

Ismena doesn't mind, "You know, pre-dying, I was always very busy with work. I have a jerk for a boss, you see. And I didn't have much of personal life, because I was too ingrained in work. If I had known that one day, I'll be facing death so soon, I would have tried to do more with my life."

He didn't say a word, but his presence was enough for her to let out her thoughts, and feelings. 

"I would have gone back home more times than I did. My poor mother, Valentina, and my father, I would have tried to see them more...spend more time with them, you see." She swallowed tightly, "My poor will have a heart attack if she finds out that I'm dying again, after escaping death before when I was eight."

He crossed his arms, looked up to the sky to try and see the night through her eyes. Because of the nightmare, his other-halves were agitated, raging, and feeling unrest. But now, the wolf stretched out languidly listening to the sound of her voice. The mountain lion emitted furious growls... bloodthirsty...predatory.

"According to my mother, something bad happened to me when I was eight. I can still remember being in and out of the hospital...the pains of every treatment I had to undergo...it was awful." She shivered with the memory.

"What happened to you?" He asked at last.

"I have no idea." She spared him a glance, "I lost the memory. At first, I was hoping I will remember what happened to me...why I was in the hospital for weeks? But my mother was too relieved that I lost the memory. So, I gave up on it too. It must be pretty awful if my mother was grateful I don't remember, right?"

"I guess so." Silence, "Sometimes, memory loss is a savior." He looked away, "It will be a good thing if I had something like that." Maybe if he did, he will be able to stop hearing Nalaila's pain-filled screams every single time he laid down on the bed to sleep.

"Why? Are there some awful things you will like to forget about completely?" She asked softly.

He thought about it for a while, "No. They made me who I am today. It will be unfair to my people...to Nalaila...if I ever did." He replied at last.

That name again. He has the saddest of looks whenever he calls that name. Ismena has never heard more lonely words before.

Ismena suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to comfort him. She didn't think when she covered the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his midriff.
.
.
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The gesture took him by surprise. He stared down at her while her head swiveled up so that her eyes met his, "I'm so sorry." She whispered.

"There...," He had to stop to recall what he wants to say. Her body might be small, but there's nothing small about the impact it's having on him. There's also nothing small about the full softness of her bosom pressed against his lower chest. "There is nothing to be sorry about, Ismena."

"You're right. Memory loss is an escape, not a solution. We solve our problems, we don't escape from them." She whispered, trying to ignore her body's reaction to this close proximity to his.

It was an effort, but Wolfariane forced himself to entangle from her soft arms. They were offering more comfort than he has any right feeling. 

Ismena felt cold without his contact, she faced the sky again, rubbing her arms to ward off the chills. Her eyes traced the stars, "I'm glad I came to this place. I never knew a world like this existed... It's so beautiful, your world. I will add it to my To-Do list, being in a world like this." 

"We are deep in the mountains, well away from the valleys. We are thousands and thousands and thousands of miles away from humans.

"Well, I'm definitely crossing off 'Go Camping In The Forest, and Ride A Horse At The Beach.' from my list right here." She smiled with suppressed excitement, "I hope there are beaches here?"

"Several of them."

"Good." Another thing she wants to cross off here is 'Have A One-night-stand With A Stranger And Get A Constant Fúck Buddy'. The only problem is that she doesn't want a stranger for those anymore. She wants the stoic man standing behind her.

These days, he's all she thinks about. The scent of him... it's not cologne, more like the unique scent of the man, which was intoxicating.

"How do you feel now?" The deep baritone filled the air.

"Not very better," Her chest is throbbing, and there was an occasional pinch in her heart but at least, the pain she'd felt earlier in the day was absent now. Instead, her body is on fire for the man standing beside him.

Jesus H. Christ. What is wrong with her wanting this man so much, to embarrassing degrees? She cleared her throat and tried her best to ignore it. "Anyway, at least I don't feel too much pain anymore."

"Alphose will go to the non-changeling world to get your meds on the morrow."

"Thank you, but they are all very expensive..." She bit her lips. How does she pay him back?

"Don't worry about that." He stated curtly.

"No, I will try to pay you back in any way I can. I've been thinking..." She paused, turned, and faced him, "I thought you can m-make me a lieutenant here? I get bored all day, and I have no intention of spending the rest of my days that way."

"Forget about it. It's dangerous."

"But, I can do it. I know how to fight really well, my instructor made sure of that after I was séxually molested." Chin lifted proudly, she added, "I bet I can take down some of your sentinels."