Confession

There is always a problem with sleeping throughout the day. You won't be able to sleep at night. It's annoying. No matter how long you sleep during the day, night sleep is essential. The weather at night is usually perfect. But sleeping at night is more of a psychological trigger. There might be some people that are trained to work during the night and sleep during the day. It's not like there is a sort of sleep pill poured all over the air. We have only adapted to sleeping at night and not during the day.

In Asark, they have a problem with distinguishing day and night. There is something only the Ultimate Alpha knows and most of the very elite members of the society, who gets awakening. The Ultimate Alpha knows that beyond the barriers of Asark, the humans have a moment of twelve hours called day and they have another one called night. But most times in Asark, it's mostly dark and even though a duration of twelve hours for day and night was implemented, Noguchi's timeframe works differently.

But the moment Mara woke up could be said to be at night, and that is by calculating with human time. On a strange bed, in a strange room. The room smells of scents of amber and peach. She loves it. Her eyes opened bit by bit and she tried getting adapted to the light around her. She winked her eyes and before her, is a werewolf, sitting. He has his back around her. He was reading and mixing some herbs. After some time, he will not down some inscriptions on his spare note. He kept on doing this till she got bored of the sight of that.

She isn't surprised as to how she got here. She was asleep but didn't lose all consciousness. It felt like she could hear what everyone around her was saying. She heard when Beowulf came in and what he discussed with his mother. At that time, she didn't wish she was awake to see him. It just felt like a normal thing to her. Like a voice, she had been hearing all her life. His voice wasn't exciting.

She heard when the Ultimate Luna left just a few minutes ago. She begged Lord Elvis to stay with her till she got conscious. The Ultimate Luna complained about her pregnancy and she felt the need to sleep. And now that she is awake, there isn't much excitement like while she was asleep.

"Excuse me," she called Elvis' attention. His back still bent over the book he is reading. Before jotting words down, he will murmur and sigh. She isn't worried about the place she is in. Since she is being cared for and not under confine.

"Excuse me, Lord Elvis," she spoke louder than before. He stopped writing and reading. He raised his head and slowly turned towards her.

"You are awake," he smiled at her. He went closer to her. He grabbed her arms and checked her pulses. He touched her forehead. He smiled. He lowered his hands to her eyes, and he lifted her eyelids. He gave a broader smile, and he moved away from her.

"You are supposed to take this once you got awake," he said and carried a bowl of herbal mixture. He brought it closer to her.

"May I?" He asked, gesturing if he could touch her and carry her to sit. Mara gave a smile. He pulled her up with his strength and made her sit.

"Now, have it," he brought the mixture to her mouth, but she turned her face away immediately.

"Oh! I know it smells horrible. Someone once described it as having the same taste with sadness and sorrow," he said, stirring the mixture. He smiled at her. She returned with a confused frown. She wondered how he expected her to drink something that tastes like sadness and sorrow. How do sadness and sorrow even taste?

"And I asked her, how does sadness and sorrow smell? She said, just like what you have with you," he smiled. Mara realized that was supposed to be a joke. She let out a smile too.

"Don't worry. It doesn't taste as bad as it smells. It gives off horrible smells because of its phantom smell vibe. You will probably like it. I added honey," he said. Even if she didn't like honey, here is someone who has done a lot to make sure she is okay. It's been long since she got here, and he has been the one taking care of her. She collected it. She inhaled the air and stopped breathing. She took a large gulp. Nearly half of the mixture was done.

"Ah! That's okay. You shouldn't overdose," he said and he collected the bowl from her.

"Where are Cathulf and Dinar?" Ashina asked.

"Well, I don't know who those are. But if you are asking about your maids, they have gone back to your pack to inform your family of where you are?"

"What?" Mara cried.

"What is it?"

"My father won't have any of it. He won't accept that I am here," she cried. She tried standing up but Elvis pressed her back.

"Even your father knows this is the safest place for you apart from under his arms," Elvis assured her. He pats her and sits down on the stool beside her bed.

"I am sorry, I am not supposed to be here. Can you let me leave?" She asked. She didn't try to stand up. She sat down unrelaxed. Her eyes were wet. Her words and tone became shrill.

"Are you scared that he is going to hurt you? Listen, if you were to live here forever, you won't be troubled," he said. She still doesn't feel relaxed.

"Has my father got back to you?" She asked him knowing the sort of man her father is.

"No, he hasn't. But don't worry, he will,"

"He won't. My father won't get back to you. He will be furious," she said, shaking on her bed.

"Isn't it Horgan? He will. You might be his daughter but that doesn't mean you know him better than I do," he said and she looked at him.

"You know my father?" She asked him, with a calm voice.

"I do," he answered.

"Since when? How did you know my father?"

"Since he was a young wolf and I was a pup," He smiled. Mara gasped. She had never heard this before nor anything related to the Ultimate Alpha and her father having any sort of relationship.

"You might not have heard of this, but don't worry, Horgan won't leave you here all alone," he said. Mara wanted him to continue saying what he knows about her father. How could he know her father and yet they are enemies.

"Then what happened? Why are we being taught to hate you? And I am sure you train your pups to hate us too?"

"We bear no beef against you. And I am not in the position to tell you. I am only a philosopher and a Doctor. Also, you will be marrying Leowulf soon, so you will know enough by then?" He said.

Yes! There is that. The heat of the discussion had made her forget about Leowulf. No, she didn't forget him. She only didn't give it deep thoughts as they were pressing matters. She wondered how he knew about Leowulf.

"How did you know this?" She asked blushing.

"Oh! You didn't get the part where I am his uncle from your sleep? You only got my name?" He asked. He stood up from where he sat and walked towards the book he folded.

"You are his uncle?"

"By the goddess's grace. I am a family to him," Elvis picked his books. He walked towards her, and he smiled. He bowed before her and excused himself. Ashina felt that was rude. Why give her half information and leave her unattended.


Minutes after Elvis left and she was left to revel the information she was given, the door unlocked. Mara was expecting him to come in and go on with his explanations or at least give her some tips to understanding why the relationship between her father and the Ultimate pack went sour before she was born.

But in that regard, she was disappointed. Leowulf came in. He looked all around the room like it was a strange place. He didn't look at her directly.

"Hello," he greeted from afar. There is a seat just beside her bed, somewhere he could sit. But Leowulf went further and sat on the chair Elvis was on before he left.

"Hi," she replied. Her voice wavering and her heart beating faster than usual. She wasn't expecting him. Either because she felt he would be too busy or because he isn't interested in her.

"Blessings of the goddess be with you," she said.

"Are you okay? You sound less normal than usual," he noticed. The last time he had seen her, she had a bit of energy in her voice.

"I am fine. I am just surprised to see you,"

"Oh, it's nothing. It's my duty. If an injured Felan is brought to my care, I am to make sure she is okay," he said and looked around the room one more time. He wondered if the collection of different herbs had reduced the efficiency of the candle scents in the room. He hasn't been in the medical room for ages. Whenever he gets sick or feels unusual, he is mostly taken to the priest's abode. And not brought to this spacy room with different herbs hanging on the walls. Some might be as offering to the goddess and some might just be mere herbs.

If only Leowulf had not been looking around the room the moment he said that, he would have seen the disappointment on her face. She felt bad that the reason Leowulf had been there was that he felt it is his responsibility and not because she is special to him.

"Who am I deceiving? It's all the same. I have expected so much from him that I am blinded by them. I don't even know if he is interested in me," she lamented. She gave him a sharp look but he wasn't looking at her. She stopped looking at him and looked around the room.

"Also, there is something else I need to tell you," he called her attention.

"I am listening," she replied. She is in such a mood where you force yourself not to expect anything from someone yet, you expect everything from them. She doesn't want to give herself hope because she fears how hurt she might get.

"Apart from the responsibility that is before me. That of being the Ultimate Alpha, some other things require me to need a woman. I need a family and I need someone to comfort me till the end of days," he said. He stopped to see if she was listening, and the attention she gave him was satisfying.

"Oh! What a gracious thing to want. And that woman will be very lucky," she said. She didn't want to give herself any hope.

"Yes! She will be the most powerful woman. The most fortunate and most respected woman in all of Asark. She will have responsibilities that go beyond that of just the usual wives of Alphas," he said. Mara believed. Places she had been, people had regarded Leowulf's mother, the ultimate Luna, more than her mother.

"And in all honesty, she needs to be the most beautiful woman in all of Asark, someone just like you. Which is why I am asking you to be my Ultimate Luna?"

"Eh? Me?"

"Yes! I want you to marry me. I want you to be my perfect woman," he said. Even though there is less excitement on his face, her excitement couldn't be contained. But she controlled herself.

"Are you asking me because I am here under your roof and it is easier here, or because your mother told you to? You were coerced to ask me this, weren't you?" She asked even though her voice betrayed the seriousness she tried to pass through her message.

"Coerced? I am the Ultimate Alpha's son. There is barely anyone who can do such," he replied. She went silent for a minute.

"I will. I want to be your woman," she replied. And now she let her excitement show.

"What?" He asked after he saw how she giggled.

"Ever since I met you in town five days ago, I have been waiting to meet you. I have been dying to hear you ask me to marry you," she told him.

Leowulf wishes he could be as happy as she is. Maybe if it was some other day, he might be. If it was the day before today that he said this, he would have been happy. But not today that he has ended two lives to cover his mistakes. Not today that he had to do that. He wouldn't have come to ask her. But his mother had begged him to. She had nearly cried when he said it would be unreasonable to ask someone who just got her consciousness.

"You don't know about romance. She would love it if you do that. If she sees that you care about her,"
His mother had said. Even though the logic of talking to someone just getting conscious is weird to him, he had to follow his mother's pleas.

And now it's worked out. He has a woman. And had just killed someone's potential woman and someone's daughter. This is the first time he thought of Sassaba's parents. How would they feel? He knew Sassaba barely had friends. She had always loved him so there was no way she could have made close friends.

"Don't worry, let them come. There will be a way to solve that issue," a thought quickly came to his head.

He stood up from his seat and went closer to Mara. The emotions and joy of the moment shouldn't die down before he shows her how he loves her. He pecked her forehead. He stood back.

"I love you, Lord Leowulf," she said in excitement. It was too sudden that she said that. He likes her. Not particularly love as in that fiery feeling that would make you do things you wouldn't. And he isn't having any warmth beneath his lap, which might make it seem like the brain under his groin is thinking. He isn't horny at this moment. So he can think with true logic.

"I love you too," he smiled at her. Even though he knows he is more confused than in love.

Mara feels achieved. Even though she still wonders how her father would allow this marriage to happen. The rituals that need the couple's father to eat together, so that would mean they both agree that their children be married. Her father won't dine with the ultimate Alpha. No one from her pack would come.

Also, she is interested in knowing the relationship that was between the Ultimate Alpha and her father. And to her, if there is anything that would prevent her from getting married to Leowulf, it would be her father. Her family will be her only hindrance.

And to Leowulf even though he doesn't want to accept it, if there is anything that would prevent him from getting married to Mara, it will be the fact that his guilt will hurt him. His guilt will be his hindering factor.