Chapter 45: Evelyn: I See Something Strange
Evelyn~
"They’re fine." I tapped the window glass, pointing toward the little werewolves hiding behind the fence of the house.
Their parents were trying to pull them inside and find a safe place to hide, but once Theron spilled the tea about having marked me, all of those children decided to stay outside, as if they were waiting for the big fight between Theron and Rael.
"You also injured a few of his soldiers back then," I said. "Maybe ... you could consider that you’re even now."
Rael gritted his teeth. "Even? My pack and I attacked his soldiers, and what did he do in return? He infiltrated my settlement and frightened the werewolves who aren’t even used to being in battle!"
Honestly, I doubted that. From what I had seen, not a single werewolf in the Nocthra Pack looked afraid, even the children didn’t flinch when blood splattered right in front of them.
Maybe it was because the Nocthra Pack was a group of werewolves who constantly moved from one place to another, and during those moves, they often resorted to raiding.
How did I know that? Well, the clothes worn by the people here were clearly made from different materials and had completely different styles, as if they’d been acquired from many different places.
Not only that, but I had also noticed plenty of souvenirs from various cities inside my room. Sure, Rael could have bought them, but when I looked at them up close, most had small scratches or minor damage, almost like they had been taken by force rather than purchased.
Besides that, Theron had once referred to them as "The Notorious Pack," which made it even more likely they were bandits who were already used to fighting in various places.
I honestly didn’t understand why my wolf had once said Rael could be kinder than Theron, considering he’d raided so many places.
"Here you are, always assuming the worst," my wolf said. "Maybe they were stealing from other bandit groups, so technically, they weren’t stealing from good people."
I narrowed my eyes, thinking my wolf was being a little too optimistic for a voice in my head.
Eventually, I didn’t bother responding to her words because suddenly, I noticed one of the royal soldiers aiming a flaming arrow in my direction—No, not at me. It looked like he was aiming at Rael and hadn’t seen that I was standing near the window.
CRASH!
The arrow pierced through the glass, shattering it into countless tiny shards.
Before any of the fragments could hit me, Rael moved like lightning, shielding my body with his own. He twisted us around so that his back faced the window, taking the impact for me.
It happened so fast that I didn’t even blink. Because of the sudden turn, I nearly fell to the floor, but Rael quickly supported the back of my head with his hand.
The flaming arrow hadn’t hit either of us, but its fire was enough to set the room ablaze within seconds. The faint smell of burning wood mixed with the sharp tang of broken glass, thickening the air.
"Alpha! We need to get out of here immediately!" the man, who was still in the room with us, shouted.
But instead of helping, he bolted for the door first. "I will get out first! I believe you can get out with your own strength!" he called over his shoulder as he disappeared.
The corner of my eye twitched. I couldn’t help but think the werewolves in this pack didn’t seem to respect their Alpha all that much. Normally, they would do anything to save their Alpha, even if it meant risking their own lives.
However, even though Rael was trapped in a room full of flames, none of his pack members tried to throw water on the fire to help him.
Were they secretly hoping their Alpha and Luna would burn to death?
Oh, but there was something else that felt strange.
The room was on fire and I could smell the charred wood so clearly, but why wasn’t my body reacting at all?
For some reason, the flames didn’t scare me.
Was it because my trauma had finally healed?
Or was it because Rael was holding me so tightly that I’d completely forgotten the room was burning down around us?
Maybe ... it was the latter.
Without even realizing it, I wrapped my arms around Rael’s body and buried my face in his chest.
His heartbeat pounded, loud and steady, right in my ears.
His hug was so warm and comforting, but the moment I closed my eyes, I suddenly heard something strange.
The sound of the fire around me grew louder, so loud it felt like it wasn’t just devouring one room, but an entire city.
From afar, I heard the clang of metal footsteps approaching fast, echoing through the chaos.
The air was thick with smoke and ash. Somewhere in the distance, people were screaming, their voices full of panic and despair.
And then I felt Rael’s arms tighten around me, like he was desperate to hold me close.
I opened my mouth to speak, but instead of my own voice, another came out. "I think this is it. We can’t run anymore."
I froze.
That voice ... it sounded like someone else’s, yet somehow, it also sounded like mine.
My vision blurred and the world around me began to shift.
Suddenly, I wasn’t in Nocthra’s settlement anymore.
I was standing in the middle of a burning street and the sky above was blackened by thick smoke.
Rael stood in front of me, his face smeared with soot, his eyes filled with sorrow and regret.
When I looked down, I saw a spear piercing through his stomach. Blood dripped from the tip, sizzling as it hit the scorched ground.
His breathing was ragged and shallow, but even so, he managed to smile, a broken, painful smile that made my chest tighten.
"If we’re going to die," he said suddenly, "then let’s die together."
When I looked down at myself, I realized the spear had pierced through my stomach too.