Cunning
In the end, I am the one who will win. I will make sure you crave my touch, and when the sun rises, my ownership marks will adorn your body, officially making you mine.” Luna desperately wanted to kick the man’s groin again, to destroy his precious treasure, but as if understanding her thoughts, Alkrevas restrained her and easily lifted her body, placing her on his shoulder like a sack, then walked back the way they came.
Luna struggled and writhed strongly. She groaned loudly and kicked her legs, but with two hard slaps on her buttocks from the psychopathic Emperor, she immediately fell silent. After recovering from her shock, Luna voiced her protest.
“I’m not a child! And you can’t force your will on me! Do you know that’s equivalent to rape?” Alkrevas smiled cynically.
At this moment, he was already walking down the main corridor. He met Zyne, who had been waiting for him and was led to one of the nearby bedrooms. Zyne, understanding the Emperor’s desires, immediately provided a warm and thick bear fur robe, which felt soft and comfortable on the skin.
Alkrevas covered Luna’s body with the robe before answering, “Who said I would force my will? You will beg me yourself.”
“That will never happen!” Luna exclaimed, her voice full of determination despite her eyes betraying an undeniable fear.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.
“Didn’t you come looking for me? Even jumping off the balcony and endangering your own life? That means you missed me so much.” Alkrevas continued with a triumphant smirk that made Luna even angrier.
“You-” Luna didn’t finish her sentence as she felt Alkrevas’s steps come to a halt and then heard the sound of a door opening, its creak sounding frightening to her ears.
“Do not disturb me with my soulmate until tomorrow,” Alkrevas ordered firmly.
“Very well, Your Majesty,” Zyne replied respectfully, bowing.
Luna grew increasingly panicked upon hearing Alkrevas’s orders to his butler. She squirmed more vigorously, ignoring the pain in her stomach caused by Alkrevas’s strong shoulder pressing against her.
“Let me go! Please put me down! I’m human and have the right to make my own choices!” Luna screamed, hoping her cries would hurt the werewolf’s ears.
Alkrevas didn’t react, not even showing any difficulty as Luna wriggled in his grasp. He enjoyed the view of his soulmate’s enticingly moving backside. He groaned as a strong surge of arousal rose within him, causing his manhood to awaken. One of his hands lifted and squeezed Luna’s buttocks sensually, making Luna freeze instantly.
“Y-you!” Luna stammered in disbelief, her eyes widening. Her face turned red with anger and embarrassment.
Then she shrieked as her body was unceremoniously dropped and thrown onto an incredibly soft king-sized bed. Luna lay in the middle of the bed, staring at Alkrevas, who stood at the bedside with a hungry look and a dark, dangerous aura, signaling that he was a true predator. His eyes glittered with an undeniable desire, making Luna’s skin crawl.
Luna hurriedly turned and crawled away, but her ankle was grabbed and held tightly. She screamed when her body was pulled closer to the psychopathic Emperor. She realized she was prey, and the predator before her was devising a plan to consume her, playing with the situation effortlessly, but Luna couldn’t just stay still.
She lifted her leg, intending to kick Alkrevas’s hand off her ankle and then run away when he suddenly asked in a low voice, “Aren’t you tired of this? Don’t you feel your thirst has been completely drained from running and trying to avoid me?”
Luna glared at him suspiciously. “What’s it to you?” she hissed cynically.
Alkrevas sighed deeply and sat on the edge of the bed. His hands rested on his thighs, and his face was buried in his palms, hiding a cunning, manipulative smile from Luna’s view. He lifted his head and showed Luna a sad expression.
“I know you don’t like me. Especially after what happened, but I’m serious. You are my soulmate. You may not feel it, but I do. After living for decades thinking I didn’t have a soulmate and was alone, seeing you before my eyes made me lose control. Forgive me.”
Luna grew more suspicious. What was with this sudden change in demeanor and sweet words? “What are you planning? A few minutes ago, you were threatening me.”
“Norris.”
“Huh?”
“The name of my wolf spirit. When my eyes turn red, my wolf spirit is taking control. Norris and I are afraid of losing our chance to be like other werewolves.”
Luna backed away further. She would never let her guard down and trust the psychopathic Emperor’s words because this sudden change was very suspicious. Was he trying to manipulate her? To elicit sympathy from her? To lull her with sadness and trap her?
There was a knock at the door, and Alkrevas stood up. He walked to the door, and Luna saw a servant enter carrying a tray with a clear glass bottle filled with water. After the servant bowed and stepped out, Alkrevas closed the door again and leaned against it. His red eyes watched Luna for a moment before he straightened up and walked to the table where the glass bottle and two crystal glasses were.
Alkrevas poured water into both glasses before approaching Luna. He downed his drink in one gulp and then offered the other glass to Luna. Instantly, Luna looked skeptically at the glass. “Drink. I know you’re thirsty. You kept glancing at the bottle.”
“No. Thank you.”
Alkrevas chuckled softly. “If you’re afraid the drink is poisoned, you’d know immediately because I just drank it. I would die before you.”
“Why have you suddenly become kind?”
Alkrevas glanced at Luna’s feet. “You got hurt again because of me. And you are my soulmate. I don’t like seeing my soulmate anxious, sad, or afraid, especially because of me.”
You should think about your actions first! Luna grumbled in her mind.
She looked at the glass in Alkrevas’s hand. The rule of not accepting glass from anyone, especially a stranger and a psychopath like the Emperor in front of her, rang loudly in her head. But what he said was true. If there were poison in it, the effects would be immediate. Sleeping potion? Such drugs didn’t exist here, especially for werewolves, as they wouldn’t be effective because Ghea mentioned that they only reacted to silver and a plant called wolfsbane.
Wolfsbane was a rare plant that grew in the northern region of the continent of Rhodes. The Veniam Duchy controlled the plant, and it wasn’t sold freely. Wolfsbane wasn’t a deadly weapon for werewolves, but its effects were significant. Besides causing paralysis, wolfsbane could make a werewolf unconscious if given in small doses.
Wolfsbane would slow down a werewolf’s immune system and healing, drastically lowering the immunity of the one who consumed it. Short-term effects included poisoning symptoms such as vomiting, vomiting blood, fever, muscle pain, and, in severe cases, blood vessel rupture and paralysis. If consumed long-term, it could kill the wolf side of a werewolf.
Luna thought for a moment. All potions and medicines wouldn’t affect the psychopathic Emperor, so even if he drank poison, it wouldn’t affect him. But Luna was very thirsty, and for some reason, she suddenly felt hot.
Once again, her eyes gazed at the glass of water. No! She had to resist! However, the heat in her body slowly started to increase, and she began to fan herself with her hands. Her entire body was sweating, and for some reason, the inside was churning with a strange sensation.
A moan escaped her lips, and she hugged her trembling body tightly. Luna whimpered softly. Her eyes widened as she felt the cool and pleasurable sensation of Alkrevas touching her forehead with his palm.
Alkrevas placed the glass he was holding on the nightstand and opened the window curtains. The night sky, which had previously been bright, was now pitch black, with thunder rumbling in the distance.
“It seems it will rain again like before,” Alkrevas muttered absently. He looked at his soulmate over his shoulder and took a deep breath, an effort to restrain himself from greedy actions.
A loud moan escaped Luna’s lips this time, and her body began to lie helplessly on the bed. Alkrevas walked to the corner of the room, closing a beautifully carved container emitting odorless smoke.
“I forgot to tell you one thing, Luna.” Luna, lying and moaning from the intense heat, turned her head toward Alkrevas upon hearing his voice.
“The lavender-scented oil the servants applied to you is not ordinary oil. It’s an aphrodisiac oil that absorbs into your body.” Alkrevas slowly undressed and walked toward Luna.
“Honestly, I’m surprised the aphrodisiac’s effects lasted so long in your body. That’s why I burned Bizantym flowers to trigger the effect faster.”
“Bi… zan… tym…?” Luna murmured, confused.
“Yes. Bizantym. A rare flower found only in the Vasilos Empire.”
Bizantym is a flower that resembles a chrysanthemum. The difference between the two flowers is color, aroma, and function. While chrysanthemums are white, Bizantym is dark purple. The aroma of Byzantium is also more intense when fresh, and when dried and burned, that intense aroma disappears. The function of Bizantym is not for decoration or tea.
The flower is more often used as a sedative and even a hallucinogen. The smoke it produces can also trigger aphrodisiac oil to work faster, serving as an arousal stimulant. This is why some packs have traditionally used these two items in urgent and important situations.
So the servants lied to her? Luna was furious upon learning this truth.
She tried to stand up, but with every slight movement, the heat flared up more, and she felt her cheeks redden, especially when she noticed the dampness between her legs. What is this? That man played dirty! Luna crawled to another corner of the bed, but her body collapsed, and she looked at Alkrevas standing beside the bed, right in front of her.
“Shhh… Luna, forgive me…”
“You… you’re so… devious!” Alkrevas sighed deeply.
“If you keep resisting like this, it won’t end well.” Alkrevas knelt by the bed and gently kissed Luna’s forehead.
“Only I can take away all that heat and discomfort.” Then Alkrevas took a deep breath and hummed with pleasure.
“Your scent is getting stronger, mixed with the feminine scent of your body… hmm, and I’m sure there’s one place that needs my attention.”
“So that you know, I’ve slept with many men!” Luna knew it was a foolish statement. She was still a virgin and had never gone all the way in any relationship, but she wanted to hurt the psychopathic Emperor in any way possible.
Cowardly actions should be met with cowardly actions. “You could never match up to them!”
A growl escaped Alkrevas’s lips. Jealousy gripped him. But his anger quickly subsided, and he murmured, “We can test your claim later. Whether what you said is true or not.”
Then Alkrevas kissed Luna’s lips and walked to the sofa. Sitting down, he said, “I won’t do anything to you, little mate. See? If you don’t want it, I won’t force my will. I’ll only do it if you ask and beg me. Besides, what you’re feeling now is nothing compared to the heat you’ll experience after we complete the mating process.”
Heat? What is that?
“You…! Nggh…” Luna moaned as the heat attacked her again. Alkrevas’s touch did cool the heat, and she craved that cool touch again.
“Are you sure you don’t want to drink?” Alkrevas closed his eyes and murmured, “No problem. I’m sure you’ll want it after we’re done later.”
“Hnggh!” Luna arched her back upwards, her entire body tense. The vibrations of passion slowly replaced the heat she felt. Her eyes began to lose focus, and with a soft moan, she whispered, “I will kill you!”
“That’s not what I want to hear, my Luna.”
“I will get back at you for all of this!” Alkrevas clicked his tongue in annoyance at his soulmate’s stubbornness.
Luna opened her mouth, her breath ragged, her body craving release. The pleasure that could soothe the turmoil within her. Alkrevas lay on the sofa, trying to calm Norris, urging him to touch their soulmate, complete the mating process, and fully claim their soulmate.
Patience, Norris. Patience will yield results. You know that, don’t you? We’ve waited for decades. There’s no harm in waiting a few more minutes. Alkrevas tried to calm his wolf spirit.
Norris growled. I want to do it now! Alk. Please do it now, or I’ll render you powerless and take over this body right now!
Norris. We will wait until our soulmate begs us. Understood? Alkrevas murmured firmly.
Norris growled in increasing anger and disagreement but eventually nodded. Just as his conversation with Norris ended, he heard his soulmate’s sobs for the first time, then listened to the woman murmur.
“I beg you… take away this feeling… touch me…” Alkrevas smiled. In the end, he was the one who won.
…