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"They Fear me, mother. I approach and they run for the hills. I speak and they remain silent. I am never denied, never refused. I am a child and a god."
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[Kayos]
The moment passed between us as my eyes strained toward the window pane where the morning light shined through.
There was a strange magic I sensed there but it was light enough to be ignored especially when more important things plagued my mind.
The tingles that danced against my fingertips clasped behind my back were one of those things. It was the contact, the strange flow that had enraptured me at that moment, that still had a brazen effect I was not too keen on ever experiencing again.
However, it was action needed, I was taken by surprise at her countered offer.
She wished to be my friend.
She was the only one who had ever asked, and it was a strange realization that she was probably the only one who ever could.
From the moment I was little, I had desired a friend. I marveled at watching the young pups play in the courtyard, with swords, shifting freely. Father had said I was not the kind of wolf to shift for fun... I should have listened to him.
My wolf brought fear and darkness. My aura was too great for the young pups. I couldn't control my Alpha tone and ended up barking orders always even when I didn't mean to.
I had followers, not friends. As I grew, I had subjects. Even my most trusted adviser, Gregory was not a friend. His loyalty came from his wolf, from his instinct to obey and protect his Alpha.
Only the Keffer before me who had no wolf to command, or to feel loyalty, no way to read my aura, no obligation to obey unless by rank could truly be a friend.
She was smart, rank was what separated us in her mind since she had no wolf, and rank is what she took away. I had thought of Keffer's as ordinary mistakes, this one was a smart one it seemed.
My eyes dropped to hers, still fighting the strange sensation that danced around my fingertips aching for more contact. Her eyes remained wide and confused staring down at her open palm.
I glanced down at it. It was filthy... and yet I ached to touch her once more. It was a strange thought; one I knew mirrored the bond Selene placed between us. My eyebrows arched noting she kept staring at it, her lips sparsely open, and her heartbeat sounded almost non-existent.
"Am I supposed to shake it again? I am not aware of the rules of friendship."
Her eyes snapped to me at my statement, eyes wide as if taken out of a trance, but her gaze immediately dropped to below my chin, withdrawing her hand quickly, fingers rubbing her palm, stuttering a reply.
"No... I ... uh-" she paused, swallowing softly, her eyes slowly trailing up to mine, her voice soft and tiny, "I didn't think you would do it."
I held her gaze for a moment, marveling at the darkest shade of night in them, a breath trapped in my chest. I looked away before they could truly bewitch me, nodding, and clenching my jaw.
"I am committed to my study-"
Her gaze had dropped when I glanced back at her, noting an air of disappointment,
"And I have never had a friend before, therefore I am quite curious."
Her eyes flashed to me, a look of disbelief in them, and then the most peculiar thing happened. A small smile echoed against the corners of her lips making my heart stop. No one smiled my way, if not my mother- it was weird but satisfying to see I was the cause of a smile from someone who would be otherwise a stranger.
"Lying is not the best way to start a friendship master," she warned, her tone light and playful.
I frowned in confusion, and she seemed to note it.
"You are a master, you've had friends."
"I've had subjects," I corrected realizing her thoughts, eyes holding hers, speaking truthfully, "And followers."
My voice trailed off as I remembered my cousins, "I have competitors and enemies to be quaint. None of them are my friends. At least not what I thought friendship was."
Her smile dropped slowly, which made me purse my lips. I could hear her heartbeat slow, and a sad aura around her which I couldn't understand why.
It did not come from fear, if it were, her heart would be pounding.
Still, I was not too fond of the look, it felt like she could see through me, something no one did. Darkness wasn't transparent.
If you looked into the darkness, darkness stared right back at you.
She was looking at me nevertheless, the being behind the darkness. I had no idea how she opened those curtains and revealed what was behind them, perhaps it was I that did it myself.
She was easy to talk to I finally understood. That could be a blessing and a problem.
I turned away from her gaze studying the stacks of books around us.
"Are there rules to this friendship? How does it begin?"
A moment passed before she spoke, her tone was slow and steady as if she wanted me to understand it.
"True friendship is built on trust. I do not believe it has rules but perhaps the logical ones."
"What are those?"
"The holy trinity. Do not betray or lie to a friend, always protect a friend, keep their trust."
I turned slightly, eyes reaching hers, to which hers dropped, right below my chin again. "Simple enough-"
"Perhaps for safety, we could add that our friendship should remain within these walls," she rambled quickly, her gaze trailing the library. "As a slave I-I can't-"
"I understand," I countered.
I was quite aware of how the outside world would look at this friendship I was weaving with a Keffer slave against all conceivable logic. To lower my standards to the absolute bottom would be more than frowned upon. I was also aware of my deceit. As the Night Wolf she feared, it was best she knew only of me as the master and now friend. I reached for her gaze but it remained faltered below my chin.
"Friends always look each other in the eyes."
Her eyes snapped to me at that statement.
I studied her for a moment, wondering if this rule I designed would be for my benefit or my downfall. I could read her honesty in them, but she could see through the veil of darkness and see me in mine.
But she had not mastered her trade, nor did she know of the power she had over me, hence... this was to my benefit.
"That is the rule I wish to add. Whilst we are within these walls."
She blinked as if not expecting such a rule, but nodded, taking a deep breath in, recapturing my eyes. "5 rules for the foundations of our friendship."
I nodded at this, searching her face, "And trust? How do we build that?"
"I'll tell you my deepest secret and you tell me yours."
I paused at this, knowing my secret was not something I ever wished to reveal to her, not if I was to find out why Selene has placed her with my mate's scent,
"I will tell you of a secret, perhaps when we grow our friendship, I'll tell you my deepest."
She thought this through, nodding, "Fair enough."
"Shall I begin?"
She nodded, letting out another loose breath.
"When I was little, my cousins came over to visit," I began. "One of the only 3 times they did. I got into an argument with one of them, an obnoxious wart who was adamant in proving he was the best among us."
Her eyebrows moved along with the story, and her hands propped forward as I glanced at her.
"We were standing at the height of a staircase. He claimed he could jump and land on his feet like a cat because his wolf was so powerful. He was a pompous bastard, and in so doing, I pushed him off the stairs."
Her jaw dropped and I turned to look at her unfeeling, her hands covering her mouth.
"I-is he alive? Did he m-make it?"
My eyebrows arched at the absurd remark, not understanding the actual look of concern mirrored in her eyes.
"Fir is not easy to Kill, unfortunately." I huffed with a roll of my eyes, "When mother asked what happened, I claimed he merely tripped. It's not my fault he was naturally clumsy."
"W-what happened then?"
"He broke his leg obviously, in a way that not even his Alpha wolf could heal as quickly as he should have normally, " I sighed, "and I proved wolves are wolves and cats... are cats."
I was shocked to hear laughter, turning around wide-eyed to a chuckling maiden.
I stared awkwardly realizing I had never been in such a position. Laughter wasn't done around me. Seeing it done because of me was strange...but strangely refreshing.
"All that to prove a point?" She giggled, "You cannot be that petty."
I shrugged and she chuckled again, causing me to fully turn her way.
Not knowing how to react to her laughter, I opted to speak, "And your secret?"
Her laughter died down slowly, but a look of amusement lingered in them.
"My secret? It's not as glamorous as yours, I have few secrets as a Keffer, but I will tell you one."
I nodded at this, eager to hear something, anything that could make me understand the pleasure sinking within me with every moment I remained this close to her.
"I have dreams, strange dreams." She began.
My ears strained slightly.
"I've dreamt of the Night Wolf many times, in one recurring dream. I think it is because I fear him, that dreams of him always seem so real," she confessed.
My breathing was shallow as I listened, my heart a steady but anxious beat within me, "What do you dream of him?"
"I'm in a field, tormented by the pups of my old pack. It's the only game they know how to play well, scare the Keffer."
My heart pounds harder as the memories flash within me.
"They surround me and I'm afraid but then, something scarier than them sends them off. And then, I'm in a field, standing in a place where darkness and light meet."
My breath is trapped and I'm unable to move as I stare at her, and she speaks what I fear.
"And there I see it. The Night Wolf, bigger than anything I thought possible, eyes two embers in a sheet of darkness, and all he does is stare at me. Like he's coming to get me. Like I cannot escape him."
Her gaze drops but my eyes are on a memory of her. I remember the moment that haunts her dreams. Had she been a wolf I would have done just that.
Taken her with me.
Had she been truly mine, she would have never escaped me.
She suddenly smiled, though it did not reach her eyes.
"T-they say fear becomes your nightmares. I think I'm scared of death," she shrugs, her voice a light shake as she chuckles softly.
"They call the night wolf the embodiment of darkness. They sing songs of how the prince of darkness will come to end abominations like mine. I do not know why I fear it. It is death I should embrace as a Keffer, for it never is too far away."
I stared at her for a lingering moment, my heart rampant within me, faster than I ever thought it could pound, and I turned away.
"Fear is normal, but sometimes we fear things because we do not know anything else about them."
She nodded at this, her gaze falling to the ground. "B-but you are the Night Wolf's most trusted, perhaps rumors are rumors and he is not exactly as they say?"
I paused at this, eyes recapturing hers, staring at the ray of hope she was throwing my way.
Flashes of death flooded my memories. Of the hunts I sent my shadows, of the deaths I had dealt with my bare hands, and of the fear my wolf had instilled for his pleasure. The many dark days I give, tormenting my subjects.
Friends speak the truth.
I studied her, shaking my head slowly, "He is everything they say and more."
I could see the light of hope flicker and blow out in the wind and I clenched my jaw.
"I have matters to attend to now, I will be on my way."
She nodded, and I passed by her,
"I-I'll see you tomorrow.... Friend?"
I pause in my tracks at the term, slightly turning. Nodding, I wordlessly promise before trailing into the shadows of darkness where I belonged.
ANNOUNCEMENT!!!
Hey guys! Firstly I hope you enjoyed my double update I know it's been a while but I do have good news. I will be posting chapters of MATED TO THE NIGHT WOLF (MTTNW) every Saturday. However, this will probably be my last DOUBLE update on Wattpad. So expect a chapter ( one chapter only) every week on Wattpad.
However, if you want to read more chapters, I have opened up a Patreon account for any readers who wish to support my work whilst having regular access to ADVANCED chapters.
Links to my Patreon are posted on my profile.
Chapter [12.5- A WAR IS WHISPERED] has already been posted up there and DOUBLE updates will be posted there a week before they are made available on Wattpad. Again, I WILL still be posting the book on wattpad, but advanced chapters will be available first on Patreon.
I have also opened a discord channel for anyone who wishes to join my author community for announcements, exclusive content, eventual video and audio content, and direct access to me in case of anything.
Links to my discord channel are also in my bio on my profile.
Any support will be highly appreciated. I hope to have at least 20 people on my discord channel before I start posting stuff, so once you join, just let me know. You are also free to invite other people.
P. S You can earn a rank on discord by joining a tier on Patreon if you wish to upgrade your reader rank.
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