The Werewolf King's Bride

(From Blue's Perspective)

"Why do you look so thin? My goodness, Demetrius, have you not been feeding her?" Luc scolded Dem. "What's up with you? And where did you take her? Where have you two been?"

"Uh… It's not… Dem… I just…"

"There are a lot of things you don't know. The situation is far more dangerous than we imagined," Dem said.

"… Who is her father?" Luc asked. "You know, Ruby and I were assuming this and that about who her father might be. I mean, let's just be glad it's not the black lord. Ruby even went that far."

"… Your wife has good intuition. I will give her that," Dem chuckled bitterly.

"You are joking," Luc said. "You are joking, aren't you?"

"Am I? Who knows?"

Luc looked at me, questioning everything. I gave him a small nod. He flumped on the couch.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

I patted on his back. He looked more devastated than any of us. "The black lord? Isn't he like… some sort of god? So, our Blue is the daughter of a freaking god? Are you kidding me?"

"Baby, return to your room and rest up," Dem said. "No, I will take you to your room. Luc can wait here."

"Yeah, you go and rest," Luc agreed.

"Wait, Luc needs… to see this…," I said. "Can you unzip my dress?"

I turned my back to Dem who did as I said since he knew what I meant. "Take a look at this," Dem said.

Luc gasped. "This… No way! This mark… I know this mark! It is… It is the mark of the black lord! He has this same mark! This is a cursed mark.

It can't be branded on anyone else. They will die if they are not of his direct bloodline. The first two generations can have this mark only… It is used to awaken their power… So, Blue really is…"

"The first two generations, you say…?" Dem mumbled. "So, the first generation is Blue and her brother. That's it. They have no other generations, at least, not direct. Others are just creations of the black lord, not direct bloodline."

"It means the second generation will be your kids if you have any," Luc said.

"What the…?" I groaned. "It means, if… we have kids, we need… t-to awaken…their powers with a brand… like mine?"

"Not really. You can awaken their power step by step slowly. It will take days if you follow that way, while the brand will allow you to awaken their power all at once," Luc explained.

I sighed in relief. "At least, the… only way… is not… t-the brand."

"What happened to your voice?"

"Well, that…"

"Let me take you to our room, darling. I will tell him what he needs to know," Dem said, with his hand around my shoulder.

"R-Right… Bye then, Luc… Send Ruby to me… It's been long since… I have last seen her…"

"Sure. Rest up now," Luc said.

Dem took me to our bedroom. Everyone was surprised to see us, or probably just me. I smiled at them.

Dem told me that everyone knew I went on a vacation. It would be weird if everyone believed it, but I needed to cover the same story.

Dem looked quite better than when I saw him first after escaping. He did not take care of himself and skipped his meals. I tried to make sure he had enough food and took care of himself after I returned. It was the other way around for Dem. He took care of me, while I took care of him.

"Darling, will you take a bath or something?"

"Hmm…"

"Alright, then, let the maids give you a bath. I will go talk to Luc for a bit. Will you be alright?"

"Yeah," I replied.

He gave me a kiss on the forehead. "I will come back soon."

I looked around the room. The familiar room felt unfamiliar. "Your Highness!"

"Ah, you all…"

"We missed you so much, Your Highness! Are you alright? You have lost weight," a maid with orange hair exclaimed.

"Right… I… I am a little… sick," I said. "So, it's… a little… hard t-to talk. But, I have… missed you all… too."

"Oh my… I think some hot tea would work. Should I go and get some?"

"Yeah… That will… be great," I said. "And I want… to take a bath…"

"Yes, the water will be prepared in a moment," another maid said.

It actually felt greater than I thought, returning to the palace, my home. The water was ready in a while.

They took my clothes off and I sat down in the bath, ignoring their gasps regarding the mark on my back. Not everyone knew about the mark, but some did. Dem and I discussed about it a lot and we decided to just not care about whether someone found out or not. We had enough power to stand firm in our place even if someone opposed us.

It did not matter who was the person, we now had the power to defeat anyone. Besides, it was impossible to keep the mark hidden with all the maids and people around the palace. Trying would only exhaust us.

"Your Highness… What is the mark on your back?" a maid asked.

"Hmm… It is a mark," I said. "You will… know the rest later."

"But, does it hurt?"

"No… It's… just a mark… now," I said.

It was excruciatingly painful when the mark was branded on my back. But now, it was nothing more than a mere mark. Remembering the pain made me shudder. That moment had been scary. If possible, I never wanted to feel that kind of thing again.

"The tea is here, Your Highness."

"Uh, thank… you."

It was black tea. The scent was amazing. There was a nostalgic feeling to it.

Dem was back within an hour. It looked like Luc wanted to keep talking to him, but he left. Surely, Luc got a huge shock.

"What are you doing?" Dem asked.

"Just reading all… these letters… Mom, Dad, Iris, Abel… Everyone was… so worried," I mumbled.

"Yeah, everyone was really worried," he said, touching the side of my neck. His love language was physical touch. "… I feel tired."

"Tired?"

"Talking to that dumbass is exhausting. He asks too many questions," he said.

"Come here…," I said, spreading my arms. He did not hesitate as he sat down on the bed and hugged me, placing his head on my chest. "Honey… Luc is just… confused. You were too."

"Hmm… Can I stay like this for a while?"

"Yeah, o-of course…"

"And Luc said Ruby will come this afternoon."

"That's… great. I haven't seen… her in a long t-time…," I said. "By the way, how is… Reece and Abel n-now?"

"Abel is not awake yet. Reece is slightly better," he said. "He woke up two days after you were found in the forest."

I thought Reece would be able to tell Dem about what was going on. But in the end, that plan did not work. He was so weak that he was unconscious for a long time.

"I should… visit him and Abel…"

"You are way too kind, aren't you, my love?"

"Dem, in this… tough world, there needs t-to… be a bit… of kindness… here and there," I said.

"Why can't I be that way? Is it because something is wrong with my head?"

"It's not that… Nothing is wrong… with your head. We just… t-think in a different way," I said.

"I can't blame my past either. In the end, it's me who is messed up, who is wrong."

"… Well, we are just… different. People can't… be the same," I said.

"You really are kind. I envy you. There are times I wish I could understand how to be kind and empathetic," he said. "That said, how do you feel now? Any discomfort anywhere?"

"No… I just threw up…"

"When?"

"Just a while… ago," I said.

"Doctor Dimitri will see you after lunch. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, it's… fine," I said.

"You can't be pregnant this quick, right?" he said. "I mean, it's been only a few days since we have been trying."

"Isn't it… hard to conceive… an Alpha's child?"

"Yeah, really hard. It takes a long time, sometimes years too, you know," he said.

"I don't think… I'm pregnant… Yes, I am vomiting a lot, but… Getting pregnant this… quick… doesn't sound accurate t-to me…"

"Right? I don't think you are pregnant as well. Besides, you don't throw up in the morning only. So, it can't be called morning sickness, right?"

"Yeah…," I mumbled, running my fingers through his hair.

"… It's not like I will hate it if you get pregnant."

"I don't think that… way… I mean, it was our… decision t-to try for a kid, after… all."