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8. The joke is on you

AEMON

Twelve days earlier.

The smell of brownies attracted me, making my eyes run instinctively to the stairs. That's when I saw her —coming down the castle stairs to enter the ball. The woman with auburn hair fell in waves to her shoulders under her red fitted dress. The fabric fell softly around her, highlighting her curvaceous beauty. Her wide hips and full breasts fitted her perfectly.

I smiled at her, going to the top of the stairs to pick her up. My heart gave a happy whirl at finally finding the woman who would be my mate. And goddess! How beautiful she was! "I've finally found you," I said, holding her delicate hands. I received only a smile in return.

The electric current passing from her to me only confirmed my certainty. She was mine, and I would never let her go.


The sound of knocking on my door woke me from my dream. I looked at the bedside table. It was late. Who would come to wake me up at this hour?

The ball, the red dress, the woman of my dreams, had become a sweet memory against the reality of my cold, dark room. It was an abrupt transition. I got out of bed, still grumbling. The knocks continued, more insistent now. I rubbed my eyes, staggering to the door and wearing a shirt.

"I'm coming!" I shouted angrily, "Holy hell."

"Your Highness," Devon's voice echoed from the other side of the door. "Aemon, please... Hurry."

I sighed, letting the dream slip through my fingers like sand. "I'm coming. Give me a moment." I dressed quickly and opened the door to face him. The smell of fresh blood hit my nostrils, and Beta's frightened expression promptly brought me back to reality. "What happened?" I asked, already anticipating that the news wouldn't be good.

"I was with Ali near the forest. Well, you know your brother," he said, clearly nervous. I shook my head so he could continue. "I told him not to go. I told him it was a bad idea."

I smoothed my temples, which were already irritated by Devon's chatter. "Devon, whose blood is that? Get to the point, please." He stopped his speech and swallowed dryly, "We've been attacked, Aemon... They've taken your brother."

My body tensed, and my hands clenched into fists of anger and impotence. "Who did this?" I growled low, fury burning in my eyes.

Devon swallowed again, clearly reluctant to say the words. "They were werewolves, Aemon. The Blood Moon pack. Numerous people were attacking without warning as we returned to the kingdom. Your brother fought bravely, but..."

My mind was clouded with anger. "How many were there? Where did they go?"

"I can't be precise, Your Highness,” he replied in a low voice, “There were too many of them, and the attack was swift. Alaester led them away and sent me for help."

"And you came for me immediately," I muttered, frowning at him, "because I know you're the only one who can find him," he said with a sultry smile.

I looked at the beta, which was completely broken. He wouldn't last much longer in that fight, but I hoped Alaester had managed to hold out long enough. My fist crashed against the wall with a thud, echoing through the room. "I'm going after them,” I replied quickly. “Don't say anything to my mother. I'll bring my brother back.” Devon nodded and left to tend to his injuries.

I left the castle in the direction the beta had indicated, following the scent of my twin brother. We had a lot in common, but our scent and fur didn't match up, which gave me an advantage.

I followed the path to the border with the human city. Alaester had taken the fight in his stride, and my paws were burning from running so hard not to lose the trail. Then I saw him wounded and lying on the road. A human was nearby, so I couldn't just show up and take him back home. I watched as she put him in her car and drove him to a clinic.

The human was looking after him so that I could breathe a sigh of relief for a few seconds. I broke into a yard, stealing some clothes from the clothesline so I could watch the whole process closely. I watched them from afar for a while.

But when my eyes met hers, I recognized her. The woman of my dreams had saved my brother, and the moon goddess had sent her into our lives at the right moment.

I wanted to get close to her. To tell her who I was, that she was my mate. To protect and love, but how would I explain everything to her? I wanted to run to her, to reveal my true nature. How could I explain something so supernatural to an ordinary human? To approach her and say: "Hello, I'm a werewolf, and you're my mate."

I stood there, watching from a distance, while she ensured that Alaester received the necessary care. Days passed, and I wasn't brave enough to show myself to her. Alaester slowly recovered under the care of the human I now knew was Alice.

With each passing moment, my longing to be with her grew. I wanted to meet and be by her side, but the fear and complications of revealing the truth held me back for days.

I kept my mother and everyone in the kingdom informed about how Alaester was, hiding the fact that he had suffered an attack. Only Devon was aware and running secret investigations.

Finally, Alice took Alaester back to his house. I followed them discreetly, keeping to the shadows, always watching. When he was 100% recovered and could transform back, I howled at him. I called him home and was eager to share that my mate had saved him, but my brother's response didn't satisfy me.

"I've found my mate, Aemon!" he replied, proud and overjoyed. His? Was she his? How was she his? Why in Dallar's hell would the goddess do this to me? I swallowed all my frustration, answering him with a "Congratulations, little brother. I'm happy for you."

“What's wrong with you?” he asked, frowning at me, "Why are you making that face?”

"Nothing, I'm normal,” I said, trying to keep my gaze serious. “When are we going home?”

"I don't think she's ready to learn about our world, Aemon." Alaester sighed and looked back at the house where our... I mean, her mate was resting.

"We can't stay here forever just because of her," I replied.

"Are you sure nothing happened to you?" he asked again, squinting his eyes at me.

"Nothing happened." I practically shouted, "Go take care of your mate. You've got three more days and then we'll be out of here, with or without her.

Tears of anger rolled down my cheeks, but I didn't tell him she was mine, too. That would be too complicated for him to understand. Moons above! Even I didn't understand this mess. How could I explain it? I swallowed all my feelings, ready to leave when they were back in Pamyel.

But that night, I was caught in an attack, unawares, and it ended up causing the death of a runner. That sweetly annoying creature that haunted my best dreams had to be curious to go into the forest in a corner cordoned off by the police and rangers. She had to be that annoying.

"Why do you always get into trouble, little monster?" I asked her, and her irresistible scent urged me to kiss her. I couldn't hate her. I liked having her in my arms. To warm her up and feel her heartbeat against mine.

I kissed her and that was my big mistake. My wolf knew she was mine. He wanted her. The taste of her lips was sweet soft like a freshly baked brownie, Just like in my dream. Her eyes, stared at me in surprise, trying to see me through the thick layer of rain and darkness. His beautiful green eyes that I would now have to hate.

The kiss was brief but intensely charged. I let go of her, holding my breath, while my heart roared in my chest, echoing the confusion and urgency of feelings I was supposed to silence.

"Who are you?" she whispered, her eyes studying mine, searching for answers to questions that even she couldn't fully formulate.


I would hate her. As much as I wanted her, I would hate her. I reluctantly handed her over to Alaester. He changed her clothes and warmed her up while she recovered from her fever.

"Where did you find her?" he asked, taking her from my lap. The loss of contact stunned me for a few seconds. I cleared my throat, looking away from them. To avoid the anger in me.

"She was attacked today," I warned him, "The Bloody Moon gang knows about her for some reason."

"I know, I'll do something about it." He let out a long sigh.

"Your annoying mate is always looking for trouble, brother," I replied sarcastically, "That silly creature went to check who had died and strayed too far from the road and was attacked. Pathetic!"

"Don't be cruel to her, Aemon," he scolded, "She has a great heart and saved me. She even went to make sure my wolf had nothing to do with the murder."

My brother smiled. And for the first time in the last century, that smile was genuine. That was all the motivation I needed to push her further away.

"I'm glad the goddess sent her to me," he said, looking at me with smiling, relaxed eyes. He had been upset about marrying the Silvergraft girl, but now that he had found Alice, he could let it go.

"She's a problem, that's for sure," I replied, snorting out a laugh as I looked closely at what he was wearing, "What in the seven hells of Dallar is that you're wearing?" I pressed my lips together to hold back a laugh, but it didn't work.

The black sweatshirt he was wearing, which I'm sure belonged to the little woman in trouble, looked strange on Ali's body. We were only a few centimeters apart, but compared to Alice, we were real mountains to climb. Perhaps she was a little over 5’3” and although her body was not the slim standard, she was the most beautiful, curvaceous, and perfect creature.

Stop it, Aemon! She's not yours to worship. Stop it. I repressed my thoughts, focusing on Ali's joyful laughter. He was happy and that was all that mattered to me.

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