The Werewolf King's Bride

"Perita, what happened to your face?" I asked, touching the side of her cheek where there was a huge cut. She had put a band-aid on it. The band-aid was transparent, so the cut was clear.

"I got it while practicing," she said.

"Doesn\'t it hurt?"

"Well, a bit... But it will heal soon. Your Highness does not have to worry about it," she grinned.

\'The cut is pretty deep...\'

"I heard that the cut caused by silver doesn\'t heal. Is that true?" I asked after a while.

"Yes," she nodded. "They are deadly for us. It\'s fine if we get cut by any other metal other than silver. They heal. But it\'s different when it comes to silver. They never heal.

In the wars, we use silver weapons."

Dem had gone to five wars until now. But there was no mark on his entire body. How great of a fighter he was that he did not get even a single scratch?

"Your Highness must be thinking about His Highness," she muttered knowingly. "His Highness is a great fighter. His fighting techniques are very unique. Since he hates to get too close to someone physically, he keeps his distance from his enemies even when fighting. It\'s like His Highness can predict their next moves all the time."

\'Ah, I completely forgot that he can read minds. It\'s possible if he knows what his opponent\'s next move is. But it still takes great skill to not get even a single scratch.\'

"Yes, he is a great fighter. I hear it from everyone," I smiled. But I did not want to see him fighting. I wished he never had to go to war or fight someone again. I was scared. What if something happened to him?

I brought Sapphire with me since I decided to have her checked by Luc as well. I needed to make sure that she was alright. It did not matter how she managed to hear that voice as well. I just wanted to know that it did not harm her.

"Your Highness, is having a cat fun?" Perita asked.

"Uhm, kind of," I said. "Why are you asking? Are you planning to have one as well?"

More than fun, having Sapphire made me feel relaxed and I could talk to her without having to worry about anything.

"Why? Why did you have to hear the voice too, Sapphy? I am worried for you now. It was alright if it was just me," I mumbled, rubbing her back. "At least, judging your reaction, it seems you heard the voice. I hope I am wrong in a way, you know.

But it\'s hard to think that way as it\'s literally clear."

"What voice, Your Highness?" Perita asked.

"It\'s a secret. I am sorry, I can\'t tell you about this," I said.

"Ah, I see... But I hope everything will be alright."

"Yeah... Me too."

The door of the magic tower was already open. Luc must have kept it open since I had sent him a letter beforehand last night.

The palace was surrounded by two lairs of magical barriers. The magic tower had one more barrier around it. It was established in a vast space and the tower was surrounded by odd-looking plants and a feeling of silence.

The Alpha and his mate could get past the magical barrier without any problem. Because of that, I did not need Luc to open the barrier for me to enter. And those who were with me could also enter the magic tower.

"I have been waiting. Did you bring the cat...? Ah, you did..."

"Luc, next time, use magic so I don\'t have to climb the stairs. It\'s dangerously tiring," I panted.

"You are practicing swordsmanship, I heard," he said. "What\'s the point of doing that if you can\'t climb these many stairs only?"

"Huh, they are not less... We are on the fifteenth floor, for god\'s sake!"

"Well, I guess it was a bit tiring..."

"I don\'t care if it\'s a bit tiring. Next time, use magic."

"Alright," he nodded nonchalantly. "Now, come and sit down. Oh, you already did... So, tell me what happened. Perita can wait outside."

"I heard a voice last night again," I said after Perita left. "It was perhaps nine or a bit more than that. It was when Dem came back after meeting you."

"So, he was there when you heard the voice? Why would the voice talk to you when that jerk is near?"

"No, I was on the balcony and he was in the garden."

"So, you were having this romantic little silly waving thing with your husband when you heard the voice?"

"Don\'t make it sound weird... Well, it was kind of like that. The voice was not like the voice I heard the first time. I mean, at that time, the voice was masculine and he even called me his daughter. So, we assumed it was my father. I mean, who else will call me his daughter?

But this time, the voice was just too unclear. It was even hard to understand if it was a man or a woman. Dem saw that I was looking around, so he came to the balcony quickly. Then I did not hear the voice again," I described. "When I heard the voice, Sapphire was also looking around anxiously. Every time, the voice said something, Sapphire looked frightened and alarmed.

I am sure that she heard it as well."

"Perhaps she did it because you did it?"

"She is not a monkey. Monkeys usually mimic."

"Then you are saying that you are sure that she heard it as well?"

"Uh-huh," I said. "Want to check her?"

"That\'s why I told you to bring her," he said while I handed Sapphire over to him.

"Don\'t scratch or bite him Sapphire. He is trying to help," I said warningly to Sapphire who only meowed.

"She is a violent one. Last time, she scratched the hell out of my arm. Where did your husband even find someone like him all of a sudden?"

"He came across her while going out back in Ataraxia," I said. "She scratched Dem as well. He tried to throw her out of the window."

"That\'s great. At least, this cat knows that guy is no good."

I still did not understand why Dem and Luc behaved like that if they were friends. It was like they liked to make fun of and mock each other as much as possible about every single thing.

He touched Sapphire a bit and stroked her fur. I had no idea what he was doing. Perhaps it was his way to examine her.

"I can feel a bit of black mana from her," he said finally after a while.

"Huh?"

"It seems like she is a bearer of black mana as well. But other animals don\'t have mana in them. But I know what happened," he said. "You transferred just a little bit of your power in her."

"No, I didn\'t..."

"You don\'t know that. You did so unconsciously," he said. "Kids of a mage born with mana in them because they are related to them directly. But it did not happen like that for this cat. You are very close to this cat, aren\'t you?"

"That\'s true..."

"Then it explains. You made a mental connection with her. The connection is just too strong. Because of that, you unconsciously gave her some of your power. Tell me something. Isn\'t she too loyal to you?"

"Yeah... She only listens to me."

"It\'s not just because she likes you or she is your cat. It\'s because you have made a great mental connection that only got stronger after you gave her a bit of your power. That\'s why she listens to you only and is very close to you. She could hear that voice because of this as well. If I am right, she also can track mana," he said.

"It\'s still a bit hard to believe you got this close to a cat though..."

It might be hard to believe for him, but I knew it was possible. At that time, I was suffering mentally. I needed someone to talk to, to help me get through it. I could not talk about everything to Dem or Ruby or anyone else. It was Sapphire who helped me that time. That was the reason, I got so close to her.

I just wanted someone to take my pain away and make me feel better. It did not matter if it was a mere cat. Anyone or anything would do.