Lunar Temptations

Ch 64

My brows furrowed. How the heck did she know that? Was it all over the news now or what? That must be Esther's doing as well.

"Yes, because he's my mate, and I don't owe you any explanation," I gritted out.

"Exactly, like I said, we all have duties and decisions to make. Those decisions sometimes don't have an explanation to them." She paused, twirling the glass in her hand and throwing a look toward the compartment where Zayden sat. "-and not everybody is as lucky as you," she said, cryptically. Now, she was excusing her actions by calling them duty? What sort of duty required you to marry someone else's mate? Something told me that there was more to her relationship with Zayden, but I chose to ignore it for now.

She got up, putting her partly-filled glass down. Her curls bounced as she did. I turned back to the counter, pulling my glass back to me. Thankfully, she looked ready to leave me alone now.

"And I need not remind you that your 'mate' was ready to marry me as well. He was ready to abandon you," and with that echoed her footsteps as she left me there disturbed. I knew by now that she didn't have good intentions despite implying to make amends. There was something more to her, and it would be stupid to assume that her intentions were good. Her words had left me in a trance thinking about what she meant. It wasn't a lie though. Zayden did agree to marry her, and they would have been engaged if I hadn't shown up.

I closed my eyes and gulped down the rest of my drink before slamming my glass down.

I will not let her get on my nerves. - I thought and calmed my nerves, or at least tried to.

The leaves rustled underneath my feet as I took another step. The place was shrouded in darkness, and nothing but the outlines of trees could be made out in the morning twilight. The birds chirped were distant and vague as if they had hidden in the trees and were giving me warnings in their ways. My vision cleared, and my focus deepened for me to realize that I was in the middle of nowhere. The trees swayed from a wind gust, and chills covered my skin. A tremor shook through me. I wrapped my hand around myself to refrain from shaking. I inhaled deeply, taking in the profound scent of my surroundings. The dew mixed with the scent of the leaves hit me. With another step, the dried leaves crunched, and the twigs snapped.

There were many questions in my head and my bloodied hands raised a lot more. Blood dripped from them as if I had ripped open someone with my bare hands. It glistened on my claws where remains of fur stuck to it, drenched in blood. I gulped, watching my hands, my senses alarmed.

"What-" I mumbled to myself. Another blow of wind pulled my attention to my dress. It was supposed to be a white gown if not for its large blood spot. My heartbeat fastened until I could hear its beat in my ears. Sweat leaked down my face, and I felt a bead dripping down the side of my forehead. I panted, taking a few steps back. My foot twisted, and I stumbled suddenly, falling on my back. With a thud, my back collided with something. I gulped slowly. My eyes wide open now, my pounding heart and breath giving away my state. My neck twisted as I turned around slowly. In the darkness of the forest, my eyes had adjusted now, and I could make out the small bushes around, but that wasn't the thing I had fallen on.

Ever so slowly, the furs resembling the one on my claws came into my view. My widened eyes blinked again, taking in the sight. A dead wolf lay there. Its lifeless eyes stared back at me, and the blood coating them resembled the one on my hands. My gaze followed the trail to find several other wolves after the one I had stumbled upon. Some had their necks snapped, their heads lying far while others were whimpering as life drained from them. The last thing I remembered was an earth-shattering scream resounding from me.

I jerked awake, panting. The light was blinding, and instinctively my hands covered my eyes. My laboured breath settled eventually as I realized it was only a dream. My heartbeat returned to normal but I couldn't shake the scene out of my head. I was in the only bedroom of the jet. My laptop was sitting beside me, still on. I had come in here for privacy. It had more to do with not wanting to see Audrey. I must have fallen asleep while working. The horrible nightmare had disoriented me, and it took me a moment for my senses to kick back in, and when they did, I jumped out of bed. The clock told me that there was only an hour and a half left in landing. I didn't know whether to be grateful for the nap or the opposite since the nightmare had left me a bit traumatized. I hurried to my hand carry and took out a fresh piece of clothing. Earlier, I had explored the jet to find a shower in it too. It was a blessing since I wasn't expecting to look fresh after a 10-hour flight. If only Audrey wasn't here, then this flight would have been a trip in itself, with Zayden.

Soon, we were to meet the council members and the various leaders. The last thing I wanted was to look disturbed just because I had to share a flight with my fiance's ex and ended up having a too-real nightmare. I had a lot at stake to not mess it up. Taking a relaxing shower to soothe my nerves and ease my mind, I wrapped a towel around myself and got out.

The chilled air made my goosebumps rise, and I shivered lightly. Stepping out, my heart nearly jumped out when I found Zayden sitting on the bed, facing me. I gulped nervously, caught off guard. How did I not notice him here? My body wash's scent had filled the restroom, and that explained why I hadn't smelled him.