THE ALPHA’S VENGEFUL LUNA

CHAPTER 24: KISSING THE ENEMY

FREYA

“Are you okay?” Icarus asked weakly, panting from the effort it took him to morph back into human form at the peak of full moon. At this time the effect of the hallucination spell had faded off, and he could see me in my human form.

Still shaking from my near-death experience, I nodded, tears slipping from my eyes.

“What were you doing so close to the edge of the mountain, Freya? You could have been hurt!” Icarus's eyes were filled with worry as he scolded me.

“I-I did not see the edge on time. When I noticed it, it was already too late and that was when I slipped…” My voice quivered, making the lie more believable. “If you did not come in time…”

I burst into tears, wrapping my arms around him.

“Shhhh... it is okay Freya…. I am here now.” Icarus consoled me, rubbing my back in soothing circles.

“Are you sure you are not hurt?” He asked me, checking my arms and legs for any sign of injuries.

I shook my head. “I am okay...I-I guess.”

“Let us get you out of here." Icarus strained out, as he slowly began to shift back into his wolf form.

After his complete transformation, his wolf nodded at me to follow him and I nodded back, before he raced down the mountain.

I was already weak from using the hallucination spell, but I could not be seen in my human form when it was still a full moon. I gritted my teeth, drawing strength from my chakra as I muttered the spell once again.

“Geen ogen...zien mij zoals ik ben-” I crumbled to the ground, growing weaker every second. The spell was not complete, and there was no way it was going to work if I did not complete the spell.

“..alle ogen zien mij als een van hen!” I struggled to mutter and the hologram hummed on my skin. I sighed in relief, taking a moment to catch my breath before following after Icarus.

Icarus was waiting patiently for me at the foot of the mountain and after I had descended from the mountain, everything seemed to happen in a blur.

I staggered back to the castle, with Icarus gently nudging me behind. By the time we arrived at the castle, it was almost morning and other guests were already morphing back to their human forms and blankets were being draped over them.

With a swing of my finger, my clothes disappeared and Icarus morphed back to his human form while I lifted off the spell. It would have been awkward if I lifted off the spell and I was still wearing clothes.

That never happens when a wolf transforms.

I would not want suspicions toward me to rise up again because I would have to think up another lie and I was already too exhausted to do so.

I leaned on the wall next to Icarus, exhaustion weighing heavy on me.

“Hey….are you okay?” Icarus asked.

I nodded with a weak smile, wrapping the blanket closer around me.

“Here is the key to your room Sire.” Said one of the servants, handing him a key. “It is the third room by your right.”

Icarus nodded, wrapping his arms around me as we walked to the room we would be staying in, until we were ready to travel back.

He unlocked the door and we stepped into the room. Icarus hurried to the bathroom like he had some unfinished business with the toilet.

I looked around the quaint space. It was a spacious room with a king-sized bed and a dresser on the other end of the room. There was not much furniture and I liked the calm feel added to the room by the dim light emanating from the lamp on the bedside dresser.

When I got to the vanity, I staggered backwards when I took in my own reflection. My skin was brown with dust and grime, while my hair was matted with sweat and green moss.

I looked like a troll. A little wonder one of the wolf kids hid his face when I came close.

I felt betrayed that Icarus did not tell me I looked this bad. I guess it did not matter at that point. Everyone looked pretty much horrible after the full moon.

I unveiled the moonbell and I was in awe of how it pulsed and glowed in my hands.

It felt so alive, its petals opening and closing under my touch.

I was so mesmerised by the flower that I almost missed the sound of the bathroom door cracking open.

I quickly enclosed the flower in my fist, causing it to disappear immediately as Icarus walked into the room.

I whipped around with an attempted smile which turned out to be a grimace. Icarus eyed me suspiciously, approaching me with caution.

“Are you okay…?” He asked.

“Uh-huh!” I nodded a little too enthusiastically.

His look of confusion morphed into amusement and he shook his head.

“You are something else Freya. You know that, right?” He said.

I grunted. “Was that the reason you did not tell me I looked like the main character in a horror movie after fighting off the bad guys?”

Icarus burst into laughter. “Now that is some precise comparison!”

I narrowed my eyes at him, pointing my finger towards him. “I do not like you…”

His laughter died down and all that was left on his face was a lingering smile as he drew closer to me until our nose barely touched.

“That is because you love me…” Icarus whispered his reply.

All air seemed to be snuffed out of the room and my knees threatened to give way under me at his close proximity. Just when I tried to think of a worthy comeback, my brain chose the perfect moment to go on a snooze, causing me to open and close my mouth like a gaping fish.

“Stop trying to fight it, Freya.” Icarus chuckled, tapping my nose with his index finger. I slapped his finger away, walking away from him.

“You do not know anything.” I said, staggering away from him. I felt so weak and dizzy that the room seemed to spin in my eyes.

“Hey, hey…" Icarus quickly caught me before I hit the floor.

“You are definitely not okay.” He said, inspecting my eyes and my entire face. “You need a refreshing bath and a lot of rest.”

“I will be fine…" I muttered, struggling out of his grip.

“You could not even take a few steps on your own, Freya.” Icarus replied. “Just...let me help you, okay?”

I knew he was right, but what he did not know was that he was part of the reason I was losing my footing. His presence had such a strong effect on me and it seemed to have grown stronger after the full moon ritual.

I did not want him near me at that moment. Not when I was vulnerable with my emotions all over the place.

“Freya... As your mate, I am supposed to take care of you.” Icarus insisted, much to my chagrin. Why could he not just give it up?

I sighed, giving up. I was too exhausted to keep going back and forth over the issue.

“Fine. You want to take care of me? Then go ahead.” I said, looking away from him.

“Hey…” He tilted my face towards him.

“I just need you to relax okay?”

I nodded, letting him lift me up bridal style. He kicked the bathroom door open, carrying me into the bathroom.

Apparently Icarus had already prepared a bath for me while he was in the bathroom earlier.

Could that be the reason he ran to the bathroom first before I did?

Warmth spread over my chest at the thought that Icarus actually cared about me.

“Um... you would need to take off the blanket…” Icarus whispered.

I stared at him in shock. “You expect me to strip in front of you?”

“Well, you can't get into the bathtub with a blanket.” Icarus replied in amusement.

“Try me.” I replied, wearing a pout on my lips.

“Come on Freya.” Icarus chuckled. “You know what? I will turn around if that makes you comfortable.”

“That seems fair.” I said. “And do not peek.”

Icarus lifted up his hands, turning his back to me like he was under arrest.

With my eyes on Icarus, I let the banket drop before slipping into the bathtub. I sighed in relief, shutting my eyes as the warm water soaked my weary limbs.

“Can I turn around now?” Icarus asked.

My eyes shot open. “Oh, I forgot you were there.”

Icarus turned around, picking up the sponge and soap and a shampoo before kneeling on the mat next to me by the bathtub.

He poured some shampoo on his palms, forming lather before applying it on my hair. The feeling of his fingers caressing my scalp was so soothing that a moan escaped from my lips. Icarus stopped and I looked at him, confused.

“What happened?” I asked.

“Nothing…” He replied, still massaging my scalp. When he was done washing my hair, he rinsed off the soap with the handheld shower.

“How do you know how to do this so well?” I asked him, curious.

A wistful smile formed on his lips as he applied some moisturiser on my hair. “Well, I used to wash my late wife's hair. She would not let anyone else touch her hair even when I was not around.”

“Oh…” I muttered, unsure of what to reply.

“I am sorry.”

“It is okay…” Icarus replied, slowly applying soap on my hands and back. The way his hands glided over my skin caused goosebumps to rise on my skin.

“Are you cold?” Icarus asked, his voice low and husky with desire.

I shook my head. “Not really, no.”

He slowly traced his fingers up my neck, slowly bringing it all the way down to my cleavage.

“Icarus…” I whispered, my eyelids fluttering in pleasure.

“Mhhmm?” He hummed, pulling my wet body towards him until our chest touched. The contact between our bare bodies ignited a flame that threatened to consume me whole.

With his fingers in my hair, he tilted my head, gently nibbling on my neck with his fangs. I bit down on my lips, fighting the emotions that slowly overwhelmed me.

He dropped wet kisses along my jaw, his lips hovering over mine for a brief moment, his eyes darkened with pleasure.

My lips twitched in yearning, begging to be claimed by his. All of my senses seemed to be put on hold, but that tiny voice in my head kept reminding me.

Icarus was the enemy.

Icarus was the enemy.

Like I was woken up from a daze, I quickly grabbed the towel lying next to him, wrapping it around my body as I came out of the bathtub.

“Freya…” Icarus called out but I walked out of the bathroom without a word, slamming the door after me.