Vione did not know how long she had been asleep-or perhaps unconscious-but when she came to, confusion was the first thing she felt. Her eyes focused on the ceiling, and a question popped into her head. Where am I?
The ceiling looked unusual. There were no hanging lights or protective fixtures. Its black color gave it a hard, stone-like appearance.
Despite her stiffness, Vione tried to stand up. Ignoring a fallen blanket, she surveyed her surroundings. She confirmed that she was indeed in a cave.
“Hello! Is anyone here?”
Vione walked cautiously, her hands gripping the cave walls as she continued to call out.
“Hello!”
No answer came to Vione. Only the echo of her voice could be heard. She scanned her surroundings for signs of other life, but found none. She was alone, and the man was gone.
Vione’s hope faded. It seemed the man had realized her intentions and decided to leave at the right moment. So, she lost the chance to get any information out of him.
The loss of hope made Vione’s body weak. She fell to the ground, her head feeling heavy. There were many things she wanted to ask the man. From the anger that turned into curiosity to the growing familiarity that increased her curiosity.
Silence enveloped the cave. Vione hugged her knees, her mind filling with thoughts. She remembered all the strange things that had happened to her lately, all leading to one question. Was he really Usher?
Vione closed her eyes. Silence met darkness. Memories of last night’s events replayed in her mind, one by one, like a documentary that demanded her contemplation.
One thing that caught Vione’s attention was when she stood behind the man, exactly when he tried to protect her from the intimidation of the warriors and Mireya. She paid no attention to the others, because then something caught her eye-the man’s back.
Countless times, Vione hid behind Usher’s strong figure. Usher had always protected her, from childhood to adulthood. So, there was no doubt in her mind that the man and Usher bore a physical resemblance.
But that was not all. Vione’s conviction grew stronger when the man turned into a golden wolf, a large and ferocious golden wolf to be exact. The golden wolf looked powerful, its snout filled with large, sharp teeth, just as its black-clawed paws looked terrifying.
In her life, Vione had never seen another golden wolf besides Usher. As far as she knew, there were not many werewolves in the shape of a golden wolf. The reason for this was that gold symbolized strength and greatness, so only the alphas were blessed with this gift. But not all Alphas were lucky, and Usher was one of the lucky ones.
Vione would never forget the way the golden wolf looked at her. His gaze was calm and comforting, as if he promised to protect Vione no matter what. So, the only thing Vione felt when the golden wolf took her away was peace, the certainty that she would be completely protected.
Vione wasn’t trapped in the memories of the past, but in reality only Usher would protect her at any cost. She became more and more convinced that the man was indeed Usher, although her logic still vehemently disagreed. After everything that had happened, it seemed impossible that Usher would harm her and then save her. For what purpose?
Now Vione’s head was not just heavy, it was throbbing. She massaged her head and neck until she felt something strange.
“My necklace?”
Vione felt around her neck and looked behind her clothes, but she couldn’t find her necklace. She stood up and began to search for it, even to the mouth of the cave. Still she couldn’t find it.
Vione’s uneasiness grew. Not only were all the secrets making her life chaotic, but now she was experiencing a painful loss. The crescent necklace was the only remaining gift from Usher in her life. It was her most precious possession, and now she had lost it.
Vione closed her eyes for a moment. She took a deep breath to calm herself, then stepped back into the cave.
Something near where she had lain before caught Vione’s attention. She approached and saw a box of food-her favorite.
Vione’s eyes felt hot. She reached for the food with trembling hands. There was a note on it.
Vione, I hope you will stay in this cave for a while.
I assure you, you will be safe here. No one will find you.
I also hope you won’t go to the palace.
I know you’re worried about Usher, but he’s fine.
So, take care of yourself as best you can.
Usher wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to you.
The heat in Vione’s eyes turned to tears. She held the note to her chest and began to sob.
“Usher.”
Vione could not hold back her tears and all the emotions that were wreaking havoc on her feelings. She knew Usher’s handwriting perfectly.
*
It was a long awaited morning for Mireya. She had woken up earlier than usual for one purpose only: to beautify herself for Torin’s arrival.
Mireya had instructed the palace guards to greet her guest named Torin Arbuckle. So now she was sitting in Usher’s room with Phillip in the stroller.
A knock made Mireya turn around. The door opened and a handsome man entered. He called out.
“Mireya.”
Mireya rushed to Torin, and when the door closed behind him, they embraced. They held each other tightly to fulfill the longing that had been pent up for so long.
“Oh, my goodness,” Mireya whispered as she pulled away slightly. She cupped Torin’s face with both hands. “I’ve missed you so much, Torin.”
“I missed you too, Mireya. I really missed you.”
It seemed as if Torin wanted to prove his words, as he lowered his face to Mireya’s luscious lips. He kissed Mireya’s lips and pulled her body closer into his strong embrace.
*