Ace’s Point Of View
“I saw my mother.”
He gasped sharply and I held him tighter. His eyes were beginning to glow glow again.
“Riaz, Riaz!” I yelled out but he was long gone. The wind blew the tress strongly but this mystic tree remained still. I shook Riaz but he didn’t respond. He was mumbling things that sounded like chants. His voice was like three people talking. I don’t know how to snap him out of this. I looked around, trying to find something but I couldn’t look past the wind. I did the one thing that came into my head. I leaned down and placed my lips on his. He let out a soft gasp as I claimed his lips as mine.
I broke the kiss and looked at his face.
“Ace…”
I sighed on relief. “What… what did you -” He touched his lips and his eyes widened at me.
“I had to. You were in a trance and I feared something bad would happen if I didn’t snap you out of it.” I told him and he batted his lashes.
“Are you okay?” I asked him and he shook his head.
“I feel weak.”
I nodded. “You’re even running a fever. Let me get you home.” I said. I tried carrying him but he stiffened his body. I sighed tiredly and stared into his eyes. “Let’s not do this right now, Riaz. You might be mad at me but at least, let me get you home. You obviously need to be treated.”
He pursed his lips and wrapped his arm around my neck grudgingly. I smiled and picked him up in bridal style.
“Hold tight.” I said and he mumbled something I couldn’t decipher. I carried him out of the woods, back home.
“What happened to him?” Dandelion came running the moment she saw me approach.
“Oh my days! He looks pale!” She gasped.
“Is there any doctor nearby? He needs to be checked.” I said.
“I’ll go fetch one.” Clover said before flying off. I looked around. I couldn’t find that guy.
“Where’s Devan?” I asked.
“Oh! He is…”
“What happened to him?”
Speak of the devil. He emerged from the house and walked up to us. He stared down at Riaz and gave me a questioning and accusing look.
“I did nothing to him.” I said.
“Then why is he in this state?”
“It’s not his fault, Devan.” Riaz said weakly. “Something just happened.”
“What happened?”
“Enough with the questions. You shouldn’t be asking him questions while he’s in this state.”
“I’m back!” Clover beamed. A man was with her. Probably the doctor. That was fast.
I took Riaz inside and placed him go to lie on the bed. “Please let him be okay.” I told the doctor and he nodded assuringly.
“He’ll be fine.”
“Don’t worry, Ace. Xander is the best around here. Riaz will be fine in no time.” Clover vouched. I nodded and faced Xander.
“Please, let him be okay.”
He nodded and I smiled at him. We all left him in the room alone with Riaz so he could do his job without disturbance.
Devan was sitting alone on the bench. He seemed like a person in deep thoughts. I went ahead to sit beside him while Dandelion went ahead with Clover.
Devan turned to me and said, “how is he?”
“The doctor is treating him. He’ll be fine.” I assured and he nodded. He looked ahead and I had the opportunity to scrutinize him. He tapped his feet restlessly with his arms rested on his legs and his jaw was clenched. It is obvious he is so worried but still trying to seem like he felt nothing. Since I got here, I’ve noticed he always keeps a stoic expression, like a person under hypnosis.
He must have noticed my gaze on him because he turned to me with a raised brow. “What?” He questioned and I shrugged.
“You should calm down, Riaz will be okay.”
“I am calm. Do I look restless to you?” He said, still tapping his feet. I glanced at his feet and he looked down. He stopped tapping and cleared his throat awkwardly.
“I just… have a lot on my mind.”
“Ah…” I chuckled. It wouldn’t kill to admit he’s worried. Seems like he isn’t one to express his feelings that much. Of rather, he doesn’t know how to. Sounds a little like me.
We stayed silent for some minutes before he broke the silence. “Why are you here?”
I was taken aback by the sudden question.
“Why are you asking?”
He shook his head. “I just… wanna know.”
“I’m just here to see him.”
“Or you’re here to take him away?”
I turned to him. I could not read his expression. It was blank. I looked down at his hand and found them clasped together tightly. I returned my gaze to his face.
“You don’t want him to go?”
He looked away. “I never said that. He can leave if he wants to. It has nothing to do with me.”
Liar. You evidently don’t want him to leave. I hummed and rested my back on the wall.
“At first, that was my aim coming here. Leaving with him, I mean.”
“And now?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know anymore. Whether I want to leave with him, leave alone or…” I turned to him. “Stay here with him.”
Something flashed in his eyes but it disappeared in less than a second.
“My house is not a guest house. You want to stay, you pay the rent.”
“That is not a problem, Mr. Devan. How much is your charge?”
“One hundred rubies for a night.”
“That’s extortion!”
“No, it’s my rent. If you can’t pay that, you will have to leave.” I shook my head. Such a mean landlord.
“I’m done, sir.” Xander informed as he stepped out of the house. I didn’t waste time before going to check up on Riaz. Devan followed suit. When I got in, Riaz was asleep. He was asleep in his wolf form.
“Wh.. how?”
I turned to Devan. He had shock in his eyes. This must be the first time he’s seen Riaz’s wolf.
“Is that… Riaz?”
I nodded. Riaz rarely shifts. Even back in the pack when we go for full moon runs, he never joins us. He’s half wolf so he can control his wolf better than full wolves. Since I’ve known him, I’ve only seen his wolf twice. The first time was by mistake. I wanted to check up on him in his room. He didn’t reply when I knocked so I just went in. I found his wolf sleeping soundly on the bed. The second time, he showed me himself.
I’ve never seen a wolf a beautiful as his. White with sparkling blue eyes. His wolf is smaller than that of full wolves. He’s so ethereal. I quickly closed the door to prevent people outside from seeing him.
Devan was still dumbstruck. I don’t know maybe it’s because of the shock or Riaz’s beauty. I went to sit by Riaz’s side and I caressed his head.
I turned to Xander and said, “Tell no one about this.”
He nodded. “I don’t reveal information about my patients, you can rest assured.”
If you do, if hunt you down and make you regret it.
“You never knew he was a wolf?” I asked Devan and he shook his head.
“No. He never told me.”
Well, Riaz is like that. He has to trust a person deeply before telling them about him. That was what it took before he could show me his wolf. So does this mean Riaz hasn’t trusted Devan fully? I grinned. That gives me joy.
“Well, now you know. He’s half wolf.”
“Half wolf? What of his other half?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. I don’t know if he knows either.”
Devan nodded.
“We should leave him. So he would rest.” I told him and he nodded. We turned to the door and as we opened it, who I saw was someone I least expected.
“Akira?”