-- Gideon Dunkerson’s POV --
“Serra, my Luna…” I whisper with such heavy feelings.
I have been searching for her for over a year. When I lost her, I lost it too. I didn’t know then that losing her would spiral me into an acute grief that would render me invalid. It was not until an old monk suggested traveling and getting away from the place we’d been together that I was able to stand up on my feet again. No, not stand up, but crawl and try to survive. However, it teaches me sympathy, and I gain the courage to search for her.
“I didn’t want to be the same average-looking Luna,” she starts, her voice soft. She is what I remembered her to be. “Yet you deny that to me as well.”
“I am sorry,” I whisper, and I can’t help but reach up to her cheeks. I caress them, not quite believing that she’s back. Every time I dream, it’s her face that I see. “You really are back….”
“Can you still take me as your Luna? Even if I lied? Even if I used glamour to hide myself?”
“Oh, Serra,” I whisper. She’s always been like this, constantly second-guessing herself, so no one realizes how amazing she truly is, until they watch her use magic. “I will always take you back. You are still my Luna. No one replaced you.”
My mother asked me to take a new Luna, but I just can’t take another while I am still grieving for her. I did have other women in my bed, but those are for duty. Even without a Luna, I still need to sire heirs.
She holds my hand that’s on her cheeks and closes her eyes. “I returned because I am afraid you will take another Luna,” she says, trembling. “I don’t want to admit it, but I can’t allow that. I still love you, Gideon.”
My chest hurts and I breathe in relief. She still wants and loves me! Despite all the pain that she suffered from me! My heart swells with love for her, and I want to smother her with my kisses. This time, I will love her properly.
I take her hands and envelop them in mine. I press my lips on her fingers with a longing passion, desperate to show her my devotion. I will worship her with my every breath.
“I couldn’t say this to you before, but I love you too, Serra. And oh god, I am sorry for everything I’ve done to you. I will make up for all the pain I caused you.”
She smiles, and her eyes shine with tears. “I accept your apology, Gideon. I will always accept you.”
Then she hugs me tightly, burying her face in my chest. I squeeze her tight and kiss the top of her head.
“Let’s start anew,” I say, my voice trembling, the same way hers is.
I embrace her. She finally found her way back to me. From now on, she is mine, and I am only hers. We will be exclusive to each other and this time, I will never let go of her hand.
******************People call me a man of great power with many concubines. However, with Serra’s return, I don’t need them. I don’t want Serra to think she’s not enough for me because that is false. As long as I have her, I no longer need any other woman. I learned that now.
I glance at the door. I want to be with her. However, with her abrupt return, her previous room is being cleaned up and prepared. At the same time, I also asked for a couple’s room to be cleaned up. I want us to stay in the same room if she allows it. When I lost her, we were sleeping in different rooms. I sleep in the Lycan King’s room with all my other women while she sleeps in an ordinary guest room, the closest one to the library.
“Are you certain, King Gideon? I thought Mage Serra was barren?” one of my advisors asks.
“That’s just a baseless rumor,” I say.
It is a rumor that’s spread out by my kin, so she will lose her position. Being together, I know it ain’t true. She got pregnant, but she got a miscarriage a week after she discovered me bedding another woman. I didn’t tell anyone, and she didn’t want to say it to other people either. Her pride won’t allow her to confess that her husband, that she is so proud of, is cheating on her.
I clench my jaws as her pained expression surfaces in my head. I was too stupid to hurt such a woman!
“All the other concubines will leave the palace except those currently pregnant. After they give birth to my child, they need to leave as well. Also, tell them that they will be well-compensated and that, I will provide for the child.”
My other advisers complain as I expect them to. Some of these concubines are their relatives, and they are nurturing the idea of taking the Luna position from Serra, especially when she left the politics to my mother — I was useless then. Not anymore though. I’ve already learned. I can protect her in places she cannot do herself. In contrast, she takes care of all things related to magic and military.
And so, after the meeting, I rise and walk to the hall. I want to see Serra again, to talk to her and ask what she’s been doing the past year.
Standing outside her door, I push it open. Serra is organizing her things. Upon my entry, she looks up. Same as before, her face is bright every time she lays her eyes on me. She wanted my love then. Now, I will give it all to her. And so I open my arms, and she steps into my embrace. I take a sniff of her, my dear, sweet Luna.
“Gideon,” she whispers against my chest.
“What is it?” I ask, my fingers twirling around the strands of her hair. It’s shorter now. When we’re together, she always wears it long, with her curls cascading behind her. Every time I see it, all I can think of is how it becomes tangled every time we make love, like a cocoon that envelops me in its warmth.
She pulls back, a smile on her face. “I want you to meet someone.”
“Who is this ‘someone’?” I ask, my hands going to her face again. Beautiful. I am a good five inches taller than her, so I can easily touch her soft, brown hair, which she always described as plain and common.
She holds my hand and says, “You know him already, but I’d like you to meet him again.”
Him? I frown as she pulls me outside of her room. It’s not a lover, right? Because she won’t return to my side if she has another lover. She won’t tell me that she still loves me if her heart belongs to another.
Turning into a corner, I face Prince Caius Liddicoat, second son to the current Vampire King of Liddicoat. My frown deepens, “Prince Caius,” I say.
A smile appears on his face. “I am honored that you still remember my name, Lycan King Gideon.”
Of course, I won’t forget him. I can’t stand him. A year ago, I was already wary of him. He always teased Serra, too often for it to be just a friendly banter. Once, I saw him console her, and somehow, his presence seemed to provide her some measure of comfort. A comfort that she needed because I was hurting her.
“No, I should be the one honored. I haven’t organized any fanfare to welcome you. I have no advance notice either. So, this is pretty much a surprise visit from you.”
He laughs a bit and nods. “Yes, I know. I apologize for the surprise.”
He looks at Serra and then back at me. “Serra?” he asks.
He is calling her too familiar too! I turn my attention to her.
“Gideon, I want you to meet Prince Caius again,” she starts.
I am relieved that she is formal with him. Same as before, she keeps all men, especially handsome, unmarried ones, at arm’s length. Prince Caius was the only one persistent enough to befriend someone as awkward and dense as her.
“He is the one who saved me from death three years ago,” she explains. “And so, can I please ask for your permission to let him stay for a while?”
How long is ‘for a while’? I’d like to ask, but instead of voicing it out, I say, “Sure, anything for you.”
Despite the doubt, when she kisses my cheek, my heart swells with happiness again. It doesn’t matter. She is back, and she is still mine. Surely, a prince of another kingdom won’t be able to take her attention from me. Besides, she just told me that she still loves me. And Serra is never the one to confess her love if it ain’t true.
My dreams have always been about the pain of my years of training. I spent an entire year in the Liddicoat’s family house. It is where their family library stands, underneath that big, old house. And there, I scour ancient tomes and scrolls, learning more spells that might come in handy when my quest for revenge starts. In my dream, my fingers will dance over different parchments, tracing the arcane symbols and incantations of long-lost spells. Caius also provided me with seers, monks and alchemists. And because they are being blackmailed by the vampire prince, they are forced to share their techniques with me — all poultices, elixirs and enchantments. But handy techniques and skills are not the only things I peruse. I also worked on my skills of using powerful and potent spells, like that powerful sleeping spell. ‘Revenge is worth any price,’ I will say to motivate myself, when things have become so hard. And then, my dream will transport to an island, where I spent another year o
If Gideon is really serious about treating me well, sending his concubines away is the bare minimum. I know that now, but if I were the same Serra as before, this piece of news would have made me very happy. But now, it did nothing to quell my need for revenge. “Children, huh...” I whisper. “We don’t have one...” “We can have one, if you like.” He kneels before me and takes my hands in his again. “When I lost you, I needed to sire heirs, but now that you’re back, we can try again.” It was not so long ago that I was desperate for a child, but now, every thought of it fills me with hatred, remembering how the child in my belly died due to all the stress and pain of being his wife. “I can’t, right now,” I answer in a small voice. “I don’t want my child to get embroiled in an inheritance war, especially with all your other concubines...” He squeezes my hand. “They won’t be!” ‘They?’ Don’t tell me he plans to have more than one child with me?! The thought alone repulses me! “Only you
Gideon’s voice breaks me out of my trance and I glance up at him with a small smile. “Thank you, Gideon,” I say. Queen Marinella looks between the two of us with a doubtful expression on her face. “It seems like there is more to your story than meets the eye.” Gideon chuckles lightly and reaches for his glass of wine. “There’s nothing more to say, mother,” he says smoothly. But Queen Marinella doesn’t look convinced. “Well then, how about we play a little game?” she suggests. I feel a knot form in my stomach as I turn to look at her. What kind of game is she talking about? And why does it sound so ominous? “What kind of game?” Gideon asks. “A truth or dare game,” Queen Marinella declares, her eyes still fixed on mine. The thought of the childish game almost makes my heart leap — that is, in its stupidity. Was I really this gullible that she thinks I will reveal all my secrets in such a foolish game? “Okay…” I answer, as soft as possible. Queen Marinella claps her hands togethe
I roam the once-familiar corridors and grand halls of the palace. Gideon has sent me an assistant named Claire. She is mid-thirties and is supposed to help me acclimatize to the castle’s inner workings. This castle, the same place where I felt both unimaginable happiness and pain, will be mine soon — or sold, or destroyed. Anything. As long as in the end, Gideon and his family will live like slaves amidst every piece of rock and stone of this castle. As I pass through the different offices and rooms, Gideon’s closest kin watch me as if I am some kind of apparition. Their glances are a mix of curiosity and disdain. Claire then leads me into a room filled with luxurious furniture and paintings adorning the walls. “This is where the King and his Council members hold important meetings and negotiations,” she explains, gesturing towards a large mahogany table in the center of the room. I nod, taking it all in. “These paintings weren’t here before,” I say, pointing at one depicting a ster
-- Gideon Dunkerson’s POV -- The great dining hall of Dunkerson castle was ablaze with the warmth of firelight. I sit at the head of the oaken table, while both Queen Marinella, my mother, and Serra sit on both my side. My mother is telling tales about the valor of knights and cunning dragons. She looks bright as she continues to speak, but I know my mother. When Serra returned, she had already raised her worries to me. She fears that Serra might have another agenda. I pushed it aside. Serra is nothing like that. She’s the type to get tired of politics. Petty schemes are not really her forte. Serra is bright, but the type of straightforward smart who works diligently and focuses on the things they excel at. For her, it’s her master-level skills in magic. Some call it genius-level though. “Gideon, isn’t that right?” My mother’s voice pulls me back into the conversation. “Hmmm?” I answer my mother. I have been gazing for far too long at Serra, but I still didn’t shift my attention.
-- Back To Serra’s POV — With Marinella around, I’m careful about using my magic to fake the blush on my cheeks. I also make sure that I don’t use too much glamour or else she will notice all the magic that I am using constantly, and even when I am unconscious. I tiptoe towards Gideon while my eyes are still closed. Earlier, I saw the delight in the way he looks at me, as if he is living in his past. And in this past, he is not an asshole-cheating-jerk-of-a-husband. Gideon presses forward, and I place my palm against his chest. His body is still rock-hard, nice to look at, but never good at cuddling. Nothing is lost, though. For me, cuddling is never his utility. Besides, even before, he had never been the one to cuddle. After our copulation, he will never snuggle next to me. He would even evade my touch and so I learned not to pester him with it. “Gideon...” I whisper. “Can I kiss you?” he asks. I nod faintly. “Yes,” I respond. “Please...” I feel him shudder under my palm. He l
Before I can ask what he means, Gideon is kissing me again, drowning out all thoughts and filling me up with a whirlwind of pleasurable sensations. His hands are everywhere, tugging at the fabric of my clothing, exploring the expanse of my skin. Each touch is calculated and precise, as if he’s memorizing every inch of me again. Soon, I realize that I am naked underneath him and he is nibbling on the skin between my breasts. I gasp when he suddenly sucks on one of my peaks while he plays with his finger with another. A soft moan escapes from my lips as I arch my back, inviting him deeper into my territory. He groans in response, a low sound that vibrates through me, making my core throb with anticipation. But he never stops, alternating between my peaks, as if enjoying it. Then I feel his fingers going between my legs and cupping my throbbing heat. “Gideon!” I scream, twisting away. The sensation is electric, sending my nerves into a frenzy. “Shhh, it’s okay...” he whispers, and I
The sound of my voice uttering his name seems to stoke the fire within him even more. Gideon groans — a deep, guttural sound that vibrates against my skin. “Patience,” Gideon murmurs, his voice rumbling. Then he smiles, a wicked grin that promises delight yet to come. “The night is long.” His fingers trace along the length of my legs. He spreads them further, his touch leaving lingering traces of warmth. He nuzzles my inner thighs, and my breath hitches as his lips move dangerously closer again to my heat, each kiss an unspoken promise of fervor and passion yet to be spent. “Gideon...” I plead, blindly reaching out to tangle my fingers in his hair. He chuckles at that. His hot breath is warm against my thighs, which draws another sharp intake of breath from me. “Do you know where I want to kiss you now?” he asks, his eyes focused on my face. “Anywhere you want,” I whimper, my chest heaving up and down with anticipation. He looks at my center and I spread my legs even wider, expo