'It's already night time…' Selene thought as she lay on the bed, staring at the empty space beside her.

The blankets still smelled like him, and that only made her heart ache even more.

'This was just the first day, and it's already unbearable… Why did he have to leave?'

She buried her face into the pillow, curling up tightly under the covers.

She was lonely… and she missed him… She wished she had gone to the surface with him too, alas she had to be the one managing Lycas over here.

Her jaw clenched.

'Who knows what kind of women he's with up there?' she thought bitterly, picturing all sorts of imaginary scenarios that only made her mood worse. 'They probably cling to him the same way I do. Maybe even more…'

Her throat tightened.

Selene pulled the blanket tighter around herself and pressed her face into it. It only made her tears start to spill.

'He needed to teach us how to hunt some more… and he still needed to—' her cheeks flushed at the thought, '—put his baby in me.'

Her heart thumped harder.

'We already kissed…' she thought, her fingers brushing her lips lightly.

Just remembering that moment sent a rush of heat down her spine.

It had been gentle, the kind of kiss that made her feel like the world had disappeared… She wouldn't mind being kissed like that for a few more times.

She wanted more though… she wanted him.

Selene sighed shakily. 'I'll need to prepare for tomorrow…'

She turned on her side, trying to force herself to sleep.

And then…

Beep!

Her eyes opened.

"What… what is that sound?" she whispered, sitting up. She turned her head toward the wall and froze.

It was the wall where he had placed his hand earlier that day… Right now the red dot was glowing and giving off magic.

"Why is that happening?" she asked aloud. The magic wasn't dangerous though.

Before she could move closer, the light burst into a soft flash…

And then he was there.

Azel appeared right in front of her, crouched slightly as if landing from a jump.

"It feels like being teleported…" he muttered, holding his head for a moment. "Damn, that's dizzying."

He exhaled deeply. Coming from Rochel city straight to Lycas despite their distance in such a short amount of time was insane, a little light-headedness was more than worth it.

Selene's eyes widened, her heart stopping for a beat.

"…My lord?" she whispered, her voice trembling.

Azel blinked and turned toward her. "Hm? Oh… hey, Selene."

She didn't move.

For a full five seconds, she just stared at him, her brain refusing to process the sight.

He was supposed to be gone but she could see him… she could smell him…

"You… you're…"

"What happened?" Azel asked, raising a brow. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Selene's lips quivered.

Then she moved.

She sprang from the bed with the speed of a beast, launching herself at him.

He barely had time to react before she collided with him, sending both of them tumbling onto the floor.

"My lord, it's really you!" she cried, clutching him tightly, her face pressed against his chest.

"How… how are you here? You said you were leaving!"

"Calm down," Azel said quickly, one hand resting gently on her head. "Breathe first."

Selene didn't calm down.

She only hugged tighter, burying her face deeper into him.

Her tail was wagging uncontrollably.

Azel sighed. "You're really clingy tonight, huh? It wasn't that long."

Before she could reply, the door creaked open.

Both of them turned their heads at once.

Standing there, holding a broom, was Irene.

Her eyes went wide as she took in the sight before her: her lord lying on the floor with the Lady of Lycas straddling him, their bodies were pressed close together and the both were breathing heavily.

Azel's eyes widened too. "Wait—this isn't—"

"I'm sorry for intruding, my lord…" Irene said quickly, her voice becoming meek as she backed out of the room. "Please… continue."

"I said it's not what you think!" Azel shouted, but the door slammed shut before he could finish.

…

A few minutes later, they were both sitting on the bed again.

Selene had finally calmed down and was now resting her head on his lap, her hands folded neatly under her chin.

Azel leaned back slightly. "So… how's Lycas now?"

Selene closed her eyes.

"Everyone's sad," she admitted softly. "But other than that… we're fine. Marty made dinner for everyone. He said that if he's going to be cooking all the time, he'll need more hands in the kitchen."

Azel nodded thoughtfully. "Makes sense. We'll have to find him some help soon. Maybe a few women can work under him for extra food."

He stretched slightly and stood up, looking toward the window. "Anything else happen while I was gone?"

He doubted it… He had already dealt with the forest, what else wanted to pose a threat to the werewolves?

Selene hesitated.

"Nothing… major," she said, looking at him. "Well… except one thing."

Azel turned back to her. "What thing?"

She fidgeted slightly. "After you left… we were attacked by a large bird monster."

"…A bird monster?" Azel repeated slowly, his expression twisting in disbelief. "Since when do bird monsters even show up here?"

"Yes, my lord," Selene said with a serious nod. "It came from the mountains."

Azel rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Great. That's all I needed."

And right then…

[Ding!]

[Another Territory is now open for Conquest…]

[Lycan Mountains (LV. 2)]

Azel froze.

'Why is it that something like this always happens when I think I'm finally free?' he thought bitterly, resisting the urge to scream.

He sighed. "Show me the corpse of that bird monster if it's still around."

Selene stood immediately. "Yes, my lord. Follow me."

They left the mansion together.

When they stepped outside the main gates, Selene pointed ahead. "There."

Azel followed her gaze then stopped dead in his tracks.

Right in front of the mansion, lying motionless on the ground, was the so-called bird monster.

It was enormous for a bird.

Easily the size of a Marrowcruncher bear with wings bigger than Azel.

Its feathers were pitch black and reflected the moonlight.

The beak looked strong enough to pierce through stone, and its talons were buried deep into the earth.

Azel stared blankly at it.

'This… is supposed to be a bird?' he thought, slowly circling the corpse. 'Who the hell gave the bird the body of a Marrowcruncher bear?!'

He exhaled slowly, scratching the back of his head.

Selene watched him carefully. "It tried to attack the town, my lord, but Vargan and I took care of it together. Marty says he can use its meat for something."

"Then why is it still here?"

"Erm… We were too tired to carry it back tonight."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.