Soft gasps escaped my mouth in extreme relief as I curled my toes inside the warm water.

"Curiosity over pain, " exclaimed Emily with a smile while looking up at me. "You are full of wonders, Aunt Misty."

I rolled my eyes at my own stupidity and smiled lazily. A long time being called that way. Looking at her, I shook my head humorously.

"I just had to run without care to see all you beautiful girls dancing, " I said while spreading my toes and enjoying the relaxation to my frozen feet. She chuckled while I confessed truthfully. "I missed you."

It made her smile widely. Her dark eyes lit with happiness. Without the cloak and the braids that she used to have back in the village, she looked so beautiful with those long silky hair and red dress. Her sleeves were full up to her wrists. I had almost forgotten about her beautiful thick brows.

"I missed you too, " she said, smiling softly. "I was worried about you."

My eyebrows furrowed in humor. "For me?"

"Just worried, " she said, making me breathe heavily.

My lips pressed tight as I smiled at her in adoration. She was making me feel like an aged respected woman when I was just two years elder than her.

"I was fine, Emily," I said while she smiled goofily. But the moment I blinked, all the scenes from that night's bonfire party, of the dancers, of me wetting my pants, of getting to know about Karam being a father flashes like a short movie.

"Why would you even try that on a Lycan's face?" She chuckled while pretending to listen by covering her ear. "Yes. I hear your heartbeats. They scream that you are lying."

I chuckled. "Well, it isn't easy living with the Royal Lycans. Is it?"

She giggled while leaning back and spreading her legs straight ahead on the red carpet, placing her hands a little behind herself. "My Uncle does every bit to make it easy for you."

I released a heavy breath and chuckled humorlessly.

"Does he?" I asked, thinking about what I was doing with my life. Not I, anymore. I had no control over my life now. It was now solely going on its own.

Her smile faded. To change the topic, she suddenly smiled and asked, "How was your journey? Did you like the view?"

I nodded with a polite smile. "I did. I wouldn't have managed to climb up all those sloppy paths if your Uncle hadn't taken care of me." I mumbled while looking at my lap. "Sometimes, I do realize that he is not a bad man. But he isn't decent either."

She listened quietly while I looked around the room slowly. "He might be the best male among all the Lycans here, but not among the men in the world. But then again, who am I to set my standards? It's not like I am a fairy." I chuckled sadly.

Fidgeting with my fingers, I sighed heavily. "I still get frozen sometimes at not believing that I am here and I have gotten married. That I am an Aunt, " I said while Emily smiled goofily. "That I am far and far away from home and one day, might slowly get used to being here."

The thought itself was the saddening whole of my soul.

She watched my toes curling and loosening in the bucket in thought. "The day you'll believe that this is happening for real, will be the day you will love being used to here, Aunt Misty. You'll know that you were meant to be here for your own good. Most importantly, for our pack. We need you."

Taking the red cotton cloth from the bed, she watched me raising my legs out of the bucket to place my feet on the hem. She wiped my legs gently while I blinked in relaxation.

"We need you, Aunt Misty." She repeated, making me look in her dark eyes.

I gulped slowly and nodded. "Where are the other girls?" I asked, trying to change the subject because Emily had turned so serious.

"Some of them are still praying downstairs, " she said while giving me a small smile. "Alma, Stella and Janine keep on praying as they much as they could to get connected to Severa."

My eyebrows furrowed. "Connected? Why? A small heartfelt prayer isn't enough? It's not like Severa discriminates among her followers about who prays more and who does not."

Emily chuckled and shook her head. "True that she doesn't discriminate. But a follower wants to please his or her God or Goddess as much as she can. So, when Severa gets happy, she herself shows them the path rather than use Aunt Lucine as a source."

She smiled tightly. "While some just pray for the well being of all the wolves and Lycans during the full moon night. No mean motive. No wish to meet their mates, just a prayer of well being of everyone."

I nodded.

"The rest of the girls go to their rooms and try hard to not be greedy of bathing into the moonlight. Sometimes, the howls and growls from outside are just so compelling, it's hard to do that. While some of us are so strong in mind that Aunt Lucine allows them to go out to shift and roam the mountains for peace. It's hard to win her trust to achieve good chances like that."

My eyebrows raised in wonder. "So, no girl goes out?"

Emily smiled slowly. "Rosetta and Noira will go out tonight along with six other females. Aunt Lucine allows the girls after inspecting them herself if they are good enough to go out. Every time there can be different females because you never know who's Lycan has gotten uncontrollable or desperate within a month. You never know who among us has become determined enough to not get affected by the moonlight and just let her Lycan breathe. But not get to the borders too to not kill herself. Though, my father and uncles take care of that anyway."

My mouth parted in disbelief.

Instantly, the last full moon night clicked in my mind.

Natalie. The Red Eyes. Pete. The Rabbit.

The blood drained from my face as I realized that I could get a big close to knowing a group of females as one of them could be the female who ran all the way to the border to find Pete and send that rabbit.

"How many girls were sent out of the temple the last full moon night? Tell me their names." I said hurriedly while looking at her.

Emily straightened up at seeing my blank expressions and narrowed her eyes. She looked away while thinking hard. "The last full moon night was too smooth for me to remember anything, Aunt Misty. We ate. We danced. We prayed. There were no harsh winds that night. So, no female was asked to guard the battles too. Thus, all of us stayed inside. I remember asking myself to be calm for the next two weeks, because two weeks before the Mating Ceremony, Aunt Lucine sends us away to visit and stay at home to give us time to find our mate's scents."

"Did anyone ever find one?" I asked quietly. But deep in my heart, a loud storm was forming. She didn't know the name. If I'd ask Lucine, she would know my motive.

Emily pouted while thinking hard. "I do not remember, Aunt Misty. Since, last two years, I don't remember anyone did. Aunt Tara did. Maybe, others did too. But I cannot recall."

I twitched my lips and sighed heavily.

"I must go to my room, now. If you need anything, just call out the name loud. I will be here for your need." She said while getting up and picking up the bucket of water. "Try not to open your window or any other, our Goddess doesn't like moonlight. She will be upset."

I gulped while nodding. "I wish I could see what's going down there in the village."

She shifted her weight on one leg and smirked. "You don't want to see uncontrolled wolves running around leaving howls of pain while the Lycans chasing them to keep them away from the borders. It's overwhelming."

Walking towards the door, she glanced back at me while giving me a serious look. "But if you really want to see what is happening around the territory. You can walk to one of the towers' highest window and peek. It will hard to look through the mist but you won't be disappointed. As the window doesn't have doors and the moonlight entering the tower doesn't reach down enough to reach further inside the temple to irk our Goddess."

My eyes widened. "One of the towers. Oh my God, really?" I gasped.

She nodded with a goofy smile. "Aunt Lucine is inside her room, praying for the females. Rosetta is out tonight. What could be a better chance than this? Also, it is allowed to go there. Except no one likes to go there. The stairway can allow only one to two people to go and come. We are always occupied by tasks here. The towers are only used by Aunt Lucine and Rosetta at rare times."

So, it could be claustrophobic there. My stomach started churning.

I gulped hard. "Which one?"

"Both will give the same portion of views of their different sides. I always fail to choose between the two same things. Even between Reveka and Kenny, " she chuckled lightly.

I smirked. "Reveka, for sure."

She chuckled to herself. "I knew you'd say this, Aunt Misty. And if you go, make sure to take a lantern with you." She said while opening the door and shutting it after going out of the room.

I looked back at the window of my room where curtains had blocked all the moonlight. The candles and lanterns were creating the light.

I bit my lip while stretching my legs ahead on the bed and curled my toes.

The towers seemed so high from outside. They were not so wide too. I might get suffocated. What if there were lizards? But Karam said that lizards don't really stay in cold places. Yet there still could be insects there and so much dust.

I couldn't just roam in the darkness alone like that in search of nothing. My thirst to see writhing wolves and shifted Lycans was not much. I had seen Karam in his Lycan form already and I was scarred for life. I couldn't even imagine myself facing that ever again in life.

Oh God, what if he had shifted too tonight?

I thought hard.

I was scared to do it. I wasn't even physically and mentally strong enough to do it.

But Chelsea had asked me to find out the secrets of this temple. No matter what, the towers could be empty and boring but I was getting a safe chance to do my research. I had to do it. Because I was the only outsider to be invited here to this temple.

Back at her home, Gorudo might be mating her tonight. From what she had told me, I couldn't expect it to be enjoyable and loving for her. She must be hurting tonight.

I laid back on the bed and closed my eyes. Staring up at the ceiling, I started to make myself mentally ready to do it. I just had to be curious for my own sake.

And for Chelsea.

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"Why are you smiling?"

The smile widened and reddened whatever was left of his cheeks hidden by that bushy beard.

"You just admitted that we are bonded. Married." He said, those amber eyes twinkling with happiness.

I sucked in my cheeks to control the blush.

"I might be sitting here and gazing at you, " he whispered while cupping my face. "But inside my mind, I am jumping over the mountains, running through the jungles, hugging the wind, laughing victoriously."

I looked down at his left hand that was holding mine. His right hand moved down from my cheek to raise my chin. Our eyes met and he stared intensely.

"Did you mean it?" He asked quietly. The desperation was lacing every word he left so smoothly. "Does my mate really accept our bond? Our marriage?"

His jaws clenched and eyes held emotions as I stated at his face. Thinking about everything, I couldn't just make a decision. Yet slowly by each day, I was getting closer to a conclusion and I had reached it finally.

"Didn't the kiss give you the answer, my mate?" I whispered out.

He smiled knowingly at me through happy eyes. "If you kiss me again, I might find it."

I blushed harder as he started leaning closer. Kissing lightly on my lips, he cupped my face. The tickling began as all of his beard rubbed against my skin. In between the giggles, I smiled through the kiss.

He pulled only make me gasp in horror.

Instead of the beautiful face man who claimed himself to be my mate was now the face of deadly predator. Elongated jaws and red eyes. The wolf mouth opened his jaws showing me the saliva trickling down the sharpest long canines.

A loud scream escaped my mouth.

"Karam!"

My eyes opened all of a sudden.

Blinking continuously, I looked all over the ceiling.

As if my heart had escaped out of my chest to pound heavily. It was a dream. Just a dream.

Hurriedly looking at the window while sitting up on the bed, I sighed in relief. It was still dark. No bluish sky yet.

Oh God, I had fallen asleep.

Rubbing my eyes hurriedly, I put the blanket away and got off the bed. Wincing slightly as the weight of my body pressed my heels painfully, I tiptoed around the bed to pick up my cloak and wear it.

Checking my pocket, I still had the gift that Karam had helped me choose.

A shiver ran down inside my heart.

Even in my dreams, he would ask me to admit my non-existent love for him.

I bit my lip. I didn't know anymore what I felt towards him. I couldn't name it. I had put a stop on my feelings even if they were developing towards him.

Because for now, he was a man who claimed to love me and hid the truth of having a child with another woman.

My single footstep was echoing in the room. The silence was so deafening. I needed a watch to check what time it was. To see how much time I had to begin my research. Or was it just one hour left until dawn for me to get caught red-handed in the tower?

Sucking a deep breath, I wore my sandals and picked up the nearest lantern from the table.

Taking a last look at the room, I moved out to look at both sides of the corridor. It was too dark. They hadn't even lit candles or torches at places for guidance.

Faint gusts of wind passed hitting my uncovered skin and sending shivers down my spine.

Alone, in this darkness, in a place I had only spent some hours, I had to find something without breaking the rules of this place.

Chewing on my lips, I closed the door behind me, observing the things in the slightest of light that the lantern was trying to help me with. I was conflicted between feeling scared and curious.

I just didn't want to end up in an old untouched corner of a dark place, wrapped with spider webs, and cry my heart out in regret.

If I was leaving now, I would be coming back to this room too.

But why was I even going to the tower? To take a peek of the roaming wolves and Lycans on the territory. What was the use of doing this? It wasn't like I would be able to see through the mists and scenes from so far away.

Instead, I could do something more useful.

The last two months rewinded in my mind so hurriedly. And came the first-ever purpose I had learned about sending girls here on this territory.

To find Severa's ashes.

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Gulping hard, I controlled the terror I had started to feel inside my heart after walking downstairs. The girls could easily smell my scent and thus, I had to prepare for a heartfelt lie too.

Tip-toeing on the corridor that was curved around Severa's giant statue, the paranoia was rising easily by each second. The door to the room where Lucine and I had talked in the afternoon was now closed. Hurriedly passing ahead, I reached the stairs and made sure to lower the lantern to not fall anyhow.

Breaths had started to deepen as every dark corner looked like a silhouette of someone standing and staring at me. No one was in sight with no noise being made around the whole temple. As if the full moon wasn't affecting these girls at all.

But the faint howls spreading through the air coming from the village was still reaching my ears.

The heart reached my throat at suddenly seeing six silhouettes kneeling in front of Severa's feet. The heartbeats were vibrating the whole of my face as I stepped off the last stair and clutched the handle of lantern tight.

I watched them for minutes. To see if they would react or stop me. But nothing happened. They were just lost in praying.

But then, I needed to look for the ashes. The first-ever obvious spot for me was to look behind or near her feet. Now, I was closer to it than ever at the right time when Lucine and Rosetta, both were busy.

All six of them had not worn their cloaks and their hair was down and long. In those red dresses with round neck in the front and back, they looked like flowers. Yet the darkness spread around them because of only six candles being lit in front of Severa's feet which would soon go off.

Biting my lip, I kept thinking of what I could do now. They had already smelled or even not yet, they would if I got closer. There was no use of showing up to them if I couldn't get close to looking around the feet.

It was centuries ago when this statue must have been installed in her memory by her followers. Would they truly bury her ashes underneath her statue? If that was the case then I would never be able to take it away. The floor was concrete.

I couldn't just make conclusions now standing here. I had to do the best I could. Which meant now just roaming the ground floor in search of any special corners where I might see an old metal pot full of her ashes.

Taking slow steps with my heart pounding loud against my chest, I took the about-turn to the right to go towards the way where I had washed my face and arms yesterday.

I tried hard not to look back at the girls to avoid further nervousness. Before I could even comprehend I was close to reach the iron doors leading to the stream, a voice from left turn raised the goosebumps all over my body.

Misty. . .

I gasped silently, halting my steps and glancing at the right turn where a corridor was leading to the darkness.

Shivers ran down my spine when I started into nothingness and tried to make out any shape. The faint gusts of wind kept fanning my face that was partly hidden under the hood of the cloak.

In films, the lead actress would definitely go to the very place she was hearing voices from. Each step would be taken slowly and shakily. Afraid, she would still get lured by whichever ghost was hidden in the darkness.

But I was no lead actress in a movie. Thus, I stepped back.

Misty. . .

Red alarms started echoing in my mind as whole of my body felt the chills. I could bear supernatural. But paranormal was out of my limits. I had no courage to face that.

Misty. . .

The voice was so cold and feminine. Spine-chilling.

I couldn't understand if I was just imagining things.

Gasping in fear, I stepped back and turned around only to halt in horror.

The fright had shaken my soul and I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe.

My eyes widened along with my throat that was ready to pour out the loudest scream. But at the same time, my mouth turned to numb to let it escape.

Because in the faint light of lantern, I could see the faces of the six females standing two steps away from me.

My eyes shakily drifted back to Severa's feet where those candles were still lit. In front of the feet, the empty floor churned my stomach. While the sudden extinguishing of those candles choked the soul in me.

Looking back at the faces of the females, all of them looked like they were in their thirties. For some reason, they felt so foreign because I couldn't recognize them from the dance I saw.

The woman who was standing in the middle right in front of my arm holding the lantern, was staring in my eyes.

I didn't even realize I was hyperventilating until the faint gusts of wind made me breathe harder.

Misty. . .

The voice came from the same turn and all the ladies looked at my left. They craned their necks slightly in sync to give me further fright.

Misty. . .

Gulping shakily, I observed them not moving an inch.

A loud sound of iron doors clanking echoed in the corridor, making me turn around immediately. I couldn't see in the dark as I was far from the gates and the corridor was long. Someone was opening the door to the stream from outside.

I heard the giggles and made an immediate guess that maybe, the females who were allowed to go outside might have returned. But I was proved wrong when the feminine voice came active and loud.

"Open the door! Please let me be out! I want the moonlight! Let me out!" The girl cried and I covered my mouth.

I needed to escape before she could get mad or someone comes finding her.

I turned around to check the reactions of the females and nearly died.

As I was staring into an empty space.

Neither in front of me, not in front of Severa's feet.

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"What do you think?"

Please vote and comment.

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Ah! So relieved that this chapter got completed. It was taking all of my energy to shape the scenes because when there is too much to write, it gets hard to put it in a series and flow. So, I was just confused and blank despite knowing what I wanted to write.

To be honest, this was like a filler. Just to form the setting of the night. I will try to update the next chapter soon. So we all can enjoy Misty's journey together and restlessly.

Hope, you like this one.

Thank you for all the patience. You guys are much more than the readers to me. Friends and well wishes. My hope and my scope. Just know that I am grateful to have you all. And I will keep writing books only to be with you guys more. ❤