Wymond, The Cursed Beast.

Arabella’s Point of View

Being the only living soul walking in this lifeless wizardry forest is quite scary, and I swear I could hardly move my legs—but I'm already in, and I must get out quickly. So, I pushed myself to keep moving.

I felt a gush of eerie breeze blow past my ears. It sounded as though someone just ran past at great speed, and I shivered.

It’s very dark everywhere, but since I’m a werewolf, I can still see clearly. I saw goosebumps growing on my arms and hugged myself.

Then it dawned on me—Daphne said a dead body was found around this area last night. Could it be the killer is still lurking around?

“It’s late,” I heard a very deep, frightening voice say near my ear.

I jumped back and couldn’t help the shriek that left my mouth. But before I could grasp what was going on or even get a glimpse of who just spoke into my ear...

A hand wrapped around my neck, lifted me off the ground, and slammed my back against a tree I hadn’t noticed earlier. I closed my eyes and grunted in pain.

If I wasn’t a werewolf, I’m sure my backbone would’ve broken from the impact my back had with the tree.

“Who the hell are you?” I asked, struggling to get away from the person, which was impossible because of his strong hold.

I lifted my head and opened my eyes. My breath hitched instantly, and my mouth parted at the sight that greeted me.

I’ve heard people say he took my breath away, and I never really read any meaning into it. But right now, I have the perfect explanation for it.

My eyes trailed along his facial features—his thick and perfectly arched eyebrows, which were knitted together in a frown. His long eyelashes were illuminated by his sparkling blue eyes.

His lips looked a bit pale, but still so beautiful and tempting as I stared at them longingly. I folded my lower lip into my mouth and bit it hard until I tasted a metallic liquid. That’s when I realized I’d injured my lip.

He looked so flawless and sinfully handsome. Even though he was frowning, he didn’t look any less handsome.

Is this human? How can someone be so perfect?

Hold on a sec... Why is my heart pounding so fast? Am I having a crush on him? What about my mate? What am I going to do when he...

“What were you thinking, coming into the woods at this hour?” his hoarse voice interrupted my unnecessary thoughts.

“It’s the only way to my home,” I answered, strangely in a bold tone.

He growled as if he didn’t like the tone in which I answered. His free hand held my chin up, and he stared into my eyes, his squint... anger?

“A lot of things can happen to you in the woods tonight. Do you know that?” he snarled at me.

That’s when I saw it. There was a small trail of blood at the corner of his mouth, and judging from its scent, I could tell it was fresh.

My eyes widened as fear suddenly gripped me. My heart accelerated because different thoughts were running through my mind at that moment.

Could it be I’ve met the Beast? Is he going to kill me? Is my blood next in line?

Oh no, please spare me. I’m a perfect girl. I might be a little rude, but I’m still a good girl. Please don’t kill me—I started praying in my mind.

“Answer me!” he bellowed.

“A-are you the Beast?” I asked instead.

Honestly, I don’t know where this courage came from or why I asked that question. I just couldn’t keep it in and blurted it out.

“Don’t I look like a Beast?” he asked me back.

I studied his face and shook my head. According to Grandma’s description, the Beast must be old, with horns and dirty fangs in his mouth. This man looked pretty neat to me.

“No, you don’t look like a Beast. You’re very handsome,” I said.

He stared at me silently for a moment, then chuckled lightly, and his tensed shoulders slumped down a bit. The sound of his laugh was wealthy and soft.

“Don’t be fooled by looks, my darling. They can be deceiving,” he told me in a calmer tone this time. “You seem like an obedient little one, so obediently run home now,” he added.

I scoffed mentally. I’m nowhere near obedient at all. In fact, I can be very stubborn every so often.

“What are you still waiting for?”

“Like you said earlier, looks can be deceiving,” I smirked at using his words on him too.

He closed his eyes briefly.

“I’m not someone you’d want to mess with. Leave now, before I become your worst nightmare!”

“But you are not…”

He suddenly tensed again. His brows furrowed instantly as he sniffed the air, then zeroed his eyes on me.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

He quickly let go of me, and I almost fell on my face. He took a few steps away from me, as if standing close to me would burn him—as if I burned him.

“Get out of the woods now!” he barked at me.

“Then what about you?”

His blue eyes suddenly turned bloodshot red, and I took cautious steps back.

“Get out before it’s too late for you!” he roared, making the forest shake—or maybe that was just my imagination.

I heard very heavy footsteps approaching us. It sounded like the feet of a monster hitting the ground in cartoon films.

My body started shaking in fear. I slowly picked up my bag that was lying on the ground and ran toward the exit of the forest. I didn’t want to stay back and witness that handsome guy lose his life.

I ran as fast as I could, using my wolf’s strength to support myself—though she was fighting not to lend her strength to me.

★★★★★

“Mom, I’m home,” I announced immediately as I stepped into our small living room.

I threw my bag randomly on the table and slumped on the nearest chair, releasing heavy breaths.

“You’re finally home,” Arthur (my younger brother—he’s 17) said as he strode toward me with his hands in his pockets.

He thinks doing that makes him look cool and stuff. I scoffed mentally—he’s just bluffing himself.

“Where’s Mom?” I asked.

“She went to the pack-house,” he answered.

“Pack-house? Why?”

He sat on a chair, reached for the remote control, and turned on the TV.

“There’s a pack meeting, and I think it’s about the selection parade. Alpha Jarek personally came to inform Mom about it…”

He paused and tilted his head, brows furrowed in a serious frown.

“…Do you think he has a crush on Mom?” he asked.

Alpha Jarek and Mom together? That’s not a good combination at all. I winced in disgust at the thought of them being together.

“Get your mind out of the gutter. You’re too young to be talking about crushes.”

Arthur coughed.

“I’m 17 years old, and I’ll have a mate next year, so I’m not too young to be talking about crushes.”

Weirdly, at the mention of ‘mate,’ my mind flashed back to the handsome stranger I met in the Wizardry Forest. I wondered what happened to him.

Did the Beast King catch up with him? Is he devouring the handsome stranger’s flesh right now?

“Ara!”

Arthur snapped his fingers across my eyes. I blinked and alighted from my train of thoughts—it’s a pity that a handsome stranger’s life would be wasted just like that.

“Besides, Mom’s a widow and Alpha Jarek is a widower…” he adjusted his posture to an imposing one. “…I’d love to have people referring to me as the Alpha’s son,” he laughed evilly.

I leaned forward and pushed his head gently, making him glare at me. But he quickly looked away when I glared back.

“Stop dreaming about being the Alpha’s son. You’re not fit for that title,” I told him.

Arthur has girls flocking around him everywhere he goes. And if it weren’t for the respect he has for Mom, I’m sure he’d have been a little heartbreaker by now.

If Arthur ends up becoming the Alpha’s stepson, I believe all the unmated girls in our pack will become pregnant with his kids—even before getting a chance to know who their mates actually are. After all, he’s got great looks and a pompous personality.

In fact, everyone in our lineage has great looks and bodies. I’m not an exception.

“Right. You’re already 22 years old and still haven’t found your mate yet…”

I raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to conclude his words. Although, I kind of had a hint where this conversation was going.

“Maybe you should visit another pack. Your mate might not be in this pack,” he said.

“I don’t need a mate,” I told him curtly.

“You don’t need a mate? Who doesn’t need a mate in this world?” he asked rhetorically.

“Perhaps me,” I answered.

He set his lips in a thin line, turned away from me, and gave his attention to the TV.

“Good for you,” he said.

“What’s for dinner?” I asked.

“Nothing. Mom’s not around to make dinner.”

I glared at the back of his head.

“What a lazy ass,” I grumbled under my breath. But he heard me anyway.

I got up, reached for my bag on the table, and headed toward my room—I require a long warm bath and a nice sleep.

★★★★★

It’s just me and him again in this lonely woods. Not even a bird could be seen flying around.

“You’re here,” he said.

“Yes,” I answered.

Then there was silence. He didn’t say anything, and neither did I.

It’s always like this every time we meet. We don’t talk, but we enjoy being in each other’s company—it’s almost as if we’re speaking with our souls.

We don’t see each other’s faces too—or maybe he’s seen my face, but I haven’t seen his, not even once. I can’t tell what he looks like.

His back is always facing me every time. I could only stare at the back of his head.

“You called me, and I’m here. Can I at least see your face?” I asked.

This is the first time I’ve requested to see his face.

“No,” he answered.

“Why?”

“I’m ugly,” he said.

Ugly? I huffed mentally. Handsome guys always refer to themselves as the ugliest beings.

“I don’t care if you’re ugly. I just want to see your face,” I told him.

“No. My face would scare you away.”

“Huh?”

“It’s going to be your worst nightmare,” he said.

How can I be friends with him but not know what he looks like? Who is he? Why does he always call me to meet him here? Wait… how did he even manage to call me?

“Stop thinking. Your tiny brain’s going to explode. Because it’s unclear to me why I can call you too,” he said.

How did he know what I’m thinking? Is he a vampire that can read minds?

“You’re right. I can read minds. So, I suggest you stop thinking.”

“Oh.”

This is all the more reason I must see his face. He might be someone I know.

I reached forward to touch his shoulder but…

★★★★★

My eyes snapped open at the sound of someone banging on my door very loudly. I threw a glare toward the door as I imagined I was glaring at whoever was banging on it.

From the scent, I could tell it was Arthur. I angrily sprang up and sat on my bed, gathering my blanket in my hands.

“What?!” I barked at him.

“Mom said I should wake you up. Breakfast is ready,” he said.

I rolled my eyes.

“I’ll be there in a jiffy,” I replied. Then I heard his footsteps fading away.

I fell back on the bed and covered my face with my palms. I puffed out some air.

The same dream again. It’s been quite some time since I had this weird dream—why did I dream of him today?

I’ve been dreaming of this nameless man since I was twelve. I don’t know anything about him.

But the unusual thing is, I always enjoy being around him in my dreams. I must be losing my mind.

“Ara, Mom said you should hurry!” Arthur shouted from the living room.

“Well, you didn’t have to shout before I heard you!” I shouted back at him.

I pushed the blankets off me and hopped out of bed, then dashed into the bathroom.