The Werewolf King's Bride

(From Luc's Perspective)

"If you think I will show mercy to the people who are rebelling against the Queen and even killed one of the Imperial knights, I might as well be one of those priests and press whatever flowers on a wound, pretending it's healing," Demetrius said coldly.

"I am not saying we should not do something. I just think violence won't solve anything," Marquis Rudiger said. That guy always said weird things to meetings as if he was a saint or something.

"Marquis, you must go to the temple three times a week," I sneered.

"Why, Lord Luc, I go six times a week," he said. Explore hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire

Demetrius waved him off annoyedly. "Then, go there and show kindness to your people. You do not need to come here next time if you are going to spout some 'kindness' nonsense," he said, holding Dion with one arm. Dion was asleep and did not mind the loud talking. The fact that Demetrius brought his newborn son to a meeting was strange enough. But to me, him caring for his son like that was stranger.

I never thought I would see this day.

Well, I had never thought he would marry in the first place. Although it was mandatory for Kings to marry to have legal heirs, Demetrius never cared and I knew if he wanted to, he would just go on and never marry. But he married. He married a woman who I instantly liked and knew was good for him. I could relax.

Times could change. People could as well. Every time I looked at my best friend looking at his wife and now, his son, I was once again reminded how beautiful a family could be.

"How is Blue doing?" I asked after the meeting. Ruby reminded me, again and again, to make sure Blue was fine. She did not like how Blue always looked sleep deprived and tired.

I also was worried about Blue's health. Something just was not right.

"She must be in her workshop," Demetrius replied.

I took Dion in my arms. He shifted a little but kept on sleeping. His parents were lucky to have someone so calm.

Ruby and I still did not plan to have any kids so soon. We wanted to consider everything before bringing a change into our lives. None of us felt the need to have a child so soon. Maybe we would wait a few years, or maybe we would never have kids at all. Either way, I did not care about it.

She was the one I loved and since I did not have any particular preference, whatever she would decide would be okay with me.

"I met Calix on the way. He said Blue has cut her hair. Is it true?"

Demetrius looked tired and… frustrated. It was rare to see him that way.

"Did something happen?" I asked.

"As a mage, do you feel the need to use your power in one way or another?" he asked without answering me.

"The need to use my power? Well, it does feel good to use it even if it gets me tired," I said.

"So, if you don't use your power for a while, like a whole day, you don't feel like you are losing your mind?"

"Of course not. There are days when I go without using my power for two days, especially when Ruby nags," I said.

"It must be different for dark mages then."

"Blue…"

"She can't sleep. She can't go without using her power. If she could, she would just stay cooped up in her workshop for days," he said, fisting his hands angrily. "And she…"

"What?"

"Nothing," he shook his head. "I don't know what to do with her. She is hurting, trust me…"

Even if he did not tell me, I knew what he wanted to say. 'She is changing'- this was what he wanted to say. I could see it too. Every single person who had seen her since the moment she had come here, or even knew her for a while, could see the change. The change was in her behavior, her actions, her thoughts, her personality, her style, everything.

Blue still had not told any of us fully about how she truly saved Demetrius. She only said she took the poison out using her power. But how did she do it? How could she do it only then and not before? How could she figure it out right then?

There were a lot of questions. But no answer.

Demetrius probably knew. But he would not say anything. It must be something serious. Why could I not know? If it was Blue, I would accept her nonetheless.

'What if she is something you cannot accept?' my subconsciousness asked me.

But what was it that I could not accept? What could she be that would make me and the people close to her question whether we could accept her or not? We accepted her when we found out she was a dark mage. We accepted her even after knowing she was the daughter of 'black lord'. We accepted her only knowing her for barely three years.

Because she gained our trust. She made us love her. She made us care for her. She deserved it, we believed.

Could she really be something that would make us hard to accept her? Or, impossible?

Dion made a noise, making me return to reality. He was the spitting image of his father. It was something he would have to hear his whole life, along with the story of his brave mother.

I followed Demetrius into Blue's workshop. It was messy. I had not gone there in a while. It was messier than I had last seen it.

I was not sure if I was more shocked to see Blue's hair or her state in general. Her hair was really short. She had cut a lot of hair and now it reached only her nape. It suited her.

But surely, her bloodied hands, her trembling hands did not suit her. Demetrius had already grabbed her and was shaking with anger as he tried to not yell at her.

"I don't know what happened… My nose just started bleeding…," she mumbled innocently as she looked at her husband's worried face.

'Anger won't work, Demetrius,' I said using my mind. Werewolves could communicate with each other using their minds.

He took a deep breath and kissed Blue's forehead. "You are exhausted. Let's go back now, hm? You can work later," he said as gently as he could. "Besides, Dion needs you. He has cried, you know?"

"He did?" she asked and looked at me and Dion. "Luc, you are here too."

"I have come to have some tea with you," I said. "Come now. It's no use being here all the time and not spending any time with us. Give yourself a break and spend some time with your brother too."