SWNOVELS Chapter 12: The Folk Festival
It was the day that she had been waiting for.
Damien has sent her home last night and he stayed for a while as they laid on the bed, hands intertwined while he was speaking about the traditions and the legend of the werewolves in Paphos.
It all started with the Greeks that sailed to escape the cruel regime of Alexander the Great during Ancient Greece where he despised the Greeks that have been blessed by the Moon Goddess to have the super-strength of 100 men as well as how they could be the best soldiers in the army.
After discovering that they did not worship the same gods and goddesses, Alexander asked for their executions until none of them survived. But thankfully, some of the special Greeks went away from their clutches and able to start a new civilization on an island that was known as Cyprus these days.
A knock interrupted her daydream about their conversation last night as she went to the door to answer the door. She knew that Damien will be early and she had gotten up to get ready as early as she could.
Anika was wearing a black loose blouse with a skirt and sandals. She braided her hair and put on stud earrings as she was opening the door to greet Damien who was wearing a black button shirt and denim. He looked wickedly delicious.
"Hello," she said as she was smiling at her boyfriend. But Damien insisted that she thought of him as her mate. Mate. Another thing that he explained to her that the werewolf will need to find his/her mate when they reached 18th birthdays. But unfortunately, Damien did not discover that he had a mate when he's 25 years old.
And his mate was Anika.
She felt excited and dreaded at the same time. She did not know what to do about the fact that Damien cannot let her go and will never live his life if Anika was away from him. What will she do when it was time for her to leave the island this weekend? Can she sacrifice her career to be with the man that was destined for her or would she oblige to return to Italy without a string attached?
She had known that answer when she knew Damien was a werewolf.
"I think you can do better than that, my sweet," he said before Damien swept her into his arms and kissed her on the lips. That's all they did when Damien clearly wanted to court her the right way. The way the werewolf supposed to do when they found their mate. And right now, she was too impatient to get in bed with him.
"You're looking more beautiful every time I see you, Anika," he said before Anika smiled at him, stepping back from his arms. She missed his warmth instantly.
"Thank you. And you look nice as well," she said as she was trying not to inhale his scent, all masculine and pine, and forest. Perhaps Anika will miss this scent later when she made her decision.
"Let's go. The locals are buzzing the festival already and we're considered late," Damien said as Anika was laughing while arching her eyebrow at him.
"We're late? To a festival? Seriously?" she asked before Damien was locking the door as he gave her the keys and put them in her handbag.
"Yes, and will you pay attention? This festival is important to me and later, to you, my sweet," he said before Anika was shaking her head as Damien slipped his hand into hers and walked out of the inn to get to the festival that was held in the neutral territory where the locals and the tight community came together every month to have that festival.
*****
Anika was looking around the festival as she felt giddy. She never thought that she would be looking at the crowded place and not a person knew who she was. She was a rising supermodel but the paparazzi have been crazy to get to know her as they followed her around.
But here, she can be whoever she wanted.
"This is incredible, Damien," she said as Damien was smiling at his mate. He cannot think about anything but her happiness right now for he had declared that she will be his future mate and every unmated male will back off from her.
"You like it? I know you would enjoy this festival," he said as Anika turned. Her violet eyes were shining under the lanterns before Damien noticed that Sam and her best friend, Karisa Papadopoulos were talking to each other. They approached them as Sam was talking with Karisa. Then, she noticed Damien and Anika were walking toward her. She waved at them.
"Hey! So, how was your first Folk Festival experience?" Sam asked Anika before his mate was nodding at her.
"It was better than I would imagine and I cannot wait to explore more. Damien said that he had some traditions that he needed to attend and perhaps later we can explore something," she said as she smiled at him. Damien smiled back before Karisa was talking about something.
"I never thought that I would be here as my Papa always against it. And since he was passed out on the couch in the living room, it will be my time to get wasted tonight," Karisa cackled before Sam was shaking her head.
"You can't do that. How will you get home then?" she said as she was looking at her best friend. Karisa smirked.
"That's why I have you, bestie!" she shouted before Damien was pulling Anika away from that crazy woman.
"So, what will we have to do first?" she asked as he turned to look around. Damien did not see Caleb or Xavier as well as Arthur. Damn it, when I need them, they are not here, Damien cursed in his mind as he was looking around. Then, he saw someone that he did not expect to be at the festival at all.
"Sebastian?" he said as he was moving toward the man that was standing beside his sister. Sebastian Lykos has the authority to make sure that their mating bond was in place and considering that he was one of the officiates that can make a marriage legal in Paphos, Damien knew that it was his luck to have him here tonight.
"Sebastian, it's nice to see that you are out in the open. What brings you to the festival?" Damien greeted him as Sebastian turned to look at him. His red eyes were eerie but his friend smiled before he concealed the real color of his eyes. As an Ultima, he has the power to do it so that they looked like they're brown to the normal naked, human eyes.
"Damien. I'm surprised that you are here when you usually did not come here." He said before he noticed that Anika was standing beside the Delta of Shadow Pack. He arched his eyebrow before an amused smile on his lips.
'I need your help," Damien said in their mind link as the Ultima picked the thread.
'Is that why you come to me, Delta?' he asked before Damien sighed.
'Among other things. But I want to make sure that my mating bond with my mate is permanent and I want you to officiate our marriage so that Anika will think that we're legally married,' he said as Sebastian was arching his eyebrow.
"Are you a foreigner, Anika?" he asked before Anika jerked toward him. She did not know that Damien has introduced her to his friend by mind link but considering that Anika was not afraid of him when he transformed from a werewolf to a man, he knew that she would pick up about other things as well.
"Yes. I am Italian," she said as she was looking at Damien and Sebastian back and forth. Sebastian nodded before he was tapping his chin.
'I think the marriage can be legal tomorrow as I can prepare for the documents tonight but for the mating bond, we can put it in place and do the ritual now,' Sebastian said before Damien smiled and tugged Anika to follow them.
"Let's get married, my sweet," he said as Anika was walking beside him, trusting him that he will be the right man for her in this marriage for life.
*****
Anika did not know what to think but she knew that she was not nervous. She did not have cold feet when she was standing in front of Damien as they were holding hands and Sebastian was flipping some pages from a tome that looked like it's been ages ago.
"Ah! Here it is," the man said before he cleared his throat and spoke the words.
"Oh my Deity, hear me and hear me close. I have come to complete the mating bond that has been made for me and I will make sure to fulfill it. I promise myself to my mate that you have chosen and I hope that you will bless this union. 'Ut benedicat tibi nio ho nuncet usque in aesternum'" Sebastian said as Anika felt something inside her snap. She was feeling a foreign sensation but she knew it must be something that related to the werewolves' folklore.
'Anika?' Damien's voice filled her mind as she turned to look at him. He smiled before he brushed his mind link to hers.
'I think you need to answer when I call after you,' he teased before she bit her lower lips.
'I don't know if it works but I gave it a try,' she said before Damien smirked as Sebastian was clearing his throat before pronounced that Damien and Anika were married by the werewolves' law.
'I love you,' Damien whispered as he leaned forward to kiss her.
'And I love you, Mr. Damien Laskaris, my tour guide,' she replied before their kiss was explosive as if the sensation that was inside her right now. Damien gripped her face with his hands before she was kissing him back with the same ferocity that left her breathless.
"Let's get out of here," she whispered as Damien was leaning against her forehead. He smirked before he pulled her away from Sebastian.
"You've read my mind, my sweet. Let's go home," he said before they were running through the forest as Damien led her to go to this place called home.