The Lycan King's Fate Calling (Shawn Gibson and Sylvia)

Rufus' POV:

I immediately accosted the attending physician as soon as I arrived at Crystal's palace, and asked him about her condition. I didn't let my worry ease up until he reassured me that she was on the mend. I dismissed the doctor and all the servants from the room. I was alone with Crystal.

I gazed down at her delicate face and slowly took in her unique scent. Why had I never realized how good she smelled before? It felt like... Home. Like it was where my soul belonged.

"Do you feel it as well, Rufus?" Omar piped up out of the blue. "Crystal's scent is pleasant and so familiar. It reminds me of something, I just don't know what."

"What's the first thing that you think of?" I asked him.

Omar was silent for a while, as though giving it a long, hard thought. "I... I don't know. I can't remember. But I like the way she smells."

His response did not surprise me. If I couldn't remember Crystal's scent, then neither would he.

Omar would naturally be attuned to my emotions, especially toward other people.

I took Crystal's hand and stared at the tiny dimple at the back of her thumb. It occurred to me then that every part of her was beautiful. Even a single, tiny dimple in her hand was so alluring.

"I know that you're hiding something from me," I murmured, stroking her fingers one by one. "I may have lost my memories, but I'm certain that we knew each other in the past. I'm waiting for you to wake up and give me a proper explanation. Your children... You sure put a lot of effort in hiding them from me. But I won't let you fool me anymore."

Exhaustion soon took over me, and before I knew it, I was fast asleep.

I had a dream.

I was back in the palace where I used to reside in when I was still a prince.

It was completely different from the palace that I currently knew. In the dream, the place was warm and bright, and full of life.

I walked along the corridor to the

small garden in the courtyard, and sure enough, the she-wolf was there, waiting for me. She was on the swing, turching back and forth wind played with her skirt and the tendrils of her hair. I still couldn't

make out her face, but /dn't

her

breathtaking.

The scene felt so real that for a moment, I doubted that I was still dreaming.

"Who the hell are you?" I rasped before I could stop myself.

The she-wolf put her feet down, and the swing stopped short. She dusted her skirt and skipped over. She stopped fight in front of me and cocked her head to the side. "What's

the matter, Rufus? I just senat's

M

you out

to buy chestnuts. What took you so long?"

"Chestnuts?" I asked in confusion, only to realize that I was holding a bag of roasted chestnuts in one hand.

The she-wolf scoffed before taking the bag from me. She skillfully peeled a chestnut and popped it into my mouth, catching me off-guard.

I froze for a second, then angrily crushed the nut between my teeth. I had almost been distracted again. "Tell me who you are!" I demanded.

"What's this? Do you want to do a bit

of role play again? Then guess." The snarky she-wolf didn't even look at me and just peeled one chestnut after another. Now and then, ske would feed me, but she mostly gobbled them up.

Within minutes, she had eaten half of the bag.

Losing my patience, I grabbed her wrist with one hand and raised her chin with the other. "Stop toying with me, Crystal. It's you, isn't it?"