Chapter 5

‘Save him.... Don't save him' Rieka went through this internal war in her head, staring at the bleeding person before her. She was wondering how someone who was supposed to be in another village was right in front of her, wounded and bleeding. Rieka wanted to turn and walk away from him, but her leg refused to move away. It was as if something was tying her to that spot and telling her that she won't go anywhere if she didn't save the person on the floor. 'I'm not really sure it's him. It might be some random child who just coincidentally looks like him," Rieka said to herself. ‘Hah, some random child, falling from the skies? Covered in blood? I bet if his cloak opens you will see his platinum blonde hair', her inner mind said. And just like a prophecy, the wounded person on the floor turned and the head of his cloak fell off, revealing dazzling Platinum blonde hair that was almost white. The almost white treshes glowed in the dark, a symbol of the werewolves with royal bloodline. 'What do I do now? I don't want to repeat what happened last time...." Rieka thought, biting her fingernails worriedly. ‘Save him. Who knows what might happen? Since you already know what will happen in the future, you can use this opportunity to have an upper hand' Her inner mind which had proven to be much more smarter than Rieka suggested, making her sigh in acknowledgment. …. 'You are so stupid Rieka." This was the umpteenth time that Rieka was spitting this at herself. She slowly poured the warm water that had been boiling for sometime into a bowl, carrying it into the warm room. She looked at the figure on the bed and a look of irritation crossed her features. She walked towards him, placing the bowl on the table. 'You should get up and take this, I saved you, don't expect me to be the one to feed you too" she mumbled to herself. Staring intensely at the unconscious child who has unceremoniously occupied her bed. She itched to wake him up but she didn't dare to, especially now that she has confirmed who he was. Rieka couldn't believe that what she was avoiding had actually happened. She has fled from her hometown all because she wanted to avoid her fate, but it seemed as if an invisible power was operating behind the scene, forcing her to follow the trajectory of her previous life. Rieka could remember very well what incident had led to her marrying Ileus. It was an incident which had once been a thing of joy to her but later became the cause of her death. At the time, after she had failed in shifting, though she was disowned by her parents, but she refused to leave her home, she hung around, living in the alleys and sneaking in while no one was around. One night while she was going to her usual sleeping corner at the back of the house, she stumbled onto the comatose Ileus. She had saved him out of the goodness of her heart but she was more shocked when she found out that he was actually the Werewolf king. 'Urgh" The groaning coming from the bed jolted Rieka from her deep and depressing thoughts. She looked at the moving figure on the bed with deep thoughts. She still didn't believe that the king of werewolves was actually this cute looking, platinum-haired boy. Rieka watched with bated breath as Ileus' eyes fluttered open, revealing the pair of mismatched eyes blazing with anger. 'Before you go all Royal werewolf on me, know that I was the one that saved you," she said hurriedly. The disoriented Ileus who had just woken up from unconsciousness and was about to ask where he was closed his mouth and stared silently at Rieka. "How do you know that I belong to the royal family?" He asked, Ileus' voice came out in a childish tone, making him realize that he had actually reversed back to being a child due to his wounds. 'Your hair is like a walking billboard, telling the whole world who and what you are," Rieka said, handing him the warm bowl of water. "Thank the Moon Goddess you are awake. Now, I don't have to feed you anymore." Ileus ignored her, standing up from the bed hurriedly, not even wincing. 'You should lie down. You were badly wounded last night," Rieka said, moving forward in an effort to stop him but all she received was a scoff from the little person. 'I'm not some ordinary werewolf who would be down by some minor wounds" he said in an arrogant tone, pulling off the brown cloak he was wearing, revealing his smooth body except for some strange tattoos, he was flawless and spotless. Rieka removed her eyes in embarrassment. Though the person in front of her was in the body of a little child, he was a full fledged adult and someone she had once called husband in her last life. Ileus didn't notice her strange state of mind, instead he walked towards her, placing a gold ring in her hand. 'You have saved a member of the royal family today. You will be rewarded for your good deeds" After saying this, he disappeared into thin air, leaving nothing behind except for the golden ring which had now been warmed by Rieka's skin. Rieka stared at the piece of jewelry in a daze, caressing the smooth edges. She could swear in her past life that Ileus had never given her anything like a ring. Was…she really escaping from her fate....or was she being pulled back right into it?