The Moon's Betrayal

She shouldn't feel comfortable with the man in front of her, but seeing his smile and just listening to his voice made her arousal grow.

"Your scent. It's captivating." He growled.

Her cheeks felt warm with the simple compliment she received from him. And her heart raced both from excitement and thrill.

"Well, I made sure I showered properly earlier." She wanted to scold herself because it sounded like a seduction rather than just a statement.

His face says it all. He was imagining her bathing with nothing but tiny droplets of water running through her body. She blushed, realizing what she just said.

He chuckled. "If you will get embarrassed after telling me how you shower, then next time maybe you can show me."

She was taken aback. He was literally asking her to take a bath with him. It was her first time meeting a man so bold. Lucian did not talk to her that way. He never actually talked to her though, except on the day that he killed her.

"I'm really not sure what you meant. Maybe it was because of my perfume." She commented.

Elias seemed lost with her words. She tried her best to show disinterest but at the same time leave something that he would not forget.

"Let's say I'm interested in you." He said without hesitation.

She sighed. "I'm sorry, but when you said you're interested. Did you mean romantically or just out of curiosity?"

Elias nodded. "I'm not sure what it is. But there is something in you that I was drawn to. I think I was charmed as soon as I laid my eyes on you."

"It's not just you, I get that a lot from men. So I always cover half of my face with a scarf. But as a werewolf, I still believe that we have a fated one. Our mate." She said, making her tone cold to show him that she didn't feel the same toward him.

Elias had no plan of giving up that easily. "I also believe in that. However, I am different. I am not just a werewolf."

She frowned. "You just told me that you are a werewolf."

"I do transform into one, but to be more accurate, I am a Lycan." He said.

It wasn't the first time she heard of it. Jolene and the women at the tavern told her about the Elysian royal family being Lycans. But she never paid attention because she thought they were the same species like the werewolves from Zedora.

"Looking at your face, I'm quite sure that you don't know anything about Lycans." Elias commented.

She felt a sudden regret in meeting him. Why didn't she ask Jolene what a Lycan was? She thought inwardly. And she realized to make the enemies her pawns in her game, she had to know every little detail about them.

"I don't blame you. I don't usually brag about my Lycan blood. But to put it simply, unlike normal werewolves, Lycans can choose their mates if they want to." He said.

"W—Wait! I'm confused. What are you implying?" She frowned.

Before Elias could answer, she heard someone running through the woods and fast approaching them. She wasn't sure who it was but all she could think about was to quickly get out of that place. She just started with her schemes and would not allow to be caught.

"I'm sorry. But I have to go." She whispered.

Elias was confused and tried to stop her by grabbing her by the wrist again. But out of reflex, she trampled on his feet and ran away from him as fast as she could.

The crown prince was skeptical if he would get mad at the woman he just met or would laugh about what she just did. He let his guard down and didn't see that coming. Or maybe he was just too occupied with the woman's charm and didn't expect she would trample on him.

"Elias! I've been looking for you for ages. Why did you suddenly run off without telling me? What if someone blasts you?" It was Triton.

He shook his head in disbelief. "I'm fine. I wanted to see the river because the townspeople said it was breathtaking."

"So, are you impressed? I don't understand why you love exploring nature. Did you find it enchanting?" Triton scolded him.

He smiled. "Yes. I found a gem."

Triton knew Elias for a long time so seeing him smile wildly was a surprise.

"A gem? You mean a girl?" He exclaimed.

Elias didn't respond but it was a confirmation that he did meet a woman. Triton bugged him about Helena, but he kept quiet, thinking that his friend might come to the inn to see her out of curiosity. And he felt like he wanted to keep Helena's beauty to himself.

"Jolene! I accept! I agree with your suggestion!" She shouted.

Jolene was startled when Helena came rushing inside her bedroom. She was panting and suddenly shouted at her.

"Calm down, girl!" Jolene said while handing her a glass of water.

She drank it all in one go and dropped the glass on the table. She let out a deep breath and beamed at Jolene.

"I accept your help! I will enter Elysium as a palace attendant." She said in a firm tone.

Jolene was quite surprised because she firmly declined the idea of getting inside the kingdom as a mere attendant.

"What made you change your mind?" Jolene asked, curiosity piqued.

"I met him. I met Elias Lagerfeld." She immediately answered.

Then she told Jolene everything that transpired in the river. Hope was all over Jolene's face after informing her of what happened.

"That's a great start! Even if that's a coincidence, I think the Moon Goddess is really helping you."

She smiled. "You think so?"

Jolene nodded. "This is our chance. Here."

She took a white envelope from Jolene and was surprised to see that it was a letter of acceptance from Elysium.

"How did you—"

"I'm not someone who easily gives up." Jolene smiled.

She was exhilarated and couldn't stop smiling while staring at the letter. In her mind was Elias' face and reaction once they saw each other again.