Soon, we are on our way towards the tribe of the Huldufolk.
Alpha is driving the vehicle with Lion beside him as they are intensely discussing something.
Sly had transformed into his dragon form and is flying outside trying to see if he can manage to catch the creatures who are spying on us.
After seeing me suffering and losing my sanity, the pack decided that they would quietly fight back as they can no longer tolerate seeing me getting tortured.
They began to make plans on killing the creatures at the palace who are torturing me, especially Maelsa.
Back at the palace, they cannot fight back as I am there and they are afraid that I might get killed or worse, as I am the noose that held everyone's neck.
The pack made a vow that they would find a way to break the cuff around my neck. As soon as the cuff is broken, blood will be spilled upon the perpetrators.
Ghost is on the roof of the vehicle, trying to keep watch just in case Sly might missed something.
Orm is keeping me company this time, his tail wrapping around us as he held me gently with my head on his chest, singing to me softly as I kept getting nightmares lately.
He nuzzled my face as he whispered all sorts of apologies, telling me that he's the cause of the chaos that happened at the fire dragon territory in which I covered his mouth and told him that it isn't his fault.
I explained to him that the dragon's territory has some sort of potent magical properties that may cause intense reaction to humans same like the control stone's possible effect to them.
As a magic user, he began to ask me questions as he admitted that his knowledge is still limited and there is much for him to learn about.
I told him about humans and the effects of magic towards them based on the fantasy books I read about, emphasizing on how it would affect me more as my previous world has no magic at all.
He began to look thoughtful in which he said that he would take note of that so he can protect me better in the future.
While nuzzling my face, he looked into my eyes, his eyes full of desire towards me in which he moved closer towards my face while I closed my eyes, anticipating for a kiss.
Um.
I'm waiting.
Where's the kiss?
I slowly opened my eyes and saw him grinning at me in which I felt myself turn red.
That's embarrassing!
Despite trying to free myself from him, I can feel his tail and his hold on me begin to tighten.
He placed his chin on my shoulder as he hugged me behind my back.
He continued to whisper into my ear his desire towards me, as he had been restraining himself from the start since he is afraid of being separated from me though he tried his best on letting me know his feelings.
With a serious look towards me, he told me how each night he looked at all my portraits that he made in secret inside his room, gazing upon my face as he kept yearning for me in secret.
After hearing him say that, I don't know if I want to see his room.
He said that he treasured all the little moments he have with me and kept thinking about it all the time.
With a soft voice, he told me that the blood bond is worth it as he can finally be much closer to me.
He promised me that he would do everything to make me happy and will make sure to complete the bonding first before performing the secondary mating ritual with me.
With a smile, he finally kissed me softly though it was quick.
He is such a tease.
But I like it though.
....
The Huldufolk's appearance are somewhat a bit similar to humans in their shape though they are a bit taller than most average humans.
They have pointed ears, a tail that looks a bit like a cow's tail and having grey eyes.
Not only the eyes but also their hair and what they wore as all of them wore the same color.
The best description of them would be the grey creatures.
You can easily distinguish the difference between a male and their female as the males have beards on their faces.
Orm carried me in his arms as the rest of the pack went ahead of us as they are trying to find the hut of the warrior that Aagon told them about.
A lot of the Huldufolk came out of their huts to stare at us, in which Orm covered my face with the hood of my cloak.
Um.
I can't see anything.
I can feel him chuckle in which his hold towards me begin to tighten.
He nuzzled my head as he began singing a song that made me yawn and snuggle towards him.
Then I dozed off.
....
When I woke up, it is Alpha who is holding me this time. He is still asleep yet he continued to hold me close to him.
I slowly sat up and saw Orm, Sly and Ghost surrounding me as they too are sleeping soundly.
Where is Lion?
I wonder where he is.
The windows of the vehicle are covered with curtains in which I cannot see outside.
He must be outside.
I went outside the vehicle and saw him sitting on the ground, watching the dark sky.
He must be engrossed with his thoughts as he didn't notice me approaching him behind his back.
Then i slowly embraced him from behind, giving him small kisses around his neck in which he immediately pulled me towards him and made me sit on his lap as he embraced me tightly.
I can feel his tears on my neck as he continued to cry silently, nuzzling my hair in which I can feel him kissing the back of my neck.
While wrapping my arms around his neck, I kissed the tears on his cheeks and placed my head on his shoulder.
After some time of embracing each other, he told me how the warrior's story sounds a bit like us though with a bit of difference.
Seeing me confused, he asked me if I listened to the warrior telling his story in which I shook my head and told him that I dozed off and didn't even see him.
Now it's him who looked confused as he tried to recall what happened earlier.
He suddenly realized that Orm and I didn't went inside the hut in which he just assumed us following them.
I asked him to tell him the story in which he shared to me what happened in the hut.
The warrior told them that he knows the area where we can find the magic stone though not its exact location. At least it can help narrow down our search as we have been travelling without a particular destination in mind.
But before telling us the location, we must do a task for him first. The task will be finding his mate's dead body.
While he was away during a minor tribal war with a rival tribe, his mate had died from a broken heart, thinking that he died during the war as someone lied to her. By the time he returned triumphant from the war, he received the news of his mate's death in which he learned that his mate's body is taken away by a monster.
He attempted to attack the monster to no avail, making it angrier instead and attacked the surrounding villages around its lair.
A lot of the villagers blamed him angrily, telling him that he is foolish for his actions without thinking of the consequences.
Now he's asking for our help in return for telling the area of the magic stone as according to him, it is a well kept secret for centuries.
But now, he is tired of everything as he cannot live much longer being separated from his mate.
....
I embraced Lion as he finished his story. He told me that he cannot stand the pain of being separated from me. He admitted that sometimes, he thought about everything that we've been through in which most of the time he wept as he still felt the pain, no matter how much time had passed.
Then he nuzzled my neck and licked it, telling me that it's his fault that I suffered a lot and that he is simply weak, unworthy of being my mate that he cannot protect me as I deserved to be protected.
Hearing that from him made me furious.
I grabbed his face and fiercely told him that I loved him for what he is, his flaws and all. I didn't blame him at all and would always continue to believe in him. I had and will always depend on him and he with me.
I continued on telling him with anger on my voice as I can feel tears flowing from my eyes, that I trusted him in everything, have always believed in him in which he broke my heart when he belittled himself earlier.
He was about to interrupt me when I angrily told him to shut up and let me continue talking.
Averting my eyes, I softly told him that I'm always on his side and that I will follow him everywhere and we are in this together as I will support him as I've always been.
Then I turned around and started to stand up when he pulled me back and embraced me tightly.
I squirmed as I tried to get out of his embrace, telling him that I'm angry at him in which he just chuckled.
He told me that he won't let me go and will always continue to hold on to me on this life until the end of eternity comes.
Deep. That was really deep.
He then began kissing my neck softly as he told me that hearing the words I said to him in anger gave him joy in knowing what I feel about him.
He touched the cuff around my neck in which he promised me that he will find a way to free me, just like what I did for him at the throne room.
But he's not free also! And I'm such a dummy for forgetting about my goal!
In a sudden rush of emotion, I grabbed his shirt, much to his surprise in which I kissed him passionately then stopped and reminded him that we are in this together and that he should never say again that he's unworthy of being my mate as he is my first and will continue to be my first.
Then I continued kissing him intensely and pushed him suddenly on the ground in which I hurriedly went back to the vehicle while he was still shocked on what I did and told him that I'm still angry at him and went inside the vehicle.