A Werewolf's Unexpected Mate-Chapter 110: A New Normal Forged in Chaos

▪︎Reality▪︎

[Ovelia’s POV]

The world was a grotesque painting, every movement stretched and syrupy. I saw Ray, his face a mask of feral protectiveness, his claws extended and gleaming as they inched toward the glowing fairy. I saw Ann, a phantom of lethal grace, moving with impossible slowness to flank him, her dagger poised for a killing strike. Ace’s roar was a deep, distorted groan as he tried to shield me.

Then, a pulse of raw energy erupted from the center of the light. A gust of wind, tangible and solid, slammed into Ray and Ann, throwing them back against the wagon walls with twin, sickening thuds.

The light from Gale intensified, becoming a small, brilliant star in the center of our wagon. A thin, incandescent beam of pure white light shot from his chest, connecting directly to my left eye. A searing, branding pain shot through my skull, so sharp I gasped. Just as suddenly, the pain vanished, replaced by a strange, cool sensation. The silver chains wrapped around my wrists dissolved into shimmering motes of dust.

Time snapped back to its normal rhythm with a jarring suddenness.

I touched my left eyelid, half-expecting to feel burnt flesh, but my skin was smooth. The world, however, was different. I could see a subtle, flowing energy emanating from everything. A soft, silver-blue clung to Ace, a steady, earthy brown to Ray, a flickering, shadowy violet and black to Ann, and a swirling, vibrant green to Gale. Is this what Gale called aura?

Gale looked at me, dazed. "How can mana flow through—" he began, but his words were cut off.

"Her left eye! What did you do to her?!" Ace snarled, his body positioned squarely between me and the fairy, his claws fully extended and his voice a guttural threat.

Ray said nothing, but his glare was a promise of violence, his own claws still bared, his muscles coiled.

In the space of a single heartbeat, Ann was a blur of motion. She reappeared directly behind Gale, the point of her dagger pressed against the base of his tiny wing. "Don’t move," she said, her voice colder than winter iron. "This time, I will not miss."

This was the second time I had seen Ann so utterly serious, her usual calm replaced by a killing intent so sharp it made the air feel thin. A shiver of primal fear traced its way down my spine.

Gale let out a long, weary sigh. "She just became my master," he stated, his voice flat with exhaustion.

The declaration landed in the wagon like a physical blow. All of us stared, their anger and fear momentarily frozen by sheer shock.

"How?" I managed to whisper, my voice hoarse. "I just gave you a name."

Gale flew toward me, weaving around Ace’s protective stance, and settled gently on my lap. At the sight, Ann slowly lowered her dagger. Ray and Ace retracted their claws, their bodies still tense but no longer poised to strike. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Gale crossed his arms, a picture of grumpy resignation. "Besides stripping my name and exiling me, our Queen placed a powerful geas upon me: the first person to bestow a new name upon me would become my master," he explained. "You spoke the name. The pact is sealed."

"Why didn’t you say that earlier?!" Ann’s words were sharp.

"Because as much as possible," Gale replied, meeting her glare without flinching, "I wanted to keep it a secret."

"So you’re like her pet now," Ace said, a sharp, mocking smile playing on his lips, clearly aiming to provoke the fairy.

Gale, however, just smirked, a flash of his old defiance returning. "Ha! I don’t mind." He seemed pleased when Ace’s smile tightened in irritation. "You all are going to need to protect me, after all."

"Why would we need to protect you?" Ray asked, his arms crossed over his broad chest.

"Being my master has a price," Gale said, his tone turning grim. "Our lives are now bound. If I die, she dies. And if she dies... I die."

A wave of cold horror washed over me. "I’m so sorry, Gale," I said, my voice thick with regret as I looked down at him in my lap. "I should have listened to you before I gave you the name. I’ve trapped you."

[Gale’s POV]

I didn’t know why, but hearing Ovelia’s sincere apology sent a strange warmth through me, even though I had just accepted my fate. It was the first time anyone had expressed regret on my behalf.

I looked up at her face, at the genuine worry in her red eyes. "I would rather be your familiar than belong to some random stranger," I said, and found I meant it. "Also, this makes it much easier for me to absorb your aura. The connection is clearer."

"Do not take her for granted," Ace warned, his voice a low growl. His possessiveness was amusing. I decided to simply ignore him.

I flew up until I was level with Ovelia’s face. The familiar sigil, a delicate, Celtic-like knotwork in shimmering prism like my wings, was now faintly visible on her left iris. "Ovelia, close your left eye," I instructed.

"What are you going to do to her?" Ann demanded.

I glanced at her, her hand still resting on the hilt of her dagger. "Just relax, alright?" I said, then turned back to Ovelia, who obediently closed her left eye. "You might see a thin, glowing golden thread in the darkness. Focus on it. Feel its connection, and then, in your mind, break it. Then open your eye."

She nodded, her brow furrowed in concentration. A moment later, her eye fluttered open. The sigil on her iris had faded away. I could feel the surge of power that had been flowing into me ebb away, returning my strength to its normal, stable level.

"Now I can’t see the different colors flowing in the air anymore," she whispered, sounding almost disappointed.

So, the sigil allowed her mana to flow over her body, perceive auras, and channel her mana to me. But even a human with a fairy familiar shouldn’t have mana veins. Was that the old hag’s doing?

"Remember that feeling," I told her. "To activate the sigil, you must find and reconnect to that golden thread. Once the sigil is activated, even if I’m far away, you can speak my name to summon me for protection—especially if you are in danger."

She nodded, a look of determination settling on her features.

I felt Ann moving toward me and deftly dodged out of the way.

She wrapped her arms around Ovelia in a tight, protective embrace. "I can protect Lady Ovelia," she stated firmly, shooting a glare my way. "You just focus on protecting yourself."

Ovelia’s cheeks became pink and she stroked Ann’s hair as if she were comforting a younger sister. "Thank you, Ann."

"Oh, ahh, jealous mutt," I teased, laughing as Ann’s glare intensified.

Ray stretched his arms wide, a loud, comfortable pop coming from his shoulders. "Gale," he said, a genuine, easy-going smile on his face. "Now I’m sure you’re not a threat to us. Welcome. You’re part of this family now."

"Family." Both Ovelia and I said the word at the same time, as if realizing its weight for the first time in a long while. Then Ovelia and Ann both looked at me and smiled.

I looked at Ace. He simply gave a curt, respectful nod and a small, barely-there smile that held no mockery.

I felt a genuine smile spread across my own face. "Maybe being part of your family won’t be so bad after all," I admitted.

"Now our stomachs are full and our family is bigger," Ray announced, clapping his hands together. "Let’s continue our journey."

He returned to the driver’s seat, took the reins, and with a gentle click of his tongue, set the horses in motion. Ann and Ovelia began arranging the empty lunchboxes, their movements falling into a comfortable, shared rhythm. Ace leaned back against the wagon wall, his silver eyes watching the road ahead, a quiet vigilance in his posture.

This family, I thought, feeling the gentle sway of the wagon and the warmth of the people around me. Maybe this won’t be so bad. It was a strange feeling, this fragile sense of belonging. Annoyingly, I found myself... not hating it.

I flew up and settled comfortably on top of Ovelia’s head, nestling into her soft hair. "This spot is mine now," I declared, shooting a triumphant look at Ann.