A Werewolf's Unexpected Mate-Chapter 140: The Bonds That Burn

•Meadowlark Village [Restaurant Inn]•

[Ovelia’s POV]

Gale’s hand was still cold in mine. His head rested heavily on my shoulder, his breathing deep and even, but the unnatural stillness of it was a constant, quiet worry. Around us, the private dining room of the restaurant inn was warm and smelled of polished wood, pre-seasoned broth from the central hotpot burner. We had all placed our orders for add-ins for the communal pot. For Gale, who remained unconscious, I had quietly asked for a sweet pudding. He likes desserts, I reasoned, a small, hopeful gesture in the face of his exhaustion. Now, we were waiting, the silence comfortable but charged with the unspoken events of the evening.

My gaze drifted across the table to Ann. She was watching me, a soft, unguarded smile on her usually solemn face. Her black eyes held a warmth that eased some of the tightness in my chest.

"That rose hairpin looks very good on you, my lady," she said, her voice gentle.

My hand flew up, my fingers brushing the cool metal and smooth enamel of the pin. "Thank you," I murmured, feeling a familiar heat rise in my cheeks. I looked down at the wooden grain of the tabletop.

When I glanced up again, she was still looking at me, her smile now touched with a knowing, playful glint. "So... what happened on your... date with Sir Ace?" she asked. The slight pause before ’date’ was deliberate, a gentle tease.

"Uhm..." I began, my mind suddenly blanking as I felt Ace’s presence beside me like a physical force. "We just—"

"We just walked around. Shared some food. That’s all," Ace interjected, his voice calm but he wasn’t looking at us; his silver eyes were fixed on the darkened window, as if still scanning for threats.

"Yes," I added quickly, latching onto his summary. I made myself meet Ann’s eyes again, letting my genuine happiness show. "And it was fun."

Suddenly, Ace’s hand came down, his fingers gently ruffling my hair in a brief, wordless gesture before he returned his hand to his lap. He didn’t look at me, but the action spoke volumes. Ann’s smile widened into something truly radiant, her earlier teasing replaced by pure, sisterly delight.

"I’m very happy to hear that," Ann said, her voice full of sincerity.

My attention was pulled then to Ray, sitting across from Ace. He had been quietly observing, but now his orange eyes were fixed on me, their usual easygoing glint replaced by a focused seriousness.

"Ovelia," he began, his voice low and direct. "What happened earlier? How did you get separated?" He leaned forward slightly, his broad shoulders blocking out part of the lantern light behind him. "Did someone try to take you? Was there a struggle?"

I shook my head quickly, the memory of my own foolishness washing back in a hot wave of shame. "No one took me. It was... it was my own mistake." I looked down at my lap, at my free hand clenching the fabric of my skirt. "I followed the wrong person. From behind, his clothes, his build... he looked similar to Ace, and I just... I just followed him without thinking. By the time I realized he was a stranger, I was completely lost in the crowd." I forced myself to look back up, meeting their concerned stares, wanting to take responsibility. "I’m so sorry for all the worry and trouble I caused—"

"It was my fault," Ace cut in, his voice leaving no room for my apology as he finally turned from the window to look at me. "I was distracted. I should never have let you out of my sight. Not for a second."

But it was also my fault, I thought miserably. For not paying attention, for not calling out sooner, for being so easily confused in a crowd. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"We’re just glad you weren’t hurt," Ray said, his voice softening. The intense interrogator was gone, replaced by the protective older-brother figure. "That’s the only thing that matters."

Their forgiveness, their immediate shift from worry to relief, was a balm. I managed a small, genuine smile, feeling the knot of guilt in my stomach loosen slightly. I am so lucky to be with them.

[Ace’s POV]

I watched the brief exchange, the simple happiness on Ovelia’s face as she interacted with Ann, the quick flash of shame and then relief. It was a vulnerability that made my chest ache. But the practical, strategic part of my mind couldn’t let the evening’s other events go unexamined. The festival had been more than just a backdrop for our personal drama.

I turned my gaze from Ovelia to Ray and Ann, my expression shifting into something more neutral, more commanding. "What did you two find during your search?" I asked, keeping my voice low but clear. "You weren’t just looking for Ovelia the whole time, were you?"

The atmosphere at the table cooled instantly. Both Ray and Ann’s faces smoothed into masks of professional severity. The ease of the moment vanished, replaced by the grim reality of our larger mission.

"So... you were all gathering information," Ovelia whispered beside me, her voice full of sudden understanding. Her eyes darted between us, seeing the hunters beneath the friend’s facade.

Before either Ray or Ann could formulate a response, the sliding door to our private room whispered open. The human male server, a young man with a cheerful demeanor, entered carrying a large, laden tray that steamed with promise.

"Here is your order!" he announced brightly, expertly unloading an array of small ceramic bowls and plates onto the table with practiced clinks: ruby-red slices of marbled beef, a huge, glistening portion of bear paw, vibrant bunches of leafy greens, meaty mushrooms, a bowl of grated cheese, coils of translucent noodles, and an assortment of small dishes holding spicy pastes, crushed garlic, and fragrant herbs. The rich, savory smell of the pre-seasoned broth in the central hotpot intensified, becoming almost intoxicating.

My attention, however, was pulled back to Ovelia. As the server worked, her whole face had transformed. Her eyes widened, taking in the colorful spread. A smile, pure and uncomplicated by fear or guilt, blossomed on her lips. It was the look of someone anticipating a simple, profound pleasure. I could watch that expression a thousand times and never grow tired of it, I thought, a strange, warm sensation momentarily displacing the cold focus in my gut.

[Ovelia’s POV]

The server finished arranging the feast with a final, polite bow. "Please enjoy your meal. Call if you need anything more."

"Thank you," I said to the server, my voice laced with genuine excitement. He slid the door shut with a soft shoosh, leaving us in our aromatic, lantern-lit cocoon.

The table was now a beautiful, delicious landscape. I was just about to reach for my chopsticks when a low, pained groan cut through the quiet.

"Argg..."

It came from Gale. My head snapped toward him. His face, which had been a placid mask of exhaustion, was now contorted. His eyebrows were drawn together in a deep furrow, his lips pulled back from his teeth in a silent snarl of agony. His eyelids fluttered but didn’t open; he was trapped in whatever nightmare held him.

"Gale?" I asked, my voice tight with alarm. I leaned closer. The skin of his hand in mine was no longer just cool—it was clammy, beaded with a sudden, cold sweat.

"Ovelia, what’s happening?" Ray asked immediately, his chair scraping back as he rose to a half-crouch. Beside him, Ann’s body coiled with readiness. I felt, rather than saw, Ace surge to his feet beside me, his presence becoming a solid, protective wall.

"I... I can feel it," I whispered, my own breath catching in my throat. A sharp, jagged spike of pain—alien and corrosive—lanced through the quiet connection of our bond. It wasn’t a physical ache, but a cold, psychic throb that made the base of my skull feel like it was cracking.

Then, it erupted. A searing, branding heat exploded in my left eye, as if a live coal were being driven directly into the iris. Simultaneously, a crushing, suffocating weight settled on my chest. I could feel the familiar’s sigil on my left eye activating violently on its own, the broken golden threads slowly connecting, pulsing with distressed energy as they drained something from me to reach for him.

"Ovelia, let go of his hand! Now!" Lady Firera’s voice was a desperate shout in the confines of my mind, sharp with an urgency I had never heard from her before. "I will try to handle the rest from here. Break the physical link!"

The command cut through my confusion and rising panic. The pain in my eye was blinding. Gale’s silent suffering in the bond was a scream. A vision started to form in my head, only to vanish instantly, as if Lady Firera were preventing me from seeing it.

"Gale!" I cried out, my voice raw and too loud for the small room. "Wake up!" I didn’t let go of his hand. Instead, I held on tighter, as if I could physically pull him back from whatever torment held him.