Nikolai raged inside the cave, unable to believe what he had just read.
"Are you telling me I can't have sex with my newly resurrected Luna? We are already legally married!"
Giovani tried to calm my husband. "Nikolai, I understand your situation, but we can't afford to lose the Moon Goddess again. The Wolfenstein group has been in exile for two years, and since the Moon Goddess's death, The Great Father is furious with our clan. If he finds out the Moon Goddess has reincarnated into a woman within our clan, it could be our only chance to reclaim our rights without further exile. We are lucky fate has sent this girl to us and brought the Moon Goddess's blessing."
"But..."
Mr. Nikolai's tears couldn't be held back any longer. I saw him trying to stay strong, but the sadness in his expression was undeniable. He looked at me with sorrow while gripping my hand.
I sadly gazed at him. "Mr. Nikolai...?"
"I was so happy to have met you, oh my Luna. But now... I don't know what to do..."
He cried uncontrollably. I instinctively hugged his tall frame. His tear-filled emotions continued to soak my shoulder.
"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere, no matter what. We're married."
"I thought once you reincarnated into this woman's body, we could be together again. But fate is truly cruel. It's as if you're dead forever. Damn it! Screw you, Moon Goddess! This is all your fault!"
Suddenly, he shoved me, causing me to tumble to the ground.
"Hey, Nikolai, don't blame this woman. Whether you like it or not, she's your damn wife now. You should be grateful to meet your wife again, even in a different form."
"Shut the hell up, Nerfi! My wife has been dead for ages. This woman's presence changes nothing. It's all goddamn pointless!"
I didn't know what to do. My emotions were a whirlwind. It felt like I was facing the old Mr. Nikolai again. The cold, ruthless man. I had hoped our relationship could improve after freeing all his friends.
But somehow....
There was no progress. It was like we were right back where we started.
"Nikolai, my Alpha, you may not accept your current wife. But we can't just abandon her. Our entire fate rests in her hands." Said Giovani.
"That's your problem! I don't care anymore."
Everyone fell silent.
I fell silent.
No one dared to act while their leader was plunged into such deep despair. My husband strode back to the car with Clara. I still didn't know what to do. Should I follow him?
The headlights of Mr. Nikolai's car flooded the entire cave with light. We were all blinded. "What the hell are you doing in there, country girl! Get your ass in the car right now."
I glanced briefly at Giovani and the others. They nodded silently, indicating I should obey the man's command. Reluctantly, I walked out of the cave and climbed into the car. The murmurs of discontent from the eight people behind me reverberated through the cave.
"Now what are we going to do? Where are we going to stay, Giovani?" Nerfi demanded.
"We could make this cave our home."
"You won't survive the night in this creepy cave. Get your asses moving and follow me to my house in Calea București. There are plenty of damn empty rooms there."
Darn it! Mr. Nikolai had really reverted to his icy self. Oh God, I don't know if I can stomach dealing with this man in the future. He's rough even with his own family. What more with me, whom he hates to the core!
Our car tore through the streets at an insane speed. Eight werewolves trailed behind us, keeping pace effortlessly. Honestly, these werewolves could outrun this car if they well wanted to. But I guess none of them want to piss off their leader any further. It would be wise to give him some respect for now. And that goes for me too. I should just shut up during this ride.
Fifteen minutes later, we pulled up in front of Mr. Nikolai's mansion. The werewolves who had been chasing us transformed back into their human forms. They were all wide-eyed at the sight of Alpha's lavish home. As we entered, their jaws dropped at the sheer opulence inside.
"Looks like you've made quite a life for yourself in the human world, Nikolai," Giovani remarked.
But my husband still didn't utter a damn word. He marched straight to his room, ignoring everyone behind him. He brushed off Clara and me like we were nothing. I debated whether to follow him into the room or not.
Nerfi suggested I go to him. But Giovani beat me to it, striding towards Mr. Nikolai's room with an ancient scroll that remained sealed. I hadn't noticed the scroll earlier when he opened the box in the cave. Clara and I listened in on their conversation. From outside the door, obviously.
"Nikolai, I've brought something that might make you happy."
"What is it?"
"It's the last parchment from the box you didn't get to see. It contains rituals and worship dedicated to the Moon Goddess. It turns out the Moon Goddess can be reborn into her original form through the right ritual. If what this parchment says is true, we can release the soul of the Moon Goddess from your wife's body back to its original form."
"But didn't you say earlier that if she leaves my wife's body, she'll go insane and die?"
"That's if we don't release her soul properly. Essentially, the soul of the Moon Goddess cannot be trapped in a mortal body forever, she must return to her celestial realm on the moon to be our goddess once again."
"How do we do it?"
"According to this, we need to prepare a soul separation ceremony during the next blood moon. When that time comes, we must prepare both the body and the soul of the Moon Goddess to be reunited."
"The body? Where can we find her body?"
"After she died two years ago, her body was tightly sealed in the palace of The Great Father. We just need to persuade them to surrender it to us, and then we can proceed with the separation ceremony."
"I see. When will this blood moon occur?"
"By my calculations, it will happen two years from now."
"I don't know if I can wait that long."
"Don't worry about it now. Just live your life with your wife as usual. You two are still husband and wife, even if you can't be physically intimate with her. Until two years from now, all of us, especially you, must ensure Mei's safety."
"I understand."
Oh no! Mr. Nikolai spotted me eavesdropping from behind the door. He's walking towards the door!
"What are you doing here?" Damn it, I got caught red-handed.
"I'm sorry. I was just curious."
"Dad, please don't scold Mom," Clara intervened, trying to protect me.
But instead of scolding me, Mr. Nikolai walked out of the room to meet the werewolves who were relaxing elsewhere in the house.
"Listen up, all you werewolves! From now on, Mei Ling's safety is our top priority. Two years from now, we will perform a ritual to separate the soul of the Moon Goddess from my wife's body to its original form. Until that time, all of you must protect Mei from any danger that may threaten her. Sacrifice yourselves if necessary. If any of you dare to cross the line with her, behave disrespectfully, or treat her like an outsider, you'll answer to me, understand?"
"We're ready to execute! Long Live Fighter!" They all responded in unison.
They cheered happily without any clear reason. I suddenly felt uneasy about becoming the centerpiece of this family and having to be protected fiercely for the next two years. Hopefully, nothing will happen that requires them to sacrifice their lives for me.