Chapter 77: Chapter 77

JONEA

“We live together!” Owen said, throwing his arm over my shoulder. He grinned widely at Hunter, full of confidence. “Isn’t that right, Jonea?” he whispered to me, as if to emphasize our closeness.

“What? You live together? Jonea, that’s not true, is it?” Hunter’s face showed confusion, maybe even hoping I would deny it. But I stayed silent.

“Hunter, I don’t owe you any explanation,” I finally said calmly. “It’s late, you should head back. I’m going home too.” Then I glanced at Owen. “And stop joking around!”

I turned and left the both of them.

“Jonea, wait!” Owen called, running after me. “Come on, I was just kidding. Why so serious? Are you really mad about what I said?”

I quickened my pace, ignoring him.

“I wasn’t lying, was I? We do live under the same roof! Why are you mad? I was just telling the red wolf the truth. Besides, why does he keep bothering you?”

I stopped abruptly and turned to face him. “Please, stop. I don’t want to joke or talk about anything today. I just want to go home and rest.”

Owen raised both hands as if surrendering. “Alright, alright. I was only sent to pick you up and make sure you get home safe.”

I stopped again, and this time, Owen bumped into my back. I shot him a sharp look.

“Ow, why’d you stop suddenly? That’s not my fault!” he grumbled.

“You said you were sent to pick me up? By who? Was it Daran?”

Owen rolled his eyes. “Who else but that old lycan? I’ve told him a thousand times already—you’re old enough to take care of yourself...”

I didn’t bother listening to the rest of Owen’s rant. I sprinted back home, eager to find Daran and confront him. I was tired of him avoiding me without telling me what I’d done wrong.

Panting, I pushed open the door to Daran’s study. He looked up from the book he was reading, surprised to see me. Without asking for permission, I walked right up, pulled out the chair across from him, and sat down.

“Daran!” I said, breathless. “Like you said, I know we got involved accidentally. And I know we shouldn’t care about each other. But do you know what? I can’t do that.” Tears stung my eyes. “I wish things could be like they used to. What am I supposed to do?”

“Jonea?” Daran said, as if to stop me.

But I didn’t want to stop. There was too much I needed to say before I regretted it, before I lost the chance to tell him.

“You said you felt comfortable around me, that I wasn’t a problem for you. You said the blood moon wasn’t the only reason you were kind to me. How can such a powerful lycan king just... change his mind like—”

I cut myself off, exhaling sharply.

I tried to find the right words. “Do you think you can just change your mind because you’re not human? You can’t just ignore me and pretend I don’t exist when things are perfectly fine between us.”

“Jonea... I thought maybe it’d be better if I distanced myself from your life. But it seems like that only made you worry more. I thought you wanted to be free and return to the man you’ve been searching for all this time. I’m sorry.”

Without realizing it, I was clutching the edge of my sweater. So, this was all because of Aland? Daran thought I didn’t want to feel trapped by the contract we made? He thought I wanted to be free to go back to Aland?

“If that’s the case, I’m sorry too,” I finally said. “Let’s just go back to how we were. I’ll head to my room and rest. But talk to me. Worry about me, like you used to.”

I grabbed my bag and stood to leave. But just before I reached the door, something made me turn around. I went back to my seat across from him. I stared at Daran, and he stared back. We didn’t say anything for a long while, just silently looking at each other.

Finally, Daran placed his hands on the table and spoke in a calm voice. “How was your day? With the red wolf?”

I almost cried again. Damn it, why did my tears keep threatening to fall? But I forced a smile and nodded. “It was... okay.”

“What’s wrong? Did he do something to you again?” Daran’s voice sounded tense. “You can tell me, like always. I’ll deal with him right now if you want.”

I shook my head. “No, he was actually nice today. He promised he wouldn’t do anything I didn’t like. Even if he’s lying, I can handle it. I’m ready to kill him if he touches me again.”

Daran nodded. “I believe that. He has feelings for you, after all.”

My eyes widened. Is it really that obvious to everyone?

“Don’t act like I don’t know,” Daran said casually. “It’s clear as day. He adores you.”

I felt awkward. “I’m not sure. I don’t think it’s true. But if he does have feelings for me... it’s weird.”

“Weird? Why?” Daran asked, genuinely curious.

“I just don’t know what it means to like someone. He doesn’t even know everything about me, so how can he like me? What if he expects something from me that I can’t give? What am I supposed to do?”

“There’s always a kind of madness in love,” Daran said softly. “Liking someone means misunderstanding them in your own way. What I mean is, you can be someone’s Cinderella, and that’s no misunderstanding.”

“Why Cinderella?” I asked.

“You probably think the prince only saw Cinderella’s beauty before midnight. But even after he discovered she was just a commoner, he still loved her. Because what he really fell in love with was everything she is. The sound of her heels on stone, the warmth of her breath, maybe even the way her hair moves when she walks. The prince always wonders, why is it only her that makes him feel like this? Why is it only her he loves? Why does she drive him mad? But that’s just how it is. Falling in love is never wrong for anyone who feels it.”

Wow. That gave me chills.