Chapter 42: Chapter 42

Adelie

I woke up, my forehead slick with sweat. The blanket was too heavy, too warm.

I glanced over, but Kairos wasn’t there. I lifted my head, scanning for his training boots in their usual spot, but they were missing. I glanced at the wall clock and realized I’d overslept for training.

He didn’t wake me up!

I rose, my ankle still tender. On my bedside table, a white card caught my eye. It read, ~Forget about training. Rest for now. There’s always tomorrow.~

I sank back onto the bed with a sigh. Maybe it wasn’t wise to push my leg just yet.

I tried to walk, and it wasn’t too bad. I just couldn’t run. I got ready for the day and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast until Kairos returned.

While he was in the shower, I wandered back to our room. I noticed unusual activity outside. Raphael was directing people, pointing and giving orders.

Were they building something? I leaned against the window, trying to make sense of it all.

I heard Kairos emerge from the shower. Without turning, I asked, “What are they doing?”

He joined me at the window, his presence warm beside me. “I was going to tell you. It’s a spur-of-the-moment idea from Archibald, but it might be a good one. We’re planning a celebration,” he explained.

“A celebration?” I echoed. “For what?”

He shrugged. “No particular reason. But why not? Midsummer is near. Let’s celebrate that. We’ve got entertainers coming: jugglers, fire benders, even fortune-tellers.”

I felt a surge of excitement. “Can I help?” I asked, already heading for the door, but Kairos stopped me.

“Rest one more day, so you can fully enjoy the festivities without your leg bothering you.”

“I’m fine,” I insisted, rolling my eyes.

“Don’t roll your eyes at me. I know what’s best. Rest today,” he insisted.

I smirked and moved towards the door. “Thanks, Mom, I’m fine,” I teased. But he caught me by the waist, lifting me off my feet and tossing me onto the bed. He leaned over me, taking my breath away.

“Do you want me to tie you down?” he threatened, a blush creeping up my cheeks. His hand slid down my side, causing me to arch my back slightly.

I parted my lips, letting out a heated breath. “Maybe,” I replied, noticing the glint in his eyes.

He swiftly pinned my wrists above my head, his weight pressing down, making escape impossible.

He straddled me, his legs on either side, effectively trapping me. His free hand traced my bare collarbone, his fingertips gliding over my pounding heart, causing me to draw in a shaky breath.

His fingers met fabric, halting his touch at my cleavage.

Just as quickly, he slid his hand back up to where my neck met my ear, cupping my face, his lips locking onto mine—his tongue claiming me.

We moved together, him leading, me following. I would follow him anywhere, with every fiber of my being.

He was my everything, my only source of laughter, my only shade of blue—the spark in my ashes. My moon in the early morning, so distant, yet so near.

He pulled away, and suddenly, the world resumed its normal pace. Time moved on. He released my hands, and I rested them on his shoulders.

“I need to go,” he said, climbing off the bed and heading for the door.

A gasp escaped my lips. He couldn’t just leave me like this. He opened the door, turned back to give me one last smirk, and then he was gone, leaving me flushed and breathless.

The thought of him having the power to unravel me was terrifying. I was entirely his. He held my heart, and I was willing to let him shatter it for fleeting moments of joy.

I was deeply in love with him.

Kairos didn’t want me to assist with the preparations due to my injured leg, but I could observe from my window.

White tents were being erected, and lanterns were strung throughout the pack. A smaller tent with a dark mesh cover bore a wood-burned sign that read, ~Mister Houdini, Fortune-Teller~

Fortune-tellers could be entertaining, but if he could predict the future, he was more than a fortune-teller. He was a witch with the Sight.

Or he could just be a fortune-teller, deceiving everyone with fabricated tales. What kind of Houdini was he, enticing people with a renowned name?

I found it hard to trust someone who adopted the name Houdini.

As time went on, my window offered a view of more and more activities. A stage was set up for a contortionist. I could see him, and he was clearly not human. No human, no matter how flexible, could bend like that.

His face was odd, disproportionate, and seemed hollow. From my vantage point, it appeared as though he had no eyes.

When night fell, people began to gather for the carnival-like festival. There were merry-go-rounds and cotton candy stands for the kids and adult-oriented attractions at the tables.

A suspicious-looking man with a spell book in his hand stood in a corner, draped in a loose coat.

Dancers leaped and twisted on a stage, playfully frightening passersby by hissing at them with their snake-like tongues. Blue, purple, and yellow lights hung from the trees, and fairies played music near the stage.

I quickly stood up and changed into my turquoise dress with a large bow at the back. I styled my hair into two Dutch braids with a few loose strands and tucked some flowers into them.

I descended the stairs and could hear the muffled music playing even behind these walls. The exterior doors swung open.

“Just in time,” Kairos said, extending his hand, which I accepted. “Were you planning to go without me?” he asked, planting a swift kiss on my lips.

“You took too long. Everything has already begun, and I’m still moping indoors,” I complained, but he just chuckled.

“Nothing has started. You have no idea,” he said, guiding me out along the lantern-lit path where members of our and Archibald’s packs were mingling and laughing.

Children were darting about, one nearly colliding with us. “Hey pup, watch out,” Kairos called after him as he scampered off with his friends.

Beside us, a woman in a red leotard spewed fire into the air. I clung tighter to Kairos’s arm in excitement.

We were nearing the heart of the festivities when a booming voice resonated from the speakers.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Alpha Kairos and Luna Adelie Garcia!” he announced, and everyone erupted in cheers.

Fire erupted all around us, and fireworks burst in the sky. I thought the place was already brilliantly illuminated until even more lights ignited, one after another like dominos.

The music volume increased, and the gymnasts beside me started performing stunts, tossing each other around and executing perilous flips in the air.

“Who orchestrated all of this?” I asked in wonder.

“Initially, Archibald summoned a lot of people, but then I warmed up to the idea and called some of my contacts. I thought you would enjoy it, so...” he said. “As long as you like it, I believe it was worth it.”

“I love it,” I responded and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

I spotted the fortune-teller’s tent where a crowd had gathered and pulled Kairos closer. They were all standing around, peering inside to see what was happening.

The fortune-teller was making exaggerated gestures with his hands towards the woman seated opposite him.

“I foresee great things for you. Fame,” he said, leaning in close to her face. “Your life is like a movie scene,” he said, and the woman blushed, attempting to suppress her laughter.

Being a werewolf and a movie star was a near-impossible feat.

The man sprang up. “You shine like a star,” he complimented. The woman, a bit older, merely rolled her eyes and dismissed him with a wave of her hand.

“Enough of this,” she retorted, standing up.

“Scram, foxy,” the man retorted, earning a chuckle from the crowd.

“Who’s up for a fortune reading from the great Houdini?” he asked, his audacity to use that name making it hard to take him seriously.

“How about you, muscle man?” he asked a young omega, clasping his hands together. “Fancy carrying me to my table?”

He then turned to an elderly woman. “Or perhaps you, young lady, would like to ask your mother if you can dance with me?” He stole a quick peck on her cheek.

The crowd, of course, loved the attention from the jester.

As the night wore on, I noticed more performers: storytellers spinning magical tales and witches casting spells that resulted in dazzling lights and small explosions.

Kairos was with me the entire time. As night turned into morning, some people began to leave, but many still lingered.

The performers were packing up, but there was one thing I was still curious about. “Let’s check this out,” I suggested to Kairos, pointing at the fortune-teller’s tent.

“You do realize these guys are all frauds, right?” he asked, skeptical. But it wasn’t about belief for me. I was just curious.

We entered the tent to find a man packing up his things.

“A bit late, aren’t we?” he asked, his back to us as he fiddled with something in his wooden chest. A small table with a crystal ball sat in the center of the tent.

The tent poles were adorned with an assortment of odd rocks, dolls, herbs, and crystals.

“Could you do a reading for me?” I asked. He turned to look at me.

“For Luna Adelie, I’d be curious myself,” he replied, standing up and straightening his overly formal jacket.

His long, dark beard reached his waist. His eyebrows were thick and low, but his head was mostly bald.

“I never thought I’d have this honor,” he said, placing one chair in front of the table and another opposite it.

“One chair for one energy source. I don’t do groups,” he said, glancing at Kairos over his round glasses.

I looked at Kairos. He didn’t seem keen on staying, but he asked me, “You want to do this?”

I shrugged. “It’s entertaining,” I replied, smirking. Kairos shot the man a warning look before turning back to me.

“I’ll be outside,” he said.

“I don’t do this for entertainment. I do it for knowledge, to provide insight into the future and the inevitable.

“If you truly want to know your future, stay. But if this is just a game to you, I ask that you leave. Please respect the time and energy I put into enlightening people.”

His tone was serious, a stark contrast to his earlier jovial demeanor.

I hadn’t expected him to take his readings so seriously.

The air seemed to grow colder, or maybe it was just my guilt for treating this as a game. Trying to shake off the feeling, I said, “I want to know what’s to come.”

He settled into one of the chairs, placing his hands on the table, and gestured for me to sit opposite him.

“Let’s begin.”