One, Two, and Three
Greece, 1354.
"Argh!!!"
"Oh, no! L-Leander!"
Lillianne screamed in horror as her mate fell into her arms. She noticed there was a sword that pierced his back. It went in too deep and reached his chest.
She shakingly looked around, watching their bare bodies soaked by hot blood. The liquid even seeped into the bed and splashed onto the walls.
What the hell happened?!
She and the Alpha King of the Notos Kingdom were initially in a passionate making-out session. After they let go of their clothes, they moved onto his bed. Leander was hungrily devouring her lips as she gripped his brown hair lock. It was the last moment she remembered before the nightmare occurred.
Still trembling, Lillianne shifted her attention to the back of her dying lover. There stood another male werewolf who made her gape in disbelief.
"Z-Zephyr? H-How could you? W-Why?" She was lost for words.
It can't be happening. He was someone she and Leander trusted the most. There was no way he would do something like this.
"It's your fault, sweety. You killed him," the Beta answered calmly with a grin.
"W-What?"
"You shouldn't make me jealous in the first place. Why didn't you choose me over him? I was always there for you, though. I have sacrificed so much for you. That's why you are the one to blame. I can't keep seeing you with him," said Zephyr, showing no regret at all.
Scotland, 1539.
"NO, Dashiell! LEANDER!!!" Lillianne hoarsely cried in agony. With all her might she tried to struggle from the grip that was shackling her, but she was so helpless. She can't do anything to save her lover who was being ripped apart by dozens of hungry werewolves in front of her.
According to their belief, a purebred werewolf king like Leander will experience three reincarnations after his unfortunate death. That made Lillianne work hard to reunite with him again.
Just two weeks ago she found him living as Dashiel, an ordinary young man from the countryside of Scotland. They even had just fallen in love again when her current mate Zephyr found out. The treacherous beta-turned-alpha wasted no time in killing him again.
"Why, Zephyr? Leander was your best friend. He trusted you so much. How do you have the heart to do this to him?" Lillianne cried miserably as she fell to the ground. Her lover was gone again and she knew that she had to wait hundreds of years to see him again.
"I told you the reason, sweetheart? Stop asking me to repeat it over and over," The current Alpha King of the Notos Kingdom replied coldly, unsympathetically looking at his mate who was sobbing under his feet.
"But I don't love you. I NEVER will! You will only make me hate you even more!" she shouted angrily.
"I don't care." He grinned again then knelt on the ground with her. He touched her face, forcing her to look at him. "You are mine now anyway. I've marked you. So, I suggest you to give up on him and love me instead."
He tried to kiss her but she ended up spitting in his face.
"No. That would never happen."
Korea, 1803.
"I am sorry, Prince Ki Yong. I am sorry because I failed to protect you." Lillianne was seen sobbing in front of a grave.
There lay the second reincarnation of the late Alpha Leander. In this life, he was born as a prince who lived in a palace with a tight security environment. Nevertheless, that didn't stop Alpha Zephyr from getting rid of him again.
She thought this time it would work. That place was very far from their land. During the two months they had known each other, Lillianne had confidence that she and Prince Ki Yong could hide from Zephyr and turn over a new leaf.
However, she was wrong about that. Just yesterday Prince Ki Yong was found dead due to food poisoning.
"It is said he had a bright future. Without being the Alpha of Notos, he could be the next king of this empire. However, he lost that opportunity because of you. You had ruined it for him, darling."
Lillianne looked up at Zephyr in hatred. He was arrogantly standing beside her, facing the grave. There was no sign of guilt on his face even though she knew that this was his doing again. How can he even blame her for that?
Lillianne had had enough.
"Can you leave me already? How long are you going to keep me with you!" She jumped on him, trying to attack. "Hundreds of years have passed. I even know you are sick of me, so that's why you are looking for more mates besides me. Now, unmark me. Let me go!"
Lillianne knew a female werewolf like her couldn't fight an Alpha like him. Every punch and kick she threw was easily evaded by him. However, she still tried to vent her frustration over everything he had done to her and Leander.
Zephyr easily caught her hand. Lillianne tried to break free, but his grip was too strong.
"My love, you are wrong. There is no way I will be sick of you. Didn't I tell you, that you are my only Luna until eternity? While those bitches, well, they are nothing but my dalliance. I will throw them away, any day, as long as you stay with me."
Lillianne felt disgusted with him even more. She tried to struggle again, but the more she did it, the more helpless she became.
"Let's go home now. I have tolerated you enough. Don't you know how tiring it is to track you down for decades? Stop wasting your energy on useless things like this."
"Let go of me!"
Zephyr dragged her away. Lillianne tried to break free since she still wanted to stay by Leander's side, but it was futile. She still couldn't escape from their cruel fate.
Gozo Island, 2024.
'How long should I wait?'
The never-aged female werewolf Lillianne was seen sitting at a local bar. She looked in a mess, very drunk with her head hanging down.
"Why hasn't this worked yet? Why can't I find Leander's third reincarnation? I've moved many places, searched here and there, but why haven't I encountered him yet? Do I have to wait another century until I see him again?"
Let’s live optimistically, she said. She was willing to wait for her lover no matter how long it took.
Unfortunately, that wasn't an easy thing to do for someone who had waited for so long. During her journey, Lillianne often found herself mired in sadness when reality slapped her in the face.
It was only her second day here in Gozo. Since arriving yesterday, she had gone around to find her lost lover. However, She got nothing. Of the millions of people who might inhabit the place, she couldn't find the only person she wanted the most. It made her lose motivation again.
'Should I give up? Maybe this is useless after all?'
The thought made her feel even worse. She ducked her head lower, leaning it against the table.
"Hey, beautiful. What are you doing here alone?"
“I think she is very drunk."
She noticed several men approaching her table. They seem to be local to the language they use.
Lillianne decided to pay them no mind. She was not in the mood for that.
“Hey, can you hear me?”
"Why don't you come with us? We will show you some beautiful and interesting places around here. I guarantee you will like it."
Can't they just leave?
“Hey, Miss--“
“Just leave her alone.”
Someone suddenly interrupted as she was starting to get too annoyed by them. Although she couldn't hear what they were talking about because she was too drunk for that, it seemed the stranger was trying to defend her. Thanks to him, the disturbers finally left her.
Things returned to calm after she was alone again. The air also felt cleaner because the unpleasant odors of those thugs had left her. As a werewolf, she did have a sharp sense of smell. She could feel them within fifty meters away. She had relied on the ability to find Leander all this time.
It hit her when suddenly she caught a familiar scent. Lillianne jolted awake, raising her head in anticipation.
“L-Leander?”
She glanced around. She could barely see anything because her eyes were too cloudy of the drunkness.
However, the more she sniffed, the stronger the aroma became. She even started to feel something strange about herself. As if her entire body came back to life, she felt an unusual reaction. Her heart was beating hard, her blood was pumping rapidly, and she also felt a familiar longing lumped in her chest.
She knew this feeling. She felt it before, hundreds of years ago.
"This can't be wrong. This must be Leander. He is around here.”
Lillianne got up from her seat. She was staggering but she fought for it. She hastily scanned the surroundings, letting the familiar scent lead her.
“Yeah, I am done, baby. I will return to the hotel after this.”
That deep and manly voice caught her attention. Lillianne stopped her track on the back porch of the bar, finding a man in a black polo shirt who had his back to her. She couldn't see his face, but she knew it was indeed the one she was looking for. She recognized him.
"That's my Leander..."
Lillianne was getting impatient. She approached him, ignoring the dizziness that made her stumble several times. She cared about nothing but him.
“Leander, you are finally back."
She hugged him from behind, tightly, as she started to sob.
The man was shocked. He tried to let go while turning around, but Lillianne hugged him tighter.
"No. Don't let go. I missed you so much. I looked everywhere for you, you know?" she whined painfully.
The man didn't listen to her, though. He held her hand a little forcefully as he finally faced her. He stared at her intensely.
"But I think you've got the wrong idea, Miss. I am not the person you are looking for," he said coldly.
No, it was him! He even had the same face as her beloved mate, Alpha King Leander. There was no doubt that he was his third reincarnation.