Chapter 36: The curse

Caius walked faster through the long hallway. His ancient but neat royal robe moved behind him. The maids could not stop staring. They whispered to each other about how handsome and young he still looked, even after sleeping in a coffin for two hundred years.

He entered his private room and slammed the door shut in pure annoyance.

"You’ve got to be kidding me," he muttered through gritted teeth.

He walked to the large mirror and frowned at his own reflection.

"I summon your spirit to my reflection. Moon Goddess, guardian of our race," he said in a serious voice.

Nothing happened at first.

Then a strong breeze suddenly filled the room. Curtains flew, papers moved, and the air became heavy. Caius clenched his fists and closed his eyes.

He threw his head back in frustration. "I just want to talk to you! I didn’t ask you to come in person!" he groaned.

Soft laughter came from behind him.

Caius sighed and turned around.

A beautiful woman sat gracefully on one of his couches. She looked timeless. Her long silver-white hair fell like soft moonlight over her shoulders. Her skin glowed gently, and her eyes held the calm light of a full moon. She wore simple but elegant white robes that seemed to shine from within. A small white cat rested on her lap. She looked peaceful, powerful, and slightly amused — exactly how a Moon Goddess should look.

Caius raised the silver chain in the air. "What have you done, Godmother?"

The Moon goddess raised one brow. "You are becoming ruder every day. Is this how you greet your mother?"

Caius’s frown grew deeper. "I don’t even know if I should call you that why you keep giving me one punishment after another."

The Moon goddess stopped stroking the cat and looked at him. "How is stopping you from doing the wrong thing a punishment?"

Caius stared at her in disbelief. "You stopped me from wiping out the entire dark witch race today." He still remembered the High Priest’s warning that the Moon goddess herself had blocked their attack. That was why everyone returned angry.

"Why? Don’t you see what they did to me?"

The Moon goddess chuckled softly. "Their children and grandchildren are innocent. You have no reason to kill them all. You already know that what happened to you was my punishment. That is why I made you sleep in that coffin for two hundred years."

Caius did not look surprised. He had already guessed the truth. When he killed the four original elemental witches, because they were also the ones who cursed his parents — he had even lost half of his power.

"You are too stubborn and too impatient to understand what is really going on," she said.

Caius ignored her words and held up the chain again. "Why did you do this to her?"

The Moon goddess smiled. "Are you worried about her?"

Caius sighed. "I want to use her to get the things you refuse to show me. I know you already understand that. Is that why you cursed her?"

The Moon goddess’s face became serious. "I did it for your own good as well. She needs to be ready for you before she gets her wolf back."

Caius’s silver eyes filled with confusion. "Ready for what? I never said I wanted to mark her."

"Do you think everything would be fine if she already had her full scent?" the Goddess asked.

Caius sighed again and clenched the chain tightly in his hand. "That is exactly why I asked you not to give me a mate."

The Moon Goddess raised one brow. "I am in charge of your race. Why wouldn’t I give you... my Yareach (??????)?"

[ Yareach (??????): Means Moon]

Caius hated that word. Mate!!! It just another name for weakness. "But I don’t want it!" he roared, scaring the cat.

"Don’t. You. Dare. Yell at me." The Moon goddess’s voice stayed calm, but it turned ice-cold. Her eyes glowed pure white. Strong energy pushed down on Caius and forced him onto both knees.

He groaned and pressed his hands against the floor. Pain spread through his body as he gritted his teeth.

The Moon goddess watched him without emotion. Her eyes returned to normal. "I don’t know why you keep adding to your own stubbornness. I’m starting to worry about your future children."

She gently placed the cat on the couch and stood up. She walked toward him with elegant steps. "You must have a wife, my dear Yareach."

His Hebrew name rang loudly in Caius’s head. He gritted his teeth. The Moon goddess stopped in front of him and looked down with her hands behind her back.

"Look at how deadly handsome you are, and you don’t want to share it with anyone? Hmm. How stingy of you, son."

Caius gritted his teeth. "Stop..."

The Moon goddess raised her chin. The heavy pressure on his body finally stopped, but it left him even weaker. He took several deep breaths. "Wicked mother," he muttered.

The Moon goddess laughed. "Wicked, you say? You are the ruthless one here. Hazel is the one I want you to mark. I forbid you from punishing her. If you do, I will punish you myself."

Caius frowned. "Even if she disrespects me?" Just thinking about the girl made him feel like he was on fire. She annoyed him more than anyone else.

The Moon goddess folded her arms.

"You brought this on yourself. You killed her the moment she saved you. If I hadn’t entered your healer’s body to bring her back, she would already be with me. I’m warning you. Do not make me fully unlock your mate bond. You are a wolf king. The stronger the wolf, the scarier the bond becomes. You will not be able to stay away from her for even one second."

Caius froze. "I didn’t know you despised me that much."

The Moon goddess chuckled. "That’s how it always is. Although... I already doubled yours because I’ve been dying to see your grandchildren." She even put her hands on her waist while talking.

Caius forgot to close his mouth. "You doubled the mate bond?"

She raised one brow. "You are very, very stubborn like your parents. You may want to fight it, but I feel bad for Hazel. I’m afraid she won’t be able to keep up with your beastly stamina."

Caius blinked. "That’s not going to happen," he sighed.

The Moon Goddess ignored him and continued "If you don’t want me to triple the bond, return that chain to her yourself."

"What?!" Caius almost yelled again. "Why would I?"

"Put it on her yourself," she added, and then paused on purpose, waiting to see if he would argue more.

Caius quickly shut his mouth. He swallowed hard. "I can’t have a mate. You know that’s how my father died..."

"But you are different from your father," she said gently. She ran her hand through his long white hair. "The power to protect what belongs to you is your true strength." She sighed and gave a fake yawn. "I guess she’s already tempted by your hair. I should let you go to her now."

Caius looked up at his mischievous godmother. He was still on his knees and could not move no matter how hard he tried. Arguing more would only make the punishment last longer.

"Don’t double the mate bond," he said. "It won’t help. I don’t love her. She might end up being nothing more than my sex slave. Is that what you want?"

The Moon goddess walked back to the couch and picked up her cat. "I am not rushing you. Take your time."

Caius finally managed to stand up. "Then what about her visions? I need them."

The Moon goddess sighed. "Her visions are weak because her body is still weak."