His Forsaken Luna-Chapter 154: The Heat

Gulping down water from a water skin, I stare at everything wide-eyed, unabashed now in my nakedness, especially under such scorching heat. Eryx grasped my hand and took me into the shade under a rock formation that towered high above me. We were surrounded by these towering rocks, and the ground was so dry it had cracked, splintering out like the earth may crumble to pieces.

Since entering these lands, my heart hasn’t stopped pounding in excitement, exertion from the heat, and nervousness about what might come next. The skies were so bright it took me a while to stop squinting and get used to seeing such blue and clear skies. The sun was like nothing I’d felt before, and sure enough, my shoulders had already started to go slightly pink from standing in the sun a little too long.

In my wolf form, the tips of my ears had also got ’sunburnt’, a problem I’d never faced before.

"How did your paws feel on the sands before we arrived here?" Eryx asks as he offers me some fruit I’d never seen before. I bite into it, and my eyes widen to the new flavours bursting across my tongue.

"Mmm," I can’t help but moan as I eat this purple-coloured fruit inside a mixture of yellow, orange and red. The juice leaked a little on my chin, and Eryx wiped it up with his thumb, sucking on it as he held my gaze. I blushed, embarrassed that I’d dribbled but mostly feeling a little overheated after seeing my mate’s intense stare.

I’d automatically leaned closer, bewitched by those eyes like normal.

Kharis rolled his eyes overdramatically, walking by, and took another one of those fruits from the small sack. They must have picked it in the tiny oasis-like forest we’d passed through earlier.

"They burnt a little, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. The pads of my paws have gotten used to it," I replied to Eryx, ignoring Kharis, who munched on the fruit.

"Hmmm, did you want anything on the bottom of them?" Eryx asked, concern evident in his expression and through the bond. His protectiveness as a mate and Alpha Prince wanted to ensure we were all okay before continuing the journey to the palace.

I was told it would take a few days, depending on the weather. It was always so sunny, so I couldn’t comprehend what weather issues there could be. It wasn’t like the North, where snowstorms could set people back days or weeks.

I shake my head. "I need to adjust to it. My wolf is fine." If only we could shed that winter fur a little more though.

"Alright." Eryx kissed my head and then started to put some ointment on my shoulders. They were a little tender, but the ointment started to soothe the pain.

"Thank you," I smile up at him and return his kiss.

"Ugh, these two..." Kharis grumbled, and Cohnal smacked him over the back of his head.

"Those two will be your King and Queen," Cohnal scolded.

"Not yet, though," Kharis held his finger up. "Hey!" He rubs his head after being smacked again. "Man, I hate being unmated and around soul freakin’ mates!"

We ignored their antics like usual. "What is the name of this fruit? It’s really tasty," I ask Eryx as I finish eating it.

"It’s a plum. You will see and experience much more here than what you’ve read in your books," Eryx smirked as he put the jar of ointment away, putting everything back on the sledge we were still dragging behind us. It was quicker in our wolf forms, and now, seeing the landscape of Sun and Fury, it was clear we wouldn’t have gotten very far with a carriage. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"Plum..." I repeat, then stare back at the horizon. A smile tugs at my lips. "I can’t wait to see what else your kingdom has to show me."

𓆩:*¨༺✧ ♛ ✧༻¨*:𓆪

We ran for another hour in the towering rock formations that Eryx explained were called canyons. A river once flowed through it, but the sun dried it out. I’d stared at him anxiously. Where I’d been used to water always being available or an issue only being that the water iced over, here it seemed the resource was hard to come by.

Again, they’d explained there were plenty of other resources for water. It was only this canyon that unfortunately dried up centuries ago. There were multiple reasons, both logical and supernatural. They didn’t know the reason why it dried up.

I’d also seen little wildlife in this area, but when I did notice something scuttle or slither and hide quickly, Eryx, Kharis, or Cohnal told me that the strange, scaly-looking creatures were lizards and snakes.

They reminded me of miniature dragons from my fairytale books, and I wondered if they were also real, like the Fae and Witches. Honestly, at this point, it wouldn’t surprise me, especially now while I was exploring this new territory.

They also explained how, unlike in the North, we didn’t have many rogue wolves because not being in a pack was a little reckless in such weather, yet it was different in the South. Rogues mostly kept to themselves, but some even formed their own little packs, which just sounded like any Were pack to me. Apparently, they were ruthless and turned on each other a lot. That was the difference. Eryx’s father slaughtered a lot of them, and any remaining rogues stayed in areas such as the canyon, only venturing out when resources became scarce.

My paws halted when Eryx signalled for us to stop. In the distance, four wolves emerged. There were only a few, and I had a sneaky suspicion that these must have been the rogues they had spoken of beforehand. Eryx stood taller, and Kharis and Cohnal positioned themselves subtly in front of me.

The rogues sauntered forward. Everyone’s eyes were locked on them and not the woman who suddenly landed in front of me out of nowhere! She stood tall even in front of my wolf form.

With sharp, deep blue-green eyes, ethereal to any besides my mate’s I’d ever seen in a Were, sharp cheekbones, and a stern expression, rope-like black hair tugged back in a high ponytail, with golden beads in, a piercing in her lip and a sharp claw necklace, she looked utterly feral, intimidating and commanding.

Even in my wolf form, I felt small in front of her.

The she-wolf looked me over slowly until her eyes landed on mine again.

"So... You’re the Ice Princess?"