[Arthur's POV]
Paul told me he was tired and wanted to have a rest. I agreed and shifted to my human form.
We were about three miles from the White Star Lake. I thought it wouldn't take about half an hour to get there.
I touched the brown cloth bag in front of my chest to ensure the crystal bottle inside was intact. I was still worried and took the bottle out of the bag. I was relieved when seeing that the two glowing bloody pills at the bottle's bottom were not missing. I put the bottle back into the cloth bag.
"Oops, being naked under a beautiful and elegant lady is not the alpha king of the Silver Moon Pack."
I looked up at the witch sitting on the floating wool blanket. The glowing crystal made her red hair as bright as the blood-colored pills in my bottle. She covered her amber eyes with a look of disgust on her face as if she had seen a garbage dump, though I didn't think my figure was very bad.
"If you hated me and wanted to get rid of me quickly, you should have put me on your flying woolen blanket. Or give me a flying broom, Witch Lassie," I said, looking in my backpack for my only pair of dark blue sports shorts.
"Come on. It's the 21st century now. Do you still believe witches fly by using those uncomfortable brooms? Alpha boy, if you became as heavy as the bird on my shoulder, I would gladly give you a lift. It's twenty minutes to twelve. You'd better hurry." The lark on her shoulder sang proudly to me.
"I don't think Eric, that wise man, would allow his daughter to be in danger." After putting on the sports pants, I walked quickly forward as I challenged the incident Lassie had mentioned.
Eric was the Alpha of the White Star Lake Pack. He was intelligent and strong. We hadn't seen each other for about 20 years, since the Alpha Conference and my coronation ceremony 20 years ago. I didn't think his daughter would be a stupid werewolf who would be easily killed by someone.
[Flashback]
Lassie showed up unannounced at my pack house yesterday afternoon. To my surprise, she asked me to take 'the Thing' immediately and go to the mysterious Leyte Mountain with her to save my future mate.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited to hear that because I hadn't found my mate for over 30 years since I turned 18.
As an alpha who owned one of the three biggest packs (or Kingdoms in human's saying) on the Night Moon Continent, I hadn't found my luna until I was 50 years old. Even though my face and body remained virtually unchanged from my 20s, the fact that I hadn't found my mate for 30 years still sounded incredible. But it was true.
Knowing my future luna was in danger, I grabbed the Thing at once and rushed to my SUV. The Leyte Mountain was in the southeast of my pack. It would take me 10 hours to drive from my pack to Leyte Mountain without sleep.
During those 10 hours, Witch Lassie only told me that my future mate would be killed by two wolves at midnight, and then she kept sleeping in the back of my car for almost ten hours.
Several minutes ago, we arrived in the woods of Leyte Mountain. But I was still not sure if my mate, whom I'd never met, was worth sharing 'The Unique Thing' in the bottle laying on my chest. After all, the witch asked for 100 years of my life as the condition she helped me release the power of 'the Thing.' and sent me back to the world of 30 years ago.
If I lived to be 300 years old, which was the average life span of werewolves in this world, then I still had 250 years left. But, if I paid Lassie 100 years of my life, I would meet my death on my 250th birthday. 100 years was a bargain for returning to 30 years ago.
If I succeeded, I would save Emily, my only human friend, also my first love's life. And I would probably get a chance to let her fall in love with me.
However, now everything changed after Lassie told me my future mate was dying. Lassie told me she could divide the Thing into two drops for my future mate and me. But its power would be much weakened when the Thing was used for two werewolves.
Simply think it. I could have been sent back to 30 years ago if I swallowed the Thing by myself. I could experience a second chance at everything.
Now, if I shared the Thing with my future mate, I would be sent back to 1 or 2 years ago, probably at the cost of 100 years of my life, too.
That was unfair, actually. It was not I was afraid of losing some life. The point was I didn't know if that girl was my real mate.
[Flashback End]
It took me about one or two minutes to think about these things as I slowed down.
"Hey buddy, don't hesitate anymore. Don't you want to save our future mate? You know we both have been waiting for her for thirty-two years." Paul's reminds dragged me to reality.
He was right. I must save my mate. Even if I could only go back to a year ago, I could still save Emily.
Suddenly, Witch Lassie directed her wool blanket to stop in front of me, preventing me from moving on. She held out her fingers and made the two bloody pills in the bottle on my chest melt into liquid.
"If you still doubt what I've told you, then you can just drink this stuff right here. And I'll take your 100 years' life and use my power to send you back to thirty years ago, so you can see your beloved human girl and her lover married once again." Her amber eyes were full of displeasure with me.
"Arthur, you know that Witch Lassie's prophecies are never wrong. And no one can lie in front of us." Paul reminded me again.
"I'm so sorry!" I apologized to Lassie. Obviously, my doubts were foolish.
When I was born, this witch predicted that I wouldn't meet my mate when I turned 18 in the future; after I had a crush on Emily, she told me that girl didn't love me, and she wouldn't be with me. And so far, I had been single for 50 years. All her prophecies had come true.
So, my future mate was indeed in danger of her life.
More importantly, I had a special ability as an Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack. People would emit a unique smell when they lie. I could immediately smell a lie thanks to my extraordinary sense of smell. So I could detect anyone's lies.
Satisfied with my apology, Lassie waved her finger again, and the blood in the glass bottle changed into two bloody pills.
I ran as fast as I could through the forest protected by the mists and traps, with the help of Lassie's guide.
I never thought my mate would be in the White Star Lake area, a mysterious area protected by Leyte Mountain. Protected by fog, magic, and traps, the Leyte Mountain was a mysterious area that even satellites and drones couldn't detect.
Although it was located on my territory, I knew a little about this mountain except for the two packs and Eric, my old friend, living here. In this place, my proud sense of smell seemed to be dulled.
If my future mate's pack was located in the plains, I would have rescued her and driven her around in my SUV by now.
After Paul and I got out of the maze-like forest and entered the territory of the White Star Lake pack. The smell of lemon rushed into my nostrils.
My heart, which had been at peace for 30 years, seemed to be struck by an electric current.
What Lassie said was true. My mate was around here.
"It's mate!" Paul was as excited as me.
The next second, I realized that the lemon-scented wind had a strong smell of blood. I shifted immediately, and Paul yelled, "Which bastard is hurting my mate?
Paul used his faster speed than ever to get to the White Star Lake, noticing that two guys were preparing to escape. They had the smell of my mate's blood on them.
Our sanities were gone, and Paul blocked the two killers directly. The two bastards also shifted into their wolf forms at the same time.
But strangely enough, the he-wolf didn't seem to have any intention to fight. Paul seized this opportunity and bit on the neck of that he-wolf and quickly bit off the neck of the other she-wolf, ending the lives of the two assholes.
It all happened in about ten seconds as Witch Lassie used her magic to remove the dagger and two arrows from the girl, and she yelled at me, "You stupid wolf. Hurry up. Save her!"
I rushed there.
What the hell did the two rogues do to her?
Her heart had become a hole, and her wrists had disappeared, leaving her hands on the ground. Without any hesitation, I took out the two bloody pills from the bottle, fed one into her mouth, and I took the other.
Please, please swallow it. When I saw her throat moving, I breathed a sigh of relief. Thank the moon goddess, she swallowed it.
"You are gonna be fine, my silly mate." I sighed, carefully wiping the tears from her face. How silly were you to get injured so badly by the two weak wolves?
I watched my future mate while waiting for Witch Lassie to use her magic to release the power of the Thing in our bodies.
My girl was about 5.6 feet, maybe just above my shoulders if she stood next to me. The long pink dress she was wearing was not suitable for her. She should have worn a slightly shorter dress to show her straight and slender legs.
I lay beside her and looked at her closely. Her long hair was a darker golden brown than amber. Her nose was delicate and straight, and her lips were like red cherries.
I wanted so badly to see her open her eyes. She must be the most beautiful girl in the world, right?
Strangely enough, after meeting my future mate, I was no longer obsessed with getting Emily's love. Was this the feeling of finding my true fated mate?
No matter what, my only thought was to save my silly mate, and then after I returned to the past, I would find her and protect her.
I would not allow anyone to hurt my luna.