The Lycan’s Bride

Chapter 4: Weird

Lara’s Point of View

“I think I am dying,” I whispered to myself, lying on my bed at staring at the wooden ceiling of my room.

The wound I got earlier started to hurt like hell just an hour after. Aside from it, I feel so sticky and stinky. I haven’t washed myself since yesterday, didn’t brush my teeth, and did not change my clothes. I feel like going here is really the worst decision of my life—well, as if I have a choice.

“Fúck that lizard,” I murmured, gritting my teeth and closing my eyes. I heaved a sigh to calm myself. “What kind of treatment is this?!” I ranted, clutching the pillow next to me and picturing out that it was that stupid dragon’s face. “What did I ever do to you for you to treat me this way, huh?!” I punched the pillow multiple times until I felt a little relief.

“Stop hurting that pillow,” someone monotonously said.

I looked in the direction of the voice and saw him standing there with a wooden basin and some leaves in his hand. “How’s your wound?” he asked, walking towards me and putting the basin and leaves on the bedside table.

“It’s obviously killing me,” I replied, rolling my eyes.

“Let me see,” he said, gently grabbing my feet and staring at them. “It seems like there’s a piece of thorn stuck inside it,” he added before looking at me in my eyes. “Don’t scream; I’ll take it out.”

“W-Wait!” I quickly got up and pushed him. “It will hurt!”

He looked at me with a blank expression. “And it will continue to hurt if you won’t let me take it out. The thorn will go deeper into your muscles and might even cause you a more serious problem,” he explained before diverting his eyes back to it. “It will certainly hurt when I pull it out, but it will feel better after that.”

“No...” I looked at him with narrowed eyes. “I don’t feel...safe,” I hesitantly added.

He looked at me and raised a brow for a second before nodding slowly. “Okay, do it yourself then. There’s hot water in the basin, soak those leaves for two minutes and dip your foot to avoid any further infections,” he added, getting up.

“Where are you going?” I asked.

“Outside,” he shortly replied and was about to leave when I called him.

“S-Stay here and help me,” I said, biting my lower lip since I find it awkward to ask him a favor. But I have no choice. I couldn’t do things on my own.

“You don’t seem to trust me,” he said.

“I have no one else to ask,” I told him and looked away. “I...I will trust you—as if I have a choice,” I added and heaved a sigh. “You can remove the thorn, just don’t tell me when you’ll gonna pull it out,” I said, covering my face with a pillow.

“Okay,” he replied before I felt his warm hand grabbing my foot. “I suggest you bite the pillow,” he added.

“What do you mean b—“ I wasn’t able to finish talking because I screamed as loud as I could when I felt an intense pain in my foot. I feel like something is tearing my muscles inside. I groaned, cursed, and screamed, but I tried my best not to move my feet.

The pain was so intense that I shed a tear.

“All done,” I heard him say.

I thought the pain would go away but it didn’t. It still hurts, but not that painful anymore. I slowly removed the pillow and looked at him, catching my breath. I saw him preparing the basin and the leaves. He then looked at me with his usual blank stare. “How do you feel?” he asked.

“I feel mad,” I told him, shaking my head and taking a deep breath. “I feel like I could really kill someone right now.”

“Good,” he said before grabbing my foot again. “Bend your knee a little,” he commanded before he dipped my foot into the lukewarm water. “Dip it for a few minutes,” he instructed. “I’ll get going now.”

“W-Wait,” I stopped him again. I looked away when he looked straight into my eyes. “Can you tell me where’s the bathroom? And do you have some spare clothes I could use?” I asked since I am really desperate to take a bath.

“Worry about that after your foot gets better,” he replied, walking out.

“Hey!” I shouted but he did not listen. “He really left?!” I exclaimed in disbelief. “What a jerk!”

---

I dipped my feet for like ten to fifteen minutes just like what he instructed me to, and surprisingly, my foot doesn’t hurt that bad anymore. I can move it freely. I can even stand up but I can’t still walk properly, but it’s fine since I can already move around. I can finally ask that lizard jerk for some spare clothes and the location of his bathroom since I didn’t find any in my room.

“Cragore!” I called using the tone when you call a pet. “Where are you?”

I wandered around the fortress and all I could hear is my echoing voice, no response from that cold lizard. “Cragore!” my calls gradually get louder and more aggressive since I am starting to run out of patience since he’s not responding at all. “Where the hell are you hiding, you lizard?!” I screamed and was about to stomp my foot when I got reminded of my wound there so I used the other one. “If you won’t respond to me, I’ll call you a fúcking winged lizard!”

My shoulder was going up and down after all the yelling I did. I am at my patience’s edge. I don’t want to explode but he is really pushing me. How the hell am I supposed to survive in this world when I get no guidance from him? He’s the only one I can turn to right now!

“Fine. If you won’t respond, then I will check every room of this fortress!”

I give up. That jerk is hopeless. I should start depending on myself.

I checked all the rooms I saw and found no bathrooms at all. I was about to lose hope when I spotted another hallway. There were no rooms as I pass through it, but I found one at the end. It’s a massive wooden double door. I did not bother to knock since there was no one else in this house but me and that lizard.

“Woah...” That was the first thing that came out of my mouth right after seeing what was inside the room. It was somehow identical to my room. Yes, somehow, because there are more plants in it; more vibrant and fresh.

I looked around and immediately realized that this must be his room since it is cleaner compared to the rooms I saw earlier. There were also some traces around that indicate that someone is using this room. The bed is neatly made and there were clothes on top of it.

I roamed around the room and saw a door. I snapped my hand and could not stop my smile from forming. “That must be a door to a bathroom,” I murmured, walking towards it and opening it without thinking.

“Bingo,” I mumbled when I saw a massive room with a rectangular tub in the middle filled with water. I immediately locked the door and started undressing myself. Slowly, I walked towards the tub and was about to dip my whole body when I felt like someone is looking at me.

I looked around and froze when I saw Cragore standing at the corner and looking at me with his usual emotionless eyes—and n***d. Slowly, my eyes went down from his face to his abdomen, then to his thing. I felt the rush of blood on my face as soon as I realized the situation. I immediately covered my eyes and started screaming hysterically.

“Y-You!” I screamed. “Get dressed! Oh my God!”

“Should I freak out, too, since you’re also n***d?” I heard him say and I screamed even louder. I closed my eyes immediately covered my chest and my center, turned around, and ran while screaming at the top of my lungs.

And because my eyes were closed, I didn’t see that I am heading to a closed door and it was too late for me to do anything—I hit the door with my face and immediately passed out.

When I woke up, the first thing that welcomed me is the wooden ceiling. I quickly got up when I remembered what happened before passing out. I looked around and saw Cragore sitting in the corner and casually reading a book.

My face turned bright red as I remembered what I saw. It wasn’t the first time I saw a man’s thing, but it was definitely the first time I saw something that thick and massive and it wasn’t even fully erect at that time.

I held my face when it got even hotter. I secretly slapped my face. “What the hell are you even thinking, Lara?!”

“So, mind explaining why you broke into my room?” I heard him ask. I looked at him and he put down the book he was reading and looked at me. “And before you respond, kindly cover your exposed chest,” he added.

I cursed under my breath when I realized I am still n***d. I covered myself with a blanket right away, my face burning hotter. “I...I d-didn’t just break into your room, okay? I...I called you multiple times but you didn’t respond. Of course, I’ll come and look for you.”

“Because?”

I heaved a sigh before looking away. “Because I don’t know where I should wash myself and where I could get some extra clothes to wear since I didn’t bring any with me,” I answered.

“Oh, that...” he said. “There are some clothes left by the recent bearer, I’ll give them to you. Then, there’s a spring not far from here, you can go there when you want to take a bath or wash your clothes,” he added.

“Okay,” I replied, still blushing in embarrassment. “Now, can you turn around or go outside? I...I will get dressed.”

“For what? You can just get up and change. I’ve seen it all,” he said.

I glared at him. “It’s not about that, Cragore,” I pointed out. “It’s about respect. I don’t care if you’ve seen my body already. I am not comfortable having you while I get dressed—that’s the point,” I told him and stared directly at his crimson orbs. “I hope you understand my point.”

He sighed and got up. “Okay. I’ll just go and get you some spare clothes,” he monotonously replied before leaving the room.

I rolled my eyes at him before getting up. I was about to go to the bathroom when I saw my clothes neatly folded and placed on the chair.

“Did he?” I looked at the closed door and shook my head and wore my clothes.

Right after, I went out and decided to wait for him outside. Just a few minutes later, he arrived with a few dresses in his hands.

“Here,” he said, handing me the dresses. “You can wash them first since they’re all covered in dust,” he added.

I just nodded my head and accepted them. “Okay, thanks.”

I was about to leave when he called me, “Hey...”

I turned around and looked at him. “Yes?”

“I would like to ask you something.”

My brow arched. “What is it?”

“Your name,” he shortly replied.

“Lara.”

He nodded right after hearing me. “Lara, huh,” he mumbled before entering his room.

I shrugged my shoulder, turning around to find that spring he was talking about. While on my way, I could not stop myself from thinking about him and the things he did and got confused. I mean, sometimes he would make me feel unwanted, and sometimes he would do things that would make me think that he cares for me.

I shook my head and sighed. “Whatever. Just focus on yourself, Lara; that’s the best thing you can do right now.”