LUNA: Alpha’s Soulmate from Another World

For a moment, there was only silence. Neither Luna nor Ghea spoke. While Luna looked at Ghea nervously, afraid of the reaction from the woman who had helped her so much and whom she considered a friend, Ghea chose to hide all the emotions swirling inside her and to digest Luna’s words better. Luna glanced at Judith and her servant sitting inside the cafe waiting before looking back at Ghea.

Her heart pounded rapidly because she didn’t want Ghea to become her enemy. The woman was her first friend here, and her last desire was disappointment. She nervously bit her lip before summoning the courage to call out to the still-silent Ghea.

“Are you angry with me?” Luna asked directly, not wanting to beat around the bush. “About my decision to accept the agreement with the Emperor.”

“Can you explain what that agreement is?” Ghea finally asked, her tone so calm and gentle that Luna couldn’t tell if she was angry. “I need to know about the agreement, Luna.”

“Oh… umm…” Luna was trying to decide whether she should explain the details of her agreement with Alkrevas to Ghea, as the man had not given specific terms. Still, Luna chose not to go into detail and told her she would stay a bit longer in this world before returning to her own with Alkrevas’s help. Luna twisted her intertwined fingers on the table, staring intently at Ghea, trying to find a trace of emotion in the Fae woman’s green eyes, but all she received was a smile.

“Ghea?”

“If that’s your choice, so be it. I can’t stop you.” Ghea murmured.

A waiter arrived with the cold drinks Luna had ordered before Ghea’s arrival. The waiter placed two glasses on the table, one in front of each woman, before turning and leaving them alone again. Ghea reached for her glass of the colorful, rainbow-like drink, observing it intently.

“Isn’t it better this way? With your choice, you can return more peacefully without being haunted by the Emperor, right?” Ghea sighed softly and gazed into Luna’s brown eyes with a gentle expression. “It’s okay. I’m not angry. After all, it’s your decision. I can’t control you.”

“Ghea… are you…”

“Yes, if you’re asking if I’m disappointed, of course, I’m disappointed.” Ghea said honestly.

“After all, the first person you asked for help was me, and I’ve done everything I can to find a way to fulfill your wish.” Ghea took a deep breath and smiled at Luna, “But I guess you chose the easiest path. After all, he is your soulmate, so of course, you would choose him.”

“Ghea! That’s not what I meant-” Luna couldn’t finish her sentence and could only swallow nervously at Ghea’s downcast, gloomy face.

Suddenly, Luna’s lips thinned, and guilt overwhelmed her. An awkward atmosphere immediately enveloped them, and Luna cursed herself for disappointing Ghea, to whom she owed so much, as well as George.

Luna gasped, recalling a vital variable she had forgotten: George, Ghea’s older brother. Luna took a deep breath and decided to summon the courage to speak softly, “Ghea, about…” But she stopped herself and withdrew her words before it was too late. Wouldn’t mentioning George only make things more awkward?

But Luna needed Ghea’s opinion and approval, especially after the message she had sent three days ago. “Ghea, I just…”

“No, Luna. I understand. Really.” Ghea murmured. She looked up and gave Luna a serene gaze. One hand reached out and held Luna’s nervously clasped hands. “I’m indeed disappointed, but no matter what, I still respect your decision. I’m sorry for the message I sent you the other day.”

Ghea sighed again and murmured, “I was selfish.”

“Ghea…”

“After all, in the end, you will still choose your soulmate over anyone else. You two are bound by a soul bond, and I can’t compete with that.”

“Forgive me… really, I…”

Ghea shook her head. “I hope you will continue to be my friend, for I am alone, and you are all I have.” Luna swallowed hard and felt her heart race. “George is gone now, and I have no other purpose.”

“Ghea, about George…”

Ghea gave Luna a reassuring smile as she stood up. She walked over to Luna and squeezed both of Luna’s shoulders with her hands. Her green eyes gazed intently at Luna, causing Luna’s heart to tremble and her eyes to well up.

“I know, but it’s not your fault. It’s not even the Emperor’s fault. George, he made an illicit deal with a rogue, and I should have stopped him before it was too late.” Ghea tightened her grip on Luna’s shoulders and whispered, “It’s all my fault.”

“Ghea, no…”

“I should go now. I’m sure the Emperor is looking for you since you left without his permission for my sake. I don’t want you to get into trouble with him. I hope we can meet again another time, Luna. Goodbye.”

Then Ghea released her hands and walked away, leaving Luna sitting in her chair, overwhelmed with increasing guilt. After Ghea’s figure disappeared, Luna stared at the glass before her with a blurred gaze. Why did it feel so bad? Why did her heart feel uneasy hearing Ghea’s words? Why? Luna bit her lower lip and frustratedly ran her hands through her hair.

Of course, she felt all that after seeing the disappointment on Ghea’s face. After all, Ghea had done everything to help her, even becoming a fugitive and dealing with Beth and Abigail, who were dark witches. And after all that, she threw away Ghea’s efforts and chose the man who had brutally killed her brother. Luna immediately put herself in Ghea’s shoes and clenched her fists.

If she were Ghea, she would undoubtedly feel profoundly betrayed and disappointed. She would hate herself for choosing a psychopathic man over a friend who had fought so hard to help her. Luna felt awful seeing Ghea so calm and accepting of all her decisions, not hating her and not considering her a friend.

“Miss, we should return now. His Majesty is calling for you to appear before him.” Luna’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Judith’s gentle voice beside her. She blinked and looked up, seeing Judith smiling at her sympathetically. Luna then pushed her chair back and stood up. She glanced at Ghea’s untouched glass before walking out of the cafe.

Unaware that a pair of green eyes were watching her from the shadows full of resentment.

…

“Ungrateful woman!” was the first curse Ghea uttered as she entered a modest house that served as her hideout in Mylonas Capital.

Two women sitting at the dining table, enjoying a glass of tea, immediately looked at her with confused expressions. Ghea walked to the dining table and sat in one of the chairs, burying her face in her hands.

“Damn! Damn! Damn!” the woman cursed repeatedly, then banged the table hard to vent her emotions. The two women sitting with her exchanged glances before looking at her intently, seeking an explanation for her anger that was taken out on the dining table, causing the tea in the cups to spill over the table. “Ugh, stupid woman!”

Beth sighed softly, reached for a cloth from one of the shelves, and wiped the tea-soaked table, asking, “What’s wrong? Judging by your condition, you came alone and not with her, so something must be wrong.” Beth handed another clean cloth to Abigail, who smiled gratefully at her student.

Ghea took a deep breath and lifted her head, staring at the two dark witches who had made a pact with her. She glanced at the sky, which had turned orange, then looked back at the two women waiting for her answer. Slowly, she nodded and replied, “Luna chose to make a deal with that psychopathic Emperor.”

Then Ghea recounted her conversation with Luna. After finishing, she snorted and murmured, “I didn’t expect that aside from being naive, she was also so stupid.”

Beth remained silent and continued her work while Abigail chuckled softly. She moved her teacup further away and murmured, “Of course, that possibility would come, Ghea. After all, Alkrevas has long waited for his soulmate and will do everything to bind his soulmate so she won’t leave. Did you think he would sit idly by once he knew his soulmate’s desire to return?

Besides, Alkrevas is a man who can manipulate anyone, and with the soul bond that binds them, Luna would choose him. Even if she thinks her choice is her own will, fundamentally, it is the soul bond that drives her to accept any deal between them.”

Ghea clenched her fists in anger, unwilling to accept Abigail’s words even though they were true. Ghea stared at the table momentarily and felt her eyes heat up, and then tears began to flow. “I will not let that murderer be happy. He has to pay for my brother’s death!”

Ghea stood up and murmured, “I’m resting in my room. You two go ahead and have dinner. I’m not hungry.” Afterward, Ghea walked towards her room, stepped inside, and closed the door, not forgetting to lock it so no one could disturb her. She walked to the simple wooden bed and lay down. Her eyes stared blankly at the ceiling before closing tightly.

“It’s not fair,” she whispered to herself. Then she changed her position to lie on her side and took a small locket necklace from under her pillow. She opened the locket, revealing a photo of George and Ghea as children.

“How can that damn Emperor get what he wants and live happily, but I can’t?” she whispered into the silence of the room.

“Brother, even the accusations against you were false. There’s no way you dealt with rogues, right? There’s no way you gambled and staked Luna. Right?”

Ghea closed her eyes, curling up in a fetal position while clutching George’s photo, then cried alone. “I promise, Brother. I will avenge your death. No matter what.”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

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