When Eli left, Aiyana entered Lowena's room and ran to her.
"Are you okay?' she asked.
Lowena was trembling, terrified, "W-w-werwolf?"
Aiyana knelt in front of the traumatized Lowena; the look of shock on her face said it all.
"Did you think it was a lie? You saw all the different beings yesterday."
"I thought I was hallucinating from something in the drinks," Lowena mumbled.
"Are you okay? Your neck?! What happened?!" Aiyana rushed, grabbing the first aid from Kieran's nightstand and helping Lowena clean herself up.
"He bit me," Lowena winced from the pain.
Aiyana froze, "What?"
"Eli bit me," Lowena repeated.
Aiyana eased back, "Lowena, do you know what this means?"
Lowena shook her head in confusion.
"You don't know anything," Aiyana huffed while cleaning Lowena's wound.
"He marked you as his own."
"His own? I thought I was meant to be Kieran's Luna," Lowena reminded.
Aiyana shook her head, wiping the blood from Lowena's neck, "Not anymore. He tells the beta's to stay away from you, including Kieran."
The thought didn't make Lowena sad, but it did bother her that he bit her in the first place. She thought she could trust him and that he wouldn't hurt her.
"I still can't believe it, even if I saw it," Lowena trembled as a tear fell down her cheek.
Aiyana knelt in front of Lowena, gently wiping the blood from between her breasts. Her eyes widened in shock, looking at her bloody thigh. Instinctively, she began to gently clean the wound.
"I'm sorry; I know this scares you," she comforted tenderly, caressing Lowena's left cheek.
Lowena tried not to break down as more tears fell, "I-I'm afraid."
"Shh, it'll be okay."
Something overtook Lowena. She pulled Aiyana to her and kissed her. She didn't know if her kindness or affection made Lowena feel at ease, but she wanted to kiss her. Aiyana didn't fight but gave in and let Lowena do what she wanted. Lowena pulled Aiyana on top of her, squeezing her buttocks as the kiss deepened and intensified between them.
The sound of floorboards creaking caused Aiyana to jump from Lowena's lap and check for a bystander. Lowena stood, touching her lips. What was going on? She never cared for sex or physical touch. Now, she had been with four people in twelve hours. Her mind was confused, scared, and erratic. All she wanted was for it all to stop.
"I-I'm sorry," Lowena panicked, running from the room.
"Lowena, wait!" Aiyana hollered, but it was useless; Lowena was already out of earshot.
Lowena dashed to her room, throwing on her trusty emerald spaghetti-strap dress and sandals that matched her eyes, and rushed from the house. Making her way outside, she saw sleeping arrangements with the guests from last night still there. Lowena walked through the people feasting and enjoying one another's company before rushing to the forest. What had seemed like a reasonable distance from everyone, Lowena sat down in silence in a heap on a thick cypress root. Hearing the leaves rustling in the wind helped relax her nerves, the cool breeze wrapping its fingers through her hair. A rush of relief finally took over.
"Hello, there."
"Ah!" Lowena yelped.
"Sorry," the young man waved his hands in defense, "I didn't mean to frighten you."
"What are you doing here?" Lowena barked.
"What are you doing here?" he retorted.
Lowena folded her arms across her chest, "My family owns this land, you?"
"I lose," he charmingly smiled.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"Caspian," he introduced, his British accent thick and heavy, "Yourself?"
"Lowena," she answered.
"Aw, the lady of the hour," he recognized while walking over to her.
Lowena took a slight step back, examining the young man. He was tall and slender, with copper skin and tattoos that danced all along his arms and artistically framed his face. One of his eyes was grass green, the other black as night. His long black hair flowed in the wind, exposing several piercings on both ears. He was without a shirt and wore only dark brown leather pants and black boots. The way his eyes blinked, she knew he wasn't human.
"What are you?" she hesitated as he approached her.
"I am the king of fairies," he kissed the back of Lowena's hand.
Lowena wanted to retort with something sarcastic, but only moments ago, she realized that everything Eli told her was true, so she should believe what Caspian was telling her.
"Nice to meet you," she smiled.
"So, what brings you out to the woods? When should you get ready for the celebration tonight?" he charmed.
"Celebration?"
"Yes, we will celebrate every night until the full moon on your birthday this Saturday," he clarified.
"W-why?"
"For you, of course," he answered.
Lowena dropped her head in frustration, eyes searching the forest floor with no answer. There was so much she didn't know and needed to learn within such a short time. Couldn't her parents tell her? Why send her here? Shouldn't they think she'd need them at a critical moment such as this?
"Are you alright?" he worried.
"There's so much I don't understand," she confessed, "I know nothing about this."
"About what?" he smiled.
"Everything," she sighed, sitting back on the mossy cypress root.
"Until now, I thought it was a joke—some stupid ploy to get me to stay here. I honestly don't know anymore. I'm confused and frightened. I don't know what's happening to me."
Why was she confessing such intimate truths to such a stranger? Caspian slowly sat beside her, pondering her as if reading into her deepest thoughts.
"Your neck, are you alright?" he asked.
Lowena touched the bite mark Eli had left on her, frowning in dismay. Caspian ripped a piece of moss from the tree, pressing it to her neck. Lowena flinched, unsure of what he was doing, but the kindness in his eyes put her at ease, allowing him to help her.
"It should be gone soon," he reassured.
"I don't understand what's happening to me," she confessed.
"It is difficult choosing to be both a werewolf or a witch?" he concluded.
"What?!" Lowena panicked, "Witch? I was told I was a werewolf. No, I can't be a werewolf and a witch too!"
The heat inside her body began to take over, and her heart quickened as she breathed heavily. Her body began to tremble. Caspian seized her head and made her look into his eyes.
"Shh, calm down," he hushed.
There was something about the way his voice vibrated in her mind. It made her trust him.
"Just breathe," he hummed.
Lowena closed her eyes, her breath shaky, still terrified but not panicking as she was.
"I can't do this."
"I know you're scared," he said, moving one hand down over her heart, "I can feel it too."
Caspian's other hand guided the nape of her neck, pressing his forehead to hers to ease her worries and take them as his own. Lowena going from nearly an overflow of emotions, felt as if they were being sucked from her, draining her. After what felt like an eternity, Lowena pulled back from Caspian, heavy-lidded.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Caspian gently rubbed the back of her neck, "You poor young soul, you truly know nothing."
Lowena dropped her head, placing her cold hand upon his firm wrist. She had just come to realize where his hand rests upon her breast, but she wasn't afraid of him.
"What did you do? I feel so calm," she softly spoke.
"I took away your fear and pain only briefly," he answered, looking into her eyes.
Lowena wanted to know him and was eager to learn. The sun disappeared, replaced with dark, stormy clouds, but it wasn't cold, but hot and humid. The elements meant nothing to this world she was now a part of. The rumbling of the thunderclouds clapped as hollers of joy echoed in the distance.
Lowena raised her head to the sky, hot rain pouring down upon them all. She held her hands out, bewitched and baffled.
"I felt you needed the rain," Caspian said, holding her hand tenderly.
"Y-you made it rain?" she stammered, the rain falling harder down upon them.
Caspin smiled, nodding in response.
"You can do this?" Lowena sprung to her feet, twirling around like a happy child.
"Yes, I can, and so can you," Capsian offered, taking her hand and pulling her close.
The rain began to fall harder, drenching their bodies from head to toe. She smiled joyfully before seeing the seductive expression on his face, dropping her head as her cheeks flushed red.
"What do you mean?"
Caspian wrapped one arm around her slender waist, pressing his bare torso against her.
"Be my queen," he softly said, touching her soaked cheek. Be my queen, and all I have will be yours."
Lowena was dumbfounded and did not know how to react. Did he make her an offer of marriage? Their eyes locked, the rain falling even harder as Caspian placed his wet, soft lips tenderly upon hers. She closed her eyes, breathless, excited. He pulled back from the gentle kiss with a charming smile.
"I-I have to get back," she diverted, stepping back from Caspian.
He remained still, his smile turning to a smirk, "Don't worry, I can await your answer this Saturday."