The Love of a Lycan

It was one of the most difficult steps that Raine had to take to come closer to Torak, but she managed to do it with shaking hands and trembling body.

The only thing that kept her going was those eyes, those blue eyes that were saying'trust me'.

Raine did trust him.

That was the reason she took those difficult steps to get close to him.As soon as Raine's trembling fingers touched his open palm, the spark that erupted from the skin to skin contact managed to calm down her tension a little bit.

Torak pulled Raine close to him and held her slender waist firmly to keep her steady.

In front of hundreds of influential people and thousands to millions of viewers online, Torak kissed Raine's lips for three seconds long only, but Raine felt like it was for an eternity as it took her breath away, conscious of those eyes staring at them and their intimate action.

Raine had never been in front of this many people, much more become the center of their attention. She blinked and then grabbed the edge of Torak's black outer clothes anxiously.

When Torak ended their short kiss, he whispered to her ear encouragingly. "You are very brave tonight my love and very beautiful as always."

Through gritted teeth, Raine whispered back to him, "Can I just look at you? I am so nervous I can't look at those people…" She glanced briefly at the sea of people below the stage and then retracted her gaze back to those calm blue eyes.

Torak chuckled when he heard her and nodded. "You must always have your eyes on me only." He kissed Raine's forehead which caused another cheerful commotion to erupt among the guests. Raine shuddered. "Let's cut the cake first."

Afterwards, the MC took over as he followed the flow of the program for this event.

Raine looked at the giant birthday cake that was so beautiful that she didn't have the heart to cut it. With all the meticulous decoration, the eleven tier birthday cake looked inedible in Raine's eyes.

However, when the knife that she held cut through the first tier, it went deep into it without any difficulty as if it was the softest cake. Raine could see the black color of the sponge cake beneath the layer of white icing.

Someone gave Raine a small plate to put the first slice of cake on, and a small spoon.

Then the MC's voice asked a rhetorical question, "Who is the lucky person to receive the first slice of cake?"

Of course the answer to that was very obvious. It goes without saying that Torak would receive it, as if Raine would give the cake to anyone else aside from him.

Another clicking sound and flashes of camera burst forth to capture this moment.

After that, Raine stayed for another thirty minutes, greeting the guests who came to approach her and congratulate her on her birthday and her relationship with Torak.

Most of them were being too friendly to her that she felt it was so fake, but Raine tried to maintain her smile while Torak handled the small talk about trivial things.

Among the guests there were lycans, elves, dragon shifters, witches and humans. Torak explained it to her patiently.

During that short thirty minutes, Torak never left Raine's side and always made sure she was safe in his arms as he rested his hands casually on her waist, inviting jealousy from all the single women in the room.

Raine would only answer them with a smile or a nod of her head. She was too afraid to make small talk or say unnecessary things.

Raine stood beside Torak, smiling ever so softly without complains instead of scurrying away and hiding in the corner. This was considered good progress.

Thus, after the twentieth person had congratulated Raine, Torak thought this was enough for her and leaned over. "Let's go home, shall we?"

Raine's eyes glimmered beautifully as her smile bloomed into a more cheerful one than the one she had on in the last thirty minutes she was there.

"Yes, please." She replied eagerly.

Though they would leave early, the guests could stay there to enjoy the limitless food and drinks. Raphael was left in charge to greet every one of them.

"Can I change my shoes before we go?" Raine asked hopefully. The high heels were starting to kill her.

"Sure, you can go with Belinda and Calleb. I will join you inside the car." Torak rubbed her head and took her to where Belinda and Calleb were arguing about something, again.

However, along the way, someone cut in and greeted Raine and Torak politely. "Happy birthday Raine…" He said in a rough voice.

The man's golden eyes stared at Raine intensely as his lanky body blocked the sight of Belinda and Calleb behind him. "It has been a while since the last time we met." He mused, seeing Raine's attempt to hide behind Torak's body. "Hmm? Still afraid of me I guess…" He stroked his chin.

Torak didn't want to entertain the devil and didn't want to stay any longer so he said coldly, "Enjoy your stay Mr. Reiz."

With that, Torak walked past him along with Raine.

Belphegor grinned at Raine when the angel stole a glance at him, but she hurriedly retracted her gaze.

Raine wondered why the devil was there. Did Torak invite him? But then, why would Torak invite their enemies? She couldn't understand.

"You can go with them to change. I will be waiting for you inside the car once you are done." Torak gave Raine's hand to Belinda and allowed both of them to escort Raine away.

============== 

Belinda helped her to undress and change into sweater and jeans, which were definitely more comfortable for her.

When Raine came out from the changing room, Calleb was leaning against the door, waiting for them.

"I like the dress from before." That was the first thing that Calleb said when he saw Raine wearing her sweater and jeans attire, looking at her with disapproval in his eyes.

"You can have it if you want." Raine's comeback made Belinda laugh out loud and Calleb pout his mouth.

Together, they walked to the front lobby where Torak had been waiting for them inside the car.

Torak helped Raine get into the car, holding the door open like the gentleman he was, and sat down beside her.

The driver opened the car door for Calleb as he would drive them home and Belinda sat on the shotgun seat. 

As the car left the splendid celebration and moved further away from the luxurious hotel, Raine turned her head to face Torak.

"Why was Belphegor there?" Raine asked softly as their car speeded on the highway under the street lights.

"Belphegor? The devil?" Belinda turned around to look at Raine and her Alpha. "He was in the party as well?" She asked in disbelief. "How could he be there?"

Even before Torak could answer Raine's question, the duo on the front seat had started to answer it for her as they started to squabble again.

��Yeah, unfortunately he has become our partner now as he is the representative of the de Medici family, replacing Remy de Medici who was killed by his younger brother, Ramon de Medici, who is now in jail." Calleb explained.

"How could he enter the de Medici family and become their representative?" Belinda's eyes grew wide as she was so agitated with the news. Lycans and devils did not have a good history together.

Calleb shrugged his shoulder. "I don't know. The devil has many ways to get what they wanted."

"Knowing the devil will be part of the company, why don't you cut ties with that de Medici family?" Belinda chastised Calleb even though only Torak could make such decision.

"Do you think cutting ties with them is as easy as cutting onions? There are a lot of things that we need to consider." Calleb retorted as they exited the highway and entered a normal road, with many food stalls along the way.

As soon as Raine heard the reason why Belphegor attended the party, she soon lost any interest to listen to the rest of Belinda and Calleb's argument.

Raine etched her face on the glass window while staring at every food stall they passed by. She didn't eat anything at the party as she didn't have the appetite because of her nervousness.

However, now she could feel her stomach grumbling.

Torak leaned over and rested his chin on Raine's shoulder as he looked at the food stall along the road with her. "Are you hungry?" He asked and felt Raine nodding her head.

"I want to eat sweet and sour breast chicken…" Raine pointed at one stall before it soon disappeared as the car speeded by.

"Stop the car and turn around." Torak immediately said to Calleb.

"Huh?" Calleb was confused by the sudden order, but he hit the brakes nonetheless. "What happened?" He asked while making a U-turn to drive back.

"Raine wanted to eat chicken breast." Torak informed Calleb casually.

"Didn't you eat at the party?" Calleb glanced at Raine through the rear view mirror.

"No, I didn't eat anything…" Raine replied. She kissed Torak's cheek because he granted her wish.

"There were a lot of delicious foods there. It's such a waste that you didn't try it." Calleb himself had pigged out on every dish there and almost forgot about his duty to entertain the guests.

"How can I eat…" If I was so nervous even to breathe… Raine said inwardly.

When the car pulled over, two more cars stopped beside them. Apparently they were the bodyguards that Torak had hired for their safety.

One car was filled with lycan warriors and the other car was for the human bodyguards. There were eight of them in total and they secured the area as soon as Raine got out of the car.

She looked around and noticed that the eight of them had surrounded the area of the stall where she would eat. Thankfully, there were not a lot of people here tonight or else they would surely become the center of attention… again.

And that was the last thing that Raine wanted as she had had enough of the attention that she had gotten at the party.

"Torak…" Raine tugged Torak's sleeves. She didn't like the situation.

"It's alright, they are here to keep you safe." Torak rubbed Raine's head to reassure her. "Just ignore them and let's eat."

Torak grabbed Raine's hand and took her inside the stall to order two plates of sweet and sour chicken breast that she wanted, but Raine asked for more plates for the eight people that guarded them.

The stall was small and empty and the four of them took a table at the corner.

It didn't take a long time before two plates of chicken breast appeared on their table along with the other dishes that Calleb and Belinda had ordered.

Seemingly Calleb had a big hole in his stomach because after all the food that he had eaten at the party, he still managed to dig into a bowl of noodles.

Raine ate her chicken breast slowly as her mind reeled on her plan to ask her gift from Torak. She still couldn't figure out the best way to communicate her wish…

"There is something on your mind?" Torak asked, now that he caught Raine's blank expression for the third time.

Raine hurriedly shook her head and ate her food like an obedient little girl.

Once they were done, they went straight to the house and Raine became quiet as a bunny.

"Good night Belinda, good night Call." Raine bid them farewell before Torak brought her to their room.

Belinda and Calleb occupied rooms downstairs while Raine and Torak's room was on the second floor, along with Raine's painting room.

When the door closed, Torak hugged Raine tightly as his warm breath fanned Raine's neck and made her slightly shudder at the intimacy.

"I am sorry that you had to go through this, but bear with it for a bit longer." Torak said thoughtfully.

Raine nodded, but her mind was thinking about another thing - the most important part of her birthday.

Torak then retracted his hands and turned Raine's body as he pulled out something from his pocket. It was a red box as big as Raine's palm.

"Happy birthday my love, I wish you a safe and happy life." He prayed for his mate softly.

Raine smiled and took the box from Torak's hand as he urged her to open it. When the lid of the box was opened, it displayed Torak's exquisite gift inside.

It was a necklace with a white pearl pendant, which glinted under the light of the room. The necklace didn't look so fancy, but was beautiful and elegant nonetheless. It suited Raine perfectly.

Torak took the necklace from Raine's hand and put it on her neck, brushing her hair aside to close its clasp. The pendant hung right on her chest as it gleamed faintly.

"This is beautiful…" Raine appreciated the gift.

"But not as beautiful as you." Torak held her chin so Raine could see the rare soft smile on his lips as he leaned over to lay a kiss on her soft lips. "I mean it."

Raine could feel her stomach do a somersault at what Torak said and what he did.

Even if this wasn't the first time Torak complemented her and this wasn't also their first kiss, every time Torak complemented her or kissed her, Raine could feel butterflies fluttering its colorful wings on her stomach.

Raine wrapped her arms around Torak's neck as she tiptoed and pulled him closer to her, at the same time, Torak held her slender waist to keep her balance.

Torak teased her lips with his warm tongue, saying, "What is the gift that you wanted, my love?"

"Mark me." Raine answered between their kiss. She just blurted out the words like that, her meticulous plans that had cracked and occupied her mind since days before were now useless when she answered him plainly that way.

Torak stopped as he pulled away from her.

Raine also suddenly became alert at Torak's reaction.

Did she say something wrong?

Did she upset him?

Did he not want to do it?

A lot of questions swarmed on her mind as her body tensed up because Torak didn't say anything for a while.

"I am sorry…" Raine became self-conscious as she apologized for something that she didn't know. Was it a mistake to ask something like that?

Raine was unsure.

Seeing the troubled expression on Raine's face, Torak's expression softened as he caressed her blushing cheeks with his thumbs. "Who told you about the Lycan's mark?" He asked softly.

Raine lifted her head to see that Torak's shock had changed into concern. "Calleb…" She replied.

Torak nodded but didn't say anything further. The silence between them became uncomfortable.

"Will you… mark me…?" Raine asked gingerly. "They said a Lycan will mark their mate so their souls will be bonded for life." Raine loved the idea of being together with Torak.

Yet, apparently, Torak had another idea. His expression looked troubled now as if Raine's request bothered him greatly.

"You will not…?" Raine asked, but it was almost like a conclusion. Her eyes stung with tears that were about to fall. She blinked her eyes to fight back the urge to cry.

"Oh, don't make that sad expression my love, you know I can't bear to see you sad." Torak kissed away Raine's tears and her forehead before he carried her to the sofa near the open window and sat her on his lap.

The light breeze coming in through the windows fluttered Raine's hair as she rested her head on Torak's shoulder. She felt dejected.

Raine had learned how important it was for a mate to bear their mate's mark, but Torak was reluctant for her to bear his mark. Why?

Torak cradled Raine in his arms. "I will definitely mark you, but not now…" He said in a hoarse voice.

His beast was banging his head to mark Raine and claim her as his, but Serefina's warning kept ringing in his head and Torak couldn't ignore it.

As soon as Raine said those beautiful words, he almost lost his control over his beast.

Mark me…

Those were the most beautiful words that Torak had ever heard from her and also the most tempting thing that he had to resist.

Raine didn't truly understand how important it was for the Lycan male to give their mark to their mates. It was the pride of every Lycans if their mate bore their mark. After all, it was a sacred ritual.

But Torak couldn't fulfill Raine's tempting wish yet.

It wasn't only Raine who felt bitter. Torak felt depressed as well.

"Why?" Raine asked with a small voice and looked at Torak with sorrow in her obsidian eyes. "Why can't you mark me?"

"Because your body will not be able to take it…" Torak explained.

Werewolves' bite is dangerous but lycans' is fatal. It is very rare for lycans and werewolves to have mates outside of their own kind, and even with their own kind, the marking process could be unsafe.

Moreover, in that very rare case that their mate was not of their kind, there wasn't even a case that werewolves or lycans was mated to a guardian angel or a human, and unfortunately, Raine was both.

Even in normal situations, Raine couldn't stay in Torak's territory because her soul couldn't take being surrounded by beasts. Her soul would become vulnerable. That was the reason why they were in this city instead of Oriole City, where her safety would be assured, given that is was Torak's territory.

If Torak would bite her now, the result would be terrifying and Torak couldn't take the risk no matter how desirable the temptation was and how dejected his little mate's expression become.

She had been stressing herself over this matter.

"That's why I can't mark you now…" Torak said regretfully. "If I could, you would have already born my mark by now."

Torak would have marked her the first time he met her under the rain that fateful night. If it wasn't because of the fear in her eyes, no, she was terrified…

Not to mention marking her, Torak even had to apply extra effort only to get close to her.

When Raine's condition started to improve and she became close to him, Torak had thought about marking her, but then came Serefina's warning about the consequences.

After Raine heard Torak's explanation, her heart slightly felt better. Even as theirs was a complicated situation and there is a condition behind his reason, she felt sorrowful regardless.

Raine nuzzled Torak's chest. "I thought you don't love me enough to mark me…" She whined.

"Don't be silly." Torak kissed the crown of her head. "There is no such thing."

"Calleb said that every lycan will mark their mate the first time they meet… but, you didn't… so I became anxious…" Raine whimpered pitifully as she rubbed her face against Torak's chest.

"How can I mark you when the first time I met you, you were so afraid of me and thought I would hurt you." Torak reminded Raine.

Raine bit her lips, feeling embarrassed when she remembered her reaction. "I was afraid of you for no reason."

"It's expected my love for someone who had endured all of those horrendous experiences, but now you had overcome your fear and I couldn't be more proud of you." Torak praised her.

"Thanks to you…" Raine giggled and kissed his chin. "So, how long until you can mark me?" She asked.

"I think until you are strong enough and you are able to control your power." Torak said. "Or else, it will be so dangerous to do it."

Raine pouted her lips as she thought about that. "I need to work harder then…"

"You don't need to bear my mark to be convinced that I love you…" Torak chuckled. "Don't you believe me after all this time?"

Raine mumbled something unclear like, 'I believe you but…'

"I know you love me… but, I want that mark… it feels so romantic to be bounded with someone that you love." Raine voiced out her thought.

"Romantic?" Torak raised his eyebrows. "Is that what you think? Romantic?"

Raine nodded. "It feels like we are in relationship, but we are not going to get married." She made a random analogy.

Torak laughed when he heard that. "We just let the public know about our relationship and now you are talking about marriage?"

"No… no…" Raine waved her hands frantically at Torak's teasing. "That's not what I meant…"

"I know…" Torak hugged Raine as he whispered. "Let's not rush this matter, we will take this one step at a time…"

"So, my birthday gift is postponed?" Raine asked.

"Yes, but I will definitely give it to you." Torak kissed the sweet spot on the crook of her shoulder, where he would put his mark. "Here…"

Raine scrunched her eyebrows and squirmed because it tickled. Torak closed his eyes to gather his conscience. He was too reckless and overestimated his self-restraint.

"But, my love…" Torak tipped her head up by pushing her chin with his finger as he stared intently at her. "Don't talk about this kind of thing again with anyone, alright?"

Raine frowned and nodded, but she still asked. "Why?"

"Marking is an intimate topic and I don't like you to be intimate with another person." Torak said sternly. "Understood?"

"Understood."

==============

The following days passed and in the blink of an eye, today was the day Raine would be a college student.

After her appearance on her birthday a week ago, the news about her and Torak didn't cease down even a little bit.

At first, Raine was so stressed when she read all the hate comments and felt slightly depressed when they depicted her as an awful girl with a horrendous baseless background.

But then, Torak confiscated her phone and said to not bother with those rumors because in time, it would all pass.

However, now, Raine needed to go out and enjoy her first day as a college student.

She was so eager to go yet anxious at the same time.

"Don't be so stressed." Torak said when he saw Raine staring blankly out of the car's window. "If something happens, call me immediately."

Torak handed back her phone and kissed her forehead when the car reached the entrance gates of her university.

"Stay close to Stephan, but if he is bothering you, tell me and I will teach him a lesson." Calleb said cheerfully from behind the wheel.

"Thank you…" Raine grinned. "I think you had taught him enough lessons last time."

"Dragon shifter is a haughty and arrogant creature by nature, so there is a possibility that he will repeat the same mistake again." Calleb explained.

"Stay safe, okay? Don't do anything reckless and avoid being alone." Torak added.

"In an emergency situation, act first, think later." Raphael chimed in as he halted what he was doing on the laptop and turned to add another advice for Raine.

Raine couldn't help but laugh at their advices, apparently it wasn't only her who was nervous.

"Okay, I have to go now or else I will be late." Raine kissed Torak on his lips and waved goodbye to Calleb and Raphael.

Then Raine walked to the entrance gates where Stephan had been waiting for her.

The university that Raine entered was an elite one. There were many children of public figures and influential people, as well as heiress from famous business families, who study there, thus it wasn't strange that they have the best security to prevent journalists from entering the university area.

Torak stared at Raine's back as she was approaching Stephan. Both of them exchanged polite greetings before they entered the building together.

"Are you sure it's ok to leave her like this, Torak?" Calleb asked, he still had his eyes on Raine though her figure was getting smaller and smaller. "Don't you want to add more protection around her?" He was like a father who took his child to the first day of school, getting anxious and overwhelmed with worry.

Torak closed his eyes when he couldn't see Raine anymore, but her scent still lingered in the car. "More than this, she will realize that I am stalking her."