Once Upon a Child of the Stars

Twenty Seven-Harmless Fun

"So you are telling me there are creatures like us but are on all fours on Earth?" Tyla asks. 

"Yeah they're called werewolves. My mom says they only found out about them when the war happened on Earth. Apparently this bad king rallied up these things called vampires and werewolves to fight against the humans to take over the planet before I was even born," I explain as we walk the trails in the nearby forests. 

"That is insane. I never even thought about creatures outside of our general area," Tarrence says. 

"There is a lot more to the world than you'd ever expect," Raegar says as he throws an arm over my shoulder and he shoots me a smile. 

"So, what else is there to see around here?" Kaedian asks. 

They showed us the various shops and the best places to eat around the town. Then, they took us to the forests and outskirts where we are now. They are very in tune with nature and tend to keep their territory a good chunk of just wilderness.

Tarrence explained that like the dragons, there are several groups of lycans spread across the planet and have one alpha king and a council that helps keep everything in check. The alphas, like Maddox are all part of the council and give information and updates about their packs and areas. 

"You guys like swimming?" Tyla asks with a sly smile. 

"I love swimming!" I answer with a huge smile of excitement. 

"I have actually never been," Kaedian says and I turn to him with wide eyes. 

"How have you never been swimming?" I question. 

"The water on our planet mostly contains deadly toxins. The only sources that are pure are used for drinking and are illegal to swim in because we can't risk contamination," Raegar explains, keeping his arm around me. 

"Well there's a first for everything," Tarrence says with a shrug. 

"Let's do it!" Tyla says and she jumps with excitement. 

"Let's head back to the town, grab some swimming clothes and we can head out to the springs," Tarrence says with a smile. 

We take a trail and hike out of the colorful green forest. We make our way back Tyla and Tarrence's house where they run in and leave us standing in the foyer while they get swimming clothes for the three of us. 

Their house is decorated with various shades of brown and natural colors. Even the chairs and table look handmade. 

Suddenly the sound of two pairs of feet came clambering down the stairs and into the foyer area. 

"We got it. You guys okay with changing in the wild?" Tyla asks with a chuckle. 

"As long as there's plenty of coverage, I am," I say with a shrug. 

"I am too," Raegar says with a wink at me. I roll my eyes at his suggestive motion, secretly wishing he were my mate and that it meant anything between the two of us. 

"Perfect! Let's go then!" Tyla says with a bounce in her step as she leads us out of the house. We follow, excitement filling the air and everyone with a smile on their faces. 

We took another trail, a longer one that was just as beautiful and green as the others with a stone pathway leading us to our desired location. Once we reached the springs, I was in awe at the beauty of it. 

Tyla handed me a bag and I went behind a bush. I opened the bag and looked in. I pulled out a black string bikini. I furrow my eyebrows, a bit uneasy at the thought of being so exposed. I sighed and decided it was all I had, and I stripped down and put the pieces on. I threw my clothes into the bag and walked out from around the bush. 

Immediately, all eyes turned on me, including other lycans who were at the spring. I immediately felt self conscious  in the skimpy attire. I crossed my arms over my stomach in the attempt to shield myself from the eyes on me, but it did not make much difference. 

"You look amazing!" Tyla said, a huge proud smile on her face. "I knew I picked the right color for you," she states. 

"Thank you for loaning this to me," I say with a grateful smile. 

"She's right. You look gorgeous, Lumi," Raegar steps forward and holds his hand out towards me. "Let's go," he says with a smirk. 

Raegar takes my hand and leads me to the water with everyone following. We get into the water and it is the perfect temperature, cool enough to be refreshing but a bit warm to keep us from ever getting the chills. 

"Wow, this is amazing guys!" Kaedian says. 

"It's got stuff in the water that is supposed to help skin and wounds too," Tarrence states.

"That is so cool. This whole place is just full of good energy," I say. 

We splash around covering ourselves in the cool water, laughing and letting ourselves be free. Eventually, I found myself and Raegar sitting side by side on a large rock that protruded from the running waters. 

"This kind of reminds me of that day, when you took me to the waters back in your kingdom," Raegar says with a smile. 

"That day was fun until we almost died," I say with a scoff. 

"Hey, let's stick to the positive side of things," Raegar says, keeping his smile on his face. 

We sat there enjoying the water rushing passed our legs and laughing at tall the lycans who were playing around, viciously dunking each other and playfully fighting in the water. Eventually, the sun began to set and the lycans began to leave the waters. 

"You guys ready to go?" Tyla asks. Raegar and I looked at each other. 

"Actually I think the two of us are gonna stay back for a few more minutes," Raegar says. 

"I'm gonna head back with them. I'm starving," Kaedian says. I nod and smile at them and they leave us to ourselves. 

"Hey," Raegar says after a moment of silence.

"Hey," I reply softly. 

"It is all going to work out," he says. 

"What if it doesn't, Rae? What if Xavian finds us and locks me away for the rest of my life? What if he locks us both up? Or kills Kaedian for helping us?" I say shaking my head.

"Luminara. Look around you. You have an army, a whole fucking planet on your side. We will all keep you safe and on top of that we will keep Kaedian and I'm sure they will keep me safe too. Relax," he says softly. 

"I don't understand why he hates me," I reply while looking down. 

"I have a feeling it has to do with my mate dying," Raegar says and I look up to see his pain flashing through his eyes as they turn dark blue. 

"She died three years ago. I never really knew her but I felt the pain all the same. We were called out to one of the towns on the outskirts of the kingdom. One of those giant creatures had gotten ballsy and came through the defense lines and wrecked the town and then three more came in. They killed so many. By the time we arrived, I found her crushed under a building. There was no saving her, but just by meeting her, the pain I felt when she died was more than any other pain I have ever felt. I never knew her name. Our eyes connected and then she was gone. They had to drag me away. I locked myself up for months, years. I felt hallow for so long. Eventually I built myself back up and well the rest is history," he says. 

Unknowingly, tears had begun to slip passed my eyes. I opened my mouth slightly, stunned at the story he had just told me. 

"I am so sorry," I say in a hushed tone. 

"It's okay. I've found my purpose now," he says with a small smile. 

"What's that?" I ask. 

"You," he says as our eyes meet.