Chapter 4 Nightmare.

A vast expanse of wildflowers stretched out like a wide carpet on the floor. Dandelion, buttercup, daisy, the three resembled colorful dots from the green enclosure.

The sycamore tree was the only one that grew tall and lush, asserting itself as the absolute ruler of the expanse. It grew on the coast, becoming a magnificent umbrella for anyone to take shelter under from the scorching sun.

The girl, with her loose hair, was busy taking pictures of the enjoyable situation around her using a camera.

She sat on someone's lap behind her, a pair of long legs with black boots were cross-legged, enclosing Josephine's body in a possessive territory while hugging her stomach, his chin rested on Josephine's shoulder, letting his dark hair tickle someone's ear.

"Hey, I'm taking a picture. Can you loosen up?" She had to enjoy this moment, because freedom without burdens was something precious for Josephine.

"I love your scent, it's sweet, like fruit." Lifting his chin, he turned to rub the base of his nose on Josephine's shoulder.

"That's really ticklish." She squirmed, trying to avoid it, but the person's hug only got tighter, refusing to let go.

"Okay, just keep a little distance, I'll stay here."

The circle of hands on her stomach loosened, Josephine thought she had been freed for a moment, but she misjudged, the pair of large palms only moved to another place, the man gathered all of Josephine's hair, then tied it into a ponytail.

"Yeah, this is better," the figure behind her muttered. "From this side, your scent is even more fragrant, I want to lick it."

"Ah ...."

Josephine jerked, her back arched due to the touch of the tongue on her nape. She intended to turn around, but the man's hand pinched her chin, directing Josephine to keep looking forward.

"Hey!"

"You can take pictures as you like, Josephine."

"Your actions are distracting me."

"You're doing your pleasure, I'm just doing the same, so there's no harm between us."

A confident sentence, although an ambiguous atmosphere surrounded them. "This is very sweet, I want to have it for myself."

"But-ah!"

The touch of the tongue felt hot, burning Josephine's entire body, making her lower abdomen twitch and restless. She could only moan without resistance because the man's hand continued to pinch her chin.

"Don't. Don't be like this." A little fear and sadness, her eyes began to tear up, she whimpered pleadingly. "Stop ...."

Josephine's focus on the expanse of wildflowers had been completely eroded, she was busy finding a way to escape from the sensual grasp of this man, but the suppressed energy was too great, Josephine looked like a marionette doll in his palm, with restraint strings controlled.

Not enough to just lick, he bit and sucked on the girl's white skin, leaving red marks on her nape, marking ownership like a predator stalking its prey.

When his lustful behavior stopped, Josephine gasped for air, she had fallen into a trap, so she needed a way to get out.

Someone should have pulled her out, not covered the hole so she had trouble freeing herself. The man moved his hand away from Josephine's chin, slumped weakly leaning his back on the sturdy sycamore trunk, successfully quenching his long-standing thirst.

"Why did you do this, Thane? You never treated me this roughly." Josephine felt sad, she rubbed her nape as if disgusted with the visible result there.

"Thane, huh? How can you think of that bastard when you're with me. Do you prefer being with someone who has killed and discarded you?"

Josephine was stunned, confusion struck the top of her head, and curiosity invited her to turn around-making sure who was speaking.

She was petrified again, startled in response if her vision was problematic.

The man.

The man was different, not Thane Rylan!

His gray eyes gleamed yellow like gold, directing the emotion that had burned him. He looked cold and cruel just by staring at Josephine without speaking.

"Tell me, you really want that bastard, huh?" He growled angrily, the sycamore tree couldn't contain him as he moved closer to the frightened Josephine.

"Mm-me ...." She avoided his gaze and tried to escape by crawling away, but a pair of large hands stuck to the side of Josephine's hands, making her body tremble even more. The man had trapped Josephine in the same way, crawling behind her back.

"Tell me, Josephine Adeline. Do you really like that bastard from the Shadowfell Clan? You don't consider me?"

Josephine's eyes were teary, she had trouble moving and ended up crying. The situation became more tense when Josephine caught a glimpse of someone behind her back turning into something bigger, it wasn't even an ordinary werewolf form.

No.

Maybe it wasn't a werewolf, but something at a higher level and stronger. The atmosphere of tranquility from the vast expanse of wildflowers instantly disappeared, even the air forced itself to stop, escape, and hide, affirming that the entity behind Josephine had dominated the place.

Fortunately, the terrifying shadow only lasted for a few seconds, when his body returned to its normal form, he hugged Josephine's stomach from behind, unhesitatingly pulling her back-so her body bumped into his chest and sat back down on his lap.

"Josephine, don't drive me crazy and look at me." He wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "Sorry, forgive me for scaring you. Please don't mention his name again in front of me, he's not worthy of having you for anything."

The air returned to blowing, surrendering itself to comforting the crying girl.

"I've been very patient for you, Josephine. I've been this patient only to wait for you." His sentence sounded frustrated and full of exhaustion. "Just look at me, let only me be in your sight."

The limbs that wrapped around her shoulders to her chest felt hot and harder, as if hugged by a large rock that was difficult to destroy, he was probably busy burning the embers of fire in his heart for Josephine, only not enough to dispel the girl's fear.

"Josephine Adeline." The voice of the gray-eyed man there sounded soft and full of affection again. "Look at me, even if it's just once."

The sound of Josephine's sobs grew fainter, she wiped away her tears, her back which had tensed up and trembled had now completely slumped. Fulfilling the desire behind her, Josephine turned around despite still being afraid of him.

The man tilted his head on the side of Josephine's shoulder with a warm smile, as if the previous situation had never happened.

In this position, Josephine could recognize the face even though she only saw it once, but she didn't know his name yet.

"What's your name-"

Hip!

Her sentence was still hanging when the man's lips gently pressed Josephine's lips, splitting them with a gentle bite and a tongue that tried to break through to open.

Josephine struggled to escape due to the pressure of the hand on her nape, and when she tried to open up, someone else's tongue entered to sweep the warm walls of her mouth, sucking her tongue until Josephine's head felt dizzy.

The kiss that started with gentleness-slow and certain became aggressive, the man's tongue moved freely, entwining, sucking, and sweeping everything that belonged to Josephine, until she had trouble breathing, so she bit the lower lip of her opponent until it bled and forcibly separated.

"You're very tense." He laughed mockingly, leaving behind the remaining arrogance.

"DON'T FORCE ME LIKE THAT, BASTARD!!!"

***

Hah.

Hah.

Hah.

Josephine gasped for breath after being startled awake, sitting up in her bed, grasping her blanket tightly, she looked around suspiciously, afraid that someone she didn't want would appear in her dorm room.

Josephine was disturbed by the too-real nightmare, she even still felt her lips twitching due to the long kiss in her dream.

"I'm already crazy."

Finding Monica sleeping peacefully in her place made Josephine a little calmer, she was grateful that she only had a vulgar dream with the man she had just met today.

"I've never even dreamed of something as crazy as that with Thane."

Finding the curtains on the window still open, Josephine put aside her shock due to the dream, she got up to approach the window, intending to close the white curtains, but a different view from the third-floor window of Kalynda Lodge managed to pique Josephine's interest.

There, under the oak tree that had grown majestically for hundreds of years on the side of the dormitory yard-a man with his black cloak stood bowing while leaning his shoulder on the large-diameter trunk.

Josephine was petrified, feeling her heart almost exploding, fear and trembling seeped between every joint and bone, flowing with hot, buzzing blood. How is this possible. How can it be.

When the man raised his face to smile, a pair of yellow eyes that were quite striking shone.

Srak!

Josephine managed to close the curtains, she gasped for breath, why was there a crazy creature standing in the middle of the night during winter like this? Even when everyone was resting to eliminate their fatigue.

Srak!

Strangely, Josephine reopened the curtains just to make sure of something, but the man had already disappeared from his place.

"Ah ...." Josephine's body went limp and powerless, slumped on the floor and leaned against the wall under the window. "I even have an excessive fear like this, what's happening to me? The reaction is too real."

***