Chapter 25 - The Ring

>Yohan

I somehow made it to the forest and managed to drag myself to the biggest oak tree there was in the place. I had to walk a lot but as soon as I reached it I got some relief. The tree wasn’t just any normal tree. It was a dryad. In other words, a tree spirit. In big forests there is always one dryad which is also the gateway to the magical realm.

The Dryad was old, about 900 years and had large branches spreading around it in every direction with thick bark. I walked up to it and laid against it as Dryad began to identify me. As it incurred that I was not human and was injured it decided to provide some support.

Tree spirits can only ease the pain, they can not heal it and they do it only for magical creatures. They don’t do it for humans and for some reason vampires aren’t included either.

Why I came here instead of going to the hospital?

The hospital would give me the blood but there will be no ease to the pain and at the moment I only wanted the pain to numb even though I knew it was temporary.

The wind blew softly and the trees rustled. Perhaps it was the way of the spirit to ask me if I was alright? I wasn’t sure since the dryads can not speak in the human world. I sort of feel sorry for them. There are a few of them. One in each big forest, they only live there to serve as the gateway between the two worlds. A duty entrusted to them since the separation of two worlds.

I took a deep breath and slumped against the bark and began to look at the half moon. The moon gives the wolves strength and power.

Some time later the sound of leaves being crunched made me look at the person walking towards me.

Maya?

I was surprised to see her.

“Yohan!” She called out to me and started running but as soon as she did her legs gave out and she fell face flat on the ground.

I ran up to her as she lifted her face, “Are you okay?” There was a small cut on her nose on the area between her eyes.

I still wasn’t sure why she had come here so I couldn’t bring myself to touch her. I glanced at Roxy behind her who waved at me then mind linked me.

“I’ll go get the car.” She spoke in my mind and then left.

She must have done something since I told her Maya was my mate.

I looked down at my mate again who leaped at me and wrapped her arms around me, “I’m so sorry.” She apologized, “I’m really really sorry.” Her embrace tightened and I felt better of all of a sudden, “I didn’t mean any of what I said.” I could hear her heart beating through me which was still trying to calm down along with her breathing.

For a few moments there was silence. The leaves rustled as the wind blew again and I was still trying to process if this was really happening. Did she really come to me to apologize? If so, that would mean a lot.

I put my hands around her waist, “You mean that?” I asked softly.

“Yes.” She looked at me, “I said all that without thinking.” I saw tears form in her eyes, “That was wrong of me. I’m really sorry I hurt you.” It showed that she really did regret it.

I smiled, “It’s okay.” I was glad that at least she didn’t hate me.

“Why aren’t you asking me anything? I even hit you.”

Her question made me look away, “It doesn’t matter.” It actually didn’t matter. As long as she doesn’t hate me we can still do something and move ahead right?

I wasn’t really sure. It has been a month since we started living together yet still I think I’ve made no progress. I glanced at her again and was shocked.

“Hey!” I touched her face unconsciously since she started crying suddenly, “What’s wrong?” I asked her, “Do the injuries hurt?” I looked at her skin. Her elbows and knees were scraped and her feet were bruised too. It was only then I realized she ran hee barefooted, “It does look painful-”

“Don’t you hate me?”

I paused as soon as I heard her question

“What makes you think that?” I wiped her tears that were streaming down her face which somehow gave me an odd sense of satisfaction. Maybe because she was crying because of me.

“I don’t know.” She gulped to calm her dry throat, “But I don’t want you to hate me.”

“You don’t want me to hate you. Why?”

“Because I’ve started liking you.” She confessed and buried her face in my neck while I tried to make sense of what she said.

She likes me? Really?

“I felt insecure.”She continued, “I hated the fact that you went with your ex when the time belonged to the two of us.”

“Maya-” Hesitantly, I put my hand on her head, “Do you really mean that?” I could feel my strength return and an odd sense of happiness swirl inside, so I had to confirm it again.

There was a short pause after which she answered in a low voice, “I do…”

I hugged her tight as I felt all my lost strength return and I felt like I could tell her if it was now.

“Then you won’t reject me will you?”

“Reject you?”

“If I confess something today. Will you accept that?”

“Yohan what is it?” I guess she was confused.

I looked at the ring in her finger. There was something else to confirm too.

“Will you accept it?” I asked again, “It’s something you might find very strange.”

“I will.”

“You won’t run away?”

“No.” She answered, “I won’t run away.” Then looked at me and smiled.

“Okay then.”I stood up and stepped back from her. I need some space for this. “What if I tell you. I’m not human.”

“...” She looked at me like I was joking, “Are you trying to play some prank on me?” Well normal reaction for a human.

I snickered, “No,’ll show you.”

I stepped further back and began to strip down, “Ahhh…What are you doing?”

“Showing you.”

“Getting naked is gonna show me what?”

After I was done I began to transform.

“Look at me.” I told her.

She hesitated but when something odd caught her eyes she shot her towards, I transformed a little bit slower but still it only took about 2 seconds.

“This is my other form.” I told her, “It’s what I am.”

She began to panic and held her head. At the same time the ring on her finger started to glow red. It wasn’t noticeable, not until you paid special attention to it.

“You- You’re a-?”

“I’m a werewolf.” I answered a question. Just as I did there was a sudden snapping sound and the light wrapped her just like last time, flashed and put her to sleep.

Before she could fall to the floor I transformed back and caught her.

I knew it. Something or someone is keeping her away from all this. Purposely sealing her memories.

But why?

I looked at her sleeping face. I guess she won’t be waking up any time soon like last time.

I looked at her ring. Soft red glow was still on it, slowly fading.

As it died, I did what I thought was best.

I took it off her.

Note: Dryads are tree spirits born with oak trees and grow with them. They live for exactly 1000 years and after passing their duty to an offspring they die of old age after which the tree also begins to die. In natural order, the spirit will die first, then the tree. The dryad’s oversee the forests and that no wrong entity tries to enter the magic realm. Although there are times they can fail too.

The dryads in the magical realm can leave the trees but have to stay within the tree's radius.. This is why dryads extend the branches outwards instead of upwards.