Chapter 169 - Watching You Leave

"My child! Oh...Oh my God! Th-Thank you, sir! Thank you for saving my boy! I...I can't explain how much I grateful to you! Thank you! Thank you..hic..." The mother started sobbing bitterly, seizing the child tightly in her embrace. For a moment, the small kid seemed a bit startled with all the ongoing ruckus and kept glancing around him.

Making a straight face, Zeus was quietly standing still there where the people around were busy praising his gallant effort. His pale face looked a little perplexed as if he was being a bit uneasy getting suddenly crowded by humans.

After a moment of anticipation and calming down in his mother's arms, the child ran towards Zeus in his tiny steps and held his broad palm with his little fingers, looking up to him.

"Mister...are you a spiderman? How did you just save me so quickly!? Can you fly? Do you have powers?" Peeping his tiny eyes, he tossed many queries at once.

A small smirk escaped his lips hearing his innocent questions as he lifted his chin down to glance at the kid. Softly he knelt down before him on the ground and caressed his head before reciprocating back. "No, I can't fly, kid." 

"But you were so cool when you saved me. When I will grow up, will I become like you too, mister?" 

"Don't become like me, kid... Don't lead a...miserable life like me... Stay as human and lead a peaceful life..." Tossing a soft sad smile and patting his head, he stood up from the ground. Glancing with an irked gaze towards his mother, he sounded a bit gruff, "you should have paid more attention to your small child than your phone. Something disastrous could have possibly happened to him if I was not around!"

"I am sorry, sir... I...I am really so sorry..." Folding her arms, she was conveying her apologies to him, sobbing in grief. The people gathered around were whispering and rumbling between them stealing glances at Zeus who stood out among every single person present there.

"Did you see? This man indeed jumped like a superhero at the last moment saving the child from getting run over... No human can exactly do this! Does he really has some special powers?" The whispers circulated amidst the crowd in the low voice which was making him a bit irked. People were being skeptical about his honest intentions which were making him more puzzled.

Looking at him from afar, Eva was so lost in him that she even forgot to blink her eyes. A warm smile of pleasure appeared on her face watching him actually changing himself of his own will. She tried to take a step forward to reach him on the other side of the road but something unexpected happened!

A deluxe big black car came out of the blue and stopped on the roadside next to where Zeus was standing still. The car door opened quickly and Ivory walked out of it holding her usual, imperial yet graceful appearance.

All the attention of the people quickly shifted towards her. As she stepped out, while closing the door she took a sharp glance towards Eva who was standing on the opposite side of the road, all frigid and composed. As their eyes met, a cold death stare from Ivory shivered her insides before she turned away her gaze after a few seconds.

"She...She saw me! I...I am definitely not mistaken! She indeed gave me the death stare!" Gulping her saliva anxiously, she glanced at them narrowing her gaze impertinently.

Zeus looked a bit surprised to find Ivory arriving there all of a sudden. He frowned his eyebrows and before he could ask her, she quickly groped his arms tight which made him flinch way hard. 

"Let's go somewhere else, honey. We need to talk." Holding a wide fake smile on her face before those people, she tried to cling to him intentionally. Eva was shocked to witness her getting so close to him and continued gawking at them in shock.

"What are you doing? Why are you groping my arm?" Looking a bit perplexed at her reaction, Zeus tried to unleash his arm away from her grasp but she further clenched her grip tighter. 

"Get in the car. I need to talk about something to you." She whispered in his ears and almost tried to pull him away forcibly towards the car.

"Wh-What the heck? Why is she...holding his arm so tight? Wh-Why isn't he moving away from her? What's happening? Is...Is something really ongoing between those two?" Swooned in angst, Eva was clenching her fist while the several fretful thoughts were invincibly filling up her mind. 

Zeus quickly glanced at Ivory hearing her deep dubious words and she indeed had a serious look on her face. Without objecting any further, he slowly followed her into the car. The people were intensely gazing at her radiant aura and murmuring among themselves. 

"Why did you have to save a human's life? Have you lost your goddamn mind? Do you want to expose our powers before the world? They were already becoming skeptical of you and your silence was worsening the situation." She grumbled at him as they took their seats at the back.

"It was a small child. He would have been run over if I didn't hurry and..."

All of a sudden, his voice trailed off as his dark gaze locked on the wing mirror glass of the car. Swirling his eyeballs in shock, he could evidently see Eva standing a bit far from them, gawking at the car from behind. Her eyes were teary, she was gasping heavily and clenching her fist in anguish.

"E...Eva? It's Eva!?" Blurting out with a huff of breath, Zeus quickly tried to step out of the car and rush towards her. His heart was pounding like crazy and for a moment, he forgot about the rest of the world as his eyes solely focussed on her.

"Wait! Don't go!" In a flick of a second, Ivory gripped his arm tighter forbidding him from rushing out.

"What?" Glaring at her with his dark gaze, he objected her aloud, sounding much vexed.

"Aren't you making her life too hard? Isn't this what you... wanted to let her go? Keeping her by your side would always endanger her life. Do you want that?" Flinging out her words in a deep hoarse pitch, she clasped the grip over his arm further glaring with her skeptical gaze.

"But..."

"Your relationship with her has been always ill-fated and you knew about it too! A human is meant to be with a human! At some point in life, you were obliged to let her go. When she has done it prior...respect her choice. Don't chase after her, Zeus!" She cited in a deep voice, swirling her glistening brown eyes.

Apprehending her bitter words, a wave of profound sadness stirred him from inside. Helplessly clenching his fist, he tried to look through the wing mirror again and this time, he found Eva walking away from the spot slowly, at an unsteady pace. Choking his surge of tears in, he kept glancing through the mirror.

"It's...It's better for you Eva to...walk away from me... I...I don't want to jeopardize your life anymore... You deserve to live a good life with...with a human... not with an animal like me... But...It fucking hurts so bad...to watch you...leave..." Murmuring inside, he unleashed his arm from her clasp, holding a bereaved face.

Ivory had a stiff expression on her face while glancing at him as he shoved away her arm. Slowly, he turned her grimace from him and indicated the driver to start the car. 

.

"Zeus, I know you must be irked with me. But...everything I am doing is just for your sake...just to keep you safe. Hope you would realize it someday---"

"What did you want to talk about?" Grumbling in a dark voice, he interrupted her sentence before she could even finish it.

She fanned herself and shrugged her shoulder before responding. "Judging from the turtle neck shirt you are putting on, your scars must have started appearing. Tomorrow is the red lunar eclipse. Zeus, I think we both should head today to our Mountain Spirit. I have a tiny hope that you might be cured there!"

He silently sat still for a few seconds and murmured in a thick voice, "No one will be allowed to come near me starting tomorrow. I don't want anyone from my pack to put in danger for my sake."

"What? But you don't have the slightest idea about how painful it's gonna be--"

"I am quite accustomed to bearing every pain since a long time, Ivory. Besides, I have told mom that I am not gonna get engaged to you." He answered in a cold voice.

"What? You did what?" Swirling her eyes wider in shock, she shrieked at the unexpected revelation.

"I don't know what's gonna waiting for me ahead, but I have chosen the one I oath to love and that is Eva. So, I think you should give up on me and try to live your life instead. Don't fret about mom and dad...Everything will be fine once this trouble is over." He declaimed with a frigid look on his face and commanded the driver in a loud voice, "stop the car." 

The car stopped at his command. Ivory was still deadpanned in shock while he opened the car door and stepped out. Before closing it, he turned his face towards her and proclaimed in a deep voice, "it's the alpha's command. Don't even try to find me starting from tomorrow. I promise...I will survive and come back safe. Till then, try to think of yourself. And...thank you for putting me out of that awkward situation today. You were always have been my good friend...but you won't be anything more than that." 

He closed the door.

"Wh...What the fuck? Does this fool even realize how dangerous the curse is? How is he gonna survive it alone?" Mumbling in fear, she continued glancing at him from behind as he walked away.