Chapter 183 - Acceptance

Slamming the door open, breathing heavily, Eva rushed out of the room at a wobbling pace. She seemed terrified, her jowls were quivering and her feet were all sore, bruised making her unable to even stand properly. Moreover, she had still the same white outfit from the last night which was smeared with dust and blood at a few spots. 

As she stepped inside the living room, being unable to suppress her angst anymore she looked around herself with tears streaming down her trembling chin. "Did you leave me again!? Why? Where are you? Zeus!?" She screamed frantically.

"Yes?"

Flinched at the sudden deep sonorous voice just behind her, she turned around, gasping in awe. To her shock, Zeus was standing tall at her back wearing an unbuttoned purple loose shirt to cover his upper bare body. From his expression he seemed a bit surprised, frowning his grimace while peeping his wider eyes at her.

"Ze-Zeus?" In a broken bereaved voice, she muttered looking all teary.

"I am sorry, did I wake you up? I just...went to the other room to find something and...got this shirt of the closet. Does it belong to your brother or...your father? 

But...

Why are you crying? And I heard...you were screaming my name quite aloud... Um, did something happen?" Gently taking a step closer to her, he tried to button up his shirt sounding a bit impertinent. 

Without wasting a single second anymore, Eva almost rushed towards him, jumping into his arms while crying bitterly. Watching her sudden absurd reaction, Zeus seemed very startled while she firmly clenched her arms around his shoulder, tugging her sobbed face on his bare chest. 

"Ev-Eva? Did I...do something wrong? Why are you crying?" He asked in a cordial manner while tapping her back shoulder twice. He intended to comfort her to stop crying so hard.

"I...hic...I am so happy... Thank...Thank God! Thank God...hic...it wasn't a dream! Thank God for sending you back to me... I...I am so happy...hic..." Clenching her grip tightly around his broad shoulder while mumbling, she further tugged herself inside his warm familiar embrace, sobbing quite aloud. 

"Please don't cry so bad... My heart...aches to see you like this... I...I have always wanted to see you smiling, Eva. Please don't cry too hard..." Resting his chin on her small shoulder, he softly caressed her back taking a small sigh out. 

After a moment of heartfelt grieving, slowly she drew herself away from his embrace looking deep into his eyes with a teary small smile. Holding his side face, she whispered to him, "never go out of my sight from now on! Even...Even the slightest thought of losing you chokes my breath! I...I can't live without you anymore...Zeus. I...I am so grateful that...it wasn't a dream. You are...indeed all safe now standing before me..." 

For a while, he tenderly stared deep into her eyes holding a warm smile lingering on his roseate lips. Curling his arms around her waist, he placed a soft kiss on her forehead and tried to wipe her tears with his broad fingertips. 

"It is indeed hard to believe we are right next to each other like this now... It all feels like a dream... Yesterday, I really had given up on the hope of going back to life... The pain...The torture was so miserable... And...watching you coming closer to me was...haunting me too much! I was...so scared for you, Eva!" His voice grew a bit intense, as he mumbled his anticipating thoughts. 

Looking ardently into his eyes for a few seconds, she pouted her face and pulled his left cheek a bit rough with her tiny fingers. "You even tried to chase me away with that stupid stomping vibration! I hit my back hard on the ground due to it! Also...You were also planning to flee away from me, weren't you?" Her tone sounded a little offended.

"Owww, it's hurting, Eva..."

"If you ever gonna try something stupid like that, I am really gonna break your legs! Don't you ever try to escape from me! I...I acted ridiculously when I committed such a blunder that night, but...I have understood the importance of your presence in my life.

Your happiness...your sorrow...your anger...your pain..your curse...everything involves me too... No matter what happens to you or...what happens to me... we will face everything together. We will fight for each other and make it work, but...never try to disappear from my life ever again, okay?" Her dark brown eyes were shimmering with a void of sadness as she conversed her response, softly caressing his grimace. 

"Doesn't my identity...bother you anymore?" He asked in a sonorous low pitch, seeming a bit impertinent. 

Hearing his blunt deep query, for a while she was speechless averting her gaze down from him. Watching her growing all silent, a tinge of pain throbbed in his heart while he lowered his eyes down too. 

"I won't lie...Zeus... I won't tell you that all of a sudden I have become fond of wolves. No matter...how much I try...but...I can't erase the fact that...they were the ones who murdered my family! I can't forget about it... but..."

"But?"

"But your love has taught me one thing, Zeus... Not every wolf residing in our world is cunning at all. There are also...wolves who are like you...who put their loved ones before their own life! You...endured every pain for me without even expecting anything in return... You know, such kinds of pure emotions are rare to find among humans but...I found you a precious gem like you, Zeus.

Even if you are a wolf...my feelings for you never lessened a bit! Though I tried to walk away from you it made me understood evidently, no one in this world will make me happy...except you. That's why I really don't care about anything anymore if you are together with me." Holding one of his arms tightly, she raised her chin up mumbling with a teary smile on her face.

Her honest answer immediately brought a wide blissful grin on his face while his every insecurity faded away from his heart. Eva had accepted him for his real self and the fact made him the happiest person on the earth at that very moment. 

"I promise...I will never let go of your hand too, till the day I die..." 

"Will you please stop talking about death for God's sake? Do you even know how badly I was terrified to watch you almost dying!! Gosh...just thinking about it is enough to give me goosebumps! It's...a miracle that you came back to me!!" She sounded much concerned, whispering in a low impulsive pitch. 

He frowned his face hearing her response and stood quiet for a few seconds as if he was wondering something inside. After a while, he decided to speak it out, "Eva, that's what I was thinking of asking you... How did this miracle happen? How did I come back alive? As far I remember, my body was completely deformed by those scars! So...how did the curse break?" 

Hearing his sharp query, she lowered her head down fidgeting anxiously. She seemed a bit palpitated and murmured her answer slowly, "will you actually believe me if I say the truth?"

"Huh?"

"Zeus...I think...I am a wizard!" She swirled her eyebrows, whispering in a dubious manner.

"What?"

"I know you may find it crazy...but...it was me who actually healed you! Even...I still can't believe it myself! I can use magic! Maybe...I am a successor of some kind of witch or shaman..." She gulped her saliva, seeming all baffled from her expression. 

Zeus was petrified to hear such absurd responses from her which further provoked his concerns. Groping her forearms tightly, he stared deep into her eyes sounding very intense, "Eva, please speak it loud and clear. What do you mean by all these?"

"I don't know Zeus... But... When I was sobbing helplessly while holding your unconscious body in my embrace, something strange happened!

A...greenish-blue kind of flame emitted out from my body and it illuminated the entire area around us! And...the flares weren't painful or hot but they seemed strangely solace and magical! The scars over your body diffused on their own when I touched them with the flame ignited on my hand.

But...it was so strange! I was scared for a moment Zeus! When I touched that chisel-shaped scar over your abdomen, the...greenish flame turned into bizarre red color and...my insides were breaking apart with a sharp painful sensation! It seemed as if my ribs are gonna break apart and---"

Before she could wrap her words, Zeus pulled her suddenly into his chest, hugging her as tightly as he could! His facial eloquence seemed extremely terrified! He was clenching his muscular arms around her shoulder which even startled her for a second. 

"Umm, Zeus? What happened?" She quivered staying still inside his embrace.

"I knew it! I knew it since the first day! The smell...it wasn't of an ordinary human! She isn't any normal human hybrid...instead...she is the gifted one!" Taking a deep huff of breath in, he wondered silently.