HAYAO'S FIRST LOVE

"Until tonight, I had never felt my heart sway."

Which was the perfect Lycan legend prelude to a love story. I was sure of it. The only problem was that there were only the two of us in this garden.

I felt like an actress who found herself in the wrong scene. Cut! Let's get the right girl up here!

Wth was going on?

I was this close to using my gift of insight, but I remembered Wolfgang's warning. I'm not sure why I was obeying his instructions, I blamed my parents. They've long ingrained in me to listen to my elders.

Wolfgang had said to only use it when I was in a safe place. Not that I felt like I was endangered here, but the plot seemed to have gotten away with me.

So I used the next best thing - the single spell I knew how to cast, "Tell me the story of..."

At this moment, I felt an overload of magic. Out here in the Colored Mountains, in the crucible of a powerful healer family's private garden, the magic was so thick it sat visibly like a mist along the edges of the darkness. It was like back in the tygers' den all over again, except I had Hayao's robe.

Hayao's robe which was so imbued with magic, I think the moment the words left my mouth, I scrambled to rein in the gush of power and limit the magic I used. This was supposed to be a puppy-level spell!

But the robe didn't seem to understand the meaning of restraint, immediately amplifying whatever I casted. This robe. It was OP, but this was the wrong time!

The next moment, I realized that I had no idea what story to ask for. Note to self, one should frame your question before starting the cast.

I'm discovering through my series of trial and error that casting was like hanging the right words to the magic, but also another part of it involved the right timing - not just the release of the cast, but the actual cast required a pattern of timing that the words helped mark out. But now I had stumbled on the words, "of... of..."

I pushed the rest through with sheer power. I mean, the robe made it only too easy. If Haku said Bell could push through a heal with sheer power, I probably could cast a puppy level spell this way too.

"Of..."

I could say, "why your heart is swaying."

Which was admittedly the first thing that came to mind. But I also felt quite sure I wouldn't like the answer, so I decided to go with something that would have nothing to do with me, "Of the one who held Hayao's heart."

Not bad! I even phrased it the way a Lycan legend might.

Hayao winced as the cast struck. I waited, part of me wondering if it would work. I did tumble through that one.

"I thought you said my past was none of your business, princess?" Hayao asked. He was smiling so I think he was teasing me.

Well, yes, but I... (Did the spell not work?)

"But you are understandably curious." Hayao supplied.

No, I wasn't, but Hayao nodded to his own conclusion. I shrugged. It didn't seem like it was worth correcting. I mean, the guy already thought I was afraid of bats, garden steps, and gyaaras. What's one more misunderstanding?

"You don't have to worry. She has mated out of our pack and I have not seen her for close to three years now." Hayao turned to regard the full moon.

Not that I was worried or anything, but he did realize he all but admitted to counting the years since right?

And maybe the spell did get cast because Hayao started telling me a story about the most tragic heroine that could ever be made into a hit Lycan drama series.

Midori was born the love child of Harunobu.

Who now?

"Why are all your names so weird?" I blurted out.

"This is our family tradition. All male wolves born with our bloodline are named "Ha" and all female wolves born with our bloodline are named "Mi".

"What about Anna?" I asked.

"She is from our family, but she inherited her mother's bloodline." Hayao explained, "My aunt suffered much. In the end, my father had to assign her family to serve as guest healers with the Blood Lake Pack. My father's decision was meant to grant her respite from the torment of the extended family, but it ended so tragically."

"As the family head, my father always blamed himself for it. That is why he had allowed her every freedom possible since." Hayao explained, "Aunt Anna was allowed to mate outside our pack and has been exempted from family duties indefinitely. As long as she does not bear a Hami pup, he will still be able to shield her from the other elders' demands."

Was that what they were called? Hami pups. But despite the cute name, the rest of it sounded rather complicated.

"Wait, she's your aunt?" Okay, that was probably the least significant point, I know. But Hayao had called everyone his highness this and his highness that... And suddenly he said Aunt. It just jumped out at me.

"Thrice removed. My grand uncle's family ambitiously secured a mate from another powerful healer bloodline, but because her wolf power was more dominant, Aunt Anna was born with her mother's bloodline. She was a Rejected."

I nodded. Okay. That just made it worse.

Anyway, Midori was a Hami pup, but she was Harunobu's love child.

"What's wrong with that?" I asked. Hayao's family seemed to be entangled with rules, and I wasn't talking about the "no shifting into your wolf indoors" or "say please and thank you" kind of rules.

"Do you not know what a love child is, princess?" Hayao asked, and then he concluded all on his own, "Perhaps I must explain then."

Harunobu was a respected elder in the family. His family was exemplary, and his offspring grew to become respected healers in their own right.

However sometime in his old age, he met his soulmate, and they had a love child in secret. Aka Midori.

Because unfaithfulness to one's mate was taboo, his official mate kept his infidelity secret. She was too proud to expose her family to shame, so she bore the pain of Harunobu's unfaithfulness, hiding the scarred mating mark that was corroded into her shoulder.

Harunobu and his mate's bond was eventually severed, but they maintained their status together. It was a financial decision. A large part of Harunobu's land was from his official mate's dowry and he could not afford to lose it. As a female, his official mate could not hold the deeds to the land either.

As long as Harunobu's affair remained under wraps, Hayao believed no one would have been the wiser.

But Midori's existence was discovered and all hell broke loose.

Midori was taken from her mother because she was a Hami pup. Harunobu was forced into retirement for his indiscretion. It was a huge scandal. His official mate could not forgive him nor the child whom she regarded as a stain on her reputation.

Not only was their family's reputation now in disrepair, her broken mating bond was surfaced in front of the elders. She chose to remain with Harunobu anyway because leaving him would forfeit the land deeds. They were very valuable, just above a large vein of magic, the herbs that cultivated there were second to none.

The elders agreed to this arrangement, on the condition that she took responsibility for Harunobu's love child. A child would need a mother.

Midori suffered in silence.

"Eventually, the abuse escalated to a point when my father could no longer overlook it." Hayao said.

I nodded. I mean, there was a lot I wanted to say about that, but I just didn't know how.

"My father is a righteous man." Hayao interpreted by silent nod as affirmation, "He was the only one who stood up for Midori."

"Why does your highness have to trouble yourself over a runt?" The elders had tried to talk him out of it.

"As family head, it is my duty to protect every wolf of our bloodline, no matter the circumstances of their birth." Haku had reasoned.

Thus Midori was taken to serve in the Main Family home. She was nine when they were first introduced. He was four.

"Hayao, this is Midori. She will be here to help take care of you and Miki." Haku had said.

The head family treated Midori well. Although she was a junior servant, she was assigned as Hayao and Miki's playmate and helper. If she did well, she would be prompted to Miki's handmaiden.

That was a huge honor and many of the older servants turned green-eyed. Actually, all the Hamis had natural green eyes hahaha, but I mean, they got jealous of the little girl.

"Here we are washing and you are there playing in the garden with the young master and little princess."

"She's just taking advantage of our Master's kindness."

Midori suffered silently every time. Hayao had watched. He was only a pup then, but he knew in his young heart that the adults were bullying his favourite Midori.

Midori was kind and gentle. Midori always smiled and played with him. Midori would keep him company through the long hours of study. Midori would help him read the difficult words. Midori would always listen to his dreams.

"I believe you'd become a splendid family head one day." Midori always believed in him.

"When that day comes, I will make sure no one ever bullies you ever again." Hayao promised.

Midori would shake her head, "Young Master, I'm as good as a slave here. Can you do what your father could not?"

"I can and I will!" Young Hayao insisted, "Midori, I'll make you my princess. No one would dare to look down on you again!"

When Midori reached mating age, Hayao told his father about his plans to take Midori as his princess. They were five years apart and Haku didn't think it was a good match.

"Put the thought out of your mind, Hayao." His father has firmly advised him, "You are my heir and the next family head. You have responsibilities not just to the wolves who run with you now, but also the ones who ran before us, and the ones who would run after us."

And that was that. They never spoke of it again, although Hayao continued to harbor feelings for Midori.

Young Hayao had his first shift a year later, he had dreamed of Midori. He told his father. Now that Midori was his soul mate, surely his father would help him!

But Haku only frowned, "It might not mean that at all."

(It obviously did!)

Very quickly after that, Hayao was armed with mating bangles. At first, Hayao was hopeful that his father had come around, but Midori was suddenly mated out of the pack to Prince Jin's eldest grandson in the Grey Mountains.

It was then that Hayao realized the bangles were to "lock" his mating instincts in case he were to make a "youthful mistake".

"Why?" Hayao had demanded, "We never marry our bloodline out, why now, why HER?"

"Securing our alliance with Jin is to our great advantage." His father had answered, and then he added more gently, "She will have a better life there. Young Toru is an upright wolf and strong warrior. He will protect and provide for her. His family will treasure her and her abilities."

"Hayao, don't you wish for her happiness too?" Haku had asked. So Hayao accepted it.

"I've prayed for her happiness every day since." Hayao spoke into the fountain, "I was naive, but now I see I was never the one who could give her the happiness she deserved."

Wait, shouldn't the moral of the story be "your dad played you"?

Hayao touched his upper arm. I knew under his jacket sleeve would be where his mating bands were. That was where Bell wore his mating band too. Bell's matching band was on me though. Hayao still had both, I guess that's how his mating instincts were "locked"?

"As for me," Hayao sighed softly, "I still pined, and although my father had since introduced me to many lovely ladies, my heart remained like stone."

Yes, that's because you're a Lycan Young Master in the Colored Mountains. Feelings were more poetic here.

If you were in the plains, you'd just become a heartless playboy. I mean, have you met Ki? Okay, maybe it's a good thing Hayao was here innocently pining for his childhood love.

"At least until tonight." Hayao turned to me now, "Thank you princess for making my heart beat again."

Wait, what?

"Although we are not soulmates, like your grandparents, and my parents, I think if it's you, I am willing to try to make it work."

Don't use my own words against me like that!