516: UNDER THE MOONLIGHT

UNDER THE MOONLIGHT

"Where will you take me?" Iris asked, she was comfortable enough to clung on Cane's back even though they had crossed the river long ago. 

Because Cane didn't put her down, thus she didn't want to be put down. It was great because she didn't need to walk and even more when she had a reasonable reason to hug him like this. 

They didn't go deeper into the mountain, it seemed, Cane took her to the other part of this Goffa mountain, only now did she realize how big it is, as it stretched between the two packs, the Howling Wolf pack and the Blue Moon pack. 

They walked in the clearing and the grass looked so soft and comfortable enough to walk in barefoot, still, it didn't tempt Iris to get down from Cane's back. 

"Somewhere. I hope you will love it."

Iris wanted to say that she would love to be anywhere with Cane, but she refrained herself from saying that out loud, because of how cheesy it sounded. In the end, she enjoyed the sight before her eyes. 

The trees line up around this clearing area, while the night sky looked so bright with the pale moonlight that illuminated their path, unfortunately, there was not many stars above them. The wind was not cold and Iris really enjoyed this walk with Cane, or she could say it was Cane, who was walking with her on his back. 

And after half an hour walking in silence, the silence that fulfilled them, where they didn't need to have the obligation to speak, since the presence of each other was already enough to fill the void in their heart and give comfort to their trouble minds and all the problem they had to face sooner or later. 

The only important thing they had right now was each other. They only wanted to be in each other presence at this very moment. 

"I found this place when I stay in the mountain long enough years ago." 

Iris understood what exactly the moment Cane meant, it must be the time when her father sent many people to the mountain, but they gave those shifters Rottingbane beforehand, so they wouldn't be able to shift into their beast to protect themselves from the monsters. They needed to bring back one monsters within three days, or else their loved one would be killed. 

Only a handful returned, while the other member of the Howling Wolf pack died in some part of this mountain or was killed in their attempt to bring back the dead monster to save their love one from Gerald's cruelty. 

And every time, Cane would be able to return. 

Shiver ran down Iris's spine when she realized that Cane could have died during that time, while her father would torture him, but he wouldn't kill him.

However, set him off to the mountain without being able to shift into his beast to defend himself was dangerous gamble, unfortunately, her father and brother loved that game. Something completely wrong could happen to him at that time and she wouldn't be able to have a chance to love him. 

Feeling how Iris's mood dampened because of what he said, Cane put her down and kissed the tip of her nose. "Don't think too much." Cane didn't say it to make her uncomfortable and sad, he only stated the fact. "This is my favorite place whenever I am here. I am sure nobody knows about this place."

"What is it?" Iris lifted her head, she still looked sad, but there was a glint of curiosity in her blue eyes. 

"Come here." Cane took her hand and both of them climbed the hill. 

"You shouldn't have put me down," Iris mumbled, she was trying to keep up with Cane, while the alpha looked so easy even after he carried her halfway here. 

Cane chuckled when he heard that. "You need to get a little bit exercise."

"My feet are not as long as you…" Iris complained, she started panting now, but Cane didn't want to carry her again. 

"It's good for you to warm up."

Iris pursed her lips, but she didn't say anything anymore, she needed to save her breath and strength, as she followed him. 

Once they reached the top of the hill, Iris gasped in fascination to watch the sight at the other side of the hill that she climbed. Just like what Cane said, it was worth it. 

"What… how there can be a place like this?!" Iris exclaimed, the scenery was so breathtaking, it took her breath away. 

"I have the same question too," Cane said softly, as he grabbed her hand and helped her to get down the hill, which Iris did that without any complain, since she was enjoying the sight of the place Cane showed her.

"Cane, this place is so amazing…" Iris breathed the words. 

"Hm. It's amazing indeed." Cane stared at Iris when he said those words. 

This part of the mountain was a spacious clearing, where the grass grew in white color, as if it was snow and the trees covered with moss in blue color, which glittered under the moonlight, while the flowers were the color of black. Iris had never seen such flower before. It looked ominously beautiful. The flower almost looked like they were saying; they could stare at them, but they couldn't touch them, since they didn't know whether the flower was poisonous or not. 

But what made Iris flabbergasted was the lake, the lake was a clear blue. The water looked so clear, you could see the bottom of it. Iris stood on the edge and watched the colorful stones on the bottom of the lake. 

"Careful," Cane warned her, he put his hand around her hips protectively, he knew his mate could be clumsy and he didn't want her to get wet, at least, not now…1

"How can you find this place?" Iris's face was so red, as she was smiling. "This place is magical." She stared at the white grass and squatted down to pick it up. It felt so soft, the texture was different from the normal grass, it almost like a fur instead, laying down there would feel like you were on the bed.

"I don't know, I found it by accident," Cane replied. He stared at his mate, who looked so happy to see this place. "I am glad you like this place too."

"I love it!" Iris stood up and tiptoed to kiss Cane on the lips, but because she couldn't reach him and Cane was being a tease to not bend his body, thus Iris could only kiss his shoulder. She pursed her lips, but it didn't dampen her mood, as she ran around this place to see the flowers, the strange blue moss on the trees and found colorful stones, which exuded yellow light from it cracks. 

"Don't you think the blue moss is the same color like the lake? Don't you think the trees absorbed the water from the lake and the moss absorbed it from the trees, so it is the same color? But, why the trees are still the color of brown?" Iris's curiosity had gone wild. "Do you think these flowers are poisonous? Have you tried to eat it? Is it okay for me to sniff it?"

Cane laughed to see the enthusiasm in her eyes. "I thought the blue color is the same like your eyes," Cane replied, as he approached his mate, but Iris had runaway to different part of the tree. "And no, everything is safe." He had tried it before and even drank the water from the lake, if he found harmful object in this place, he wouldn't have taken Iris here, knowing her curiosity could put her in danger.

"Oh." Iris then sniffed the flower and tried to remember what kind of scent it was. "I feel like I have smelled this kind of scent, but I can't remember what it is…"

"Cinnamon," Cane said, he approached Iris again, but she had sniffed another flowers with different shape. "That's the first thing that came to my mind when I smelled it."

"Oh, right!" Iris sniffed the other flowers again. "Oh, I think all the flowers here have the same scent, despite their shapes are different," she concluded. She then went to the lake again. "Have you ever swam there? It seems not too deep."

"Do you want to swim?" This time, Cane managed to catch up with her and stood behind his mate. 

"No, I have never swam before," Iris replied honestly. 

"I can teach you."

"You can?" Iris tilted her head and caught how dark Cane's eyes were, her heart skipped a beat. 

"Hm."

"Uhm, maybe next time," Iris said, she felt butterflies in her stomach fluttered their wings and her face became so hot when she could feel the atmosphere had shifted. 

"Why not now? I want you to enjoy this place."

"This place is beautiful." Iris genuinely felt that way. "Thank you for taking me here."

"This place indeed beautiful, but I take you here not to show you how beautiful this place is, but to show my favorite place to my favorite person."

Iris widened her eyes and turned her body around to look at Cane. "Cane, is that you?" Never in million years she imagined, she would hear something like that from him. 

"It's me, Iris." Cane kissed the tip of her nose and pulled her closer, as he kissed her lips. "I want you, Iris, will you give yourself to me?"

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