Chapter 20: Savanach Mountain

"Y-Your fated mate?" I parroted, looking at this woman named Valerie in disbelief. What was she saying? Was she insane already?

She nodded. "Yes. You are my fated mate." She had this cheeky grin as if she found me amusing.

I stared at her, seeing how her eyes glinted in glee. For some reason, she had this familiar expression I consistently saw from Valerian. I couldn't be mistaken about it since I had seen that a lot since we met in the Calaren and I was even with him in my previous life. We even lived together in his pack to deepen our mate bond.

I smiled wryly at her and gently removed her hand from yanking my arm. "It is unfortunate that I am not feeling the same way." I couldn't even smell her scent.

I was too uncertain if I couldn't smell her scent as a stranger or, perhaps, because of the incantation ring I was wearing.

If she was proclaiming that she was my mate, I should have known immediately. But my wolf did not even react anything to her presence.

Also, she was a woman. How could I be fated with someone of the same gender as me?

There was in no history that two same genders were fated as mates. There were no phenomena that ever existed or occurred in our kingdom or in another kingdom.

"Eh?" She creased her forehead. "But I do, though."

I secretly clenched my teeth seeing that she did not look bothered about it. She was even smiling. "You must be mistaking me. And it is impossible that you can smell my scent." Because I was wearing an incantation bangle, I wanted to add. "I cannot even smell your scent." Was she wearing a piece of jewelry that had incantation as well?

A sly smile stretched on her lips that bewildered me. "Is it?" I nodded. After that, she did not say anything and looked at me intently. She was looking at me she wanted to take my soul and eat it to satisfy her cravings.

I took that as an opportunity to get away from her grasp. "I-I need to go, my lady." I bowed before her and scurried away. I must go away before I would go insane from her actions.

I felt her stare before I decided to turn left to the alleyway. I even went to the rooftop to avoid meeting her by jumping from roof to roof. I returned to my inn, having some chills in my spine, not wanting to entertain that woman named Valerie.

I tried to recall anything if I had ever encountered someone like her in the past.

Pale green eyes, thin lips, chiseled nose... I felt like she had the same facial features as someone I knew... But I was uncertain since that was impossible.

"Valerie..." I muttered the name of that name. "Or more like Valerian..." I jested, shaking my head. But then, I gasped.

As soon as I mentioned that, I remembered now that I had encountered that name in my previous life!

Valerie... That was the name I thought Valerian and I would get to have a daughter.

"Veronique..." I muttered, recalling that Veronique was the other name Valerian thought if we got to have a daughter.

I remember that we argued about that, but he agreed with Valerie.

I had chills down my spine after that.

I held my head when I felt dizzy all of a sudden. I did not know why but thinking those names suddenly made my head ache. It was baffling me since it was supposed to be one of the most memorable moments with me with Valerian but that was not happening.

With that, I felt my surroundings were wobbly. I quickly caught up on what was happening and reached my bed before I collapsed and lost consciousness.

I only woke up when I felt a gentle, frail hand caressing my hair. But I saw no one was around.

"What happened?" I asked myself, holding my head as I saw from the outside that it was already dark. "Tsk..." I bit my lower lip and removed the peridot ring, suddenly feeling exhausted.

I looked into the ring, wondering if this had a side effect for wearing it for more than a day. But I did not think that would be the case. They had no side effects. If there was, I should be affected by the effect of wearing my bangle that could conceal my scent.

I must avoid meeting Valerian here in the town where his pack was. But I would like to see his pack from afar just as I used to see it—but it became a ghost village.

That was my agenda the next day while still wearing my incantation jewelry.

I went to the Savanach Mountains to settle on the cliff. My heart melted, seeing that Valerian's pack was looking fine. There were no signs that the Alpha slayers had infiltrated it. I was not there to fulfill it.

When this pack became a ghost village, I used to sneak out and visit this. I did not even dare to go there to see if there was any survivor. I did not want to know. I just wanted to see how this pack was doing.

"I shall make you avoid your miserable fate..." My heart was constricted as tears cascaded down from my eyes. "Valerian..." I bit my lower lip, wanting to do anything I could to save him and his pack members.

I was hoping before it would have happened, I had already executed my plans. If Papa had gotten to know that Valerian was my mate, he would order me to infiltrate it and make my mate sweep off his feet with me so Valerian could trust me until I decided to betray him.

I became alert when I heard the snap of twigs and a presence behind me. I hastily drew out my bow and arrow and pointed it in the intruder's direction.

"You again?" I shivered when I had come to meet that person I had seen yesterday. "Lady Valerie..." I said bitterly, using my masculine tone.

Her thin lips stretched into a brilliant smile. "Well, well... If it wasn't you, my lord... Looks like fate is bringing us to be together, no?" She giggled.

Great... Just great... It was her again... Damn it!

The way she talked was the same as Valerian's. That teasing tone was supposed to be me. Unfortunately, since I regressed, Valerian was the one having this tone. And now, I got to meet another person with the same teasing tone as his.

Perhaps, this was my karma. I was being courted by karma. There was no way that I could avoid this since karma kept coming to me. It was as if I was already fated to be with the karma.

I smiled bitterly. "Looks like it, my lady..." Shit... How long would she know I was the same gender as hers? "What are you doing here as well?" I eyed her up and down. She was wearing a hunting clothing and holding a bow with her arrows in her compartment behind her.

"To hunt, isn't it obvious?" She wriggled her eyebrows, stepping forward to see what was behind me. I frowned and was about to say something when Lady Valerie spoke again. "Oh... That is the Nocturnal Crest pack below there." She kept nodding her head and turned at me. "You look at the pack with longing? Are you a former member there?"

My eyes widened, surprised at how keen an observer she was. "N-No. I am not..." I returned my gaze to that pack.

I was an outsider whom Valerian allowed to be with him... to strengthen our mate bond. So I never considered myself as his pack member there.

I was a rogue with noble blood.

I was the eldest daughter of Harchier Cantavalle.

"Oh? Then, do you know anyone there?"

I creased my forehead. "For a woman like you, you are curious about everything." I really hated that she kept asking me as if she knew that I was looking for someone there.

"For a man like you, you sure are always grumpy." She smirked.

"I am not—" I immediately paused after almost revealing to her that I was a woman. I was just in disguise. I cleared my throat to clear the tension around us. "I must go now."

"Leaving already? I thought you were going to hunt?"

"I changed my mind," I answered blatantly. How I wished this woman was gone out of my sight. She kept disturbing my peace already. She even claimed me that I was her mate when it was not.

I almost groaned when Lady Valerie joined walking with me. I felt uncomfortable with her, but this annoyance was only directed at Valerian. I was expecting that I would meet him here, but instead, Valerie was here.

Wait. Why was I expecting I would meet Valerian when I told to myself earlier that I should keep myself from being around him?

He did not know that I was here in the Solacia for hunting. He only knew that I already went home from vacation.

But I knew that deep inside. I wanted to see him. I wanted to meet him. I wanted to see his handsome face and hear his baritone voice as he sang a song for me.

"Kyaah!" Valerie shrieked which made me get alerted.

I snapped back when I heard a loud thug. When I turned around, I gasped upon seeing Valerie fall to the ground. "Valerie!" I rushed to her and checked her leg to see that it was sprained.

"Shit... These fucking shoes..." she muttered something that made me pay attention to her.

"Are you alright?" I checked it and carefully lifted up her skirt. I felt her leg and noticed that there was no sprain. "You have a leg fracture." I shook my head before cutting the sleeves in my shirt and carefully wrapping it around her leg. "You will heal in no time. Can you walk?"

Valerie nodded. "I am such a klutz... I am not used to these shoes."

I creased my forehead before focusing on her field shoes, perfect for hunting. "What do you mean you are not used to them? Field shoes are perfect to wear for hunting?" It seemed like she was a noble if she talked that way.

She scoffed. "No. I am used to a bigger size. This is not my size."

"What?" I was confused more. Bigger size, she said? I looked up at her and got to stare at her face, so I could examine it.

Of all her facial features, I had noticed that mole she had near the corner of her lips. It was the same as Valerian's. He also had that mole near the corner of his lips. She and he had the same lip shape, a thin one.

About her pale green eyes, if I looked closely, she had a chartreuse color, not a pale green one.

"You..." My creased forehead deepened more while my heart was pounding so fast. "Could you be..."

Before I could continue my words, Valerie suddenly reached for my head to slam her lips on mine. My eyes widened in no time. Or, more likely, I was horrified that the same gender was kissing me.

"What the hell?" I pushed her away from me and stood up. I even fell to the ground, not caring for it, as I covered my mouth with the back of my hand, shocked. "Why did you kiss me?" There was annoyance in my tone.

"Nothing." She shrugged as she stood up and took strides in my direction. She even leaned forward so she could caress my face, having a big smile plastering on her lips. "You look like you want me to kiss you," she said confidently.

I clenched my hands, wanting to slap this woman in front of me. "Do not insult me." I huffed and stood up. I decided to leave her and jumped from tree to tree to get away from her as soon as possible.

I heard her giggles that echoed throughout the whole forest. "I shall see you again, honeydew."