Chapter 21: Uncover

I gasped upon hearing that endearment. I heard it from more than five miles away but I was quick to hear that word. I couldn't be mistaken. I heard it right. I was called honeydew.

I was horrified when I looked in the direction where I had left Valerie. My heart was racing since I had this hunch that it might be Valerian.

"Shit..." I was suddenly terrified at what was happening when it shouldn't be.

Did he happen to see my disguise? Or was Valerian there the whole time?

Or...

"Is he Valerie?" I clutched my left chest from the conclusion I had reached.

Did he also change his identity into a woman? Did I guess it correctly? And the way Valerie kept approaching and how she acted was the same Valerian I knew... was Valerian the whole time?

Did this mean he was wearing incantation jewelry that could conceal his scent and change his identity, just like I was doing?

"Oh, my Moon Goddess..." I had shivers down my spine, stepping back. How did he know? I was careful at that time.

He couldn't be possibly known that was me! That was impossible!

I returned to my inn, panicking so wildly. I had never felt so nervous about something as trivial as this.

Yes! This was supposed to be a trivial one but why was I treating it as a crucial one? Was it because my disguise had been blown?

"Damn it... How did he know?" I packed my things so I could go to another inn. I had a feeling that he knew where I checked in an inn.

I had been careful this time to check in another inn. This time, I made sure that no one was following me. Perhaps, I had been careless.

But I was certain that no one was following me. No one could follow me where I was since I was vigilant.

"Perhaps, I have been lacking some stealth skills..." I muttered under my breath before I closed my eyes, inhaling and exhaling. I opened my eyes and looked at myself in the mirror. I was still in disguise, so I just needed to be careful.

I even stroked my jaw, checking myself out to see if it was possible that someone could see me under my disguise. My cognac eye color was still intact. It would be impossible for Valerian to guess who I was because my eye color could easily be mistaken as hazel once I was in disguise.

I turned my head when someone knocked on my door. I opened it thinking it was the innkeeper since I had asked her to bring a platter of food to my room. But as soon as I opened it, my heart leaped out of my ribcage, seeing Valerian holding a food tray.

I gasped upon seeing him. "You..." I stepped back as my masculine voice almost faltered when Valerian came in.

Surprisingly, he wore servant clothing but still looked dashing, as if he had come out from the training. His lean body was visible because of the tunic that wasn't fitted on him.

"Y-Your Grace, what are you doing here?" I asked nervously when Valerian faced me. I gulped when he went toward the door, so he could close it and... "W-Why are you locking it?"

"Hmm? Why, you say?" He reached for his garnet ring to remove it before he tossed it aside. At that moment, I shivered in delight when I finally smelled his scent as my mate. That made my knees weaken all of a sudden. "Didn't I already tell you, honeydew? I said that do not attempt to abscond from me since I am going to find you again?"

My eyes widened as I gulped. He really knew that I was in disguise! "W-What are you saying?" Fuck this! Why the hell was I nervous and panicking right now? Why was my voice faltering?

Valerian marched in my direction. Every step he took made me wary. It felt like I was in the tiger's den, ready to be eaten by a predator. Seeing how Valerian smiled smugly at me had made me want to abscond as soon as possible.

"How... How did you know that it was me?" I asked, using my feminine voice.

It was no use now to pretend that I was really a man if Valerian knew that I was in disguise. It was futile to fool him since I could see in his eyes that I couldn't.

It looked like Valerian was just playing with my so-called game. He was just playing along.

When he halted in front of me, I would have almost stepped back if he hadn't held my hand to show the bangle I was wearing. "The design of this bangle..." he paused and looked at me. "It is the same as mine." He showed his hand where he was still wearing the bangle I bestowed on him.

My stomach somersaulted after that.

"Do not be absurd, Valerian." I yanked back my arm before I removed all the accessories I had worn and showed him my true self. I even removed my wig. "I purchased our bangles in the merchant market. I also happened to see that other bangles have the same designs. So, no. You are lying." I was shaking my head and squinting my eyes at him, only to see that he had this huge smile on his lips. "What? How did you know that it was me?"

I knew I shouldn't feel threatened that someone like him could know my disguise. It was impossible that he would know it right away.

Valerian raised his hand to brush his knuckles on my cheek. I secretly shivered when my wolf reacted to his touch. "Ah, honeydew... I am still mad at you for lying to me. You said you are returning to your home, yet here you are... You are here now to Solacia all along."

My breath thickened when he held my chin and coerced me to look at him. I felt overwhelmed having his presence near me, as I couldn't hide how much I missed him.

When his thumb sensually brushed my lower lip, I knew that was the moment I must halt him or I would give in to his touch. "Tell me how you know it." I held his wrist and distanced his hand from my face since I had been feeling this sensation kept crawling to my skin.

Yes, I missed this man. I missed kissing him but it was not good that we were looking at each other hungrily.

I knew Valerian. That hunger needed to be satiated. If I didn't halt him, I would be trapped with him again.

He stepped forward again and immediately wrapped his arm around my waist. It made me gasp. "You might conceal your scent, but I know there is another way where I know it is you, Dominixe."

"H-How?" I felt intoxicated by his presence right now. Having him so close made me hyperventilate at this moment. I felt like I was about to pass out.

Valerian took a few strands of my hair and brought them to sniff on them while he was looking at me intently. I held my breath at how he looked at me as if he wanted to ravish me at this moment.

I knew that look, so I couldn't be mistaken. This had been my second life. I had already encountered him. I already memorized how he showed affection or expressed wanting me so badly.

"The scent of dried lilith flower lingers on you, honeydew."

My eyes widened at what he said. "T-That was impossible..."

He sniffed my hair again. "No. I cannot be mistaken. That very pungent smell with a hint of citrusy and floral... I knew you had been holding the flowers I bestowed on you." With that, he lowered his head and coerced me to look at him again. "You cannot fool me, Dominixe."

His lips curled up into a lazy smile.

And boy! I was mesmerized by that smile! That damn freaking smile of his! I wanted to squeal right now!

And what he said... Yes, he was right. I kept holding to the flowers he bestowed on me. I did not know that he would know me just by that scent.

"What if I have the same smell as another woman?" I arched my eyebrow, not wanting to back down that I lost this time.

I was careless, yes.

But did I regret it? Probably. It was not really my plan to interact with Valerian. I was only planning to see his pack from afar.

He scoffed. "I am confident that only you have that scent. Also, you cannot fool me even if you pretend as a man."

"What if you mistake me that was my brother? Or perhaps, my twin?" Though that was impossible since my brothers had different mothers. The only thing we could have similarities in was because of eye color we had.

"I can only know that I have memorized all of you, honeydew. Your gesture... Your behavior... Your expressions... I know them all even if you disguised as a man." He really sounded more confident. As if I couldn't ever fool him.

I almost hissed in annoyance. But deep inside, it flattered me. I was happy that my honeydew could be able to distinguish me and manage to memorize how I behaved.

Impressive... But that was quite frightening.

It was as if he could be able to read me. Just what if he knew about my plans on how I must use him?

"Do you believe me now?" He winked and drew his face closer.

But I halted his head by using my hand. "Not so fast, handsome." I castigated myself since I wanted him to kiss me now, but I still had something on my mind. "How about you, though? Aren't you also disguising as a woman?"

Valerian looked amused. But I flinched and gasped when his arm around me tightened. It seemed like he was molding my body to his, not wanting to leave some space between us.

What he was doing had made my body on fire.

But I must ignore the chant of my wolf that she wanted me to be taken by Valerian right now.

"Oh? Me?" he asked, feigning ignorance.

I frowned. "Do not fool me, Valerian. I know that you are Valerie." I reached for his ear and pinched it.

"Aww! Aww! That hurts!"

He had no choice but to release me from hugging me so tight. He looked at me, begging. \

"T-That hurts, honeydew." He looked at me, fluttering his eyes as if he was asking to be condoned.

I smirked and kicked behind his knee so he could kneel on the floor after releasing his ear. Valerian was taken aback before I sat on my bed and used my foot to make him look up at me.

"Now... You are better if you are kneeling before me, honeydew," I said as my smirk grew wider than before. "Know how to worship a goddess." I looked down at him as if he were just a dust speck.

I wanted to know if this Valerian I was facing right now was the same Valerian I had known in my previous life who liked to be a slave for his goddess.

Valerian's shaky breath was the only thing I heard before he reached for my foot. He did not hesitate to kiss it while he looked at me sensually. That made me gulp, wanting to back out all of a sudden.

"Did I satisfy you, honeydew?" he asked in his hoarse, raspy voice that made me shiver.

I licked my lips, wanting to ignore the sensations he was bestowing when his fingers kept caressing my leg up and down.

"No. I am not satisfied." I scoffed in dissatisfaction.

But before I could remove my foot from his hold, Valerian suddenly pulled me on my legs and instantly settled himself in between my legs. My eyes widened when I found my legs hovering over his shoulders while he had this sinful smirk.

"Then how about this?" He arched his eyebrow.

"What are you doing...?" I groaned in delight as I reached for his hair and grabbed a handful to coerce him to look at me. "Valerian..." I called his name breathlessly.

"You said that you were dissatisfied with my action earlier. Then, how about I show it more on how devoted I am to my honeydew?"

I was caught off guard when he raised himself a little, which made me spread my legs more. It was also the moment when my clit tingled when his face was so close to the apex of my thighs. I could even hear his breath fanning near my lower abdomen while he still had this smug, sinful smile that would swoon me all over again.

At that moment, I knew that Valerian was teasing me to death.