The Sorceress & The Werewolf

21

The Dark Lady's assistant, Fidelle, sidled up to her as she discreetly hid in an alcove and nibbled on cake.

"Hi Fidelle. You look lovely. You should try some of this cake. It's delicious."

"Yes, My Lady. Thank you. But...shouldn't you be out there?"

"I talked with a lot of them already. I just need some time to fill up my reserves before I go out there again."

Fidelle, who, by this point, had been by her side for many years, understood. The Dark Lady might rule their kingdom, but she was quite reserved and couldn't handle too much socializing at once. She threw parties like this because it was required and was a good avenue to spread news and get different groups to mingle. But she would much rather meet people one-on-one or hole herself up alone in her rooms.

However, she hadn't come here to drag her out of her hiding spot.

"My Lady, if I may...Have you seen Alpha Weylin yet?"

"Yes. He's off somewhere now. Probably being the center of attention. I swear if I had half his tolerance for socializing..." Done with the cake, she discreetly floated a mini macaroon towards her and ate it in one bite, while offering a second floating macaroon to Fidelle.

"Yes, thank you, but My Lady, you need to see something," and she grasped her upper arm and angled her so she could see the damned wolf who called himself her partner...and the beautiful woman who was flirting with him.

"...Am I supposed to be looking at Weylin and that girl?"

"Yes, My Lady."

"...Her dress is lovely. And I like her confidence. Is there some kind of class these people go to in order to learn how to socialize? They're so good at this." 

Fidelle was struck speechless for a moment, giving Nyx time to secretly float two mini pies towards her.

"My Lady... Aren't you worried at all?"

"Of what?" she asked, handing Fidelle the chocolate mini pie while she took the lemon cream one.

Fidelle accepted the pie automatically, agitated. "Can't you see? She's been flirting with him for the last hour. If you don't go and intervene, she might steal him!"

Nyx blinked at her, glanced at Weylin, blinked at her again, and then took a bite of her pie. "It's all right," she told her, unbothered. "If he was so easily stealable, we wouldn't have been together this long in the first place."

"But what if she does steal him?" she practically hissed, before she could reign herself in.

The Dark Lady gave her a steady look, which made Fidelle half-worry she had overstepped. But Nyx just gestured for her to have her pie. "If she does, she can keep him. Because we wouldn't be together anymore."

Fidelle blinked rapidly at her, half shocked. The Dark Lady she knew never quit anything. "You...you would give up just like that?"

The Dark Lady shrugged. "Relationships aren't a competition. Not to me, at least. I won't go after a person who does not want me. And I won't stay in a relationship I will always have to fight to keep."

"But...but you said you loved him," she whispered.

"I do. More than I knew it was possible to."

"Then...how?"

"...I'm not saying I won't be hurt or angry or devastated if something like that ever happens," she clarified quietly, "but it's something I thought a lot about before accepting to be with him: Feeling devastated by a broken relationship is no reason to cling on to it. I think it would feel too toxic for me to go back to if it ever happened that way. I wouldn't want it anymore...even if losing it broke my heart."

Fidelle, for the lack of anything to say to that, bit into her pie.

"It's not something I'm worried about experiencing right now, though," the Dark Lady added, at length, sounding light.

Fidelle looked up to see Alpha Weylin making his way to them, directing a smile at both of them but his eyes darting most often to Nyx.

Well...Fidelle still wasn't too sure about him, especially with how popular he was. But it was endearing to see the way his eyes lit up every time he saw Nyx.

"Hi Fidelle," he greeted jovially, before turning to Nyx. "My lovely Dark Sorceress, may I steal you away for another dance?"

And they were gone, sailing out on the dance floor once again.