A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing-Chapter 649 - - At long last

"Are you sure…?" Erik asked, raising a curious eyebrow. Would this really be the first time he'd see her human face? He felt anticipation and realised he'd made a good choice in never peeking all this time.

"Hehe, yeah," Naeku giggled, delighting in the clear excitement in Erik's voice. "Honestly, the patience you've shown in seeing my face is another reason I started loving you. But it's time now. We're married, there's only family up here, and I finally want to look you in the eyes when we kiss."

Grinning, Erik raised an eyebrow as his one free hand stretched over to Naeku's veil. "Are you so sure I never peeked?" he teased playfully. "You'd never have known if I used omnisense."

Naeku chuckled as she leaned her head a little closer to him in anticipation. "Hehe, of course I've had the occasional doubt, but honestly, not as much as you might think."

She sighed dramatically. "I guess I just trust you, huh? How terrible for me." Then, her tone became more playful. "Although I must admit, it's your current excitement that seals the deal for me."

"Heh," Erik smirked as his hand gently grasped her veil. "I'm honestly surprised by my own excitement. But now… let's see what my new wife looks like."

To the crowd's disappointment, all the screens went dark just when Erik lifted the piece of cloth. Unfortunately for them, this particular tradition would remain in place for a while, and only the people on the top platform got to enjoy her appearance. Everyone else had their view obstructed by the other people there, as well as Naeku's headdress.

Slowly, Erik revealed Naeku's bronze skin, starting with her slender neck, up to her pointed chin; her full, red lips; a straight, slender nose; and finally, beautiful, almost almond-shaped eyes with yellow irises. freeweɓnøvel.com

For a moment, he was stunned. A slight, shy blush covered the cheeks of her diamond-shaped features, and she looked absolutely stunning. Her eyes were angled downward just slightly. Although she was confident in her appearance, this was also the first time in many years that she showed herself to a new person.

Becoming increasingly impatient because he wasn't saying, Naeku's lips parted to say something as her eyes looked back up at him again, but Erik interrupted her. Without a word, he wrapped his free hand around her shoulders and pressed his lips against hers, sandwiching their entangled hands between their stomachs.

He let her know what he thought through action, rather than words.

At first, their eyes were open. They looked at each other as their lips and tongues wrestled passionately. But this didn't last long. Eventually, their desire got the better of them, and they closed their eyes to enjoy the kiss in its entirety.

At the same time, Astrid, Emily, and even Emma peeked curiously around their husband to get a good look at Naeku's face. Their reactions varied. The former two whistled and nodded appreciatively. They simply realised Naeku was beautiful and inwardly complimented Erik on a good catch.

The latter, however, only smiled contentedly. For someone as devoted as Emma, the most important thing about Naeku was whether she could please Erik well enough.

Both the people around them and the disappointed crowd below waited patiently for the newlyweds to finish kissing. Eventually, they parted, but leaned against each other's foreheads for a moment as they panted from lust.

"So…?" Naeku smirked confidently as her free hand played with his stubble. "Worth the wait…?"

Erik chuckled, "Absolutely." At the same time, his free hand travelled over to her exposed cheek and played with a few locks of dark hair that fell out from under her headdress.

Yet, just as he was about to explore a little further, Naeku suddenly pushed herself away with a teasing, but also somewhat startled smirk. "That's all you get for now! You can see the rest tonight…" she finished with a wink.

At the same time, to Erik's disappointment, her features disappeared behind her werepanther transformation. The beautiful dress she wore was clearly designed for this, as it still hugged her new form elegantly.

Seeing his disappointment delighted Naeku, and she giggled. "Hehe, don't worry, you can admire me in private whenever you want now. Have a little patience, alright?"

Erik sighed comically, but still nodded. "I've never been one for patience, but… I'll do my best."

"Good boy!" Naeku chuckled as her free hand, still gloved but now hiding sharp nails, gently raked across his chest.

"Oh?" Erik smirked, raising an eyebrow. "You've gotten better at this, Naenae, but I still have a lot to teach you, and we'll start tonight!"

"Promises, promises!" Naeku answered smugly, despite knowing she'd been on the losing end of most of their shallow yet intimate encounters so far.

Suddenly, an awkward cough got their attention, and they looked up. An uncomfortable Ankhur was glaring at them. "Are you intending on torturing me for any longer?" he growled with clear annoyance.

Naeku giggled joyfully at his discomfort, but still decided to stop. "Hehe, sorry, Father."

Erik smirked at him at first, but then put himself in his shoes by glancing at Alice… and a shiver went down his spine. He instantly grew a little more solemn and nodded at Ankhur understandingly.

Regardless, with the ceremony finished, Naeku and Erik slipped their hands out of the ribbon and preserved the knot. Then, they gently placed it on the altar.

Erik then smiled as he turned his attention to the other three, but Naeku apparently had other plans first.

She jumped on top of the altar, next to the ribbon, and addressed her people. "At long last, I've found and married the man I love!" she exclaimed joyfully as the screens flickered on again and her voice travelled to the far edges of the city centre.

Cheers quickly followed her declaration, as most of her subjects were truly happy for her. Many doubters had realised the couple was truly in love and now wished them well. Only those acting in bad faith still harboured the belief she was forced, as jealousy ate away at them.

But then, Naeku sighed exaggeratedly. "Yet, just as my father, and most powerful rulers, male or female, my new husband has multiple spouses, and I am fated to share him."

This news did not come as a shock to the crowd. Many of them already knew about his wives, and even those who didn't weren't surprised. Some thought she deserved better, but most realised this was simply the reality of this new world they lived in.

"Fortunately, I really like his other wives," Naeku continued with a gentle smile, before seeming a little sad. "But unfortunately, he met them during his quest to unite with his mother, Runa, and has yet to grant them the wedding they truly deserve."

She spread her arms wide as she smiled again. "These three women worked hard alongside my new husband to save us from the hunters and bring us all the luxuries we now enjoy, so what do you think?! Shall we have a few more ceremonies?! Can you bless their union, like you did mine?! Will you honour them as you rightly should?!"

Although they seemed unsure at first, Naeku's words quickly sparked their excitement again. Under the renewed cheers of the Enkarians, Naeku elegantly jumped off the altar and smiled at her new sister-wives. "I believe you three are up next."