Jealous Much?

She wasn't at home. Although Acantha had no distinct scent, he could still feel her presence and whether she was safe. But in that moment, he felt only emptiness that quickly sent him into a brief moment of panic. After all, his beautiful wife had quite the knack for running away.

He began bounding up the stairs before he even finished the thought, but his worry reduced a bit when he saw all her things still intact on the dressing table and all her clothes still hanging in the closet. But where was she? he thought as he returned downstairs.

"Marta!" he yelled as he saw the shy-faced serving girl headed towards the main entrance.

"S... sir?" she answered with a bow, "Is there something you need?"

"Where's my wife?"

"Oh…I…saw her and Kara leaving earlier," Marta stammered, her palms sweaty with nervousness.

Ghod sighed in deep relief after her explanation because Acantha would never let Kara follow her if she were leaving; she was much too kind, selfless, and…thoughtful for that.

So, he gave the shaken serving girl a nod, then said, "You may get back to your duties now, Marta."

She curtsied and quickly hurried away.

Ghod went back to the training grounds, his mind completely at ease with the assurance that Acantha was safe, but that beautiful feeling did not last, for soon, he was once again plagued by a deep sense of dread.

The sharp sounds of metal clanging together as the men trained and the smell of trampled earth and sweat did nothing to keep him focused.

So affected was he by the sudden feeling that he failed to see, or block, the attack from the burly fellow he was training with. He crashed onto the ground with a loud "Arrrh!" when the man's fist collided with his stomach, a look of surprise spreading across his face, followed by a wave of anger.

"Are you alright, sir?"

"Yeah, good job, Elias," Ghod replied as he pushed up from the ground. The heavy feeling persisted, threatening to crush him, and he wasn't sure whether it was dread, paranoia…or a mix of both.

Perhaps nothing was wrong, and he couldn't get her out of his mind no matter how hard he tried, particularly after their extraordinary night together as man and wife. He craved her like one craved water, but he had to stay away from her to think coherently, lest he make a mistake that would cost him more than he was ready to pay.

He nodded as all the men gathered around, placing their fists on their chests in final greeting, a sign that the day's training was over.

The morning sun had grown harsher, and the pleasant smell of wood smoke and freshly cut grass permeated the air as he walked back to the house, trying harder to push the dreary feeling away.

He had wanted to mark her that night, but the overwhelming urge had scared him because the last time he marked a woman, it had turned out to be a mistake. "Well, the difference is that the moon goddess didn't choose her," his mind whispered, but his fear still wasn't assuaged by that poignant fact. It could still be a mistake, and he knew what it cost him to separate himself from Meliana whom he had so willingly bound his soul to.

He headed straight for the main bedroom, but she wasn't there. So, he tamped down his rapidly overflowing fear and headed towards the room where she always spent her nights whenever they had an issue, but she wasn't there either.

"Where is she!?" he whispered harshly, pushing all the doors open and peering inside like a crazed man.

And with each empty room he encountered, his agitation grew until he felt like he was about to explode. "This is why scent is important!" he snapped as he hurried down the stairs and headed for the maid's quarters to look for Kara.

A relieved sigh was at the tip of his mouth right before he saw the nervous look on her face. The smell of cleaning supplies wafted towards him as she curtsied awkwardly, further increasing his fear.

"My lord…"

"Where is my wife?"

Kara hesitated, her eyes refusing to meet his, and just as he opened his mouth to lash out again, he heard something. With bated breath, Ghod moved towards the window overlooking the garden and firewood stall, then squinted his eyes into the distance.

And there he saw her, head thrown back, eyes closed as she let out another amused laugh. Theodorus stood, staring down at her with a self-assured smile, and Ghod knew right then that he didn't charge straight for Theo because of their friendship.

Why had he noticed Theo's absence from the training grounds until then?

He pushed the internal question aside and gripped the window ledge tightly, then, with one leap, hurled himself out of it and began hurrying towards the two in the distance.

****

"...so, I was going to run away and probably get married to a human," he heard Acantha say, her voice tinged with an emotion that nearly brought tears to his eyes.

She sounded happy, a sharp contrast to how she usually sounded with him. Perhaps because you don't make her happy. The thought made his heart ache, and he swallowed hard as he continued.

"So, you were ready to give up being supernatural forever?" Theo queried, his tone serious and his eyebrows raised.

"What if he found out who you truly are?"

"Well, he wouldn't have found out because I'm barely what I truly am," Acantha replied with a small shrug.

"I can't even shift into my werewolf form, so I believe he would have had nothing to worry about…"

Her words were cut off when she sensed Ghod, even though the man beside her hadn't yet.

"Acantha?" Theo called out when he noticed the change in her demeanor, but she didn't respond.

Oh no! she thought as she also picked up the emotions Ghod's presence announced, and anger was a distinct one of them.

"Why would she be laughing at anything Theo said?" Ghod mused internally as he stalked towards them, his steps purposeful and fluid. He clenched and unclenched his fists as he tried to tamp down the jealousy curdling inside of him, but nothing seemed to work.