241 Are You Sure Of It?
Draven could smell the lingering scent of his mate without a doubt and then he found that the door of his chamber was left open. Erlos would not have left it behind like that.
‘Seems like she was here a while ago.’
He panted lightly with what he was feeling, but had to suppress it. His entire body felt hot and he removed his tailcoat, only to throw it aside somewhere on the floor. He tried to distract himself by focusing on removing each article of clothing from his body– his shoes, his gloves and the rest, until he was left with his white shirt and pants.
The entire time, annoyance filled his mind, yet only the subtle shaking of his fingers gave away his true situation.
His fingers stopped midway from unbuttoning his shirt when realization dawned on him.
‘I forgot she must be affected as well.’
A bad feeling came to him, causing him to stop undressing. His feet moved towards his door and just as he stepped out of the chamber, he found the hallway empty.
‘I wonder how the full moon affects a human mated to a divine beast. There is no precedent before–‘
Just as Draven was about to return to his chamber, his sharp hearing senses caught the clanging noise that he was sure came from the southwest wing.
‘Ember!’
It was intuition but Draven hurried to go to her chamber to check on her. She was a human and he was not sure to what extent the effect of the full moon had on her. He was hoping she would be fine; still, he could not help but trust his instincts as her mate.
The moment he appeared in her chamber, it felt like a knife pierced his body at the sight. His mate curled into a ball on the cold floor and looked in pain. He knew why she was like that and hurried to get her.
“Ember!'” he called her as he held her, cradling her trembling body while kneeling on one knee.
Her entire body was covered in sweat and she looked like in great pain. But the moment she heard him, she opened her eyes to look at him.
“Your…Majesty…”
Draven felt another pang of pain in his heart seeing her like this. It hurt more than what the effect of the bond could make him feel. He lifted her in his arms and carried her towards the bed.
Ember let out a small sound of relief through her parted lips. Though she was still feeling the same pain, his presence, the way his arms were wrapped around her, comforted her at least a little.
Draven placed her on the bed as gently as he could, ignoring his own discomfort caused by the effect of the bond. The veins on his hands and his neck were popping, so visible underneath his exposed skin, showing how much he was trying to remain sane for the sake of his mate. His eyes were changing their colour, a close indication that something from within him was about to snap.
‘Not now! I can control it.’
With her half-lidded eyes, she blankly gazed at the black-haired man holding onto her. “Your Majesty, I…”
“It’s because of the bond. Nothing is wrong with you,” he said as he held her hand and caressed it with his, all the while reminding himself that he couldn’t stay here for long. Her decision was yet to be given, and thus, he did not want to go against her wishes. “It won’t harm you. Just one night. Bear it till morning, and you will be able to pass it.”
Under the dim light of the lamps, his red eyes glittered as he stared down at her. Despite her situation, she noticed that his own fingers were trembling, and that his entire body had become so stiff, as if he was a rock solid statue. She could guess that this was him suffering the same as her but he was good at holding back.
‘The book says it’s worse for males.’
If she was feeling like this, she could not imagine what was happening with him.
She closed her eyes briefly as she tried to talk through the pain. “I came… to your chamber.”
“I know–“
“Our bond,” she interrupted him, “I want to complete it.”
Draven’s body shook.
The composure he was renowned for disappeared at this moment, and various emotions could be seen flitting through his handsome face. Earlier, his mind had made several guesses for the reason for her visit to his chamber, but it never crossed his mind that it would be for her much-awaited decision.
Draven was prepared to wait for her response for several days, but how easily she said she wanted to complete their bond.
He opened his mouth, but not a single word could make its way out of his mouth. The man who was holding back for his mate’s sake now was seeing his mate offering herself to him.
Once more, this little mate of his was able to do something that had rendered him shocked and speechless.
A fire was burning inside his chest, and he could feel himself wanting to lower his face closer to hers. Yet, he stopped himself, wanting to first confirm whether she truly meant it. He gently squeezed her hand as he gazed at those beautiful green eyes.
His voice came out low and hoarse.
“Are you sure about this?”
Ember reached out her free hand to touch his face. Maybe it was her long-awaited wish or the effect of the bond, but it felt as if touching him like this was the most natural thing to do. Her cold palm touched his warm cheek, and her thumb gently brushed over it as if she was trying to get the feel of it.
She stared straight into those expectant red eyes which were fighting hard to not show his true desires.
“I am sure of it.”
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Bonus chapter dedicated to reader “DnIsha” Thank you for the castle and the golden tickets.