Hunter led her to the garden of the west wing. The warm rays of sun had filled the air. Dewdrops on the grass blades glistened as light fell on them. The beds were full of flowers. Deep pink Azalea lined the narrow, cobbled path on the side that led to a larger space
In the garden he showed her a small tree stump that was till the height of her knees and a small table beside it. “Did you make that for me?” she asked, as she looked at him with surprise.
“You’ve been cooped up in your room for the past three days, River,” he said. “You come from training and then sit there for the whole day.” She was barely coming out of her room because of too busy with her interior designing course that had caught speed suddenly.
“And you want me to study here?” she asked, her lips curling up.
He tilted his head and the sun reflected the sharp green of his eyes. “If you prefer,” he replied nervously.
She started to walk towards the little stump and table that he had made for her. “I didn’t know that you were into woodworking, Alpha Hunter.” She could see that the table was crudely crafted but it was such a cute gesture that she loved it.
“But if you want to go back to your room, I will understand…” He had made that table for her in the past three days after she had announced that she wanted to study further. He had also helped her filling the application form and given the hefty fee for it.
“No, I like it better here.” She sat down on the stump and smiled at him to show that she appreciated his efforts. “In a few days, two rooms in the west wing will be converted into your place of study and lab.”
River felt something tug on her heart strings. “Please Alpha Hunter, you don’t have to do so much for me.” She turned her gaze down to look at the table and brushed its surface with her fingers. Her heart squeezed with warmth. He was being so thoughtful. Why was he doing so much for her? She didn’t want him to do so much for her because she was afraid that one day, he would find his mate or marry a she-Lycan and then she would not be able to live without him. She wondered if he would throw her in the dungeons.
Hunter dug his pockets in the trousers and took out an amulet. He sat on one knee in front of her.
“What are you doing?” she asked, bewildered by his action.
He tugged her ankle and placed it over his lap. As he tied that amulet on her ankle, he said, “This is an amulet that will shield your scent from the demons in the forest. This is for your safety, River. Please don’t run away. After what happened with Ella, I am worried that demons might scent you.”
River’s ***fell to the floor. This amulet meant that she could walk through the Vell without being detected by the demons and safely back in her world. This was the level of trust he was placing in her.
He looked at her face and said, “I just want you to be comfortable and I want you to trust me.”
Guilt shot through her. He was doing so much for her and she was still thinking of walking through the Veil. She leaned towards him and cupped his face in her hands. “Thank you for all this. And I want you to trust me as well.”
Hunter, the sly Lycan, took the opportunity and kissed her on her lips. He got up, his face beaming with a smile. “Now you can study here. If you like you can go back when it gets sunny here.”
She started with her online classes and an hour later she saw Faria coming with a bowl of soup and fruits. Hunter returned not much later with two cups of coffee. He didn’t disturb her, but he gave her one mug and sat on the grass while having his. It was as if he was watching his precious treasure. He had started making better coffee over the days. His first one was a disaster but River had it without complaining and so he had promised himself that he would learn for her.
“This is so nice!” she said, licking the cream off her lips.
He chuckled.
River no longer found him intimidating despite fully aware of the relationship he was seeking from her. It was his consideration and thoughtfulness that had begun to erode those thoughts, leaving behind a warm and beautiful man. When she had come to the Veil, she wanted to ****him. She really did. But there was nothing for her to ***. He had always taken good care of her, never threatened her, he wasn’t mean or wicked. He splurged on her and was very patient with her.
The tenderness she felt for him each passing day was frightening her. She felt frustrated with herself because of the way he wanted to protect her and was keeping her with him against all odds. He wasn’t even forcing her.
As soon as the coffee was over, Hunter trudged to her, placed a peck on the crown of her head and then went away. She immediately missed her presence.
Do you like him?”
River ***her head up in surprise. ‘Layla?’ She couldn’t believe that her wolf awakened. Is that you? Yes, it’s me, Layla said, though her voice was weak.
‘Oh Layla, I am so happy to hear your voice! River said, excitedly. She couldn’t focus on her classes.
‘Do you like him?” she asked,
“I do” River said.
Layla chuckled and then went quiet again. River sighed sadly. But at least Layla was showing signs of coming back.
Over the past three days ever since she had rejected Hector, her body kept having strange sensations.
Each time it grew stronger. It became as if her body was anticipating his touch, his scent.
At night, it was intimate. The room was glowing in the dim lights of the bedside lamp. Faria hadn’t lit the fire because it was warm. She had burned pleasant smelling herbs like incense in order to create a relaxing environment. She was lying down on the bed, her head full of Alpha Hunter. When she heard the door open, she looked at him and got up in anticipation. When their gazes met, he gave a lovely smile as if it was a normal thing to do, but her skin tingled with strange emotions. Her nipples strained and the apex of her thighs throbbed. The feeling was unsettling. She smiled back This is not attraction. I am not attracted to him.’ She fisted her hands on the blankets and slid down beneath it with a ***,
covering herself completely. Not able to keep herself in that position, she slid the blanket down just to peep at him and what she saw made her throb between her thighs return. He was wearing a button-down shirt exposing his chest and his sleeves were rolled up. The shirt highlighted his chest and shoulder muscles and a waist that was tucked in sharply to narrow hips.
It also made her see the dusty line of his chest hair that disappeared somewhere down the shirt. She wondered how he would look under all that clothing and she blushed like a thousand suns in embarrassment. River was embarrassed because of the thrill of her curiosity and not because he was the intimidating Lycan King.
A Lycan who had a deep timbre voice that was only soothing and tingling her senses. A Lycan who was drop-dead gorgeous and around whom she was growing comfortable. Even now watching him sitting on the couch with documents that he was reading, in the dim light of the bedside lamp, made his beauty shine.
Suddenly she became aware of the hypersensitiveness around her core and she wanted to touch herself. ‘Great, River. Now you have officially become a ***! A thought flashed across her mind-his tongue on her core. River groaned. ‘Layla, where are you? Please come back and help me.”
She wanted to tell him to come to bed and read his documents or should she tell him not to look ***and go and read his documents elsewhere. She thought if she put distance between them, it might solve the problem. But she couldn’t ask him anything. She only continued to steal glances at him every now and then. Hunter was indeed the most handsome man who existed on this earth.
At night, sleep came but she was very disturbed by her thoughts. She missed him terribly. She tossed and turned until a heavy and warm thing came next to her. And then she crawled up on that heavy and warm and hard thing and nestled herself somewhere in the middle of it, clawing her nails in it, rather digging them so that it never left her. After that she slept like a log. Wien she woke up in the morning, she closed her *****and felt something pebbly on her lips. Something very hard and hot poked her belly. She flicked her tongue on the pebble and… someone groaned.
