A Love Like This

[DELBERT]

When he reached the door to his master suite, Delbert felt his heart sink into his stomach. He had tried his very best to make life easy for Nour, but he also had a feeling that the notion of Nour being dead to the kingdom of Acrod was something that wouldn't end well with the prince.

Sighing, the Lycan pushed open the door to his suite, silently hoping that his erasthai didn't feel as bad. He knew that Nour had been hurt one too many times and if he had to choose between letting Grant go and killing Grant himself, Delbert would choose murder.

He would do whatever it took to make his erasthai happy and he hoped that Nour wasn't as mad at him. Delbert was never the kind to be scared, but at this moment, as he walked into the executive suite, he was scared.

There in the middle of the room, was the love of his life, a pretty boy so worn out by life and a mate who never cared for him. Even in that state, Delbert could swear on his life that the moon only ever shone brighter in Erasthai's eyes.

He loved him with everything so badly that it hurts to be in love with Nour. But it wasn't the bad kind of hurt, because Delbert was easily the happiest man when around his mat. Could I say the same for this moment right here, or was he just ever going to be hopeful?

"Hi," the Lycan warriors greeted even though Nour was facing the other side of the room, away from the sounds that came through the windows, the sounds of a wolf enforcer who truly didn't give a shit about him.

It was a sagging moment and Delbert could only ever hope. He was doing a lot of hoping with Nour, but what else could he do? He couldn't exactly go out there and go on a rampage for his erasthai, because then that would raise more questions.

Not many people knew that Delbert was a Lycan warrior, let alone the older Merdel twin. If that information was out there, given the history of his family and his psycho mother, Delbert would be feared. 

Hell, he and Alanor would never live happy lives. Then again, his brother, even though he was in Udrad, had never really been happy. Perhaps that was why the fates had given Alanor, the Lycan prince, Unar. 

It was truly a bond so beautiful. But also, a bond that caused Nour's pain more than Nour would ever admit. They were all entangled in all this shit because Grant couldn't ever accept the fact that Alanor would never choose him. 

It was frustrating, but there was only so much that Delbert would be a tint before he killed Delbert himself. Perhaps not today, right?

"Are you hungry? Can I get you something to eat?" Delbert asked as he walked slowly toward the bed. He didn't want to scare Nour, because he didn't want him to feel unsafe. Right now, anything could happen and the worst of them would be Nour rejecting Delbert upfront. 

It was something that kept the Merdel twin awake more times than he slept, and boy was it Delbert's greatest far. He wasn't sure what he would ever do if Nour rejected him, and that was something he didn't want to experience. 

Funny how even that wasn't in his power right now.

"I'm sorry if telling him you were dead was not right. But… I am also not sorry at the same time. I don't know where we go from here, but if I had to do it again, I would, without a second thought," Delbert said when he was a few feet away from the bed. 

The bed was huge but right now that didn't even matter because Delbert wanted to see Nour, but he was also worried about his erasthai hating him. He didn't know how he could have lived with himself if Grant had continued hurting Nour.

He would have possibly turned the kingdom upside down. It was a horror that Delbert was willing to reign in the entirety of Acrod for their reluctance with his Erasthai's pain.

"Your scent changed," Nour whispered, not bothering to turn to look at Delbert. But even then, it made Delbert relax a bit because his mate didn't sound so angry with him. If anything, he sounded like he was making small talk.

When Delbert had come with Nour from the palace, he had cast a healing spell on his erasthai to make him better. Delbert knew that was risky, especially assuming that Nour didn't accept his bond.

It was something that Delbert didn't neat to think too much of, but then now, given how Nour had held and how fresh his scent was, and he had more hope that the young werewolf prince had accepted him. Otherwise, the sale wouldn't have a world, right?

"I… I've been at the site of the burning chambers," Delbert said, as he looked at his erasthai. Nour was perfection and possibly the prettiest wolf in the real world. He was soft, just like an omega would even though Nour wasn't an omega and Delbert knew that too.

He had seen Nour be the ruby wolf firsthand, and from his experience, the ruby wolf was just as devilish as the Merdel siblings, especially the best of the midlands. He was lethal and as crazy as psychos could get.

So, letting Delbert see his soft side like this was something the Lycan took pride in so very much, because it made him feel like Nour was submitting to him and the mate bond. It wasn't something that Delbert would exploit, but again, it made him have silent hopes.

"I smell like you," Nour voiced and that got Delbert's attention.

"Must be the sheets. Is it uncomfortable? I can tell Soph to change them or I can change them myself," Delbert said as he walked closer to the bed, his knees hitting the edge of the bed in his desperation to hear from his erasthai.

He felt like he was walking on eggshells with Nour, but that didn't matter to him, as long as Nour was okay and as long as Nour wasn't in any danger. Delbert would accept anything, as long as his erasthai lived and was happy.

Was he though?

"No, it's… thank you," Nour said in earnest. He wasn't sure how much time had passed since Ferhat had come to get him, but he hid that a lot of time hadn't already passed. Then again, there was no telling for him, because he had been unconscious for a lot longer.

"I didn't know what else to say to make him leave you alone," Delbert admitted softly as he dared to sit on the side of his own bed, his hands shaking, his heart beating so fast, like he was scared that one turn from his erasthai and he would be a reject.

"You did well. Not anyone would have done what you did for me, all this time. I know you would like to think it's not a bur—" Nour began as he turned to look at Delbert, those beautiful baby blue eyes staring into his as he was interrupted.

"I won't push for the mate bond, but please don't push me away," Delbert pleaded.

"I love the cinnamon scent," Nour said and it took a moment for Delbert to realize what it meant for the both of them.