※ Chapter 23 ※

Sehun's POV »☆●

There are very few things as calming as a royal spa. It's a place I come to when rage fuels my whole body and hunting isn't an option. In such scenarios, I need to temp down so that I don't shift and attack someone.

The spa is also a reminder of my royal privilege, which might be short-lived if I don't do something about it soon. If I mess the duel up with D.O., the possibility lowers even more.

Challenging D.O. was undeniably a cunning move, especially considering it was instant. But I still wasn't sure it's gonna work. I think it worked on him because I challenged him publicly. Challenging him in front of his people meant he couldn't back down without looking weak and he holds into his power here because of his strength. The moment he looks weak, the other mercenaries would turn against him.

The orange gold of the sky stretched far and wide. I take a sip of my wine and place it back down on my tray of sweets. I dip lower into the water, the ice-cold water calming my nerves. I close my eyes in relaxation, when I detect something. I frown, sniffing the air, it's a human scent. Must be my masseuse.

"Oh Haoyu, you're back. Excellent. I tweaked my shoulder. It could use some attention," I mutter without opening my eyes. Haoyu approaches and sits behind me, hands settling on my bare shoulders and kneading my shoulder. I release a relaxed sigh because that feels nice. Very comforting. But.. something feels different about the hands?

I grab the hand and draw it down, a small smile crosses my face as I examine the very familiar wrist and soft hands. I turn my head to find Angel.

"An unexpected surprise. I didn't know you're as excellent at massages as you're at court," I smile at her.

She chuckles, "I'm full of surprises."

"Please, sit here," I pat next to me, "You've had an exhausting day yourself, dealing with D.O.," as I speak my eyes fall on the bruises on her cheeks, imprints of D.O.'s fingers. I examine them, my jaw clenching, "That son of a-"

"Relax, I'm okay," she slides closer to the pool's edge near me, and lifting her skirts, she dips her legs in the water beside me. I take another sip of the wine when I feel her eyes on me, frowning like she has alot of questions.

"You wanna say something," I say without looking. I know whenever she searches for me like this, she has something important to say. This time, I think I even know what she has to say.

"It's you I'm worried about. I can't let you do this. Why'd you even think about taking such a huge risk?" she murmurs in a pained voice.

"The whole pack was there, Angel. As the Alpha, my responsibility is to the pack that I've to carry. I have to look strong. You know what pack thinks of you.." I mutter hesitantly. She nods, prompting me to continue.

"So in the moment he dragged you, I knew that all eyes were on me, that if I fail to protect the possible Luna of the pack from a mere mercenary, everyone's gonna wonder if I'm fit to protect the pack. Challenging him eased carrying the weight of everyone's expectation to live up to them. The pack and people in general expect alot from their leaders. If I'm to do Dad's name proud, I must put up on invincible front. But even under the wolf living in me, I'm only human," I say in one breath. The reason I gave her is half the truth and even less the matter, but I'm not ready to tell her the real reason yet.

She comes closer and puts her hand over mine, "Se..it's alright. You can be human with me."

I look into her eyes, "What's it about you, Angel, that I can speak so freely in your presence and admit aloud what I can't even say to myself?"

I was never drawn to any other girl before. And now it feels like that's because I'm suppose to be drawn to her. Therefore, I seriously sometimes hope she's my mate, that every clue I've gotten so far is not a coincidence, that soon I can confirm she's mine.

"I'm glad you feel that way. I want you to be able to speak to me," she smiles.

I couldn't pinpoint the exact moment I fell in love with her but my feelings for her developed over time. Now her face is always on my mind and I can't do anything about it.

"It seems I can't help myself. It's as if you truly see me," I rest my head against her leg, letting out a long slow breath. She runs her hand through my hair. My eyes close, melting under her touch, and together we revel in the feel of each other.

Should I tell her I'm falling for her or should I wait till I can be sure she's my mate?

"Angel.." I look up to see her pretty face, my hand reaching up to cup her cheek, palm cold from the water.

"Hmm?" she hums, still ruffling my hair. I shake my head, hand falling. I look away because she's very perspective. She may figure out what I wanna say.

"Tell me?" she asks softly, but I just shrug and get up, brushing off the water from my body.

She comes following me and grabs my wrist, making me look at her, "Tell me!"

I take a deep breath, sitting back at the shore. She comes after me, "Alright, if I waste any more time thinking of how to do it the right way, I may never find the courage at all. So here it is," I close my eyes gathering courage, then tilt my body slightly sideways to face her, "I'm in love with you, Angel. Mate or not, I don't give a damn. I love you and I can't bear to hide it any longer."

A long silence follows. It goes on for so long that I start to think she didn't hear me. She looks in my eyes like she's searching for something but what?

"Okay," she finally whispers and I gape at her. This isn't the reaction I expected. Only okay? I've been mentally preparing me for this for days and all I get is an okay?

"That's all you gonna say?" I ask incredulously. Did I ruin our friendship too?

She hesitates for a moment, "I knew it. That's the confirmation I needed to know why you're doing this for me," she moves closer to me, craning her neck up to meet my eyes, "Se, you weren't on your right mind when you risked your alliance for me. You were driven by emotions because you think you love me."

"Think?" I raise an eyebrow, frustrated. Does she doubt me?

"You may change your mind when you find your mate. I'll not let you do anything which you regret later. Because I care about you," she says softly.

She prepares to stand back but I pull her closer, "And what if you are my mate?"

"If I am, you'll figure out. If I'm not, then what? You're gonna risk your life, risk the safety of a whole kingdom just to save a random girl. You're not understanding now but you need D.O.'s army. You're not even thinking about the throne now. It's gonna upset Uncle, something you're trying so hard to prevent. Se, you're gonna regret so bad!" she blurts out, her eyes getting teary.

"I'll never regret doing anything for you, Angel. Believe me, never," I turn her face until she's facing me.

"You don't get it. My dad has got in danger before because of me. I hurt everyone I'm close to. I don't wanna hurt you too, Se. I can't interpret in correct words but..you're special to me. In what sense? I can't explain," she mumbles sorrowfully.

I pull her in a hug and try to calm her, "You'll never hurt me. I love you, angel, I'll do anything for you."

She stiffens beside me. Maybe I should've not confessed now.

The wrong time, you idiot!

"It's okay if you don't feel the same," I cup her face, "But if you do, you being my mate or not won't matter."

She nods and relaxes her head on my chest. We both are silent, no idea what to say. I can see her eyes shutting close. She's sleepy.

I look at her peaceful face. No matter what happens, I can't watch her die in front of my eyes. If it means giving up on the throne and disappointing Dad then I will, but she must be safe. I'd give her world; she only has to ask.

Sometimes I fear for her. She's special and there isn't any doubt about her ability or strength. She's extraordinary and it's still a mystery to me what she actually is but something tells me dad knows. But it doesn't matter to me. I just want her to be safe.

She's working hard to prove herself. She's preparing herself to avenge the death of her father and recruiting an army to reclaim her home. But sometimes, it seems like she stops caring about her life in this mission. And that's what I'm scared of.

I look towards her, sleeping peacefully in my arms. She must've been really tired that she fell asleep so quick.

As she drifts off to sleep, I close my eyes and smile because she's all I could ever want.

Meihua's POV »☆●

I wake up at the sound of glass clashing. I rub my eyes, slowly opening them, and I find my hand on a tray. I've accidentally tossed the wine goblet, spilling the remainder all over the sweets. I glance at my side and groan. He left without waking me up.

I look up in the sky. I've slept quite alot. The sky is already dark except a corner is still ablaze in the last rays of the setting sun. I'm suddenly reminded of what happened a while ago.

The incident flashes in my mind and I allow my brain to remember it because a part of me liked it. It was a warm, tender and comforting feeling. Does that mean I'm falling for him too? I don't know. But I'm affectionate towards him. I care about him more than most people. He makes me feel loved, which is all I craved all my life.

The other part of me though, it wishes that never happened. Because I don't think I'm his mate. The bit of uncertainty remains because there's something I sense between us, an electricity, a pull, a bond...l just don't know if it's mate bond.

But I don't wanna be his mate. I grew up with the knowledge that my life will be a misfortune which I can see now. And it's clearer to me now more than ever that whoever gets involved with me will suffer from it too. I don't want him to get involved in my cursed life too deeply.

And if I'm not his mate, then there's someone waiting for him. I've heard so much about soulmates and their bond. I've heard it's stronger than any other feelings. He might be in the delusion that he loves me but he'll get over me immediately after finding his real mate if it's someone else. If I fall for him, that day I'll be heartbroken and feel the loss of someone special again. So I honestly don't even allow myself to see us more than friends. If and until I can confirm he's my mate, I won't think of us any other way.

I stand up, smoothing the front of my hanfu and walk out to find him again. The conversation isn't over. I got distracted. But he can't keep distracting me. I'm gonna stop him no matter what.

I hate hiding like a coward. That's the reason I revealed myself. Though I was scared, this is what I was waiting for, a challenge, a step closer to my mission. Even if it meant I had to die, I'd die knowing I tried. It's much better than hiding in an Alpha's shadow and letting him bleed for me.

As I walk outside, I see Uncle passing by, who gives me a sidelong gaze before walking out. And guilt tugs inside me again. I put him in danger, I put his son in danger, I put his entire family in danger. If I hadn't come here, this wouldn't have happened. And I don't even know how to make up for it.

I head to the courtyard where I find Se doing his practice routines. He twirls his sword and practices a strike, frowning in concentration. Taking a deep breath, I gently tap his shoulder. Seeing me his eyes soften a little and he smiles, "You woke up."

"Hmm," I mutter slowly, looking away. As if he could sense I'm upset, he put a comforting hand on my cheek, saying he's sorry for what he did. He thinks I'm sad because of his confession but I'm sad because of the danger he put himself for me.

"I'm not mad at you, Se," I whisper, pushing his hands away. He looks into my eyes for a second and gives me a small smile. I don't wanna give him mixed signals. I know he has feelings for me so it's the only right thing to do.

"I'm mad at what you're doing right now. And I'm not letting you risk everything for me and that's final," I state in a strong voice, letting him know I'm very serious.

"Angel," he mutters softly.

I cut him off, "I know you'd die to protect me, Se. It's the dying part I don't want. Don't go through this. There must be another way."

He shakes his head, "Those men will only respect a show of strength. As they say, the strong lead, the weak bleed."

The phrase keeps ringing in my head as I try to swallow it, when a maid approaches and bows to Se.

"Lord D.O. has approached seeking to visit your regency."

To Be Continued »☆●