Waking Up On A Stranger’s Bed

The 'bed' she lay on was firm but cosy. She had never felt this comfortable in her life. Even the soft and fluffy bed she used to sleep on in Ardel's castle was not as good as this. It felt so warm and safe being here.

As she snuggled more, she could smell the faint scent of musk and leather. It was familiar as she had whiffed the same trace before.

The 'bed' moved, and Anna was disturbed. She wanted to feel this warmth more, so she tugged on it.

As her delicate hands fumbled, she thought it didn't seem like a bed. It had a different shape and was more like a giant hardened pillow.

Anna opened her sleepy eyes and looked around. It was an unfamiliar sight.

Flustered, she lifted her head. Shockingly, the 'bed' had turned into a man lying beneath her.

"You're finally awake." His raspy voice travelled to her ears.

She could feel by now his strong arm draping on her back and holding her waist. She swore she had woken up on his chiselled chest just now.

"Aaaaaa!" Anna screamed.

Her voice was coarse, and her throat was dry. Panicked, she raised her top half, revealing her n*ked body to the man. To her surprise, he was in the same state too.

The blanket covering them had slid to their lower limbs.

Instinctively, Anna pulled the blanket to cover herself from the man's gaze. In her clumsiness, she lost her balance. She nearly fell out of bed when two large hands promptly grabbed and seized her waist. She was now back in the man's arms, and she could feel his hardened body and warm skin touching hers.

"Let go of me!" Anna shouted and pushed him away.

The man simply let her go. She retreated to the end of the bed, clutching the blanket tightly to her chest and crouched.

"Who are you? What have you done to me?" Anna yelled at the man with dazzling blue eyes.

Her hands trembled as she spoke. At that moment, all the senses returned to her, and she could feel the pain and soreness all over her body.

"I'm Kyren. I brought you here. You were hurt and fainted last night," the man replied, pulling the sheets and covering half his exposed body.

"Why are we like this?" Anna feared the worst, but the man calmly responded,

"Don't you remember anything from last night?"

The princess tried to recall everything, but her mind was utterly blank.

Kyren sighed as he saw the unkempt girl looking so confused and anxious, like a doe in a trap.

"I'm your husband. I married you last night," he told her.

Anna looked at him with widened eyes.

"Hus…. Husband?" she stuttered in disbelief. Her mind was still processing Kyren's words.

"Yes," he replied shortly.

How could this be? Anna couldn't believe what he had just said. She had never met him before. She couldn't be married to an unknown man suddenly.

"It can't be!" Anna murmured to herself, but loud enough to be heard by Kyren.

"It is. And, we've consummated," he said.

Anna felt like her head was smashed with a giant boulder hearing his reply.

Then, she saw the soiled sheets tainted with crimson blood, confirming the claim. Her heart sank, and she closed her eyes in despair.

She had lost her innocence to this man.

The princess covered her mouth with a hand and started to shed tears. Worried about her sudden crying, Kyren approached her.

"Don't be scared. You're safe now," he said gently, reaching his hand to her.

"Don't touch me, you monster!" Anna suddenly shouted in rage and pushed his hand away.

Kyren was baffled by her response.

"What are you saying?"

"You r*ped me, b*stard!" Anna cursed at him.

The commander knew by now that the woman didn't remember what had happened. Rafe had anticipated so. The temporary side effect would cease soon, and he had to be patient.

"Look, I'm telling you the truth. You'll soon remember —"

"Lies! I'm going to kill you!"

Anna lunged at him and hit his chest repeatedly. The futile punches didn't affect the burly man as he was the Knight Commander of Gerhard, the strongest knight in Cassian.

He took a deep breath and said, "You'll hurt yourself if you keep doing this. But, if it could make you feel better, carry on."

He spoke up calmly, ignoring her attacks and screams. However, when her hand nearly slapped his face while calling him a 'r*pist', Kyren's pride was shaken.

He caught her wrist and yelled, "Stop calling me that! I am not a 'r*pist!"

Anna screamed in pain due to the firm grip of his hand.

Realising that he was hurting her, Kyren let her go and retreated. He got up from the bed and put on the robe.

Then, he looked at her with a solemn face and said, "We'll talk after you've calmed down."

***

The healer was pacing back and forth for quite some time in the distance, waiting for Kyren to come out of his tent.

There were darkened shades below his eyes, and he looked haggard. When he saw the commander stepping out, he rushed to him immediately.

"How's she?" he asked.

Kyren did not answer and kept on moving with a pouty face. He gestured for the healer to follow. Anxious for an answer, the healer tagged along.

They passed a few tents and stopped before a makeshift stable where no men were around.

"Thanks to you, now I have a wife calling me a r*pist!" Kyren scolded him.

"Oh, thank goodness she's alive! You did it! I was worried sick, you know!"

Closing his eyes, Rafe sighed in relief as he put his hand on his chest. Kyren stared at the healer with an annoyed expression.

"Is that what you're thinking about all this time?" he asked irritatedly.

"Please don't blame me! Who wouldn't think so after what you said," Rafe replied, shrugging his shoulders.

The look on Kyren's face last night was unforgettable. The twenty-six-year-old man was nervous about going through his wedding night.

Who would've thought that the powerful and intimidating Knight Commander, the Grand Duke of Gerhard, and the first-born prince of the Kingdom of Cassian was a virgin who had skipped his s*x education during his teenage years?

The inexperienced bachelor Rafe tried to help the anxious prince, but his knowledge of women was merely based on books and his learning. His fifteen minutes crash course was unsatisfactory to the grand duke as it did not explain how to engage in s*xual activity without hurting the bride, which was Kyren's main concern.

It was Eric, the second-in-command knight, also known as the 'Love Coach' who came to the rescue.

"Of course, I did it! I'm a fully functioning man. I'm just worried. She's already hurt," he replied grumpily.

Kyren averted the healer's gaze. He recalled his bride's body which was frail and injured. She was so pitiful that he doubted to proceed. He would not touch her at all if it weren't for the life-threatening situation.

"Fine. I understand. That was so thoughtful of you. Thank you for saving the lady's life," Rafe said, lifting his hands and facing his palms to the commander, surrendering to the grouch.

"Yeah… she should be thanking me like you instead. But what did I get in return? She's been shouting and calling me a r*pist like crazy! She even said she wanted to kill me! Can you believe it?" Kyren spat out a grunt in annoyance.

"That means she hasn't recovered her memories from last night yet. You should go back and talk to her. It won't be long for them to return," advised the healer.

"How can I talk to her if she keeps screaming at me? She won't even listen!" the commander grumbled.

His pouty expression resembled that of a disgruntled teenager embroiled in a heated argument with his girlfriend.

"She must've been scared waking up in a stranger's bed. After all, she was a maiden. Give her some time," advised Rafe.

Kyren's lips pursed.

"Here, I've prepared some salve for the wounds and bruises. Just apply it to the affected area twice a day. This is more suitable for her delicate skin than the haemostatic powder," the healer added.

A smile etched on Rafe's lips as he handed a small jar of ointment to Kyren.

"I told you, I can't even reason with her now. She's being difficult." The commander sighed and shook his head.

"Your negotiation skill is top-notch. I'm sure you can make use of it. You won't be leaving her like that, will you?" the healer persuaded.

"Fine! I'll take it!" Rafe grinned to his ears when Kyren grabbed the jar from his hand.

"I'm doing this because I'm a Cassian man, get it? But if she still wants to put such an act, I'll let her be for the rest of the day!" Kyren continued with an annoyed expression.

Rafe raised his thumb with beams in his eyes. It took work for him to persuade the grand duke, who had a stubborn character.

"Do you think she'll be fine by now? You know I've never dealt with a woman before." The tone of Kyren's voice changed and became softer.

The frown on his face said it all. He was concerned about his bride.

"She should be fine. You can handle her. There's nothing to be afraid of," replied the healer.

"Who says I am afraid? I'm not! I'm just not used to women. There's a big difference! Of course, I can handle her!" Kyren grunted.

"My bad. Please forgive me. It just slips out of my tongue. I didn't mean it at all."

Rafe bowed, holding back his laughter that was about to burst. His heart tickled as he saw the mixed reaction of the newlywed prince. It was funny to see him in his childish act.

"Good."

The commander nodded with an arrogant face, acknowledging his healer's apology. He was a courageous leader with pride.

So, was it challenging to manage such a petite, weak lady? Certainly not!

"Emm… commander," Rafe paused before continuing his sentences.

"What now?"

"I think it would be best for you to return to your tent," said the healer as his eyes wildly darted around.

"Why?"

"You're wearing only a robe, and the men are staring at you," he replied.

Kyren turned his head and noticed the passing knights were gazing at him, smiling mischievously.

"So, what's the problem?" The grand duke frowned his fine brows and scoffed.

"They all know you had your wedding night last night." Rafe continued.

The commander's face flushed red.

He closed his eyelids for a moment and clenched his fist. He realised now why his subordinates were giving him a different look than usual. They offered a naughty grin at him, and some even giggled with a meaningful laugh.

"D*mn it! Tell them to stay away at least forty feet from my tent! No! Fifty feet!" he yelled in rage before turning back and striding to his tent.