RED EYES

Chapter 10

Lucian POV:

The morning sun painted the sky in hues of pink and gold when a guard's urgent call woke me up from my sleep. Groggily, I mind-linked him, my voice a low growl, "Don't yell, she's sleeping. What happened?"

"I apologize, my lord," the guard stammered, "but Lord Alexander is calling you."

Sighing, I responded with a resigned nod. "Alright, I'll be there."

As I began to turn, I felt a gentle tug on my arm. My gaze shifted to find Bella, holding onto me. A small, content smile played on my lips at the sight, as I caressed her cheek with the back of my fingers. "Mate looks so beautiful," my wolf commented.

I turned to face her, captivated by the innocence that danced in her face, I whispered, "What are you, what have you done to me?" I placed a tender kiss on her forehead, carefully disentangled my arm from hers so as not to disturb her peaceful slumber, and left the tent.

"What happened?" I inquired as I stood before Alexander.

His eyes bore into mine. "What happened? Did you forget that you are king and you too have work to do?"

"I was with her," I defended, a hint of frustration in my voice.

Alexander shook his head, his expression turning grave. When Bella started screaming, she was breathing heavily when I dashed into the tent.

When Alex asked her about last night, I became enraged because she was so innocent and didn't even realize what would happen to her.

Instead of killing every one of them, I should have left some of them alive so they could be tortured. Since she was getting dressed, I handed her my shirt. She turned me down when I tried to help her, perhaps she didn't trust me.

I want to see her, can't we stay in the tent?

I rolled my eyes, scoffing at my own beast comment about him acting like a pervert. He never spoke to me in such a manner beyond the battlefield. She let out a whimper, Without a second thought, I hurried inside her tent.

"Let me help you, I promise I will close my eyes," I reassured her. As she sat down, I assisted her in removing her clothes, delicately pulling at the backstrings.

"You said you would close your eyes," she said naively. I closed my eyes obediently, my hand grazing the softness of her shoulder as I worked on the top portion of her dress. The challenge was real, her skin was impossibly soft, making it hard to keep my eyes closed.

"I want to see her, so open your eyes or let me out," my wolfs frustrated voice whispered within me.

"We promised her."

"Agh, why did you tell her that it was a good chance, you stupid"

"Keep quiet and don't talk."

She stopped me from reaching out, and just as confusion threatened to make me open my eyes, her hand covered them, not entirely but enough to block my vision.

"No, no, don't open it. Can you go out? I can do it now," she replied.

"No, no, I can't leave you alone," I insisted, shaking my head and turning around. I clenched my fists, desperately trying to control myself. The struggle was real, not being able to see my love while she changed clothes was an agonizing challenge.

"You may now open," she declared, breaking the tension. I turned around quickly, gasping as my eyes fell upon her. My shirt reached her mid-thigh, and she looked undeniably adorable.

My gaze lingered on her flawlessly white legs, but I shook my head and closed my eyes again. She continued pulling down her shirt, a subtle sign of discomfort that I could sense even with closed eyes.