"We rode the storm,
borrowing thunder for our heartbeats and lightning for our kisses,
changing cloaks of blue and gold,
and shedding the earthly wings that we were given as false promises from the heavens."
_______________________
Stepping towards my bedroom, I turned to Damien as I reached for the door handle, eyes drifting up to meet his gaze.
"You sure you don't want to come down?" he inquired, once again offering to take me to the pack dinner, and I mutely shook my head.
He sighed, running a hand through his hair, "I'll ask Maria to bring you dinner then."
"Not hungry."
He shot me a pointed look, "Alright Alexandria, this isn't some 'beauty and the beast' type shit. You can still have dinner without coming down to eat with the big bad wolf," Damien muttered.
I chuckled at his statement, shaking my head as the amusement died away as fast as it came.
"Y'know he can't ignore you forever, right?" he added after a few moments, and I simply shrugged.
"True," I murmured.
"Can I give you my opinion without getting my head burned off?" he asked jokingly, and I let out a small laugh before nodding.
"And I'm saying this with the most respect to His Majesty as possible," he began, clearing his throat as I quirked a brow.
"I feel like he's overreacting."
I scoffed at his words, smiling bitterly as he shot me a confused look, "If it was only about what happened at the mall, then yes, perhaps he is, but it's so much more than that Damien."
"This has to do with every stupid thing I've done since we met," I continued, "There was the time I ran away after meeting him, the time I argued with him on the plane, the time I fought him in the training fields, the time I practically gave every wolf here a heart attack when I ran away for a concert, and now this. I think he's done with me in general," I chuckled drily.
"He can't be 'done with you' Alexandria, I don't think it works that way," Damien stated, shaking his head.
"He's a busy guy, Damien. He runs an entire kingdom that stretches across the planet, and after that he has a multi-billion dollar company to deal with, and now there's me. This annoying little secretive gremlin who tumbled into his life," I mumbled, rubbing my temple and glaring up at my bodyguard as he laughed at the string of insults I had just directed to myself.
"I'm sorry," he breathed between chuckles, and I crossed my arms as I looked away, his smile contagious.
"Did you just call yourself a gremlin?" he questioned, still attempting to hold back his laughter.
I pouted, "stop laughing at me, Damien, this is serious."
"Okay okay," he said, waving his hands in resignation, "all jokes aside, I promise you Alexandria, he is most definitely not 'done with you'. You two just met like a month ago, and if you ask me, this is the most important part of any relationship. Because you're actually getting to know each other. Of course there are going to be secrets, and he has some too, but you're just the idiot who's doing a shit job at hiding them," he shrugged, and I scowled.
"I should've just told him," I groaned, running a hand through my hair.
"He's extremely good at holding grudges, but probably not with you," the wolf chuckled, shaking his head,"He'll talk to you, just give it time," he reassured after watching me hesitantly bite my lip.
"Thanks," I mumbled, shooting him a small smile as he was about to turn away.
"I'm looking forward to our next therapy session in the gardens," he replied instead, before turning away.
I watched his retreating figure, an amused smile playing on my lips as I turned and stepped into the bedroom, completely lost in thought.
**********
After taking a long bath, I let out a content sigh as I racked up the courage to slip on a pale white nightgown with a golden belt and lace edges. I had to admit, it was slightly revealing, but I was a werewolf after all.
A little skin didn't matter to us.
Reaching up to touch my hair, my hands slid through the silky strands as I brushed it to the side. It was nearly twelve am, and Livius still wasn't back from the pack dinner, which I knew for a fact ended a few hours ago. Maria had told me he was somewhere in this wing, most likely going through more paperwork in his private study.
Letting out another sigh, I found myself getting out of bed and slipping my feet into a pair of comfortable slippers before pulling open the door and stepping out.
Strangely enough, I immediately caught his scent the moment I stepped out into the hallway, and before I knew it, I was following it. After silently walking for a few minutes, I ended up in the luxurious kitchen that was also a part of the Alpha's wing.
I had never been in here, not once, but as I peeked out from behind the wall, I caught sight of my mate leaning against the counter, a cup of red wine in hand as he seemed lost in thought.
"Livius," I whispered, my voice soft as his piercing gaze snapped up to meet my own.
Furrowing his brows, he stared down at me as I fully stepped out, "What are you doing awake, Alexandria? It's late, go back to sleep," he ordered, voice cold, but I simply crossed my arms, raising my chin as I refused to move.
"I'm not leaving until you explain to me what exactly you're trying to accomplish by giving me the cold shoulder," I huffed, watching as he arched a brow.
"You're so stubborn," he mumbled instead, taking another casual swig of his drink. Even in the dimly lit area, I could still see the lingering anger dancing in his deep blue eyes, the wine doing nothing to shove it away.
"Would you like some?" he offered after a few moments, and I hesitated, before nodding.
Pulling out another glass from the cabinet, he filled it up halfway and passed it to me as I mumbled a small 'thank you'.
Taking a sip, I immediately cringed at the taste. Not enjoying it at all. To be honest, I preferred champagne, but I couldn't just reject his offer, especially since he hasn't spoken to me in days.
"Still mad at me?" I asked, leaning against the counter as he gave me a look.
"I'm not mad at you, ma reine. Just mildly annoyed," he replied.
I pursed my lips, eyes drifting down to the cup in my hand as I found myself taking another sip. My face pulling into a frown, as I stared down at the liquid.
"Why didn't you just tell me?" he asked after a few moments, voice laced with frustration, and slight annoyance.
"We both know you'd have never allowed it," I chuckled drily,"You probably would have insisted on coming with me, and then what? Not only would I gain nothing from meeting him in the first place, but you probably would've lost control and beat the shit out of him for no reason," I continued, voice barely over a whisper.
"If you knew that would happen why didn't you just ask to go shopping with one of my guards?" he inquired, shaking his head.
"Because," I began, turning to him, "I wanted to go to a mall with you."
"I swear, it's that simple," I murmured, "Livius the original idea was for me to go out and have some fun, then maybe, if I felt like it, I could go and see what Zac wanted. I really just wanted to spend time with you. Our relationship can't only comprise of us doing our own stuff throughout the day, and then cuddling at night. I wanted to know you."
He blinked down at me, eyes searching for any hint of a lie, and finding nothing.
"You really need to stop keeping things from me," he muttered, taking another sip of his drink.
"I'm sorry," I mumbled, shyly biting my lip as my eyes drifted down to the polished floor, no longer able to hold his forceful gaze, "I-i didn't think it'd upset you this much, I-"
"Fuck it," I heard him growl, and before I could say anything else he had taken my cup from my hands and set it down away from me, his hands now on my waist as he picked me up, and set me down on the counter.
Resting his arms on either side of me, he trapped me in his embrace as he still managed to tower over me, his face inches from my own.
"Don't do that," he bit out, and I furrowed my brows, my heart beating erratically at his closeness.
"Do what?" I whispered in confusion, eyes searching his own.
I watched as he only shook his head in response, shooting me a pointed look, before shoving his face into the crook of my neck and inhaling deeply, "Goddess, I missed you," he murmured.
"It's not like I was the one ignoring you," I retorted, rolling my eyes as he slightly pulled back to look down at me. I felt his hand come up to clasp my chin as he forced me to meet his churning gaze, several unreadable emotions mixed in with that sea of blue.
"Let me just make this clear to you right now, Alexandria," he began, his lips hovering over my own as my breath hitched.
"You're mine," my mate snarled, the two words passing his lips for the first time since our meeting, "Remember that the next time you try hiding anything from me."
"I told you I-"
"I don't care, Alexandria," Livius cut me off, "I don't care if it's the most irrelevant thing ever. Or if you don't want me to worry about it. Or if you're scared how I'll react. I wasn't mad that you were dating some wolf back in your high school years. I don't give two shits about that. His existence bothers me, yes, but the fact is that you weren't my mate back then. You are now though. So don't you ever keep anything from me again. Whatever is going on in that pretty little head of yours, you come to me with it first. Not Jayden, not Elle, not Damien, not Noah. Not any of my advisors. Me."
Slowly, I nodded my head whilst holding his unwavering gaze.
"Use your words, love, I want to hear it," Livius stated in response, face inches from my own as I arched a brow at his order.
His gaze was unrelenting as he dared me to challenge him this time and I smirked, my lips quirking up as I tilted my head, closing the remaining distance as my lips met his own.
And just like that, everything felt right again.
Honestly, if I had known kissing him would feel like this, I probably would've done it the moment we met.
Running a hand through his thick locks, I slid my arms around his neck as he let out a low possessive growl. My mind was in a haze. I could barely think properly, let alone understand what I had done. What closing those few inches meant. All I wanted to do was get impossibly closer to him. I felt like I was floating in the most incredible way possible, and there was no ground for me to land on. No reality pulling me back. No tragedies restraining me from this sensation.
Nothing could compare to this.
Somehow, this kiss that I had so boldly kindled was slowly becoming so much more than I had intentioned.
My mate quickened his pace as his lips moved over my own with an uncontainable passion. One of his hands came up to cup the side of my face, whilst the other remained on the counter.
He exuded power. Raw, natural, untamed power. It drowned the room in its glory, and I found myself shriveling as I realized Luca, his wolf, wanted to make himself known.
He was relentless.
It seemed a part of me had managed to forget who he was. Somehow, in some exceedingly strange way I allowed myself to blind myself to everything that he was capable of. His kindness and adoration managed to make me believe that this was his personality. And, to an extent, perhaps it was. But that did not erase the fact that he was an Alpha. He so clearly embodied almost every single Alpha tendency, and him being King only multiplied it.
Dominance. Control. Possessiveness.
All of it.
I wasn't quite used to kissing someone like him. I wasn't used to allowing a male take control. I wasn't used to any of this.
Yet somehow, I didn't object as he let out another possessive growl before pulling away.
My eyes met his as he shot me a mischievous smirk before moving down to trail kisses along my jawline, and down my neck.
I really did forget.
"Livius," I breathed, eyes clouding over as he kissed the area where my mark was supposed to be, his lips briefly lingering on the spot before they met my own again.
"Say it," he growled, both of us out of breath, and I furrowed my brows, unable to register what he was saying.
"Say what?" I found myself asking, whilst attempting to relax my beating heart.
"Say you're mine," he responded, voice a deep baritone as he picked me up, my legs wrapping around his torso.
I simply giggled as he stepped out of the kitchen, "You really don't like to share, do you?"
"Just say it," he responded, the air around us filled with his suffocating power.
"Is this what you've been waiting for me to tell you since what happened with Zac?" I teased, ignoring his command.
He shot me an annoyed glare the moment he heard the wolf's name, and I flushed, my head disappearing in his neck, as I hid from his hard gaze.
I felt him step into our bedroom, the door shutting behind him as he set me down, towering over me as I stared up at him, "You really are hard-headed," he murmured, cupping my cheek, pale blue eyes taking me in.
"As you have so often mentioned," I laughed, lips pulling into a small smile as I leaned against him, elated to have him back.
"I'm yours, Livius," I mumbled against the fabric of his suit, "always," I added after a few moments whilst grabbing his hand.
"Please don't ignore me again," I pouted, finally looking up at him and his gaze softened as he leaned down, his lips claiming my own once again. This one, however, was different. Before he was rough, possessive, dominant, controlling even. Now it was slow, if possible even more passionate as his arm slid around my waist.
"I won't, ma reine, I felt like I was punishing myself," he chuckled, shaking his head.
Pausing for a moment, I stared up at him, "I really am sorry, Livius," I repeated, "I should've told you."
Sighing, he shrugged as he pushed a loose strand of my hair behind my ear, "Forget it, my queen, it's in the past," he simply stated, kissing my nose.
"Besides, you're too cute to be ignored for too long," he added, and my lips pulled into another smile as heat rushed to my cheeks at the compliment.
I watched as he disappeared into the closet, before coming back out a few moments later dressed in a simple pair of shorts.
He chuckled as I looked away from his glorious figure, "Come on, love, you need your rest, especially after that long walk in the gardens."
I immediately turned around at his words, eyes narrowing as I pursed my lips, "stop stalking me."
"I wasn't," he shrugged, a lazy smirk plastered on his face as he slipped into bed and gestured for me to join him, "I was concerned."
Furrowing my brows, I laid beside him, silently allowing him to pull the covers over my small frame, before speaking up, "what do you mean?"
"Do you know how cold it was out there? I'm surprised you didn't freeze to death with what you were wearing," he replied, pulling me closer to his warm body.
"I'm a werewolf, Livius, we don't catch colds," I chuckled.
"You're half wolf, my queen, just take a coat next time," he mumbled in response, chin resting at the top of my head.
"I'll just take you, if you're not ignoring me, that is," I whispered in response, and he let out a low laugh before pulling me closer to him.
"That's never happening again, mon amour, I promise," Livius murmured in response, kissing my forehead as I let out a content sigh.
And things were as they should be.