The following morning, Astrid left for work earlier than usual, after a long and strong attempt at convincing Luke that nothing would happen to her. He had been unusually persistent, and she could tell he wasn’t pleased about her going out alone after knowing she was mated to a hybrid. Luckily, she was able to calm him and he reluctantly let her leave.
As she walked, she moved at a steady pace, glancing from side to side and ahead, expecting to see a certain silhouette. However, the streets were mostly empty at this early morning. The usual bustle of the town had yet to begin, with only a few shopkeepers preparing for the day. But the person she was hoping to see was nowhere in sight.
A little disheartened, Astrid sighed and decided to head straight to the inn. She was barely steps away from the inn when she caught Alaric’s unmistakable scent.
Her heart skipped a beat as she turned around, a smile already forming on her lips, but when she looked, she still didn’t see him. Her brows knitted together slightly as she searched the area again. Was she imagining things? But the scent was strong, lingering as if he had just been there.
After a mont of waiting and seeing no sign of him, Astrid exhaled softly and turned back to the inn. She walked inside, pushing away the odd sense of disappointnt.
She had barely taken a few steps in when her eyes landed on him.
Alaric sat in a corner, his sharp eyes already on her, a subtle, almost laughing smile playing at his lips.
Astrid swallowed and looked around. Strangely, the inn was empty. Ever her employer, the middle-aged woman who rarely left her post, was nowhere in sight. That was odd. She usually busied herself around the place, ensuring everything was in order before custors started streaming in.
Astrid pursed her lips and walked toward Alaric. "Good morning," she greeted shyly.
"Good morning, Astrid," Alaric responded in that smooth, deep voice of his.
Astrid hesitated before glancing around again. It was still eerily quiet. "Um... is there sothing you’d like?" she asked, her tone more formal than intended.
Alaric tilted his head slightly, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "Yes," he murmured.
Astrid blinked. "Oh. And what is it?"
His lips curved, and he leaned in slightly, his voice lowering to a near whisper. "You."
Heat imdiately rushed to Astrid’s face. She opened her mouth to say sothing, anything, but no words ca out.
Alaric chuckled, seemingly enjoying her flustered state. "Would you like to take a stroll with ?" he asked, his tone lighter this ti.
Astrid’s eyes widened in surprise. "A stroll?" she stamred. "I—I have work to do..."
"Don’t worry about that," Alaric replied smoothly. "I already asked for permission."
Astrid stared at him. "You what?"
Just as she was about to enquire more, footsteps sounded behind her, and she turned to see her employer walking in. Astrid quickly turned to the woman, intending to clarify things. "Ma’am, I—"
Before she could finish, the woman interrupted with a rare happy mood. "You can take the entire day off."
Astrid frowned. "But my day off is tomorrow..."
The woman waved a hand dismissively. "Take both days off."
Astrid opened her mouth, but the woman didn’t give her a chance to protest. She rely walked past her toward the storeroom, pausing only to add, "If you’re bringing in such generous custors, I don’t mind giving you ti off."
Astrid stood frozen in place before she turned toward Alaric, her eyes narrowing slightly in suspicion. But before she could say anything, he was already walking toward her.
His smile gentle yet firm, as he said, "Let’s go."
"Wait, I—" Astrid was yet finish her enquiry, and he took her hand leading her outside.
Astrid had no choice but to follow. After walking through the streets of Vetheris for so ti now, Astrid beca acutely aware of the attention they were drawing, more specifically, the attention the man beside her was drawing.
Young maidens stared, so giggled behind their hands. Others whispered excitedly among themselves. A few bolder ones even called out to him, greeting him from a distance with eager smiles.
Alaric responded only with a small, effortless smile. That simple gesture sent so of them into a frenzy. She heard squeals of delight, saw a few of them practically swooning in place. One even tripped over her own feet and fell onto the ground with a dazed look.
Astrid watched the scene unfold with growing unease. A strange sensation crept into her chest, one she had never quite felt before. It was... uncomfortable and at the ti growing in a high rate. She found herself disliking the way they looked at him, how their eyes followed his every movent as if he were the most fascinating thing they had ever seen. Which, admittedly, he was. Still, she didn’t like it.
But it wasn’t as though she could say that out loud. So instead, she lowered her gaze, fidgeting slightly as she followed him in silence.
Alaric, however, was observant. After walking a little farther, he suddenly stopped. Astrid, lost in thought, didn’t notice in ti and ended up bumping lightly into his chest.
"Ouch..." She stumbled back slightly, blinking in surprise.
When she looked up, she found Alaric staring at her, his expression unreadable. But there was sothing in his gaze, an unspoken curiosity. And in no ti, he phrased his question into words.
"What’s wrong? You seem distracted?" his voice was soft and gentle.
Astrid froze gazing at Alaric, but her mind was far away. A storm of emotions swirled within her, and she struggled to na them. Why had she reacted that way earlier? Why had it bothered her so much when those won had looked at him with admiration? She had never considered herself a possessive person, nor had she thought she would ever feel this way about soone. What was she supposed to tell him?
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