The kiss lasted five more minutes before Ray pulled away, allowing her space to catch her breath, though his hand remained wrapped around her neck. They breathed against each other, their chests rising and falling as if they had been deprived of oxygen.
Lifting her gaze, Mia t his...those piercing eyes already burrowing into hers and found herself entranced, unable to look away. Being this close to him stirred sothing in her chest, sothing she was beginning to fear might be feelings. He looked even more alluring like this, and for a fleeting mont, she wondered if being his mate wouldn’t be so bad after all. Maybe she had misjudged him.
"Do you still want to reject ?" She asked, hoping for an answer different from the one she expected.
Unlike her, who was suddenly wavering, Ray didn’t seem conflicted. If anything, he appeared detached, rely reacting to the mate bond rather than any true desire of his own.
"Yes," he answered, and she lowered her gaze, already bracing herself for that response.
"You..." she started, only for him to interrupt.
"But not now. I will do it tomorrow, once we are both stable."
His words ignited a small flicker of hope in her. If she played this right, she could always find an excuse to delay it. For now, it was a win-win.
"Right. Let’s end it once and for all tomorrow," she replied, prying herself away from him with a confident air, acting as if she wanted the rejection just as much so he wouldn’t suspect otherwise.
"I have to go now. We should be leaving soon. See you later." She said.
Ray had been about to say sothing, but before he could, she turned and walked away without waiting for his acknowledgnt.
Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair, watching her retreat with a thoughtful expression. It had been a long ti since he had felt this much peace, and he was beginning to question whether having a mate was truly a curse.
Realistically, if they weren’t mates, would he even be drawn to her? That was the only excuse he had for his lack of restraint. He needed to reject her but right now, he couldn’t bring himself to utter the words, so he had found the perfect excuse to delay it.
But since she wanted the rejection, he had to let her go. He couldn’t afford to be distracted by a woman who wasn’t worth his affection, right? He had to end this before it got worse.
An hour later, preparations to resu their journey were in full swing.
Naturally, if soone traveled solo without stopping, the trip shouldn’t take more than a day. But with their large group and the presence of royal guests, they had no choice but to make scheduled stops along the way.
At their current pace, the journey, which should have taken a day, was stretched to two.
Belle, unwilling to sit idly for another six hours, walked up to Quinn, who was in the middle of a conversation with his n. She stood silently, waiting for him to finish speaking.
"We would check for it at the next stop."
"What about the inhabitants?"
While Belle waited, she overheard snippets of their conversation, their tones suggesting they were working to resolve an issue. Apart from the food shortage, what other problems could they have encountered?
Once Quinn finished speaking with his n, he approached Belle and asked, "Do you not wish to leave?" Wondering why she was still standing instead of settling into her carriage.
"You said I could ride a horse if I got tired of sitting, right?" She inquired, bringing an amused smile to Quinn’s face. He had only said that to tease her, who knew she would take it seriously? Did she truly believe he would let her ride alone?
"Yes. Why?" He asked, playing along.
"Can I ride one now? I can’t bear sitting for another six hours," she requested, making his smile deepen. Her determination was admirable, and seeing how resolute she was, he found himself believing she could manage riding a horse.
"It’s better than enduring six hours on a horse, but are you certain you can handle it? The horse will tire as well and may not be able to support your weight for long," he remarked.
But Belle, already set on her decision, insisted, "I will manage. Don’t worry about ."
That settled it.
Turning his attention toward Kay, who stood a few steps away, Quinn raised his voice. "Is everyone ready?"
"Yes," Kay responded.
Quinn turned back to Belle and gestured toward the horse. "Alright, hop on."
Just as he was about to offer his hand to help her mount, Belle swiftly climbed up on her own, settling confidently into the saddle and taking hold of the reins with practiced ease. Quinn watched, montarily surprised. It seed she had taken her training seriously since their last lesson. A sense of pride welled up in him. Whether it was her determination for revenge or sothing else driving her strength, he hoped she never stopped hating him if it ant she would continue to grow.
Glancing at the traveling party to ensure all was set, he mounted the horse, then, without warning, took the reins from Belle’s hands.
Her eyes widened. "Why are you here?!" She exclaid, whipping her head toward him. Shouldn’t they be riding separate horses? Had he sohow mounted the wrong one?
"What do you an? This is my horse. Where else should I be?" He replied nonchalantly before kicking the horse forward.
Unprepared for the sudden movent, Belle, who had not been sitting properly, lost her balance. But before she could slip, Quinn’s arm caught her, securing her against him.
"Stay still. We can’t have you turning on throughout this journey," he whispered against her ear.
Belle stiffened, her breath hitching. She was about to whirl around and scold him when he lightly pinched her waist, making her frown. She cursed herself for not asking for her own horse. She had assud they would be riding separately and hadn’t thought to clarify. Now, it was clear Quinn was never planning to let her ride a horse alone. No wonder he had ntioned the horse not being able to handle her weight, she should have known this was what he ant.
"Everyone is watching. We can’t do this," she hissed, panic creeping into her voice. What would the warriors think, seeing them in such an intimate position?
"They are all blind... unless I want them to see."
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