Gabriel leaned in, leveling his face with Alie’s. He could feel the subtle tension in her nerves.
"You’ve got impressive resistance," he murmured, easing the weight of his pheromones. A hint of curiosity colored his voice. "How did you train yourself to withstand it?"
"I didn’t," Alie replied softly, her lips brushing his in a gentle kiss. "I’m just... careful," she added.
Gabriel’s violet eyes sparkled with amusent. "Careful not to be ruined by ?" he teased, his fingers gliding delicately along the contours of her face before pausing beneath her chin, lifting it ever so slightly.
Alie caught her bottom lip between her teeth, a faint blush creeping up her cheeks. "Aren’t you tired? We should sleep. It’s already so late," she said, finishing her sentence with a soft yawn as she covered her mouth with one hand.
Gabriel chuckled. "You’re the one who’s tired."
"Hmm," she humd. "But if you want to stay awake..."
"We’re sleeping," he interrupted gently, sitting up and reaching for the fallen strap of her dress, pulling it back into place. "Get changed."
She pushed herself up as well, watching him for a mont. "I can manage," she said quickly, not wanting to be a burden or stir any unnecessary concern.
"A good night’s rest is essential for a new mother," Gabriel reminded her. As he unfastened the buttons of his shirt, he nodded toward the wardrobe. "Go ahead."
Alie nodded and made her way to the closet, pulling out a set of comfortable nightwear. With a glance over her shoulder, she disappeared into the washroom, her heart still fluttering from the warmth of his touch and words.
She returned to the bedroom after a while and found Gabriel speaking on the phone with soone. Quietly, she sat down on the bed just as Gabriel turned to glance her way.
With a gentle gesture, he motioned for her to lie down. She nodded and slipped beneath the covers, pulling the duvet up to her chin.
Gabriel stepped out of the room to finish his call with Karn, his voice fading down the hallway.
Alie, anwhile, couldn’t keep her eyes open much longer. Exhaustion wrapped around her like a soft lullaby, and soon, she drifted into sleep.
Her breathing grew slow and even, but her hands clutched the duvet tightly, as if holding onto sothing fragile in a dream.
When Gabriel returned to the room, he found her already in a deep slumber. He walked over to her quietly. Her brows were slightly furrowed, and her grip on the edge of the duvet was still tense, revealing the traces of unease even in her rest.
Gabriel ran her fingers over her head, easing her while with other hand he made sure she would leave the duvet without breaking her sleep.
"You’ve endured a lot. I promise to keep worries out of your way," he murmured. Leaning down, he planted a soft kiss on the middle of her forehead before switching off the lights.
Gabriel didn’t go to bed right away. Instead, he made his way to the main palace. He needed answers from his mother about what she had done that morning.
Upon arriving, he found Lester in the hallway.
"Inform Her Majesty that I’m here to see her," Gabriel said firmly.
"I believe Her Majesty may be asleep at this hour," Lester replied with a hint of hesitation.
"Check once. I have sothing important to discuss with my mother," Gabriel insisted.
Lester gave a respectful bow before disappearing down the corridor.
A few minutes later, Queen Mabel entered the living hall as she took a seat on the center couch. Gabriel sat across from her.
"I won’t ask why you tried to ruin Alie’s and my happiness," Gabriel began. "But I’m here to tell you this. I won’t tolerate any more sches behind my back. After tonight, I will no longer step foot in this palace. You’ll never see again."
He paused before continuing,
"The only thing I ask is that you refrain from doing anything that might shatter the last thread of respect I still hold for you."
Mabel’s gaze didn’t waver. "You may regret this decision soday."
Gabriel leaned forward slightly. "And what if you regret hurting ? What if you regret losing forever? I don’t know what I did to make you hate , but what I know is that you’ll regret one day. You’ll regret so much that you may hate yourself, Your Majesty."
Gabriel rose to his feet, intending to leave, when Mabel’s voice stopped him.
"When Alie gives birth to soone else’s pup, then you’ll understand what I ant," she said, her tone sharp. "She’s selfish, driven by her own motives. Her family discarded her long ago. Her ex-mate rejected her and chose her sister instead. She had no one."
She paused, eyes narrowing. "But you... you gave her everything. And now you’re too blinded by love to see the truth."
Gabriel turned back to face his mother.
"Love is love. What I feel for Alie isn’t blind so blind love. She’s not selfish. You know why I chose her. She’s protecting her pup, not herself. That’s what made notice her. I used to wonder if every mother would fight that fiercely for her child... but no. You weren’t like that. You always blad for being alive"
He took a brief pause before speaking further,
"She wanted to live not just for herself, but for the baby growing inside her. That’s what drew in. That’s what made feel connected, not just to her, but to the pup as well."
Mabel looked at her son with a confused gaze.
"I believe the Moon Goddess finally showed rcy when she brought Alie into my life. And if anyone tried to keep us apart, I’ll end that person’s life. I have undergone the pain of abandonnt. Alie is the one, who understood more than my own family," he pronounced. Without giving her another glance, Gabriel left his mother’s sight.
"Alie is a curse to you," Mabel mumbled, knitting her brows together.
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