Before Dominick could say anything further, Jeniva stepped closer to him.
Then, without hesitation, she wrapped her arms tightly around him. The sudden gesture caught him off guard.
Standing on her toes slightly, she rested against him and spoke in a soft whisper.
"Nothing would have happened to ," she said gently. "And I’m not weak enough to be easily hurt."
For a brief mont, Dominick remained still, feeling the warmth of her embrace.
Then he slowly lifted his hands and gently took hold of her wrists, easing her arms away so he could look at her properly.
"Xaris slapped you, Jeniva," he said. He held both of her hands firmly, his gaze locked onto hers. "He hurt you badly."
"It happens when you’re in this line of work," Jeniva said calmly. "It’s nothing new for . Things like this have happened during past missions as well."
Dominick imdiately shook his head.
"That was different," he said firmly.
His grip on her hands tightened slightly as he continued. "Back then, you didn’t have a mate worrying about you."
His eyes held a storm of emotions, anger, fear, and sothing much deeper.
"But now you do." He took a slow breath before finishing his thought. "Black and I were going insane when you and your wolf, Eva, got hurt. I don’t know but Jeniva I was scared of losing you. That’s why this reaction is coming. I admire you for your bravery, but I want to protect you too."
Jeniva smiled at him. "You did protect , Dominick. You ca to my rescue. I never felt that safe in my life before. So, yeah, I understand the depth of your worry for . I promise it won’t happen anymore in future." Her one hand moved to his cheek, caressing it tenderly.
~~~~~
Gabriel yawned softly as he walked into the kitchen, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The mansion was still quiet, with the early morning sunlight spilling through the tall windows and warming the marble counters.
He had only co to get a glass of water, but the mont he stepped inside, he paused.
Alie was already there.
She stood near the stove, calmly preparing breakfast. The kitchen slled warm and inviting, the buttery aroma of eggs and toasted bread filling the air.
In the pan before her, she was making a fluffy cheese and olette, carefully folding it with a spatula. Beside the stove, a tray held freshly toasted bread slices, sautéed mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, and crispy hash browns. A kettle rested nearby, ready for tea.
For a mont, Gabriel simply watched her.
The sight stirred an old mory, his early days after bringing her to this mansion, when she had first started cooking breakfast for him despite the staff being fully capable of doing it.
"What are you cooking?" he asked as he walked over.
He stepped right beside her and leaned slightly to peek into the pan.
"Why didn’t you wake up?" he added, his voice still thick with sleep.
"I’ve told you many tis to let the maids handle the kitchen," Gabriel muttered, watching her flip the olette neatly. "But you never listen."
Alie glanced sideways at him, one eyebrow lifting.
"Don’t you like it when I cook breakfast for you?" she asked.
Gabriel shook his head imdiately.
"I do," he replied quickly. "I like it a lot."
He rested his hand on the counter beside her, watching her plate the olette.
"But I feel like you shouldn’t be doing these chores," he continued more gently. "I know you enjoy it... but I can’t help worrying about you."
"It’s almost ready," Alie said as she plated the olette and adjusted the breakfast tray. Then she glanced at Gabriel and smiled faintly. "You sll nice."
Gabriel let out a quiet chuckle.
"So do you," he murmured.
As she turned off the stove and faced him, he leaned closer and placed a quick kiss on her cheek.
Alie imdiately nudged him lightly with her elbow.
"Not here," she whispered, lowering her voice as she glanced around the kitchen. "The staff is nearby."
Then, as if rembering sothing important, she added,
"By the way, we have to go to the hospital tomorrow. It’s Noah’s vaccination day."
Gabriel nodded.
"Yes, I rember."
"Good," Alie replied while straightening the tray. "After that, we’ll need to fly back to the palace in the evening."
She began arranging the toast and grilled vegetables neatly beside the olette.
"The wedding preparations for Kate and Sage have already started," she continued. "Also, Flora and Zander might arrive here today. Zander’s parents want to finalize the marriage arrangents."
Gabriel walked toward the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water.
"Did you invite them here?" he asked, unscrewing the cap.
"Yes," Alie said.
She glanced over the tray once more, making sure everything was ready before breakfast.
"Mom and Dad said it would be better to settle the arrangents here," she explained. "They didn’t want to leave yet."
A soft smile appeared on her face.
"And Noah enjoys spending ti with them too."
Gabriel uncapped the bottle and took a long drink. He stood there for a mont, finishing it slowly until his thirst was finally quenched.
As he lowered the bottle, a thought crossed his mind.
"Carlos didn’t co back last night, did he?" he asked.
Alie, who was arranging the breakfast tray, nodded faintly.
"No, he didn’t."
Gabriel leaned back against the counter, the bottle still in his hand.
"What’s going on with him?" he muttered, his tone edged with concern. "He won’t even tell anything."
He ran a hand through his hair in mild frustration.
"Do I have to force a confession out of him just to find out what’s happening?"
Alie imdiately looked at him.
"Don’t do that," she said gently.
She walked closer and rested her hand lightly on the counter beside him.
"Let’s give him so ti. If we push him too much, he might beco even more reluctant to share anything."
Her voice was calm, though a quiet worry lingered behind her words.
Alie knew more about Carlos’s situation than Gabriel did, but even she didn’t fully understand everything yet. Carlos himself seed uncertain about what he had discovered.
Because of that, she felt it would be wrong to share anything with Gabriel until Carlos chose to speak for himself.
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