[redith].
Azul and Kira followed into the bathroom. Steam curled around the tiled walls, the air heavy with the scent of vanilla—the sa fragrance that always seed to quiet my thoughts.
Azul tested the water first before helping climb in. Instantly, the warmth wrapped over like a slow exhale.
I leaned back as Azul knelt beside the tub, gently lifted my right wrist, and let a stream of cold water run over the faint bruise.
"It will finish fading by morning," she said softly.
I didn’t answer imdiately. I was watching the ripples move across the surface of the bath.
Then, Kira inquired, "Do you want to use a concealer on it later, my Lady?"
I shook my head. "No." It didn’t sound like a permanent solution, at least not without it staining my clothes.
Kira tilted her head. "Then, as long as you wear a long-sleeve robe tonight, you will hide it easily."
That earned a faint smile from . "That will do."
When the bath was done, they helped out, drying my hair and body, then guided back to the dressing room, wrapped in a towel.
The others had already gone. So, Azul and Kira moved quietly, their hands deft and respectful.
"Do you both live in the servants’ quarters?" I asked absently as Kira fetched a robe.
"Yes, my Lady," Kira said, handing it over. "But not in the outer quarters. We stay in the main building—those of higher service rank are allowed to."
That detail lingered in my mind for a mont. The Oatrun estate was full of silent hierarchies; even the walls seed to understand rank.
Before I could ask more, I heard the faint sound of the front door opening. The rhythm of his steps was unmistakable.
Azul tied the sash of my robe just as I turned toward the noise.
Draven stood in the sitting area, lighting one of the candles near the window. The faint scent of sandalwood mixed with the vanilla haze from my bath. When he turned, the candlelight caught his face, and the hard lines softened.
Azul and Kira bowed imdiately. "Alpha," they greeted.
He nodded in acknowledgent, his eyes sliding briefly to before they retreated toward the door. Once they left, the room fell into an easy silence.
"You took your ti," I said, smiling as I walked closer.
He set the candle aside and t halfway. "So of the Alphas wanted a private word," he said, his tone low, almost apologetic.
"I see," I murmured.
He leaned in then, closing the remaining distance. The warmth of his breath brushed my throat as he inhaled slowly near my neck.
"Vanilla," he said against my skin, his voice a deep whisper. "You always sll like this when you are calm."
I felt the smallest shiver run through . "And when I’m not calm?"
His smile curved against my collarbone. "Then you sll like rain before a storm."
The next second, his lips brushed the side of my neck, soft but deliberate, and my breath caught before I could stop it.
Then, his hands slid up my arms, and I felt the faintest brush near the wrist he hadn’t yet seen. A sliver of unease slipped through the warmth.
"Draven," I whispered, placing my hand on his chest.
He drew back a little, his eyes searching my face. "What is it?"
I smiled faintly, tilting my head. "I’m exhausted. Tonight has been long enough. And you," I added, letting my gaze drift deliberately to the faint trace of wrinkle around his collar, "need to take a shower before you start making demands."
For a heartbeat, the corners of his mouth didn’t move. Then, he exhaled a quiet laugh, stepping back with mock surrender.
"I can’t argue with that." His tone softened, rich with amusent. "You’ve beco bolder since we left Duskmoor."
"Maybe," I said lightly. "Or maybe I’ve just learned that my Alpha doesn’t always need to win every little battle."
He arched an eyebrow at that, but the smile stayed. "We will see about that later." Then, his expression shifted, the playful warmth dimming into sothing more thoughtful. "The King’s delegate spoke with before I left the hall."
That caught my attention. "About what?"
"King Alderic," he said quietly. "He has asked to see at the palace after I’ve rested."
I studied him. "Do you know why?"
"Not yet." His voice was steady, but there was a weight under it—a sense that he already suspected. "Whatever it is, it won’t be trivial."
I reached for his hand, my fingers light against his. "Then rest first, like he had noted."
He turned his palm upward, curling his fingers around mine briefly before stepping away. "You, too," he said softly. "Go to bed. I will join you soon."
I nodded, pretending not to notice how his eyes lingered on —on the way the long sleeves of my robe hid my hands.
As he moved toward the adjoining bathroom, I turned down the lights, the glow softening to gold around the edges of the room.
When the sound of running water started behind the closed door, I exhaled quietly. Relief and guilt tangled together as I sat on the edge of the bed, brushing a hand through my still-damp hair.
I had already climbed under the covers when the water stopped. Then, I heard the soft clink of tal against marble, the muted rustle of a towel.
Monts later, the door opened, and Draven stepped out, his hair damp, wearing nothing but his night trousers and that quiet confidence that never seed to leave him.
He looked calr.
I shifted under the covers, pretending not to notice the way his gaze found imdiately. "Feeling better?" I asked softly.
He nodded once, crossing the space to his side of the bed. "Better," he said, his voice low. "Though I should be the one asking you that."
"I’m fine."
He studied for a heartbeat longer, then lifted the covers and slipped in beside .
The mattress dipped under his weight, the faint scent of soap and mint tracing the air between us. His arm brushed against mine, and without thinking, I stiffened just a little.
He noticed. Of course he did. But he didn’t press. Instead, he turned on his side, facing in the dim light.
"You handled yourself well tonight," he said quietly. "Even with the Elders watching you like they were asuring your worth."
I looked at him, my expression calm. "It doesn’t matter what they think. I have nothing to prove to them."
He smiled faintly, as if that answer pleased him more than he expected. "That’s what I like to hear."
We lay there for a while, the silence between us soft instead of heavy. Then, just as my eyes began to drift shut, I felt his fingers brush lightly against my hair.
"Sleep," he murmured. "Tomorrow might be another long day."
I turned my face toward him, eyes half-closed. "Will it ever not be?"
He chuckled under his breath. "Not for people like us."
The warmth of his body beside mine was grounding, steady. My eyes fluttered closed fully this ti, and I let the rhythm of his breathing lull toward sleep.
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