"Ze-Zeph-Zeph-Zephyr!" Blaize called out softly to him.
Admist his purposeful strides, Zephyr stopped and turned in the opposite direction where his younger sister was hurrying towards him.
Her bodyguards were a few paces behind her following closely.
"He-He-Hello," Blaize murmured, rising on tiptoes to press a delicate kiss against his cheek.
A rare tenderness softened Zephyr's sharp features as he gently smoothed her hair. Blaize was possibly the only one who dared to and was allowed to come so close to Zephyr. He adored her very much.
His love for her was profound, rooted not only in her striking resemblance to their late father and brother but also in the purity of her heart. It was this very affection that had driven him to master the sign language which was Blaize's most fluent way of communicating.
How are you? Zephyr's fingers danced the familiar shapes.
I'm doing very well, thank you. How are you? Her expression clouded with a familiar worry.
Zephyr offered a fleeting smile, a mere ghost of one. I am doing well.
Blaize tucked her arm into his, their steps falling in sync as they moved down the expansive hall.
What happened last night? Why didn't you spend the whole night in the thick forests like usual? It was a typical Blaize inquiry to ensure his physical well-being.
"It's complicated," Zephyr murmured, the weight of prophecy and curse weighing down on him. How could he even begin to explain?
But are you okay? Blaize pressed, her concern unwavering.
"Yes, I'm okay," he confirmed, the words feeling inadequate.
Blaize nodded, shifting her focus. Is it true that you have found your fated?
Uncertainty flickered in Zephyr's eyes. "It's complicated," he repeated, and Blaize offered a knowing nod.
Is it true that she is the dark king's daughter? She asked.
Again, words failed him. But when Blaize's gaze locked with his, the truth shimmered between them, unspoken yet undeniable.
Is it true that she was found in the Silveren? She asked curiously.
A single nod was his response, and Blaize sighed.
I don't understand how this can be she confessed.
"I don't understand either, Blaize," Zephyr admitted aloud, it showed the depth of confusion that threatened to consume him.
Everything will be fine, Blaize assured with a gentle conviction.
Reaching the main exit, she paused, pressing another kiss to his cheek.
I have a sit out with my reading group this evening.
"Make sure you stay safe," Zephyr replied, watching her retreating with a smile. He lingered for a moment, appreciating the ease with which she navigated the complicated conversation , her gentle understanding was a balm to his troubled soul.
Then, he turned, his initial purpose reasserting itself.
The prisons.
Selene.
He couldn't say the reason for his impending visit and yet, he felt forced to see her.
Last night had been a torment without sleep or peace. Her scent, an intoxicating phantom, clung to him despite a hot bath. The memory of her in his arms, a forbidden intimacy, stirred a storm within him.
He strode towards her confined room, pausing before the heavy door as if needing to gather himself. The air here was thick with her essence that both agitated and soothed his senses. It was as if his very being had become hyper-aware, every nerve ending was now alive and vital.
A deep sigh escaped him as he rested his forehead against the cool wood, his eyes closed, savoring the intoxicating gravity of her alluring scent.
Then, a faint sound pierced his awareness – a subtle scraping against stone. His eyes snapped open, his senses instantly on high alert. In a swift, decisive movement, he unbolted the door and stepped inside.
A sharp gasp echoed in the small space as Selene whirled around, accompanied by the metallic clatter of a dropped knife.
A lump formed in her throat as her eyes locked with his across the charged air.
For a suspended moment, they stood locked in silence, their senses reeling, their minds struggling to process the sudden, intense proximity.
A tremor ran through Selene, a delicate dance between fear and a bewildering arousal. His presence was a jolt, a sudden awakening of dormant senses, flooding her with fragmented memories of the previous nights unsettling intimacy and his presence in her dreams.
His perfectly sculpted features, sharp and commanding, stole her breath, while the dark intensity of his gaze sent a shiver that had nothing to do with cold down her spine.
Zephyr felt the primal stirrings of his wolf, a low growl rumbling deep within his chest. His instincts, untamed and insistent, surged to the surface. Her eyes, the color of a stormy sea, seemed to pierce through his carefully constructed walls, igniting a volatile mix of emotions he couldn't name.
His gaze flickered to the fallen knife, and in a few swift strides, he was there with the cold steel in his hand. His eyes then traced the frantic marks on the window, the desperate jabs at escape, and the raw scratches on the wall beneath.
He turned back to Selene, who felt as though her very essence had momentarily fled.
Oh, why did he have to come in now? What kind of personis this? He will surely wring my neck off now.
"You were going to escape through the window," he stated, his tone laced with surprise and disbelief. "And then what? Run to your father?"
Selene bit her lip, a surge of anger mixing with the sharp sting of her foiled plan. She should have waited for the middle of the night.
Now standing before his dark gaze, she could not deny the fear she was feeling.
Zephyr closed the distance between them, toying the knife in his hand. Selene instinctively recoiled, taking a hesitant step backward.
"You were honest about not being afraid of me, because if you were, you wouldn't have done this," he said, his voice a cool caress that sent shivers down her spine despite her defiant posture.
"I have done nothing to you," she retorted, the words forced through gritted teeth.
It was the truth. Her only crime was her father, a fate she hadn't chosen. The circumstances of her arrival here remained a mystery to her. Had she been given a choice, this pack, this intense, unsettling man, would never have been her destination.
Zephyr closed the remaining space, and Selene gasped as his arm snaked around her waist, pulling her against the hard planes of his body.
"But you have done everything to me," he argued, his voice a low, husky murmur that vibrated against her ear.
Selene's legs threatened to buckle. Her breath hitched as she stared into the depths of his eyes.
The rapid rise and fall of her chest pressed against his, a silent testament to her escalating panic and a strange, unwelcome flutter of something akin to… attraction? Zephyr's gaze dropped to the delicate curve of her collarbone, the exposed skin above her neckline. A flicker of raw desire ignited in his dark eyes, and Selene's throat went dry.
A low, guttural growl rumbled in Zephyr's chest, a primal sound that sent a jolt of both fear and a bewildering thrill through Selene. Then, his voice, thick with an undeniable undercurrent, broke the charged silence.
"Come with me."