CHAPTER 18
AUDREY’S POV
I stirred in my sleep, consciousness seeping in little by little. When the sun rays became brighter, my eyes flung open. Staying in my position for a couple of minutes, I reflected on all that had happened the previous night. My eyes went to the couch, and I frowned a little when I didn’t see him there. I hope…..? Quickly turning to the other side of the bed, I released a sigh when I saw he wasn’t there.
What I would never do, is lie to myself. After Logan had kissed me on the cheek yesterday, I slowly began to understand what the queen had said about the mate bond. Truly, the moon goddess had created such an insanely powerful bond to keep mates together. When I thought of how much my body had reacted to a simple peck from him, I decided to be on a safer side. Keeping him far away was my best option.
I was grateful for one thing though, and that was the fact that I was naturally repulsed by the idea of how weak he was. That would definitely go a long way in helping me think clearly and putting boundaries between us. From the little I had observed so far, Logan was extremely persistent and foolishly patient. He would continuously try to reach out to me, no matter how much I tried to push him away. Now we were literally in each other’s space, it wouldn’t be easy for me to fight off his persistence and the mate bond. But gladly, I had the thoughts of Sebastian and my natural hatred towards Logan, to help keep the intoxicating feeling of the mate bond at bay. I was going to try my best for this next month, after which things would go back to the way they were supposed to be.
I could sniff Logan’s scent on my body, and my first instinct was to bask in the euphoric feeling it gave.Têxt © NôvelDrama.Org.
No no no! What the hell was I thinking? I should go have my bath, and wash his annoyingly exciting scent off of my body. I also made a mental note to let Alara know that I wanted the sheets and pillow cases changed. That was obviously where his scent had come from.
The moment I stepped down the bed, I saw Logan’s sleeping figure on the floor. I looked at him for a few more seconds, before releasing a scoff and making my way into the bathroom. Was he trying to make me feel bad or what? Did he think I had a chicken heart?
I closed the door to the bathroom shut, and took off my nightwear. I turned on the water heater and waited for some minutes, before stepping under the shower. Starting from my hair, I scrubbed every single part of my body, trying to get rid of his scent on me. When I felt satisfied with how much I had washed my body, I finally stepped out of the shower and dabbed my body dry with a towel. Suddenly remembering that my parents and brother were supposed to leave for our pack today, I hurried out of the bathroom, only to find Logan awake and sitting on the couch.
“Good morning.” He managed a small smile.
“I need to put on my clothes. Do you mind?” I replied, disregarding his greeting.
Silently, he stood up from the couch and made his way out of the room. I wondered why I suddenly felt annoyed. Maybe it was because of how calm he was in every situation, making it difficult to know what he was thinking. Why did I even care about what he was thinking?
Quickly, I dressed up and stepped out to go meet my parents. I got to their room some minutes later and just like I thought, they had already packed up their belongings, ready to leave for our pack.
“Mom, Dad.”
“Audrey.” My mom replied, looking a bit disturbed. No one had to tell me what is was about.
“Calm down, nothing happened.” I explained, making her sigh.
“And it should remain that way.” My father’s stern voice resonated in my head. “Except you’re fine with settling for mediocrity. That boy wouldn’t last long before his stepbrother overthrows him. Do well to remember that, whenever it seems like you are beginning to get confused.”
“I won’t fail you, Dad.”
“You better not, because the Queen wouldn’t hesitate to cast you into a lifetime of suffering when her son finally ascends the throne.” He bite out. “And I believe I have groomed you well enough to trust you wouldn’t disappoint your mother and I.” He sighed.
“Of course, she wouldn’t.” Mom patted my cheeks softly.
“We would be back here in a month’s time, for the coronation. I hope everything goes as planned though.” He muttered.
“Andrew says he found his mate.” I said, trying to change that subject that was beginning to make me feel extremely pressured.
“Oh, that he says.” My father nodded slightly. “Apparently, she happens to be quite ordinary.” He muttered, an undertone of disappointment in his voice. “But then, I guess he would make do.” He shrugged, looking quite indifferent. Just then, a knock was heard on the door.
“Please come in.” My father invited. The next minute, two able bodied guards walked in. “Here are the luggages.” He pointed to his and my mother’s belongings. Immediately, the guards carried them and walked out of the room, my parents and I following them behind. We got outside to see Andrew, and the person who was currently in his company, made me frown. What exactly could he be discussing with Logan now? I knew he was my brother, but Andrew could be really untrustworthy most times.
“Your highness.” My father bowed slightly, and my mom followed suit.
“Good morning Alpha Dean, Luna Marion. I was just having such a wonderful conversation with my mate’s brother.”
“Indeed.” Father plastered a fake smile on his face, but I was so sure Logan didn’t realize it.
“I presume you all are set to go, then?” Logan smiled and my father nodded. I couldn’t help but be suprised at the great contrast between Logan when he spoke to others, and when he spoke to me. Right now, he easily fit into the character of a prince. But whenever he was alone with me, he was more of a…. pushover.
“Audrey darling, come give me one last hug before we leave.” Mom called out to me, and I nodded. The moment I got to her, she pulled me into her embrace. Others would have thought we were truly having a sweet mother to daughter moment, but all she had done was whisper how I had to think with my head, and not my heart. Apparently, she had seen me staring at Logan way longer than necessary.
I finally detached myself from her, putting my fake smile in place. They all hopped into the carriage, and gave my final wave. I stood there, and watched as the carriage drove ahead, until it went out of sight. Looking to my side, I was suprised to still see Logan standing there. For a moment, I was worried Andrew had said something he should not have said to him. That was until when he inched closer to me like a lost puppy, I knew I was safe.
“I’m guessing you miss them already?” He asked, and I all but shrugged.
Everyone was already thinking and insinuating the fact that I wouldn’t be capable of pushing Logan away. I wasn’t ready to give them more reasons to think so.
“I know how…..” He started talking again, when I turned and walked away, leaving him there.
Just as I made my way inside, I felt someone connecting to me through my mindlink, and I was so sure it was Sebastian.
“Heyyyy.” His voice filtered through my mind, making me smile.
“Good morning.” I replied.
“Where are you?”
“Entrance of the palace.”
“Come meet me at the west wing. I’m in the garden.”
“Okay.” I replied, before closing off my mindlink. Looking around to ensure no one was behind me, most especially Logan, I took a different route and headed towards the garden.
The moment I got to the garden, Iooked around, trying to find him. I frowned slightly when I found no sign of him. I was still contemplating whether or not, I clearly heard him ask me to meet him at the garden, when I felt someone breathing down my neck. I didn’t need anyone to tell me who it was.
“Seb.” I turned back and we shared a smile. He was already leaning down to kiss me, when I gently pushed him away.
“Why?” He queried, clearly not appreciating my actions.
“Sebastian, you can never tell. There are a lot of eyes everywhere.”
“But there’s no one here right now.” He said, trying to pull me closer, but I stood my ground.
“You can’t be too sure.”
“Did you let him touch you?” He suddenly asked in an accusatory manner.
“Hell no!” I replied in disbelief. “Sebastian,” I sighed. “Remember we have to be as discreet as possible, in other not to rouse suspicions about our plans. Or would you rather get punished for seducing your brother’s mate, before you even get the opportunity to oust him?” I whispered.
“Fine then.” He sighed. “This is going to be the most dreadful month of my life.”
“It’s worth it.” I gave a small smile, before turning and walking out of the garden.
*
*
DAYS LATER
I opened my eyes and watched his sleeping figure on the couch. I hated the fact that this was becoming a secret routine of mine. Waking up so early in the morning and just looking at him until he wakes up. I didn’t know why I was even doing so in the first place, but strangely, I couldn’t stop the habit. I wouldn’t also deny the fact that he was really handsome. And for someone who was wolfless, he had quite the body build. He was so tall, that his legs were literally hanging off the other arm of the couch. He tossed and turned countless number of times, making me wonder how he could even get any sleep.
‘You made him sleep there, didn’t you?’ My wolf howled in my head, and I rolled my eyes. I made him sleep there because I wanted to avoid any kind of contact with him. To be safe.
‘But he’s our mate!’, my wolf persisted. Did I have to remind her that he wasn’t good enough for us?
I was lost in my passive aggressive discussion with my wolf, that I failed to realize when Logan had woken up. It was when he stood up and somewhat blocked the sun rays that filtered through the window, that I realized he had woken.
“Good morning.” He greeted, making me wonder if he really wouldn’t stop. I never gave him the desired response whenever he greeted me every other morning, so why did he still bother? I remained mute, and watched as he made his way in and out of the bathroom. He had his bath and changed his clothes in there, before stepping out.
All the while since he woke up, I noticed he had continuously cracked his neck and tried to massage his shoulders. I didn’t need anyone to tell me he may have cramped his neck while asleep. Normally, I would have continued through the rest of the day without saying a word to him, but today, I didn’t know what came over me.
“Just a few days on the couch, and you already have a cramp?” To my surprise, he acted like I hadn’t said a word, and continued sorting out the files in his hand, which only pissed me off. Yes, I was pissed! He was always all over me, hoping to get through to me, so why was he suddenly ignoring me now? “I get it. You were too weak to handle a few naps on the couch.” I pressed, but he still didn’t budge. I found myself hopping down the bed, and walking towards the vanity. I picked up my hair scrunchie, and tried packing my hair into a ponytail. I knew I should have just kept quiet and let it go, but I hated the fact he was making me look like a fool.
“I heard that was why your mommy left. Because you were too weak and she couldn’t stand you.” I flashed him a sly grin.
Immediately, he looked up at me, so much pain evident in his eyes. I guess it was too late for me to take back my words, because the next minute, all the papers in the file he had been glancing through, went flying in every corner of the room, as he lunged towards me. The great kind of fear that overwhelmed me in that moment, was such I had never felt before. Normally, my first instinct would have been to hold him down with my stare, but it seemed to be that my supernatural abilities had all gone on a break.
The next second, he was towering above me, our eyes locking with each other’s. He panted heavily, probably at loss of what to do to me. His anger wasn’t enough to conceal how hurt he really was, because I could see the tears that lodged in his eyes. For the first time in a long while, I felt remorseful about something. I didn’t see it coming when he hit the vanity mirror behind me, badly injuring himself in the process.
“You would never speak about my mother again.” Was all he said, before turning and walking out of the room. I looked to the floor to see the drops of his blood forming a trail to the door. Finally, I had seen a side of him that wasn’t calm, and as weak as I knew he was, I never wanted to see that side again.