-HER-

I marched into the shadows of the woods and that obnoxious lycan followed me shamelessly, not caring if my whole tent had been torn down and I probably wouldn't have any place to sleep throughout the journey nor about the fact that the whole camp was now awake and startled by our small moment.

It was going to be very hard explaining this to them the next morning. I mean I couldn't start to wonder what I was going to tell them. As far as I'd thought, I'd go something like this— There's nothing to worry about. It's just that the Lycan Emperor and I had a small misunderstanding on a very minor little subject. We couldn't decide who was uglier so we decided to settle it over a useless duel which didn't only destroy my tent, it also awakened the whole camp. I assure you it has nothing to do with him barging into my tent and asking me how he could apply to sleep with me as if I was just another woman in his harem!

Ugh!

I didn't realize that I was very deep into the woods until Ezekiel gave me a warning growl from behind. I stopped in my tracks instantly.

It was the two of us now. The camp was far away and even if we decide to kill each other here, no one would find out anything. Gathering whatever last scrapes of patience and sanity I was left with, I filled my lungs with a deep breath and finally turned to face him.

Our gazes locked and as one of our customary ways of greeting, we exchanged a couple of silent glares.

"What do you want from me, Ezekiel?" I demanded from him, burning away the last bits of patience that I had reserved. It would be completely his fault if I decide to push him into a huge river monster's mouth tomorrow.

"I told you I needed to talk to you,"

"About what!" It was a wonder for me how I didn't scream that at him. His glowing eyes watched me in the dark and the woods stood still and listened to us. Were they enjoying this?

He gave me another long minute of silence before finally answering my question, "I don't want you to go beyond this, Celeste. It's not safe,"

This time, he sounded severely grim. Whatever hints of playfulness he'd displayed inside my tent earlier were now completely gone now.

"I know what is out there, Ezekiel. I am more informed and prepared than you think," I gritted at him but this time, something else flickered in his eyes. It wasn't the determination to prove that I was a weakling.

No. It was something else. Something that didn't look familiar in his eyes. It looked alien. Was it fear?

I couldn't tell. It was gone way sooner than I could make anything out of it.

"No, you don't!" He shot back at me, "I'm doing a great favor by—"

"I never asked for a favor from you, Ezekiel," I gritted at him, "And I don't need one. I am tired and I don't feel like arguing or fighting with you. Get out of my way," I commanded, not caring if he was an emperor.

Though this was my fault because this brought the determination back in his eyes.

"I'm not leaving until you pledge to go back from here," He gritted back at me. My chest vibrated with a growl. It sounded more like a challenge.

"Ezekiel, I'm not going back from here and nothing could make me change my mind," I growled and darted towards the camp even after knowing that his lycan was far more superior than my wolf in terms of strength and speed and it wouldn't take him long to catch me.

I was right.

He caught up to me and before I knew it, he had me pinned against a tree. I raised my knee but he caught it with his legs and glared at me. Our bodies were pressed against each other and our faces were just inches away.

The tips of our noses were brushing and our breaths mingled with while we continued to glare at each other.

"Don't you fvcki-" Before I could finish speaking, his lips were on mine and the sparks exploded everywhere. My wolf stirred inside me, savoring the feel of sparks while I tried to push him back but to no avail.

I tried my best to fight against him but after fighting and ignoring the mate bond for the whole day, it came down on me heavily, wiping away whatever patience and self-restraint I had in myself.

I was soon kissing him back fiercely. The kiss seemed to have lasted for the whole night. Or that's what it felt like to me.

I didn't know what it was but tonight his lips felt soft and caressing instead of demanding and dominant like the other times he'd kissed me. This slight change in him shocked me a but I didn't let it get my guard down.

Or maybe, I did let my guard down a little because unlike other times, his lips seemed to be trying to tell me something he couldn't.

I gasped for breath as soon as I pulled back from the kiss while he held my face in his hands, pressed our foreheads together, and spoke breathlessly, "You have no idea what's out there. I'm not talking about the drakonians, the weather, or the snow demons. There's something beyond..." Suddenly, he trailed off.

This kind of behavior from him definitely surprised me because to start with, I'd never heard fear and uncertainty in his voice combined together. What was it that he was scared of?

Most important of all, what could be out there that he was so scared of?
He was the lycan king after all and there was practically nothing he could be sacred of.

"I don't like how you're putting yourself in more and more danger every day," He growled at me, snapping back to his older self as soon as he realized that there had been a slip on his part. Or, maybe he'd been playing games with me all this while?

This scheming Bastard couldn't be trusted.

"I don't care. Get off me," I growled at him. He growled at me but louder before his lips crashed on mine again. He gave me one of his fiery and demanding kisses making me realize how different his previous kiss was.

I didn't kiss him back this time. I pushed him off me and when he didn't budge, I rewarded him with a tight slap. My slap was followed by a very long silence and for a moment none of us moved from our places.

Finally, he stepped back.

"Think about it again," He warned me.

"My mind is already made," I gritted at him over my shoulder while walking back to the camp. I was now feeling the exhaustion getting the best of me. My eyelids were growing heavier and with each step, it felt like I was going to collapse and fall asleep on the spot.

Ezekiel remained hot on my tail, breathing down my neck like always.

"There's still time," He tried to tell me. In repose, I growled at him. It sounded more like an annoyed growl.

Surprisingly when I returned to the camp, everyone seemed asleep. At least, I was saved from the questions and curious glances for now but where was I going to sleep? My tent was completely destroyed!

"What are you doing?" Ezekiel asked out loud when he saw me picking up pieces of my tent material.

"Digging your grave," I answered him, offering a complimentary glare with it.

"Your tent is destroyed,"

"How kind of your to notice that,"

"You can sleep in mine," He offered. My eyes widened for a moment and I looked at him but again, why was I surprised?

I should have known that he did all of this just so that I could sleep with him inside a single tent. That scheming son of a bastard!

"I'd rather sleep in the deep and dark forest under an open sky rather than sleep in your tent with you," I gritted at him.

"You can sleep in it alone," He offered.

Now, I was really surprised but knowing the kind of deceiving son of a bastard he could be, I wasn't going to agree to this.

"No thanks,"

"You're going to sleep in my tent," He growled, "if you don't want to wake up the whole camp for the second time tonight,"

I glared at him. He was being impossible.

"Are you going to walk there or do you want me to carry you?"

"I'm not going there,"

"Alright," With that, he leaped at me, and before I knew it, he was already dragging me towards his camp. He was very fast in doing so because, within just a few moments, I was inside his tent.

"Good night," He gritted before stealing a kiss from me. He silently left his tent after that and didn't return for the rest of the night.

_

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