The rain had stopped earlier that evening, leaving the corridors a bit slick and cold. The sky outside Lucan’s window was a dark grey, covered in clouds as if it were holding back another storm."I wasn't really expecting this rain to pour heavily tonight. It didn't even give any sign earlier."Lucan mumbled as he limped to his bed, sitting on the edge of it. It had been a few hours since Valen's visit. That gave him a little energy to even want to do anything. His hand hovered over a small glass bottle of ink. He stared at it for a while before he reached for the quill. After his conversation with Valen earlier, he finally dared to put down some words about his encounter with Aldridge. Ever since the incident, he hadn't really written anything down at all. He dipped the quill into the ink, then hesitated.Writing about Aldridge felt dangerous and the thing was that it wasn't just dangerous, it also felt hopeless.His fingers tightened around the feathered pen as he muttered to him
"Sir... Aldridge?" Lucan called, trying to sound normal, even hopeful. But the fear was there. Sitting heavy in their bones as both Lucan and Valen stared at the man.Valen swallowed. I’m dead. It’s over.Aldridge raised a brow at their expressions."Why do you two look like you’ve seen a ghost?" he asked.Lucan and Valen quickly glanced at each other. Wait... What? That didn’t sound like he knew anything. "Nothing, Sir Aldridge," Lucan said quickly, clearing his throat. "I’m just surprised to see you here."Aldridge nodded. "I was passing by and decided to check on you."He stepped closer to the bed, brushing past Valen like he wasn’t even there.As Aldridge stood by Lucan’s side, his eyes scanned over him, especially his bare chest, until they stopped at a small, faint mark near his shoulder. His gaze lingered. Then slowly, he looked up and met Lucan’s calm, unreadable eyes.Lucan saw it. The shift in Aldridge’s expression. He knew exactly what mark he was staring at.So he rememb
Lucan looked at him for a long time. The humor faded from his face, leaving something serious behind.“Valen,” he said softly. “Can I ask you something?”Valen nodded slowly, his chest tight as he anticipated the question.Lucan leaned forward, eyes locked on his. His voice dropped. “Why are you hiding it?”Valen blinked, his heart skipping. “Hiding what?”Lucan let out a quiet breath, like the words were heavy. “You’re a woman.”The air in the room felt like it froze.Valen couldn’t breathe for a second. His fingers curled into the blanket on his lap.He tried to laugh. It came out shaky. “What are you talking about?”Lucan didn’t smile. His eyes were too serious. “Don’t do that." Lucan sounded like he was disappointed. "Don’t pretend you don’t know.”Valen looked away. His throat burned.Lucan’s voice softened. “I didn’t mean to find out. It happened during fight. We were fighting, and I...” he scratched the back of his neck, eyes darting away. “I accidentally touched your chest
Iza hadn't slept since the match. In fact, he was furious that things didn't go as he had planned."Aldridge, listen to me." Iza jogged up to meet him and even blocked his way to prevent him from moving.Alridge paused and rolled his eyes in anger"Listen to me!" Iza repeated."Why should I even listen to you, Iza?" Aldridge replied angrily."I don't know why I have to give you a reason to do so, but you very much know what happened there. How can you consider that to be free and fair?""Why shouldn't I? Everyone watched it happen! Was it supposed to be a two-hour fight?"Iza rubbed his face and groaned because it seemed like nobody was getting his logic."I can't believe that you're saying this to me, Aldridge. Everyone could clearly see that it was fake and that they did not put their best into it." He stretched his hand to enunciate what he meant. Then he continued,"They are friends. One of them held back for the other so the other could win...""Didn't you think that would happen
There was one person in all of this who found it so cringeworthy that he almost puked while watching them.Iza.His eyes were literally above his brows as he watched in anger. He kept on running his fingers to bring warmth to them, feeling how cold they had suddenly become due to the scene he was watching.Why would the King even do something like that? For what reasons? The more they got closer, the more his breath tightened. "Is Valen using a charm on the King? Because I can swear that he wouldn't do this under normal conditions." He rubbed his chin.Something wasn't right. This was not the King that he knew. Valen was no one other than his major werewolf enemy's son, yet he was being nice and receptive. He handed him a position that is not easy to find without much thinking. "Is it his sickness? Is it affecting him mentally, or is there just more to it?"There was no one to answer his questions and it was infuriating. "What the hell happened during my absence? I blame no one,
Rhydian stood at the edge of the field. Emotions were unreadable, however, arms posed in a cross indicated some form of displeasure. "Valen," A sharp voice said, completing his earlier words and he stared till Valen straightened. "My Lord," it slipped from his lips "Do you have nothing to say?" Rhydian asked as he scanned the ground.Valen felt checked over. "My Lord, are you perhaps late for a morning meeting?" He tried to reason.Rhydian halted a few feet away and replied, "No, if I were, I wouldn't be standing here."Yup, that was a dumb question. "I was just passing by." He added. He didn’t need to be this close. Valen knew that. He could have spoken from the edge. But here he was. Right in front of him with only a few feet between them.Valen's throat felt tight. He kept his face straight and his hands firm at his sides, but he was already aware of the King’s closeness. His heartbeat quickened, steady and loud in his ears."Do it again," Rhydian said.Valen blinked. "The