After a twenty minute drive, a large skyscraper came into view. Xandar parked on the lower ground floor and they took the elevator up. Xandar’s hand never left Lucianne’s waist as he led her out through the elevator doors, and as soon as they turned around the corner, Lucianne halted in her steps at the sight before her.
“Woah.” She muttered as her black orbs sparkled at the sight of the large space filled with endless shelves of books. As she adjusted to her surroundings, she took small steps forward to look around. The carpeted floor absorbed any sounds of footsteps, making the place quiet enough to read. The lights lit up the place enough to give it a sophisticated look. The music playing subtly in the background puts one in a mood to relax and dive into whichever book held their interest.
Lucianne’s
The floor-to-ceiling walls in the dining area exuded simplicity and class. The waiter led them to a table by the window and Lucianne remained standing to take in the view of the city. Xandar’s hand then came from behind her, resting on her abdomen as he whispered into her ear, “Lucy, how about we order first, then take in the view?”“Okay.” Lucianne whispered back but she didn’t move until Xandar gently tugged her hand towards her chair.After they had ordered, Lucianne continued taking in the scenery. Xandar was taking in another scenery - his mate across the table. She looked absolutely picturesque as her starry eyes absorbed the sight before her eyes.When she was done, she told Xandar, “I never imagined coming here th
Lucianne was shocked to hear that King Lucas’s bonded mate took her life after being rejected. After taking in her stunt expression, Xandar said, “Now do you see why all of us keep telling you that you’re stronger than you give yourself credit for? Mind you, she was a Lycan. So she was supposed to be biologically stronger than a werewolf to withstand the bond snaps.”Lucianne started chewing slowly again and shook her head sadly. “It’s just…sad.” She sipped her drink before she continued, “It’s sad that she might have lacked the psychological and emotional support that I have. Without my friends and Juan’s family, I don’t know where I’d be.”“Hm…I guess I never thought of it that way.” Xandar said.
After Lucianne had gone through the sections of her own interest, they still had time so she went over to other sections to see if there were books that her friends back home liked. When she realized that there were, she also realized that she made a mistake negotiating with Xandar to only let her pay for lunch.She gave her plan some thought before she turned to her mate and said, “Xandar, I’ve already got what I wanted. But I want to get a few titles for some friends back home.” Xandar was absorbing her words as he tried to decipher why Lucianne looked so uncomfortable saying that. She bit her lower lip in uneasiness before asking, “Can you let me pay for the ones I want to get for them? They’re technically not for me.”Now Xandar understood what she was up to. He firmly insisted, “No. Lucy
The waiter showed Xandar and Lucianne to the table that Xandar had specifically reserved earlier. It was a secluded corner booth. After placing their order, the waitress drew the see-through curtains and left them alone.Lucianne reached for Xandar’s hands across the table as she asked in concern, “Are you okay?”He smiled and kissed her hand, more normally this time, and said, “I am now.”Lucianne returned his smile and said, “So uh…your question on kids. I’ve always thought about having my own before the string of rejections. After the latest mate bond snap, I actually made peace with the fact that I may never have children of my own. The plan was to adopt a child when I was ready, like when there were fewer rogue attacks so
Lucianne choked on her drink, and Xandar shot up from his seat and rushed to her side to rub small comforting circles on her back. He passed her a glass of warm water that a waiter was kind enough to bring without being asked.After a few minutes, Lucianne managed to calm down. Xandar still stood by her side as he caressed her shoulders in slow, soothing motions. She looked up at him in furrowed brows and the first words which came out of her mouth were, “Have you?!”His concerned look was replaced with confusion. She then clarified, “Have you thought about baby names?”He pecked a kiss on her forehead in hopes of easing her tension before he said, “Not yet. I was just curious about whether there were any particular names that you’ve
‘How bad was it?’ Lucianne wondered as she watched Xandar’s handsome face show a visible streak of discomfort at the mention of Aunt Charlotte. Xandar took a breath before he said, “Whenever I visited, she would sit me down and ask how many girls I’ve slept with in the past week, or how many girls I’ve ever taken out on a date, how many drinks can I handle before I got drunk, who and how many have willingly stripped in front of me. Her face showed that it was fun for her to ask these things but to be on the receiving end of those questions was just…” Xandar shook his head in disapproval, annoyance and dismay before he said, “I am so glad I don’t have to deal with her anymore. That was the one funeral I attended in pure happiness.” “Oh wow. That was bad.” Lucianne muttered, and had to shake her head to bring herself out from what
After Xandar settled the bill, he drove them back to the hotel. When they arrived, Xandar got the hotel staff to get the books to Lucianne’s room. It took two employees two trips each before every book was finally in Lucianne’s room. When they were done, Xandar left them a generous tip before thanking the two shocked employees. After closing the door behind him, Xandar looked around him and commented, “Your place is getting smaller with all these books. It might get a little uncomfortable to live here now.” He was wondering whether they should just send back some of those she got for her friends first. Lucianne’s eyes sparkled when she exclaimed, “Are you kidding?! After I’ve taken them out and arranged them all over the place, it’s going to look like a Reading Wonderland!” She then let out an unrestrained shriek of excitement.
The next morning, Lucianne got out of bed and almost tripped over one of the many paper bags of books in her room. This made her recall the entire day she spent with Xandar, and she smiled to herself in the dark as she changed for her morning run.When her white wolf was approaching the same spot she went to every morning, she caught the scent of acacia wood and forest trees before Xandar’s Lycan came into view.His animal got up from where it was sitting and approached her slowly. Its lilac eyes fixed on hers as he mind-linked, ‘Morning, beautiful.’‘Good morning, Xandar. I don’t recall having a date this morning.’ She teased.