Chapter 16: Inhibitions
Water dripped down on the marble floor from my still-wet hair. We both stood still in that cramped room, waiting for someone to say something.
I was so eager for him to talk to me. To hover around me again like a fly. To hear him tease and humor me with his sarcasm. But now, standing in front of him, with my wolf howling louder and clearer than before, I felt as if I had swallowed my tongue.
“What was it?” he asked, before pulling away his arm. “I need to stockpile on the wood. It’ll be colder later this week, Your Majesty.”
“I just…” I pressed my eyes shut and took a deep breath. “I just want to apologize for earlier. I truly didn’t mean to just run off like that and worry everyone.”
The corner of his lips twitched. “Well, I was out of the line too. Shouldn’t’ve dreamt of saying those words…”
His voice trailed off until a long, deafening silence came between us once again. Kieran cleared his throat as he tried to look away. “Maybe I should check on Lind. That kid won’t be able to lift that box on his own…”
“Yeah, I think you should—”
I belted an ear-deafening scream as I slipped on the wet spot on the marble floor. In instinct, I grabbed Kieran’s shoulder. I must’ve caught him off-guard, that instead of remaining rooted on the floor, he came tumbling down on top of me, in the middle of this closed, cramped room.
I felt his hand shift under my head, as if adjusting himself from my weight. Kieran’s other arm tried to push his body up, to prevent it from colliding with mine, but with the mere inches between us, I could almost feel his skin on me, his breath hitting my neck, and…
I looked down.
Heavens!
“I’m… I’m sorry…” I squeaked. I squirmed under him and tried to scooch out of this mess. Kieran’s throat bobbed, prompting him to clear his throat.
“Don’t do that,” he growled. “Stop squirming, Hestia.”
“Yes, sir…”
As I lay there awkwardly, wondering what he was about to do, Kieran’s eyes scanned me, his breath getting dangerously low.
“Goodness of the Goddess, why are you even walking around half-naked? You’d be the death of me, Hestia…”
“Look, can you just let me stand up? This is… getting more and more uncomfortable.”
“And what, do you think I’m made of stone?” He quipped. “You know how hard it is to resist the howling of your own wolf. She’s been tearing off my wolf’s ears since I saved you.”
I paused. My lips twitched. For the past year, I have been living under his care, I tried to ignore Fluke’s howling and pass it off as grief, despite fully knowing what it was.
And yet, Kieran knew all along.
How he managed to keep a poker face, mess with my head, and make me feel annoyed for a whole year despite my wolf’s nonstop mating calls was something that should be considered a superpower itself.
“So… that thing back in the shack earlier…”
“What do you think?”
I gulped. “I…”
I was afraid to say what was in my mind, in fear that I might be the only one thinking about it. But Kieran finished it for me. “I almost lost my control back there. But I know you’re still hurting because of my brother, Hestia… I won’t try to force you to accept this bond.”
Before I could reply, loud knocks echoed from the Manor’s front door. He immediately pulled himself up and composed himself, putting on that same half-irritated, half-smug expression he always wore on his face.
“Stay here. I’ll check on that.”
My heart was almost out of my chest as soon as Kieran closed the door. I fully knew that these mate bonds were gifts from Mother Goddess herself, but…
What if history repeats itself?
I immediately put on the pair of pajamas Kieran brought me as soon as I heard him calling for my name. I pushed these confusing thoughts to the back of my head, hoping that at the very least, I could focus on the trials without thinking about mating calls and bonds and whatnot.
“Greetings, contender,” Castiel greeted me as soon as I stepped in front of the door. Augustus stood by the lawn, leaning against a military car. “Due to unexpected circumstances, we will be holding the trials early. The first trial begins tomorrow.”
“Your Eminence,” Kieran called as he pulled me closer to him, “What’s with the military envoy? It makes me feel as if we’re criminals here.”
“The unit sent to the borderlands has been suffering from a rabid outbreak,” Castiel explained as he pulled out a medical report from his bag. “And the first ability a Queen contender is well-known for is her healing abilities. I believe that you, Hestia, and Medea Locke would be of massive help in stopping the outbreak.”
“Then why are you bringing massive tanks and more men to the borderlands, when you claimed that there’s a rabid outbreak going on?” Kieran pressed further.
“We received intel that the Reds would be launching a massive attack on the border on the fifth,” Augustus said. He walked towards us and stood in front of Kieran, matching the intensity of his gaze. “This one’s the largest since Prince Alfonso's return a year ago.”
“We’ll follow, then.” I nudged Kieran. “Can we bring along someone with us? I’m not comfortable leaving Lind alone behind after what happened earlier.”
Castiel’s brow furrowed. “Why? What happened?”
“We got ambushed by Black Wolves with military-grade tech,” Kieran replied, before shooting daggers at Augustus. “A petty trick well-known from someone who’s willing to use their resources and sacrifice their own men to get what they want.”
“Are you accusing me, Kieran White?” Augustus asked, his fist curling. “I was with His Eminence all night, thanks to your barbaric fists. How could I possibly call my own men to attack you?”
“Enough,” Castiel warned. He turned to me. “Are you alright, Hestia? Unhurt?”
I nodded. “But I believe you must investigate this, Your Eminence. And impose penalties as necessary. Hurting a Queen candidate…” I glanced at Augustus, “Is against the Codex.”
“Are you seriously accusing me, too, Hestia?” he asked.
“I did not point fingers nor drop any names. You placed the blame on yourself.”
“Un-fucking\-believable.”
Augustus stormed away, his heavy footsteps grinding against the cobblestone. Castiel sighed as he turned back to us.
“Very well. I’ll handle this incident myself.” Castiel glanced at his watch. “Due to the urgency of this matter, we’ll be giving you half an hour to prepare and pack your things. Please pack lightly. The Temple will be providing you with the necessary clothing and equipment for this.”
As soon as Castiel retired back to his car, Kieran closed the door and turned to me.
“Hestia, I don’t feel good with this…”
“We have no choice,” I replied. “It’s a Queen's trial.”
“Medea and Augustus will definitely try to hurt you. They will definitely try to separate us.” He pushed a small golden switchblade into my hand. “Keep this with you.”