Chapter 213: Pillows Don't Move

~Aveline~

The face in my dream had no definite features, a blur seeming to run across it as though my memory of them were slowly fading away. But even so, the moment those small legs came running toward me and those tiny arms wrapped around me just as they once had, I knew exactly who it was.

My Lucious.

My precious gem.

I bent down and scooped him into my arms, allowing myself to indulge in this brief moment even though I knew it was nothing more than a dream.

"Thank you for showing yourself to me, Lucious," I whispered, my fingers slipping gently through the hair I'd loved so much. "Please stay with Mommy a little longer. Just a little longer."

I didn't bother hiding the desperation in my voice.

Here, I had no enemies, no schemes to unravel and no revenge to plan to plot. The only thing standing between me and this moment was the time I had left before waking.

"Don't go just yet, okay?" I begged, holding him tighter, wanting—even if it was only a dream—to hold onto his first appearance since I'd come back.

"Mommy." His tiny voice filled the space between us.

That single title sent a warmth through my chest, the kind I wished I could hold onto forever.

I closed my eyes and pulled him closer.

"I'm here," I whispered.

For a second, silence settled over the empty space around us, then his small voice came again.

"Why didn't you save me?"

Guilt squeezed my chest, but before I could even gather a response, he spoke again—this time, his voice sounded wrong, like two distorted voices layered over one another.

"Why didn't you save us?"

I barely had a moment to process the words before I felt it—the small body in my arms grew heavier and taller. Its frame remained faintly familiar beneath my hands, but something about it had changed.

"Why..." The voice began again, its familiarity fractured by the wet, gurgling sound of blood. "Didn't you save me?"

My breath caught for a moment.

"Please..." The plea came again. "Save me. Save me. Save me."

Each repetition grew louder, more desperate, until the voice finally tore through the dream.

"SAVE ME!"

I jolted awake, my eyes flying open to warm sunlight spilling in from somewhere behind me.

My chest rose and fell rapidly as I stared ahead, while the gentle chirping of birds outside the window created a cruel contrast to the nightmare still clinging to my mind.

What… What was that?

I thought, narrowing my eyes slightly.

That voice... it sounded familiar. I just couldn't place who it belonged to.

Who—

My pondering was abruptly interrupted when my pillow moved.

I froze.

Pillows didn't move.

And now that my thoughts had cleared, I realized the "wall" opposite my bed wasn't a wall at all.

It was the defined chest of a man.

Slowly, I raised my head and my breath caught in my throat.

Rhaedon was asleep beside me, his features relaxed in a way I rarely got to see.

What... what was he doing—

The answer came rushing back with last night's memories, and I nearly slapped myself.

Right, last night, I'd ended up falling asleep when I'd only intended to close my eyes for a few seconds.

How stupid of me.

But why were we in this position? The thought settled in as I finally became aware of exactly how we'd ended up lying.

Rhaedon's arm was beneath my head, serving as a makeshift pillow, while the warmth of his skin against my palm was becoming impossible to ignore now that I was fully awake.

I slowly pulled my hand back, but I didn't get up immediately. Instead, my gaze lingered on his face.

I'd never imagined Rhaedon to be the kind of man who would willingly offer his arm as a pillow, yet here he was.

My eyes wandered over his features almost unconsciously—from the sharp structure of his cheekbones to the perfect arch of his nose, then down to the dark lashes resting softly against his cheeks.

If he hadn't turned out to be the tyrant everyone spoke of, if his father hadn't seen him as a threat and consequently sent him to the battlefield for years, I was certain that with his appearance alone, he could have lived a carefree life if he'd wanted to.

What a shame.

"What's there to be ashamed about?"

I startled at the sound of his voice.

My gaze snapped back to him, only for his eyes to open and those golden irises to meet mine with startling clarity.

For a second, my brain seemed to lag.

"What's there to be ashamed of?" he asked again, and only then did reality crash down around me.

I'd said my thoughts aloud.

Heat immediately crept up my neck.

Without another second to waste, I pulled back and finally lifted my head from his arm. My fingers instinctively tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear as I looked away.

"It's nothing. Pay no mind to my senseless rambling," I said.

"Senseless rambling?" Rhaedon repeated.

Perhaps it was because he'd just woken up, but his voice sounded deeper than usual, carrying a faint softness that seemed to brush across my skin and raise goosebumps along my arms.

"From my point of view, that looked like far more than senseless rambling," he said.

I glanced back at him.

"What?"

"You don't stare at someone for that long only to term it senseless rambling, Aveline."

At his words, I resisted the urge to let my eyes widen.

"You've been awake," I said. "Since when?"

"Does it matter?" he shot back.

He finally stood, and his robe shifted with the movement, exposing more of his chest. I immediately looked away before my eyes could wander somewhere they had no business going.

"You should have woken me, then," I said.

"I should have, huh?"

Rhaedon muttered the words as though speaking more to himself than to me. He rolled his shoulder, and I caught the brief movement.

If he'd remained in that position all night, it was only reasonable that he'd feel some discomfort.

He was human too.

"I'll have Daisy bring you a lavender bouquet," I announced.

His gaze shifted toward me.

"The scent helps ease discomfort," I added.

He studied me for a long moment before finally speaking.

"If you wish."

Then he turned away.

Not a no.

Not a yes.

Somehow, despite how vague the answer was, it sounded just right.

I adjusted my robe and stood.

"You must have a busy day ahead, and from the looks of things, I've already taken up quite a bit of your time," I said. "I'll take my leave now."

I turned toward the door when he called out.

"What do you plan to do with the Thorne household?"

I paused and glanced back.

"And the five hundred thousand shillings? Whose responsibility is it to pay that off?" he questioned.

Without thinking twice, my response came naturally.

"Can you not let go of such petty money for your Luna?"

A flicker passed through his eyes, and the corner of his lips lifted faintly.

"Last I checked, my Luna has access to the Ashkaar Dominion's funds. If her monthly allowance isn't enough, she's free to take as much as she needs. But that money wasn't lent to my Luna. The contract clearly states it was lent to Maribel Thorne."

Ah.

So this was his way of telling me to make good use of that money.

Letting a smile touch my lips, I nodded.

"I understand. The Ashkaar Dominion isn't running a charitable organization, and as its Luna, I'll make sure the loan is recovered. Rest assured, my Alpha."

Perhaps because I'd been around him long enough, I could read the faint satisfaction that crossed his expression.

"I'll take my leave now," I said.

I turned and made my way toward the door. But just as my hand reached the handle, I paused and glanced over my shoulder.

Rhaedon was already staring at me, almost as though he'd expected me to look back.

Something in my chest loosened and a small smile found my lips.

Without hesitation, I spoke.

"Thank you."

Then, before I could waste another second, I opened the door and walked out.