Chapter 82: Unknown Circumstances

Chapter 82: Unknown Circumstances
Ebony Winters POV:

"What took you so long?" I couldn't help but demand from him, as I continued to lie there in Nic's grasp. "Do you not know...?"

I couldn't even finish my current thought. I didn't know how to finish my current thought. How was I going to explain to him something that happened to me? It was hard enough describing... Describing the situation on how I managed to end up here in the first place. How would he be able to understand?

I didn't understand what kept him from being able to find me. From before, he seemed to know exactly where I was. Why now? What changed?

"There was a complication," I heard Nic's words resonate all around me as I became more and more aware of my surroundings.

'Complication?' I couldn't help but think to myself.

This time, I didn't hear Nic's internal reply as he had done so... so many times before. Well, for the most part, it had only been what seemed like a few days, but still. I could hear his comments in return. Why did he choose now not to respond?

Suddenly I rolled onto my back as I folded my arms in front of my chest. How hard could it have been? Granted, in his defense, there is so much about this place that I still didn't know about and that he didn't understand how I might have come to be here, but let's keep on topic, shall we? There was so much more that I couldn't comprehend.

"What matters is that I am here now," Nic told me in that moment, cutting into my thoughts. "Orion, let's get out of here."

"What?" I asked, as that last part confused me.

I had barely spoken when, all of a sudden, I felt a jolt, causing me to slam into Nic's stone-hard chest. He didn't shock me when his instincts kicked in, and he wrapped his arms around me a bit tighter than they were previously relaxed. That's when I looked around to see where I was.

It was at that moment that I realized I was halfway lying on a bench seat. That must've been the soft thing that I was lying on previously as we were again riding in a carriage to an unknown destination.

I turned away from everything as I looked down at myself. It was at that moment that I realized I was covered again by a dark purple cloak. I had my hands bound up, ensuring they were tucked right up under my chin as I relaxed my posture.

"Now what"I asked as I could still feel pain radiating from all over me.

"Now?" I could hear Nic ask, and the tone in which he spoke changed at this moment.

It changed in such a manner that it almost made me think that he was fighting his thoughts. It was also in that moment that I do believe I heard a growl come from deep within his throat. This alone caused me to look up at him as he was looking directly in front of him.

As I turned to look back over my shoulder, I noticed that we were alone. There was somebody else sitting across from him. I didn't fully recognize who it was, as I didn't care either. I knew I didn't have any clothes on. It's not like I arrived in this place fully dressed. I reached down and tucked the purple cloak up under my chin as I tried to roll onto my side and stared directly at Nic's bare torso.

'When did he get here?' I couldn't help but ask as I turned back to what was in front of me.

'He has been here the entire time, my little mate,' Nic responded just the same. 'And just so you know, there are not many places that I travel that my Beta, my second in command, won't be made aware of my whereabouts either.'

It wasn't until that point that I realized I had asked something within my head. I gasped when I looked up to meet Nic's penetrating gaze, as he seemed to look right through me in that moment.

"My King, we are just about there," I heard the other man say.

"Very good," Nic said in return without the slightest bit of emotion in the sound of his voice.

Was there something wrong? Nic still held me right up to him. I had figured at some point he would've been frustrated enough to push me away, but he didn't do so in the slightest.

For whatever reason, I couldn't... I couldn't make myself look up and meet his powerful gaze.

I knew that he would occasionally look down at me. I would lightly shake my head back and forth. I just couldn't manage to look up at him. How was I going to do with myself? Knowing everything that happened from before? Would he accept me?

No one else said anything as we continued to travel along. I could tell the carriage would bounce here and there depending on the terrain it was handling. No matter what, the only thing I could think about was taking a bath. I wanted to wash.

Then, I couldn't help but wonder in the back of my mind. Would I be able to wash any of this off? Would I be able to scrub away the feeling that I felt deep within myself?

There was something that was weighing heavily on my mind, and when it came down to it, I knew it went more than just the physical.

"My King, we have arrived," I heard Beta Orion say at that point.

This time, Nic didn't bother to respond to him. However, whenever the carriage stopped at the point close to the entrance doors, it was Beta Orion who stood up first to be the first one to exit. This was the first time Nic and I had been alone. I couldn't help it as I felt tears start to swell in my eyes.

'Would I be able to forgive myself?' I couldn't help but ask within my mind. 'Knowing about everything that happened.'

I could hear Nic's thoughts within my mind, but he didn't say anything. It's like I heard him sigh in a way. How was that possible? How was it possible that you could hear someone practically breathe within your own head?

I knew there was a connection that we shared. That much was obvious. Anything to explain that particular connection was literally beyond my realm of understanding. But in the back of my mind, I knew it was true. How? I'm not sure. I just had to know that it was... It just was.

"Ebony," I heard Nic's voice call as I looked over my shoulder towards the open door and saw that Beta Orion was standing just outside. He was waiting patiently, not bothering to look in. "I'm not exactly sure what to say."

I swallowed... Hard fighting the urge to cry.

"Can you do me one thing?" I asked as I finally looked back up at Nic.

Nic looked down at me with sheer intensity.