Chapter 40 The Cold Mate
“Darling,” Faruk’s voice cut through the air like a knife, smooth yet commanding. The very sound of it made me freeze, unsure of how to react. I turned to see him approaching, his long strides confident and purposeful as ever. He was smiling broadly, his eyes twinkling with mischief as they fell upon his mate.
But something felt off.
As Faruk reached us, he pulled Amina into a hug, his arms encircling her waist as he leaned in for a kiss. She allowed it, but there was a stiffness to her posture, a coldness in the way she barely tilted her head toward him. Her hands remained at her sides, limp, as if this show of affection was something she had grown indifferent to. I caught the briefest glimpse of her expression, impassive, her icy blue eyes distant, focused on something far away from the moment. The contrast between Faruk’s warm embrace and Amina’s chill was stark, almost palpable.
“You didn’t tell me you were coming,” Faruk said, his voice still full of affection but tinged with surprise. “I would have picked you up myself.”
“I wanted to surprise you,” Amina replied, her voice smooth and detached. There was no excitement, no warmth in her words. It was as if the surprise had been more for her convenience than his.
Faruk chuckled softly, clearly unfazed by her tone, though I wondered if he noticed the tension at all. He kept his arm loosely draped around her, pulling her closer, but it was like watching someone trying to embrace a statue. Amina remained cool, her eyes flickering briefly to me before returning to the horizon.
“You’ve been away for two weeks, and have not even been picking up any of my calls” Amina continued, her words pointed now. “And in the meantime, I’ve been handling your work and Darius’s.” She said and looked at me after mentioning Darius’ name.
Faruk’s grin faltered for a split second, but he quickly masked it with a laugh. “Ah, yes. The responsibilities of leadership. You know I just wanted a little break and didn’t want anyone disturbing me so my phone is somewhere in my room” He waved a hand dismissively, as if it were all a trivial matter. “But we both know you’re more than capable of handling things while I take a little time for myself.”
Amina's lips curved into a tight smile, one that didn’t reach her eyes. “Yes, I’ve noticed.” Her tone was laced with something sharp, something that made me wonder just how much she resented being left behind to manage the affairs of our kind while Faruk took his leisurely retreat.
Faruk seemed to sense the undercurrent of tension in her words, but instead of addressing it, he brushed it aside. “Come now, Amina,” he said, his hand moving to her shoulder, trying to coax her into a more playful mood. “I’ll make it up to you. Tonight, let’s have dinner by the beach. Just the two of us.” He said and I remembered the time I walked in on him with the other woman on the beach.
Amina tilted her head slightly, considering his offer. There was a flicker of something in her eyes, annoyance, perhaps, but she simply nodded. “We’ll see.”
Faruk seemed satisfied with that response and turned his attention back to me, his eyes glinting with the same playful mischief that always seemed to dance behind them. “This place is amazing I’ll leave it to Lyra to show you around,rightLyra?”
I shifted uncomfortably, feeling the weight of both their gazes on me. “Yeah,” I said, forcing a polite smile.
Faruk grinned, clearly pleased with my response. “Good. This place is meant to be a place where one can forget the burdens of the world, if only for a little while.”
I nodded, though a part of me wondered if he truly believed that, or if he was simply using this getaway house as an escape from the very responsibilities Amina had just accused him of neglecting.
Amina, on the other hand, remained silent. Her eyes were once again fixed on the horizon, her expression unreadable. There was something about the way she stood, so poised and composed, yet so distant from everything around her.
Faruk pulled Amina even closer, though it seemed more for show than for genuine affection. “Darius, Lyra, and I have been catching up,” he said, his voice loud enough for everyone in the garden to hear. “But it’s been a while since you, Darius and I had any real fun. Perhaps tomorrow night we can all join together for a feast, celebrate the good things in life, hm? And officially welcome Lyra into the family?”
I glanced at Amina, whose lips pressed into a thin line. Her response was nothing more than a cold, “Perhaps.”
Faruk's smile wavered slightly, but again, he chose to ignore it. He gave Amina another affectionate squeeze before finally releasing her, stepping back, and clapping his hands together. “I’ll make sure everything’s arranged. In the meantime, darling, why don’t you enjoy the view? The sea is beautiful at this hour.”
Amina didn’t respond, simply nodding in acknowledgment. Faruk’s attention flicked back to me, and I could feel the weight of his gaze again, his playful demeanor never quite masking the intensity that always lay beneath the surface.
“I’ll leave you with Lyra,” Faruk said, giving me a wink. “Make sure to catch up, you two.”
With that, he strode away, his long strides taking him quickly back toward the mansion, leaving Amina and me alone once more. The silence that settled between us was thick with unspoken words. I could feel the tension radiating from her, though her face remained an impassive mask.
For a moment, I considered speaking, saying something to break the uncomfortable silence, but I hesitated. What could I say to a woman like her, someone who seemed so far removed from the ordinary world? There was a sadness in her eyes, a loneliness mixed with indifference
After what felt like an eternity, Amina finally broke the silence.
“You’re supposed to show me around right?” she asked, her voice soft but sharp, cutting through the air like a blade.
I blinked, startled by the sudden question. “I—Yes, I—”