Harlow started her new day with a migraine. She had spent her previous day with the townspeople and had connected with them in ways that felt magical.
Kai and Lyra helped to set up an urgent night party in the hall, and Zeke moderated the event. People danced, sang, played games, lit fireworks; they basically did everything that was fun.
Reminiscing in her bedroom how the event played out gladdened Harlow, and for minutes, she stared at her proud self reflecting from the mirror.
She had a pleasant time with Kai as well. It was literally one of the best moments of her life. Kai didn’t let her out of his sight for any second, so they bonded with the citizens together.
At first, it was difficult for him. But with Harlow by his side, he was able to overcome the challenges.
The townspeople also no longer feared him like they used to. They saw him in a new light. They enjoyed his company and vowed never to take his sudden yet sweet leniency for granted.
Harlow’s wolf squealed in excitement. It was then that she noticed the mark on her neck had been completely erased. Her fangs were now activated, and she reveled in the new feeling.
“Thank you, Lyra. Nothing would have gone well without you,” she acknowledged Lyra, who had just brought in her food.
Lyra gave her a sisterly hug after setting the table, and expressed in a sweet, satisfactory tone. “There’s nothing to thank me for. Without me, everything might have been better.”
“Don’t say that,” Harlow objected. “You calmed me, and that for sure meant a lot than I could ever imagine.”
“Okay.” Lyra gave up, throwing her hands in the air.
Harlow giggled, and her expression morphed into a sober one when an idea, more like a request, struck her head.
“There’s something I need to ask you.”
“What’s that?” Lyra questioned, her full brows arched as she paid keen attention.
“I think I’ll be needing a personal maid,” Harlow blurted, catching Lyra off guard that her feet wobbled a bit.
It wasn’t a big deal for Harlow. She had been feeling guilty and selfish that Lyra had been doing for her what the King had paid someone else to do.
“Why’d you need a personal maid when I’m here?” Lyra coated her tongue with a sprinkle of sad seasoning. “Don’t you want me anymore?”
Harlow heaved a sigh. “It’s not what you think. I do enjoy your company, don’t get me wrong. But...” she halted for a fraction of a second, searching for the best word so as not to offend her.
“But what?” Lyra wanted answers. Kai had obligated her to be with Harlow all the time, and it didn’t please her that Harlow didn’t want her around anymore.
“I think being with me and doing things like bringing my food, picking out my clothes and the likes might get you bored. I mean, you have your life too, but you only tend to mine,” Harlow expressed, sincerity brewing in her tone.
Lyra couldn’t help but admire Harlow’s sense of consideration. However, it didn’t stop jealousy from gushing through her bloodstream.
Harlow was better than her in all ramifications, and she hated to admit that her performance in the hall yesterday was epic.
The Lycans never liked her, yet they loved Harlow on the first day they met. That fact hurt her. It pierced her soul deeply, like a dagger dug into the heart.
“Whoever told you I don’t have time for my life is lying. That I’m here doesn’t mean I don’t see my needs,” she uttered defensively.
“But then...”
“No buts,” she shouted Harlow. “I am not complaining. Besides, you don’t need a maid. You’re my sister-in-law, and I must take pride in tending to your needs.”
“Aww,” Harlow purred and pulled her into another warm hug. A hug longer than anyone they had ever had.
When they pulled apart, Lyra got an urgent call from the Royal Kitchen, and she was already on her way to the door when she turned back to Harlow.
“The King misses you. Should I tell him to come here? He wishes to see your bright face,” Lyra asked, her fingers curled on the door handle.
Harlow’s wolf bounced in euphoria that its mate yearned for her presence as much as she did. But Harlow didn’t let that get into her head.
“Don’t worry, Lyra. I’ll go see him.”
~~~
Tension rippled in the atmosphere the moment Harlow entered the King’s comfort. His bedroom was as large as hers, but the aesthetics weren’t in any way similar.
His room felt icy, though boring.
The room had just one cushion besides the king-sized bed, a long digitalized cabinet on which books were placed, and a vast wardrobe that stretched to the ceiling.
There was no dining section in the room.
And the walls there were plain white; nothing to draw the eye like an artwork, a paper wall or a statement piece.
It was unlike hers.
Even with the new aesthetics Lyra got for her, she had painted images of some celebrities she had seen when their school did an excursion to the human world.
She has painted Michael Jackson, Marilyn Monroe and many others.
“Comparing rooms wasn’t the reason I was here,” she mumbled, jolting her focus back to reality.
She couldn’t find Kai in the room, hence, she opted to leave. But as she angled her body to face the entrance, the chilly, vibrant voice of the King halted her.
“Leaving so soon?”
The ground quaked beneath her feet, and a volcano of longing erupted in her chest. Slowly, she turned back toward the voice.
The bathroom.
The water dripping on the floor was the first thing she saw before she finally darted her gaze upward. The skipping of her heartbeat followed suit.
Majestically, the god-like sculpture strode under the white pendant light with a towel in his hands. He was using it to dab his wet, tousled hair as his dark strands dripped moisture onto his bare, broad shoulder.
His torso flowed like sun's rays, each muscle defined like a carved stone.
The droplets traced a slow path over his chest, sliding down the grooves of his abs before traveling into the low waistband of his shorts.
Harlow gulped hard the saliva that formed in her throat.
Her breath faltered for a nanosecond, her eyelids trailing the sharp line of his chiseled jaw to the taut muscles of his stomach.
She shouldn’t be looking. But she was.
And the King noticed.
A smirk curved his up-turned lips. “See something you like?”
Harlow tried to push away the mighty view, but it was right in front of her, screaming at her to take every part of its features into her memory.
It was too late before Harlow could maintain her composure. Kai had murdered the distance between them and stopped a hair-breadth behind her.
“You don’t have to admit it, though,” Kai teased low enough for her to hear as he ran his fingers along his Luna’s clavicle, each touch causing the back of her neck to shoot up.
Harlow’s skin grew hotter as if a furnace was blazing behind her. It was dangerous, but oh-so-fascinating.
Then he caressed a few strands of her stubble before plucking out her hairband. “Stop caging your hair. I love it when it’s free like air,” he crooned, his lips ghosting over her ears.
The gesture was so intimate that Harlow’s mouth went dry. Her resolve melted in a flash, rendering her speechless, and her heart thudded so loudly that she thought it’d rip from her rib cage.
Harlow tried so hard to speak, but she couldn’t.
And when she did, her words came out incoherently, like a toddler who was just learning English. “You wanted...” she swallowed as Kai lowered his lips to her neck, “...wanted to... see me.”
“Shh!” Kai hushed, sinking his fangs into the marked area that had faded and sending intoxicating shivers down her spine. “I want to keep doing this to you.”
“I—I can’t stop you,” Harlow stuttered, but when she regained her senses, she backed away.
She wanted all of him, but she didn’t want to play it easy.
“Why would you?” Kai asked in disbelief.
“I didn’t come here for this,” Liar. “I thought there was something important.”
“I just want to be with you, my lioness. Isn’t that important?” he uttered in a flirtatious tone, stepping toward her.
Lust flowed through Harlow’s system, and instead of melting at his words, she said, “It is. But right now, there’s somewhere more important that I need to be.”
Kai’s ego crushed, his chest heavy with jealousy and annoyance. “Somewhere more important than with me? Where?”
“GoldenBlood,” she answered, “I just received an emergency, and I must take care of it. Today.”