The Royal Mask

Chapter 49

{  O P H E L I A  P O V  }

"Daniel has been released from prison." Nate says and I dry my hair with a towel silently as his heated gaze roams from my robe to my bare legs.

"I'm not gonna apologize for putting him there." He says as he crosses his arms across his chest, his biceps flexing with the movement. His hands are healed now, revealing only faint scars and redness like my wrists.

He narrows his eyes when I remain silent. "If it wasn't for Tom and Carl stopping me he would have been dead already. I would have ripped him limb by limb."  He tries to rile me up and it works because I gasp throwing the hair towel on his face and he catches it before it could touch him. I scoff.

"He is my friend! He shouldn't have said all those things but he didn't hurt or kidnap me. He didn't deserve to be in prison." I say and he glares back.

"Are you sure about that?" He quirks an eyebrow and I hesitate to answer. Dan couldn't have known about the rogues, right? Though his timing to talk to me during the dance and me getting sick after that seems odd. No no...I am thinking too much. He wanted to protect me, not kidnap me!

"I even had a word with alpha Max... your friend." I stand frozen as he pins me with his stare. Gosh he is going caveman again!

"Uhm...Max?" 

"Dan already told me what he fucking said..." He growls lowly as he walks toward me and I gulp.

I still when he holds my chin making me look up at him and I shiver by the intensity of his gaze.

"You could die from my mark..." He says in anger but his hold on me remains as gentle as it can be. No words come out from me as I stare into his steel eyes which seems vacant. He is putting up a mask trying to scare me, though my wolf and I can sense hurt in his voice.

He leans in, his breath fanning the side of my face. His musky scent tangled with the smell of soap messing my thoughts.

"Whenever you are near I can only think of marking you. I want to mark you so badly. Day by day it's getting difficult to control my wolf. But if I do...you could die and I don't want to lose you..." He places a small kiss at the base of my neck and I swallow heavily.

"So do I. I don't want to lose you in the fight..." 

He straightens up looking down at me.

"He is right. You are safe with him than me. Wouldn't it be wise if you left with him and hid in a place where I couldn't find you?" He grits out the last words but places his warm hands on my waist pulling me closer and I place my hand on his chest feeling his rapid heart beats. Unlike me, my wolf whimpers hearing his words.

"He loves you, he has alpha blood, he can take care of you, you can have a normal life, away from this pack, away from rogues and away from me. Wouldn't you want that?" He asks in a deathly calm tone like a predator waiting to capture it's prey. 

"I would but I don't want a life which doesn't has you." I say looking up at his steel grey eyes.  After a moment he leans his forehead against mine sighing.

"Even if Dominic is dead, there will always be some obstacle and countless enemies. I can't promise you a normal life. I can't even mark you without getting you killed." His fingers dig into my waist.

"You won't. You are not Dominic! I'm sure we will search a solution for the cure.." I say.

"We have already tried looking..."

"Then we will look harder...I have always lived a lonely life without my parents and getting beaten up by my asshole alpha... When I started living in Silverwoods pack, me and my wolf always felt out of place, lonely in midst of loving kind people. It was as if a part of me was missing. And now that I've found you, I feel complete. I know there are a million hurdles but we will overcome it together. So If you ever think of leaving me, I will hunt you down Prince Nathaniel Alexander James." I breathe and his face softens his lips turning up into a smirk though his eyes looks sad.