Yes, My Alpha: Mother of an Empire

Chapter 27

The night was spent in each other's arms, Ophelia only woke up when she heard the bubbling of water in a pot. Sitting up sleepily she rubbed her eyes looking over at Darius who seemed to be busing himself with skinning a rabbit. "Commander?" Ophelia called, "Morning Reeds." Darius greeted with a knife in his hand. "Making breakfast, this one was easier to catch." He spoke proudly, "What about the elk that I caught?" Ophelia asked, "Well someone got assassin blood on it." Darius replied not looking up from his work. 

Ophelia rubbed the back of her head and let out a huff, "Well you wanted them dead, you didn't say do it cleanly." She retorted, "A little early to be so sassy isn't it Reeds?" Darius replied lightly. Ophelia slowly stood up dusting herself off,  "I thought I'd at least get a few more quips in before we returned to camp." Ophelia noticed Darius let out a soft hum in response, he looked annoyed by the idea but didn't say anything.

Walking towards him Ophelia leaned down, "Commander." She called, Darius turned and she kissed him on the lips. She pulled away and Darius looked pleasantly surprised, "What was that for?" He asked, "Thanks for hunting." She thanked him a smile grew on his lips. Once the rabbit was dropped into the pot Darius wiped his hands clean. Ophelia had made herself busy packing up the supplies they had looted from the assassins. 

Darius approached from the corner of her eye, "It'll take a little while." He informed Ophelia, "If it takes too long it'll be hard to reach camp before nightfall." Ophelia replied, Darius pursed his lips and looked outside of the cave. "Something the matter?" Ophelia asked, "You make me think strange things Reeds." Darius replied in a soft tone, Ophelia didn't need to be a genius to know what the commander was thinking.

To be honest she wasn't looking forward to it either... The domesticity that had settled between them that would be broken up thanks to the army. It wasn't as if Ophelia wanted to hide her relations with Darius but... It'd be stupid just to come out and announce it all at once. Strategically speaking it took away a significant bargaining chip that the army had. The promise of marriage or a relationship with Darius even if it was a false one could come in handy. It was also one of the recruitment tactics. There was no telling how others would react if it seemed like Ophelia hadn't 'earned' a place beside Darius. 

Besides being with Darius it required certain skills and abilities that Ophelia hadn't yet gotten. Things would be expected of her if she and Darius were openly together. The spot next to him... It wasn't a spot in the background. She couldn't just blend in and go unnoticed. While Ophelia had no doubts she could grow in that way. It wasn't a change that was done carelessly and it wasn't done easily either. 

Darius's brows furrowed and perhaps without thinking he grabbed her hand holding it. 

Ophelia moved closer, one thing about Hart was he was right. She had work to do to keep a place next to Darius. While she had talked a big game it had only just occurred to her truly then. "Commander." She spoke softly, Darius looked up at her and she smiled. "Make sure you get a chair for me in the strategy tent." Darius's upset expression faded and he smirked.

"Don't be ridiculous Reeds." He replied, Ophelia furrowed her brows going to ask what he meant. "You'll be sitting in my chair." He told her, Ophelia tilted her head, "Where will you sit?" She asked, Darius grinned. "Where else?" Darius spoke proudly, and a heated look appeared in his eyes, "On you." He spoke his eyes half-lidded, Ophelia felt her face heat up and she covered her mouth turning away. She grumbled incoherently under her breath unable to even form a single thought. Darius chuckled amused by her reaction. 

"Finish packing Reeds." He chuckled letting go of her hand, "Alright." Ophelia couldn't even look at him feeling her face burn. Once everything was packed, breakfast was finished. Ophelia settled down next to Darius and ate together. Darius finished his food first and Ophelia finished second. They didn't say anything and helped each other clean up their camp before heading out. 

The trek back to the imperial camp was quiet, Ophelia and Darius walked side by side silently. Ophelia glanced at Darius every so often to check if he was okay. Darius yawned catching her staring and rose his eyebrows. "I'm fine Reeds." He told her, Ophelia relaxed, "Are you okay?" Darius turned the tables on her. "I'm okay commander," Ophelia replied with a nod.

"I want to sleep in my bed." Darius announced, "As comfortable as you are Reeds. I miss having an actual bed." Darius teased lightly. "I miss having an actual place to sleep too." Ophelia let out a yawn. Darius went quiet and stared further down the road. "Thank you." He spoke suddenly, and Ophelia hummed questioningly. 

"For taking care of me Reeds." Darius clarified, "I normally don't like letting others do that." He confessed, Ophelia held back a sarcastic remark getting the feeling that Darius was trying to be genuine. "Especially alphas." he added, "I've..." He paused taking a moment to think about his words. "Every time I've let an alpha do something for me... Especially one that I've been involved with like you." Darius explained.

"They think I'm going to start handing things over to them. Or that I'm their property all of a sudden." Darius explained, "You've been good to me and I wanted to let you know I appreciate that." Darius smiled at her. "Common decency isn't something to be praised for commander," Ophelia replied with a smile on her lips. "But thank you for saying it anyway." She added after a moment, Darius chuckled as if he expected this sort of response out of her.

"It has been hard though," Ophelia purposely laced her voice with a joking tone, "Fighting against the natural alpha urge to be a pig." Ophelia hit her chest for dramatic effect. Darius laughed at her, "Your sacrifice hasn't gone unnoticed." He joked lightly walking closer to her and giving her arm a light push, Ophelia rolled her eyes with a grin and lightly pushed him back, "How stupid do you have to be thinking just because you've been invited into a bed once...?" She questioned, "What a great way to make sure there are no repeat invitations." She added with a scoff. Darius let out a scoff himself, "Oh there wasn't believe me." he added with a bitter tone.

Ophelia shook her head feeling ashamed to be sharing a dynamic with individuals like that. "Why haven't you gotten yourself an omega yet Reeds?" Darius asked suddenly, "Well now I have a pretty good reason." Ophelia teased, "I mean before me." Darius replied with a smirk, "Not that I'm complaining." He added. Ophelia let out a breath, "Well it's not as if I've never had lovers or partners before. It's just in a tiny place like that village, it's better to be mated to an alpha with resources than one who hangs out in the woods all day." Ophelia explained, "Besides... My behavior has gone through a fairly recent change." She confessed, "I wasn't like this... I was more... Stoic?" Ophelia struggled to find a good description of how she was. 

"You're pretty stoic now... At least when I'm not around." Darius replied, "You've been watching me, commander?" Ophelia teased, "You can scare a girl off like that," she playfully covered her body as if hiding her modesty. "What have you seen?" She joked, "In passing Reeds." Darius shaking his head clearly finding her jokes funny. "If I really started following you around, you might like that too much." He teased. "I might." Ophelia joked with a grin, she then let out a breath turning back to the original topic.

"But back then I was a lot less... Alive." Ophelia settled on that word, "I was living but... I wasn't living...?" Ophelia explained, "Not to sound strange but... I didn't have any likes or dislikes then. I didn't even feel like a person. I wouldn't talk for days or even weeks to people..." Ophelia trailed off letting out a breath, looking back her life was... It was awful in Flat Trench.

Darius walked next to her listening carefully, his eyes never leaving her as she spoke. "You were surviving." He spoke up once Ophelia came to a lull in her explanation. "Yes," Ophelia replied with a nod. "I was only surviving." She confessed, and Darius took her hand. "It may not be the same but I understand those feelings." He empathized, "Everything blurring together in this disgusting gray..." He described how he had felt. Ophelia found that it mirrored her own experience. "Yeah, it was like that for a long time." Ophelia agreed.

"I understand, I felt like that for a long time too." Darius nodded as he spoke, he then looked up at the sky, "Then someone asked me if I was handing out shit land." He teased, "Well are you?" Ophelia retorted, to her surprise  Darius smiled grabbing her arm and leaning his head against her as they walked. The two of them walked closely unable to wipe the smiles from their faces finding that the once gray world had a little bit more color than before.