Whispers Of Desires: A Sense Of Truth {Book 2}

꧁༺ 𝓢𝓹𝓮𝓬𝓲𝓪𝓵 𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻: 𝓐 𝓟𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓬𝓮'𝓼 𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓵𝓲𝔃𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷 ༻꧂

Agony. That was the only way to describe the fire that ripped through Azrael's wings as the physician meticulously cleaned and repaired the damage inflicted by the changeling's claws. He gritted his teeth, the pain a physical weight pressing down on his chest, making it difficult to breathe.

"Your Majesty," the physician murmured, "I apologise for the discomfort, but we must ensure the wounds are cleansed and bandaged properly."

"I am in pain," Azrael gasped, his voice hoarse with agony. Tears welled up in his eyes, streaming down his cheeks as the physician continued to work. "It hurts," he whimpered, his chest heaving with each breath.

"Your Majesty, you seemed pretty calm before," the physician said, glancing at him from the corner of his eye. "I can give you something for the pain if it gets too bad."

The truth was the claws had caused far more severe injury than he had acted. He was in agony, and it showed. Some of the feathers on his wings were torn and destroyed, while others were permanently severed. The throbbing ache was unbearable, and he could feel every movement the physician made.

But something more drove his effort to downplay the severity of his injuries. His heart raced in fear as his mind flashed back to the scene in the orphanage. The image of K, lying there injured, filled him with a dread he had not known existed. The fear of losing 'him' – the infuriating, yet undeniably brave K – was almost unbearable. And so, he endured the agony, silently willing his body to numb itself against the pain.

In that terrifying moment, the carefully constructed walls around his heart had crumbled. He realized, with a sickening clarity, that he cared for K. Deeply.

The friendship they shared, formed through duty and unexpected companionship, had grown into something more - something he couldn't quite identify. But it was overwhelming, unmistakable, and horrifying.

He was a prince...the second prince of Althea...Falling for a man, especially one who worked as his personal guard, was a disaster waiting to happen. The consequences were far-reaching, endangering not only his personal future but also the delicate truce between Althea and Niameda. But, as he lay there, suffering with each touch from the physician, he couldn't deny the fact. He was falling for K, and the prospect of anything happening to 'him' filled him with sadness that he couldn't express. The passionate protectiveness he felt, the way his heart ached at the sight of his injuries, all indicated one indisputable truth: he was in love.