BOUND BY ROYALTY

CHAPTER 8

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It had been a week since the haze of my heat finally lifted, and the tension that had been thick between Aleron and me had begun to ebb away. In its place, something quieter, more fragile, seemed to bloom. Aleron had been careful in the days following, coming in and out of the chamber like a ghost, never staying too long but always checking in. He'd kept a safe distance, respecting the space I needed after everything that had happened.

But tonight, something was different. I could feel it in the air, a shift that had been coming for days but finally seemed to settle.

I sat upright in bed, a book in hand, though I hadn't truly been reading for some time now. My eyes skimmed over the words, but my thoughts were elsewhere on Aleron, on how things had changed between us, on how they might continue to change. I had expected him to come by as usual, to check in for a brief moment before retreating to his own quarters again, but something in me ached at the thought of him leaving once more.

The door to the chamber creaked open, and I looked up to see Aleron standing in the doorway, silhouetted against the warm glow of the hall beyond. His gaze flickered over me, and for a moment, we just stared at each other. He was handsome, more so than I'd ever really allowed myself to admit. His strong jawline, the sharp angles of his face, the way his dark hair fell slightly into his eyes, it all made my breath hitch in my throat.

"Lucian," he said softly, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. His voice was warm, more relaxed than it had been in days. "You're up late."

"I could say the same about you," I replied with a smile, setting the book aside. "You've been avoiding me."

Aleron chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck as he moved closer to the bed. "I thought I was giving you space."

"You've given me enough space," I said, my tone light but my words carrying more weight than I intended. "You don't have to keep sleeping in another room."

He raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. "Are you sure?"

I nodded, patting the empty side of the bed. "You're my husband, aren't you? I think it's about time you started sleeping in here again. But..." I hesitated, meeting his gaze. "We'll share the space... no intimate interactions. I'm not ready for that yet."

Aleron's expression softened, a small smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. "I understand." He crossed the room and began to unbutton his shirt, his movements slow and deliberate, as if he was giving me time to change my mind. When he was done, he slipped into the bed beside me, leaving a respectful gap between us.

For a while, we lay in the dark, the only sound the soft rustle of the sheets and our steady breathing. It was strange, having him here again, but not unpleasant. In fact, it felt... right.

We started talking, at first about nothing in particular small things that made us laugh, stories from our childhoods, shared memories from before our marriage. It wasn't forced or awkward; it was comfortable, natural. Aleron's laugh was deep and genuine, and it filled the space between us, chasing away any lingering tension.

"You've missed this," I said at one point, half-teasing but with a hint of truth behind my words.

He looked over at me, his eyes soft in the dim light. "I have."

We talked until the warmth of the bed and the weight of the day began to pull at my eyelids. The conversation tapered off into a peaceful silence, and I could feel Aleron relaxing beside me, his breathing growing deeper, slower. Sleep came for both of us then, gentle and quiet.

---

I woke up the next morning before dawn, the soft gray light of early morning filtering through the drapes. For a moment, I stayed where I was, blinking sleepily, trying to remember where I was. Then I felt the warmth of another body beside me and turned my head slightly to see Aleron.