The 27th

Chapter 19

Sorry for not updating sooner. Wattpad would not load any of my books and they still aren't loading properly so I'm not if this will even be posted or not. Anyways, I hope you enjoy (:
He continued to run his fingers through her hair to which grew lax, slumping forward slightly, head down. His free arm circled around her, preventing her from falling and when she swayed further, he pulled her against his chest and when she leaning further against him further, he held her tighter.

His chest rumbled with pleasure, emitting a quiet purr as he felt her weight against him, allowing him to support her as her cheek came to rest on his chest. Closing his eyes, he rubbed his cheek affectionately against her hair before tucking her head under his chin.

The sound of her soft breaths met his ears, the steady beat of her heart lulled him into serenity. He creased from playing with her hair, rather, he wrapped that arm around her as well, wanting to hold her more securely. With an arm around her hips, the other wrapped around his front, his thumb seeking to rub the skin of her arm that was hidden underneath his large shirt. Though the contact they now shared did not bring forth the tingling feeling mates share, he couldn't deny feeling the bond.

He craved this, the feeling of absolute relaxation and comfort he could never get from another being other than his mate. This feeling of finally being whole, of having someone he could care for and rely on him, having the meaning of his existence in his arms was incomparable to anything else.  He may not know how to describe the overwhelming emotions he was experiencing but he knew it just felt right.

A knock sounded at the door, disrupting the beginning stages of sleep, but he made no effort to move, not even to open his eyes. He gave a hum of acknowledgment.

"Το δείπνο είναι έτοιμο." Osian sounded from the other side of the door.
(Dinner is ready.)

"Ευχαριστώ." His voice was more raspy and deeper, further proving just how relaxed he was.

Lifting his head, he opened his eyes, unwrapping one of his arms to rub the sleep out of his eyes. She has yet to move in his arms and so he looked down at her, realizing that she had drifting off in his arms. He smiled, heart warming at the sight. He didn't want to disturb her sleep, especially since it was on him, but she needed nutrition.

Gently, he rubbed his hand up and down her arm in an attempt to rouse her. He used a coaxing, soft tone when he called her name, effectively stirring her awake.

"Hey." He greeted her, voice still a hushed whisper as he placed a hand on her cheek, thumb rubbing beneath her closed eyes. Signing heavily, her eyes fluttered open, glancing up at him with hooded eyes, still shrouded with sleep. "Dinner." Nodding, she straightened herself, taking her weight with her and she too brought up her hands to rub the sleep from her eyes but to no avail.

He stood from the best, a hand on her lower back to coax her out of the room and down the hall. He remained close throughout their small walk but held her hip opposite of him as they walked down the stairs, afraid she would lose her footing in her dazed state. After their descent, his hand remained at her side and she leaned into him again, struggling to keep her eyes open.

He directly the two of them outside, the intimate group of officials he used to eat with at the table now joined the pack dinners again, no longer needing the privacy to discuss their dire matters. As curious eyes turned towards them, they tended to linger on the female,  as they have yet to lay eyes on her.

As she noticed the attention she was receiving, he felt her tense beside him, the fogginess in her eyes clearing instantaneous. She pulled away from him and instead, moved behind him. On instinct, he stood taller, his mate seeking his protection. Once the target of their gazes was hidden from view by a rather intimidating figure willing to do anything to ensure his mate's safety and comfort, they turned their attention away from the on edge pair.

"Come." He offered her a smile, interlacing their fingers to pull her over to his fellow enforcers who were lingering by the food table.

They kept their eyes to themselves for the most part, sparing a glance here and there, some smiling at her, but they couldn't help it. They were eager to know the female that their fellow enforcer was destined to be mated to. They wanted to offer friendship and their own protection, as they respected all women.

Arias handed her a plate and and urged her to grab what ever she wanted. She remained still, watching as others took their desired portions of various foods she was unfamiliar with. Both men and women surrounded the table, grabbing food but Arias and who she suspected was his friends, remained still.

"They don't eat until the females do." A younger male spoke as he grabbed something near her. "It's part of their culture and seeing as you are the last female to be expected, they won't eat until you do."

Hesitantly, she filled her plate with food that looked similar to what was brought to her while she resided her, along with some fruits she vaguely remembered having a few years ago. True to his word, once she sat down on a patch of grass and took her first bite, the group of men grabbed what they wanted and began to occupy the space around her. Arias was quick to return to her, taking his rightful spot beside her and gave her a cup of water.

The men talked amongst themselves but instead of joining in and ignoring her, his main focus remained on his mate. He introduced her to all of them but none of them offered to shake her hand, an introduction she was accustomed to. They just nodded and smiled. When those were finished with, Arias tended to take food off his plate after noticing how little she took for herself and offer it to her, informing her on what each item was. She eventually had to start denying him, her stomach not used to such heavy foods so often. Most of the food she has received was a mush like consistency and came in a bowel three times a week if she was lucky, so her stomach ached from being stretched so full.

Further into the night and when her stomach ache lessened, her eyes began to droop once more and she was struggling to remind awake, often nodding off only to wake up to catch herself from falling. Noticing this, Arias shifted her to lean against him and she was quick to succumb back to the darkness as they spoke an unfamiliar language around her.

What she didn't know was that those unfamiliar words were the enforcers blessing her a goodnight when they noticed she was falling asleep. In a deep sleep, a much needed one, she was not aware of Arias bearing her full weight was he carried her back to his room. Pulling the covers back, he tried to place her in a comfortable position and made sure she was covered completely. Brushing back the stray hairs that ended up on her face, he placed a lingering kiss on her forehead, bidding her his own goodnight blessing, one that served as a prayer and a thank you to the moon.

It was when he was sure she was settled for the night that he made a make shift bed of a pillow and blanket on the floor beside the bed, closest to the door.