Chapter 114
Chapter 114
Elvira
The mist is in my mouth again.
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It’s not real. I know it’s not. But my lungs are burning and I can’t scream, and there’s something crawling up my spine like vines made of ash. I’m running, I think. Or maybe falling. My body doesn’t listen.
Then a voice-
Not à monster. Not a god.
Just Axel.
“Elvira.”
My eyes snap open.
There’s fabric under my fingers, and this scent I can’t recognize.
I freeze.
Something smells like flowers. Expensive ones. I move my hand and…linen. A blanket I don’t recognize. I can’t see. Of course, I can’t with my eyes and all. But this isn’t the cave. This isn’t the dirt. This isn’t anywhere I remember.
My chest tightens.
Where the fuck am I?
I sit up too fast. The world sways. My stomach flips. My mouth goes dry.
Then it hits me that I’m in the Dream Court. Axel and I’came here yesterday. I met Eden. There was drama, and I…passed
out after hearing bells.
Now I’m in this room where everything feels too polished, too curated. Like the world around me is dipped in illusion.
Not the place for a wolf to be in. I don’t belong here and**.
**
“Come back here…”
Arms wrap around me, and then I’m pulled into… Axel.
My head falls to his chest before I even realize what I’m doing. I feel the rise and fall of his breath, the heat of his skin. Bare chest. Warm sheets. One of his hands lifts and runs through my hair like it’s a reflex.
“You’re awake,” he murmurs.
I nod, but my throat is tight.
I want to cry. Not from pain. From relief. From the way he sounds like he didn’t breathe while I was unconscious.
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“I didn’t like it when you passed out,” Axel mutters. “Scared me.”
My chest tightens. I’m not used to someone caring about me and being soft like this, especially not a male.
“I didn’t mean to scare you,” I whisper.
“But you did.”
I snort. “Not like I planned on collapsing.”
He sighs into me. “Apology accepted.”
I snort again, but say nothing when he tightens his hug.
“When you collapsed, I panicked. Didn’t know what I was going to do. Kept on thinking the worst, you know…”
“I’m sorry.”
“Actually thought I had lost you.”
“I’m sorry.”
健~75%粉
He exhales through his nose, and I swear it’s a laugh. “If you apologize one more time, I’m going to kiss you for real.”
That stuns me. I try to pull back, but he is faster and presses his lips to my forehead.
“Don’t panic,” he says gently. “I just… needed to.”
My heart soars from the affection, but I stay quiet. I don’t want to ruin this. Instead I just let my fingers ghost over the curve of his ribs.
He is gorgeous, especially his skin.
Flawless and soft and warm. I’m also a big fan of his muscles. Axel is solid. Muscles taut. Every breath is a reminder he is alive, and so close I could lose myself in him.
I hesitate to REALLY touch him. My palm rests flat against his abdomen, and I feel his large muscles. Ones that I don’t dare to touch fully since I still can’t believe that he is mine. I want to. I really do. I want to press my nose to his chest and breathe him in, dare to believe he is mine, but I don’t deserve him as my mate.
Axel is too nice for a traitor like me.
I want to withdraw my hand, but Axel places his larger hand over mine. “Don’t stop touching me,” he murmurs. “It makes me feel like I’m yours.”
My heart stutters in my chest.
He wants this?
I find myself whispering, “Why are you being so nice to me?”
He shifts just slightly, just enough for his voice to vibrate through my body. “Because you’re mine. Whether you believe it
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or not.”
“I’m a mess.”
“Then I’m a mess too. That’s how it works.”
My throat closes. I don’t know what to do with that. So I stay where I am, curled into him like a prayer I’m too afraid to say out loud.
Then the bed shifts. He moves.
“Where are you going?”
“Shower. I smell like dirt and fear.”
My hand moves on its own. I reach blindly, and my fingers catch his wrist.
He stills.
Then he leans down and kisses my palm.
“I will be back before you miss me.”
I don’t answer. I let him go. But my hands don’t unclench for a long time.
The bed is colder when he’s gone.
I lie there, listening. Breathing.
Then the bad thoughts come back.
I don’t belong here.
My heart grows cold and my eyes turn distant until my mind catches up the second I smell Eden.
“Elvira?”
My fingers grip the blanket.
The friend I betrayed is outside the door.
“Don’t worry. I’m not here to fight,” she says, voice gentle. “I just wanted to see how you’re doing.”
“I’m fine,” I lie.
Silence.
Then, “You scared him,” she says. “Axel hasn’t sat down since you passed out.”
I cringe. The idea of Axel worrying about me hurts.
“I’m okay now.”
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“I’m glad. The bells are powerful and designed to keep intruders from entering the Dream Court. Azriel is going to give you his blessing later. It will protect you from his magic. You will be able to walk through this court without interference.”
“He doesn’t even know me.”
“He didn’t need to.” A breath. “I asked. He trusts me.”
I don’t know what to say.
“You’ve also been invited to dinner tonight,” Eden adds. “You’re welcome to say no. But I thought you should know.”
I almost laugh. It comes out broken.
“Isn’t it weird for us to share a dining table considering our history?”
There’s a pause.
“I didn’t come to pressure you,” Eden says softly.
“You should hate me.”
Eden’s voice doesn’t change. “I don’t.”
“Not even a little?”
“I was hurt. And confused. But hate was never part of it.”
That stings in a different way. Like she means it. Like I can’t even be mad at her for forgiving me.
“I haven’t spoken to my family,” I whisper.
Eden hesitates. “I don’t know where they stand right now. They are still in the human realm, right?”
I nod.
“They will come around,” she says. “Eventually. Maybe.”
Not exactly comforting. But honest.
Eden doesn’t try to fix it.
She turns toward the door. “Axel will be back soon.”
And then she leaves.
Quiet as she came.
The scent of frost and flowers lingers
And I’m alone.
Not for the first time.
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But somehow, it aches like it is.
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