[NOUR]
A mark was permanent, Nour had argued.
Way too permanent.
And he wanted them both to make each other, not because Delbert wanted Nour to be safe, but because they loved each other. That was the only way he would accept the Lycan warrior's mark.
It was an argument that would probably raise more questions, but even then, Delbert had never felt more alive and wanted. He had never felt more cherished in a time that screamed chaos and lust instead of love.
This may have just been a statement from the prince who loved him so much, but for Delbert, this was everything.
Because even though they went rebound to run into danger, even though the palace is not a place where peace thrived, even though they had come back home as a couple of deranged warriors, he was loved.
Wholly and truly.
A love that had remained unselfish despite all that had happened between them.
"I love you, Kalkan," Nour reminded.
Delbert smiled gracefully, like he was trying so hard to hide his blush that was creeping up his cheeks. It would be a little hard to explain to anyone why the fuck the warrior who was bulked up like a mountain had pink up his cheeks.
But Nour didn't mind.
Because even though Delbert had himself as Nour's protector, they were going to do this together. They were not going to have to play long games with each other because that wasn't what life was for them.
They understood each other in ways that no one would comprehend.
"My Lord… The king demands your presence at the council meeting," a warrior announced behind the door, and the two mates looked at each other knowingly.
Their lips were swollen from the foot kisses they had shared.
Their bodies knew each other by now, even if they consummated the bond or had been marked by each other. There was no denying that this was best for their plans. And that's all they could afford right now.
"You ready?" Delbert asked, his eyes for the man he loved.
"I am. Let's get going," Nour said, and Delbert nodded, before he stepped back so Nour would lead the way to the court, the one place that would eyelid how their new cover would be.
And as they stepped out of the door to their chambers, the duo realized that it was time to be Lord Lucius Dumont and his Lycan aide. Perhaps when it was all done, they would be fine.
Besides, there wasn't much that Grant Hindley could do here, or was there?
And even if there was, they were prepared for whatever was coming.
'Mother,' Nour thought as he had the huge portraits of the late Queen Soraya on the palace walls. She looked so beautiful and graceful. She looked like she was the very definition of peace and love.
She looked like she never wanted her son to be a psycho, and yet Nour had turned into one worse than the devil himself.
Nour had told himself he would let go of where the time came, but as he stared at his mother's portraits hanging around the hallways, he couldn't help but wonder what his life would be like if he had lost his mother.
If his life had been peaceful.
His mother, the human queen, would have probably helped him become a better man. His father always talked about his mother like Queen Soraya was the light to Acrod's darkness.
And while Nour didn't know much about his mother, the books he had read about her always talked about her in a good light. It had him desperate for moments with her. And as he walked down to the council room, he couldn't help but miss her today.
He had always been strong, never one to depend on his father for protection. He had grown up well and had been the best version of both his father and mother. But that emptiness never left.
That blank space never left, no matter how many people his father assigned to him, no matter how many women he interacted with over the years who were almost the same age as his mother.
He still missed her so desperately.
He wanted to hug her and ask her so many questions.
He wanted to ask her if this was right, if vengeance was really a road he should have chosen to pursue.
He wondered if his mother would have such a heart.
Nour wondered if his mother would have tried to keep him in line or if she would have encouraged him. He knew so much about his mother, and yet he never once understood.
Perhaps it was only natural for him to wish to see her, the woman who had clearly been loved by many. And Nour wondered what would have happened if his mother had survived the birth.
Oh, there were dreams, and most of the time, Nour always tried to focus on his mother because maybe at the end of the day, maybe there was something she would have helped him with.
Maybe she would have loved him better than he had turned out, right?
"You will be fine," Delbert whispered to Nour when he realized that the prince had been focusing on his mother's portraits in the hallways.
And for a moment, he wondered if his mother, Zuhair Merdel, would have made the sacrifice that Soraya had made.
However, he didn't focus too much on that because his family history had a messy scene, it had been the cruelest of all, and he had to delve back into it.
Not this time anyway.
He was fine, right?
"Yeah," Nour breathed when they got to the entrance of the council room.
"Lord Lucius Dumont has arrived!" Ferhat announced, and the council members quieted as they turned not to look at the son of Lord Tristan Dumont, the man who had been so barbaric that death had almost refused to take him.
The arrival of Lord Lucius in Acrod screamed danger for so many people, and judging by the way that there were stiff glances towards Nour and Delbert, the prince knew that shit was going to be a walk in the ark for him.
And especially when he looked at the seat next to his father's seat and saw Grant Hindley seated there, his facial expression grim, you would think that he had gone through the five stages of grief in Acrod.
But this wasn't even the beginning.
His karma was coming, and it would be in the form of the one man he had not expected at all.
"Thank you, Ferhat," Nour said, and Ferhat stepped aside, allowing the duo to walk in, even with the stars that held their games almost like thirteen about to combust. It was better for them to do that earlier, right?
"Your majesty, I am honored to be here in front of you. I am Lucius Dumont, son of Lord Tristan Dumont. I have come to seek answers regarding my father's passing. I sincerely pray for the crown's assistance in finding the answers I seek," Nour said respectfully.
"Of course, Lord Lucius," King Cassius said before pointing to the seat next to Grant.
"Join us, will you?" the king said to his dearest son.