DUSK.
"What's this." He asked and tried to turn it over.
"Oh no! My plan got spoiled. I... I just wanted to surprise you." I said, and he looked at me.
I walked to him, smiling.
"Surprise me? How?" He asked, and I smiled.
"I wanted you to wake up and find me in your bed." I said, and he smiled.
"That's quite a nice surprise. By the way, what's this?" He asked, and I took the potion from him.
"Oh this? It's just nail paint." I said, and he smiled.
"Let's sleep." He said, and we went to the bed. We made love again before talking.
"I don't like how Ariadne and Dalia treat me. They still seem to think I'm that weak girl." I said, and he looked at me.
"But you're not weak." He said, and I sighed.
So that was why he changed towards me. Because I was no longer weak.
"It just bothers me." I said, and he held me close.
"Don't let it bother you." He said, and we talked late into the night, laughing and cuddling each other.
When Lucius finally slept, I applied the potion to his eyes, and after hiding the potion under the bed, I slept peacefully.
The next morning, Lucius wasn't in bed, so I took my potion and left his room without any problems.
I dressed up and met with Seline. We were to train in the forest, and we talked non-stop on the way to the forest.
Upon getting to our favourite sparring space, we saw Ariadne and Dalia talking and eating oranges.
Immediately after they saw us, they stood and came to me.
"And what are you guys doing here?" Ariadne asked us.
"We should ask you that. This is our spot." Seline said, and the both of them laughed.
"I'm so sorry about it; I just don't see your name written anywhere." Ariadne said. she was looking around. Then she turned to me. "And you? You reported us to Lucius?" She asked, and I looked at them in confusion.
"Don't play innocent," Dalia said.
"You went on to tell him we were mistreating you and that we didn't give you the respect you deserve. How could you say that?" She asked menacingly.
"Oh, he threatened you? I just happened to mention it last night. But you should know how much he's in love with me; you should have been careful with me." I said while smiling, and Ariadne's brows knitted together.
"You really should be careful around Dusk if you don't want to cross Lucius." Seline said, smiling, and they looked furious.
Then a servant came to me, and I turned to him.
"The Alpha king calls for you." He said, and at first, I got really scared. But I tried to calm myself down.
"I have to go." I said and left the forest with the guard.
I was taken to the Alpha king’s quarters, and when he saw me, a look of stern dislike crossed his features.
The guards excused us and left.
"You rejected Lucius; why are you still around him?" He asked, and I thought fast.
"It's something quite complicated. I and Lucius I can't quite explain it." I said, looking at the ground.
"My son has been going around doing things with you when he's supposed to be after the good of the pack. My son isn't like that." He said, and I gulped.
"He is after the good of the pack. He works..."
"Enough! I hear of everything going around the palace; even if I don't walk around, I know! And I'll tell you, I don't want to see you with my son, or the consequences will be grave." He said and dismissed me.
I swallowed, bowed, and left the room.
That was impossible. Even without the potion, Lucius was someone who hated to be controlled or told what to do. It meant Lucius was all I had. Since he was the only one who could protect me from the Alpha king.
I went straight to the library, trying to read to get my mind straight, but shortly, Lucius came in.
"You're always here, Dusk." He said as he approached me with a tray of snacks.
"If you had come minutes ago, you wouldn't have seen me." I said, and he smiled.
I've got some snacks for you." He said as he handed me some cookies, and I accepted them.
"Thank you." I said, looking at him. The red ring in his eyes was bolder, and I knew it meant the love was stronger.
I didn't know whether or not I should tell him, but I decided to wait a bit.
We ate snacks and read novels until he suddenly jerked, and I looked at him. He shook his head sharply, and I touched him.
"Are you okay?" I asked, and he nodded only to hold his head once more. "Lucius." I called in an alarm.
Then In his eyes, I could see the ring wavering; it would get bolder and then fade to a very light shade. He began to shake his head, and I got scared. Then all of a sudden, he started breathing hard, and when he looked at me, I saw the ring was gone completely from his eyes. He was confused once again, and he stood up.
"I'm sorry. Excuse me." He said and left, and I gulped.
Didn't I apply it well?
Did he just break through it?
All these thoughts raced through my mind, and I got scared.
~
Later in the evening, I decided to see Ethan since I wanted to ask about Lucius; however, before I could get into his study, I heard voices—his and someone else's.
He and Lucius'
I stopped in my tracks and listened in.
"So, you don't understand what's going on?" Ethan asked.
"It's weird. Everyday, all I want to see is her, but there are just these few days when I question myself." He said, and Ethan asked.
"How does it feel?"
And to that, Lucius replied.
"It's like I've been bewitched."