Selene
I was feeling angry inside, not wanting Lucius to quit, but I still looked at him with concern on my face. At this point, all I want is agony and misery; I'm not worried about him anymore. Since I knew he would lose the duel, I wanted him to suffer at the hands of the opponents he will face tomorrow. I'm going to come watch him be humiliated because I'm confident of it. If I didn't want to watch him suffer serious injuries, I wouldn't have wanted to come tomorrow. Not to mention the pressure of having to travel here.
I was positive that coming here would require coercion, but that isn't the case; I am willing to travel here to see my fiancé, who ended our engagement so he could be with his partner and lose her to another man, rather than because I was coerced. He doesn't seem to realize that it was all part of my strategy, even though I knew that saying so would bruise his ego. Although I anticipated that he would become discouraged, I don't want him to give up on the duel. My eyes grew softer as I looked at him, but things wouldn't turn out well if he knew what I was thinking.
"I understand that you are worried about me, but I'm not going to back out of the duel. I'll do whatever it takes to be with my mate, and nothing will stop me from doing so." He answered, "I will stop at nothing to be with her," and I gave him a small smile while maintaining an understanding expression on my face.
"I was just letting you know. I felt concerned about what you just said, and you don't have to worry. I got your back. I will support you with whatever you want." I responded with an artificial grin on my face.
Since I won't back him unless it's necessary for him to fail, I knew what I was saying wasn't true. If it's not for his demise, I refuse to allow myself to become close to him. I'll see to it that he regrets ever troubling me, and the same goes for Lucius.
Lucius hugged me back and said, "Thanks; I appreciate that." I pretended to grin and gave him a slow-back pat. I hugged him, but I was boiling with rage because it brought up memories of our time together, and I didn't want to think about it. While I was still immersed in my thoughts, I felt the flowers in front of me shift, and I knew without a doubt that the person there was Freya.
I had a sudden thought after realizing that she would not want me to be by myself with Lucius. What happens if I enrage her? I anticipated that she wouldn't be able to control herself and would want to avoid talking to him for some time. Before I approached them earlier, I knew they were arguing, and I also understood that I should give him a longer hug than usual. I was aware that she would undoubtedly feel jealous because he was the one who started the embrace. I was aware that she might believe there was a romantic relationship between us.
I quickly broke from the hug and murmured, trying not to show off my dreamy smile. "I will be here tomorrow to watch you win the fight, so make sure not to disappoint me." I was aware that my recent actions would incite a disagreement between them, which I doubted they would settle quickly. I was aware that she would be confused by my attempts to approach her in this way.
"I truly appreciate it, Selene. Thank you," he said, flashing his dazzling teeth. The image of his pearly whites turning scarlet red should he strike his mouth made me smile.
"That's what friends do." I grinned and patted him on the shoulder.
I turned to Lucius and said, "I need to leave now. It's getting late already. I don't want to be late before I get home. I don't want anybody worrying about me."
It is true, indeed. He added, "You may take your leave," bowing and dramatically extending his hands.
I turned away from him and heard the council leader approaching the pack's boundary. It wasn't because I didn't want to stir up trouble in this pack that I wasn't going to be speaking kindly to him. I was aware that disrespecting him could get me murdered, which is something I don't want. I don't want to die because of him, and obeying his commands would not lead to that outcome.
"You are back earlier than I thought; how is it going?" I heard him inquire, "Did he see me?" right away.
I bent my head and murmured, "He doesn't accept; he said he would fight to the end," not wanting to get into trouble for disrespecting him once more.
I heard him remark, "You can take your leave," and I looked at him, clearly shocked. I was mistaken when I believed that he would not allow me to leave so lightly. His response startled me so much that I looked at him in disbelief.
He questioned, his gaze drilling holes in my body as he peered at me, "Don't you have ears?"
I turned to walk away from him, but as soon as I heard him call me back, I halted. I had a racing heart since I had no idea why he had called me back. I have the impression that something is off and that I won't be able to escape easily.