Chapter 109 In Your Hands
When Killorn returned from his nightly patrol, he found his thrashing wife. She was entangled in the thick comforters, her limbs fighting for her life. He rushed forward, but she snapped awake and hollered. He snatched her into his embrace, pressing his lips against her head.
"No!" Ophelia wailed in fear, thrashing against him.
Killorn tightened his grip. He hugged her as if his life depended on it. He could only shelter her from the nightmares threatening to tear her sanity apart. She screamed and cried into his chest, hiccuping and grabbing tightly onto his chest.
"Shhh…" Killorn was terrible at comforting people. He was meant to be the ruthless Alpha. The cruelest of them all, the one that'd never blink at the sight of trouble. His reputation never beseech him. He was far worse than what the people portrayed him to be. Punishing his own wife, tossing her to the animals, he had done the unspeakable.
"B-blood…" Ophelia sobbed upon his body, but he simply ran his hand through her hair.
"I know, my sweet," Killorn murmured, kissing her fondly upon the temple. She sniffled and shook her head.
"N-no—"
"You do not need to tell me," Killorn gently coaxed, lowering her back onto the bed. He was met with her frightened and dazed eyes. He soothed the strands away from her forehead. Her lashes fluttered against his gentle caress, her breathing growing slow and controlled. "You only need to cry in my arms, Ophelia." Killorn brought the blanket back to her chest. She tiredly turned her head, finally gaining rationality. Her lips trembled, as if unable to utter a single word around him.
"No," Ophelia whispered.
"Ophelia—"
"You'll only hurt me." Ophelia turned until she was no longer facing him. Ophelia didn't want to look him in the eyes when she said such a thing. She didn't want to see his world crumble, his handsome features thunderstruck. She could hear his heart stop on the spot, his hand pausing midair.
A moment of silence passed between them.
Then, Killorn curled an arm around her waist. Ophelia tensed and quickly shoved him off, but he was insistent. He slid closer to her until her back was aligned with his firm chest. He bent his head in mercy, his hair tickling her bare skin.
"I'm sorry," Killorn admitted in an aggrieved voice.
"How easy it is to apologize… Look, I can say sorry as well," Ophelia coldly responded, pushing him away from her. She clawed at the blankets to free herself from his grasp.
"Do you not love me anymore?" Killorn dared to ask, his voice low as a child.
Ophelia's breath was caught in her throat. "Do you… even love me?"
Killorn froze. Ophelia took his silence as the answer. She effortlessly fled from his grasp, but he grabbed onto her nightgown. She swallowed hard, wondering what he could say.
"What I feel for you… I have never felt with another woman."
Ophelia's heart thundered against her chest. She could barely hear above her wild pulse. What did that mean?
"I do not know what love is," Killorn slowly said, the words sounding foreign in his ears. He swallowed and approached her tentatively. He cupped her hips and rested on his elbow to peek over her shoulder. She was staring wildly ahead, with her large beautiful eyes.
"I have never experienced it, my sweet wife," Killorn admitted. He bent his head in defeat, his heart laid out for her to abuse. "I refuse to lie about love if I can't recognize it. I do not want to mislead you with false promises. I am not that coy of a man," Killorn confessed. He pulled her close, until she was back in his arms, right where she belonged.
"But I can swear to you my heart will never belong to another," Killorn confessed, his lips pressed to the back of her skull. "Only you will take possession of me, Ophelia. You alone."
Ophelia wished she wasn't this easily coaxed by his false promises and sweet temptations. He was a rough man with the world beneath his feet. He ruled over a pack larger than she could fathom counting. He commanded over men twice her size. This rough warrior had whispered the softest things to her. How could she not fall for him?
"And what of your soulmate?" Ophelia questioned. "I know you werewolves have one… Y-you called me your 'mate' at the auction stage, but I am human. Humans c-can't—"
"It's possible," Killorn coldly said.
Ophelia's heart skipped. "What do you mean…"
Killorn simply turned her around. Ophelia appeared to not want to look him in the eyes. It was less intimate that way. She stared at his throat as if that'd help her nerves. He curled a hand under her chin and raised her face to look at him. Her lips trembled, hesitant and afraid.
"The emotions I feel for you, they are only possible if you are my mate. Beetle sticks to Layla's side because she is his mate. Their relationship defied all odds, but the event has happened in the past before. It is just never recorded, for they are taboo in the laws of our nature," Killorn explained. "T-then am I…?" Ophelia timidly asked.
"You only need to know you are the Luna of my pack and I am your husband. Nothing more. Nothing less."
Ophelia blinked. "Would you love another if she was your mate? I hear your wolf would do everything to keep a hold of her. I don't want to be inferior… I…"
"Ophelia—"
"I don't want to watch you love another," Ophelia pitifully confessed, her voice cracking. "I know I'm selfish. I know what I ask is too big, I—"
Killorn kissed her. Ophelia's eyes grew wide, tears sliding down her face. He cupped her cheeks and deepened the action until her lashes fluttered shut. He raptured emotions she could never describe. He was eager and passionate, his mouth moving against her like second nature. He captured her lips, resembling a starved man in a desert and she was his oasis. Ophelia was in a daze. She tried her hardest to replicate his hunger, but he was insatiable. He always was. Then, he pulled away only to butterfly kiss her everywhere he could. He was eager to mark her face red with his desire. She laughed at how ticklish it felt, but the sound came out broken.
"Killorn…"
Killorn couldn't bring it in himself to part with her. He was greedy and possessive, succumbing to her effortlessly. He pulled her against his body until not even a parchment could go between them. He was eager to brand everything he could, kissing and nipping at everything she'd allow him. Eventually, Ophelia shoved at his face, but he kissed her palms as well. He couldn't help himself. He was overwhelmed with joy at her jealousy. Or was it, inferiority? How could she even fathom such a thing?
"Ophelia, you can rest assured," Killorn muttered against her hesitation. He pressed his mouth to hers again, until she groaned and tried to escape.
Even so, Killorn was fluid. He pulled her into his embrace, his face resting on her hair and her back against his chest. She tried to grab the blanket to haul herself away from him. He slid his hand across hers until their fingers were entwined.
"Killorn," Ophelia relented. "I am serious. I truly do not… I know a wife must not mind the mistress, but I just, I don't think I can turn a blind eye."
"Ophelia—"
"I'd rather you never bring her around. I'd rather you keep her in a separate house. Keep your affairs separate from the castle. I wish you would focus on me, but that is selfish, and I know I can never satisfy your desires. I know I can never keep up, but please, I just… I just want…" Ophelia could barely continue. A thousand words threatened to spill from her chest.
"I just want to be selfish for once," Ophelia whispered. "You'll think horribly of me, though. What I wish for goes against the virtues of a wife… goes against all of my grandmother's teachings. I—"
"Ophelia," Killorn mumbled upon her soft locks of white. "Can you listen to me?"
Ophelia's lips trembled. "Can't you just spare me more of your time? I-I feel so lonely in this castle. I only want my husband, nothing else. I don't need fancy jewelry, nice dresses, I only…"
Ophelia shamefully closed her eyes, knowing she was becoming horrible. She let out a quiet sniffle, hating how quickly she grew emotional.
"I only want you," Ophelia cried out, unable to stop the quiver of her voice. She had conceded to her desires. She had truly never opened her heart up like this. Since she wasn't being pressured by his eyes or trying to read his emotions, she was much more eager to pour out her sincere feelings. "I-I never want to see you with another," Ophelia stammered again. She thought the bad habit was gone, but it came out effortlessly around him. "Never," Killorn promised. "I'll never cherish any other the way I do with you. I only have one heart Ophelia… and it's in your hands."
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