Ember and Morpheus looked around the entire palace premises to decide where to grow the gigantic tree for Morpheus to build his nest.
"It's really difficult to decide," Ember sighed and turned to Morpheus. "Did you like any place?"
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"I'm not sure," he replied, as if he wasn't keen on having his nest around here. It would be difficult to stay away from her if he had to stay close by. All he could do was curse Draven.
Ember thought for a moment and turned to face him. "Carry me to the top of the palace. From there, I'll see which spot looks better."
Carry her? Morpheus screamed in his mind. That meant she would be so close to him, and…
"Ember, just decide on whatever place you feel is fine. No need to think so much about it."
"That won't do. It's the place you'll be living, so it should be the best one," she insisted, stepping closer to him. "Carry me now, don't waste time. I have my lessons with Lady Helia soon."
Morpheus sighed inwardly. He almost held his breath and finally carried her in his arms. His majestic wings unfurled, now golden in color, and even his hair turned gold as he flew away with her.
In a moment, they reached the topmost part of the palace. He placed Ember down and finally exhaled. Ember simply looked at him and said, "Don't close your wings."
Morpheus stopped and watched as she walked behind him.
She gazed at his golden wings and said, "Truly beautiful, even better than the previous shade you used to have." She moved her hand to touch the shiny golden feathers, but Morpheus sensed her intentions and immediately turned around, leaving her hand hanging in the air.
She gave him a look, as if she had been wronged, and said, "I was just checking how they feel to touch."
"You can't just touch the wings of a beast," he said in a restrained voice.
"Yes, you've said it before," she replied. "It's just that whenever I saw Aureus' golden wings, I always wondered how they felt. But you said I can't touch the wings of a male, so I didn't dare ask Aureus to let me touch his wings."
Morpheus' expression turned grave at the thought of his mate liking another male's wings and even wishing to touch them. Even if that male was his nephew, it was not acceptable.
"But I know a female can touch her mate's wings, and you are my mate. So why can't I do it?" she asked, her expression saddened. "Do you still not consider me your mate? Do you still mind that I am human?"
Morpheus felt helpless in front of her. She was his mate, and saying 'No' to her was as impossible as not breathing.
"Only once," he let out a shaky breath. Read the latest on Freewebnovel
Ember felt delighted, still not knowing why he didn't want her to touch his wings. "Then turn around."
Morpheus turned around, his majestic golden wings wide open to let his mate see them. At the same time, all the nerves in his body tensed up, even before she touched his wings.
"I don't think I have ever seen anything more beautiful than this," Ember said, her eyes enchanted by the beautiful pair of wings. She gently moved her hand to touch them, careful and deliberately slow, wanting to feel them fully.
Her fingertips gently brushed along the golden feathers, her eyes widening in astonishment at how ethereal they felt.
Meanwhile, Morpheus' heart pounded wildly in his chest, his fists clenched, eyes closed, trying to resist the overwhelming sensations.
"This is magical," Ember said as she noticed golden sparkles emitting wherever she touched. "I could continue playing like this…"
Morpheus turned around abruptly, stopping her. She didn't realize how much she was affecting him. It was hard to resist.
"Hey, I'm not done," she exclaimed.
"That's enough!" he said in a restrained voice. "Don't you want to decide the place for me to stay?"
"Why is your face red?" Ember asked, ignoring what he said.
Morpheus was taken aback. What could he say now? "That…I'm hungry," he said, while in his mind, the beast inside him screamed, 'Hungry for my mate.' He quickly regained his composure and added, "Make it fast so we can leave, and I can eat something."
"Oh, alright," Ember said, turning around to look down. She carefully observed the ground below.
Morpheus, standing a few steps behind her, looked at her with an intense gaze. The beast inside him urged him to claim his mate and act on his instincts. His eyes flashed between gold and gray-blue as he struggled to resist.
Once he calmed himself, he thought, 'It's not that bad. I'm getting used to her presence. Soon I'll be able to be around her normally like before. All I have to do is never let her touch my wings again.'
"Got it. I know the perfect place now," Ember said, turning to look at him.
Morpheus walked toward her, and she pointed. "There, in front of the balcony of my study. We used to meet on that balcony often, so I guess that's the perfect place for it." She looked back at him. "What do you think?"
Her words reminded him of the few sweet memories they shared. A light smile appeared on his lips as he hummed in agreement.
"Alright, then. Let's ask Leeora to plant a tree in front of the balcony," she said, once more ready to fly with him.
This time, Morpheus acted with ease. He lifted her in his arms, and they descended.
Leeora was about to leave the palace when the pair of mates landed in front of her.
Ember greeted the old woman and said, "Leeora, we found the place to plant a tree." She looked more excited than the person who was going to live on that tree.
Leeora glanced at Morpheus, who responded with silence. She understood his difficulty, but she had to fulfill what she had been ordered to do.