Forbidden Lovers

Away From Me

No matter how much Arthmael tossed and turned around in his bed, craving sleep but not being able to reach dreamland at the same time, he couldn't shut out the melody coming somewhere from the end of the hallway. It was soft and pretty but he couldn't really put his finger on the instrument being played.

It wasn't usual for music to be played at this hour of the night.

And he couldn't sleep. Not without finding out who was playing at least.

He grabbed one of the candlesticks on his bedside wooden table and moved through the dark long hallway silently, reaching the balcony at the very end of it.

Breath got all caught up in his throat when he saw long black hair on one side and fingers moving perfectly, gracefully playing with the strings as if she knew the melody by heart. Which she probably did, because her eyes were closed the whole time, a peaceful look on her face although he was sure by now she had sensed his presence.

She looked so beautiful like that, so really magnificently beautiful.

Why couldn't he have her? Just why?

Why couldn't he have a chance to know her? To know her as the person behind the facade of the perfect Elf Princess, now Queen of the wolves? There were so many things he didn't know about her, just like he didn't know she was this good at playing the harp. But then again, how would he have known? He couldn't even stay at the same room with her without wanting to screw up everything else and do the most forbidden things that could cross his mind.

"You're staring," his dear Evelyn that wasn't much his pointed out and that put him out of the daydream. He hadn't even realized she had stopped playing and was now looking at him instead. His wolf moved in his head just because she was simply looking at him. "Did I wake you up?" The concern on her face melted his heart for a second.

"I couldn't sleep." He gave a shrug, letting her know she wasn't the reason he was awake at this hour. Which was a big lie because she was. "You play the harp." It was more a statement as he sat down one the velvet coach there at the balcony.

She gave a small smile but it was enough to make him swallow down hard. "I've played the harp since before I knew how to walk." There was nostalgia on her voice as she spoke. "Father taught me. He used to say it reminded him of my mother."

"Can you play it for me, please?" Arthmael couldn't stop himself from saying, it was bigger than him. Seeing her play the harp was beautiful but seeing her play the harp for him was a dream he didn't know he had until now come true. "Please?" He added when he saw the hesitation on her face.

"If someone sees you here—"

"Then nothing will happen. I'll just watch, Evelyn."

She knew just him calling her by her name would cause big trouble, let alone them staying at the dark balcony together as she played the harp for him. That wouldn't only cause troubles, that would do much more than that but she couldn't say no to his pleading eyes nor to the admiration behind them. It seemed that he'd never be able to hide how much he admired her and that was okay, at least she could have that.

"Just a few minutes," she stated as her concentration moved to the harp again and her fingers started moving along the strings skillfully.

Arthmael didn't know a thing about playing the harp but he just knew she was so good at it. And the way she would look at him from time to time, just for some short nanoseconds, it was simply a torture. A torture he couldn't resist anymore as his feet moved my themselves, reaching her and falling to his knees, crashing his lips on hers.

It happened so fast that she didn't have time to even realize what was really happening. In a second Arthmael was just watching her from the coach and the other he was in his knees, his fingers curled on her long hear and his lips kissing and sucking hers. And it was nothing sweet, nothing slow. It was bruising and needy and almost painful but she just needed it that way. She needed him to devour her mouth and enter it and explore every bit of it, all the way tilting her neck with his big hand and biting on her lower lip.

"Oh," she moaned in his mouth pulling on the hair of his neck and that seemed to bring him back to reality.

Immediately, he got on his feet making a step back, and then another. The guilt of what he had done starting to hit him in big waves as reality started to sink in eventually. He had kissed her— again. Despite how many time he had swore in his head he wouldn't, despite the days he had spent away from her just so he wouldn't give in the temptation of kissing her beautiful soft pink lips.

And he had failed.

He had broken his word.

"Arthmael," Evelyn whispered, making an attempt to rest her hand on his bicep but he shoved it away almost harshly, seeing the hurt in her face but it was too late.

"Don't touch me," he chocked out, still panting hard because of that breathtaking kiss. He ran his fingers through his three-days beard, trying to make sense of everything that was happening and also force himself to not savor her lips once again. "Whenever you touch me I..." he trailed off.

"I'm not touching you," she said, matter-of-factly.

"Stay away from me." He made some other steps back, his hands fisted on the sides.

Her lips trembled, tears burning her throat. "It was you who—"

"I know... I know, but you should stay away from me or I'll go insane."

                                        ***

It did not matter how much Evelyn tried not thinking of him, or how much his words had hurt her, three days ago, she would end up repeating everything in her head over and over again. Him pleading her to play the harp for him, the kiss... Oh, the kiss. How could someone even kiss like that? As if he needed her like crazy, only to tell her to stay away from him afterwards. To tell her to not touch him ever again.

Could she blame him, though? He was in pain, this much she knew, and the fact that she couldn't even take her mate's pain away was torturing.

But the fact that she was the mere reason behind the pain in his eyes was even more torturing.

"This is how it's going to happen, huh? I come home and you don't even come to greet me like the devoted wife you're supposed to be?"

She closed her eyes, sighing deeply. Robert had come back from wherever the hell he had been the past few days and he looked utterly mad. Just because she hadn't waited for him with the others like it was expected from her to?

This man was stupid if he thought she was going to act like a devoted wife, and he was far away from stupid.

"It doesn't matter if I wait for you or not, King Robert, everyone already knows this is nothing more than a facade. So why act in the first place?"

Her words only made him madder. He gritted his teeth together, making some big steps towards her, obviously towering her with his big intimidating body. "You have a sharp mouth little elf, don't you?" There was malice in his voice, but just a bit of desire as well. His fingers were instantly curled around her long, pale neck, squeezing just enough to let her know he could choke her to death if he wanted to. "I think it won't be that sharp if I take it in my mouth." In an instant, his grip on her neck only tightened, while he forced his lips upon hers harshly, punishingly.

Evelyn's lip remained shut as she fought and struggled to let free from his hand and his mouth. Still, his tongue only demanded entrance more, which she didn't let.

She felt like throwing up in his face, that was how much he disgusted her.

Suddenly, for her surprise, his hand moved to the back of her head softly, giving the impression they were normally, even almost softly kissing. That was beyond strange, but she didn't have time to think about it when a voice brought her to reality. "I think we entered in an appropriate time." It was Estelle who spoke but Evelyn's eyes didn't move from Arthmael.

He had seen.

He had seen Robert kissing her. No, not that. He had seen them kissing, because she was sure now, Robert had felt his daughter's presence and changed the position of his hand for them to think he hadn't actually forced the kiss himself.

And the hurt that flashed Arthmael's black orbs was unbearable to look at. She felt like she had betrayed him when it wasn't her fault in the first place. Yet it didn't make it any better.

He had seen his mate kiss another man. And not just another man but his Alpha King father.

"Excuse me, Alpha." Even his voice sounded foreign as he turned on his heels to leave as if staying there a second more would make him go crazy.

"I just come back after days and that's the first thing you say to me, Arthmael?" Robert asked with a smile on his face as he gave Estelle a hug, but Arthmael's fake smile didn't reach his eyes at all.

"I figured you were kind of busy..." His gaze didn't move from Evelyn though, like he wanted to hurt her with his eyes only just like he was hurting.

"I always have time for you, son," Robert said, resting one arm on Arthmael shoulders. "Now let's go and talk about things that have happened while I was away."