Forbidden Lovers

You Will

Evelyn was healing. Physically, and much slower emotionally.

But she was healing, at least as much as she could. While trying to push Arthmael away at the same time although all she wanted to do was keep him closer more than ever before. She needed him. She needed him like crazy, but mostly, she needed him to be alright.

Things had changed, he was no Commander anymore, no Beta of the pack and no part of the royal family whatsoever. He was nothing but a simple warrior now, and even that she was scared he was going to lose if this kept going.

How many more things did Arthmael have to give up for her? His family, the one he considered a father, risking his own life and now his titles too. Everything he had worked so hard to have his entire life he had lost in a matter of days because of her. For her. Willingly.

Evelyn couldn't allow him to sabotage his life, not anymore. Arthmael claimed he loved her, and she knew he did but for how long? How long until he gave up, or even worse how long until someone found out?

Annie had found out. Evelyn trusted her though, she was even willing to help them sneak around to meet each other but how long before someone else found out?

And what would happen to him then? How would she able to protect him then when everyone would call him a traitor?

When Robert found out? Because it wasn't a matter of if, she was afraid it was a matter of when.

"Evelyn!" It was Estelle's voice that brought her back to reality, walking inside her room accompanied by a few maids that held gowns of different colors on their arms, all extremely big and beautiful, Evelyn ended up speechless. "Choose," the princess ordered with a big proud grin on her face.

"Choose for what?" Evelyn asked her surprised. These were extremely beautiful but they weren't her everyday gowns at all. More flowy dresses with big puffy sleeves and less corsets was more of her style, actually.

Estelle giggled girlishly. "For your ball, of course."

                                       *** 

"You shouldn't have insisted on me accepting the Commander title, honestly I feel like I stole this from you," Dominic complained to him for what felt like the thousands of times, making Arthmael groan in frustration.

"You stole nothing from me, Nick, I gave up the title because... because I didn't want it anymore."

"Because you want something else now?" It was a rhetorical question so Arthmael chose not to answer to that. "Still, you shouldn't have. I feel so out of place in here, I'm not cut out for ballrooms or whatever the hell this is."

Arthmael had been attending balls since he had started living in this castle and he still felt kind of out of place, so he could relate to Dominic quite well. Yet it didn't mean his friend wasn't being annoying; nothing unusual, though. "Stop complaining like a little girl for five minutes, will you? Being Commander is much more than this and you know it." He threw Nick an annoying look. "And you deserve it. Aren't you supposed to look for your mate anyway?"

Dominic dismissed his last sentence. "There's no one that deserves it more than you, but I guess if it's for the best then... Arthmael?"

Arthmael narrowed his eyes at him, not understanding one thing. In a second the pianos and violins and harps were harmonizing perfectly and in the other there was silence.

"I think you should turn and look."

"What's going on?" His brows only furrowed deeper.

Nick groaned. "Just turn, dammit."

Turning his back, he almost wished he didn't; because there was no way not to look now, no way to be able to ever look at someone else and absolutely no way how to learn what breathing was again.

"Holy hell..."

He heard Nick chuckle but right now it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered now was Evelyn, walking down the gigantic staircase, and he asked himself if she had ever been prettier.

No; pretty, prettier, these didn't cover even half of it. Evelyn had always been beautiful, he had always thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen but right now though? Right now he didn't think it, he knew it. She was mesmerizing, everything of her was mesmerizing, and apparently he wasn't the only one who thought this. Every single one on the ballroom was looking up at her, however her eyes didn't move away from his. A look in her face that told him she knew she could blind up everyone but she still chose to look at him.

She screamed confidence, and Arthmael loved every second of it.

Had he ever seen her in black? He didn't think so, but it made her look so elegantly fierce and extremely attractive, it was out of this world. And this world had a lot of wildness and beauty in it.

As Evelyn only walked closer, his eyes lingered over her body, knowing she could feel it. Hoping she could feel his dark gaze caressing and tracing every bit of her body as if it were his hands instead.

"Are you alright, brother?" Dominic teased, a note of laughter in his words.

"No, I am not," he hissed. "I am f*****g not."

"Royal Blood Moon Pack," Evelyn spoke, her voice echoing the ballroom and it was nothing like the soft voice she had when she was with him. It was beautiful yet strong, authoritative. "I'm really happy to be among you once again." She looked at him and Arthmael didn't know if she was really referring to their pack or not. "Thank you for all your prayers for my recovery, and for organizing this beautiful ball for me, I really appreciate it." Her eyes moved to Robert as Arthmael looked away, not wanting to witness yet another dance of them. "Can I have this dance, Prince Julian?"

His eyes widened in surprise. Well, this was definitely unexpected, not only to Arthmael but it seemed to everyone else as well. He had never been jealous of Julian, on the contrary Julian had always been his favorite but right now, while the Prince waltzed with Arthmael's mate, as stupid as it sounded, he was.

Not because he thought Julian ever thought of Evelyn more than a close friend, she was his stepmother after all, but even if she would be dancing with one of the statues right now he would be jealous. As long as it wasn't him holding his hands around her waist and her back, he was jealous.

And the fact that she had felt so far away for days now didn't help at all. As if she had been trying to stay away from him, but hadn't she confessed?

She had said she loved him more. Which wasn't true of course, because she had no idea how much he really loved her but this wasn't the point.

The others started waltzing around almost in synchronization, Julian dancing with Lady Katherine, Estelle with little Luis and he found the perfect opportunity to just slip one arm around her waist and keep dancing, pretending it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Arthmael," Evelyn whispered, telling him with her eyes only that this, what they were doing was dangerous, but he only tightened his hold a bit more, eyes moving from her neck to her opened cleavage; her off-shoulder really tight dress and her long hair tied in an elegant low bun weren't helping at all.

Her blood-red lips too.

"Someone will notice," she murmured between her teeth, her face holding the same cold expression.

However, inside Evelyn felt like she was on fire. Had he ever seen her like that before, like she was naked right there in front of him?

She had been literally naked, they had made love and it had been everything she dreamt and desired, but even then it almost felt like he hadn't had as much hunger in the depth of his eyes as now.

And she felt so damn weak under his piercing gaze.

"Just keep it normal and they won't."

Yet how could she keep it normal when it felt like everywhere he was touching felt like it was burning?

She wanted the hand around her waist to slip lower but at the same time she didn't.

Evelyn gulped, rolling her eyes just so she could show him he wasn't having the effect on her he was actually having. "Yeah, just doing that."

He spun her around, watching as her puffy black dress flew above the shiny floor gracefully. "I think I'm obsessed." Whispering on her ear, he kept her closer to himself, all the while not missing a step.

He had said he didn't like dancing yet here he was taking her breath away.

Trying not to shake under his touches, she flashed her what was actually a forced smile. "And the dance is over."

Arthmael didn't break eye contact as he kissed her knuckles, his lips lingering on her skin and it felt promising, completely and utterly turning on.

"Thank you for this dance, Your Grace... I really enjoyed it."

Damn you, Arthmael. 

"I did too, Sir," instead, she said, going back to Estelle who was waiting for her, looking around to see if Robert, or anyone else had any suspicious look in their faces but they all seemed to enjoy themselves.

All but Vincent. The man that had always gave her the creeps, he was looking at her and there was a small smirk on his face.

But then there was always a smirk in his face, there was nothing new about it. Evelyn was only overthinking things, she knew it.

Taking the glass of champagne from Estelle, she decided to enjoy the rest of the night. At least as much as she could enjoy it with Arthmael's eyes on her, that made goosebumps erupt over her skin every damn minute of the night. Wasn't she supposed to get used to her mate being around? Why was it becoming even harder from day to day, why did she desire him this much when all he was doing was looking at her from across the ballroom? Wherever she was she could feel his eyes on her and it was simply a torture.

She was left alone when Arthmael walked towards her, making heat flush over her face, heart starting to hover inside her chest and she was scared it could be hard from miles away.

What was he doing, why was he coming to her this obviously?

However, when she expected him to stop in front of her, say something, he moved past her, their pinkies brushing with each other just a little bit and she was panting hard, in a need for breath.

"I'll be waiting for you in my room." His voice the lowest husky whisper on her ear and her knees went weak instantly, shivers running down her spine. Arthmael wasn't even looking at her, but it didn't matter, her body was crying out for more.

"I will not come. I can't..." She had wanted for her voice to sound strong, but instead it was weak, insecure. "I shouldn't."

"You will."

"I will not."

He chuckled, lowly. "Believe me, my love, you will. You know why?" Only then he looked at her, finding the answer inside her needy eyes. "Because right now, you need me just as much as I need you."