Forbidden Mating With The Alpha

Chapter 9: Compassion

Lucy was in a daze as she walked back into the confinement and safety of the inn. The sounds of celebration outside were still inviting but she no longer felt like going outside, her thoughts too caught up on what had just happened with Dante.

Deep down, she felt uneasy but at the same time the feeling of comfort she got from hugging him made her believe that everything was fine. To her, it was not strange that the commander, who was in charge of her protection along with that of the women, embraced her in a hug. She thought that he was trying to be friendly and comforting to someone in need, and that was not far from the truth.

Lucy hadn't paid attention to where she was going when she left the table and now that she had returned to her senses, she knew not how to get back. The inn appeared to have been small from the outside because the front entrance was tucked between two other buildings, but the deeper one went inside the more obvious it became that it was bigger than anticipated.

After all, it catered to all of the guests who came in for the festival last night and still had enough room for the expensive suites her and the others got besides the standard rooms.

Deciding not to dwell too much on how lost she was, she wandered about with her head lowered until she walked into someone's figure. She stumbled backwards and tripped on her own feet, but before she could fall down to the floor, the person reached their hand out and took ahold of hers, pulling her in to their chest.

"Hey, you have to cautious of your surroundings," the familiar, calming voice said and Lucy's heart skipped a beat. The side of her face was against his chest and she could hear his heart beating. She just hoped he did not feel hers because then he would know how much of an impact his voice alone had on her.

"Creed... I..." She began to speak and her voice left her when she felt him wrap his arms around her body. It was almost the same way that Dante did but he's arms were warmer.

"Don't say anything. I heard some of the conversation you ladies had," he said as a soft whisper, showing that he understood what she was going through. She did not think to question why he had been listening in to their conversation as the tears began to flow down her rosy cheeks. Layla's words had struck her harder than she had realized.

'Pitiful orphan was what Layla called her, and she knew that she was right. She had no recollection of her past and was not even sure what her actual name was. She did not know if she had any parents and could very well be an orphan. No, she had to be an orphan, because Creed did not try to clarify if it was a misunderstanding or not.

He simply rubbed his hand against her back with sensual strokes that only one who was in love could make.

"Tell me what you know about me," Lucy said, her voice quivering. At that moment, she felt a sudden thud in Creed's chest but dismissed it as her imagination.

"I don't know that much about you... What you should know is that you're a beautiful woman whom I love-" he ceased to speak when she moved away from his chest and looked up at him. The tears flowing down her face hurt him to see.

"But why do you love me? I'm just a nobody! I'm a pitiful orphan who doesn't even know her name!" He could not bear to see her pained expression and quickly moved in to embrace her again against her objection. She tried to move away but he firmly held on to her body.

"Your name is Rosalie and you're not pitiful. Don't let anyone tell you that you are," he said, taking a strand of her hair in his hand. He hated himself for lying to her because she really was pitiful. He knew and she did as well. But he would not allow her to feel that way about herself. She was far more than she realized and he wanted to show her that.

"Rosalie! You should not leave the...!"

It was Kiko who appeared from a door down the hallway after she thought she heard Lucy's voice. She paused a few feet behind Dante and saw that there was a small figure hugging him. The blonde hair was Lucy's and Kiko recognized instantly. A bittersweet smile appeared on her lips. As with the other women, she was also uneasy about the marriage arrangement but it would not cloud her judgement.

Lucy was the one who needed the most comforting and if Creed, their future husband, could provide it, then she would let it happen. She turned and walked away without disturbing the two.

Creed was glad he made his appearance at the inn that morning. It was in front of the other women to join them for breakfast because he decided he wanted them to spend their first breakfast together alone. He was tempted to come in and speak to Lucy when she was alone with her maid before but thought against it.

It was one of his duties as their husband to let everyone get along on their own volition without his influence. Operating on that duty, he would not appear before them at all until dinner time on certain days until the ceremony would be completed.

They stood in that embrace for quite a long time until the tears ceased to flow. Neither of them had made any indication of wanting to move away from each other. Lucy was experiencing a feeling she had never before, or at least one she could not remember—the feeling of being wanted... or rather, of being needed.

The way Creed clung on to her body and the way he caressed her hair was similar to the way one would caress a Rose. Gently and carefully so as to not damage it and to avoid hurting themselves in the process.

"I'm sorry I'm not wearing the dress you wanted me to," Lucy began after a moment of comfortable silence as a way to distract herself from the pain.

"I noticed but I don't have much of a problem with it," he said, recalling that he saw Layla wearing the dress he wanted Rosalie to wear. He was told to avoid expressing any bias towards his wives but it was no secret that the one he loved the most was Rosalie, and he did not intend to keep it a secret.

It was a shame that the king forbade him from taking only one wife but as long as Rosalie was one of them, he situation would be a little more bearable.

"You're beautiful in anything you wear... no, you bring out the beauty in what you do wear," he said, correcting himself hallway through to express how he really felt. Lucy felt loved but there were still some doubts. She wanted to marry Creed and though she understood his situation and tried her best to cope with it, there was a dark cloud lingering in her heart that would not allow her to be happy.

It was still early in the morning. He wanted to spend more time with her but he had duties to attend to. Not to mention how unfair it would have been for him to pay more attention to her than to the other women. He loved her and her alone but that did not mean he would break their hearts when the pain could be avoided.

"I'll have to leave you for a while, but it won't be for too long," he said, gently resting his hands on her shoulders to push her away from his chest. The thumping of his heart disappeared and a cold sensation overcame her. It was like listening to the end of a lovely song she desperately wanted to listen to more.

"I understand. I'll..."

'...be thinking about you,' is what she wanted to say but for some reason she could bring herself to say it. He smiled down at her and leaned in to plant a soft kiss on her forehead. His lips against her skin and her smooth skin against his lips. He did not want the kiss to end but his duties were calling to him. There was too much that had to be done.

Lucy watched as he walked away from her and disappeared around a corner. Once she was certain that he was gone, she brought her hand up to caress her forehead where he had kissed her. She could still feel his lips there and wanted the sensation to last forever. But it eventually disappeared and she was left with a desire for more than just a peck.

She wanted more of him and the thoughts that entered her mind made her face flustered. She could not let anyone see her in that state and rushed to find the nearest bathroom. However, when she was about to wash her face with warm water, she looked in the mirror and saw that he had some makeup on. Not that she needed any, but Ida thought it best for her to fit in rather than to draw in any malice that could be felt towards her; specifically by a certain woman who saw herself as above the others.

But Lucy could not return to the table with a heated face and puffy eyes from crying. It would make the others pity her more than they already did. Because of that, she decided to wait in the bathroom for a while until her face would have cleared up. She no longer felt like continuing her meal and saw that being away for a while would not be too much of a problem.