A Lover and A Liar

Friends

Frustrated at herself and her lack of success of finding any spell that could help her and her mate, Alina smashed the book against the wall. Only that it hit a chest instead of the wall, making her grimace.

"Whoa." Cedric raised both his hands in surrender. "Didn't know you hated me this much."

Alina's shoulders fell when she realized it was just him. She let out a heavy sigh, "It's not you I hate, Cedric."

"So there is someone you hate," he teased her, but there was a weary expression on his face after what had happened a few days ago. "This is what you're doing among all these books? Searching how to turn them into frogs?"

She smiled just a bit at his joke. "If I knew how to do that, things would be easier." She shrugged, trying to change the subject before he would start doubting her for real. "I haven't seen you around... anymore."

For the first time, Cedric looked unsure of what he would say. He walked to a table, and sat above it, throwing his head back. "Yeah, I needed a bit of time away, after... what happened."

"I still don't know what happened exactly between you two," she told him, crossing her arms and leaning against a bookshelf as she waited for an answer.

As he grimaced a little, looking away, for a second she thought he was going to dismiss her. But surprisingly, he looked her in the eye, and kept talking, "Julian told me to stay away from you. Because you aren't my mate, and because he was ordering so, if I recall the conversation correctly."

Her mouth hanged open in surprise. "Oh," Alina whispered. "He said that?!"

"Yes. And I kind of accused him of not being capable of loving his mate afterwards."

There was a look of regret and even guilt in Cedric's face, but some sort of protectiveness washed over her, and defensively, she walked to him until he had no choice but to gaze up at her. "How dare you?" Her voice was strong, but Alina hadn't imagined him to bow his head in submission, and it looked almost all on instinct than anything else. "He is your friend, he is your King! And he sure as hell doesn't deserve being treated like that."

He closed his eyes for a brief moment. "I know, Alina. I messed up, I know, I should apologize to him." He sounded sincere, yet she couldn't find it on herself to forgive him this easily. Not when she knew Cedric had no idea how much those words had hurt Julian. "It's just that... there is something, a spark between you two that everyone refuses to see just because he has a mate."

Swallowing down hard, Alina turned on her heels and attempted to leave the library as fast as she could. If she stayed just a little bit longer, she was afraid her heart would betray her. "You're talking nonsense. Julian is in love with Katherine."

"Then why don't you just give me a chance?" The words stopped her on her feet instantly, but she didn't dare to turn back and look at him. "It's not like you haven't noticed my genuine interest on you, you're smarter than that."

She gulped, feeling her body tense even more when she felt him walked towards her. "I have."

"So why?" he demanded, his voice low. "Is it that bad to imagine yourself with me?"

"It's not about you..." Alina's voice was a small whisper.

"What is it then?"

"I'm in love with someone else," she finally let it out, all the feelings that had suffocated her inside since she had came here.

At first, Cedric looked genuinely more curious than hurt. "But you don't have a mate," he said, something everyone was aware of.

"It's complicated." Shaking her head, she attempted to leave once more, but he held on her forearm, stopping her.

"Is he a wizard?"

"Does it matter?"

He shrugged. "It does, because why are you here with us if there is someone waiting for you?"

She wished he would let it go already, but he didn't seem to want to. "I told you, it's complicated. Just because I love him, it doesn't mean he's waiting for me."

"Unrequited love?" His brows raised in surprise. "That one's a bitch."

Alina chuckled, but it felt like she wanted to cry at the same time. "It is," she confirmed. "But I'm the one who messed it up so I'm the one who should pay for it."

He nodded almost in understanding. As if he was just coming to terms with them not having a chance together eventually. "I don't understand anything you're saying, but I just know that you're too perfect to wait your entire life for someone that isn't going to love you back," he told her, not realizing himself how close those words hit her.

Blinking back a few tears, she forced a sad smile on her face. "You might be right. But I don't think there will be a time I'll stop loving him. I just can't." Her lips trembled. "For the life of me, I can't."

***

Just as he opened the door, determined to go to her, at least see her, put an end to this torture that was keeping himself away from her, she happened to be just at the other side of the door, the surprise on her honey eyes resembling his.

"Alina."

"Julian."

They spoke at the same time, a habit they had seemed to grow eventually. "Please," he told her, "go on."

Suddenly, the confidence seemed to leave her features as she looked around the hallway, anywhere but not at him. "I... I just wanted to check on you, I guess."

Leaning against the doorframe, he let out a small chuckle. And his eyes roamed all over her like he had missed his source of oxygen just by not having her around.

She had a simple dress on, in a light beige color. Her curls let free just like he preferred them to be.

Perhaps if only she wouldn't be this pretty, Julian wouldn't desire her this much.

That was what he told himself at least, as his wolf feasted on the images of her in his arms. Beneath him. Doing things he shouldn't imagine doing with anyone else besides his mate.

Groaning internally, Julian gritted his teeth together. This wasn't the plan. This wasn't the plan at all.

"Are you listening to me?" Her sweet, sweet voice brought him right back to reality.

"Oh, yes. Yes, of course." He definitely wasn't. "How rude of me. Please, come inside."

Alina placed her hand on his waiting one hesitantly, and let him lead her inside, looking around in curiosity. Only then Julian realized she had never been inside his bedroom before. And something possessive gripped him from inside. Keeping her here, it wouldn't be such a bad idea.

She looked oblivious to his thoughts, however, as she observed all the decorations and the books, and the expensive materials of everything inside of there. "So this is how a King's room looks like, huh?"

"Are you disappointed?" he questioned, a smile dancing on his lips. It was amazing and terrifying in equal measures how much she could make him smile even when he had felt like crap inside just a few minutes ago, even when everything else was going wrong with his life.

She shook her head. "Nope. I'm impressed, actually. It's beautiful." Wrapping her arms around her body, she finally turned at him. "And... warm."

They were the words he had been wanting to hear. "And you look so in sync with everything inside here," Julian admitted.

For just a moment, Alina looked like she got drowned in his eyes, before she got herself out of it. "I probably should go."

"No." His legs sent him to her all by themselves. "Don't leave."

"Julian."

"I want us to be friends."

Her eyes widened. "Us?! Friends?!" He could have told her the sky was red, she would have looked less surprised.

Thinking it on his head over and over again, it had sounded right. Now it sounded lame, like they both knew how much they were lying to themselves. "Yes," Julian said nonetheless.

Alina looked down at his chest, her fingers going to adjust the buttons of his vest. The act was simple, yet it felt so intimate. So natural.

"I don't think you and I can really be friends, Julian," she whispered.

Not being able to stop himself, he ran his hand on her jaw, tilting it upwards to catch her gaze, tracing his thumb above the soft skin of her cheek. "Why, Alina?" he asked, his voice low and deep when he watched her close her eyes and lean on his hand desperately. "Tell me why."

She didn't open her eyes, and Julian felt he was in the edge of his sanity breaking.

"You know why," she only said, but didn't walk away.

"I'm not ready to let you go yet." Julian's hand disappeared inside her thick hair as his lips kissed her temple softly. "I know you'll have to go back one day, but for now, if it has to be as a friend to keep you here, then so be it. It's better than not having you at all."

Her forehead rested on his shoulder while he kept her there, one hand buried on her hair and the other around her waist. His wolf felt finally contented, after lots of days that he was making Julian's life a living hell. Now he was purring and drifting off to sleep, quiet and happy.

It was all so strange, the effect she had on his body.

"Okay then, we can be friends. We can be whatever you want."

Julian smiled. Leaving another kiss in the top of her head, he managed to somehow distance himself from her.

"Talk to me about yourself, Alina. I've been wanting to get to know you for a little while now."