The Ancient Lycan's Mute Mate

...Cute!!

Chapter 10

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…Cute!!

She stared at me with questions dancing in her dark eyes.

Cute…

Everything she did seemed so, how should I place a word on it…

So endearing to me…

…even if she still looked at me with evident distrust in her deep black eyes.

‘Well, this seems like a huge level up for me,’

Since before this, she had been looking at me like she was ready to stab me over and over again.

Well..

Going from a look that was filled with murderous intent to a suspicious squint?

That was good progress, considering whatever she seems to have gone. As soon as I thought about what must have happened to her, I felt my body tense up in rage.

She is staring at you Cassian, get a grip…

“Come here”

I mustered up a smile and tried to lower my tone.

That must have worked because she took little steps towards me with a bit of hesitation in her movement.

She stood in front of me, her head raised slightly to meet my gaze defiantly, as if to tell me she wasn't scared.

I looked down at her slightly heaving chest and trembling fingers…

…Ha, seriously, everything she did was so damn cute.

I saw her flinch slightly but still trying to stand her ground as I reached down and took her hand in mine…

…Damn, it's that feeling again.

I tried to ignore it as I led her gently, towards the dressing table. After she had sat down, I gently loosen the already damp towel wrapped around her head and threw it in a corner.

I saw her body shiver slightly as l combed my fingers through her long, wet hair.

‘This is really not bad’

I repeated my actions a few times, enjoying the feeling of caring for my mate, then I picked up the hairdryer I had plugged in earlier.

The rhythmic, whir of the hairdryer filled the room, wrapping the atmosphere in a cozy cocoon of sound that shut out the rest of the world.

I focused on the gentle task of drying her hair, running my fingers through the damp, soft strands, but every touch was a quiet indulgence.

‘I could do this everyday’.

I loved the weight of the air, the warmth vibrating against my palms, and the simple intimacy of taking care of her.

‘My mate’

After all this years, that simple sentence didn't sound that sour to me anymore…

Looking up, my eyes found the mirror on the dressing table.

I met her gaze instantly. Her expression carried a beautiful paradox—a soft, relaxed comfort that came from feeling completely safe in my hands…

… I'm quite sure even she doesn't even realise it the kind of expression she is wearing right…

…It was laced with a hint of vigilance, as if she were watching my every move, waiting to see if I would make any wrong move.

I traced the tips of my fingers on the nape of her neck deliberately in an ‘attempt’ to brush the long black hair covering the sides of her face to the back.

I saw her eyelids shook slightly as she slowly closed them, satisfaction written all over her face which told me I was doing a good job as a first timer in the act.

Then suddenly…

… Her eyes snapped open in shock and disbelief as she looked forward in the mirror, catching my gaze, a faint hint of shame and embarrassment swirling in her dark eyes, and the faint pink tint, suspiciously that of a blush, appeared on her pale face.

…Really cute.

She quickly averted her gaze, for once I noticed she didn't glare at me.

She looked down at the object she held in her hand, twirling it in between her fingers, playing with it absentmindedly. It was that same little rod she had with her since we met.

‘It seems like she finds sanctuary in it’

…More than she would a living being.

I lowered my head, trying to focus on the task at hand, I knew that after this moment, it was going to be rare to be this intimate with her, so I tried to extend it for as long as I could.

While I was taking my sweet time, brushing my fingers slowly through her hair to stretch out the moment, something on the nape of her neck abruptly caught my attention.

A sudden, sharp realization froze me in place.

I stared at it in pure shock, completely paralyzed as my mind tried to process what I was looking at.

All my gentle movements stopped in an instant.

The only thing left moving was the heavy, continuous whirring sound of the hairdryer, still held aloft in my raised, trembling hands.

The warm air blew aimlessly against her skin, a stark contrast to the sudden icy feeling running in my veins.

‘f**k’

‘Why…’

…tiny purplish dots were scattered like a constellation of both fresh and old bruises across the pale curve of her neck.

"Damnit," the word tore from my throat, raw and jagged.

I gritted my teeth, locking my jaw so hard that the pressure radiated up into my temples.

A sharp, metallic tang flooded my tongue—the distinct, copper taste of my own blood where my teeth had clenched tightly, leaving now gaps.

I didn't care. The pain was nothing compared to the white-hot fury roaring through my veins.

For years, I had kept the beast caged.

I had locked it away in the deepest, darkest recesses of my soul, forcing the feral thing into a restless hibernation.

But looking at the marks on her skin, the cage fractured.

I looked towards the mirror just to catch her deep black eyes that were looking at me with a hint of curiosity and vigilance.

“All done now”

I said trying to keep my tone casual as I arranged the hair dryer in the drawer.

I could feel her eyes following my every move.

‘I really wonder what goes on in that little head of hers’

The rage I felt just moments ago instantly disappeared like it wasn't there in the first place as I looked at her, trying not to let out the chuckle threatening to escape from my chest.

She looked at me like she was trying to know what I was thinking, like I was a piece of puzzle she was trying to unravel…

‘Ha..’

‘She is really cute…’