The Noble Heiress & Her Ancient Foe

Chapter 11

*Third POV*

It’s been a few weeks since Alina has been living with Armaan. He hasn’t even spoken to Alina once since he last gave her the tour of the house. He seemed to be stressed out with something. He even stopped attending dinners. The only good thing about that was Alina had a chance to bond with Amir and Aunt Rina more. She had been feeding him and playing with him every chance she could get. But, she wanted more; she wanted to take care of him and never let him out of her sight. Aunt Rina said that it was amazing how Alina’s motherly instinct was so strong towards Amir. Just like today, she spent as much time as she could with them at dinner. But now, the events from the day are starting to take its toll on her.  She decided to take a hot shower to relax the stress.

Alina finished her shower, completed her skincare and body-care routines, and slipped on a satin black maxi nightgown. She recalled she forgot the matching robe on the bed. As she opened the door of the bathroom, she was startled by the presence of Armaan. He was sitting at the edge of the bed, gazing at the fire that was burning vibrantly. He was only wearing a pair of black sweatpants. Alina noticed he had a huge tiger tattoo that covered the right side of his chest. He also had a tattoo of a sword on his left arm. He looked up at her, and Alina moved her eyes away from him quickly. Her heartbeat was beating at such a fast pace. Alina realized that she was only in her nightgown. She looked at her robe, which was right next to Armaan. As if calculating her next move, Armaan and Alina both grabbed the robe at the same time, and Armaan tugged it just hard enough that Alina was pulled into his arms by this swift movement. Her hair flew forward and covered half of her face. Armaan gently moved her long black hair out of her face and tucked it neatly behind her ear. Her left hand was holding onto her robe, and her right hand rested on his chest, right on the face of the tiger tattoo. Alina thought that she might faint for being so close to him. Although she was nervous, Lux was purring as if she was a cat. Armaan couldn’t believe it; she was in his arms now. He kept himself away from her to give her time to settle in, plus he was so stressed with pack business that he was afraid he might not be able to control his desires from taking over. He only came to talk to her, but this took a happy turn. Nox howled in agreement. He pulled the robe gently out of her hands and threw it back onto the bed. Alina had nothing to hide herself with anymore. Armaan admired her curvy figure that was accentuated by the slinky satin material of the nightgown. 

“We are matching again,” Armaan said with a chuckle in an attempt to break the tension. Alina smiled a little as she remembered how their outfits did match when she first met him, and now they are both wearing black. She just nodded and tried to back away, but Armaan wasn’t allowing it. He put his arm around her waist and pulled her into him. Both of her hands rested on his chest, and Alina couldn’t control her emotions anymore. She tried to back away again, and this time Armaan let her go. She was shocked. He left her standing there and turned towards the door. Alina reached out and grabbed his arm to stop him. He looked down at her hand and then back at her, a sexy smirk on his lips and a mischievous glint in his eyes. She noticed this and pulled her hand back, but not before Armaan caught it. “If you have decided to hold my hand in this life, I’ll never let you go,” he says with a low and husky voice, as he kisses her hand like he did when he greeted her the first time they met. Alina blushed furiously as Armaan continued to kiss her arm, moving upwards until he reached her neck. He kissed her neck and gently nibbled at the spot where he would eventually mark her. Alina felt herself getting lost in the moment, but just as Armaan was about to kiss her on the lips, she turns her face to the side, and he ends up kissing her right cheek instead. Armaan rested his head on her right shoulder, sighing, then moved away from her after a short time. 

“I know you may have a million different feelings and thoughts regarding our relationship, and I just want you to know, I will respect your decision if you want to reject this mate bond,” Armaan said. This time, there was no emotion in his voice. But his eyes held a pang of sadness and loneliness in them. Alina was confused. That’s true, she did have a million different feelings and thoughts regarding their relationship, but she never thought of rejecting Armaan. She would be lying if she said she didn’t feel a deep connection to him. “I never thought of rejecting you. It’s - it’s just that I need some time,” Alina said as she placed her hand on Armaan’s cheek to comfort him. Armaan’s face lights up as she does this. She mirrors his smile too. “I never imagined that I would meet my mate in the circumstances that have occurred. I can’t deny that I feel connected to you, deeply, but I need time to accept this change in my life,” Alina said as she sat on the edge of the bed gazing at the fire. Armaan joined her. He placed a hand on hers, and Alina responded by interlacing her fingers with his. “I get it. I won’t rush you into anything,” Armaan said. After some time, Armaan decided to open up to Alina. “I want to let you know, I have been waiting for my mate for my entire life, but I have had a few trysts here and there. But, nothing serious, I swear!” He clarifies as Alina gave him a glare that may kill him. “Lena, I am only telling you this because I don’t want to keep any secrets from you.” Alina watched him, and she searched for any signs of dishonesty. When she found none, she nodded to let him continue. “I lied to your father earlier as well. There was never a threat against your pack.” Alina got up from the bed immediately and started to look at him with wide eyes. “Why did you lie? Do you know how tormented mum and dad were by this lie?” Armaan couldn’t bear to hurt his mate, but hearing about Daniyal being tormented just irked him on a whole different level. 

“Tormented, huh? No offense, but the little inconvenience I caused Alpha Daniyal is like a mosquito bite compared to the pain he gave me.” “No, don’t go there,” Alina said, “you still have no proof that my father committed the m******e, and you know he is not that type of person!” Alina couldn’t believe that they were even having this conversation. Armaan ran his hand through his hair before standing up as well. “The witch that helped me to recover from the attack told me that her coven traced the magic back to the source. That source was the Gold Crescent Pack, and it just so happens that the only known magic practitioner of the Gold Crescent Pack is Alpha Daniyal. What do you expect me to think?!” Alina was a little scared of Armaan’s reaction. He raised his voice, but somehow she knew he wasn’t yelling at her. “My dad couldn’t have done this, Armaan. Trust me.” Alina said quietly. Armaan’s entire demeanor changed. 

He almost instantly became calmer, “what did you just say?” Alina became worried if she said something wrong. She looked down at the floor while she answered. “I said that my dad couldn’t have done this.” Armaan started to walk up to Alina and placed a finger under her chin, forcing her to look at him. “No, after that,” he said as he watched her with the excitement of a child. “Trust me?” Alina was confused. What was he so happy about? “No, Lena. Before that.” He was smirking now. Alina felt her cheeks heat up. She now realized what he was talking about. She called him by his name. “Armaan,” she whispered faintly, “I didn’t quite hear that dove. Speak up,” Armaan encouraged her. “Armaan,” this time, she said his name confidently, and right as his name left her lips, Armaan crashed his lips onto hers. He kissed her softly at first and then more passionately. He bit Alina’s lower lip begging for entrance, but Alina didn’t give in. She tried to pull away, but Armaan pulled her closer to him, and the sudden jolt into his chest forced a gasp out of Alina, which gave him what he wanted. After the kiss, Armaan picked Alina up and carried her to the bed. He laid her down gently, and then he shut the lights off. Only the light from the fireplace lit up the room. Alina started to get nervous now. Was he going to complete the mating process now? Armaan sensed her nervousness, but he just lay down and pulled Alina closer to him. Her back was nestled into his chest. He kissed her shoulder and whispered, “Goodnight, Lena.” Alina didn’t reply, but she found herself starting to relax. Before she knew it, she was sound asleep in the arms of her beloved.