ALPHA'S ETERNAL OBSESSION

Chapter 12: Ours now

Camilla's POV

Malakai returned to the room a few moments later with a plate of parfait. He placed the tray on the bed in front of me, setting the iced dessert on top.

"I figured you might like it, so I went to get it for you," he explained, watching my face light up with a smile. "I guess with that smile, I don’t need to ask if I was right."

"Thank you," I said, but I couldn’t bring myself to eat. My thoughts were too restless, tangled around the letter from Moonstone.

Malakai confessed he compelled Arthur—it had the only way to get me out, he claimed.

That night, I’d suspected something was off, especially with the guards. Arthur's pride and obsession would never have let him give me up willingly… not for any price.

Still, the truth had shocked me—thrilled me, even—and scared me all the same.

Knowing Malakai could compel made me wonder what else he was capable of, what he really was… and if he could do it to me. The thought sent a shiver down my spine. But he wouldn’t tell me, not until I had shared everything he wanted to know about me.

He was such a fraud, wrapped in mystery.

"Have you seen the mail? What did it say?" I asked with knots in my belly.

Malakai's face hardened instantly.

My heart skipped. Was he already thinking of letting me go?

I pushed the parfait aside, facing him well. "Please tell me."

"It’s really not important. Just some stupid request to have you returned in forty-eight hours," he said, grimacing like the words tasted bitter in his mouth.

Arthur had been relentless for three days now. I feared he wouldn't give up until he got what he wanted.

But the way Malakai spoke made me feel a little better, but I still needed to hear it from him.

"Would you?" I asked, my voice so low I barely heard myself. I couldn't stop fearing that if Arthur pushed too hard, he might.

"Under no circumstance, Camilla. It would never even cross my mind," he replied almost immediately. His gaze locked on mine, sharp and firm, like he needed me to understand just how much he meant every word.

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. The lump in my throat melted into a swarm of butterflies flapping wildly in my stomach.

Malakai sat on the bed, his eyes still trained on me.

"I don’t want you to let any thought of Arthur bother you again. I’ll take care of him. You just stay here and focus on healing. Living—for me and for you."

My heart thudded so loud it echoed in my skull. Those blue, deep and rich orbs, like the ocean before a storm, were impossible to look away from.

For a brief second, I thought about his family. They all had blue eyes, except for Elani and Gianna. If the siblings all shared that color, then what about Gianna? Was she not one of them?

I blinked the thought away, not liking the way it settled in my chest.

I focused on this moment instead, letting my mind replay everything that had happened since I met Malakai—the rescue, the garden, the way he cares for me, spoke to me. He had a way with words. Always soft and passionate, the kind that sends my heart racing into unfamiliar places.

The way he reacts to my stories was another thing, like he had lived every pain with me, like he understood what it felt like. It melted something in me.

And now, he was helping me forget that life. He was trying to create something new for me. Something without constant ache. A place where I didn’t have to fight to prove I was worthy of love. These past three days had been the best I ever had, since I knew what life was.

I never thought the goddess would show me this much mercy. Not when I was still very much a curse, a product of sin.

My hand trembled as I raised it, slowly, toward his face. With his encouraging smile, I inched closer, until I actually touched him. His skin felt soft and warm against my palm. It didn’t hurt to feel him, like I’d expected. Instead, it felt like a spark of electricity rushed through me. Tingling and amazing.

But almost immediately, images rushed into my mind... Arthur sneering, forcing me to touch him in places unholy.

I tensed.

“You’re doing just great, Lovely,” Malakai encouraged, voice low and tender, grounding me.

His eyes darkened, something like desire flickering in them. But it vanished just as quickly.

I blinked away the memories and continued. This was just his face. It wasn’t going to kill me.

My fingers explored slowly, brushing beneath the long strands of his hair, feeling everything. The perfect shape of his bones, the dips and contours of his face, the sharp jawline.. like I was studying them, committing each detail to memory, as if I needed to recognize him even in a dream.

He tensed occasionally, obviously holding himself back... restraining the intensity of what he felt. The idea that such simple touch had effect on him made me feel that strange flutter treading through my skin again.

His hair was so soft. I imagined what it might feel like to braid it.

I paused just before my finger could graze his lips.

Our eyes locked, and I salivated.

The raw intensity in his gaze made my heart stutter many times over—made me wonder what kissing felt like... without being forced.

At that thought, I pulled away quickly, silently reprimanding myself for thinking such.

I expected disappointment, but instead, a soft smile spread across Malakai's face. He looked proud for my small progress. It warmed me in a way I didn’t expect.

“Baby steps, Lovely. You did wonderfully.” he praised.

“Thank you…" I said, shakily. "for everything.”

He smiled again. “Can I touch you too?” he asked, and my heart gave a hard pound. “Just your hand.”

I took a deep breath and nodded. He had touched my hands a few times since I arrived, after all.

He took my left palm in his and examined it—no, admired it.

“I love how small it looks,” he murmured. “Cute. Fits perfectly in mine.”

I didn't know when I smiled.

He lifted the hand to his lips, still holding my gaze, silently asking me to stop him if I wanted to. Though my heart was racing wildly, I let him.

I knew how hard it was for wolves to restrain themselves around their mate. Harder still for an Alpha.

Unlike Arthur, Malakai had been trying... even restraining from holding my hand when he clearly wanted to.

It made me want to try harder.

He pressed a soft kiss to my knuckles. I flinched slightly, but the warmth made me relax after. It didn’t trigger panic. It didn’t bring back those memories.

That alone felt like a big win.

:::::::::::::::

Once our contact and trust-building process was over, he urged me to eat while we went back to discussing the suppressant.

“I can only remember taking it off once... when the previous one was changed to this,” I said, the memory making my eyes sting, though I forced back the tears. “I was nine. They placed wolfsbane near me.”

Malakai’s expression hardened. “Can you feel your wolf?”

I dropped the spoon. Lost all appetite for the parfait.

“She stirs… very few times. But only slightly. Like when I met you.”

I knew what that meant.

My wolf, the part of me that should rage, protect, and fight... was almost dead. That was the most horrible thing that could happen to a werewolf. And it was just a matter of time before it happened to me.

Malakai sighed. A heavy, exhausted sigh.

I panicked. Was I burdening him too much?

“I—I’m sorry,” I whispered, looking away as my tears finally escaped.

His head whipped toward me almost instantly, his frown deepening with what looked like hurt.

“Why are you apologizing?” he asked. "And crying?”

“All of this,” I said, sniffling. “I’m just… too much. Too much of a problem."

He glowered now, displeasure cleared on his face.

He slowly reached for me. “I don’t like see these tears.” He told me, gently wiping them. “I don’t like to see you cry—unless they’re tears of happiness.”

His words wrapped around me like warm blanket.

Then he turned to face me fully. “None of this is your fault, baby? I should be the one saying sorry... for not finding you sooner.”

Unbelievable. How could he blame himself for this?

“This is my fate,” I countered. “You don’t have to blame yourself for what you can’t control.”

“It’s not just your fate anymore. It’s ours now.” His voice was resolute. “Whatever you’re feeling, you don’t have to carry it alone. You’ll tell me. Every time. And I’ll gladly share in the burden. Together, we’ll walk through everything.”

His words shattered something inside me, and the tears I thought I’d run out came flooding back.

By the time I calmed, Malakai suggested we try removing my suppressant. This time, without any wolfsbane around.

I was terrified.

Terrified of harming him.