The Princess And Her Alpha Bodyguard

41~ SURPRISE

"What do you mean?" I wiggled my way out of his arms, hoping he would put me down. However, what I got was the opposite. Instead of setting me loose, he tightened his arm and locked me in close—way too close that our chests met. I gulped when his body warmth transferred into mine. No matter how hard I tried to control my palpitating heart of mine, it refused to listen. It kept pulsating like a racing horse. The only thing I hoped for at this moment was for him not to notice it. 

But what I hoped for crumbled into dust. Not that I was surprised, though, given the proximity.

"I sensed something pounding against my chest. Was it your heart? It beat so fast," said Valdemir in a casual tone, caring not about keeping it discreet.

"N-nope." Although I knew he didn't buy this lie, I still denied it. There was no way I would admit something embarrassing as this. 

"Really? Are you telling me you don't have a heart?" 

"Think whatever you want. I don't care. Put me down. I have legs, so I can walk by myself." I tapped his shoulder. 

"You've been walking far enough today. Don't push yourself too far since you've only recovered."

Here we go again with the don't-push-yourself-too-far talking. My ears burned from hearing the same words over and over in a single day. I felt like I might have a nightmare with this word when I went to sleep tonight. 

"Oh, please. Enough with the lecture. I'm not a baby." I groaned in frustration.

"Yep. You're not a baby. You're a big baby." Valdemir wiggled his eyebrows at me.  

"No, I'm not." 

"Yes, you are." 

"I'm not." 

"You are." 

Knowing it wasn't going anywhere, I stopped arguing. "Fine," I said through gritted teeth. I hated to admit defeat like this, but I didn't want to get stuck here all day. "I'm a big baby. Happy? Now put me down."

"What if I say no?" He leaned closer. If it weren't for the wolf's shape mask, I might have sensed his warm breath on my face. 

"How long are you going to hold me, then?" I looked away. 

"Forever." 

As if the closeness wasn't enough, he had to go with honeyed words. Who would have thought the almighty alpha king could be this good with the word? I could sense heat crawling up from my neck to my face. Thankfully, I'd already looked away. Or else Valdemir would've teased me to death.  

"That's what I want. I wish to hold you in my arms like this forever, Lae," he continued when I said nothing. 

I bit my lips. For some reason, hearing these words made me feel guilty. Why? Because somewhere in the corner of this heart had another man that wasn't the one holding me. And I wished that man would say these words to me, too. 

"Why are you here? It isn't your usual visiting hour yet?" I asked, changing the topic. 

"Do I need a fixed schedule to visit my mate?" He said in a teasing tone as he returned my question with another one of his own. The very thing that never failed to annoy me.

"I asked you first. Stop returning my question with another question." 

"Fine. That's because I had something important to tell you." His voice went stern. There was no trace of teasing anymore. "I went into your room, but I didn't see you there. Dila told me you went to the training camp with Lumina. So, I came to find you." 

"You have something to tell me?" I turned back to him with a frown. I wondered how crucial it was to turn the air gloomy like this. 

Valdemir remained silent for a short while, uttering not a single word. Then he turned to Lumina, who was still kneeling. "Leave us." 

"But your highness, Miss—" 

"Do you think I'm not qualified to take care of her?" He cut her off. 

"I don't dare, your majesty. How could I?" Lumina's voice shook in terror as she lowered her head to the ground. "For a month, you've been treating Miss's injuries and nursing her back to health. You're more than qualified." 

"Good. Then do as I've said. Leave us. I'll bring her back in one piece when I'm done talking with her." 

"Yes, your highness." She got up to her feet and curtsied before heading off in the direction of my isolated castle. 

I watched her back until she disappeared from my sight. Then, I turned to Valdemir and asked, "So, what is it that you want to talk to me about?" 

"Not here." He shook his head. "There are many things to talk about. It'll be a long story. Let's go somewhere else." 

"Where?" 

"You'll see," he said and started walking. 

We didn't talk along the way. It was as if we wanted to save the strength for later. I looked anywhere but his face as he carried me to wherever it was. I knew it wasn't the first time that both of us were in such proximity. In fact, it'd already been a month. Since his return, Valdemir took Edward's place in taking care of me. He treated my wound by applying the ground herbs with his own hands. I told him to let Lumina take care of it, but he insisted on doing it himself. 

And that wasn't all. 

He always came to visit me. And by always, I meant every day. Twice a day, to be exact. There wasn't a single day that he missed. Even though he didn't stay next to me every minute, he spent all the spare time he had. Sometimes, it was after his morning assembly. Sometimes, it was in the afternoon at lunchtime. But the one time that never changed—not even once—was at dinner. He always had dinner at my place every evening. 

Correction: we had dinner together at my place. 

When I was still bedridden, Valdemir sat behind me and held me up to let Lumina feed me. Only after I was done eating did he eat his meal. When I was better—to the point that I could sit up by myself—, he helped adjust the pillow behind my back so that I could lean on the bedhead. Then, he took Lumina's job by sitting on the bed next to me and spoon-feeding the soup until the last drop. Even though I told him I could do it myself, he wouldn't let me. In short, he treated me like a baby. Or should I said… he spoiled me? He kept doing this until I was well enough to get up. That was when things became normal. We just sat at my table and had dinner. No more spoon-feeding.

And that concluded the events of the time we spent together for the past thirty days. 

Judging from what happened, I thought I would get used to it. Being close with him, I meant. Yet, it wasn’t that easy. I still couldn't get used to it. Although my heart didn't react the way it used to be (way back before I knew Edward), it still beat fast whenever he was near.  

Edward. I called out his name at the back of my head. I knew I shouldn't do this when I was with Valdemir. Still, my greedy heart only did what it wanted. I couldn't control it. 

But there was something strange about it. 

When I was with Edward, I couldn't stop thinking about Valdemir. And now that I was with Valdemir, my head always thought of Edward. I didn't understand myself right now. My heart refused to give me a satisfying answer. All I knew, for now, was that every time I was with either of them, my heart acted up for no reason. 

"What are you thinking about?" asked Valdemir, breaking the silence. 

"Nothing." I lied, knowing there was no way I could tell him what I was thinking.

"Your face looks like someone deep in thoughts. I hope you're not thinking about something that should only be done at night, are you?" 

"Hey," I glared at him. "Who do you think I am? I'm not a pervert."  

He let out a pearl of laughter, making my body shake alongside his. 

"What's so funny?" I asked, maintaining the death stare.

"You are." Before I could talk back, he continued, "By the way, we're almost there." 

I looked around, wondering where we were. But I had no single clue, for this place was unfamiliar to me. "Where are we?"

"Somewhere only we know."

"Great. Thanks for being so vague." I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. "I shouldn't have bothered asking." 

"Don't worry. You'll see soon." 

"How long is that soon?" I challenged him, finding he'd been secretive today.    

"Not long," he said in a gentle tone. "Close your eyes." 

"What?" I blinked in confusion, wondering what he was planning to do. "Why?"

"Just do it." 

"Fine." I did what I was told. 

"Don't open them until I say so. No cheating." 

"I won't." 

He started walking, but it didn't take long to stop again. But this time, he put me down gently. 

"Can I open them yet?" I asked when my feet touched the ground. 

"One second," he said. Then, he touched my hands and brought them to rest on something. I flinched at the cold, but I soon adjusted to it. I let Valdemir guide my hands to what felt like doorknobs. "Alright. This is the door, Lae. I already placed your hands in position. Open your eyes at the same time you open the door. Okay?" 

"Okay." I nodded. "I'll do it now then." 

"Sure," he said. 

And with that, I turned on the doorknob and pushed the door in. When I opened my eyes and saw what was inside, I gasped in astonishment. 

There were thousands of questions in my head when my eyes landed on the things inside. But right now, I was rendered speechless. I couldn't utter a single word. The only thing that came out of my parted lips was air.  

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©️StellaKMary | The Princess And Her Alpha Bodyguard

A/N: Thanks for your comments. It seemed 99% said that I should wait until completion. Therefore, I decided not to apply for PTR until completion. However, I can't help it if my editor did it without informing me. Let's hope she won't do it xD. Yeah, this means I'll also give up the opportunity to get my story promoted. My editor once told me a PTR will have a better chance of getting promoted than a free one. Thanks for your comments. I hope you enjoy the story.