Page 73 of The Wild Prince's Favorite
Unlike Alezya, the two other women must have expected his arrival, because neither of them reacted to it. It was only her blushing and feeling flustered, while they just watched with perfectly composed expressions as he walked up to Alezya first. He had barely glanced toward nor talked to them, making Alezya feel a bit relieved... and once again hating her spiteful self. She tried to chase those thoughts away, focusing on the happy leaps of her unsteady heart instead. He was acting the same toward her, wasn’t he?
She stared at him as he walked over naturally, overly conscious of each of his movements, and their eyes met for just a second. His deep, green eyes were the same... He immediately put a knee down next to the bed, his face a bit below her eye level. Kassein was so tall that even with Alezya sitting on the bed, she wasn’t much higher than him. His eyes went to her fresh bandages, as if double-checking that Lorey had taken good care of her, but Alezya only felt all the more embarrassed.
Why was he kneeling in front of her? And in front of other women too? Wouldn’t his sister find this undignified? Alezya nervously glanced at the other two, expecting them to protest this ridiculous situation any second now... but neither of them seemed about to jump in and tell him to stand up. At least, not yet. Lorey had a gentle gaze over them, while Kiera, with her more serious attitude, had her arms crossed and was staring at her brother, but she didn’t seem mad. Her intense stare made Alezya nervous. She grabbed Kassein’s forearms, trying to pull him up and have him stand up before his sister got truly mad...
He noticed her gaze and glanced back. With one word from him, both women left, Lorey with her smile still on, but his sister rolled her eyes... making Alezya even more nervous. Her eyes kept lingering on the entrance. What if she truly got mad after this? What if she reported this to their clan’s elders?
“Alezya.”
Pulling her out of her thoughts, Kassein gently grabbed her attention and her hands in his. Alezya looked down. His hands were so large and warm on hers... They were even bigger than her thighs, and yet, he was holding her hands so carefully, mindful of her injuries. His body heat soothed her a bit.
She was a bundle of nerves ever since she’d seen Lumie. Her snowflake was still up there, waiting for her mom, needing her mom. And this man’s gentle, insanely caring hands were her only way back...
Alezya felt choked up. She didn’t know what to do. She wanted Lumie back, and she wanted her baby safe with her. She would have done anything for that, but this awful plan? She let the tears out, feeling sorry for Lumie, for herself, and for Kassein who probably thought she was insane. He had to. How else could he have understood her crazy actions otherwise…?
Alezya shook her head and lowered it, embarrassed to be crying.
She had been a mess and now, she couldn’t even fight to hold back those tears. She was tired. She was tired of being her clan’s pawn and watching her child suffer for it. She was tired of being such a bad mother, incapable of protecting Lumie properly...
Kassein’s hand took her by surprise. She felt his warm, large hand gently cupping her cheek, and she looked up to meet his concerned green eyes. He had gotten so close, for a second, he took her breath away. He looked concerned, his dark, straight eyebrows furrowed, his green irises riveted on her. She didn’t want him to be concerned for her, she didn’t deserve it.
For a second, Alezya wanted to push his hand away and shout how bad of a woman she was, how wrong he was for caring for her.
She lifted her hand, with the intent to push his away, but... but before she knew it, she was pressing his palm against her cheek even more and closing her eyes, finding comfort in this warm hand. Her heart was too weak, too battered to push the one hand that wanted to console her away. Even if it was just for a bit, she needed this. She needed Kassein’s gentleness.
As she didn’t push him away, but instead leaned against his hand to cry silently, she felt Kassein’s thumb gently caressing her other hand.
Nothing mattered but the two of them, in this place, with the sounds of her quiet crying and hectic breathing.
For just a moment, Alezya wanted to imagine the world had paused to let her cry and seek comfort. She couldn’t go on anymore if she didn’t find one gentle hand in this world. What lay ahead was too hard, too much. She hated herself for not being able to protect Lumie, for being kicked out again, and for the cries of her baby that still echoed in her head. What had Lumie possibly thought, seeing her mom abandon her again?
Alezya couldn’t take it anymore. She wanted her baby back now. She needed her little snowflake, in her arms, safe from this mad world of men...
“Alezya.”
Kassein’s whisper grounded her in the present again.
Alezya opened her teary eyes and pulled away from those dark thoughts and the ache in her heart. She saw his green, helpless eyes.
Slowly, he moved, and with his hand, guided her to put his forehead against hers, taking Alezya by surprise again. He closed his eyes, and she did the same, simply choosing to let go and go along with this. Both his hands cupped her cheeks now, and she held onto his wrists a bit tighter, as if silently asking him not to let go.
She needed him... Alezya finally accepted what she had pushed away all along. She needed Kassein. She needed his gentleness and his strength. She couldn’t do this alone.
For once in her life, there was a man who was genuinely trying to help her, asking for nothing in return, and she wanted to accept it. His gentle, slow, and warm breathing, against her face, was helping her calm down. She was scared, and she wanted her baby back. She wouldn’t be able to go against her father, not alone.
Whichever way things went... She would need Kassein’s help.
And she wanted him. She wanted his large, warm hands to hold her, and never let go. She could prepare her heart. Alezya had done it before.
She’d trusted, and been disappointed, and even if her sore heart wanted to believe Kassein wouldn’t turn out like the others, she wanted to believe that even if he did, she would survive. As long as she had Lumie...
Yes, as long as she had her baby, she could endure anything. But she wouldn’t be able to survive without her little snowflake.
Slowly, after a while passed in this position, the two of them silently holding on to each other, she calmed down. Alezya was clinging to his thick wrists, until she didn’t need to anymore, and released her grip a little. Her crying had stopped, her breathing had slowed down, and her heart was under her control again.
She opened her eyes, and Kassein did the same, pulling his head back an inch to look at her. She tried to gather a weak, half-hearted smile to tell him she was alright.
She wasn’t ready for what he did next. Still holding her face between his hands, Kassein slowly moved to press his lips against her forehead.
