Amelie took a slow step forward, her eyes locked on Valko’s majestic form. Carefully, she reached out, her hand trembling slightly, not from fear, but from the overwhelming feeling blooming in her chest.
As her palm gently met his face, Valko closed his eyes, leaning into her touch. It was a silent surrender for love that needed no words. She could feel the steady warmth radiating from him.
A soft smile spread across her lips full of wonder and affection. She leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to the side of his face, just below his eye.
"It feels dreamy, Valko," she whispered.
Valko let out a low, contented sound, his tail swaying slowly behind him.
’I wish I had a wolf too,’ she thought, hugging Valko this time. The strong musk scent made her heart thunder more.
They remained like that for a while when Gabriel changed back into his human form, his arms wrapping around her waist, taking in Amelie’s scent.
"You changed back," Amelie murmured, pulling up her face to meet his gaze.
Gabriel didn’t respond. Instead, he captured her mouth into a fierce kiss while tilting her head to one side. She had to tiptoe even though she was in her heels, reciprocating to his kiss.
She found herself landing on something soft and opened her eyes only to find they were in their room. Gabriel had teleported them. The bags in her hands lowered to the floor above the rug.
Amelie withdrew from the kiss while panting. "Wait, I need to breathe," she murmured.
"Sorry," Gabriel caressed her hair and planted a soft kiss on the top of her head.
"Where are you going?" Amelie questioned as soon as Gabriel stepped away.
"I need to order dinner for us," Gabriel replied.
"I thought–" Amelie paused and bit her bottom lip.
"I need to make sure you don’t skip your meals," Gabriel stated, grabbing the landline phone.
"I love you," Amelie said to which Gabriel arched his eyebrow at her. The line connected and he ordered the meals when Amelie teased him by giving him a firm kiss on the cheek before running to the washroom.
Gabriel set down the phone and chuckled in joy. Suddenly, so much had changed in his life and he was happy about it. "I’m glad I chose you Amelie. Despite everything, I am going to choose you in every situation of my life," he murmured with a smile.
~~~~~
Katelyn ended the call and slowly lowered her hand, her brows slightly furrowed. "I wonder what’s going on with my elder brother... Even Mom wouldn’t tell me," she murmured, her voice tinged with concern.
The cool night breeze swept gently across her face, tugging at the strands of her hair and tossing them to the side.
"Your Highness, what are you doing here alone in the garden?" Karmen asked, approaching her with quiet steps.
"I was speaking with my mother," Katelyn replied softly. Her eyes drifted to the file in his hand. "You’re always working every time I see you."
"Prince Gabriel hasn’t resumed his duties yet. That’s why," Karmen said with a small, understanding smile.
"Hmm," she murmured.
"I thought you’d return to the palace after the wedding was over," he remarked.
"I plan to stay here for a while," Katelyn said calmly.
"I hope Prince Gabriel will be alright with that," Karmen replied after a pause. "He chose this place to distance himself from the royal family... I don’t mean to say you should leave, Your Highness, but I felt it was important to mention."
"I spoke to my brother. Amelie put in a good word for me, so I’ll be staying here for a while," Katelyn said, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
"Oh," Karmen replied, nodding slightly.
"I met your mother in the capital a few weeks ago," she continued. "Aren’t you planning to visit your family?"
"I’ve been caught up with work," he answered. "But I’ll visit them soon." His tone softened as he added, "You should head inside now. The nights in San Ravendale tend to get colder."
Katelyn hummed in response, watching him as he turned to leave. But just as he took a step away, she called out.
"Karmen, I wanted to ask you something."
He paused, turning back to face her. "What is it?"
"Umm..." She hesitated, then drew in a breath. "Would you like to date me?"
Katelyn had planned to keep her feelings hidden, but she could no longer to do. She felt she needed certainty.
Karmen blinked, surprised. He had to make sure he heard her right. "Pardon me?"
Karmen’s expression shifted subtly. "An alpha can’t date a beta," he said at last.
"Which rulebook says that?" Katelyn pouted, stepping closer to him. "I like you," she confessed then.
Karmen’s eyes widened at her boldness. He parted his lips to respond, but the words didn’t come, at least, not the right ones.
"Your Highness, I will pretend I didn’t hear that," he finally said, bowing slightly before turning away.
"What? Why?" Katelyn blinked in disbelief, her heart sinking. She hadn’t expected him to accept her so easily, but an instant rejection? That hurt her.
"I don’t want to be with an alpha," Karmen reasoned.
"What? How could you say that?" she demanded, rushing to block his path. "You’re stronger than me. You’ve always been."
"That doesn’t change anything," he said, his voice growing firmer. "You’re a princess, an Alpha Princess. I’m Prince Gabriel’s beta and a close friend. It’s not right."
His tone had sharpened, intentionally colder now. He believed it would be better this way, to extinguish her hopes completely before they grew deeper.
"I may be stronger, but I don’t wish to be romantically involved with you, Princess Katelyn. You aren’t my type," he said in the end.
Katelyn clenched her hands into fists. Her eyes brimmed with tears. But instead of saying anything to Karmen, Katelyn ran inside, straight to her room.
Shutting the door close, she wiped the tears from her eyes. "How could he say that I’m not his type? He sees me as an undesirable woman," Katelyn mumbled.