Fortunately, Althea had just finished expelling the poison when Gavriel returned. She quickly stepped out of her chamber.
“Your Majesty,” she greeted politely, bowing her head.
His gaze immediately swept to Melva behind her. “Leave,” he said curtly.
Without hesitation, Melva slipped away and closed the door behind her.
Gavriel’s sharp eyes moved back to Althea, scanning her from head to toe. “I heard my mother visited... with a tray of tea.”
“Indeed,” Althea replied, offering a faint smile. Something in her heart softened at the brief flicker of concern she caught on his face, though it quickly vanished behind his usual stoic mask.
“I’ll have Lakan check on you now,” he muttered and turned to leave.
But Althea reached out and gently grabbed his wrist, making him halt. He turned back slowly, frowning. Meeting his eyes, she spoke plainly. “There’s no need. I’ve already expelled the poison.”
His frown deepened. He didn’t speak, but his eyes narrowed, clearly questioning her claim.
Althea inhaled deeply. She had promised herself she wouldn’t reveal everything. But Gavriel held power over her life now. And in a place where she was constantly being targeted, he needed to know she wasn’t completely defenseless.
She feared that keeping something this important from him would only make him more suspicious, more wary of her. And that was the last thing she wanted.
Somehow, in the short time they had been together, she had grown... comfortable around him. More than she ever thought possible. His presence, cold and unreadable as it often was, made her feel oddly secure. Safe, even.
It was confusing.
But deep in her heart, something whispered that Gavriel was someone she could trust... despite the twisted circumstances that bound them together.
“That time,” she began, “when I tried to bargain for Kael’s life, I told you I could be of use to you... that I had a secret ability.”
He didn’t respond, but the tension in his shoulders shifted slightly, he remembered.
“You didn’t bother asking then,” she continued quietly. “But maybe now, you should know.”
His face remained unreadable. “Tell me now. I’m listening.”
Althea met his gaze without flinching. “I can read minds,” she confessed. “But... strangely enough, I can’t read yours.”
She let that truth sink in, then added calmly, “That tea the Queen Mother gave me—it was poisoned. Meant to make me permanently barren. She didn’t want me to carry your heirs. And I understood that all too well.”
Gavriel’s expression darkened, and without a word, he stepped closer, closing the distance between them. His eyes searched hers intently, sharply.
“I can only read their thoughts when I look into their eyes...” she continued, her voice barely a whisper now, breath catching with how close his face had gotten.
There was a tense silence before Gavriel finally asked, his voice low and firm, “And how does that ability alone let you expel poison from your body?”
“I can heal,” she answered softly. “There’s an energy inside me... like that of a natural-born Mage Healer.”
He didn’t react, but she knew he was absorbing every word.
“I’m not just a wolfless hybrid, Gavriel,” she said softly. “The memories I lost when my mother died... they’ve returned. And so has what she passed down to me.”
She hesitated, but his unwavering stare pushed her to continue.
“My mother... she taught me everything when I was a child,” Althea murmured. But she left one crucial detail unsaid, something she would only reveal if absolutely necessary.
That finally made his eyes flicker.
“No one knew,” Althea added, her voice almost a whisper. “Not even my father. My mother made me promise never to reveal it. Not even to him.”
Gavriel took a deep breath, but still said nothing. Althea couldn’t tell if he believed her or not.
“Osman told me you wanted a garden, for crops, and to cook your own food,” he said at last, his tone firm. “I’ll allow it. You may roam freely, but only within the Rose Palace. You are not permitted to go beyond it.”
That was more than enough for Althea.
“Thank you!” she blurted out, unable to hold back her excitement. She instinctively pounced toward him, throwing her arms around his neck and, before she realized it, pressed a quick kiss to his lips.
The moment her lips brushed his, time froze.
Realizing what she’d done, she jerked back, her hand flying to cover her mouth. “I... I’m sorry. I got carried away,” she murmured, heart pounding.
Gavriel groaned under his breath, his dark gaze never leaving her. The tension in the room shifted. Then, without a word, he began to unbutton his coat.
Althea’s eyes widened. “W–What are you doing?” she asked, breath hitching.
“You kissed me,” he said, voice low and rough. “Don’t act surprised that I want more.”
She stepped back, flustered, unsure whether to run or stay. “I didn’t mean to—”
“I know,” he cut in. “But you did.”
His shirt hit the floor.
Althea turned quickly, cheeks burning. “I wasn’t trying to seduce you. It was just... I was grateful.”
Gavriel chuckled behind her. “Not everything is about seduction, Althea. But gratitude has its... ways of showing.”
She didn’t know what to say. Her heart was pounding, her body reacting to a presence she wasn’t ready to fully face. And yet, she didn’t move from the room.
“You started it, so finish what you started. Get on your knees now,” he demanded.
She quickly followed, and her eyes widened seeing his hard, massive length before her face.
“Please me, my vixen,” he said authoritatively.
She gulped... It wasn’t like she didn’t know what he wanted. She was not that naive, since she had read how mistresses vulgarly thought of it... even servants... how they pleased their men...
But then she didn’t know how to begin. She raised her head and met his intense gaze. “So do I suck it straight, or do you want me to lick and—”
Gavriel chuckled and then hummed, “Do whatever you want with it.”
She was too mesmerized by that smile on his face, and without thinking much, Althea stuck out her tongue and then licked the tip of his length.
“Oh fuck—” Gavriel growled, and his body tensed.