The Crown's Entrapment

Gilas was utterly surprised when Clara suddenly asked him to join her for dinner. They remained quiet inside the carriage for almost the entirety of the trip, and he honestly swore that he could hear and feel her heartbeat tension when he touched her face to remove the small bloodstain on her cheek.

[She could feel the Mate Pull whenever you two are touching,] Ham commented. [Her wolf lost its sense of smell, but thankfully, the instinct is still strong in her.]

Gilas remained quiet. To be honest, a lot of things were going on inside his head at the moment. He was now working with Gideon and Bartos in the shadows just waiting for Darius to wake up to discuss things further, and he still had to maintain a veneer of cooperation when it came to his father. He only wanted the guarantee for his mother's safety before he could go all out against his father, and he needed the King's help for that to happen.

He closed his eyes, sniffing the air circulating inside the carriage. Clara's scent smelled so good that he got distracted enough to flinch when Clara suddenly asked him, "How do I smell to you?"

Gilas turned to look her in the eye, and with a sweet smile, he said, "You smell like fallen autumn leaves, burnt sugar, and caramel. It's so sweet and addicting…"

"Sounds like the opposite of how I treat you, don't you think?" Clara chuckled.

"It can't be helped. In your eyes, I am an enemy. Probably a bug as well, seeing as I'm always there just to bug you more often than not." Gilas chuckled.

"But I guess that's my way of letting you know of my presence despite knowing how occupied you are because of another man. Back then, I thought that you were simply ignoring and rejecting the Mate Pull all on your own. Now, I understand things more clearly. You simply didn't recognize my scent. Not to mention how your eyes only saw one man, and it was obvious why things turned out this way."

He had a faint smile on his face as he turned his gaze away from her once more. It was painful stating the obvious truth that he knew very well from the start. It hurt like hell being rejected by your mate, but he had to keep moving forward.

There was only silence between them, and none bothered to start any more conversations until they finally arrived at the Ryder Manor.

"I'll just go quickly clean up," Clara stated as they went inside her mansion. "I'll be right back."

"You can take your time," Gilas nodded. "Also, is it alright if I used your kitchen again and prepare dinner while waiting for you?" Clara had her servants, but somehow, he still wanted to cook for her.

"Sure, suit yourself," Clara replied with a reassuring smile. "It's not like this is the first time you'll take over my kitchen."

With permission granted, Gilas then walked his way to Clara's kitchen where her servants quickly greeted him. As usual, the women among them swooned at his presence, and Gilas gave them a smile as he said, "I would like to prepare dinner…"

The servants understood what he meant, and that instant, all of them left him to his lonesome.

[So… what are you going to prepare for her this time?] Ham questioned him. [How about we add something like a potion that will make her fall in love with us?]

Gilas chuckled, and his wolf was quick to snort at him. [What?! My jokes are always meant halfway and you know that. Our mate is already within our reach. We just have to make her realize that she has no hope for Darius. As in, make her think that it's a big zero. Even winning the Queen's position is a big zero,] Ham enthused.

[She's no match for someone who has divine powers. Hah! Princess Xenia will be a dangerous individual the moment her powers get fully activated. Hell, her mother, Queen Dana alone, is equivalent to an army.]

"There's a reason why Queen Dana hid her true identity, Ham," Gilas pointed out as he began cutting vegetables. "Their race is too special that they want to keep themselves hidden from the world. That's why they were only believed to be myths since none dared to reveal their existence…"

Gilas got to work. Cooking would help him be busy enough that he wouldn't be bothered by the unnecessary torments of waiting like fantasizing about Clara while she was bathing.

[Huh, it's better to fantasize about our mate than to talk like this about people that don't matter to us, don't you think?] Ham snorted.

Another chuckle came out from Gilas as he said, "But you're the one who opened the topic about angels, Ham."

[Oh, I did?] Han innocently murmured.

Gilas shook his head and added, "I wonder where Father found out about that. I feel like he has something prepared under his sleeve so the King must know about it." He hummed, "He's still unconscious, however. We can only hope that he would wake up soon…"

[Well, I'm just glad that you're acting on what you think is best now. Although, I do understand your worries, especially about Mother…] Ham mentally nodded in approval.

[I'm sure things will work out fine. You just need a good ally for everything to go right. It's still better to do things with help than doing it alone whenever it involves our most precious person in this world.]

Gilas agreed. He had waited and kept on playing things safe for years thinking that somehow, his father would finally stop. But it didn't happen, and he had already lost hope for that day to come. He could no longer watch his father's wickedness go unpunished anymore.

[Too bad we won't be able to ask Clara how we smell…] Ham humored, sensing his sullen mood.

Gilas chuckled, "Well, we're not even sure if Clara will even accept us if at all…"

"What if I accept you? Will you do the right thing and go against your father?" Clara suddenly commented.

Gilas turned, having already smelled her presence way before she talked, and he had intentionally voiced out his last words knowing that Clara would hear them. Deep inside, he was dying to know her answer even if it would hurt him. He had guessed that he would need those painful words to help him face the reality of being rejected by his mate.

"Answer me, Gilas… Will you go against your father?" Clara asked. "In return, I'll accept the Mate Pull and be with you…"

[Dumbass, what're you waiting for?! Say YES now!] Ham excitedly beamed.

Gilas remained quiet as he walked towards Clara, their faces almost touching before he finally stopped. His eyes searched deep within Clara's soul as he hoarsely whispered, "Are you sure about that? You're playing with fire right now, Clara. A fire that won't hesitate to devour you alive."