The Crown's Entrapment

At Ryder Manor, Midnight Pack Territory

"Help me… I don't want my pack members to see me like this," Clara weakly pleaded as she tried to get back on her feet, wincing in pain at her injuries.

Hearing her plea, Gilas was quick to aid her and hold her still. Without a word, she then started removing her battle outfit in front of him. It took him a while to react as he stood rooted in his place, gulping as his body started trembling at the sight of Clara's nakedness.

"Put the clothes on me…"

Clara's melancholic words snapped Gilas back from all his ogling. Quickly moving, he tried his best to look unaffected as he assisted her in getting dressed. It was only a consolation to his embarrassment that Clara didn't bother looking at him, or else she would've seen how red he was with both his desire for her and his embarrassment.

After putting on her clothes, Clara was about to move towards her bed, but Gilas didn't let her walk even a few steps as he suddenly carried her in his arms.

"You should rest and gather enough strength to stand first," he murmured as he gently put her down on her bed. He then sat on her bedside as he added, "I won't leave you."

Clara sighed deeply before closing her eyes. With a breath, she weakly whispered, "Thank you…"

Gilas watched in silence as he waited for Clara to doze off into sleep. Raising his hand, he gently brushed the locks covering her pale face.

Clara had shoulder-length blonde hair, giving her a younger look compared to her real age. It complemented her brown eyes well… those eyes that Gilas had longed for to look at him lovingly. Unfortunately, Clara had those beautiful eyes focused only on Darius ever since they've met.

He sighed deeply as he drowned himself staring at her beautiful face. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for him, to feast his eyes on her beauty like this. He would've loved to do it before, but he would always control himself for the fear of having Clara see his weakness and use it against him. When it came to Darius, she was always willing to do everything to see things through, so he did his best not to put his guard down around his mate.

Gilas let out another quiet sigh as he carefully got up from her bed. Moving to leave the room, he found himself thinking of something good to prepare for Clara once she woke up. Perhaps something for her to eat after a sound rest

Opening the door to leave the room, Gilas's lips parted as he frowned, seeing two familiar women standing before him.

"Hello. I was about to telepathically communicate with you, but you opened the door at just the right time," Bella greeted with a thoughtful smile. "As for why we're here, King Darius requested Lady Jayra to treat Clara's wounds. Likewise, I offered myself to be her ride so that we can arrive here as fast as we could. How is she?"

Gilas blinked at the sudden intrusion. He didn't expect this, but he still appreciated the King's kind gesture all the same. Immediately, he made way for the two women to enter as he explained, "She's resting for now. She's still weak, but you two can check on her while I instruct the servants in the kitchen to prepare dinner for us."

"Thank you, Lord Gilas," Bella nodded, and Gilas soon left the two women inside the bedchamber.

*******

After a few hours…

Groaning, Clara stirred in her sleep. She slowly opened her eyes, her sight greeting her ceiling for some time. Feeling herself over, she frowned when she noticed that something felt different with her body.

She carefully moved and sat up on her bed, only to gasp when he saw Gilas sitting on a chair near her bed, his head resting on the side of her mattress. Looking out her window, she gulped. It was already night.

'How long have I been sleeping?' Clara absently wondered. Her eyes then darted back toward Gilas.

[Look at how handsome he is while he's sleeping,] Sheba voiced out with a squeal. [So adorably handsome…]

Clara inwardly shook her head at her wolf's squeals. Gilas was honestly one of the more prolific and effortless women magnets in their kingdom. She was aware of how women used to swoon over the Great Constable, but he would always simply shrug them off for some reason. Of course, with what she knew now, she recognized just why that was the case… It was because he had found his mate since he was eighteen… HER, who couldn't recognize the Pull without being touched by him.

For the first time, Clara had the opportunity to look at Gilas's side profile closely. He was indeed handsome, with his perfect facial features starting from his shiny and silky short brown hair, paired with meltingly soft amber eyes. He also had a pointed nose and full lips, with a trimmed beard and mustache like most of the men in their kingdom. Still, he had an outstanding appeal above all the others somehow.

Somewhere along the way, Gilas suddenly moved, and Clara flinched as she quickly turned her gaze away from him. She unconsciously touched her chest, feeling the sudden erratic beating of her heart as she tried to calm herself.

[Flustered, aren't we?] Sheba teased. [That's a good sign…]

Clara deftly ignored her wolf as she tried her best to calm her own body. She didn't even notice that Gilas was already stirring awake beside her.

"You're finally awake? How are you feeling?" Gilas sluggishly asked as he straightened his back.

Clara frowned. Right… She didn't know why she felt nothing from her wounds. She actually felt better. Looking at her leg, she blinked as she touched the wound that she clearly remembered used to be there.

"That was quite fast. I didn't even meditate and yet it's already healed… And there's no scar too…" she murmured with a frown. She had been wounded by a silver-coated blade, so she should naturally have a scar unless she had applied an ointment for it, but that would've also taken some time to fully be effective so…

"Lady Bella stopped by with Lady Jayra," Gilas explained with a smile. "Bella offered herself as Jayra's ride when His Majesty asked the former to heal you. She healed your wounds with her magic. She also removed any scarring while you were unconscious…"

"They did, huh…" Clara whispered, feeling touched by Darius's gesture, and even Bella's thoughtfulness.

"Hmm… they already left after having dinner with me," Gilas informed her before he stood up. "Let me just get you something to eat…"

Clara sighed as she watched Gilas's retreating back as he left. [You should start treating him well. I can't imagine the pain and the torture this man had been suffering all those years, not just with his father, but also because his mate didn't recognize him,] Sheba seriously declared. [Let's treat him nicely and take care of him from now on.]

********

AN: I will post the AI-generated visuals of Clara and Gilas in the comment section. Tell me your thoughts *wink*