The Crown's Entrapment

Calypso became quite busy after receiving Clara's endorsement to become the new Alpha of the Midnight Pack. Currently, his position was still unofficial due to the amount of challengers he had to face, but he was sure that it'll all blow over as soon as he showed that he was the undisputed holder of his new title.

"Nine more days," he murmured while looking at the different cases currently piled up on his table.

Nine more days and he would finally be able to fully and officially claim his position as an Alpha… But while that was all well and good, what was he honestly counting down were the days he had left before he could mark his mate. Being the Great Justiciar, he now had more work to do alongside also starting to take over some of the minor things in regards to being the acting Alpha of the Midnight Pack. It was fine, of course, but it didn't even matter to him one bit against the prospect of finally having his mate by his side.

[Only twenty more days!] Axel snorted.

[It feels like forever, right?] Calypso complained to his wolf. [Still, this is way better than what Gideon actually wanted. That man simply hates me!]

He couldn't help but frown. He was honestly making a concerted effort to try and build up a good name for himself, hoping that it would be his new trademark instead of constantly being labeled as a player and a womanizer. Seriously, he couldn't even bother looking at any other woman now ever since he met Aurelia. Everytime he tried, all he ever saw was her visage. Even in his imagination, she haunted his thoughts in every waking moment. He wasn't used to this kind of thinking since it was all new to him, but he was sure he'd be able to adjust in time.

In the meantime, he would resign himself to simply observing from a distance.

Calypso let out a small breath as stood up and walked away from his desk. As usual, he wanted to see Aurelia wherever she went. So instead of lurking in the Capital's Hall of Justice or Midnight Pack like he was supposed to do, he ended up searching for his mate and staying around wherever she currently was. Like right now, here he was bringing some of his important works with him inside the Cordon Castle where Aurelia was. She had just recently come back with the Queen after a few days out traveling, and he was more than eager to see her once more.

"It's almost lunch. I should ask her to eat with me," he excitedly murmured as he walked into the Castle Infirmary. "Maybe we can eat somewhere close by… Or maybe I can cook her something in the castle kitchens?"

[You cooking?] Axel scoffed. [Have you eaten your own cooking?]

[Hey, they're at least still edible,] Calypso retorted. [I survived, right?]

On second thought, maybe he wouldn't try cooking for her. Not until he had enough practice cooking more than simply barbequed skewers.

Shrugging, Calypso went ahead and made his way to the infirmary. If there was one place in the castle where Aurelia would be, he was sure it would be where she could do the most work. After all, she was a rather efficient woman, and he couldn't help but admire her for it.

'She's almost like a machine sometimes,' he inwardly noted with a smile. 'The dedication she has to her craft is commendable.'

With that in mind, he decided to keep his approach quiet, making sure that he wouldn't disturb anything that might be happening with his mate. It would only be proper, and it would also make sure he wouldn't get another verbal lashing from her if she ever decided that he was being too much of a bother.

"Oh, Calypso. We were just about to head off."

He was almost caught off-guard when he heard Gilas's voice addressing him. Looking up, he had Lady Clara alongside him as they were making their way out of the infirmary.

"Are you here for Lady Aurelia then?" Clara asked.

"Yes," Calypso nodded. "Is she still inside?"

"We just wrapped things up in regards to a particular prisoner of ours," Gilas explained. "She should still be inside with the Queen, but they're just about to leave as well."

"Thank you."

With a nod of appreciation, Calypso let the couple walk past him before reaching out for the infirmary door. As soon as he entered, his eyes immediately went to Aurelia, his mate likewise also meeting his gaze with a neutral smile.

"Calypso," Aurelia greeted.

"Aurelia," Calypso smiled before he quickly turned to greet the highest authority in the room. "Your Grace."

"You arrived just in time," Queen Xenia chuckled. "We were just about to leave."

"That, we are," Aurelia hummed in agreement. "So, Calypso. Do you need something?"

Giving the Queen another nod of acknowledgment, Calypso went ahead and walked up to his mate. He gave her his usual smile, his hand outstretched in an offer to grab hers.

"I was thinking of us grabbing a bit of lunch together," he offered. "Would you be up to it?"

His sweat almost dripped as he waited for Aurelia to reply.

"But Her Grace just invited me to eat with her," Aurelia answered.

"Oh, that's fine. Please go with Calypso," the Queen quickly retorted. "You and Clara should focus more on your busy men. We still have other days, you know."

Thankful at the Queen's words, Calypso nodded before quickly leading his mate out of the infirmary. Aurelia bid the Queen goodbye, and as she walked right beside him, he couldn't help but notice her usual air around her, her confident smirk making his heart beat madly within his chest.

Truly, she was the only woman in his heart, and nothing else mattered to him except for having her all to himself.

***

Xenia smiled as she watched Aurelia leave with her partner. It was fun seeing couples form, and after having seen both her and Clara leave with their respective men, she couldn't help but notice that she had been left all to her lonesome.

"Huh… Didn't notice that happening?"

Still, it was nothing that she was too worried about. There were a lot of things to do for her, and being alone actually allowed her to focus on some of them… Well, mostly just on her training to use her angel powers whenever she had the time.

And with that thought, the Queen bid her goodbyes to the people within the infirmary. Making her way to the exit, she was just about to open the door when it suddenly swung open in front of her. The imposing figure that blocked her way was a sudden surprise, but it was a welcome one as soon as she saw his face.

"Darius," she greeted with a smile. "What brings you here?"

"I felt something through our Mate Bond," Darius replied with a warm smile. "Something about you being left alone."

Xenia couldn't help but feel touched as her king then offered her his hand. Of course, without even so much as thinking about it, she grabbed it for herself before then letting him lead the way out of the infirmary.

With the regal disposition expected of them, Xenia and Darius strolled through the hallways of the castle, giving a soft smiles to any and every servant and guard that they went past as they made their way to the castle's rooftop garden. It was a nice change of pace after a morning's work, and with lunch almost ready, it was good for them to have a bit of exercise before having to go through yet another few hours of administrating and seeing to their kingdom's needs. Also…

"I'm assuming you already know what happened to Pinra?" Xenia opened up, knowing full well that Darius could glean into her previous conversation through their Bond.

"It was an enlightening conversation," Darius remarked. "So what do you think?"

"I think we should give Pinra a chance," Xenia hummed after a bit of thought. "If she isn't even the same person anymore, then why not give her the chance to heal? Maybe we can even sway her to our side."

It wasn't a part of her plan for the woman to be this traumatized, but it was certainly along the lines of what she thought would happen. Just one look at the woman back then and it was clear that behind all of her bravado and sadism, Pinra was one bad day away from breaking.

"A wise choice," Darius hummed in approval. "As much as she was a thorn in our side, having her talents will only be a boon."

"Agreed," she nodded. "Well, assuming she'll even have her talents still after she has recovered."

"Or if she would even be redeemable," Darius finished her thought for her. "Xen, what do you really think?"

Xenia frowned as she sighed. "I think it's still too early to tell. I have a feeling there's more to this than her truly being mentally ill."

There was just something off about the whole situation. Sure, she wasn't really all that fine at the prospect of having Pinra magically turn good without paying enough for her crimes, but if that was what was about to happen, then she would just have to deal with it as it comes.