The Crown's Entrapment

It was tiring, but surprisingly, the night had been very enjoyable for Aurelia. After all of the walking they did around the festival, they promptly went back to their inn. And understandably, Aurelia went into her room while Calypso remained outside to talk with his men.

Inside the room, she immediately requested for a relaxing bath.

"This feels nice," she hummed while enjoying the warm water in the tub.

[Have you thought of a name for me?] her wolf suddenly asked.

[Hmm, nothing comes to mind at the moment,] Aurelia offhandedly replied as she closed her eyes. [How about you help me?]

[I have a feeling you'd want to be the one to give me a name though,] her wolf scoffed. [But if that's your choice, I'll have a list for you if I have a few ideas.]

Aurelia let out a breath as she sank herself into her bath. Her thoughts went to her current situation, her life now being remarkably different with her inner wolf's newfound existence.

[My family will be happy once they find out about you,] she absently began. [A while ago, I realized that I should probably start practicing how to shift into my wolf or wolf-woman form. I mean, I'm nothing but confidence and words against those drunkards. I know how to fight, but even I can admit that my chances of winning against those three werewolves all by myself are lower than I would've liked. This human body of mine is strong, but I'd like to increase my chances if it ever happens again.]

Again, she wasn't in a hurry, but gaining access to her other forms would give her an advantage in all aspects that she simply cannot ignore. However, she also knew that she wouldn't be able to do things on her own, not if she wanted to be efficient. She would need guidance not unlike how she watched her father guide Gideon when he first established an active Bond with his wolf Eli.

[That's true. The two of us will need to learn from an experienced one to speed up the process,] her wolf calculatingly suggested. [Knowing that our mate would most likely suffice our needs, don't you think? I'm sure he will be delighted to teach you the moment you ask for his assistance.]

Aurelia sighed deeply. She was about to sink even further into the water when her brows scrunched up. There was that annoying scent again. Calypso's strong aroma of earthly sandalwood just screamed masculinity. And while her logic found it irritating, she couldn't help but feel pleased with the scent's addicting qualities...

But while she was too busy getting a whiff of him, Calypso had seemingly already sneaked up on her. Her eyes suddenly opened wide as she blinked at the man staring intently at her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked with a frown as she sank her body further under the water.

Calypso gulped and murmured, "This is also my room. You don't expect me to book a separate room away from you, right?"

She didn't comment, but her frown deepened as she barked out, "What are you doing? Can't you see that I'm getting myself clean? Can I at least have some privacy?"

"Ah, right, I thought you needed a hand," Calypso hoarsely murmured as he scratched the back of his head. "Uhm... Alright, I'll give you some privacy."

Aurelia held her gaze as she watched him turn around and walk out of the room. This was far from ideal. She didn't think she'd be too consumed with her own thoughts that she wouldn't even notice him coming. Thanks to her suddenly heightened sense of smell-

[He is our mate, after all...] her wolf remarked. [In one way or another, he's bound to see everything you have to offer, and the same goes for you with him.]

Aurelia could only sigh as she quickly finished up in cleaning herself. Getting herself ready, she was fully dressed for the night by the time Calypso returned.

Walking towards the bed in silence, she took note of how he too moved in silence, removing his clothes to probably get cleaned up as well as he left her to her own devices. Mentally shrugging, Aurelia simply closed her eyes and pulled up the bedsheets to cover her body. Seeing their current setup, Calypso was bound to sleep in the same bed as her for sure. Then again, why was she even surprised to see him enter a while ago? The two of them were officially a couple already. In the eyes of all, they were husband and wife.

Tossing and turning, Aurelia tried her best to focus on trying to sleep. Unfortunately, she was unsuccessful in doing so. Perhaps it was because of Calypso's strong scent wafting all over the room that was making it hard for her to stop thinking too much.

[I really don't know now if I should be happy having a wolf,] she complained. [I mean, ever since you awakened inside of me, I started feeling weird...]

[That's just the Mate Pull doing its job. And while it can be annoying, it's also a blessing,] her wolf lectured. [Not all of our kind can get to experience such an experience, especially a halfbreed such as us. Knowing that why not instead of fighting it, you can just simply enjoy the feeling and let things happen the way they should. I know it sounds ridiculous, and that Calypso had a bad reputation with women, but that was before he met us. I'm sure you yourself have noticed how much he had turned in a new leaf. He didn't even spare a glance at any of the attractive women that threw themselves at him a while ago. He only has his eyes on you...]

[You're sounding like you're planning on abandoning me,] Aurelia raised an eyebrow at her wolf. [Who's side are you on?]

[Yours,] her wolf firmly declared. [But it's impossible for us to keep our defenses up against this. In the end, you will have to accept that this is your new reality.]

She inwardly sighed at that fact. Keeping her silence, she soon felt Calypso joining her on the bed as he moved himself under the quilt with her. She could feel his warmth and his scent... his presence making her want to snuggle closer to him.

"You're still awake," he murmured. "Come here. I'll keep you warm."

Without another word, he easily scooped her and pulled her closer to his embrace. Her back hit his sturdy chest, and she could also feel his bulge poking out from underneath her. She held her breath as she felt his breath on her hair and nape, doing her best to keep herself calm against his contact.

"Lia..." he hummed.

"Hmm?" she answered.

"Can you face me instead?"

Shrugging, she turned to face him. "There. Happy?"

"Much better..."

Aurelia breathed in through her teeth as she felt his embrace become tighter. Try as she might to keep him out, there was just no way that she could keep things up for longer. As much as it pained her to say it, her wolf was right. Perhaps it was time for her to accept this new normal...

Then again, just because she had accepted things meant that she'd just accept him wholeheartedly. She refused to lose this relationship tug of war they were waging against one another just yet. Besides, it was fun.