[NOUR]
Nour had always known that he would eventually have to step up.
He had known that time would never favor what he had in mind and that he had to be ready for the chaos that Grant was already in, but he never thought that he would have to face it just the day after they had left Acrod.
It was almost a little cruel for them, but then Delbert had tried to speak some sense into him.
"So, we can get this over and done with sooner, and then we can have our own little family," Delbert had said as the Wynter-Nine had left and the werewolf king had returned to Acrod.
It was almost like this was the part of his reality that he wasn't even certain of yet, but one that he had to embrace. He had expected a lot of things, and now the reality of what they were doing back in Acrod was not just about the past or the present and the future.
This was about them.
This was about vengeance.
This was about a wolf and a Lycan who had been mated and wanted to be happy. This was about a kingdom that had been enslaved and one that needed to be freed because otherwise they would all be fucked in all, the ways to hell.
"How do I look?" Nour asked Delbert, who was walking beside him, and they headed to the palace.
Unlike every day that the prince had always been in Omega scent and always looked like he was a few steps away from the death of everything, today he was different. He had let his long hair free, something he had never done in Acrod.
"Like you would ask me to kill myself and I would do it willingly, your majesty," Delbert said softly while Nour groaned as he stared at his mate. Delbert was a freakishly handsome man.
He looked like he was out of a fairytale, now that he didn't have to hide behind the façade of being the junior warrior of Acrod. He looked fiercely hot, and Nour felt his insides melt each time that he felt Delbert's eyes on him.
It was like he was being worshipped, which was one and all, up until the moment when Nour didn't know what to say because his mind always went blank when he was around Delbert.
This wasn't good, but it wasn't the kind of bad that would fuck up their plans. Perhaps it wasn't just good because it was the kind of reality that many hands then forced them into, and yet one that the duo had willingly walked into.
"You flatter me so much, Zaire," Nour said, knowing so well what that did to the man before him. Nour had known long before everything that Delbert was Alanor's twin, and Edelmira.
It was one of the many things he had gotten to learn as Alanor's best friend, and yet he never expected that they would ever be fated mates. A Lycan and a mere wolf being mated was something that was never good for both kingdoms.
It was something that scared everyone who ruled because, for one, Lycans were uncontrollable beasts, and compared to Lycans, werewolves were tiny creatures whom Lycans could easily manipulate.
Of course, a part of Nour had long expected that, but Delbert was different.
He treats Out with so much love and care. It was almost like the man lived for Nour and Nour alone, which was interesting given the past the man had. But right now, they have to be good.
For the plan, right?
"Zaire?" Delbert asked, and Nour just laughed softly.
"You called me 'your majesty.' It's only right that I return the favor, don't you think, Kalkan?" Nour asked, leaning closer to Delbert. He was inviting trouble, which was not even a far stretch for either of them.
They were already walking into a shithole.
They could as well embrace the chaos that was inbound, no?
"Do we have to go to the palace today?" Delbert asked, his desperation obvious.
"Nope. Besides, it's not like we aren't sure about the second stage of mating, right?" Nour said so casually, and this time, Delbert stilled. They hadn't talked about the mating since the fire at Grant's house.
It had been one of the things that Delbert had told himself he would never push Nour into. The man's life was already hard without Delbert adding the pressures of what nature had wanted time to do.
Besides, Delbert knew there would come a time for that, perhaps in the chaos, but a time would come nonetheless. Destiny always wound up in favor of the Merdel children, perhaps because the moon goddess owed them more than life could offer at any point in time.
"Careful, my Lord. People are starting to stare," Delbert said, and Nour held back a chuckle.
"Why do I have a feeling that you love the attention?" Nour challenged teasingly, and Delbert groaned. Of course, he loved the attention. But not because their wolves were staring at them with curiosity, no, because they had come in as the devils of the realm.
The people that Grant had tried to erase and had failed so horribly. He was glad because they had come here for vengeance and had worn a suit that screamed death to the tyrants.
It wasn't even that hard to tell that Delbert was excited. He truly was, and nothing could change it. He wanted blood, and he wanted Grant's blood. All that Nour had to do was point him in the right direction, and the Merdel Lycan would aim and ruin.
He would do whatever the fuck Nour wanted him to do, regardless of what it was or what the repercussions could be. Maybe that made him a cursed Lycan, but wasn't that what he had been born as back then?
"Correction, your majesty. I only love YOUR attention. Everyone else became insignificant the day you looked at me like you REALLY saw me," Delbert said, and Nour felt pride surge in his chest.
He was not used to Delbert's openness just yet, but he was slowly accepting that this was what the fates had decided for them.
"Is that why you came back as a Lycan and not just another wolf?" Nour asked honestly. He had expected that Delbert would mask his scent when they made the entry into Acrod, but the man hadn't changed it.
If anything, he had walked in with the same pride that all the royal Lycans had.
The grace that came with the power of knowing that, if Nour willed it, the world would burn. It was a dangerous type of control, but Delbert didn't mind, as long as Nour was the one holding his leash, he would be fine.
"Maybe. Or maybe because I didn't want to come as your sidekick, but as your Erasthai," Delbert said when they neared the palace gates, and Nour coughed to hide his surprise. But then again, he didn't mind it, truly.
Delbert could be anything, and Nour would still look at him like he was the only man in the realm.
"We are here," Nour said, and Delbert let out a gentle laugh.
"You are so beautiful, your majesty," Delbert said casually right as the gates opened and before them stood Grant Hindley, the king's replacement.