Chapter 0167
Whatever the case, Michael’s curiosity was obvious, and it struck me as unfair. He deserved the chance to explore the world beyond his pack’s borders.
“How old are you?” I asked, tilting my head slightly. Michael looked so young, but he had to be close to my age. “Eighteen,” he answered, his tone shy, as if he expected me to judge him for it. “Why do you ask?”
“Just curious,” I said with a shrug, offering a small smile. You look quite young.”
“I know,” he said with a grimace. “I hear it all the time.”
I laughed softly. “Don’t worry about it too much,” I said, my voice light. “It feels like a big deal now, but trust me -when you’re older and still look young, you’ll be grateful for it.”
“I doubt that,” Michael said with mock seriousness. “I’ll just look like an old man with the face of a child. It’ll be creepy.”
The absurdity of his comment caught me off guard, and I couldn’t help but laugh. To my surprise, Alexander joined in, a rare and genuine sound that made my heart flutter.
Michael beamed, clearly pleased with himself for drawing such a reaction from both of us. The warmth in the room was palpable now, and for the first time that evening, it felt like the walls around us were starting to come
down.
“Sounds like I’m missing all the fun,” Diana said as she walked back into the room. Alexander’s laughter faded almost immediately, and Michael shifted in his seat, turning to her with a smile.
“We’re just joking around,” he said.
“About what?” Diana asked, her gaze flickering between us
“Wedding stuff,” Michael replied, his tone light. “I was just saying that maybe I could go to the capital sometime and help Alex with some of the planning.”
“In the capital?” Diana said, her expression souring. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”
“I mean, that’s where the wedding is going to be, isn’t it?” Michael asked, glancing at us curiously. I nodded, and he turned back to Diana. “So it’s the obvious place. How else would I be useful?”
“I don’t know if Alexander will accept your help,” Diana said coolly. “You know how he likes to handle everything on his own.”
“I would be honored to have his help,” Alexander corrected smoothly, “It’s very generous of him to offer to come and help with the work.”
“Well, we can discuss this another time,” Diana said dismissively as she picked up her discarded glass and took a sip. “Right now, it’s getting late, and everyone’s been traveling today, so I’m sure you’re all exhausted.”
“Is it late?” I asked in surprise, glancing at the time. I grimaced when I saw how right she was–it was late. At this rate, we wouldn’t make it back to the capital until the early hours of the morning.
“We should have left by now,” I commented, the weight of the evening settling over me.
“Left?” Diana repeated, her eyes widening slightly. “Well, surely you’ll be spending the night,”
“I wasn’t planning on that,” I said, glancing at Alexander for confirmation.
“Well, I’ve already had Alexander’s room made up for you, Diana said, her tone insistent. “There’s really no
Chapter 0167
+25 BONUS
need to rush off in the middle of the night like this. You should stay, get some sleep, and have breakfast in the morning. Then you can make the long journey home. I insis—it would be inhospitable of me to allow you to leave so late.”
I searched for a polite way to decline, but before I could say anything, Alexander spoke.
“Thank you,” he said simply, his voice calm and composed
I turned to him, trying to hide the disbelief on my face. It seemed there was no way out of it now. With his acceptance, I had no choice but to spend the night.
In Alexander’s room.
