Chapter 242: He’s Alive

Azura’s POV

Genevieve walked closer to Rhydor with slow, unsteady steps. The heavy sadness on her face cracked open, and a soft, trembling smile crept across her lips.

"He is alive?" she asked, her voice breaking on a sharp breath.

"My boy is really alive?"

Without waiting for an answer, she threw her arms around Rhydor’s neck and held him tight. Rhydor wrapped his heavy arms around her back, burying his face into her shoulder as he held his mother close.

She squeezed him with all the strength left in her body, resting her cheek against his chest as if she was terrified he would vanish into thin air if she let go for even a second.

When she finally pulled back to wipe a tear from her cheek, she turned around to face her husband. She stepped right into his open arms and hugged him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her waist, smiling down at her as he brushed his hand gently over the back of her head.

"See?" he whispered, his voice full of quiet warmth. "Your motherly instincts were right all along."

Genevieve pulled away from his chest and turned around to look at me. She walked closer, her steps slow and hesitant as her blue eyes scanned my face.

"I was so scared to reach out and touch you at first," she said quietly, her eyes filling with fresh tears. "I kept telling myself you were just a trick of the mind. Something sent by the moon Goddess to make us happy for a little while before tearing our hearts apart again."

I pushed myself up from my seat and stood straight, letting a soft smile spread across my lips.

She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around me, pulling me into a warm, desperate hug. This was the very first time we had hugged since my soul returned to my body.

I wrapped my arms around her back and held her tight, letting her feel the real, living warmth of my heartbeat against her shoulder.

"Thank you for coming back home to us," Genevieve whispered directly into my ear, her voice shaking with deep emotion. "And thank you for bringing such good news with you."

A thick wave of warmth spread through my chest, chasing away the cold air of the room. She was truly welcoming me back into her family with open arms.

She leaned back and placed her hands gently on my shoulders, looking at my face with deep curiosity.

"Where have you been all this time, my sweet girl? If you were alive the whole month... where were you wandering?"

"It is a very long story," I answered softly, offering her a tired smile.

"And right now, I think I just want to rest for a little while. I feel like I have been walking on foot for a thousand miles."

Genevieve nodded her head right away, waving her hand in the air.

"Of course, of course. Forgive me. Rhydor, take your mate straight to her room right now. Go, quick."

Rhydor pushed himself up from the table, the heavy, sad look on his face instantly lightening. He walked over to my side with quick steps.

I turned my body toward the door, assuming he would walk beside me down the dark hallway to keep me company.

Before I could take a single step forward, Rhydor bent down and scooped me off the floor, sliding one arm under my knees and the other around my upper back.

I gasped in shock, my hands flying up to grip his shoulders to steady myself.

"What are you doing?"

"You literally just said you were completely exhausted," Rhydor said, his tone completely matter-of-fact as he shifted my weight comfortably in his arms.

"I am taking you to your room."

"I have two perfectly fine legs to walk on," I protested, wiggling my feet slightly in the air. "Put me down."

"Not going to happen," he said firmly, adjusting his grip so I was held snug against his wide chest.

"I am not leaving you alone for a single second for a long time. From now on, we stay together."

He turned on his heel and carried me out of the private meeting room, stepping into the quiet hallway.

"Rhydor, put me down right now," I said, struggling a little in his arms.

"No, no, no, no," he sang out playfully, not slowing his pace down the corridor for even a moment.

I heard soft chuckles echoing from the room behind us as Silas and Axel watched us leave through the open door.

I looked over his wide shoulder as we walked down the stone hallway. Up ahead, I saw the thick oak door that belonged to my old private quarters. My eyes widened as he walked right past it without slowing down his stride at all.

"Did you forget where my room is?" I asked, pointing a finger back over his arm.

"No, I remember perfectly fine," he said calmly, keeping his eyes fixed straight ahead.

"We just walked right past my door," I said, pulling my brow down into a deep frown.

Rhydor shook his head slightly, a small smirk playing on his lips.

"That is not your room anymore."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, my frown deepening as I looked up at his jaw.

I suddenly realized we were moving down the grand hallway that led directly to the Alpha quarters at the very end of the hall.

"That is your private room," I said as the realization hit me. "We do not share the same bedchamber, Rhydor."

"Starting today, we do," he said, his voice firm and set in his decision.

He stopped walking right outside his heavy iron-bound door. He looked down into my eyes, all the playfulness vanishing from his face, replaced by a raw, quiet intensity.

"You have no idea how terrified I was when I could not find you," he whispered, his eyes searching my face with deep pain.

"Being separated from you or watching you lie cold on a bed gives me the worst feeling in the world. I cannot live through that kind of hell ever again, Azura. It broke me."

He held my gaze, his voice dropping into a desperate, soft plea.

"Please, just stay in my room with me. I promise I will respect your personal boundaries completely. I will not push you to do anything you do not want to do. I will respect every single boundary you set, and I will give you all the personal space you need. Just please... let me keep you close."

"It is okay," I said softly, cutting off his endless stream of promises before he could say another word.

"It is really okay. Please stop talking already. You talk way too much when you get nervous."

A short, breathy chuckle burst from his throat, a bright smile lighting up his face.

"Yeah. I guess I really do."

He pushed his heavy bedroom door open with his foot and carried me inside.

The familiar, comforting scent of fresh pine, rain, and warm cedar wood wrapped around me instantly. It was the exact smell that belonged to him, filling every single corner of the large room.

He walked over to the oversized bed in the center of the room and gently set me down on the thick duvet, making sure I was completely comfortable before pulling his hands away.

He bent down near the edge of the bed and reached toward my legs. His eyes caught sight of my bare skin, realizing for the first time that I was not wearing any boots or stockings.

He pulled his brow down into a sharp frown, looking up into my face.

"Have you been walking around barefoot this whole time?"

I nodded my head slowly, looking down at my dirty toes.

"Yeah. I have."

He let out a long exhale through his nose, his posture softening.

"Stay right here for a minute."

He turned around and walked into the small bath chamber connected to his bedroom, where the wash basins were kept. A few seconds later, he returned carrying a large wooden bowl filled with steaming warm water, a clean cotton towel resting over his shoulder.

He set the heavy bowl down on the wooden floor right beside my bare feet. Without saying a word, he knelt on the cold floor, pulled my right ankle over his knee, and dipped my foot gently into the warm water.

He grabbed the towel and began to rub away the dark dirt and grime from my skin with incredible care.

I stared down at him in total shock, my hands gripping the edge of the mattress.

"What on earth are you doing?"

"Cleaning your feet," he replied, rubbing the towel over my heel without breaking his rhythm.

"Alphas do not kneel to wash anyone’s feet," I said, my voice full of confusion. "It goes against everything you were taught as a leader."

Rhydor paused for a brief second and looked straight up into my eyes, his amber gaze completely serious.

"Yes, I know that very well. But for my Luna, I will gladly do anything. Even if it means washing her feet every single day."

I stared back at him, my throat feeling suddenly tight. My heart skipped a hard beat in my chest, and a sudden, powerful pulse of heat surged through the air between us, flowing straight through the invisible mate bond connecting our souls.

I was sure he could feel the intense warmth radiating off my skin.

He lowered his gaze back to my left foot, dipping it into the warm basin to clean the dark marks from my arch.

"Forgive me," he said softly, his voice dropping into a murmur.

He stopped moving the cloth, keeping his warm hand resting under my heel.

"Forgive me for every single piece of pain I have caused you," he continued, keeping his head bowed low before me.

"Forgive me for every stupid mistake and every harsh word that ever made you feel like you could not trust me with your heart. Please, give me a chance to make things right."

"Do you honestly think I would carry all that heavy anger inside my heart after everything we have been through?" I asked softly.

I leaned down slightly, reaching out my hand to stroke his thick, soft brown hair.

Which is now shoulder-length.

"And besides," I added quietly, "I am the one who should be apologizing to you. I went way too far before I lost my body. I made you suffer so much, and I am so sorry for hurting you like that."

He lifted his head, meeting my touch with a firm, steady look in his eyes.

"I deserved every single bit of punishment you gave me, Pumpkin. But that last month of watching you lie cold on that bed... no. I would not wish that kind of pain on my worst enemy."

A small, genuine smile touched my lips.

"Yeah. That was pretty rough."

A quiet pause settled over the room, the silence between us feeling peaceful and light for the very first time in months.

"So," I said, keeping my hand gently resting on his neck, my voice warm and light.

"I guess this means we are making a fresh start?"

A hopeful spark instantly lit up his amber eyes, a small smirk forming on his face.

"Does that mean you are finally going to let me mark you as my mate?"

I let out a bright, genuine laugh, shaking my head as I pulled my foot back onto the bed.

"Oh no. This is only the tiny beginning of the road, Alpha. Do not try to rush the process."

He chuckled softly, setting the wet towel aside and shaking his head.

"I can wait as long as you need," he murmured, pulling himself up from the floor to sit on the edge of the mattress beside me.