The Crown's Entrapment

Having shifted to his wolf form, Gideon promptly arrived back in the castle in a flash. He was unable to join the rest of the royal family for dinner, but he was sure that Freya was still awake at that point in time. Reporting his arrival, the guards quickly handed him a cloak to cover himself once he shifted back into his human form. From there, he walked straight to his room to wash up and dress properly before going to visit Freya.

[We should eat first,] Eli complained even as he was excitedly making his way to Freya’s bedchamber.

[Later, Eli,] Gideon shot the wolf down. [Let’s see our mate first before she sleeps…]

[It’s not like she’ll run away from you, but suit yourself,] Eli murmured. [Or you can simply eat her out instead. I wouldn’t mind.]

Gideon chuckled and teased, [Wow, you’re improving with your sense of humor.]

Eli simply grunted, and Gideon moved to tease his wolf some more. Unfortunately, any further attempts to do so was struck down by Eli’s usual silent treatment. How infuriating…

Walking through the silence, Gideon finally reached Freya’s door. It would be improper if the servants would see him entering her door, so he tried communicating with Freya telepathically first to get her permission to enter.

[Milady, are you still awake?] he respectfully asked. [If so, do you think you can meet me for a while? I’m currently outside your door.]

[Have you already eaten, milord?] Freya answered, making Gideon smile as he leaned on the wall.

[Not yet, milady,] Gideon answered. [I wanted to see you first before you went to sleep. I can always eat later.]

[I… How about this… I’ll ask the servants to serve you dinner at the dining hall, and I’ll accompany you there as you eat,] Freya offered. [Besides, I also have something to talk to you about.]

[Uhm… Can we talk inside my bedchamber instead?] Gideon asked his counteroffer. [I’ll be eating my dinner there as well. The table in the dining hall is just too big for me to eat there alone…]

There was a long pause after he took his shot. It was awkward and nervewracking, even though he knew full-well that she might just reject his proposal.

[She probably thinks you’re planning something, what with you asking her to see you in your private chamber,] Eli snorted. [I bet you just don’t only want to eat literal food right now.]

Slowly, Gideon’s eyes widened as he realized that his words would indeed probably send a different signal to Freya, one that he truly didn’t mean. He simply wanted some privacy, and he just didn’t like having to do their talk in such a huge space like the dining hall.

[L–Lady Freya, I apologize,] he quickly stammered, running damage control as if his life depended on it. [If you’re uncomfortable in answering, then we can simply do as you initially-]

[It’s alright,] Freya cut him off. [I’ll be in your chamber shortly.]

[See you then, milady…] Gideon hummed, his prior anxiety replaced with excitement as he quickly made his way back to his bedchamber. He still had to make sure that it was clean and presentable enough for her, what with the implications of what he just said still running through his mind.

Even so, he could barely hide his excitement as he instructed the servants to go prepare food for him and Freya. Particularly, some snacks and wine for Freya so that she wouldn’t feel too awkward while he ate in front of her. There were more than enough meals too, just in case Freya would also want to eat with him. His orders were promptly carried out, and as soon as the servants were done, he immediately dismissed them.

Seeing that the room was neat and orderly, Gideon once again gave himself  one last look over. Making sure that he was properly suited, he fiddled with himself just to kill some time feeling like he was doing something.

Soon, however, there was a knock on his door, and Gideon excitedly moved to open it. He smiled brightly as he quickly swung the door open, letting Freya enter.

“Sweety…” he excitedly murmured, making Freya blush. He would’ve loved to permanently call her that, but he was still balancing things out with her, making sure that she’d be more amenable to being address like that whenever they were in a private setting.

Giving him a nod, Freya walked past him and quickly sat at the table. Gideon followed suit, sitting opposite to her on the round table inside his chamber.

“Go on, eat first…” Freya offered.

Taking her signal, Gideon started eating, hoping that Freya wouldn’t feel too uncomfortable with the setting.

“Have some snacks and wine too,” Gideon offered, to which Freya nodded as she accepted the cup of wine he poured for her.

“You came back earlier than expected,” Freya started. “I thought you and the rest will have to stay there late, seeing as there were a lot of participants that registered for this tournament.”

“Oh, I just left early. Gilas offered to cover for me,” Gideon admitted. “I Just can’t afford not to see you. I’ve been too busy during the day for the past few days that I didn’t get to have time with you. Also, I’m glad that you’re still not asleep.”

Freya found herself flustered at his words. He just had this rougish grin on him, and she saw that he just couldn’t help but keep staring at her.

Seeing her drink her wine in one gulp, Gideon quickly reminded her, “Careful, Sweety. I don’t want you getting drunk on me.” He then added, “By the way, what is it you wanted to talk about?”

“Ah, right. It’s about you inviting me to your manor,” Freya timidly said. “I mean, I’ll be available whenever you are since the wedding’s already finished.”

Hearing her words, Gideon was so overjoyed that he moved his chair beside Freya and held her hands before kissing them. “Oh, that’s great news,” he smiled. “My parents will be delighted to meet you again after so many years.”

“Are… Are they aware that we’re mates?” Freya asked, trying her best to ignore the sensation of Gideon’s warm lips touching her hand. It just felt so good that she found herself wondering how much more it would be like once Gideon kissed her all over her body.

She inwardly gulped at yet another perverted thought that passed her head.

[I think I might just not be normal!] she inwardly retorted, making her wolf Yal chuckle.

[You’re perfectly normal. It’s only natural for you to think like that about your mate,] Yal pointed out. [Don’t hold back. Simply follow your heart and instincts and you’ll be fine.]

“Hmm, they’re currently unaware yet, but I’ll tell them about it as early as tomorrow,” Gideon nodded. “They’ll be delighted to meet you, so how about we go to our manor as early as the next day? There won’t be anything scheduled for the tournament the next day so we can travel by then. And is it okay if we traveled in our wolf forms so that we can there arrive early?”

Freya could only nod with a smile, her lack of words doing little to muddle her agreement. “Please continue with your eating for now,” she found herself saying, feeling as if she needed some more space away from Gideon. She was getting afraid of being aggressive and pulling him in at that instant for another kiss. That would be unladylike, especially if she wanted to do that more often.

“Right, I should focus on the food in front of me,” Gideon unknowingly voiced out. “My mind’s already wandering around eating you instead…”

“Huh?” Freya breathed out.

Gideon winked at her and directly said, “It’s getting hard to control myself around you, but it’s still manageable since I know I need to be patient. I just wanted to eat you right now so badly, but don’t worry… I’ll bear with it.”

[Him being like this just doesn’t help! This brute doesn’t he know that he’s only making me more…]

[Horny? Aroused?] Yal chuckled. While she was unable to blurt out those words, her wolf was more than happy to do so for her.

[Quiet, Yal! I’m a princess, so let’s at least act properly as one!] she hissed, with Yal simply laughing at her.