The Crown's Entrapment

Osman quietly let out a sigh. Did he miss some important information in regards to being a Lycan? He honestly didn’t tell anyone yet, but he was actually planning to consult the King about his status as soon as he saw an opportunity to do so. Or maybe he could ask Bella about it later instead? Maybe she had more knowledge about Lycans than he thought.

Thinking about this, Osman couldn’t help but take in a deep breath, lingering on the divine scent inside the carriage before he let the air out in a steady stream… The scent had become very distinct in his nose lately. It all started on that day when Bella turned her hair back to its original charcoal color… that day when he first witnessed her fight in the arena…

Absently, he wondered if Bella had changed her perfume since then. Before, he could smell the scent of lavender off her. It was nice, but it wasn’t comparable to how intoxicating her scent was since ever she changed her hair color and scent that day. It was so good to his nose that it took him all of his self-control not to bury his face against her entirely right then and there.

“I love the perfume you’re using now,” Osman unknowingly voiced out.

Instead of the reply he expected, Bella looked at him curiously as she replied, “What perfume?” She frowned as she added, “Are you kidding me right now, Os? I don’t even wear perfume anymore! The last time I had one on me was when Calypso returned. I’ve been literally bathing myself in lavender since I was sixteen, knowing that he loves that scent. But thankfully, I’m over it now!”

Osman parted his lips to respond, but no words came out of his mouth. She wasn’t wearing perfume, and yet the scent coming off her was still this strong?! He unknowingly stared at her, still baffled by what he just heard.

Bella shrugged at his words, her face twitching as she clicked her tongue. “Tsk… It’s so annoying even remembering all the effort I did back then. I’m honestly not fond of lavender’s scent, but I made sure I would always smell like it since I didn’t know when Calypso would come back,” she sighed.

“I just wanted to be ready just in case I would accidentally see him.” She then blinked at him with those long black lashes of hers as she curiously asked, “Why? Do you smell something on me?”

Osman nodded.

Bella’s eyes sparkled as she burst out, “What kind of smell?”

“It’s a cozy fruity mix of wild blackberry whipped with sweet vanilla and jasmine,” he described to the best of his ability. “The scent is so… ‘sensual…'”

Hearing his genuine reply, Bella had a wide smile on her lips. She was pleased with his description, and she couldn’t help but chuckle in return. “What a way to describe it… Sensual…” she giggled. “But I like it. Have you smelled something like that before?”

Osman simply shook his head. He didn’t say a word, but it was enough for Bella in the meantime.

“Hmm, I wonder how I smell like to others then,” Bella murmured with a pout. “Would they describe it in the same as you did?”

Instead of attempting to reply, Osman let Bella’s question linger between them. After a while, he turned to her and asked, “Bella, how much do you know about Lycans?”

“Enough, I guess?” Bella hesitantly answered. “Why? What do you want to know? I’ll try my best to answer based on what I can recall from my lessons back when I was still studying the topic.”

Bella crossed her legs as she sat in front of him, her elbow resting on her knee as she propped her knuckles up to support her chin. Seeing her like this, Osman could tell that her curiosity had been piqued. She leaned forward closer to him, staring at him intently as she seemingly waited for his question.

Being in the middle of this newfound attention, Osman suddenly became self-conscious as he sat straight in front of her. With the way her eyes peered into his own, she naughtily smiled and asked, “So, can you tell me what you want to know?”

Bella then winked at him, and Osman felt himself recoil from the sudden attention.

This woman…  She was making him feel so weird. Everything seemed foreign, and yet so familiar and comfortable whenever he was with her. Gathering his bearings, he cleared his throat before asking, “Uhm, I’m not sure if I missed something about it, but is it possible for a Lycan to feel the Mate Pull?”

“Hmm, so you think you’re feeling the Mate Pull towards me right now?” Bella asked back.

Osman timidly nodded.

“Tell me, what do you feel around me?” Bella further questioned, her eyes refusing to break contact with his.

Osman’s breath hitched as he felt the air in his lungs thinning. Pulling and tugging against the neckline of his tunic a bit, the gesture did little to help him breathe properly again.

All the while, he wondered if it would be alright to answer Bella truthfully. Wouldn’t she become scared of him if he told her everything he was feeling for her without leaving a single detail untold? Wouldn’t it be too much for her?

“I’m waiting, Os…” Bella hummed in anticipation.

Letting out a deep sigh, Osman steeled himself as he stared back into Bella’s eyes. “I’m currently feeling something strong. Something that I’ve never felt before in my life.”

“Like what?”

“Like I want to bury my nose all over your body and drown myself in your intoxicating smell,” Osman replied. “I want to not just smell you but also lick your body all over. I mean, it sounds perverted, but I can’t help it. Your lips… I want to crush it against my own and see how soft and luscious they are… To taste your mouth and everything about your body. I want to touch you, and…”

Before Osman could continue, Bella suddenly opened the window on her side of the carriage.

“It’s nice feeling the cold breeze like this,” she awkwardly said, followed by her licking and wetting her lips.

Osman couldn’t help but stare. His little vixen… Did she know what she was doing to him right now? He wanted to tell her just how much he wanted to take her right there and then… that he was merely stopping himself from blurting out more vulgar words to avoid messing up everything that they currently had.

“Where were we again? Ah right, you were fantasizing about me in broad daylight,” Bella remarked with an awkward smile. Her charming cheeks were glowing red, and he knew that he shouldn’t continue, or else he would be the one getting tormented by those thoughts of his around her.

“Can I do that?” he unknowingly voiced out.

“Hmm, what’s the harm to it? Fantasizing about a woman is a normal thing, right?” she murmured, acting as normal as she possibly could. Despite this, Osman could still feel just how tense she was at the moment.

Osman let out a roguish grin as he hoarsely whispered, “It’s because I don’t want to simply just fantasize, my little vixen… I want to make it happen. And I intend to make it happen.”