The Crown's Entrapment

Unlike with her wolf form, Aurelia didn’t have a hard time learning how to shift into her hybrid wolf-woman form. And for some reason, she wasn’t any happier about it than she should be.

“What’s with the long face? Aren’t you glad that you managed to control your shifting in a short amount of time?” Calypso praised with a wide smile. “You succeeded in just the first few attempts. That’s great!”

She withheld a frown from forming on her face. He was right, but she truly felt a bit disappointed because she knew she wouldn’t have any valid reason to disturb him more. [How come I learnt it so easily?] she grumbled to her wolf.

[You are one of the smartest people in the kingdom,] Aura casually remarked. [If you want, you can pretend that something went wrong again and stay in your hybrid form.]

Aurelia quickly tossed away that idea. It would work, but it was absolutely out of her character. She couldn’t even picture herself delivering those words, let alone pretend that she didn’t know how to do something that she already practically mastered.

“Lia? You’re spacing out…” Calypso commented with snapped brows.

Aurelia sighed deeply while staring back at him. She might as well speak her mind…

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I feel like you’re spending more time with Lena than me,” she admitted. “I know I shouldn’t feel like this, but I simply couldn’t help it. It might be the Mate Pull and my instincts taking over, and I’m still working on clamping down on them, unfortunately.”

She then took another breath as she added, “Also, I just can’t help but compare your situation with my previous situation with Gideon. Lena isn’t really related to you, and she’s a beautiful and kind woman. Someone more… gentle and bubbly. What if you developed feelings towards her like how I develop-”

Aurelia paused when Calypso suddenly pulled her closer to him, his arm around her waist as he moved to whisper at her.

“Stop that. It feels weird seeing you acting this way,” Calypso declared as he reassured her. “Lena is simply a sister to me. And besides, I like a feisty woman like you. You’re my mate, Aurelia. Your scent is even enough to make me go insane! You’re the only attractive woman in my eyes. No one else…”

Aurelia bit her inner cheek as she kept her wall up against Calypso. She hated it… this Mate Pull. It felt to her like all of Calypso’s words and actions were done solely because of the Mate Pull. It wasn’t the words that she was honestly waiting for him to speak. Until now, she still hadn’t heard those exact words from his mouth that would make her feel at least some semblance of the security that she sought in their forming relationship. She already told him that she was falling in love with him, but even now there was no response from Calypso at all if he too felt the same way.

[This is frustrating…] she grumbled to her inner wolf.

[But you would rather die than tell him what it is that you’re really after,] Aura lamented. [I understand, but that is frustrating as well…]

[I have to keep at least some of the pride I still have left in me,] Aurelia scoffed. [I’d look like any other woman who’s running after him if I all but begged him to give me those words.]

“Stop frowning now, Lia,” Calypso soothed as he caressed her cheek with a bright smile on his face. “If you want, I’ll spend more time with you from this day onwards.”

“Why are you smiling from ear to ear? Aren’t you annoyed that I’m becoming clingy?” Aurelia coldly muttered. “This isn’t ideal, and I’m not really pleased with how I’m acting right now.”

Her frown deepened upon seeing the amused smile forming on his lips. He was obviously enjoying her misery.

“You look pleased,” she glowered at him.

“I am pleased. I mean, who wouldn’t be? I love it when you act like this,” Calypso teased. “It’s very rare. A once in a blue moon sight to behold. Now I know how to make you miss me more.”

She inwardly cursed her own weakness. She was showing too much vulnerability to him at this point, and it was making her lose even more control over her situation. This was stupid of her. Actually, was this the reason why they say that love made people stupid? She was being blinded by her emotions, making her act out of her norm and play herself right into his hands.

[You’ve fallen deep…] Aura casually stated. [You can always tell him. I’m sure he’ll rejoice and die of bliss if you blindsided him like that.]

[No… I want him to say it to me first,] she firmly replied.

[Solely for the principle of it, yes?] her inner wolf all but confirmed with a rhetorical question. [We haven’t lost yet, but winning looks so far away too…]

She inwardly grimaced. Was it wrong for her to hold onto her own sense of self? She had already admitted to Calypso that she was falling in love with him, so it should fall to him to calculate the rest of his path to her on his own. It was the logical course of action, and if he was cocky enough to simply run away with the advantage she gave him, then he deserved what he got from her.

But still, she couldn’t help but feel weary. 𝙚𝙙𝙤𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝒎

[Ask him what he’s feeling towards you right now if you’re really unsettled…] Aura suggested.

She opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it shut. She wasn’t ready to hear Calypso’s answer. [Never mind, Aura. I’ll simply enjoy what we’re having right now and go with the flow perhaps…] she scoffed. [He needs to learn on his own anyway.]

Having seemingly noticed her silence, Calypso leaned closer to her ear and murmured, “Hmm, lost your tongue, my Lia? It’s not like you to stay quiet like this without firing off any of your usual scorn against me.”

She remained quiet as she watched him move his face back to hers. She simply blinked for some time before her eyes dragged down towards his red lips. “I’m not in the mood to waste my words at you at the moment,” she murmured before moving her head so she could kiss his inviting lips.

Calypso fully wrapped his arms around her as they melted into their kiss, pulling her much closer to him as she clung onto his neck for support. They kissed passionately, not minding how the two of them were currently out in the open area of the manor’s yard.