Chapter 226: Bonding Beneath the Tree

{Third Person}

One Month Later...

Ever since Alexander received confirmation from Mage Seraphina that Amara was his mate, he had stopped fighting what he felt for her.

He had spent years searching for the woman destined to break the curse placed upon him, and when he finally discovered that she had been living beside him all along, he decided there was no reason to continue keeping her at a distance.

Though he did not tell Amara what Seraphina had revealed, he changed the way he treated her.

Over the following month, his attention toward her became more natural.

When they walked together through the streets or visited the city’s shops, Alexander often reached for her hand and held it as though it had always belonged in his.

The first time he did it, Amara had looked down at their joined hands in surprise before looking up at him, but she had not pulled away. After that, it slowly became something she stopped questioning.

He also began paying attention to the little things she liked. If he noticed she preferred one dish over the others during a meal, he would put some on her plate without asking.

If she mentioned wanting something while they were out, he remembered it.

He started asking her what she wanted whenever he returned from the college, where he had resumed his work as a lecturer, and he no longer found it strange to look for her before doing anything else when he arrived home.

There were other small changes as well. He had become comfortable touching her in ways he had never done before.

A loose strand of hair would sometimes be moved away from her face by his hand, or he would place a hand lightly against her back when guiding her through a crowded place.

Whenever she asked him to push her on the swing, he no longer needed to be persuaded. He would simply walk behind her and do it.

Amara had gradually become accustomed to all of it.

She still did not understand what had brought about the massive change, but she could no longer deny that something between them was different.

Alexander was still reserved, still carried himself with the quiet authority that came naturally to him, and still had moments when he withdrew into his thoughts. Yet around her, he had become noticeably more present.

She had also become accustomed to something else.

Whenever Alexander returned from the werewolf college after teaching his students, one of the first things he did was look for her.

This afternoon was no different.

Amara sat beneath the tree in the garden, a book open across her lap, when she heard footsteps approaching.

She looked up and immediately smiled when she saw Alexander walking toward her.

She closed the book and stood. "Welcome back."

Alexander stopped in front of her and gave a small nod. His eyes briefly travelled over her face before settling on her eyes.

"How was your day?" Amara asked.

"It was fine," he replied.

She smiled. "Did your students give you trouble today?"

"A little."

"I can imagine." Amara laughed softly. "Though I am quite surprised by their courage to trouble the Alpha Prince."

The corners of Alexander’s lips curled faintly. Then he reached into the bag he carried and pulled out a small box.

"I got you something."

Amara’s eyes immediately brightened. "For me?"

"Yes." He handed it to her. She opened it and found several packs of chocolates inside. "You bought me chocolates?"

"You like them." He asked.

"Of course!" Her smile widened as she looked at the box. "Thank you."

Alexander merely nodded.

Amara opened one of the packs almost immediately. She took a piece and ate it, then looked at him.

"Have some."

He shook his head. "You know I do not like sweets."

"You can still try one," she insisted, refusing ’no’ for an answer.

"I have tried them before."

"And you didn’t like them?"

"No." He shook his head.

Amara stared at him for a moment before breaking off another piece and holding it toward his mouth.

Alexander stared at the chocolate. "Amara."

"Just one bite."

"I said I do not like them."

"That is because you have not eaten enough."

His expression remained flat, so she moved the chocolate closer. He finally sighed and leaned forward, taking the bite from her fingers.

She smiled triumphantly. "There. Was that so difficult?"

"Yes."

She laughed. Before he could stop her, she took another bite from the piece she was holding and then offered it to him again.

He gave her a long look. "You are so persistent."

"Don’t forget you are stubborn," she said to him.

Alexander almost smiled. Almost. But he took another bite anyway.

Then Amara moved to sit down on the grass beneath the tree, and Alexander lowered himself beside her.

The shade kept the afternoon sun from becoming too warm, while the gentle breeze moved through the leaves above them.

Alexander glanced at the book still resting in her hands and asked, "What were you reading?"

"A book about plants and herbs."

She turned it toward him and opened it to the page she had been studying. There were drawings of different herbs, their leaves, roots, flowers, and brief descriptions of their uses.

"I have been trying to learn more about them," she explained. "Some of these plants can be used for medicine, while others can be dangerous if prepared wrongly."

Alexander looked through the pages for a while before handing the book back. She closed it and placed it beside her.

"I am tired."

"Then we should go inside," he quickly suggested. But she shook her head. "I just need a little massage."

He stared at her, seemingly unsure what she meant. But before he could ask, she shifted closer and rested her head on his thigh. Then she reached up, took one of his hands, and placed it between both of hers.

"I want your help."

His eyebrows drew together slightly. But right then he felt the temperature of her palms. "Your hands are very cold."

She looked down at them. "Mrs. Woods said the same thing this morning. I don’t know why they are like this."

She shrugged as though it were nothing worth worrying about.

Alexander did not share her indifference. He remembered how cold her body used to become.

He remembered seeing the strange blue veins beneath her skin, standing out clearly against her pale complexion and running along her arms, neck, and back in patterns that had never looked natural.

He remembered how she used to shiver whenever the cold became severe.

There had been the incident after she drank too much and could not be awakened properly. He had ordered cold water to be used on her body because nothing else had worked quickly enough.

Even during the early winters, she had struggled with the cold more than anyone around her expected.

But this was different.

Amara wasn’t shivering, complaining, or appearing uncomfortable.

Alexander turned her hands over and slowly enclosed them in his palms, allowing the warmth from his body to pass into them.

Amara sighed contentedly. "That feels nice."

He said nothing. His attention stayed on her hands. "Do you feel cold inside?" he asked.

She lifted her head slightly to look at him. "Inside?"

"Do you feel cold within your body?" he rephrased his question.

She thought about it before shaking her head. "No. I feel fine inside. Only my skin feels cold, and I don’t know why."

Alexander studied her face. Then his eyes moved over the rest of her body, carefully searching for anything unusual.

He checked her neck, arms, and the parts of her skin he could see without disturbing her clothes.

There were no blue veins. No strange marks. Nothing that suggested she was experiencing the same condition as before.

His concern gradually eased. Still, he was not willing to ignore it. "We are going inside."

Amara frowned. "Why?"

"You need to warm up."

"But I am comfortable here," she said, her eyes on him.

"No, you are not." Alexander stood and reached down for her hand. "We are going inside."

"I am not sick."

"I did not say you were."

"Then—"

He pulled her gently to her feet before she could finish.

Amara looked at him with mild annoyance, but he had already started walking toward the house.

She had no choice but to follow.

Behind them, the book remained beneath the tree where she had left it.

And although Amara continued to complain quietly about being taken indoors when she felt perfectly fine, Alexander did not change his mind.

He had spent too many years watching his own body betray him to ignore even the smallest change in hers.