Ileus: The Dark Prince

Kaizan was… aghast. "For a warrior girl, pink is a funny shade to choose for every upholstery in her room!" The bed linen, the sheets, curtains, rugs, gauzy canopy over the bed and even the blankets—all were pink.

Olivia giggled. "Yes, I love this color. So what?" He had scooped her in his arms in the main hall, disregarding every stare from the servants or the relatives and carried her all the way to her bedchamber. Although she had blushed and heard several of them chittering and gasping, she didn't protest one bit. She loved how he adulated her.

Kaizan just sighed. He walked to her bed and set her on her feet. "You need a shower and a lot of rest, Olivia!" he said.

"You too," she said, tipping her chin up.

He raised an eyebrow and stared into her eyes. "What are you suggesting, wife?"

She traced the outline of his face with her finger, softly, and said, "That you take a bath with me, husband."

A growl escaped his lips as he grasped her buttocks and pressed her against his body. He was so erect and hot over there that she could feel it like a brand against her belly. "You play with fire, Olivia."

She took her hand down to his shaft and gave it a little squeeze. His hips rocked into her hands involuntarily. "I love playing with fire, darling," she said in a low, sexy voice. And the wolf just picked her up and walked to the bathroom. They emerged an hour later. She was draped in a pink towel, while he had a pink towel wrapped around his waist. Olivia had to stifle her laugh seeing him in that color. The two had wild sex in the tub and were completely spent. She wore a long gown and slipped inside the comforter while Kaizan just removed his towel and slipped behind her. He pulled her closer to his chest and spooned her. The moment she was surrounded by his warmth and fire and masculine smell, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

When Olivia woke up next, she found that Kaizan was still sleeping. Her big, brawny, muscular wolf under the pink comforters and everything pink—he looked too… cute.

The morning sunlight filtered through the window of the room. It was late in the morning, but after yesterday night's sleep, she was completely refreshed. Feeling excited that she was once again in her home, she sat down. Kaizan frowned even in his sleep, missing her presence immediately. She kissed him on his forehead, assuring him that she would be around and then got out of the bed. After her morning activities, she grabbed her shawl and wrapped herself with it tightly. Quietly, she padded out of the room to meet her mother.

The mansion was just the same, except now the servants looked at her with respect and were kind of scared of. She understood the fear they had. It was because she was the wife of the General of Silver Vales, and not because she was the daughter of the beta. It didn't matter to her because she carried her husband's scent and his child everywhere she went and she carried it proudly. She rounded the corner of a corridor and came to a staircase that led to her mother's room. As she climbed down the stairs, she heard voices coming from her mother's room. Her heartbeat increased, and she contemplated on going back. But she walked towards her parents' room and opened the door. The voices stopped instantly.

"Olivia!" Fuchsia said as she hopped out of the couch she was sitting on. "I have been waiting for you!" She rushed to Olivia and hugged her. In a low voice she requested, "Please Olivia, don't talk about the incident at Silver vales to your mother or father. Bernice is getting married soon and soon this will be put behind all of us."

Olivia didn't even attempt to hug her back, gritting her teeth and hating Fuchsia's closeness. From the corner of her eye, she saw Bernice coming in from the balcony. Bernice gave her a cold stare and Olivia returned it. And Olivia couldn't help thinking how very brazen these women were. "I won't," she said quickly and then pulled herself away from her aunt. She went to sit next to her mother on the bed, who was sipping tea and looking comfortable. Her father wasn't in the chamber.

Kaia chuckled. She placed her cup on the table. "If you are looking for your father, then you should know that he had left two hours back to check the progress of the celebrations. He is more excited than I am." She poured tea for Olivia and gave her cheese and bread. "Fuchsia is here with a request and has been eating my head since morning." Kaia shook her head. She tucked her daughter inside the blanket she was in.

When pursed her lips and lowered her face. She didn't want to look up at the two of them. It was difficult to bear their presence. When Fuchsia requested her not to talk about the incident, she understood that they were sorry for what they did in the capital. Everyone deserves one more chance and with that thought she exhaled heavily, looked at her aunt and asked, "What is it, aunt Fuchsia?" It was impossible to look in Bernice's direction who was sitting opposite to her and still staring.

Fuchsia clasped her hand and giggled. She turned her face to look at her daughter. "Bernice has got engaged to Captain Samuel of one of the cavalries of the Whiteclaw pack. Next month she is getting married. So… I was going to host a dinner at my place tomorrow night, annnnddd… I really want Kaizan and you to come over. It would be such a great honor. Samuel would be there too."

Olivia clenched her jaw. The gall of this woman was beyond reasoning. She wanted to show Samuel to Kaizan and coax him to raise his position in the army. "I am not sure Kaizan would want to—"

"Oh, come on Olivia!" Fuchsia cut her off. "It is just a small family dinner. There would be your parents, us and Samuel's parents. That's all!"

"We must go, Olivia," Kaia said. "She has been planning this dinner from a long time."

Olivia wanted to turn down the invitation, but it was impossible to walk out from it. "Okay…"

"Oh, lovely!" Fuchsia exclaimed. She got up. "I must leave now, Kaia," she said. "There is a lot to do!"

Kaia laughed at her sister's eagerness. When the two women left, Olivia just snuggled into her mother and held her tightly. "I missed you, mother," she whispered.

"I missed you too, Olivia," Kaia sighed.

"I wanted to say something to you about Luke," Olivia stated and Kaia's body tightened with tension.

"What about him?"

"It wasn't Kaizan who killed Luke."

Kaia jerked her head back.

"It was his second in command, Finn, and his men," Olivia said in a low voice with her eyes fixed on her teacup in her lap. She fidgeted her fingers around it but she had to clear Kaizan's name. There was a long silence in which she grew all the more uncomfortable.

---

Music recommendation: "Never Gonna Let You Down" by Colbie Caillat, suggested by Sacogun