Cursed and Fated: Offered To The Wicked Alpha Prince
Chapter 38: Scars on your body

Chapter 38: Scars on your body

Gideon slid his left hand down to the small of her back, pulling her flush against him until there wasn’t a breath of space left between them.

His tongue explored her mouth with a slow, possessive rhythm that drew a soft moan from deep within her throat. Finally, he withdrew, nibbling her upper lip one last time before pulling back just enough for them to breathe.

Adeline’s chest heaved as she inhaled the cool night air, the reality of what had just happened settling over her.

The sensation of his tongue against hers was more intimate than anything she had ever imagined. In the heat of it, every restless thought, replaced entirely by the fire of his touch.

His fingers began to trace idle, lingering patterns against the sensitive skin of her neck. "For the first time, you did great, Adeline," Gideon murmured. "Did you learn how to kiss somewhere?" He leaned down, his nose grazing hers in a slow, affectionate nuzzle.

"This was my first kiss," Adeline answered, her voice still breathy as she looked up at him. Her long eyelashes fluttered, her curiosity piqued by the ease of his movements. "How would I have learned it before? I only did what you told me to do." She paused, her gaze searching his. "What about you? Have you kissed anyone before me?"

"No," Gideon replied, leaning back just enough to look her in the eye. "You are my first kiss, too."

She shyly lowered her eyes, the heat in her cheeks refusing to fade. "I should go to bed. You should get some sleep too."

"Can’t I sleep with you? Like yesterday?" he asked, his voice losing its edge and becoming almost pleading.

"We have separate rooms. Besides, the bed here is small; it would be uncomfortable for both of us," Adeline reasoned, her gaze fixed firmly on the balcony floor.

"The bed in my room is large," Gideon answered simply.

Before she could offer another protest, the world around her blurred and shifted. Adeline gasped as her feet suddenly hit a different floor, the familiar surroundings of her room replaced by the shadows of his. Her head spun from the sudden transition.

"What was that? Did you just—" she stammered, furrowing her brows as she clutched his arm for balance, her head feeling heavy and dizzy from the teleportation.

"Yes. Get used to it," Gideon replied, his hand moving in slow, soothing circles against her back. "Sorry," he added after a moment, the edge in his voice softening as he realized he should have given her a warning.

Adeline took a steadying breath and gently pushed him away to create some space. "Fine. Then I’ll take the left side," she said, before turning back with a stern finger raised. "And don’t cross the pillow wall. If you do, we aren’t sleeping in the same bed again until we are married."

"As you say, Your Highness," Gideon murmured, a rare, genuine smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

He sat on the right side of the large bed, his eyes fixed intently on her as she began meticulously lining up pillows down the center of the mattress. As she reached the last one, her gaze flickered to the jagged marks peeking through his open robe.

"Did you fight in many battles? The scars on your body... there are so many of them," she murmured, smoothing the duvet before finally laying down.

"Yes, a few in the past," Gideon answered, his expression darkening slightly as he settled onto his side of the barrier. "The kind of battles that stay with you long after the wounds have closed."

He reached out and pressed the switch on the bedside table, plunging the room into darkness.

"I used to think that princes and princesses lived such peaceful lives—that there were no worries within the palace walls," Adeline murmured, her voice sounding small in the quiet room.

"Many people believe that. The Alpha princesses certainly don’t go to battle; at least, my half-sisters never did," Gideon asserted, his tone flat.

"You had a tough life," Adeline whispered. He tilted his head toward her, and in the shadows, his golden eyes seemed to glow, fixing intently on hers. "And you did a wonderful job of staying strong. Not everyone can do that, especially when you are the eldest, carrying so many responsibilities without any true support."

The silence stretched for a moment before Gideon spoke. "When you speak like that, it makes me want to kiss you."

"What?" she exclaimed in shock, her heart leaping as she pulled the duvet tighter against her chest. "Good night!"

She quickly turned her back to him, her face flushed even in the dark. A low, soft chuckle vibrated from his side of the bed.

"I was jesting. Turn back to me," he insisted, his voice laced with a rare playfulness.

But Adeline didn’t respond, her breath hitching as she squeezed her eyes shut, determined to maintain her resolve.

"I’ll come to your side if you don’t," Gideon threatened softly. When she remained silent and still, he shifted as if to follow through, but the memory of her warning, no more shared beds until their wedding, made him freeze. He realized then that her presence was affecting him far more rapidly than he had ever imagined.

Settling back onto his side, he stared up at the dark ceiling. ’Am I doing the right thing by allowing myself to fall in love?’ he wondered silently.

’Are you worried about the curse?’ his wolf, Helios, inquired within his mind.

’I shouldn’t be,’ Gideon thought. ’She is the first person who understands me without me having to say a word. Being near her brings a peace that I cannot explain.’

’I agree,’ Helios admitted. ’It is not as if we have never been surrounded by women before. But none have bewitched us the way she has.’

’You are right. At first, I thought she wouldn’t survive by my side or she didn’t even desire a man like me. After all, that’s all I have heard from everyone around me.’