He knew...
Desmond knew that I was getting irritated at Hazel's presence ever since the day I arrived here in his pack. I was very unhappy when I saw her getting to stick with him even though from the time Desmond and I met, I hadn't accepted him as my mate.
"What business did she have to do here, cinnamon?" I asked when I poured him some tea in his cup. Even though I knew that she presented herself as proper etiquette, I still wanted to know what she did. I wanted it to come from Desmond.
After I bestowed him his tea, Desmond guided my waist to have me sit on his lap before he wrapped his arms around my waist causing my heart to race rapidly. Especially when I came to smell his alluring scent of the combination of citrus, orange, and cedarwood.
He smelled exotic to me. And I found it attractive.
He planted a soft kiss on my shoulder before he answered, "She greeted me and told me that she would stay at Harvey's manor for two weeks. She said that she is looking forward to seeing me?" he said, unsure.
I glared at him, squinting my eyes. His eyes widened at my darkened expression.
"S-Seraphim, I only told you what she said. I am being honest here!" He raised both of his hands.
Since he didn't block his feelings, I could feel that he was feeling troubled and that he had yet to convince me that he was telling the truth.
"Are you certain?" I frowned.
He nodded. "I swear in the name of the Moon Goddess."
I stayed silent, glaring at him while he was starting to get annoyed. Not to me. Desmond looked like he wanted to summon Hazel and made her want to punish her for creating a new misunderstanding between us again.
Indeed, this wasn't the very first time that we had misunderstood each other due to Hazel's presence.
"I—"
"Forgiven," I butted in before he could spout some words that would lead us to have a bad day.
Desmond frowned but his expression softened the moment I buried my face to the crook of his neck. I felt his hands rubbed to my back as I purred under his touch.
"Cinnamon, if she ever touches you again, I swear, I am going to kill her." I planted a soft kiss on his neck. "I just want you to know that your Luna will murder her. You must be aware of that as the Alpha of our pack."
He chuckled. "Mmm... How scary you must be, Luna Seraphina?" He grazed his lips to my ear.
I clung to his neck. "I only learned this from my husband," I whispered seductively and caressed his sturdy chest.
I heard his ragged breath as his lips started to trace the slenderness of my neck. "Well... my wife is a fast learner then. I love it when my wife is being possessive just as I am to her," he whispered softly.
I leaned forward to kiss the corner of his lips. "Why don't you show me how possessive you are, cinnamon?" I smirked after whispering in my sultry pitch.
Desmond growled immaculately as he smirked back before he pinched my flank. "How do you want me to show it? Rough or gentle?"
I bit my lower lip, feeling aroused. "How about... a little force?" I gulped, wanting to moan.
He arched his eyebrow before he grazed his nose to my jaw. "Then, rough and force?" I cleared my throat as I nodded.
Before Desmond and I could descend our lips into each other, a knock from the door came to disturb us. But that didn't halt Desmond as he lowered his head and was about to capture my lips when the knocks were getting louder.
"Alpha, it's Oakley. I have an urgent matter to discuss with you."
"Damn it... That son of a bitch..." I chuckled when his expression darkened. He glared at me, growling. "You seemed to have fun, seraphim."
He groaned in protest when I stood up from sitting on his lap before I kissed his cheek. "We can have fun later. For now," I paused and compelled him to look up at me by placing my finger on his chin. "Do your duties as the Alpha of our pack." I winked.
Desmond frowned before he sighed. "I will have you for myself later, seraphim. I won't take no as an answer," he said as I was about to leave.
I turned my head at him and smirked. "Well... Make me, then," I challenged.
He growled when I opened the door while laughing. Oakley greeted me with a bow before I tapped him on his shoulder.
"Calm him down for me, will you, Oakley?" I teased Desmond before I waved my hand at him and left him a flying kiss causing him to frown more.
"Seraphina!"
I laughed after Desmond called my name when I was in the hallway.
I finished all my Luna duties as well when I returned to my study room. Desmond and I had a different study room. At first, he wanted us to be in the same room, however, I wished that we both had different rooms. He disagreed at first but eventually, he agreed.
I decided to retire by going outside and saw my husband having fun playing with the offspring of our pack members. I smiled gently seeing him chuckling and chasing them.
He wasn't fond of kids before until we got to meet each other. He was cruel for enlisting them to the draft until I spoke up and expressed my thoughts that I didn't want to accept him as my mate if he wasn't going to change his ways of ruling.
He changed. He changed for me. He slowly fell in love playing with the pups here the moment we married each other.
I could already imagine Desmond being a good father for our future pups. I bit my lower lip and mindlessly placed my hand on top of my stomach, sighing.
I could have wished I was pregnant, too...
"You have been sighing for the nth time? What is the problem, seraphim?"
I snapped back and gasped when Desmond dropped his hands on my shoulders. I looked at his reflection in the mirror as soon as we were done having our evening meal and retiring in our chamber.
I halted from combing my hair and compelled a smile. "I saw you enjoying playing with our pack members' pups. Don't you feel envy that until now, I am still not pregnant yet?" I asked and stood up, sighing one more time.
Desmond cupped my face and looked at me, concerned. "Seraphina—"
"We were married for five years already, Desmond. Am I the problem as until now we haven't conceived a pup?" I felt my eyes getting teary. "I know that even if you are not telling me, you also want us to have our pup already..."
He hugged me. "Seraphim, you know I am not pressured that we can have a pup. You know that already, right?" he asked in a soft tone which I nodded. "I am telling the truth. You can feel my feelings." I nodded.
He was right. I didn't feel any trouble with him or he wasn't making any issues about us not having a pup yet.
"Don't you feel envy from time to time?" I asked as he sat in the bed and made me straddle him. "That we are not a family?"
Desmond smiled and leaned his forehead to mine. "Why would I feel envy when I have you?" He tightened his hug. "I have you, Seraphina. We are still family."
I buried my face in the crook of his neck. "But we are husband and wife. Family is when you said that there is a pup," I retorted, sighing.
He forced me to look at him. His expression softened than before. "Seraphim, we are still family regardless if it is just the two of us as husband and wife. Perhaps, this is not the right moment to be granted us a pup."
"What if there is no right moment? That we are not blessed by the Moon Goddess to have a pup?"
"Then, there is no problem. We can have Daniel be trained as the next Alpha." He was indicating his nephew is the son of his younger brother, Declan. I snapped back when he gently pinched my flank. "We can still live happily after, Seraphina. Just as I promise."
I got teary-eyed from his words. Desmond wasn't bothered by not having a pup. I bit my lower lip thanking the Moon Goddess that She had made me fated to this cruel man who was so understanding.
"Desmond..." I hugged him so tight.
I accused him that he slept because I thought he wanted to have a pup. It was all because of the aphrodisiac that led me to be like that which almost caused the crumble down of our mate relationship. I thought that I wouldn't be able to trust Desmond anymore but I was wrong.
After we made love that night, Desmond said something in my ear. "I made Count Urba suffer for almost ruining my marriage with you."
I stiffened as my eyes widened. "You did not?" I said in disbelief.
His expression darkened as he sighed. "What happened to me... We almost broke apart, seraphim. Fret not since I spared his life. I am certain we will not cross paths anymore."
I creased my foreheads. "You killed him?"
"Almost." He shrugged and smiled darkly.
I didn't say a word. But I actually felt relieved that he thought Count Urba had some lessons he wouldn't forget so I wasn't complaining.
"Alright," I said and snuggled closer with him. "Let's sleep now. The harvest season is tomorrow."
"Hmm." Desmond nodded and smiled before he kissed my forehead. "Good night, seraphim."
I kissed his jaw and sniffed his alluring scent. "Good night, cinnamon."
Today was the cotton harvest season here in the Rising Diamond pack.It was a fruitful year again because we got to harvest more cotton this year. Cotton was one of the main agricultural products of the Sowinski Kingdom. We sold and distributed them to the cotton fabric manufacturers here from our local area. Sometimes, we were exporting them to the three different kingdoms called Estasia Eglaria Kingdom, Yuanzhong Kingdom, and Waevalon Kingdom.I giggled as soon as I saw Desmond joining with the fellow men. He had a huge frown on his face seeing that he really didn't like harvesting cotton because it annoyed him when some of the strands of the cotton stuck to his clothes.'It seems you are enjoying harvesting, cinnamon,' I mind linked him while chuckling.Desmond looked for me in the crowds and spotted me. He playfully rolled his eyes. 'I cannot believe I have to do this every year just to impress our pack members,' he mind linked back.'Come. I'll wipe your forehead, cinnamon.' I wa
"Seraphim, are you alright?"I snapped back. "Huh?" I blinked and looked at Desmond who was tilting his head, looking at me. "Are you saying something?"He creased his forehead before he sighed. "I am asking you if the food is to your liking. You haven't touched it. Isn't appetizing for you? Shall we change to a different restaurant?" he asked. There was a concerned expression on his face.I shook my head as I looked down at my food. He was right. I haven't touched it. "I don't have an appetite right now, cinnamon." I forced a smile as I sighed."Is there... something wrong?" Desmond asked, hesitant as he took my hand.I glanced down at his hand. I secretly gnashed my teeth. I almost smiled bitterly before I put up my real smile. "No, cinnamon. We have been eating a lot for the past two days so I think I am still full. You know what I mean..."We had arrived at the capital two days ago to attend the meeting with Alpha King Azarius. Since we arrived there, the palace never failed to pr
"Seraphina, grab me some electric blue taffeta, will you?" I nodded my head as I went to the shelves for fabrics where they were arranged by fabric type and by color. Then I took the electric blue taffeta and bestowed the fabric to Nicia who was busy hand sewing a new cicada gown ordered by Lady Helga. I returned to my seat to finish the bonnet matching the ball gown for Lady Helga. Nicia and I were the ones handling this while my other fellow seamstresses were busy dealing with the new customers from the noble ladies. I took the needle and black laces to sew it to the brim of the blue hat. "Are you going to stay late again, Nicia?" I asked when I continued sewing. Nicia glanced at me. "Probably. It is not as if we have a choice. We didn't even have a break for work, Seraphina." She grinned. I chuckled, huffing. "You are right." But I sighed one more time. "I do not know what to explain again to Sander if I come home late and he is waiting for me again." "If only Madam Ibanez wa
I woke up the next morning having Sander, not in my arms. I panicked and got up from the single bed where we both slept."Sander?" I went to the dining room to see brown-colored bread, made from barley flour with rye, on the table. Then I heard a hissing sound coming from a pan and saw Sander's small back and messy golden hair locks inherited from mine. "Sander..." I called when I found out that he was cooking.My son named Sander stiffened before he turned around and smiled. "Good morning, Mama!" He instantly hugged me.I hugged him so tight and carried him in my arms. "You're cooking for Mama again, little man." I checked what he was cooking and saw that he was cooking some salmon. Upon finding it out, I couldn't help kissing his forehead as I felt a little bad that he was doing this for me. I must be the one who must do this to him but it turned out to be otherwise."I woke up early, Mama, to catch a salmon in the river for our morning meal!" He beamed.I lifted him down and knelt
"There are so many food stalls here, Mama! I can't pick one!" Sander beamed as we came to walk to the seaside and saw some food stalls.I chuckled and held his hand tightly. "How about we go to a nearby restaurant? I am very sure you haven't experienced coming there, have you?"His eyes widened in awe. "Restaurant?" I nodded, caressing his hair. "I would love to!"I fixated on his bowtie and his hat. "There." I cupped his cherub face. "My baby pup grows up so fast. I can't accept it yet," I said, feeling emotional as I gave him some kisses which Sander giggled at."Mama, I want to grow up so I can protect you. I will look for work and I will earn so hard that Mama won't work anymore."That made me teary-eyed. "What did I do to deserve you?" I kissed his forehead. He was such an adorable child. I really don't deserve this pup..."Because I love my Mama. My playmates teased me that you don't love me anymore because Mama is not staying with me for the whole day. But I told them you are w
I was bothered by Sander's words as soon as we headed back home. Even though days had already passed, I could still feel chills down my spine. I didn't get a chance to ask him about it and what the man really looked like.But if what Sander proclaimed that the man looked like my son, could it be... him? He was here?That was impossible for sure. This rural town was far away from where I lived before. It was impossible that he would be able to find me since I never used my maiden surname or his surname.I only used my own name since as a peasant, they don't have any surname. I knew that I was safe because having a name, Seraphina, was a very common name here in the Sowinski Kingdom.But... if Desmond managed to find me, then I must do what it took to hide my son away from him. There was no way that he had a chance to see our son.Never.After he hurt me... After he made me a fool from our marriage...Did he really think that he deserved to know about our son?Absconding from his pack..
"This is our new home, Mama?" Sander asked with his eyes widened in awe.I roamed my eyes around seeing that this new flat I rented was well maintained. I was glad that I found a caring landlady who was so accommodating to her tenants, unlike the landlady where Sander and I stayed before. Her rent was cheap yet it was dilapidated.I only rented there because I wanted to live in a simple flat that would avoid having me found by Desmond. But I was glad that I found a flat that would fit in my budget for my wage of being a seamstress and my workplace was two blocks away from our new flat.I looked at Sander and gently caressed his hair. "Yes, little man. This is our new home with no annoying neighbors," I said.He giggled when I gently pinched his nose. "Can I go out while you are away, Mama?" he asked. "I saw a river that isn't far away from here."I chuckled. Sander would always love going to rivers and going to hunt some salmon. "As long as you are not going anywhere aside from that r
"Mama, please take care."I kissed Sander on his forehead. "Yes. Continue to write them, alright? Then, we will proceed to the next lesson once I go home. Be a good boy here, Sander."Since we already had a new home, I already introduced Sander to studying more by reading and writing. Though I couldn't say that I had knowledge about it, I only thought about what I thought would be convenient for my son while I was away.The education here was only favorable to all the nobles. It was a good thing that Desmond had made me study lessons when we were still getting to know each other. At that time I was still wary of him but still, I accepted the education he bestowed on me since he insisted. It was the time he knew that I couldn't read and write.It was very helpful for me and thanks to that, I could pass my knowledge to Sander.I went to the tailor shop early this morning. I even got to meet Niscia along the way."I hope Madam Ibanez is not here yet," I said when we went to our workstati