[NOUR]
"It hurts, please," Nour pleaded, when Grant sat on him, ignoring the pain that he had just inflicted on his very innocent mate.
"Fucking sleep, don't leave this house, or I'll do worse to you," Grant said, right before he picked up a wooden piece near him, and smashed it on Nour's head, forcing the prince to sleep instantly.
However, just as Grant opened his door to walk out, he ran into a very pissed-off Delbert Cornell.
Delbert looked like he could punch Grant into all seven ways to hell. His face was contorted into one that demanded answers, but also one that was daring the man before him to say anything that didn't make him happy.
Standing there in front of Grant's house, Delbert could hear the weak grunts of the young prince. The stench of blood and tears was so potent and his Lycan senses were not making it any easier for him, given the circumstances.
He hated this and hated what he was seeing, but even then, he was just a junior warrior. Perhaps that was the only reminder Delbert needed to remind himself that now wasn't the time to be a hero.
He needed to wait it out, and see how long this would go on, but would he really?
"Hey, are you okay?" Grant asked as he looked at the junior warrior before him.
Grant didn't see a pissed-off warrior, he saw a frustrated one, and even if he saw a pissed Delbert, he had nothing to worry about, because at the end of the day, regardless of his suspension, he was still the enforcer.
"What?" Delbert asked, feigning ignorance.
"You have been standing there for five minutes without saying a word. Are you okay? Is something the matter?" Grant asked and Delbert let out a long and frustrated sigh. He could smell blood on Grant, and he knew it was Nour's.
"No, I'm not okay. I feel like my head's going to blow up any minute," Delbert said truthfully.
He was fighting his Lycan for control. He knew this man had hurt someone he cared about and his Lycan wanted to come out and punish Grant. While that was an awesome idea for Delbert, he couldn't.
"That sounds intense. Want to come in?" Grant asked and Delbert looked at the man. They both could sell the blood and yet for some reason, the man was still inviting him in. Well, this was also Delbert's chance to see for himself what was happening, right?
"Can I?"
"Yeah sure," Grant said as he ushered Delbert in. Delbert didn't hesitate to walk into the house that smelled like blood. He could see the clear blood patches on the wall.
He could see how everything had been roughed up. He could see the change in the room and he knew Grant wanted him to see this. He could tell that Grant was testing him, waiting for him to say something about taking him to the King.
What was even worse, was that Delbert could see Nour's hunched figure struggling to get up and failing. The young wolf was in so much pain and for a moment, Delbert considered taking his pain away.
This wasn't how shit worked and he wasn't in the mood for this.
"You should tell the King to reinstate you, man. It's too much for a man like me," Delbert said, ignoring the situation in the room. He couldn't pay attention to it, and silently, he hoped the young prince would come out of this.
He already knew that Nour was the ruby wolf and he knew the young prince could take care of himself. But even then, he wished there was something he could do other than be there and act like he didn't care about what the enforcer had done.
If he did ask, Delbert would kill Grant first and ask questions later; that wasn't what he needed right now. He was a Lycan and Lycan murders were noticeable. He couldn't make them know that there was one in Acrod, barely a month after the mating ball.
"It's just been a month on the job and you're complaining? Damn, Delbert," Grant said with a laugh.
Of course, he knew how intense the position was. He knew that the enforcer and the king technically ran the kingdom and it was for those reasons that he almost felt bad for the temporary enforcer before him.
"I haven't had a night of sleep bro. It's like I should be everywhere at the same time and listening to people. I thought we were warriors and all, but goddamn, the pressure wasn't what I expected.
"I finally understand how hard it was for you, and honestly, I don't blame you for the ruby wolf. That bastard makes me go insane even in his absence. He is all the King talks about.
"He wants the man dead, but how the fuck am I supposed to find someone that even you couldn't find on time?" Delbert asked, the frustration in his voice so clear but that wasn't what he was intending.
He needed to pretend to be angry because if he didn't, he would shift focus and that didn't sound like a food thing for anyone in that room. The fact that Nour's blood was all over the once-white walls, made him want to avenge the young prince.
"By the way, what did the mouthy omega do that got him looking so pretty like that?" Delbert asked, the disgust he was feeling, making him want to break things.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Grant snickered as he walked over to where Nour was. The young prince was fading in and out of consciousness, and Delbert could see that he was also fighting his wolf to not heal him.
It was a hard talk though, given Nour was born a royal wolf and weakness just wasn't a thing for the royals. He could turn the tables but just like Delbert, he chose not to, because he wanted to see for himself, how long this would take.
"Try me," Delbert forced out when he reached Nour, and his heart sank into his stomach at the swollen sight before him. He wanted to take the young prince into his arms and take care of him.
"He is my mate. Can you imagine that? The mouthy omega is my mate. The moon goddess relay went from giving me Gideon as a mate and then bound me to this little shit. Anyway, today, I needed to let out my anger and he was there.
"Isn't he a pretty sight?" Grant asked so casually, while his junior warrior just stared at the sight before him. He knew that this wasn't normal and he knew Grant was changing. Well, that was what happened when someone was rejected by a Lycan.
They never got the proper goodbyes because Lycans never cared. Perhaps that was the one thing that Grant should have known because there was just no way a man like him would be good enough for his brother.
"Well, he looks like a pretty rag doll. I don't mean any disrespect, but seeing as you beat him all up like that, I'm assuming you don't want him, right?
"Can I use him as my punching bag too?" Delbert asked even though every word that left his mouth felt like poison to him. But what else could he do other than play a game with the man who was ruining that which was his?
"Sure. Have fun. Just make sure he doesn't die. I don't have the time to pretend to be hurt for a pathetic mate like this one. I hope you cheer up because the workload is just going to increase.
"Don't worry though, I'll be in the brothels if you need me," Grant said causally before gently patting Delbert on the back and taking his leave. At that, Delbert finally let out a low growl.
"Why?" Delbert asked once he was sure Grant was long gone. He knew Nour could hear him and he knew the stubborn prince wasn't going to be healing himself anytime soon. He was that adamant and that shit broke his heart.
"I look pretty, don't I?" Nour said, as he coughed blood on the floor. His body was failing him and if he wasn't careful, he would go into a coma for a very long time. This wasn't how he was supposed to be, but it wasn't like he could change instantly right?
Nour wanted to stay like this because he couldn't let the enforcer know that he had a wolf who could heal him.
Over the years he lived as the mouthy omega, he had been healing slowly and pretty fine because all his injuries had been minor. But today, even he wasn't sure if he could hold out against everything.
"Why do you let him do this to you when you can kill him with your bare hands?"
"I wanted the experience of a mate, and well, it turns out, I might not even want one anymore. But hey, cheers to life, right?" Nour said earnestly and Delbert felt his heart shatter.
He had come to Grant's house because he had felt Nour's pain when he had been in the palace, and while he wanted to say he had come here because he didn't want Alanor to lose Nour, Delbert knew that wasn't it.
"I'll never forgive him for this," Delbert said before he cast a healing spell on Nour, ignoring every rebellious act that the prince was giving him about the wounds.
"If I didn't know you were Alanor's brother, I would be tempted to say you care about me," Nour said as he slowly let the darkness consume him. He knew he was safe with Delbert and that was comfort to the both of them.
"You're right, Burda. You're my Erasthai. Mine to love and protect. If only you'd see it," Delbert whispered defeatedly when he was sure Nour was finally asleep.
But the young prince had just slowed his heartbeats so the Lycan could think he was asleep.
And it worked because he heard Delbert's little confession.