[DELBERT]
"I won't push for the mate bond, but please don't push me away."
"I love the cinnamon scent," Nour said and it took a moment for Delbert to realize what it meant for the both of them. This was what hope looks like and Delbert Cornell was on the right side of it all.
He hadn't expected this much from the man he was sure would reject him, but right now, as he looked at the darling on his bed, he couldn't help but be thankful to the fates for this particular stroke of perfection.
Nour Abdallah was every man's wet dream and Delbert was not going to let him go, ever. He loved him, with everything he had and didn't have; and hells would be damaged if I let Nour get hurt again.
"Can I…" Delbert trailed off as he looked at the man on his bed.
He looked too beautiful, too perfect to be tainted by anyone else. The spells Delbert had cast on Nour earlier had not only taken away his pain, but had also transformed the young prince into a flawless man who didn't have any scars on him.
Granted, the scars were a reminder of what Nour had gone through, but Delbert didn't want him to think of the past when he looked at himself in the mirror. He wanted his erasthai to only think of things that made him happy.
Maybe that was also why he had made sure to sniff Nour's neck earlier, because it would put his wolf at ease, not to mention the fact that he wanted Nour to know that the skis would bow if he so much as commanded it.
"Join me," Nour breathed as he tapped the side of the bed, and Delbert could have sworn his heart was beating too loudly in his ears.
He felt like he had finally crossed the most unstable of roads out there and he was about to get a hint of what it felt like to be wanted by someone.
Perhaps he was thinking too much about the little show of affection, but he couldn't be blamed for it, because while everyone loved and cherished him, he only ever wished desperately to be loved by the prettiest man on his bed.
Oh, but he was a happy Lycan this instant, so much so that he didn't want to ruin the moment.
"Me?... I mean… Are you sure you want me there? I don't mind taking residence in another room," Delbert rambled and Nour let out a soft chuckle. He calls me how hard Delbert was fighting back the urge to run to him.
"I feel better now, you shouldn't be walking on eggshells around me. I'm just a little d—" Nour began and Delbert hopped on the bed faster, not letting Nour say a word that he was thinking anymore.
Delbert could read his Erasthai's mind and he knew that being sexually assaulted and hurt like that was defining for Nour. He hated that reality for his erasthai and he was angry.
He wanted to go and make Grant pay the price for it, but until then, he would make sure his erasthai didn't feel inadequate in any way.
"I love you," Delbert blurted out, in an attempt to change Nour's mind and shake off the crazy thoughts. If it had been up to Delbert, he could have wiped his Erasthai's memory of the hell that Grant had put him through, but that just wouldn't be fair to Nour.
He wouldn't be able to live his life freely, seeing as the entire kingdom knew what Grant used to do to him.
He would feel lacking and the itch to know things would get him down a rabbit hole and he would forever despise Delbert, which would defeat the purpose of their fresh start.
"You look stressed," Nour pointed out and Delbert smiled weakly at him.
"I'm fine, my beautiful. Are you feeling better? Does it hurt anywhere?" Delbert asked as he checked Out. Of course, he hoped that the spell that had made Nour so flawless had patched up any pain he had, but then he couldn't leave that to chance.
He couldn't just let things be and he wanted to know if there was anything he could do for his erasthai. This was something that almost never happened and while he didn't want to be holding back, he knew he had to.
If he went back out there, he would be one of the monsters that the realm was scared of and he couldn't have that. It was enough that his younger brother was the beast of the midlands, he didn't want to be that for Nour.
But if someone lays a hand on Nour again, he would bring civilizations to their knees without batting an eye.
"No… My wounds healed a long time ago," Nour admitted as he looked everywhere but at Delbert, you would think he was hiding something. That in itself was interesting because Dalbert could have sworn he felt different.
"But Soph—"
"I may have used a trick Alanor taught me to keep people away. I didn't want anyone to see me like that. Everyone in the house already saw my messed-up state, I'd hate to traumatize them even more," Nour admitted and Delbert sighed.
This time, it wasn't a sigh of defeat, but it was the sign that reminded him that this was his mate and he didn't need to show just how angry he was with Grant.
He was trying to keep himself in check because if he lost his temper, the only thing that would be left of Grant Hindley would be nothing. Not even a memory in the history books. He would wipe the bastard from existence and he wouldn't even feel bad about it.
"Oh baby… I'm so sorry," Delbert said as he looked into the dark beautiful eyes of the man who had enamored him. He wasn't sure he would be able to live without Nour now that they were this close.
He had done everything to make things right for his erasthai, and while Nour would forever have the choice to leave if he wanted to, Delbert could only hope his erasthai didn't leave his ass, because that would be the beginning of so many tragedies in the Lycan's life along with endless wrong decisions.
"I'm fine, I promise. Don't worry too much, Kalkan," Nour said, mumbling the last bit so slowly that if Delbert didn't have Lycan hearing, he could have missed it. Thankfully, he didn't, because his eyes constantly lit up like a kid with Halloween candy.
"Kalkan?" Delbert asked, gently stroking his Erasthai's face. He loved the feel of Nour's skin on his palms, and even when Nour leaned in, gently closing his eyes as if to tell Delbert that he was the safest whenever Delbert was round.
"I think my ribs hurt…" Nour said as he cheekily flinched.
"Oh goddess, I'm so sorry, my beautiful," Delbert said, constantly pulling back to check for himself the ribs that were hurting. He wouldn't even call it a bluff because when he had picked Nour earlier from the palace, the young prince had a lot of broken bones.
"You're so gullible, Kalkan," Nour said as he leaned and kissed Delbert on the cheeks, making the mighty Lycan warrior go red. Then again, he didn't lie because the man had been his shield from the very beginning and he was forever grateful.
"I love you too, always, Kalkan," Nour added sincerely.