Lycan's Affection
All of the Places You Have Never Been

Conaan stood by the large window, his head tilted slightly upward as he watched the moon. The stars were abundant, and the moon was full, most of its glow lighting up half of his face.

"Your Highness?"

He turned to Brandon, who walked in, his hand clasped around his small knife.

"Did something happen?"

He shook his head. "Not much. I wanted to see how you were faring, with your birthday being tomorrow."

Conaan's brows furrowed as he gave an amused snicker. "It is not the end of the world."

"Surely. A few alphas have proposed their presence so as to pay tribute to you, including Alexander. I could decline them if you do not want it."

Conaan shrugged. "It happens once a year. By next year, I could have wiped them out, so let us be gracious this time."

Brandon laughed. "They do not want to hear that."

Conaan did not reply, but a smile lightened up his features. Silence fell between them, and Brandon gave a small sigh.

"Esmeralda..."

"Let it be, Brandon. Whatever it is."

Brandon nodded. It was not too important, or urgent. "Are you happy?" He asked instead, his eyes taking in Conaan's profile.

He was as perfect as a man could get, as perfect as a king wished to be.

"I believe I am." It came out as a small whisper, and he smiled, shaking his head.

Brandon stayed there for a while, revelling in the fact that at least, Conaan was happy. And tonight, maybe just tonight, they could forget it all. The werewolves, the council, the poison, Anderson, Esmeralda. It could all be washed away under these tides, even if they knew for sure it would still wash up ashore later.

"I will take my leave now," Brandon said after some time. Conaan nodded, letting him leave, and he listened to the footsteps of his trusted ally as it gradually faded away.

Eleanor sighed, fixing the arrangements of the sweets on the tray again. It looked clumsy at best, and with a sigh, she started to arrange it again, her hair coming in front of her. She closed her eyes and tried to focus even harder, then slowly started again, arranging them so they descended in number till she got to the very last.

With a satisfied smile, she picked up the tray, finally leaving the cook house. Slowly, she made her way to her chamber first, then fixed herself up quickly. She looked haggard from the time in there, and she quickly fixed it, then grabbed the tray again.

"I heard the moon shines the brightest a night before the king's birthday," she said once she saw Conaan.

He was still standing by the window, a robe loosely placed on his shoulders, his hands clasped behind him.

"Seems like it came to pay me a visit too," he said with a small laugh, then slowly turned, his eyes meeting hers. "To what do I owe the honor?"

She shrugged, slowly balancing the tray on one palm as she brought it out from behind her. "I may have been to the cook house."

His brows furrowed as he took in the tray in front of her. "The cookhouse?"

She nodded. "Have a taste."

He looked up at her, his eyes carying a glint of surprise. Slowly, he brought his hand to pick one of them, a grateful smile lifting his lips. It was hot, and he instinctively withdrew his hand, his eyes widening.

She laughed, shaking her head. "You may be king, but you are still such a child, Your Highness."

He did not reply it, and she moved away, dropping the tray on the edge of the bed. She came back to where he was standing, then gently took his hand, her hand supporting his from under it.

"Eleanor," he said under his breath, his eyes fixed on hers.

She smiled, trying as hard as she could to ignore the jolts of electricity that passed through her fingers.

She brought her other hand and slowly caressed the tips of his fingers, her eyes focused on it. It felt like she was way too scared of seeing what she knew would be in his eyes, so much that she chose to focus on his fingers instead.

Conaan swallowed, his fist clenching slightly. "Eleanor?"

She looked up, still not letting go of his hand. "Yes?"

"Tomorrow, Alexander will come." He tried to hide it, but she saw the flash of emotions that passed his eyes.

She swallowed, then nodded, and he felt the slight pressure she added on his hand. "Would you let him?"

"Yes. But that is not why I told you."

Before she could say a word, he took a step further, without removing his hand from hers his eyes met hers, his other hand coming up to move her hair away from her face.

"I am just saying this to tell you that it is okay."

Her brows furrowed. "What?"

"If tomorrow, you see him and your heart fumbles a little, if you see him, and you feel the hurt or the yearning, I want to assure you that it is okay." He cupped the side of her face and she instinctively leaned in to his palm, his thumb moving delicately against her skin.

"Just know I will still wait here, regardless. If he comes with his mate and you need to cry, come to me still. I will understand, and I will be here. Still."

His voice was soft, and his hand even softer, and she felt her chest swell with butterflies.

"Could you get any more perfect?" She meant it in every sense of the word, every dynamic that perfection could hold.

"You do not deserve any less, Eleanor."

She smiled as he dropped his hand from her cheek. Guided solely by the foreign feelings in her chest, she brought his hand to her lips, then placed the most tender of kisses on his hand.

His eyes swirled with intensity, and he pulled her close to him, his hands wrapping around her. It was a gesture to feel more of her, to let her feel more of him. She closed her eyes, the bare skin under his robe warm to the touch, his scent filling her up.

She knew exactly what it felt now to be home, to fear nothing. It gave her strength, and courage.

He slowly let her go, tucking her hair back in, his fingers delicately brushing across her face.

"I will take my leave now," she said almost reluctantly. The glow of the moonlight behind him made him even more ethereal, and she knew she might be able to watch him all night if she was allowed to.

He let her go, the same reluctance in his movement, and she gave a smile.

With a small step, she turned away, then heaved a small sigh, her chest feeling strangely constricted. She wondered how he was able to bear it, because it felt like the weight was about to crush her.

Suddenly, she felt his hand wrap around her wrist, stopping her in place. She turned, her eyes wide, her chest swelling with excitement.

"Stay the night, Eleanor," he said, efficiently making her heart drop to her stomach.

She felt giddy to her feet, and they unconsciously moved closer to him, like they needed to close the distance.

"I miss you...in my bed. Close to me. I miss you in all of the places you have never been."

Eleanor nodded, and in all her life, she had not heard of an offer that was even half as sweet.