Chris returned with Chrys an hour later because she was feeling below the weather. As a werewolf, she couldn’t get sick, but she could get spent. It turned out she pretended to be tired, so Chris could bring her home. She wanted to spend the day with her siblings like she had been doing all the time.
My mates had gotten tired of the darling. They had been thinking of ways to get her to continue her classes with no disruptions; however, I believed it was okay to let her slide for this year. By next year, she might have gotten bored of spending all the time with her siblings.
With Chris’s return, I took Devon to the garden at the back of the house. This was my favourite place in the entire palace. Though it wasn’t this beautiful when we arrived because none of the maids were taking care of it, however when we returned, Scarlet made it a better duty to look after it.
Scarlet wasn’t working for the palace anymore, but she always came over each day to tend to the garden. After her wound healed, her aunt came to take her back home. She had been living with her ever since.
The last time we spoke, she told me she was now working in the werewolves’ learning centre. Though I wanted her to remain in the palace, as I’d gotten used to her presence, I couldn’t hold her back. I knew she would stay if I asked, but I didn’t want that. I needed her to explore the world, to decide for herself, one that would benefit her.
Devon walked behind me, his steps silent. I had to constantly look back, to be certain he was with me. Since we left, he had kept his gaze on the floor. He looked as if he had something on his mind, but the energy he gave out was enough to let me know he didn’t wish to discuss his troubles.
Letting out a sigh, I continued to the garden, nodding at the maids and guards who greeted me. Despite months of being in the palace, I hadn’t gotten used to their greetings. I believe it would take me a year or more to do so.
As we strolled through the garden, the scent of blooming flowers enveloped us. The sunlight filtered through the lush greenery, casting dappled shadows on the winding path.
I enjoyed taking a walk here each evening because of how calming it was. It was such a pity I hadn’t been out here for two months because of whom?
News flash, my mates.
Just thinking of them made me want to snap their heads off if that was possible. However, more than I wanted to snap their heads off, was my desire to rekindle our lost fire. I wasn’t pregnant anymore and had rested for a long time. I believe it was time for us to return to how we were before.
Snapping my thoughts off the bedroom when I felt my cheeks becoming warm, I focused on Devon. His eyes sparkled with curiosity, his gaze darting between the vibrant blooms as he followed me.
He seemed to have forgotten the problem troubling his mind a few minutes ago. Now, he looked just like the Devon I know.
“I’m glad Scarlet still tends to this garden,” I said, smiling. “It’s breathtaking.”
Devon nodded, his footsteps slowing beside me as he continued to look around, his eyes sparkling with each step he took.
The garden’s tranquillity was a balm to my soul. I didn’t know how much I missed this place until I came back. We walked along the serpentine path, passing a babbling brook that added to the garden’s calmness.
“We are almost there,” I told Devon, even though he hadn’t said a word to me. I wanted him to know we were going deeper, to a place I felt would be the perfect location for our practice.
Nodding, he resumed looking around as I led him deeper until I got to the ideal place. The bench was placed strategically, overlooking the hills at the back of the palace. Chris promised to take me to explore the hills, but I hadn’t gotten the chance to do that yet.
“Isn’t this perfect?” I asked, turning to look at Devon. “It’s beautiful, right?”
“Yeah.” He looked around in awe. “This is splendid.”
“I believe so.” I walked over to the bench and sat. “This is good for the practice, right?”
“It’s the best.”
Devon sat next to me, looking around. “I tried to visit the garden once when you gave birth, but your mates barred me from doing that. They said the garden was yours. They permitted no one else to step in. Only the gardener was allowed in there.”
“I heard,” Chris told me, about their rules. They didn’t let anyone into the garden because they felt it was mine. “It’s a pity no one else is allowed to see this beauty.” I gestured around. “I plan to celebrate the kids’ first birthday in the garden before taking them to Earth.”
“You are going back to the human world?” He sat up at that, looking stunned.
“Of course, they need to know where I came from. I intend to visit when they start walking.”
If what Chris said was true, the kids would be able to walk fully well by their first birthday.
“Oh, I see.” He frowned, only for his expression to soften. “Let’s start now, should we?”
Nodding, I got up from the bench. “Works for me.”
We spent the afternoon in the garden. Devon was a perfect teacher. Even though he hadn’t taught anyone how to master their powers, he was patient with me, leading me through, as if he had done this countless times.
“You are a natural. You know right?” He cocked his head to the side, smiling. Once more, his dimples appeared. His hair was in its neutral red colour because he didn’t make use of his powers. He only taught me how to use mine.
“You think so?” Grinning, I let out a sigh, relaxing on the bed. The past few hours had taken a toll on my body, which seemed to have gotten used to resting all the damned time for the past two months.
“I believe so.” He stared at my face.
This time, I didn’t hold his gaze. I turned, focusing on the rose bushes. “Can you tell me of your life before you came here? Any love interests? Someone you dated?” I turned to him, this time, opting to keep my gaze away from his eyes.
I knew he wasn’t seeing anyone at the moment because of the amount of time he spent indoors. Unless it was the maids, that was.
“Well, my life back then wasn’t pretty at all because of how I needed to constantly hide from the villagers. As for love interests… Well, I recently fell in love for the first time since I knew what love is.”
“Really??” I perked up at that, eager for some juicy gossip. “Who’s it? Someone I know?” I wriggled my brows at that, as I tried to think of someone close to him. Could it be Chris?
His hair turned pink as he averted his gaze from me. He didn’t say a word for a few seconds before he let out a sigh. “Let’s just keep it at that, my queen. It’s after all, a one-sided love.”