“Take her to the room and get some sleep now. It’s been a tiring day,” Maya said as she saw Priyank carrying Priya in his arms.
Priyank nodded and went inside the room. He gently laid her on the bed and removed her sandals.
‘Let’s wipe the lipstick and everything from your face. You’re so beautiful, Angel,’ he murmured, caressing her face before heading to the washroom to freshen up and change clothes.
He returned with a wet towel and tenderly wiped her face, hands, and neck.
His actions were so gentle that no one would believe he was a Mafia member who killed people mercilessly. He was incredibly soft now, his tenderness seeming almost illusory.
After cleaning her, he carefully changed her into night clothes.
His movements were smooth, as if he were accustomed to this. He had changed and bathed her before, so it felt quite normal to him now.
He sighed as he lay beside her, watching her beautiful face. He wondered whether her wolf knew the truth and how long it would be before she discovered it herself.
Did he even have an excuse to offer when she figured out the truth? Now that he thought about it, a thousand excuses couldn’t save him, so it seemed pointless.
‘What am I going to do?’ he asked himself, the answer beyond his understanding.
He had already wasted the whole day, and now he only had two more days to obtain Priya’s virgin blood and the key he needed to return to Aman.
His mind couldn’t come up with a plan. He considered agreeing to Priya’s wolf and having sex, thinking it might help.
But he didn’t want to do it-it would feel like he was being intimate with another woman, which seemed creepy and gave him an uneasy feeling.
Now he disagreed with this wolf situation but had no other options either. Things couldn’t get worse than they already were-or perhaps they could.
It felt like he was caught in a trap where every choice was worse than the last.
The situation was squeezing him, which scared him. His relationship with Priya was already fragile; one blow could shatter it completely.
Priyank’s mind raced through the night, his thoughts a tangled web of fears and uncertainties. As dawn broke, he found himself still wide awake, watching the soft rise and fall of Priya’s chest as she slept peacefully beside him.
He gently brushed a stray lock of hair from her face, his touch feather-light to avoid waking her. The gesture, filled with tenderness, contradicted the turmoil within him.
“What have you done to me, Priya?” he whispered, his voice barely audible. “How did you manage to make a ruthless man like me feel so… vulnerable?”
The irony wasn’t lost on him. He, a feared Mafia leader, was now at the mercy of his own emotions. The very man who had orchestrated countless schemes now found himself so deep in love.
As sunlight began to filter through the curtains.
Priya stirred beside him, her eyes fluttering open.
“Good morning,” Priya mumbled, a soft smile gracing her lips.
Priyank returned the smile, pushing his worries aside for now. “Good morning, Angel. Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, I did. But why do you look like you didn’t sleep all night? What happened? Why this exhausted look?” she asked, not understanding why he was looking at her with such intense eyes.
His gaze was so penetrating that it almost scared her to see it, as if he were trying to bore holes into her face with his stare.
“Nothing much. I just like watching you,” he replied tiredly.
Priya frowned, not entirely convinced by his answer. She reached out and gently cupped his face, her thumb tracing the dark circles under his eyes.
“You’re not telling me something,” she murmured, her voice laced with concern. “Priyank, what’s bothering you?”
He caught her hand and pressed a soft kiss to her palm, buying himself a moment to compose his thoughts. “It’s just work stress, Angel. Nothing for you to worry about.”
Priya’s frown deepened. She sat up, the blanket pooling around her waist. “Is that so?”
Priyank felt a pang of guilt for lying. If only she knew the real burden he carried. He sat up as well, running a hand through his dishevelled hair.
“Yes I am not lying,” he lied softly.
Priya hummed and tried to stand up from the bed, but Priyank held her hand. “Can I hug you? I want a morning hug.”
“Huh?”
She was confused by his request, but decided to comply. It seemed better than refusing, especially since he appeared so stressed. Even though he wasn’t sharing much, it was common for him to keep things to himself.
She leaned in and wrapped her arms around him, feeling his tension melt away as he embraced her tightly. His hold was desperate, as if he was afraid to let go.
Priyank closed his eyes, savouring the warmth. For a moment, he allowed himself to believe that everything could indeed be alright, that maybe there was a way out of this mess without losing her.
“Thank you, Priya,” he murmured, his voice heavy with emotion. “I love hugging you.”
Priya pulled back slightly, looking into his eyes, and stood up from the bed not wanting to dig into his expressions.
Priyank watched as she got up and headed towards the bathroom, his mind racing with thoughts of how to solve the dilemma before him.
‘Get a grip, Priyank. She’s already having doubts about you,’ he admonished himself, trying to regain his composure.
He had never let his expressions slip before, no matter how hard the situation was. But now, he was losing control, and that wasn’t a good sign.
Priya looked at him, her eyes searching for what was wrong. He knew this was dangerous. He needed to act normal, better than letting himself get so worked up.
Standing up, he left the room to use the bathroom in another room, giving Priya space to get ready.
Despite everything, he was glad for the morning hug. He hadn’t expected her to agree, but she did, and it brought him a moment of peace.
At least their relationship had reached a point where she could hug him without hesitation. That was progress, wasn’t it?