Genevieve

Chapter 22: Care

Tristan would've expected anything but that. He couldn't even gather the courage to face Gen after he heard about the horrendous incident. It devastated him and his blood boiled. He wanted to go on a rampage and kill every single man in his kingdom. Including himself. But in the end, all he could do was punish the men and banish them from the kingdom. He felt like a coward. He felt like a failure. He failed to protect his mate and his people.

"If you wish to learn how to fight, I'll ask my most trusted warrior." Tristan offered, but Gen instantly refused.

"No, I want you to teach me. In a one-on-one session." Gen urged. She had to get to know him better, and that was the best way she could think of.

"But that is not something I can teach you in a day. It will take days or even months." Tristan highlighted.

"I don't mind staying for a few more days. I don't want to learn anything advanced, just the basics." Gen reasoned.

Tristan ran out of excuses, and so he agreed. He was still extremely nervous. Gen was a human and he was a werewolf. They had different strengths and abilities. What if he accidentally hurts her? What if he makes her uncomfortable? What if he fails to teach her properly?

Many absurd 'What ifs' entered his brain, but he tried his best to put them to rest. A small part of him was excited. That meant that she was staying. Although he wasn't sure if she was his mate, but now that he had more time, he was sure that he would be able to figure it out. They had started on a rough patch, but he hoped that things would slowly start to get better.

"Gen, are you crazy? Why would you say such a thing? He is a werewolf. A strong, bulky one. Look at you, you aren't even half his size, you can get hurt in all of this!" Bella argued when she found out about it.

Gen was also a bundle of nerves but tried to stay calm. "Don't stress me out even further! I'm already regretting what I did. But I couldn't come up with anything else. Urgh, what have I done?!"

Gen decided to destress by eating something and was relieved to see a tub of ice cream in the fridge. But before she could take a bite, she heard a loud scream which made her drop the tub. She instantly sensed danger. Something was definitely wrong. She tried to configure the sound, and it seemed as if someone was asking for help. She went closer to the sound source and realized that it was Tristan's room.

Did he have an argument with someone? Are they fighting? Did someone trespass?

"Are you okay, Tristan?" Gen questioned as she knocked on the door.

"No, no, no!" She heard from the other side of the door, and immediately rushed inside to find him alone and asleep.

It seemed as if he was having a nightmare as he talked in his sleep. She couldn't decipher most of his words, but she could make out some of it.

"Don't do it. Don't leave." He uttered, and he sounded in distress.

"Tristan! Everything is okay. It is just a dream. No one is leaving." Gen tried to soothe him and began to pat his head. Soon, he became calm, and his expression normalized. He fluttered his eyes open to see Gen in front of him, and instantly hugged her.

"Eve don't go. Please stay. Don't leave." He held her and uttered a sweet nickname. He dreamt that Gen left the kingdom and rejected him as her mate, which left him mortified.

"Relax. I'm not leaving." Gen was surprised to hear him call her Eve, but it was a nickname she liked. She realized that she wore her blanket, and Tristan was uncovered, so she put her blanket on top of him, and waited till Tristan went back to sleep before she went back to her room.