His Little Fae

Seeds of Doubt (I)

"And in those moments

when you feel afraid to trust love,

remember that I have crossed

a great ocean of loneliness to find you.

Mine is not a fair-weather heart.

It was built to outlast storms."
_________________________

"What on earth were you thinking?"

I recoiled ever so slightly, not having prepared myself for Livius' inevitable fussing.

When I didn't respond and instead chose to lean against his office doors, he continued. "Victoria told me to trust you, and fuck, I do, Alexandria. But you can't do things like that on a whim. What would you have done if defeating him turned out to be harder than you expected? If he had captured you? If he had gotten away? And not to mention the territory damages."

Admittedly, my body thrummed with heat, my mind pleading for reprieve. I shouldn't have even shifted until my fever fully died away and this urge to lay my head on a pillow and never get up was the result of my rash decision.

I knew my mate was worried. I knew how bad things could've gone. Gabriel had tried to kill me once, and Livius hadn't made it in time to even lift a finger. He was left worrying over my health for days, and the minute I woke up, I ran off to start another fight.

Not that I regretted it anyway.

Having Gabriel's neck under my boot was one of the most satisfying moments of my life. And watching him walk away in chains was easily a close second.

I knew Livius wouldn't have let me within ten feet of the fae if I had told him of my plans, which was why I had snuck out in the first place. But it wasn't only the Alpha within him that was scolding me for my actions right now, it was also a concerned and frantic mate.

The risk of losing me twice in one week was agonizing to him.

Silently, I padded across the room to where he stood, his legs shoulder width apart as he stared me down with those sapphire blue eyes.

Still, I broke his gaze and rested my forehead against his broad chest, my eyes closed and my arms limp at my sides while I inhaled his heady scent.

He paused for a moment, clinging to his own rage and frustration before seeming to relax, his arms wrapping around my waist and slowly tugging me closer. "You're going to be the death of me."

My lips quirked up at that, and I inhaled deeply a moment later, today's events replaying in my mind's eye.

"We got him," I finally murmured after another few moments of silence, my head still leaning against his chest.

Livius pulled back enough to look at me, his large hand coming to cup my cheek as he forced me to meet his pale eyes, his anger waning. "You got him, moon."

I smiled and unconsciously leaned further into his hand. "Finally."

My mate searched my face for a few seconds before leaning down to press a lingering kiss to my temple. "Finally."

I gazed up at him for a moment longer, silently taking in the smooth planes of his face and the perfect arch of his brows before bringing my arms around his torso and burying my face in his chest.

I hadn't realized how much I loved being in Livius' arms until now, until this moment. Perhaps I had taken it for granted before, but hugging him was easily the single most peaceful thing.