Transmigrated Into The Body Of The Cursed Prince Wife-Chapter 253: Parting

Ave dreaded his leaving tonight as sunset approached. She clung to him every moment of the day until the time drew near, and her nervous heart could barely contain it. She wanted so desperately to be where he would be, but she knew that with her presence, her husband would barely get things done and would rather be under the sheets with her. She would be his greatest distraction on the journey and when he got there, not to mention the other packs don’t welcome humans. She stilled her heart when she now stood before him, helping him prepare.

Ave made sure she didn’t show her true emotions or allow the tears pricking the back of her eyes to fall. Instead, she had a smile on her face the entire time and even hummed a song to herself as she buttoned up his shirt and smoothed it with her palms. She made him bend so she could tie his hair the way he usually did it when going out. She tied the hair with her own ribbon and stroked it before he straightened up again and crushed her into his embrace.

She felt his strong arms crushing her against him, but Ave didn’t mind because she also wanted to be that close to him. She held on to him, breathing in his scent and basking in his warmth. Oh God, she was going to miss him so much! Though it was just for a week, it felt like an eternity in her mind.

They were still hugging each other when Zane came to call Lucian that the others were ready to leave. He didn’t move away and tightened his arms around her as he pressed his lips against her neck and inhaled her scent.

When he kept on holding her and she could still see Zane’s shadow from beneath the door gap, Ave knew she had to end this hug and let him go. The sooner he left, the sooner he’d be back to her. She smiled as she patted his back.

"Don’t keep them waiting for you too long, my love. It’s just a week apart; it’s not that long," she said to him, but her heart was twisting in her chest at the mere thought of it. Perhaps it was because of the mark or because she had started to love him more than anything in this whole wide world, but God, she knew a week apart from him was going to be a nightmare. She couldn’t help but wonder how it would be for him when the bond of his mark on her would affect him more than it did her. She felt his arms tighten around her until he lifted her off her feet and buried his head in the crook of her neck.

"Lucian, let go. It’s getting late." She told him, but yet she wrapped her own arms around his neck and began to rain kisses on him. "You have to go," she said through clenched teeth as she didn’t want to allow her tears to fall.

When Zane, who was standing outside, didn’t see Lucian walk out or hear him speak, he knocked on the door twice before pushing it open and walking in, as the prince was wasting time when they should be on their way by now. He saw the couple locked in each other’s embrace and stopped at the entrance. Ave’s face was in his direction, and she lifted her head from Lucian’s shoulder and glanced at him. Zane gave her a pleading look to send her husband out immediately.

It took a lot of coaxing and assurance to finally get Lucian to put her down. He wordlessly took her hand and interlocked their fingers as he pulled her out to where the rest were waiting for him. At first, Ave almost thought he wanted to take her with him, but when they got outside, she realized he wanted her to see him off just like the rest of the princes’ wives were doing. It seemed the four brothers were all traveling together with Lucian, and they each stood with their wives. She glanced idly around when her eyes fell on Nadia, who was being held tightly by... Prince Kale?!

Ave knew the girl had told her she was married to a man from the palace, but she had never assumed it to be one of the princes as she’d never sat with the rest at the dining table for meals. She watched them share a passionate kiss and how he lovingly caressed her swollen belly and then bent down to press his lips against it and whispered something to his unborn child that made Nadia giggle and stroke his hair. Who would have thought someone who’d served her as a maid was a princess all this while?

She was still looking at the couple, momentarily forgetting her impending pain to part with her own husband, until she felt him come to a stop at where the king was waiting, patiently for his brothers to finish bidding farewell to their mates so they could leave and get everything over with.

As if realizing that the entire brothers were traveling with him, Lucian frowned as he said to the king, "I thought you and I are going; why are they coming with us?" He couldn’t imagine leaving only the women behind inside the palace without the royal men. Though there were guards around and inside the palace, he would feel much more at ease leaving his wife behind knowing that the werewolves with Alpha blood in their veins would be on the premises.

Talinor leaned against the wall as he regarded Lucian with a bored look. "Did you think going to the north is easy?" He scoffed. "The son of a whore of their Alpha would challenge us before he allows us entrance. We need my brothers and a few of my men to stand by us if he wants a fight like he usually does before welcoming any guest. If you are concerned about your human mate not being able to protect herself if anything were to happen, calm down. My sisters and sisters-in-law are there to protect her. She will be just fine with them; they are stronger than the strongest human male," he assured.

Ave didn’t know why she felt offended by his words, but she was. The way he said it sounded like she couldn’t do anything without Lucian or any man because of his belief that all humans were "weak." Yeah, she was human, but she hated it when he looked at her with such eyes like she didn’t deserve her husband.

When Lucian seemed like he would insist that one of the princes stay behind, Ave interjected calmly. "It’s not necessary to keep the princes here when they are needed with you. I’ll be just fine; Zane and Rylan are here, and I don’t believe for a moment that anything would happen in your absence," she assured him as she turned away from the arrogant king and gave her husband her full attention while he watched them from the side.

"Remember what we have to gain by your traveling. The Empress needs to be brought down from power no matter what, and we need the north pack," she told him. When he reached out to hug her again, she put her hand against his chest and shook her head to stop him because she knew he would not leave this place if they were to hold each other again. "Now go on, they’re waiting for you."

"You are dismissing me from your presence so soon, my love?" He growled teasingly, but she glimpsed a brush of vulnerability in his eyes.

"No. If it were up to me, I’d never let you go, but I know that this is very important. We have the rest of our lives to be together after this ordeal is over. Now go," she said, smiling.

"That we do." He grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him. He kissed her with only their lips touching. Long and slow and delicious. The hot silk of his tongue swirled languidly against hers. When he moved back from her, he was grinning because she shamelessly followed him with her head until she realized what she was doing and stopped.

His grin widened as he leaned to whisper in her ear, "When I get back, I’ll bed you till you can’t move for days."

Ave regained her composure and said with a small glare in her blue eyes, "You will come back, love me, then we’ll go get that tyrant bitch off the throne, because we still have a bigger problem, you know," she corrected him as a chill of concern marred her dreamy feeling. They still had a bigger problem that overshadowed him coming back to take her to bed. The moment he got back, what awaited them was the Empress. If only she had paid more attention to history classes, then many things would have been easier now. She would have known when and how the Empress had summoned an evil power that killed every single one of the royals and the entire Empire. She’d spoken to Lucian about this the other day when they were in bed, but he’d not seemed to also know if night creatures have such powers or any witch. Only the witch with the Rosa could do that, and Ave had not awoken her Rosa nor would she allow the Empress to use her or her powers. Thus, no matter what, that woman must be eliminated from this world before she brought about everyone’s ruin.

Those thoughts gave Ave the resolve she needed to watch Lucian leave without her tearing up. "Go now," she urged. He looked so worried. "I’ll be fine, I promise, and I will be here waiting for you when you return. I’ll be standing right here on that day, in the front, waving my arms to you," she beamed.

"I do not wish to leave you."

Ave sighed. She didn’t wish for him to leave her either. But she couldn’t bear knowing that her clinginess to him and his to her would be the reason this life would turn out the way it had in the future she had lived in. They needed to put personal feelings aside at times. He needed to go, and he needed her to encourage him rather than make it hard for him by crying and telling him how much she would be miserable without him.

"You should leave now," she said with a smile as she gave his chest an encouraging stroke.

Raking his hand through his hair, Lucian began to walk away from her backward, looking impossibly torn. His gaze swept over her. She was wearing a thick coat that covered her from neck to ankle, her face flushed from the cold outside, and her rosy lips, which looked slightly swollen from his kisses, curved into a smile that made his eyes slightly tremble. She was beautiful, absolutely beautiful, and he loved her for her courage and how she tried to make it easier for him to leave her behind.

"I’ll have this image of you in my mind through my journey," he said huskily.

Ave beamed at her magnificent husband.

"I’ll be back, love." He managed a smile as he promised, and she waved at him to go ahead. But instead of going, he hurried back to her and kissed her a dozen times until she pushed him away, and he laughed.

She watched him walk to where the rest were now waiting, outside the gate. But he stopped when he reached the gate and turned to her. "I love you, Aveline."

Ave smiled back at him as she didn’t trust herself to say any words. But Lucian frowned.

"Say it," he said anxiously.

Ave’s eyes filled with tears, but she was glad he couldn’t see them. "I love you too, Lucian." His neediness to hear her say the words back to him was adorable. Her husband had such a charming vulnerability.

He smiled and disappeared behind the gates. And in no time, she heard the howls of wolves and knew they were transforming. She wanted to go and see her husband in his other form, but tears had blurred her vision completely. She doubted she’d be able to see anything if she were to go there. She swallowed hard and wiped away her tears.

"I’m going to miss you terribly..." she muttered to herself as she stared at the darkness beyond the gates with her hand clutched to her chest. She wouldn’t have moved away from there had Nadia not walked up to her and pulled her in for a friendly hug of understanding as both their mates were away.