Fingers intertwined, Anaya and Icarus ascended the stairs in silence, occasionally stealing glances at each other and looking away at being caught. Halting in front of her room, he faced her and leaned down to kiss her forehead, a smile playing on his lips. "I'll see you tomorrow. Good night, darling."

"Good night," she whispered softly, watching his retreating figure disappear behind his office door. Only then did she realize that she stood alone in the dark and empty corridor. The guards had been removed on her request because she knew she wouldn't escape and with Icarus here, she didn't need any protection but now she regretted her decision gravely. A shiver ran down her spine and she quickly slipped into her room and locked the door.

It was going to be midnight soon and she didn't want to experience the blood-chilling fear again. She needed sleep but she knew that was impossible. She wondered if she should just flip her routine and sleep during the day. Minutes passed into hours, and she continued pacing around the room restlessly, trying to muster up enough courage to last her tonight but nothing had prepared her for the vicious growl that sliced through the silence. The sound resonated from somewhere afar but she could feel the vibration in her bones, sending shock waves down to her toes. She hopped into the bed and pulled the covers over her head, forgetting about the dress she wore. There was a loud thud, followed by a hiss, and footsteps echoed outside. She was lucky to be staying on the upper floor or else the beast could have broken through her window and ripped her into pieces, leaving nothing but blood and bones. Immediately a gruesome image flashed behind her eyelids and she sat upright in a panic. Sweat covered her forehead and her vision blurred with unshed tears. She didn't want to be alone.

"Icarus..." She rolled out of the bed and rushed to the door, opening it slowly to not cause any noise. She tiptoed to Icarus' room and turned the doorknob to reveal an empty bed. Stepping in, she glanced around but he wasn't there, even the bathroom was very quiet. Then she remembered he was in his office. With a relieved sigh, she closed the door and turned in the direction of his office.

"What are you doing here?"

Anaya shrieked, her heart hammering wildly in her chest. She looked up at Icarus who had appeared out of nowhere. "Thank goodness, it's you!"

"I told you to stay in your room!" Icarus growled, his eyes flashing menacingly, the amber hue as bright as fire as he charged toward her. "How dare you disobey me?"

"But I was—" Her face fell when he stepped forward and grabbed her wrist, dragging her back to her room.

"I swear to god if I ever see you loitering at night alone, you'll endure the consequences."

His anger hurt her deeply. No one had ever spoken to her in the tone he did. She whimpered and tried to yank her hand free but it only made him tighten his grip. Tears rolled down her face and she cried out when the pain became unbearable. "Please."

He stopped in his tracks and turned around to look at her, then at her wrist, letting go immediately as if he just came to his senses. The redness was so vivid against her pale skin that remorse filled his eyes. "Anaya, I didn't-"

"I was afraid. I-I thought I could sleep in your room." Her chin quivered, voice barely audible to his ears.

"Fuck...I'm sorry." He cupped her cheeks and lifted her downcast face but she avoided his stare, her hands balled into fists at her sides. "I just want to keep you safe from- c'mon, let's go to sleep."

She noted how he stopped himself from revealing something but she couldn't bring herself to question him after what went between them. Nodding mutely, she followed him with weak steps and stood in the middle of his room unsurely. This was a bad idea. She shouldn't have come here. His furiousness earlier was etched into her memory and her eyes brimmed with tears again when she looked down at her bruise which had turned a shade darker so quickly. The day was supposed to end on a good note. She had been so happy until now.

"I'm so sorry," he repeated sincerely. He walked closer until he stood inches away from her and took her hand, his fingertips gently caressing her wrist. Their eyes met and she saw how genuinely ashamed he felt of his actions. It wasn't like he did it intentionally.

She sighed, her eyes narrowed to slits. "This should be first and last. If you hurt me again, I'll be gone from your life."

"I promise. So, am I forgiven?"

"Only if you tell me everything about the beast."

He reluctantly nodded after a long pause.

Finally, Anaya thought. She wanted to know everything about the creature that was capable of instilling fear within everyone, including the Alpha king. Was it a dragon? Well, that was impossible because dragons didn't exist in the present day. She recalled Icarus saying demons but they didn't growl like the beast did every night. She went through the list of supernatural creatures and gargoyles stuck in her head. So that could be it perhaps? She was distracted from her theory when Icarus wound his arms around her and drew her to his chest, resting his chin on her shoulder. She thought he was embracing her but he began to unzip her dress. She gasped, her eyes going wide, and she hastily tried to push him away. 

"I- I'll do it."

"Let me."

She shuddered when his fingers glided along her arms and rolled down the sleeves, tugging the dress off so that it fell to the floor. Her cheeks flamed, and she stood frozen on the spot in all her naked glory. She didn't know what she expected to happen next but when he simply pulled a clean T-shirt over her head, covering her modesty, she was relatively surprised.

"Um, thanks," she mumbled, looking down at her feet and wiggling her toes.

His lips twitched and he backed away, one step at a time, all the while watching her flushed appearance. "Are you going to stand there all night?"

She shook her head and climbed into the bed, just then noticing her wrist which had healed miraculously. She blinked and rotated her hand from left to right. "Icarus, my bruise just faded without having to nurse it."

"Is that so?" He switched off the lights with the clap of his hands, enveloping the room in darkness but not before Anaya saw the mirth dancing in his eyes.

"Did you do it?" This was the third time she had recovered from her injury. So it was quite natural to think it was Icarus' doing. He shuffled closer and draped his arms around her midriff, pulling her into his warmth. She swallowed, placing her hand on his bare torso. She hadn't seen him take off his shirt.

"I'll tell you some other day," he said, playing with her curls. "Let's discuss the beast today, so you know how dangerous it is."

"Okay."

"Lupinnaeus is a creature of the night who roams on the land of the Imperial Royale pack. We don't know how it looks because it has not been spotted and those who caught a glimpse of it never lived to see the next sunrise."

She rubbed small circles on his skin, trying her best to not let scary thoughts occupy her mind. "If you haven't seen it, how does it have a name?

"Grandma knows a few things. Apparently, the creature existed even before her birth. But she has never seen it. From the sound it makes, we came to the conclusion that it is part wolf and part snake."

"Why hasn't it been killed yet?

"Lupinnaeus is immortal."

Anaya let out a shaky breath, feeling uneasiness sweep over her. "But how did it come here?"

"It has always been here. Initially, it was difficult for everyone to go about their daily lives with a creature ready to kill at any moment, but we grew accustomed to its presence. We are safe as long as we do not go out late at night."

"W-why don't you leave this land?"

"We have tried," Icarus grunted. "It didn't work. The beast trailed after us to the new location. Pack members got agitated being away from home, so we returned."

"I wish there was a solution to get rid of it."

"I know. I feel so helpless when the pack looks up to me every time there's a death on our land, but I don't know what to do." He buried his face in her hair and closed his eyes. "Enough of this. Get some sleep."

Hearing the remorse in Icarus' voice saddened Anaya. She didn't know he was burdened with so many issues. Being a king must already be a big responsibility, on top of that he had an immortal creature hovering over him like a dark cloud. It would be good if she started learning her part of the work, at least then she'd be able to help him. That made her think how twisted life was. Last month she'd been unaware of the supernatural world and disliked Icarus for bringing her into his life and here she was today, ready to shoulder half his burden so that he'd never have to feel alone.