FULL NOVELXO Chapter Last Night In The Room
AYSU
A few minutes after the ridiculous hearing was finalised, after the Judge and a substantial amount of the court left, Aysu and Ximun remained in their seats, their shared silence powerful enough to repel some citizens of the pack that wished to communicate their support and trust in the Alpha King.
The duo sat hand-in-hand, their outward calmness very deceiving, because within the souls of the two, especially Aysu, was continuous chaos.
Aysu could not peer into Ximun’s mind at that point, so she focused on hers and as she pondered, she wondered how things were going to be from that moment on.
How would she and Ximun adjust to life in banishment? She wondered. Where would they even go? How would they survive the unknown fate they were about to face?
All those questions badgered her mind and soul and at some point, she had to shudder and release the tension that pressed down her shoulders.
In the midst of this personal drama, Ximun’s hand still held hers and that assured her that things wouldn’t be as bad as she thinks since they would have each other.
Then, to distract herself, Aysu decided to check in with Alora who had been awfully quiet since the night she met Evalopus. Aysu wished to know the tea of the intimate moment the wolves shared, perhaps that would be enough to get her mind off that troubling moment.
Alora was nowhere around but Beta Richard walked to Aysu and Ximun at that very moment.
“Aysu,” he called, his usual prideful gait evident in that crucial moment.
“Are you happy now, dear father?” Aysu sneered at him.
The man chuckled and glanced at Ximun who chose to ignore him. “Are you going to stick with this finished man? You should join me and come back to the Tarmish Pack before it’s too late for you.”
“Why should I do that? I would rather die trying to survive with Ximun by my side than die in that forsaken pack that wants my soul gone.”
Beta Richard frowned. “How are you this foolish? Do you think this deposed King will consider you useful anymore? He has lost it all partly because of you, do you think he will forgive you.”
“What are you-?”
“What makes you think there’s a need for me to forgive her?” Ximun butted into the verbal exchange. “Aysu has done nothing wrong. All she wished for was freedom from the shackles in her soul. How you, Beta Richard have chosen to live your life is not her fault. The fact that you, a murderer, joined hands with the Council Members to drag me off my throne, is not her fault either and it will never be. So, why do you think I will think of her as unforgivable?”
“Because-”
Ximun interrupted Beta Richard’s incoming gutsy response. “I will never abandon Aysu. I hurt her once and since then I vowed never to repeat the same thing. So, don’t get your hopes up, Aysu is not yours to take.”
“Alpha Ximun.” Another man joined them. Behind this man was a tall woman who seemed to be the kind of person who could easily tempt a soul to try out the most lewd, sexual things. “Oh sorry, I mean Ximun O’Hara. Don’t you think you are talking too much for someone who has caused the death of many wolves in this pack?”
“Don’t you think you are gloating too much for someone who chose to stab his King in the back?” It was Aysu who spoke this time. Her eyes made sure to stay glued on the man. She dared him to repeat his nonsense.
“I did not-”
“So, are you claiming that your King, the one ordained by the Goddess herself, is a murderer?”
“Why are you-?”
“Can you swear with your life that you are telling the truth?” Aysu pestered.
“Alpha Ximun,” the man quickly faced Ximun, “please control your mate. She is running her mouth too much.”
“Is she?” Ximun crossed his legs, his pose now more confident compared to when he looked slightly defeated during the hearing. “She has a mouth for a purpose. Why should I control it? Did I create her mouth? Did I create her?”
“Whatever.” The man scoffed. “You have to leave soon, watch your back.”
“Are you threatening me, Elder Baggus?” Ximun asked.
“Am I?”
Silence followed for a few seconds.
Then, Ximun said, “If you have nothing else to say, please leave. I wish to be left alone with Aysu.”
“Whatever,” the man called Elder Baggus sneered again, his action disgustingly low.
Beta Richard, after glancing at Aysu in a way that warned her, walked after the council members and soon, it was just the couple who were earlier having conflicted thoughts.
“I did not expect this outcome, Aysu,” Ximun quickly said, his tone suggesting that he felt guilty for bringing her into that situation.
“None of us did, Ximun.”
He managed a smile but his eyes carried so much sorrow that his smile was instantly fake. “Should we leave?”
“We should.”
Ximun held her hand tighter. “You were right earlier. It’s better to retreat now and fight later since we don’t know the details of the damage our enemies have caused. Let’s leave, draw our map, come back stronger and fight those that dared to dare us.”
“That’s more like it.” Aysu held his cheek. “We are going to survive this, Ximun.”
“Yes. Together, we are a great team.”
“We are.”
They got up at the same time. And with their hands still together, they walked out of the room and stepped outside where a large crowd was waiting for them.
A group of journalists rushed to them, their many questions about the way they felt about the judgment muddled up in a way that started to sound like noise.
Zion and some guards did rush to create a demarcation between them and the crowd but the noise was still so overwhelming, that Ximun had to pull Aysu closer to his side.
Then, they tried to walk past the crowd. It wasn’t easy but with the help of the guards, they achieved gradual progress.
“Alpha Ximun! We trust you!” Someone in the crowd shouted and soon chants erupted from there.
“We trust you! We will fight for you! We will wait for you!” The crowd kept repeating these words, their voices filled with so many emotions.
Aysu and Ximun looked up at the crowd and the support they were offering overrode the feeling of defeat in their souls. So, they offered their silent appreciation in exchange.
And even when the couple made it to their vehicle, the chants continued and it vibrated the whole city so much that Aysu felt her heart swell to the point that she started to cry. She looked to Ximun to check if she could hide her tears from him as quickly as possible, but he was also in tears.
So, she hugged him closer and while she cried because she could feel the love the people had for Ximun, Ximun cried because he could not stay back to fight at that moment. He truly needed to take a few steps so that he would be able to fly and protect all of them in the near future.
Minutes later, they arrived in their room. And the space felt colder than usual.
“This is our last night in this room,” Ximun pointed out.
“We didn’t get to spend a lot of days here,” Aysu replied.
Ximun sat on the ground, at Aysu’s feet while she sat on the edge. Ximun placed his head on her knees and she began to play with his hair.
“How do we make the most of our night here?” he asked. “It will be a bummer to spend these last few minutes in sorrow.”
“Hmm.” Aysu pondered. “The day we moved into this room, I had a particular thought.”
“Yeah?”
“I imagined what it would be like to have sexual experiences in every corner of the room.”
“Really?” That seemed to perk Ximun a little. “What are the top three spots? We have enough time to explore them before we leave.”
Aysu giggled. “So uhm; on the floor, against the window without drapes and against the window with drapes.”
“I’ll take the middle option. Let’s run a little wild tonight, my Queen.”
“Should we?” Aysu could have shied away from the option if it was in the past, but she didn’t mind at that moment. So, as Ximun’s head left her lap, she bit into her lip and parted her legs to give him a small view of the area he was about to explore.
And Ximun sighed with satisfaction, “Oh my. This is going to be quite a night.”