His Forsaken Luna-Chapter 55: Handling Eryx

Eryx stared at my hand, suspicious at first. It should have offended me, but I understood. We are alone, and all acts have dropped now. It was merely his curiosity that had kept him here and my reluctance to return to the palace. This was indeed a little strange, and neither of us seemed to be a little on edge, especially after some of our strange interactions today.

"Are you sure you can handle my weight?" Eryx finally asks, his expression now genuine as his hands wrap around mine.

Instead of answering, I leaned back, using my body weight to hoist him to his feet. It went well until it didn’t. I’ve actually never fallen over since I was young. Today, my record was broken.

I fell backwards, and Eryx released me only to grab my waist and halt my fall. But he was also falling forward. We collapsed in a mess of limbs on the ice. The air puffed out of my lungs from the weight of this huge Southern Were landing on top of me. I groaned and found him leaning over me, arms still wrapped around my waist, forearms on the ice as he assessed my head.

"I’m fine-"

"And you cannot handle my weight," he stated, amused.

"I really can’t!" I burst into laughter and covered my mouth, eyes wide, trying to hold back my giggles. Eryx’s lips twitched as he watched me. The more he stared, raising an eyebrow, the more I couldn’t hold back. Eryx then broke into laughter as well, the sound rich and infectious, filling the air around us.

I sighed and let my head drop back after my jaw and ribs hurt from laughing so much. I stared at the Alpha Prince, looking upon the sharp edges of his jaw to those full, cupid bow lips to his straight, strong nose. Once my gaze landed on those eyes that could captivate any soul, I realised I wasn’t the only one staring.

What was he thinking when he looked at me? What can my pawn do for me next? I wanted to ask, but I said nothing. I wanted to feel the heat of his gaze caress my skin as the cold of the ice spread along my back. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Eryx’s gaze smouldered, burning into mine, but the sudden sound of another broke the moment. We looked to the side simultaneously and saw three couples, all clearly friends, walking towards the lake, skates in their hands.

"Shall we try again?" I asked a little breathlessly.

Eryx nodded once and rolled onto his side. As I gracefully rose to my feet and offered him a hand again, the Southern Were scowled at the gesture. He didn’t take my hand this time and attempted to stand, but he fell many times before he finally managed to stand, his body rocking back and forth, hands hovering to balance himself.

"I thought as a superior being, and one clearly outranking others." My gaze intentionally flicked to his build. "That you would also have good balance."

"You definitely brought me here so I’d slip and impale myself," he grunted in reply.

I rolled my eyes and took his hands. "Yes because the steel on the blades would kill you."

"Ah, so you thought about it," he mused, his hands tightening over mine. "It would still hurt, Princess."

I started to glide my feet backwards, sashaying my hips a little to gain some momentum for both of us to move. "Don’t step like you are wearing normal shoes. Slide your feet outwards," I guided after he almost stacked it again.

Eryx frowned, his attention on the ice.

"You don’t have short strides in the first place-"

"You are making this look easy," he grumbled, leaning a little too forward, shrinking his colossal size. Oh, he was still a giant, but now he looked less threatening, struggling along the ice.

I slowed my glacial pace so he could straighten again and wouldn’t risk falling flat on his face because I wouldn’t be catching him this time. I’m quite certain he bruised a rib or three. What was a little pain?

"I’ve had years of practice," I countered. "You are doing well."

Coaching him through the movements was soothing. It kept my mind busy. Too busy to focus on what I’d seen at Deyanira’s quarters. Sparks tingled from my hands and lower belly where we touched. I don’t know why, out of the three men who have somehow become significant in my life, Eryx makes my heat worse.

Initially, I believed it was because he’d mated with me and had not finished the process of marking me. I didn’t want to think of any other possibilities; I was already juggling a lot.

This right here, though, skating along the iced lake under the twinkling stars and vivid silvery moon, with the soft wind kissing my skin, was serenity.

After a while, Eryx becomes much better, and I slowly release my hands, skating backwards to watch him. The other couples were skating in one direction by this point, lapping the length of the lake while we were in the middle. Fortunately, they seemed to be in their own worlds to not pay much attention to us.

How could they not, though, when Eryx was a giant on skates?

"See," I smiled up at him. "You got the hang of it in no time."

"I had a good teacher," he replied, his voice like velvet against my skin. That was too charming and smooth. I narrowed my eyes at him but let it go. This was my special place where I could let go of everything.

"I am the best," I nod, accepting the compliment and deciding to work on my confidence while everything else seems to be going up in flames around me—quite literally with my heat, too.

Eryx grinned, reaching out to take my hand. I watched, a little paralysed and with an unsteady upbeat of my heart, watched our fingers intertwine. Nothing was said between us as we skated side by side, the wind blowing softly against us. I tried not to peer up at him, but it was a struggle.

The Alpha Prince really confused me, yet I couldn’t pull my hand away from the warmth it provided. This was blissful, the quiet, the skating, and, yes, I won’t deny the company wasn’t bad either.

When I knew Eryx was confident on the skates, I led him to the outer part of the lake, joining the other couples at a distance. "What do you think?" I asked, spreading my hand to the side and gesturing at the frozen lake.

"I never expected those of Ice and Claws to partake in something so..."

"Normal?" I finished for him. By now, I sensed that those from Sun and Fury had this belief that the Northern Weres were beyond cruel. I’m not sure if I know enough beyond my own upbringing to form an opinion. Were we cruel?

They isolated me for being my mother’s daughter and a she-wolf without a wolf—weak in their eyes. Yet, I’d seen others treated well in Ulfstad.

After meeting the likes of Kharis and Cohnal, I questioned if all of Southern Weres were brutish barbarians like Eryx.

"Well, yes," Eryx smirked. "In Sun and Fury, we slide by sand, among other activities I think you would enjoy."

"Slide by sand?" I pondered, staring at him in wonder. What could this involve? "If ever I go to Sun and Fury," I half-giggled; it was a preposterous idea unless I was ever used as a means of peace. "You will have to take me."

"It’s a date," Eryx winked, smiling down at me, and my jaw dropped in response.

Did he just wink at me? No, there was probably some dirt in his eye or something. Eryx chuckled at my obvious shock. "This should be enough."

"Hmm?" I tilted my head at his comment.

"More rumours will spread about us getting close," Eryx stated, and I followed his gaze to the other couples. Some of the couples had been looking in our direction, speaking to each other. "This can also provide an alibi if something does go amiss from earlier."

I stopped suddenly, almost making him fall forward from where our hands were still entwined. "Yes, they will," I replied automatically then released his hand and skated ahead, allowing my peace to remain and not let his comment ruin my mood.

Why would it, anyway? He was just the barbaric Southern Prince.