Page 30 of Orin

To my surprise, I wasn’t in any pain. “Good, now. But, what about the baby?”

She gave my hand a comforting squeeze. “Rekna says the baby is fine.”

Thank god.“How long have I been asleep?”

Grace exchanged another glance with Orin, then looked back at me. “Just over an entire day... I mean, rotation. Orin has stayed by your side almost the entire time.”

This news made my heart beat faster. Had I misjudged him? Did he really care about me? “Were you really here the whole time?” I tried to control my emotions, but my voice broke.

Grace answered promptly, pre-empting Orin's words. “He was worried about you. We all were.”

Orin coughed, and both Grace and I glanced at him. “I need to make a last visit to the city guard to report in.” He set the flowers down on the bed next to me, and our eyes locked. “I brought these for you.”

I took the bouquet and inhaled their fragrance. “Thank you.” I grinned.

Although the flowers seemed droopy, the thought behind them was what counted. Best of all, hope had finally found a home within me. “I’ll see you later?”

He nodded but a tiny grin curled his lips. Orin’s cheeks turned a shade darker but his eyes shone with excitement. I guessed he felt awkward because Grace was there, grinning like a fool at the both of us.

Grace’s joy was evident on her face when he left, and she leaned in to wrap her arms around me. “I’m thrilled for the two of you.”

She stood back and bit her lip as her brows drew together. “I have something to confess.”

I watched her and waited to hear what she had to say.

“Earlier, when you were asleep, I talked to Orin alone.” Her mouth curled on one side.

“You did what?” I said it louder than I intended, and Rekna and another medic glanced at us before looking away again. I lowered my voice and kept going. “Did you say anything that made him uncomfortable? The guy seems super shy, Grace.”

She didn’t usually meddle, but she was probably sick of me whining about him. “He’s a warrior Liv. They aren’t exactly known for being shy.” She shrugged. “It was clear in our chatthat he didn’t know what to say to you. He seemed to think you didn’t want him. He thinks he’s not good enough for you.”

What?My mouth dropped open. “How can he think like that? He’s gorgeous and I haven’t been hiding the way I feel. I mean...,” my voice trailed off.

Grace laughed again. “You two always give each other lovesick looks, but you don’t speak a word to one another.”

She wasn’t wrong. “I wanted him to make the first move,” I admitted.

Grace rolled her eyes. “In any case. I told him he should talk to you and that you like him.”

I blushed. “Grace, this isn’t high school for goodness’ sake. I don’t need you to tell a boy I have a crush on him.” Though I felt this was way more than a crush.

She laughed. “My chat appears to have been successful. He stayed and spoke to you. That’s progress.” She let out a sigh. “It was tough seeing the two of you stealing glances but not acting on it. Intervention was needed.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle because, well, she had a point. In the past, whenever I found myself around guys I was interested in, my shyness always took over.

I wasn’t sure what got into me today, but I was glad I spoke up. Orin’s strong, protective warrior image and rare smiles made it hard to imagine him lacking confidence. Hopefully, he would feel more comfortable talking to me now that we broke the ice.

15

Orin

MY TIME WITH THE CITYguard was over and I would be returning to the palace in a new position. One that I was proud to be doing. Being with my mate under one roof was also something I looked forward to.

With my old city guard uniform in hand, I felt a tinge of sadness as I left the palace, wishing I could have extended my time with Olivia. I’d spent every moment by her side in the infirmary, leaving only to meet with Trex.

The sight of astonishment on her adorable heart-shaped face as she noticed me by her bedside initially brought me hope.

However, her subsequent irritation towards me left me feeling perplexed. I didn’t understand why she felt that way until she mentioned seeing me with Latza. Though she was angry, part of me was happy that she appeared to want me.

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