The Broken Angel & Her Overprotective Brothers-Chapter 369: Lavender

The warmth of the morning sunlight that was filtering inside the room through the gaps in the curtains, pulled Emily out from the depths of her slumber. Her eyes opened slowly. Her body felt deliciously sore.

She tried to roll over but the arms holding her tight prevented her from doing so. As she registered the presence of the man fact asleep behind her, memories of the previous night replayed in her mind. It made a beautiful smile bloom on her lips.

She again tried to get out of bed but Kaiden grumbled. His hold on her tightened and he buried his face in her neck before muttering something. The movement of his lips against her throat sent tingles down her spine.

"Kaiden, it’s already half past nine. I’m late for work. Let me go." She said and was awarded with a soft kiss on her jaw before he finally released her and moved to a sitting position.

"All I want is to take a long vacation away from everyone and spend every single second of it with you. But I’m saving this plan for our mating ceremony." He suddenly confessed out of the blue, surprising Emily. She stared at him in surprise before quickly running her hands through her dark brown hair which still appeared silky soft despite their previous night’s activities.

"You don’t like the idea?" Kaiden asked when he noticed her looking away.

Emily quickly shook her head before hurriedly replying, "It’s not that. I just... I think I feel embarrassed."

Kaiden smiled and pulled her in for a kiss. They kissed for a while before finally pulling apart.

It took them over an hour to shower and eat a late breakfast before they both headed toward the City Square to start their day at their respective companies.

* * *

Emily walked into her office and was immediately greeted by the fresh soothing smell of lavender. There was a beautiful bouquet sitting on her office table with a gift box next to it.

Emily picked the card from the bouquet and opened it, already aware of who was behind this sweet surprise. On the card, she found a sweet message in the familiar elegant handwriting -

Happy Birthday, Princess

A smile bloomed on her like as she slipped the card safely inside her wallet before picking up the bouquet and taking a deep inhale of the fresh fragrance of her favorite flower.

She took out the flowers from their cover and arranged them in the vase before setting them back on the table. She then picked up the gift box and opened it. The moment her eyes fell on the product inside, she burst out into a chuckle.

"I’m gonna assume that you liked the present." Shadow spoke as he entered the office and closed the door behind him before heading straight toward her.

Emily picked up the book from the box and turned to look at Shadow with a bright smile on her lips and a twinkle in her eyes. "Who told you that I was dying to read this one?"

Shadow stopped right in front of her and with a small smile, he replied, "There’s nothing about you that I don’t know, Princess. Check the inside."

Emily arched her eyebrows at him but did as she was told. The moment she opened the book at looked at the first page, she couldn’t stop the squeal of happiness and surprise that left her.

"Oh gosh! Oh, this is so good. You are the best, Shadow!" She jumped happily before throwing her arms around the man and hugging him tightly. "I mean it. You are the best."

Shadow smiled warmly as he returned the hug, pulling the woman closer and enveloping her in his protective embrace. "As long as you are happy." He whispered while brushing his fingers through her smooth locks.

His nose didn’t miss Kaiden’s scent that was covering every single inch of her body and recalling how painful the previous night was for him, he knew exactly what happened between them after they left the party.

"Of course, I’m happy. You not only got me the latest book of my favorite series but you even got it signed by the author along with the sweet message inside. How can I still not be happy?" Emily asked while pulling out of the hug and looking at the man who just shook his head and smiled. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Despite how ethereal he still looked and how brightly his eyes shone, she didn’t miss the tiredness he was trying his best to hide. Her hand moved to cup his cheek and she brushed her thumb across his soft skin while looking into his eyes. "Thank you, Shadow. Thank you for staying by my side despite all the pain I’m causing you. Every time I look at you, I feel like the most selfish person on this planet... but..."

She was suddenly unable to speak as her voice became heavy from the tears that she was trying to keep from spilling.

Shadow quickly shook his head, not eating even a second before showing that he didn’t agree with her thoughts.

"You don’t have to deny. I’m indeed selfish..."

"You are not!" Shadow didn’t allow her to finish as he moved even closer and grabbed her face between his palms to make her look straight into his eyes. "I’m the most selfish one here, Princess. I kept staying by your side even after breaking off the bond. I told you both about the secret of our bond and I’m still with you despite knowing that my presence makes you question your loyalty toward Kaiden. I’m still with you despite knowing just how much it tempts you to give in to this desire between us and claim me as yours. I’m still with you despite knowing that I’m stopping Kaiden from marking you as his mate. So, if there’s anyone selfish here, then it’s definitely me."

Emily stared into his eyes and felt tears finally breaking through the confinements of her eyes and falling down her cheek. And to her surprise, she saw unshed tears burning his eyes as well.

Their fate had fucked them up so badly that she was watching the strongest person she had ever known breaking down right in front of her.