[ZAIRE]
"I'm scared, Kalkan… everything hurts."
It was the first raw admission.
One spoken without any guard or intentions at all.
One that wasn't intended for manipulation, or even to sway what was and what could be. These were the words of the man Zaire had married and loved, and he knew they were not a defense mechanism for the prince.
Perhaps that was why he felt it all to the core.
"Why… Why did you… Why did you say that earlier?" Zaire asked carefully.
There was still so much that was pending between them, but Zaire wanted to work it out. He was certain there was nothing that could happen that would stop them from being on the same page, because after all, they were mated, right?
But it didn't make it any easier.
What Zaire had heard back then had thrust him into a cycle filled with so many questions whose answers were a desperate desire for him. He couldn't think straight without them.
