BRANDON'S POV

　　As I arrived at the new base, my heart raced with anticipation. I had been searching for Lydia, for what felt like an eternity, and finally, I had found her. I kept my disguise and continued to search for my mate for quite a long time. When I finally found the chamber in which she was staying, I realized that she was not alone. I entered her room when no one was looking, I was taken aback to find her living among a group of Omegas. It was not the grandeur I had expected for the princess of the Lycan kingdom.

　　My eyes scanned the room until they landed on her, and my breath caught in my throat. Despite the humble surroundings, Lydia looked radiant, her beauty shining through even in the simplest of settings. She was talking to them as if she was one of them when she clearly wasn't and everyone listened to her when she said something, that meant she had the ability to gain the attention of the entire room with just a few words. After her conversation, she excused herself and entered a smaller room and I followed her.

　　But it was too late when I realized that I made the mistake of following her here and I should have waited. She was in the midst of a shower, the sound of running water filling the air.

　　Thanks to our mate bond, I was aware of her presence, and I couldn't tear my gaze away from her. But as much as I longed to be near her, I knew I had to respect her privacy.

　　"Lydia," I called out softly, announcing my presence as I approached the shower area. "It's me, Branden."

　　There was a moment of hesitation before Lydia's voice floated through the steam-filled room. "Branden," she replied, her tone laced with surprise and relief. "What are you doing here.?"

　　As I waited for her to emerge from the shower, I couldn't help but feel a surge of longing. The Mate bond between us pulsed with intensity, drawing us closer with each passing moment. But I knew I had to tread carefully, mindful of her hesitation towards me and our mate bond, this isn't really a good time to discuss this.

　　When she finally stepped out of the shower, clad in a simple robe, my breath caught in my throat. Despite her apprehension, there was a flicker of desire in her eyes as she met my gaze and I knew that she could sense my desire for her as well, our wild sides tried to call out to each other but for some reason, Lydia was protecting her and her wolf as well. 

　　I didn't like that but I understood from where she was coming. 

　　 Then their assessment will change her opinion about me and she might start trusting me. 

　　"Lydia," I began, my voice low and husky with emotion. "I'm here to protect you."

　　"Protect me? But I thought…Evan changed my identity already to do that." She questioned innocently not realizing that she was still standing in her robe and the water droplets that trailed down her hair and got lost inside that robe made me wonder if it was possible to disguise myself as that droplet. I gulped and tried my best to look anywhere except her. 

　　Her expression was innocent but in that robe, with her hair open she looked like a temptress. I have never seen her like this and she looked so different, so innocent and small. The fact that she didn't even tried to turn away from me was another indication that she didn't feel completely uncomfortable with me.

　　I shook my head and tried to focus on our conversation.

　　"Um…yeah he did that already but just to make sure that the nobles don't try anything else during this assessment, I came here in disguise to protect you," I answered and she frowned.

　　"Well….I must say that you are pretty good at it, I almost didn't recognize you." She appreciated and my wolf howled in pride. 

　　This is the first she has openly complimenting me and my chest swelled and a new feeling spread over my heart consuming my whole body.

　　"Yeah….if you need anything or if you are in danger just let me know. I'll be there for you and Evan is going to take care of the rest." I said to her.

　　A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she stepped closer to me. "Thank you, Branden," she said softly, her eyes searching mine. "I don't know what I would do without you and Evan."

　　I reached out to brush a stray lock of hair from her face, the touch sending shivers down my spine. "You'll never have to find out," I vowed, my voice filled with determination.

　　"I don't know what you endured previously but as long as I am here, I won't let anyone touch you." I confessed.

　　Before our conversation could continue, we were interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching. Someone had stumbled upon our secret meeting, and I could sense Lydia's tension mounting. I can't get caught like this with her, it can lead to both our elimination from this assessment.

　　Quickly, I moved to stand in front of her, shielding her from view as the intruder entered the room. My heart raced as I prepared to confront whoever had stumbled upon our secret conversation. But as I glanced back at Lydia, I saw a glimmer of gratitude in her eyes. I signalled for her to hide quickly while I tried to figure out how to handle the situation.

　　With my heart pounding in my chest, I braced myself for the confrontation. But to my surprise, the footsteps stopped just short of our hiding spot. For a moment, I held my breath, waiting for the intruder to reveal themselves. But when no one emerged, I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.

　　Still, the tension in the air lingered, and I knew we couldn't afford to let our guard down just yet, it is our first day and we were about to get caught.

　　With a silent nod to Lydia, I motioned for her to stay hidden while I leave.

　　As I cautiously stepped out from our hiding spot, my senses on high alert, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched but after further investigation I didn't notice any special scent of anything unusual and I sighed in relief.

　　I need to be careful if I want to protect Lydia.