Chapter 260
Feral Sentinels Obey Only Her
Chapter 261 A Confession Beneath Rose Scent
“It’s nothing. I just heard you talk about it, and it sounded terrifying p>
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Hadrien took her words at face value and immediately blamed himself. “I’m sorry. I got carried away rambling and forgot how you’d feel p>
The bright spark faded from his face, his eyes heavy with guilt and remorse.
Seeing this, Lyra felt awful.
A simple lie to cover up the truth had drawn such raw, vulnerable emotion out of him.
“It isn’t your fault. I’m just easily scared. None of this is on you. Don’t keep beating yourself up p>
As the audio played, Lyra reached up and gently tugged the corners of his mouth upward, trying to coax a smile from him.
Hadrien looked at her.
Her eyes were clear, warm with quiet care, and his own reflection shone deep within them.
It almost felt as though a small version of him lived inside her.
Hadrien stared into her gaze, locking eyes with that reflection of himself.
A reckless urge rose in his chest-to replace that faint illusion, to truly settle himself inside her.
Unnoticed, the space between them shrank little by little.
Rose-scented essential oil hung thick in the air, rich and laced with a young woman’s soft, sweet fragrance.
The familiar aroma seemed to radiate straight from her skin, wrapping around him without a sound.
His thoughts grew muddled, his mind wandering.
Hadrien’s breathing turned heavy. Warm citrus notes from him washed over Lyra’s face, and her skin grew hot beneath his exhales.
He held her motionless with his gaze, deep eyes like storm-churned open ocean at night, ready to pull her under and swallow her whole.
Lyra held her breath. Her heartbeat hammered so hard it threatened to burst right out of her ribcage.
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Hadrien pulled her into his embrace. The thin blanket between them offered barely any barrier
at all.
Against his chest, she felt his own rapid, powerful heartbeat.
His low, tender voice rumbled right beside her ear.
“Lyra, I p>
He hesitated, too afraid to lay bare the overwhelming feelings swelling inside him.
He settled for something softer instead. “Let me be your real Sentinel. Will you p>
Lyra went stiff in his arms, completely lost on how to respond.
Realizing she could not give him an answer right now, Hadrien went on, voicing his feelings in roundabout terms.
“There are so many Sentinels here. Nearly all of them are younger than me.
“I’m scared more and more people will grow drawn to you. I’m afraid I’ll get lost among them, and fade away in your sight.
“I only want a small place where I am needed by you.
“It would be enough just to stay by your side, to watch over you each day.
“Please. Let me belong to you.
“Can I p>
Hadrien buried his face in the crook of her neck, hot breath fanning across her skin.
Lyra flinched.
His voice was soft and plaintive, like a whimpering puppy begging for affection.
Lyra felt as if she were a tree struck by lightning. Flames blazed up from her core, yet she could not move an inch, forced to burn where she stood.
She wanted to vanish on the spot.
Is Hadrien confessing his feelings to me?
Why is this happening so suddenly?
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Chapter 261 A Confession Beneath Rose Scent.
I’m not ready for this at all.
What am I supposed to say? What am I supposed to do?
And how do I feel about Hadrien?
I do like him!
But is the way I like him the same as the way he likes me?
Ever since Black Spire, he had done so much for her.
He had saved her life.
áž“áž‚
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The longer they spent together, the more he felt like a safe harbor for her restless heart.
Looking back, Hadrien had left countless deep marks across her life.
This quiet, long-growing sense of peace-was that what love felt like?
Then… what was it about her that he loved?
And when had those feelings first taken root?
Back at Black Spire, she had been nothing more than a timid, low-rank cell block attendant.
When men like Zev showed up, she was just a mute girl, helpless and reduced to tears, begging for help.
Once they reached Core Prime, he got locked away, and they only got brief, fleeting visits each day.
When exactly had it started?
Lyra’s mind spun into total chaos.
Her thoughts raced in every direction, yet she could make no sense of any of it.
When no reply came, Hadrien’s thoughts drifted back to events from earlier that day.
He feared his sudden, impulsive plea had upset her.
Panic surged through him, and he pulled back at once to read her expression.
Her face gave nothing away.
A sharp tremor ran through Hadrien, and cold dread washed over him.
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“I’m sorry… I overstepped p>
He apologized almost instinctively.
That humbled, broken line cut through Lyra’s swirling panic.
She looked at Hadrien, whose gaze dropped and shoulders slumped in dejection.
She fought to steady her pounding heart and asked the question she most needed answered.
“Everything you just said… does that mean you like me p>
Hadrien lifted his eyes. His look was raw, sorrowful, yet his answer came without hesitation. “Yes p>
Lyra’s eyes widened in shock.
“Then… why me? And when did it begin p>
Hadrien fell silent.
A hollow, empty feeling settled over Lyra, as though a piece of her had vanished, cold air rushing into the gap.
Can’t he explain it?
Instead, Hadrien asked her, “Do you truly want to hear all of it p>
Lyra froze.
Huh?
Hadrien sank down onto the living-room floor beside her, shoulders hunched slightly, much like a boy admitting to a mistake.
“It all began at Black Spire, of course.
“At first, I was curious about you. Then suspicious. I thought you p>
He glanced quickly at Lyra, then hurriedly glossed over that part.
“I cannot pinpoint the exact moment my heart shifted for you back then.
“But if I had to name the moments that stuck with me, it was the way you would take Cedric’s pets out to the exercise yard.
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Chapter 261 A Confession Beneath Rose Scent
“And the drawings you made of their spirit animals on the walls p>
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Feral Sentinels Obey Only Her
Lucia Morh
Lucia Morh is a passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she’s not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.