[THIRD-PARTY POV]
"You what?" Criselda asked incredulously, clearly unsure if it was a good idea for Gideon to be running back into Acrod in the name of goodbyes. He had proven not to be trusted among lycans, so what was he going to try with werewolves?
"Hold on child, did you cause trouble again?" Criselda asked, unsure of what to respond to Gideon's request or rather a statement. He had said it with so much conviction that even Criselda was becoming suspicious of him.
It wasn't long before Criselda connected the dots.
Of course, Gideon had a link to Acrod.
He had someone he wanted to say goodbye to, but was it really a good idea? Was it really right for Gideon to go back only to have his heart broken? Was that a risk the young witch was going to test out?
Criselda sighed defeatedly, knowing so well that this wasn't a good idea. She ran a hand through her hair in frustration as her son just stood there, waiting for her to give him a response.
Gideon could already tell that Criselda was against it.
But he also knew Criselda had a soft heart, so he was going to wait for her to crack and bend the rules, besides, the sun was burning through them and for a woman who hated getting sunburnt, she sure would give in pretty soon.
He was counting down the seconds, 'five, four, three, two—'
"He has a mate destined for him, Gideon," Criselda said, just as Gideon thought to himself, 'one,' finishing the countdown.
"I know, which is why I have to do this myself. Please Mother," Gideon said and Criselda knew he would pout till she gave in, so the earlier the better. That way, they would be able to go to Greroth as soon as possible.
"Fine, you have an hour," she said, getting her hourglass off her bag and showing it to Gideon. Her son just smirked at her, letting out a beautiful laugh as he pulled her into a big hug.
Criselda however pushed him away, because he was ruining her hair, which she had spent so much time fixing. However, that wasn't just about the hair.
It was about telling Gideon that he needed to keep time.
He needed to fix his shit before the sun went down on him and the warrior, because if that happened, they would both get hurt. And while Criselda was a high priestess for several years, she had never found the remedy for a broken heart.
"Thank you, Mother, that's more than enough," the protege said to Criselda, before hugging her again and running off before Criselda could even complain again.
As he ran back into Acrod, Gideon thought of how he would begin the conversation. He hadn't ever had to say goodbye to anyone alive, so this was pretty weird for him. The fact that he even considered it was insane, maybe he had really gone bonkers.
But then he also knew that he had pushed Grant away last night, so there were very slim chances of the warrior coming to him. He knew where to find him, because he knew his scent, or rather was addicted to his scent.
Werewolves had mates, and no one had ever heard of a bond like the one Gideon had with Grant, so maybe that was why he had come back to say goodbye.
'Goddess, you look so perfect,' Gideon thought to himself as he stopped in his tracks. The warrior was with his friends, but it seemed like he caught a whiff of a familiar scent, judging by the way his head turned towards where Gideon was standing.
The witch of Greroth was hiding behind a wall, but even then, he could be seen, well, at least by the one he was looking for.
'This will suck,' Gideon reprimanded himself, before walking away from the warrior.
'Goodbye,' he said as he hurried down the long highways, trying to find the easiest way out, as if he even knew Acrod that well.
"If you are leaving, you're going in the wrong direction. The exit is this way," Grant said, his tone soft, like he was a fragile warrior who needed Gideon to survive.
"I know where I was headed," Gideon said stubbornly, making Grant scoff.
This witch was something else.
"Okay, well, I'll see you around, Gideon of Greroth," Grant said as he walked back to where he had been.
He was hoping that he could hear more from Gideon, but if the witch wasn't even willing to initiate a discussion with him, what was the guarantee that they would even talk to each other anyway?
"Hey, we need to talk," Gideon said to no one in particular, but Grant heard him.
"Wait, I— I kinda need to talk to you," Gideon said, his voice growing quieter with each word that came out of his lips. He sounded so unsure that even Grant could feel it. Maybe this was a mistake, maybe they just needed to ignore their bonds.
For a moment, Grant felt like this would be his doom, or maybe he was just overthinking everything again.
"What do you want, Gideon?" Grant asked defeatedly, and it took every ounce of Gideon's willpower to not smile at how beautifully his name sounded on the warrior's lips. Gideon was tempted to hear it more times.
Grant was however not sure of what he expected, because this man had made a beeline for the exit just a few moments ago, and now he was back. Staring at the man who was mated to him, he didn't feel secure anymore, and that bothered him.
As much as Grant wanted to believe that the great psycho Gideon of Greroth was back for him, he knew that the man had an ulterior motive.
Gideon seemed to be the calculative kind of a person and his coming back to Acrod had to be one very calculated move, and for that, Grant felt his heart sink into his stomach a second time. What was next then?
"I just needed to talk to you, one last time," Gideon responded as he walked towards Grant who hadn't even made an effort to move away. He had turned back and was staring at Gideon, glaring at him, like it was something he had been waiting to do.
But this right here was something that he felt they both needed to do. He could smell something like a rejection but he wanted to hear it. Maybe because he didn't want to crush his soul overthinking about what Gideon wanted.
Or maybe it was because of the history the mate he was given had.
"So you really are leaving, huh?" Grant asked, clearly done overthinking the situation. He was prepared for what was to come, even though he could feel himself almost shit himself from the fear of what Gideon would do.
"You know I have to leave, young wolf," Gideon said and Grant let out a sad laugh.
It was the only way to stop the tears that had started forming, from free falling down his cheeks. He didn't want to be pathetic, and yet the man in front of him made him weak at just a glance.
"I guess I'm privileged to have the great Gideon of Greroth coming to bid me goodbye. This is a privilege, right? Or what should I call it, oh wait, the kiss-me-one-more-time privilege? Anyway, you can say your goodbyes quickly, I have things to attend to here."
Gideon looked at Grant, unsure of what he expected. This man was different from the man he had met last night, but then so many things always changed when the sun was high up in the sky. Maybe this was just one of them.
"Ah— Yeah, Umm, goodbye, young werewolf. I guess I'll see you around, right? In one of the meetings that your king may let you tag along. Fuck I'm rambling. Anyway, goodbye, friend."
And with that, Gideon walked towards the warrior, quietly passing the man his heart was currently hammering for.
'Friend? What a sick joke,' Grant thought to himself as he watched the man leave him without so many words. Perhaps Grant had expected a confession of sorts. Or maybe he had just been hoping that the unexpected would happen, but as usual, he was right.
The expected did happen.
He had just been indirectly rejected, so if this was his chance to lose his dignity, then he would do it. Besides, it wasn't like he would be seeing Gideon of Greroth anytime soon right?
'I'm so sorry about this, I had to,' Gideon thought to himself as he watched his mate's teary eyes.
"Gideon," Grant voiced out weakly, when the man was barely a few feet away from him. He could see how devastated Gideon was, by their brief goodbye and he just wanted to make sure the man was okay.
Grant was intelligent.
He knew that he and Gideon had no chance of being together, but he also had to admit that the witch of Greroth came back to Acrod just to say goodbye to him, which was so heartfelt and nice.
"You don't have to. Come now little wolf, there are responsibilities waiting for us both, yeah?" Gideon said, hurrying away for the young werewolf, but he stopped when he suddenly felt sparks on his body, making him lose focus for a moment there.
What the fuck had just happened?
"Please, don't go… at least not yet," Grant pleaded again, hugging Gideon from the back, his voice sounding so pathetic in his ears, but perhaps this was his only chance to save whatever was of their bond, right?