NORA’S POV
I slid down the wall the moment Lucian disappeared, because my legs were too weak to hold me up any longer.
My heart was pounding so fast I could barely breathe, and my lips were still tingling from his burning with the memory of him.
I did not know how long I sat there in the cold floor, staring at the door he had walked through, but I could not seem to move.
Then I heard it.
A knock.
I scrambled to my feet, with my heart leaping to my throat.
Then I quickly smoothed my dress, ran my fingers through my hair, and took a deep breath before pulling the door open.
Greta stood there.
Her face was flushed and she looked flustered, with her hair slightly out of place.
“Nora,” she said, her voice rushed.
“I am so sorry for coming over so suddenly.
I know it is late, but I need to see you.”
I blinked and stepped back to ler her in.
“Ofcourse, Greta.
Come in.
What happened?
You look so disturbed.”
Greta walked in and sat in the edge of my bed, with her arms folded.
“I just came to apologize for what happened earlier today.
Lucian had no right to send the lords away like that.”
I shook my head and sat beside her.
“It is fine, Greta.
Really.
You do not have to apologize.”
“It is not fine,” she insisted, her voice rising by the minute.
“I do not know what has come over that boy.
When I went to confront him, he wasn’t even in his chambers.
And when he finally showed up, he just stood there and argued with me like I was some stranger.
I tried to get him to see reason, but he refused.”
I reached out and squeezed her hand.
“Greta, calm down.
You are overthinking this.
It was just a misunderstanding.
He probably had a lot on his mind.”
Greta sighed heavily, but then she turned to me with softer eyes.
“Nora, I need to ask you something.
I hope you know I am not forcing you to do anything you do not want to.
If you do not like any of the lords I introduced you to, you don’t hav to see them again.
I just want you to be happy.”
I smiled at her, feeling the warmth spread through my chest.
“I know, Greta.
And I appreciate everything you are doing for me.
I will meet them, really, it is okay.”
She nodded, with a relieved expression on her face.
“Good.
That is good.
I was so worried that I was pushing you too hard.
You have been through so much and the last thing I want, is to make you uncomfortable.”
“Greta, you have been nothing but kind to me,” I said, squeezing her hand.
“You have opened your home to me and Lily.
You have treated me like family.
I could never be uncomfortable with you.”
She smiled smiled warmly and cupped my face.
“You are family, Nora.
You have always been family.”
I looked at her closely and asked softly, “Is that why you came here?
Because of what happened with the lords?”
Greta hesitated.
Then her eyes filled with tears.
“No,” she whispered.
“When u went to confront Lucian, I was so angry that I ….I said something I should not have.
I slipped up, Nora.
I said something about my lover.”
My eyes widened with shock.
“What?!”
“He kept pushing me, and I was so flustered, and I just said it without thinking.” She covered her face with her hands.
“Now, he knows.
Lucian knows I am seeing someone.”
I stared at her, my mouth falling open.
“So what did he say?
What was his reaction?”
“He was shocked, ofcourse,” Greta said, her voice muffled by her hands.
“He kept digging for mor, but I could not stay.
So I ran out.
I couldn’t help it.
I burst out laughing.
Then Greta dropped her hands and stared at me.
“Nora!
This is not funny!”
“I know, I know,” I said, still chuckling.
“But Greta, it’s not that bad.
He will get over it.
He is your son and he loves you.”
“You don’t understand,” she groaned.
“I have always been the prim and proper one.
I have always been against all these indecent things.
I lecture everyone about propriety and tradition.
Nie I can I face them?”
I pulled her into a hug.
“Everything will be alright.
You will see.”
She sniffled against my shoulder.
“You really think so?”
“I think so,” I said firmly.
“Lucian is not going to hate you for having a life.
He is a grown man.
He can handle it.
And honestly, Greta, it is about time you did something for yourself.
You have spent so many years taking care of everyone else.
You deserve some happiness too.”
Greta pulled back, looking at me with watery eyes.
“You really believe that?”
“I do,” I said.
“And if Lucian judges you for it, then he is not the man I thought he was.
But I don’t think he will.
He loves you.
He just needs time to process it.”
Greta wiped her eyes and said brokenly, “Thank you, Nora.
You are a good friend.”
I smiled.
“That is what I am here for.”
Then she stood up and straightened her dress.
“I should go.
I still have to check on the palace affairs before I call it a night.
Since the Alpha is still not married, that responsibility falls in me.”
I walked her to the door and smiled at her.
“Take care, Greta.”
She paused at the doorway and turned back and turned back to look at me.
“Nora, why are your lips swollen?”
My heart stopped.
I touched my mouth, my mind racing.
“Oh, it’s just….a new lipgloss I tried earlier today.
It must have caused a reaction.
You know how sensitive my skin can be.”
Greta studied me for a moment, with her eyes narrowed slightly and asked, “A lipgloss?
Which one?
I have never seen you wear anything like that before.”
“Just something I picked up at a shop in Snowrich Pack before I left,” I said quickly.
“I thought I would try something new, but clearly it didn’t agree with me.”
Greta nodded her head slowly.
“You should throw it away before it gets worse.
And maybe stick to your usual products.”
“I will,” I said, breathing a silent sigh of relief.
“Goodnight, Greta.”
“Good night, Nora.”
She left, and I closed the door behind her, leaning against it with a long sigh of relief.
That was too close.
My heart was still racing, and I could feel the heat on my cheeks.
I stood there for a long moment, with my mind racing.
Lucian’s kiss, his request, and his words echoing in my head.
I need to talk to someone who would understand.
I quickly grabbed my phone and dialed Tessa’s number.
It rang once, twice, three times.
“Hello?” Tessa’s voice was groggy, like I had just woken her up.
“Tessa, I am so sorry to call so late,” I said quickly.
“But I really need to talk.”
She groaned.
What could be so important?”
“Everything,” I said, pacing the room.
“Everything is going on.
I don’t even know where to start.”
“Start from the beginning,” She said, her voice becoming more alert.
“And make it real quick.”
I took a deep breath and told her everything.
The lords.
Greta matchmaking.
Lucian showing up and taking the lords away.
The kiss in my chambers.
His request to meet him in the tower.
Tessa was quiet for a moment.
I could almost hear her thinking.
“Nora, listen to me,” She finally said, her voice firm over the phone.
“You need to stay far away from him.
He is the Alpha.
He is Greta’s son.
This can only end badly.”
“I know,” I whispered.
“But I can’t stop thinking about him, Tessa.
Everytime I close my eyes, I see his face.
Every time I think about leaving, something inside me screams no.”
“That is because your body is confused,” Tessa said bluntly.
“You have been lonely for years.
You haven’t been with anyone since Trevor.
And now this handsome Alpha is giving you attention and making you feel desired.
Of course your body is responding.
But that doesn’t mean it is love.
It’s lust.”
I sighed, and rubbed my forehead.
“But it feels like more than just lust.”
“Of course it does,” Tessa said.
“That is how these things start.
But you have to be smart about this, Nora.
You have a daughter to think about.
You have Greta, who trusts you.
And you have your own heart to protect.
Getting involved with Lucian will only break you.”
I sat down on the bed with a tight feeling on my chest.
“So what do I do?”
“Try to start something new with one of the lords,” Tessa said firmly.
“It is the only way you can get out of this mess.
If you show Lucian that you are interested in someone else, maybe he will back off.
And if you actually like one of them, maybe you can finally move on.”
I laughed bitterly.
“Move on from a man I barely know?
It sounds ridiculous.”
“Love doesn’t make sense, Nora,” Tessa said.
“I have seen it happen.
But you have to give your self a chance to feel something real.
Something safe.
Something that won’t destroy you.”
I was quiet for a moment, then I asked in a small voice, “You really think I should do it?”
“I really do,” she said.
“Greta introduced you to two handsome, respectable lords.
That is more than most women get.
Give them a chance and stay away from Lucian.”
I nodded, even though I she couldn’t see me.
“I will try.”
“Good,” Tessa said.
“Nie get some sleep.
You sound exhausted.”
“Thanks for listening, Tessa.”
“Always.
Goodnight, Nora.”
Then I hung up and stared at the ceiling
I knew Tessa was right.
The smart think to do was to walk away.
To choose one of the lords and forget about Lucian.
But my heart was screaming something else entirely.
And I had no idea which voice to listen to.