Reborn As Cursed Alpha's Mate-Chapter 45: Heena
Chapter 45: Heena
Cassandra emerged from the wash area dressed up in a short apple-green cotton dress. Siroos was squatting on the floor holding a small container and a very thin stick with a pointed edge on one side. The stick was about five inches long.
Seeing her emerge, his eyes wandered to her, and he patted the space beside him.
"Come, sit with me."
Cassandra obeyed, settling down beside her mate she peeked into the small round container he was holding. It had a very dark green paste in it; the colour almost seemed black.
"What is it?" Cassandra curiously asked as Siroos mixed the paste with the stick and collected a tiny part on the tip.
"This is called henna. It’s made from the dried leaves of the henna plant. The leaves are ground into a fine powder using a mortar and pestle. The powder is mixed with lemon juice, water and sometimes lavender to make a paste. It’s then used to make designs on hands, arms, legs, and feet. Especially before a wedding or the mating ceremony," Siroos explained, extending his empty hand towards her, palm upwards.
"Usually, it’s done by females, but I would like to do it for you. Can I?"
Cassandra was truly intrigued by this tradition and the fact he wished to do it for her; it was like having a tattoo. She placed her right hand in his and inquired.
"Is it permanent?"
"No, it wears off after a fortnight. The colour will be a mixture of red and orange," he further explained, tightening his hold on her hand and straightening her fingers. Siroos placed a dot in the middle of her palm with the pointed stick and Cassandra excitedly said.
"Excellent, I am looking forward to seeing the pattern."
Like a skilled artist, Siroos painted her hand with delicate strokes and intricate designs. That stick was nothing short of a brush for him while her skin a canvas which he decorated to his heart’s content.
His eyebrows scrunched together as he concentrated and copied the design from his imaginative mind.
Cassandra watched enthralled by his skill. Never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined him to be capable of doing something so meticulous with such precision.
Carefully and gently, Siroos spread the design with vines and flowers on her arm. His stick dipped in the henna every now and then and his fingers flitted through air. Cassandra could see the blue veins popping out like narrow streams on Siroos’s hand as it clutched the stick and moved.
"You have quite the talent. Who taught you this?"
Siroos’s auerate eyes stayed focused on his artwork but his lips twitched upwards in amusement as he answered.
"No one, I enjoy painting in my free time. I use different plants and crushed stones to make colours. It helps me relax."
"You are very talented, thank you for sharing your art with me," Cassandra wholeheartedly praised him.
"It’s my honour, Malakti."
Once he was done with her hand, he requested her thigh, the one which had been bruised. Cassandra leaned back and placed her leg in his lap.
His fingers delicately traced the purplish bruise as he inquired.
"Does it hurt?"
"Barely."
"I am sorry I have been unable to catch that snake." He used the stick to draw a flower around it, making it look like a purple one. Cassandra was touched by his imagination.
At times his fingers itched to delve closer to her inner thigh but he refrained and relentlessly continued to decorate her leg in flowering patterns which ran to her knee.
Both of them were so immersed into painting her hand, arm and thigh with henna that they didn’t realise how much time had lapsed. The dawn had almost cracked and only 12 hours were left in their ceremony.
The door of her room had a soft knock on it, bringing them out of the spell of henna. Siroos didn’t appreciate them getting disturbed so his forehead creased in annoyance.
"Proceed," he bellowed in irritation. Not caring who entered as he continued to work on Cassandra’s thigh.
Two females entered, shaking in their shoes. They knew it was not appropriate but Haylia had sent them to fetch Siroos. They exchanged a knowing glance seeing their Alpha paint the leg of his mate with such tenderness.
"Alpha! Nissa!" They bowed in respect and Cassandra acknowledged them with a shy smile.
"What is it?" Siroos asked, slightly agitated.
"Luna Haylia is asking for your presence. She says it’s urgent," one of them stated respectfully.
Siroos’s eyes shot up as his mind link opened and Haylia’s extremely calm voice came through.
’Don’t be harsh with the messengers. Let the females take care of your mate and dress her up. Stop hoarding her. It’s time for you to come and have a talk with me.’
Siroos understood his mother well, that calmness in her voice always meant she was not pleased with his actions. She would burn a person with a smile on her face.
As an alpha, he was not obligated to listen to her but he respected his mother and wanted her to have a smooth relationship with Cassandra.
Women could be vindictive and he didn’t wish his disobedience to be the cause of his mother becoming estranged with his mate. Cassandra was his weaker link now, people could hurt her to get to him. He would always protect his woman but he wasn’t sure what kind of relationship his pack would weave with her.
’I am on my way,’ he assured his mother and placed the last petal on Cassandra’s leg. Placing the stick back he faced her with expectant eyes.
"What do you think?"
Pure joy and jubilation danced on her face as it was illuminated by the dying candle lights.
"It’s beautiful, I don’t have words to appreciate this enough. Thank you."
Cassandra was an emotional mess seeing how exquisitely he had created the design on her skin. It screamed of his affections and care. Siroos’s chest swelled seeing her happy and smiling.
"Good, I need to go. Ara and Palia will complete your other arm and feet, although I would have loved to do it. But mother wants to see me," he explained while unwillingly letting go of her thigh and getting up.
Both of them sensed a slow itching ping in their hearts as the connection between them was severed. But they covered it with smiles.
Siroos turned to the females and instructed.
"Be careful, with her, she should look like a queen for the ceremony."
"She will, Alpha. You don’t have to worry," they spoke in unison and lowered their eyes with their hands clasped in front.
Stealing a wistful glance at his mate who was still admiring the henna design on her skin with a heart-melting smile, Siroos walked out of her room. Leaving her and her intoxicating scent behind.
He needed to go and see what his mother wished to speak about.
The source of this c𝓸ntent is fr(e)𝒆novelkiss