The Tyrannical Wolf King's Contract Bride-Chapter 108: Heading to the Middle East

Lila’s POV

Feeling the power surging through my body and the seamless, intuitive connection I shared with Jasper, I said confidently, "I can feel it so clearly now. As long as we’re together, we’re invincible. In my eyes, he’s nothing more than a cornered ant, struggling before its death."

"Invincible?" Jasper raised an eyebrow, a mischievous glint in his eyes. He suddenly tightened his arms and swept me up into a bridal carry, startling a yelp out of me. I instinctively wrapped my arms around his neck.

He carried me to the large desk, gently setting me down on its surface. Planting his hands on either side of me, he trapped me in his embrace. He lowered his head slightly until our noses were almost touching, his warm breath fanning across my face with an alluring intimacy.

"Since we’re invincible and our opponent is nothing to worry about..." he murmured, his voice holding a rare, wheedling tone, as if asking me for some kind of reward. "Then for this trip to the Middle East, can we not treat it as a mission?"

I gazed into his golden eyes, which seemed to hold all the stars in the cosmos, and my heart couldn’t help but skip a beat. "Then what do you want to treat it as?"

A roguish smile played on Jasper’s lips. He leaned close to my ear and whispered in a voice only we could hear, "How about we treat it as our honeymoon? I hear the sail-shaped hotel in Dubai is nice, and they have those private dinners under the desert stars... It would be the perfect chance to make up for the private time we never got to have."

My cheeks flushed, and I couldn’t help but lightly punch his chest. "How can you be thinking about a honeymoon at a time like this? We’re going to get back the Tear of the Moon God, and while we’re at it... clean house."

"Cleaning house is just a step toward living a peaceful life," he said, shamelessly nuzzling my cheek as his tone softened. "Lila, we’ve been through too many life-and-death separations. It’s been so hard to get to where we are now. After we take care of this problem, I want to just be with you. Just the two of us. No family disputes, no traitors. Only you and me."

Hearing his words, the last of my hesitation vanished like smoke. I reached out, cupped his face, and looked at my own reflection in his eyes as I gave him a solemn nod.

"Okay," I agreed softly. "After we get back the Tear of the Moon God and deal with Derek, we’ll go to Dubai. Just the two of us."

"It’s a promise." A flash of triumphant joy lit up Jasper’s eyes before he lowered his head and captured my lips in a kiss.

The kiss was gentle and lingering, filled with infinite hope and promises for our future. Outside, the sun slowly sank below the horizon, but inside the study, there was only warmth and passion.

————

「A few days later.」

Jasper and I arrived in the Middle East Desert.

The desert wind carried a coarse, primitive wildness, whipping fine grains of sand against the windshield with a faint HISS.

I sat in the back of the extended SUV, gazing out at the boundless gray expanse. My heart pounded with unease. ’This environment is completely unfamiliar and hostile. Even with the Priest’s Perception to guide us, can we really find Derek here?’

"Still thinking about that traitor?" Jasper, sitting beside me, seemed to notice my furrowed brow. He casually reached out, his long fingers gently smoothing the crease between my eyebrows. His palm radiated the characteristic warmth of a Werewolf.

I shook my head and took his hand, feeling its solid strength. "I’m not thinking about Derek. I’m wondering why he would come to the desert. Is there something here that he thinks can save his life?"

"Maybe. After all, he’s been hiding for so many years; he must have plenty of tricks up his sleeve. Or perhaps..." A cold smirk touched Jasper’s lips. "He’s just waiting to die."

The vehicle slowly drove into a valley encircled by towering sand dunes. The sight before me made me hold my breath.

This place wasn’t desolate and spartan like I had imagined. Instead, it displayed a level of extreme, almost absurd luxury. Dozens of top-of-the-line, pure white tents were scattered tastefully along the edge of an oasis, with expensive wicker furniture set up under huge parasols. What shocked me most was the massive infinity pool constructed in the center of the camp. The water, shimmering blue under the setting sun, created a stark visual contrast with the surrounding yellow sand.

"Jasper..." I turned to him, utterly stunned. "For a second there, I thought we’d arrived at a luxury resort."

"It’s no resort, just a service I bought with a little pocket change." He raised an eyebrow, his eyes glinting with the arrogant light of someone for whom money is no object. "Since we’re here, I won’t let you suffer the slightest discomfort."

An attendant pulled open the car door, and a rush of cool, fresh air hit my face, instantly dispelling the desert’s dry heat. I followed Jasper out of the car. The ground had been meticulously prepared, covered with a layer of fine, white quartz sand that was soft and clean to walk on.

"Welcome to the Rub al Khali Desert encampment, Your Majesties." The voice of Riven, the captain of the guard, suddenly crackled through the radio. He had already arrived at the camp ahead of us. "We’ve booked the entire encampment. The chef team from a seven-star hotel has also been airlifted in. You are currently at the main tent. To your left is the spa area, and to your right is the shooting range—that’s for the guard team." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as I took in the scene. On a distant sand dune, several Hale family guards in tactical vests were setting up a heavy machine gun. Less than fifty meters away, waiters in white uniforms pushed silver serving carts laden with exquisite dishes and champagne.

’This jarring sense of dissonance,’ I thought, ’is something only a domineering, autocratic Wolf King like Jasper could create.’

"Come on, let’s get something to eat." Jasper took my hand and led me toward the largest tent.

He lifted the heavy, windproof flap, and a wave of pleasantly cool air mixed with tantalizing aromas washed over us. The space inside the tent was astonishingly large, the floor covered with thick, handmade Persian rugs. In the center stood a long dining table that could seat twenty people. Right now, it was laden with a dazzling array of food.

"Is this..." My eyes landed on a platter of tempting Boston lobster, a glistening pile of Häagen-Dazs ice cream, and even sliced strawberries still glistening with dew. "Jasper, we’re in the desert. How did you get ice cream here, still frozen?"

"It just took a few helicopters," Jasper said nonchalantly as he pulled out a chair for me and then sat down beside me. "I know you just awakened and your body needs to replenish its energy. We may be in the middle of nowhere, but that doesn’t mean we lower our standards for food."

I picked up my fork and poked at a bright red strawberry, feeling both moved and amused. This was his love: domineering, direct, and backed by a jaw-dropping amount of money.

Just as I was about to enjoy this "desert feast," the tent flap was thrown open again.

"Reporting!"

A tall figure appeared at the entrance, dressed in full body armor, his face covered in camouflage paint, and holding a modified sniper rifle. It was Riven, the captain of the guard whose voice I’d heard over the radio.

Ever since the wedding dress kidnapping incident, Riven had been acting like he had PTSD, stuck in a state of extreme hyper-vigilance. At this moment, his sharp eyes weren’t looking at the feast on the table but were fixed intently on the space beneath it and every other corner of the tent.

"Has the encampment’s security been checked?" Jasper asked, setting down his wine glass, his tone flat.