✔️The Sultan's harem (Completed)

Chapter 35: The simple gesture

How are you guys? I hope you are good! Due to the work obligations, this time I was late to post this chapter! It's high time I finish this story! We are amongst our last chapters! So stay tuned!!!

Serena's POV

I was glad that there were no separate tents. And we both shared the same tent. I felt so scared. I wondered if the wild animal out there was able to hear my heart beat! I wish I had any weapon!

I was scared if it was a lion. The good part about the partition was that the cloth was thin so I could see the dark outline of Sultan. His body was faced towards mine. He had held my hand with his. I felt a bit okay. Usually I was the fearless one. But today I was scared. And then I realised, how uncertain the life is. And wondered how many times Sultan had fought the battles? And how many times he had narrowly escaped the death?

Suddenly I felt his finger making patterns on my wrist. I giggle escaped my throat. Do not get me wrong. I was scared but my skin was very ticklish.

"Shhh" I heard his low voice and became quite and concentrated on the patterns as he held my hand again.

"Do not he scared. Fire still on" he wrote. And I realised that the fire that we had lit outside the tent was still burning. It was outside the entrance to our tent. I mentally prayed Lord to keep us alive and safe.

Suddenly I heard the footsteps on the grass. Actually as we were located outside the forest, the grass was dry. So it was easy to hear the voice of the paws in midst of the pin drop silence and the sounds of crickets.

Before I could react, I being engulfed in a warm hug, with my head on his chest. The soft cool cloth was still between us. Therefore though I wasn't directly touching him, I was practically in his arms with a cloth separating us. I could hear his breath as his head was on my shoulder.

Normally I would never permit a man to touch me or try to be too familiar. However he was neither touching me or trying to woo me. He was literally shielding me. In case the beast decide to somehow get inside the tent.

We both became statue. Motionless. It went on for sometime while we felt that the animal was circling our tent. None of us made any movement or noise. We were still as rock. The fire was still burning.

After sometime, we felt that the animal moved away. We could see his faint outline disappearing into the forest. I thanked Lord but didn't dare to move. He tried to move apart from me but I pulled him by his waist. I wanted to be hugged whole night. Who knows? If another lion would come?

He quickly assumed his previous position. I hugged him right and went to sleep. Not before lifting my head and kissing his lips with a mere thin cloth separating our lips. I could hear nothing from that part of the tent.

We both hugged each other again. Maybe. Maybe I had some prejudice against Sultan. He wasn't the brute coward man that I had assumed him to be. He was a brave, caring and generous man who wanted his people to be happy!

But will I be able to have a normal happy future with him? I was wondering when I heard the simple and only statement that he whispered into my ears " do not think too much Serena! Take some sleep. We both have a long journey ahead!"

I closed my eyes, listening to the rhythmic heartbeat of his as I leaned my head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around me.

I wasn't a woman who would melt with poetic or endearing words. I was a clear-headed woman who appreciated the actions, especially those that were meaningful. And today, I must confess. He won my heart within a simple few minutes!