Darius had almost forgotten about the pressing matters from the Elders. He let out a sigh and growled, "Can't they see how capable I am as a ruler? I don't need a mate to become a great King. I already am one!" Yet his wolf Zeus snarled at him in disagreement.
[You definitely need a mate! And she's sitting right beside you dumbass! How come you don't believe it when you're obviously experiencing the Mate Pull!] Zeus suddenly retorted.
Darius simply ignored his wolf's grumpiness and looked at Gilas. "If they bring up the topic again while I'm away then tell them that we will proceed for the Selection of a Queen."
Gilas nodded. Another sigh escaped Darius as his eyes drifted back to Xen. Yes, he admitted that he needed a mate, as a man for his future heirs of course he did. So it was only logical that the said mate to at least be a female!
[How many times do I have to tell you that Xen is not a man!?] Zeus annoyingly retorted.
[To see is to believe! Until, and unless I witness it with my own eyes and confirm that he's not a man, I won't believe you!] Darius scowled back.
[I thought you were willing to trust me with this one? Why not just strip Xen out of her clothes and check right now!?] the impulsive wolf chided.
Darius ignored Zeus and cast a scrutinizing gaze on Xen. He could only hope that Zeus was right.
"By the way Xen, I heard that you had been hurt during a fight recently. Are you sure you're doing better now and are fit to travel?" Gilas asked.
Darius saw the bright smile that formed on Xen's face while having eye contact with Gilas. He did not know what came to him so he instantly coughed.
He sounded like he was clearing his throat before further saying, "Focus solely on your breakfasts. We need to depart soon. I will bring along Xen because the healer confirmed that Xen is fit to travel."
Darius coughed once more and then gave Xen and Gilas a look saying the discussion should be over.
Darius couldn't help getting irritated at what he was seeing. He didn't want to see Xen smiling like that at other men. The beast in him was acting too possessive over Xen, and he couldn't help but react to it.
Maybe Zeus was right... Maybe Xen was indeed his mate, even if such a possibility seemed too irrational for his tastes.
But to Darius's surprise, Xen ignored him as the lad smiled back to Gilas and said, "I'm doing great, Lord Gilas. Healer Tarah did a great job in healing me."
Xen then looked at Darius and said, "Your Majesty, is it possible to ask for Healer Tarah to also join us in this journey?"
Darius was speechless and looked at Gideon who quickly answered, "Your Majesty, the Healer already left before the sunrise saying that she has an important journey ahead of her but she reassured that Xen would no longer need her or any healer since he's perfectly fine by now."
Xen's shoulders dropped but her face suddenly lit up when Gilas said, "I'm sure you'll make more friends here Xen, especially when you return."
"The healer is a fine woman and really beautiful so no wonder our Xen here looks smitten by her and I bet he will even fake sicknesses just for Healer Tarah to check on him!" Leon teased.
Darius's forehead creased as he stared at Xen. 'Did he just blush!' he mused, utterly confused.
[Isn't she adorable?] Zeus interrupted.
[Blushing because of a woman?] Darius snorted.
[It's a perfect act for her disguise so let her be!] Zeus countered.
Darius no longer pondered on about it and continued eating. As soon as he finished his meal, he rose from his chair. He looked at Xen and said, "Follow me."
Having no other choice, Xen did as instructed while the other chosen members of the King's Moonlight Knights who were to accompany Darius in his journey followed.
Still in his seat, Gilas followed them as they left, his eyes keenly staring at Xen.
"He looks so familiar," Gilas whispered as he tried to ponder where he had seen that lad before.
*****
Outside the castle, the horses were ready. Darius signaled Xen to hop onto the black horse and then he hopped onto the horse and sat behind Xen.
"I can ride a horse on my own!" Xen exclaimed at the sudden closeness.
"I know. But I prefer that you ride it with me," Darius plainly replied.
He signaled the others to begin their journey as he grabbed the reins of his horse.
As always, Darius traveled on the front line with his knights. The others were behind him except for Gideon and Bartos, who were on his right and left sides, respectively.
[Your Majesty, do we really need to bring the lad on this journey?] Bartos telepathically asked.
Telepathically talking to each other was one of the special powers of werewolves. It was a mindlink ability between werewolves that they could shut off anytime they wanted. But as the Supreme Alpha and King of the Kingdom of Cordon, he had the authority over all his werewolf subjects regarding the mindlink matters.
[Xen is now my warrior servant so he goes wherever I go,] Darius plainly answered.
Gideon and Bartos could only exchange meaningful glances at that answer. None dared to question him and Darius appreciated that.
Darius heaved out a sigh…
He could smell Xen's intoxicating scent wafting in front of him, surrounding him and their close proximity was driving him crazy. He inwardly cursed at Zeus. It was that damn wolf who had convinced him to make the hasty decision of riding the same horse with Xen.
Without him knowing, he found himself leaning closer and inhaling more of Xen's scent. He smelled so good that his blood was boiling with great desire.
Catching himself, Darius immediately scolded himself after realizing what he was about to do. He was so absorbed in breathing in Xen's alluring scent that he had forgotten that Gideon and Bartos were both galloping next to him on either side.
Thinking quickly, he whipped the reins of his horse and increased his pace. That way, neither of them would witness how he was almost burying his nose into Xen's neck. Otherwise, they would think that he was a pervert drooling over some mere lad.
"Don't you shapeshift so you can travel faster?" Xenia mumbled, not bothering to argue about having her own horse. She could already tell that she would only be wasting her voice over it.
"We do, but only when we smell danger coming," The King replied before he whipped the reins of his horse and increased his pace to get ahead of the others.
Xenia felt weird for some reason. It was her first time riding a horse with a man almost hugging her back, and she felt that there was something unexplainable about it. She could feel his warmth due to their close proximity.
She looked at the sky and wondered, 'Why does it feel hot when the sun is not even that bright?'
"What is it?" The King whispered in her ear.
Xenia's heart leaped as all the hairs on the back of her neck stood on their ends. His hot breath on her ear made her stomach twist. Did she not eat enough that her stomach was acting weirdly? Or was it because she ate something spoiled?
She frowned, feeling annoyed about the mixed feelings that she was having because of this King. Abruptly, she turned around, her eyes widening in shock when her lips touched the corner of his mouth.
She quickly turned her head back as she stammered, "W-what's wrong with you? Why is your head so close to mine?!"
Xenia was going crazy on the inside because of what happened, not to mention how The King did not even bother to say a word. She was stunned at how their lips accidentally touched!
But then if The King could act nonchalant about it so she should do the same. She ended up biting her lower lip as she controlled herself to utter any more words that could make the situation more embarrassing!
It was unbelievable though, how distracted she was when she was supposed to be focusing on how to switch places with her sister Mineah.
She had pondered about it enough, she thought. She had decided that she had to save her sister no matter what. Thinking about the logistics of it all, she knew she still had enough time to swap with her sister and marry the Vampire King instead.
A few moments later, it was Xenia who could no longer take the awkward atmosphere that she suddenly asked, "Your Majesty, is Lord Gilas part of the Moonlight Knights?" trying to ease the tension that she was feeling.
"No, he's not. He's my Great Constable. Why? You sound interested in him."
"It's just that I've heard a lot about him during my stay in Ebodia," Xenia quickly explained.
"You're from Ebodia?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," Xenia genuinely replied.
"Well, Gilas's mother was from the Kingdom of Ebodia, so I suppose that it is inevitable. I'm sure that they praise him a lot over there," The King wryly commented.
Xenia unconsciously chuckled, "Yeah, they do. They are proud of him, especially since he was the last man to stand against you and fight for the throne a decade ago. They almost thought that the Silver Crescent Pack would finally get a hold of the throne of the Kingdom of Cordon when he did that."
"Is that so? I hate to disappoint, but it turned out that I am better than him," The King arrogantly stated, almost making Xenia choke on her own saliva.
That was such a stupid thing to say! She wanted to bang her head for being inconsiderate after realizing what she had just stated. "I am sorry for being so insensitive, Your Majesty," she tersely apologized.
"It's fine. You're simply relaying what you heard. But what about you, Xen? Do you also think Gilas is better than me?" The King curiously asked.
Xenia got flustered when she heard his question. Honestly, there were a lot of negative opinions about The Werewolf King in their Kingdom, which was also why her father chose to marry her off to the Valcrez King instead of him.
Her father had considered marrying her to the Cordon King if he were to be Gilas. But unfortunately, Gilas lost the fight in the Battle for the Throne ten years ago, making Darius the King.
The Cordon Kingdom would only conduct the said Battle for the Throne after the current King was dethroned, gravely ill to rule, or had passed away.
Throughout the realms, King of Cordon had a reputation of being a heartless ruler who mostly disobeyed the Elders and did whatever he thought was right and best regardless of the advice given to him. To put it simply, he was someone who was reckless and willful without any fear of consequence.
"Hmm… Honestly, I don't know how to answer your question since I don't know you that well, Your Majesty. I don't judge people without getting to know them so…" Xenia trailed off, making The King smile without her knowing.
"Well, you have plenty of time to get to know me, especially now that you are my personal servant and warrior. Let me know what you think of me afterwards," The King nodded, sounding to be in a good mood.
*****
As time ticked on, the journey seemed to stretch on too long for Xenia, so she couldn't help but mumble, "Your Highness, I can't wait to reach Ebodia and walk around the kingdom before the wedding ceremony. Do you think that it's possible for us to travel a bit faster?"
"That can only happen if I shapeshift into a wolf. Do you think you can manage to mount me without falling? All you need to do is to hug and hold onto me tightly, making sure not to let go," The King submissively said.
"Ah, don't worry, Your Majesty. That's a very easy task for me," Xenia excitedly replied. "I am honored to see your wolf form and share a ride with you!"
"Alright then. We shall do that henceforth," The King declared as he stopped his horse.
Watching him come down from his horse, Gideon told her to turn her head away from the king so she did.
"You can now look, Xen," Gideon informed her, so she turned her head back to look in the king's direction. Her eyes widened upon seeing The King transformed into a wolf.
Waiting for my lovely and generous readers to drop a five-star? haha and Book REVIEW on our book cover page. Please don't forget to leave a book review *pleads* hehe
**I will give a mass release once we reach at least 20 valid reviews. Thank u sooo much....
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