DENZEL
Wide eyed, my mate stared at me. I clenched my fists, frustrated. If she knew the truth, would she stay with me? She already seemed uncomfortable around me. I should have known that Wren would try to pitch my mate against me at the slightest chance she got."Denzel? You don't have to say anything. It must've been painful for you. I apologize for my friend's insensitivity" Kiara said, giving me a smile.I stared at her, surprised. It was the least I'd expected her to do. Naturally, she was curious, I could tell.Nevertheless, she was more concerned about my feelings. A while ago, she'd refused to look me in the eye. This was good progress."I'll take my leave now. A maid will be here to serve your meals" I said and she nodded.Her gaze followed me until I was out of the door. Terah, my wolf, growled in my head. He desired to spend more time with her. I did too. But, I knew I had to take things slow.Down the hallway, Wren was waiting for me, her head bowed. She went down on her knees when I got to her."I'm sorry, your majesty. I shouldn't have done that. I felt envious-""Save it. I don't want to hear it. Stay away from my mate if you want to keep your life" I said.She whimpered, keeping her head lowered.I didn't care. The only reason she was still alive was because of her brother."She's pregnant!" She suddenly exclaimed, her eyes filled with angry tears.It wasn't new to me. I'd felt the life growing within my mate, the night we'd met."She's carrying another man's child, your majesty. You don't even know who she is. She might just be your downfall-""Guards!" I yelled, outraged.Three of them came rushing to me."Your majesty" they bowed in greeting."Lock her up right away" I ordered.Wren gasped."But-""I won't change my mind. Not even Keenan can get you out of this" I spat.Once they were out of sight, Kennan, Wren's brother stepped into my line of vision. He was my beta and best friend."Your majesty" he bowed."You're not here to talk me out of keeping her in the cell, are you?" I said."Of course not. This time she deserves it. However, I think she has a point. You don't know your mate. I think you should do some digging to avoid unnecessary problems" he said.I knew exactly what he was driving at.Afterall, I'd met my first mate in a similar manner. She had ruined me."Does she remind you of Deanna?" Keenan asked, his face blank."No. She doesn't. She's different. I can feel it.""I met her friend along the hallway " Keenan said."Oh, really? What do you think of her?" I asked.He sighed."She's the kind of woman I like to avoid.""How so?""She's a troublemaker. But, I think she cares about your mate. I guess it's okay to keep her around if you want to."...While working on pack affairs in my study, I heard a knock on the door."Come in" I said.The door creaked open and my mate walked in. She looked a lot better than before. With her waist length blonde hair in a ponytail, she was clad in a flowery pattern dress."If you're busy, I can just -"I shook my head, leaning back on my seat."Take your seat. If you want to talk, I'm all ears" I said.She nodded and settled down on the chair in front of my desk."I want to thank you for your help. Thank you for saving my friend and I " she began, her azure eyes filled with sincerity."I also want to apologize for-"She suddenly cried out in pain, clutching at the curve of her neck. I shot to my feet, alarmed."What's wrong?" I asked, moving to her side."I-It's nothing" she winced, her face contorted with pain."You're obviously in pain. Let me see it" I said.She hesitated a little. Then, she took her hand away from her neck. I clenched my jaw when I saw the mark on her neck. It was obviously from a Lycan's fangs."You're mated? You didn't tell me" I pointed out, trying to hide my displeasure."That's not true! I rejected him. He must've marked me when I was unconscious" her face had turned red from embarassment.I stared at her, my displeasure quickly fading.'How adorable,' I thought as I watched her ramble on about how she wasn't lying to me."Are you done?" I asked and she blushed, lowering her head."I'm sorry" she mumbled."Don't be. If you rejected him and he proceeded to mark you, he must be a scum bag" I said.She hissed in pain again, flinching."I can get rid of it for you. There are two options. I could use magic to nullify it. Or, I could mark you right now."Her eyes widened. She looked torn."Fine. You still don't trust me yet. It's understandable. I'll use magic. I'll try to make it less painful" I said.She nodded, squeezing her eyes shut when I placed a hand over the mark.She didn't make a sound until I was done."Thank you" she breathed, giving me a small smile."You're welcome.""I should get going now " she mumbled, rising to her feet. She took a few steps towards the door and halted, her shoulders sagging."There's something I have to tell you" she said."What is it?" I asked, gazing at her.Slowly, she turned around to look at me, bringing a hand to her stomach."The truth is... I'm pregnant. The baby's father is a Lycan. He got me pregnant because he wanted to keep me as his breeder" she said, her eyes fixed on the floor.Rage rushed through my veins at the thought of the bastard who'd taken advantage of her."I'm aware that I'm your mate. But...we can't be together. I have nothing to offer you. I'm not fit to be the mate of someone as powerful as you are. If anything, I will only be your downfall."Tears rolled down her rosy cheeks, her voice cracking with emotions.For the life of me, I couldn't help but think of one thing. I wanted to hold her in my arms and kiss her tears away.Covering the distance between us, I cupped her face."Kiara, look at me" I whispered.She slowly looked up at me, her dazzling azure orbs glistening with tears.By the goddess, she was beautiful."I want you to do something for me" I whispered.Her eyes widened."What's that?""Stay with me. Stay by my side.""But, I don't-""Give me a chance, Kiara. Let me choose you" I said to her.A few more tears slipped down her cheeks."I-"I pulled her into my arms, marvelling at the way she fit so perfectly."Please," I whispered in her ear.Right then, Keenan's voice filled my head through the mind link."Your majesty, you need to see this.""What's wrong?""There are Lycans at the entrance of our territory."I had a feeling they'd come for Kiara. Regardless of this, Keenan's next statement startled me."They claim that they are here to take their King's mate home."KIARA He was warm and he smelt so good. Regardless of how hesitant, I was, I didn't want to leave his embrace. "Please," he whispered and I swallowed hard. His sincerity oozed from his words. He was tugging at the strings of my heart with so little effort. A few seconds slipped by and he pulled away, enough to look at me. "Your mate... the one you spoke of...is he the king of the Lycans?" He asked. Every muscle in my body went frigid.When I didn't respond, he sighed. "I didn't leave out that information on purpose. I didn't know how to tell you" I mumbled. With the pad of his fingers, he wiped away the tears on my face. I looked up, my gaze meeting his gentle ones. A few locks of his hair had fallen over his face. "Well, you're in luck. As long as you're in my territory, he will never get his hands on you again" he said, a mysterious glint in his eyes. "Now, go. You can ask the maids to take you around the palace. I have issues to attend to."I nodded and quietly left h
KIARA "Kiara?" He breathed, pulling away. I nodded, dragging in a shaky breath. "Yes, It's me. Can you smell my scent?" I whispered. Slowly, he moved away from me and got out of bed. He stood under the glow of the moonlight, staring at me with glistening obsidian eyes. His hair danced with the rhythm of the cool breeze that swept into the room, making him seem ethereal. Recognition flashed in his eyes. Next came the appearance of guilt that clouded his eyes."Kiara... I'm sorry. I didn't-"I cut him off, sitting up on his bed. "You didn't do anything wrong. You didn't hurt me, it's okay" I said. He brought a hand to his head, his chest heaving. "You shouldn't be here" he winced. "Your majesty? You should lie down" the green eyed stranger said as he approached Denzel with his hands outstretched. "Kiara, please... just... leave" Denzel croaked, leaning against the stranger who steadied him the moment his knees buckled. I fought the urge to stay there. Quietly, I walked out
KIARA "W-what? It's not possible," I said, suddenly feeling sick to my stomach. Melissa shook her head, her short blonde hair disheveled by her rapid movement. "I'm telling the truth, I swear. No one else knows. I saw him do it," she insisted. I stared at her, torn. There was no way Denzel could have murdered his own mate. He was gentle and kind. "He's not who you think he is. He has succeeded in fooling everyone else. Not me though.""Why are you telling me this?" I croaked. "You deserve to know the truth before it's too late. You must keep this from Denzel. If he finds out that you know about this, he's going to get rid of the both of us." "What?" I gasped, struggling to wrap my head around what she'd just said. "If you wish to know more, you can call for me. I'll tell you everything I know. For now, I have to go." She hurried out of my room before I could stop her. Right then, my knees gave out and I sank to the ground. The door opened and Cassy walked in, a puzzled loo
DENZEL My wolf was uneasy tonight. I couldn't figure out why. Every now and then, my claws would emerge. It was unsettling. I glanced at the moon through the window of my study. It was crescent shaped tonight. This meant that the power of the moon was at it's lowest. I saw no reason why my wolf was growing edgy. 'Your majesty! You need to see this!' Keenan's voice pierced through our mind link. I leaned back on my seat, furrowing my brows. Any time he called for my attention like this, the situation was never a good one. 'What's going on? Where are you?' I asked.'A scout reported that he saw the princess heading towards the cliff' he responded. I shot to my feet, confusion stirring within me.'The cliff? Why would she do that? Why didn't he stop her?' I demanded, storming towards the door of my study. 'He reported that he tried to stop her but she subdued him. He claimed that she'd appeared as though she was in a trance.'I gritted my teeth, my hands tightening into fist
KIARA "They're coming," Denzel said, his expression impassive. The words had barely left his lips when two Lycans stepped into my line of vision. A couple more joined a few seconds later. "What is this? Werewolves in our territory?" One of them drawled, his beady eyes twinkling with amusement. "I don't think they're just any kind of werewolves. Their auras are way too powerful," a red head said, eyeing us with disdain."The woman looks so fragile. Look at her, her skin is so fair. Look at her eyes, they're so innocent. Those eyes are asking us to ravage her," another Lycan said, licking his lips in anticipation. I could feel the rage stirring up within my mate. It was only a matter of time before he would completely lose control. This would result to blood shed. More Lycans would end up swarming to the scene once the smell of blood reached them. I didn't want this to happen. "We don't want trouble. We just want to go home," I blurted out the words without thinking. They bli
KIARA "What do you mean by brides?" I asked, clutching at the fabric of my loose night dress. Estella shrugged, flipping her hair over her left shoulder."It's just as I said. Denzel has made it his habit to murder his brides on the night before their wedding. Terrible, isn't it?" She said, chuckling darkly."Tell me more," I choked out, tears blurring my vision. "Not yet. Once I'm sure that you're on my side, I'll tell you. For now, I'll leave." She winked at me and turned away from me."Wait-""I'll come to see you soon. In the meantime, you should find out as much as you can. Bye," she said. Right after this statement, she snapped her fingers and vanished into thin air alongside her bodyguard. My eyes widened when I realised that the room had also changed. I was back in my room in Denzel's palace. This meant I'd never left the room in the first place. Estella had simply created an illusion of a different room. However, I had no idea how she'd entered the palace without being n
DENZELFew hours before, By the goddess, my mate was stunning. Immense desire stirred within me as I cupped the side of her face. I wasn't one to lose all sense of reasoning. But, while I gazed into the depths of her sea green eyes, I stopped thinking. My gaze drifted to her slightly parted heart-shaped lips. Still entrapped in a daze, I leaned closer to her. When she didn't protest or pull away, my desire grew stronger until I was barely a few inches away from her lips. However, before I could kiss her, a blinding pain struck me. My vision blurred and tremors racked my body. It was an all too familiar agony, one which never failed to disrupt my day. Pulling away from Kiara, I straightened. "Take some time to rest, Kiara. You should go to the garden if you don't feel better," I said. I needed to get away from her. If I didn't, a disaster was bound to happen. So, I strode towards the door. I didn't want to alert my mate about my sudden poor health. But, when I got to the
KIARA It didn't make any sense. But, the look on his face said otherwise. "Please, believe me. It's the truth," he croaked, gazing up at me with pain in his eyes. "Let me get this straight. What you're trying to say is that you have a multi personality?" I asked. He sighed."It's similar. But, it's a lot more complicated than you think. I would... explain everything right now. However, I'm starting to feel faint" he rasped. "What do you want me to do? I-I need explanations. I don't know if I can trust your words. I don't...I don't... know who you are," I stressed."Bring... Keenan to me" he gasped, his breathing coming out in short pants. I stared at him, alarmed by the way he was shivering. His hair was matted at his temples, damp with sweat. And, he looked as though he was barely holding himself up. "Denzel -" I started to say when suddenly, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he slumped to the ground. Is he dead? I wondered as I approached him. It was strange