Chapter 4: The Mate Bond

Amarantha’s POV

This creature in front of me was the epitome of fear. All of the humans were frightened of him. This huge kind of a man was none other than the Alpha King himself.

I have never heard of his name before. This day had been terribly too fast and I wasn't able to know his name yet. Suddenly, I felt the urge to know it. But I couldn't ask him. I felt bashful suddenly.

My emotions felt like they were playing with me. And I've grown to hate that fact.

This Alpha King... I should be hating him to the core. He was the reason for all of the disasters in my country. Ever since humans had fallen under the food chain, we became outcasts; slaves of our own planet. But paradoxically, my knees hated the fact that they quiver at his presence and yet felt so longing for his touch. I was having this weird notion inside of me that I shouldn't be feeling. Something inside me screamed haywire yearning to be touched.

Never did I have this kind of thought since my existence in this world. But right now, it seemed like my whole being had finally met the reason to live. To throw me into his dangerous arms like he was the missing piece of my puzzle. The other half of my soul.

My nose sniffled something in the air. An aromatic scent came in and seeped into my nostrils. It was his scent. It's so addictive that it lingered under my skin.

Wood grass. It should be something irksome to me as a human. Who would want wood grass as their perfume anyway? Clearly, it isn't me. But right now, I couldn't explain this notion. Suddenly, his scent appeared to be addictive to inhale. I even absentmindedly inhaled a lungful of it. It was indeed a knee-jerking scent. My body slowly wanted to throw itself at him though I was still inside his arms. I wanted to be weak with him and let his hands do and break me.

His cold eyes were still glued to mine. I could feel that he was also fighting something inside of him. Something that I was also vulnerable to.

But the underlying question is: why did it have to be him? Why did it have to be me? Of all creatures in this world, why me? Why did it have to be a human like me?

He, an Alpha King, was destined to be mated to me? A human? What a laughingstock of a joke! Humans are naturally born with free will, that's how it was. So, how in the world would a human be tied to a creature like the Alpha King?

A werewolf for a human mate? I don't think so. They were made by their goddess as loyal creatures chained to what they call mates. But to humans? We can easily feel all fluttery and jittery for someone if we feel like it. And we can love and feel like it's destiny every time.

This hoax should be stopped at once. Besides, I couldn't possibly be attracted to his features. His long and rough hair; his stubbles, and a deep set of gray orbs that could drown a soul without any water to even start with. And bloody heck I am currently drawing his face inside my mind. Who am I kidding?

I find him attractive, knee-quivering, and equally gorgeous. His eyes, though identically mesmerizing, would be defined as that of a werewolf, still made me gawk at him in awe.

That blinding moment was halted when the Alpha King was the first one to divert his eyes elsewhere. He cleared his throat. I could even hear him breathe sharply through his nostrils.

All of a sudden, he pushed me out.

I collapsed to the ground and almost let him see my nakedness. Good thing, I covered myself quickly.

"You should go back to your chamber. You are not allowed to visit me at this hour. And you dare to walk with only this piece of cloth to cover you? Are you trying to seduce all of the wolves here, human?" His voice became louder like a roar of an animal threatening my life.

It made me jump in fear. I quickly hugged myself to cover my chest. I gasped at my own stupidity.

How could I think of barging in here and then forgetting to finish my bathing? I internally face-palmed my forehead and sighed. "I was in a haste. I-I..."

"Iotas!" the Alpha King interrupted my speech. Suddenly, two of his men came inside his training hall.

The Iotas started bowing their heads in front of him. "Yes, Alpha King!" they both asked him.

"Go to the others assigned to the slaves. Let them know my order!" he said.

"Yes, my lord! Please tell us what message would you give them."

"Do not kill the remaining humans from the choosing ceremony. Gather them and let them work as slaves in our pack. Make them useful. This is my order!" the Alpha King uttered in dominance.

I just stood there frozen in front of them but at the same time, stunned at how the Alpha King said those words. Absentmindedly, I felt my cheeks turn red.

"And you..." He pointed at me. "Come with me..." The Alpha King started to march away from me.

I just stood there, a bit flustered at how his words turned out to be something I should watch for. Gosh, where was he taking me?

I decided to follow him while making sure the towel wrapped around me wouldn't fall. I kept my pace beside him. "Where are you taking me?"

"To my chamber. Where else would you go?" he answered casually like it was just a normal thing to say in front of a woman.

I gasped at his words. "Y-you're what?!" Gosh! Why would he take me to his room? Was he going to do something sinful with me? Didn't he have any decency right now? He couldn't just drag me elsewhere and do some naughty things! "You can't possibly tell me this so casually. I'm a woman and you're a man. We're not even married yet to even do—"

"Do what?" I gasped as soon as he interrupted my speech. He even stopped in his tracks and turned to me. He leaned forward until our faces were too close to each other.

I gulped. His gaze was drowning me. My breathing hitched. "Umm..."

He gave me a quick smirk then go back to his cold expression. "I'm a werewolf and let me remind you that you're only a slave in my eyes and nothing else. You may be my human mate but your role in my life is nothing but to be a mere slave. Got it? Your job is to follow me around like a dog and cure me. Nothing else. Now, follow me!" he reminded me and then walked away.

I became more and more flustered and dumbfounded at his words once again. I had no choice but to follow him.

While walking, I felt the cold breeze start to shiver my bones. I shuddered. The next thing I knew, a thick coat of fur was placed on top of my shoulders. I looked at the hands that put it there and followed them until I saw their owner. It was the Alpha King looking straight to his path.

I realized that I was looking at him for too long and that I hadn't noticed our arrival.

We entered a grand hall. Lights were there to guide our path. There were guards around that secured the whole place.

We stopped in front of a large door and a few chambermaids came in.

"Here are the clothes for the future Luna, my king..." one of them spoke while bowing her head.

"Take it. Make sure you change your clothing before entering my chamber..." he said then entered the room without me.

The chambermaids assisted me to the bathing room. They helped me wear the clothes they brought to me. It was a full dress that was thicker than what I wore from the choosing ceremony. It was colored in reddish clay. My hair was combed well by the maids. While looking at my reflection in a mirror, I couldn't help myself but smile in awe.

So this is my face in front of the mirror now. It felt as though I aged so fast. I had almost stopped remembering my face. I brought my hand to my cheek and a tear fell from my eyes.

I sighed. "Welcome to the world of werewolves, Amarantha..."

After changing into this dress, the chambermaids walked me back in front of the Alpha King's door and left me without a word.

I had no choice but to enter the room quietly. The door creaked as I pushed it in. The room was in dim light making me see very limited details of the surrounding. When I got to the farthest corner of the room, I found two beds. One with a large frame and the other was a small one.

I saw the Alpha King standing by his bedside table and looked at the small bed. "From now on, you'll only sleep in this chamber. You are to sleep on that small bed while I will be sleeping on this one. You might be my future luna but I hate sharing my bed with someone," he instructed me.

I just nodded with a frown. "Works for me. Just promise me one thing: don't you ever dare touch me," I reminded him. Soon after, I realized what tone I used in talking to him. I internally pinched myself for fooling around.

Why did I even say that? Was I looking for a death wish?

The Alpha King gave a smug look on his face. "Don't worry. I'm not a rapist. I haven't done anything to force women to bed with me. They, instead, kneel at my feet and plead with me to ravish them..." he arrogantly pointed out.

I frowned at him. "I see. You're used to seeing women bow to you. You seem so proud of yourself, huh? Don't worry. The feeling is mutual. I don't like sharing a bed with someone and I don't want to beg for sinful desires. I prefer love," I spat at him. That was the last strand of my sanity on this day. That was when it hit me.

There was something that changed inside me. It felt like it was a bond.

The Mate bond. This must be the reason why I was acting so brazen in front of him.

Then, the Alpha King moved. His face was dark and domineering. "Don't be too confident in talking to me, human. You already have the great honor to talk to someone like me. So, instead of opening your filthy mouth, why don't you just act accordingly? Humans like you don't deserve my mercy. You should be grateful enough that I spared your life. You being my mate doesn't give you the right to disrespect me!" He quickly grabbed me by my arm and squeezed it so tight.

"S-stop! You're hurting me!"

"You want me to stop? Beg me!"

"Please! Please, Alpha King, I beg you! Please don't do this! Don't hurt me..." I started to beg.

Afterward, he pushed me and I began to crash onto my bed.

He stood up, towering over me with his vicious eyes. "All humans are of no value to me. You are all the source of corruption and evilness. You are no different from them!"

I wanted to protest right at that moment. I wanted to tell him that not all humans are like that. But there was something in me that stopped me again.

This bond connected me to him. There was something that I felt at that moment. Something about the Alpha King. His current emotion.

I suddenly found myself walking toward him. I saw him looking at me like he was ready to become submissive only to me. My hand caressed his cheek and looked straight into his eyes. "You were hurt badly. And your family, too. It broke your heart. It sent hate into your heart," I said with determination.

How did I even feel that emotion? What sorcery is this?!

Our eyes locked in for a long while. No one was looking away or moving. That was when the Alpha King finally broke our contact with each other.

I gasped in surprise. What happened just now?

The Alpha King flinched from me and hurried away without saying a word.

What did I do wrong?