The Unexpected Mate

TALIA'S POV

Walking through the gates of this palace again makes my blood start rushing through my veins. The moment that I was drugged out by soldiers and a mob was allowed to lynch me keeps replaying in my head.

I was so helpless and extremely weak then. I couldn't even fight a single soldier. I should feel safe now, but my heart thrombs the moment too many eyes turn to look at me.

Even the outside of the palace is full of people. I see faces that I used to know, my mother's and Taylor's friends, all their eyes turn to stare at me. My whole body quivers. Can they so easily recognise me?

Then I see men smiling amorously and I sigh in relief. They don't recognise me. They are just staring for some weird reason.

"She is gorgeous!" I hear one of the girls whisper to her friends.

"Yeah, she must be noble. You know her?" Another asks in a voice just as low.

It's strange that I can hear them. "I don't know her. But she does look kind of familiar." The first girl answers and my heart throbs hard again. I still keep going. It will be hard for them to figure out that I am the girl that got executed when I am acting so confident.

I am not scared of being hurt anymore. I can protect myself now. But it will be hard for me to find my family if they know I am back to life. I forge a smile as I walk past them. Some smile back but seem too shy to say a word.

"Good afternoon my lady. May I escort you inside? You don't look like you have been here before." One of the young men in a servant's uniform rushes to my side, bows and extends his hand for a handshake.

I shake his hand even though I clearly remember his irate voice and those of his fellow servants yelling insults at me while the soldiers drag me out of the palace to be executed. Hearing him speak so sweetly now makes me want to spit on his face.

That will however cause unnecessary drama when the best thing is to focus on finding my family.

"I am not noble if that's what you think." I correct. Seems like I am going to be repeating that a lot. "I have not been here before," I lie, "but I can find the way in on my own, thank you for offering to escort me though." He smiles but I can see that he is disappointed.

I don't really care, his insults hurt too much compared to his little disappointment. Besides, I don't want anyone following me around since I am not here to watch Prince Evan get crowned and cheer him like he is some kind of a small god.

"You look too beautiful for an ordinary girl. You don't mind sharing a name, do you?" The servant asked, now smiling seductively. I want to tell him to f off. But the people who acted shy earlier now join us, all looking eager to meet me.

"I'm Hilda." I lie as I shake their hands.

"I think you look very familiar. Yet no one I have ever known looks so beautiful as you do." One of my mother's former friends comments with a friendly smile. Her counterparts nod in agreement.

"I do look like my cousin Talia who was executed three years ago. That's probably the reason I look familiar to you." I lie again. The shock takes over their faces but no one reacts the wrong way. I said I am Talia's cousin, which is not a crime.

"I am sorry if you are related to that family. You look so beautiful and I am sure you are a good person as well. But your aunt and cousins did a very awful sin and got punished for it." The woman who used to be a very close friend of my mother says.

"You shouldn't keep mentioning that you are related to them. It's shameful!" One of her friends adds.

I feel like punching their mouths, but I nod my head and forge a smile instead.

"I was told that my aunt and my other two cousins were sold as slaves, does anyone of you know who bought them?" I ask now that they are convinced that my name is Hilda and I am Talia's cousin.

They all shake their heads. "No one would know that. I only heard that they were to be slaves for life so that they would never return here. Don't waste your time worrying about those animals, they are probably dead already." One of the men speaks.

My anger starts to surge and I know I won't be able to act cool anymore.

"I will go to the party and find something to cheer me up. See you guys around." I say and storm off in the direction of the Palace's front entrance.

I see a couple dressed like royals ahead and decide to follow them inside. I don't know the chambers of this big palace well since the only time I took this path was the time I and my siblings were being dragged by soldiers to meet the king and the council. I didn't care about the beauty or the size of the place then.

The royal couple walks through a crowded corridor before entering an even more cramped hall. People make way for them and since I am following closely behind they do the same for me.

I walk into the hall and several eyes turn to stare at me. I already know that my new body dressed in this sleeveless dress is what is attracting their attention so I ignore them and look up at the stage far ahead.

The first thing I notice is that tall prince that would easily pass for a demigod. He goes down to one knee so his father can place the crown on his head while the crowd applauds Wildly.

Then the incredibly alluring scent hits my nostrils. An odour is so endearing that it makes my mind feel dazed.

Hell no! I can't be finding my mate right now. So much would be ruined.

My heart skips a beat when Prince Evan suddenly turns his head to look in my direction. I stand frozen for almost a full minute while our eyes stay fixed on each other.

I have never felt so spellbound by a living being. Not even on the day before they arrested my whole family.

That thought makes me snap out of the daze suddenly and immediately avert my gaze from the prince. I look around and notice that a lot of eyes are still on me. Guess I am not blending in as I wanted.

I am still breathing in my mate are alluring scent and it is making me weak in the knees. I just hope that I didn't walk in here to discover that prince Evan is my mate.

Any man in here could be the source of the scent. It doesn't have to be the prince. I look back up at the stage and he is still watching me. The queen who was standing several steps away rushes to him with a concerned expression.

But he doesn't pay attention to her. Instead, he steps away from the stage and starts heading in my direction. The crowd parts to make way for him, most looking confused as to why their new king suddenly left the stage.

Can he have recognised me? Such a busy man I like would not remember the face of a not-so-attractive girl that was executed years ago.

The sweet scent becomes more intense as he gets closer. He is my mate? Life really has a way of punching someone in the face. I came back to life to find out that my most powerful enemy is my mate.

I don't care about the fact that he will reject me. The problem is he will want me dead again if he has already recognised me.

I turn and splint back out of the hall, pushing aside everyone on the way. The good thing is that I am a lot stronger and faster than I used to be.

"Wait!" I hear his authoritative voice shout but I keep going. I get through the gate before the two guards that were guarding it can stop me. Not that they would be able to. I am powerful enough to handle ten of them. But hell not the prince.