Chapter four

LILLIE

I died. Not once, not twice. Over and over again. Whenever I blinked and found myself still looking into those soulless eyes, my spirit fled my body only to return with a force that had me visibly shaken.

Did he know? If he knew, was he going to reject me there and then? If he didn’t know, would it be wise of me to bring it to his notice and reject him there and then? Would he punish me for it?

“Stop overthinking. There are eyes on you.” I heard Enid’s soft whisper. I swallowed hard, allowing my dread settle in the pit of my stomach. Who cared it there were eyes on me?

“You do, Lillie. You know you do, especially the blue ones you can’t seem to look away from.”

“Mate! What? No way! It can't be,” I almost blurted out but I had to hold myself from reacting that way.

This has to be some joke. What does she mean that the man that I have grown to hate is my mate?

My eyes rolled from one end of the room to another and I could not believe what my wolf just said to me.

I was shaking within me. Fear gripped me and goosebumps appeared all over my skin. My teeth were grinding together and I gripped a part of my cloth.

I was losing composure already. There has to be a mistake somewhere.

My heart beat couldn't return to normal as I continued to remain in a state of confusion.

My eyes were fixed in an endless space but I saw him climb the podium with a mic placed in front of him.

There was a standing ovation as the Alpha King of Darkmoon pack cleared his throat to speak.

“Count it as an honor to be here. I promise you won't regret this for…,” he began his speech but that was when I fizzled out.

My inner demons were too much for me to fight. I could hardly hear a thing any more as I struggled with my inner thoughts.

Suddenly, I heard people clapping so hard that it shook the walls of the halls.

“This must be a prank,” I muttered to myself and bit my lower lip gently. I had still not gotten myself since I discovered that the devil of a man was my mate.

The hall began to become a little rowdy as some gentle men from the crowd began asking for beautiful maidens' hands for a dance.

I stood where I was. Observing the moment. I was totally lost in the happenings of everything around me.

A slow music filled the air and ladies swirled their waists to the rhythm of the song.

The men didn't hesitate in holding their waists with so much passion and lust I could almost puke.

***

“Lillie Rome! Are you okay?” My fellow contestant tugged me and asked in a whisper. She really didn’t care, none of them did. I’m guessing they needed to make sure I didn’t have any tricks up my sleeve.

I jerked the very moment I heard my name and I nodded.

“I am. I'm fine,” I lied and she didn't utter any more words to me. Instead, she quickly changed her position and smiled as though she saw something gracious approaching.

“He's coming towards us,” Enid whispered to me.

I looked up and saw the Alpha King taking turns to dance with each of us.

“Holy fuck.” I said to myself in a rather low tone.

I began to fidget even more. This was not what I planned. I watched as he moved and danced graciously to the beat with the beautiful lady who was also contesting.

I couldn't help but notice all the ladies' eyes on me. They stared at him as though their eyes would fall out any second.

What I wanted was to boss everything up, win the 10 million cash prize and get the hell out of hell.

I turned my face away from him the moment my wolf began to become restless inside of me.

She kept on kicking violently and my skin became really hot because of the pressure inside of me.

“Enid, please. Not now. Please,” I pleaded with my wolf who didn't want to listen to me.

She kept on pushing and fighting within me and I wondered what the problem was.

I found my eyes piercing through the crowd without my will.

My eyes couldn't stay in one place. I was searching for something.

The princes. I needed to check to see if I could find the other princes in this large crowd.

To and fro, my eyes kept moving as though the princes were owing me something and confusion rushed all over me.

What was this weird urge that I was feeling? Why do I suddenly want to see the princes?

And the worst of all was that my wolf was not helping.

While my eyes were lost in the ground, a strong and sweet cologne hit my nostrils. It was so strong that it affected my thinking and I had to look at the direction where it was coming from.

The entire hall suddenly became quiet. The slow music stopped immediately as my eyes rested on the Alpha King who was in front of me.

The tension. It was burning inside of me the moment I saw him. My ribcage was about to burst open as my heart kept on thrudding against with so much force.

Everyone stopped dancing and fixed their gaze on us. It was as if they could also feel the tension between myself and the Alpha King.

God, he looks deliciously handsome. Solid, ripped, and muscular.

His rich silky dark hair hung over his shoulder but I could still see those sea blue eyes. Just like that of his father.

He was the one who could keep me up all night thinking about how he would drive into me from behind.

Holy Hell! He was damn sexy with his beard neatly trimmed to perfection. His royal robe was tailored to fit his muscular structure. If I didn’t hate him so much, maybe I would have…

‘Hate?’ Enid purred. And I rolled my eyes. How thirsty could she be? We had gone twenty years without a mate? What was another fifty?

I tried to caution myself but instead, I suddenly couldn't breathe properly. I knew that it was not my hatred for him that made me struggle for air.

I felt a strong feeling inside of me that weakened me. As if I had lost my power.

I wasn't this weak emotionally. I could swear with the moon goddesses name that I had a level of emotional strength.

What then, was happening to me?

“And your name is?” I heard Alpha King David ask.

“Lillie Rome,” I responded and I noticed the way his eyes went to the mark on my neck.

He paused for a while and shook his head.

“You are a banished one.”

I froze. He knew. I couldn't deny it. Everyone was watching.

“Yes, I am. My lord,” I answered and I could hear everyone gasp. The hall fell dead silent again and I knew I was in for the worse.

“Interesting. A banished one,” he said with a chuckle. In a flash, a deadly smirk appeared on his face.

“You are right, my lord. I am Lillie Rome. The daughter of Lord Rome. My father was executed for treason.”