“What are you doing here?!” I hear Theo hisses. I wake up at his voice. I am crouching in the corner as I rub my eyes and open them. I feel like I have only slept for an hour. The embers on the fireplace have dwindled and I only see shadows. Theo is still in front of the fireplace, but he is with another person. “My ability allows me to enter any barrier created by magic,” a woman’s voice answers. “Princess Kissa! You will be my concubine but you should not do this while we are still within Orttenburg castle!” “My King, it doesn’t matter. Seth and my other siblings know of my passions. And I have desired you ever since I caught a glance of you the last time you visited.” “But–” “I can’t wait any longer, King Theo. I want a taste of you.” I blink and see her sitting over Theo. She is pushing at his chest, while she is completely naked, her chest pronounced and her nipples taut. “Don’t you understand how lucky I feel when they agreed to my proposition to become your concubine? I
I stand in the corner with other personal guards of the royalties of different Kingdoms. Darius is standing on my left, straight and unmoving. I try to mimic him, but I don’t have his discipline. So, I content myself with listening to the conversation. Sometimes, I hop on different feet. When I did it again, I almost fall if not for Darius who catches my arms to steady me. Ashamed, I look up at him and mouth a thanks. He leans forward and whispers, “Rather than being a guard, you should have your own guard instead.” I wince and withdraw from his grasp. I shift my attention back to the royalties and see Theo frowning at me. Being caught, he turns his attention towards the conversation again. “I can see that King Theo is enamored with you. I doubt King Seth will be able to steal you.” I ignore him so we return to a spell of silence again. I think Darius and King Seth are treating me differently because I was the Alpha Queen. It still feels surreal though. I think I am not meant for
“Come here,” I hear Theo says. I jump from his voice. “What is it?” I ask, shifting my attention to him. I’ve been doing nothing for the past hour. Without books, I am so bored that I almost fall asleep. So, I shift my attention to him. He has now transferred from his work table to the carpet in front of the fireplace. There is no fire on it though. I stand up and approach him. “Is there anything you need?” “Sit here,” he orders, patting the seat next to him. I swallow nervously. Every time he is ordering me to come close to him, I know what will follow. “I order you to sit,” he repeats when I didn’t move. Without another choice, I sit next to him. I sigh. There are still another five days of stay here. There are still a lot of meetings and knowledge sharing about governance. And I want to go home. At least in Pitchford, Theo will be busy with his concubines which means I can get away from him from time to time. I am also not required to be in the same room as him. Suddenly, T
I look at Theo’s sleeping face on my lap. His arms are still around my waist and his face is turned towards me. He also forces me to place my arms around his body. He looks like an ordinary, defenseless man, and somehow, I am hoping that he is. So, I allow myself to touch his black-violet hair. It feels like a long time since I last touched him. He moans in his sleep as if he finds delight in my action. Getting lost in it, I interlace my fingers in his hair. It is soft and beautiful and in the dim light of the room, the violet in his hair is reflecting against the light. When someone knocks at the door, I jump, causing me to pull at his hair. His brows scrunch, probably from the sting, but before he opens his eyes, I untangle my fingers from his hair. His eyes find mine. He lifts his body and is about to kiss me when the knock comes from the door again. He freezes, with his hands already on my cheeks. Our faces are only a few inches apart. I can’t move and my heart is pounding in m
After making me physically attractive, with all those painful brushing, ornaments, and beautification, I am ushered into a garden. Something that I didn’t expect because it was already seven in the evening. I am about to comment about the bad planning when I am ushered into a small hut instead. Entering the threshold, the door opens up to a round table with two chairs surrounded by vines and flowers. On the ceiling hangs a small chandelier that is connected to a wooden roof. I look around. The walls, ceilings, and floor are all covered in grass, vines, and flowers. It seems like we are in a garden instead of a wooden house. Seth is sitting in the center, and as I approach him, he stands up to meet me. I raise my brow at him. It’s only me who is forced to wear something seductive. He, on the other hand, is wearing his normal open chest robes giving me a glimpse of his muscular chest and torso. There is also an embroidered green sash that’s tied around his waist and placed over one sho
After our dinner, Seth and I walk around the gardens, but our conversation had become more… educational. I bet he will have a great time having tea with Harbin while talking about books and sharing knowledge. I also request to return to the room where I was adorned by the servants. However, it was already closed and Seth assured me that he will send my clothes before we leave for Pitchford. He also insisted to come with me to my room, but thinking about Theo’s flip-flopping mood, I told him no. The provocative clothes, on the other hand, had become comfortable. So, my mood is visibly lighter as I make my way toward the room I share with Theo. Smiling, I grab the doorknob and am about to twist it open when I freeze. Slowly, I gently place my ear against the door and listen in. “Oh damn, my King! Faster! Harder! Fill me up!” It’s Princess Kissa’s voice. I am sure of it. I have been subjected to that same voice and torture. So, I pull away from the door and retreat. My breathing gets
Before returning to our room, I make it a point to take a bath. Thus, it’s already past mid-morning when I ask the servant if Theo is alone in the room. “I think the King is waiting for you, Miss Kaiya,” one servant adds. “He’s been looking for you the instant he woke up,” another adds. “He’s not in a good mood,” the other shares again. The corner of my lips turns upward. This won’t be good. I move towards the closed door and knock, “King Theo, I am back.” I hear the shuffling of feet inside. I look at the other servants. They bow at me and start to scurry away from me. I am still watching them leave when the door opens, and someone pulls me inside. Then it’s followed by the deafening crash of the door against its frame. “Where have you been?!” Theo screams at my face. “You are supposed to be back last night!” I look away. “I had too many drinks and fall asleep somewhere,” I say. He smashes the door beside my head. “I’ve warned you not to drink! Who are you with?!” “It’s not i
I crouch outside the room as I listen to the incessant lovemaking of Theo and Princess Kissa. I can hear Kissa’s screams of pleasure. And I feel as if I can hear Theo’s grunts too. They’ve been at it after bath and dinner and it’s close to midnight now. My only consolation is that Princess Kissa made me leave the room. My hands over my ears tighten, and I bury my face in my knees. I feel dizzy. I can’t take this anymore. It’s been a few days. I want to return somewhere far from both Theo and Kissa. I sense someone approaching but I ignore it. I continue to tremble in this pain as tears continuously flow. Besides, Theo completely occupies my mind. How can he make love with another woman? Is she too pretty in his eyes that he just can’t help it? Or maybe, I’m the only one who can’t think of making love to anyone because of this blasted mate bond, and he knows it! I feel someone wrap his arms around me and I jump from the sudden invasion of my personal space. I look up to see Klevon’s