"I simply wanted to test your alertness at this current moment," the King smoothly lied. "You are my warrior-servant, are you not? You see, your duty is to protect me with your life. As such, I am checking if you're even worthy of such a position, given your propensity at being disrespectful to your King and savior more often than not."
Xenia, upon hearing his words, was left speechless. She was utterly dumbfounded by the King's constant mood swings. 'Is he being serious right now? What a weird king!' she annoyingly grunted in her mind.
It was then that he suddenly slashed at the fabric on her shoulders, the damage exposing her arms and collarbone.
"See? You're not alert enough! Always keep your guard up. Sorry about that. I have a spare tunic. How about changing into them now?" Darius quickly offered. "Here, I will help you…"
"No!" Xenia quickly responded, her face falling further by the second.
Ignoring her protest, Darius moved closer to her with his eyes squinted on her. The incognito princess gulped at how intense and fierce his eyes were staring at her as if he was searching for her very soul within the depths of her eyes.
Stepping back as he kept moving closer, she was startled when she felt her back hit the trunk of a tree. She was about to move away, but the King had already cornered her with his arms caging her in from both sides.
"Y-Your Majesty," she whispered out, her eyes staring back into his as her lips hung open.
King Darius groaned as his eyes gravitated towards her lips. Meanwhile, Xenia blinked at what she saw within his eyes. It was the same as before...
His eyes seemed to be filled with desire, and she didn't know what was happening anymore as she felt herself becoming affected by how close their bodies were at the moment. It was weirdly intoxicating, feeling his familiar warmth.
Wait… Was he… Was this King attracted to men? She was still clearly in his male disguise… Or was he somehow able to see through her ruse? She couldn't help but wonder if the werewolf inside him could sniff out her gender somehow. What if…
Xenia's eyes widened at the thought of her disguise being blown.
"You.." King Darius whispered out in his hoarse tone.
"Y-Your Majesty? What are you doing?" Xenia gulped. "Please let me-"
***
"Stop moving, Xen or I swear you won't like what I'll do to you next!" Darius threatened with a grunt, as his breath blew on Xen's ear.
His inner self tried hard to calm himself despite the intoxicating scent surrounding him. Those parted lips of hers were already driving him such insane thoughts, that it took a lot out of him simply not to ravish them.
He found himself wondering if what he was feeling was normal, and how long he would be able to suppress this intensity of a Mate Pull! It was already tormenting enough to even be able to breathe the same air as Xen for such a short time. He could just imagine himself inhaling her scent to his heart's content, treating it as if it was some kind of relaxing aroma that could somehow tone down the undeniable carnal desires building up in his body.
"Tell me, Xen… Are you really a man? Because you smell different," Darius weakly whispered, his mouth moving closer to Xen's as he questioned.
"Are you aware that my wolf recognizes your scent? How about you tell me the truth right now?"
***
Xenia swallowed hard at the challenge. Chills ran all over her body as the King's warm breath breezed through her ear, the sensation making her shiver with some kind of unexplainable feeling. But one thing was for sure, it was not because of fear.
Biting her lower lip, she contemplated whether or not to tell him the truth. Xenia moved to open her mouth, but she stopped herself when a sudden loud howl echoed in the distance.
"What was that!?" Xenia gasped.
At the perceived threat, Darius quickly moved and stripped in front of Xenia.
He barked out, "Gather everything quickly. I'll shift into my wolf form. Hop onto me and hold on tightly. Danger is coming, and the wolves are already giving me a warning!"
Heeding the King's call, Xenia quickly moved to gather their belongings, completely ignoring how Darius was currently naked before her as he quickly shifted into his wolf form.
Immediately, she hopped onto his back and did as he asked. As soon as she was finally secured and settled onto his back, Darius began running as fast as he possibly could.
***
Darius growled as he ran. The wolves were informing him that a particular army from the Kingdom of Helion was on their way and that they were almost nearing their general direction. In response, he immediately sent a message through some of the wolves to pass onto his Midnight Knights so that they could check the situation on why an army from the Kingdom of Helion would be marching through the forest.
'Could they be…'
Darius inwardly cursed. An army of this size marching from the Kingdom of Helion could only mean one thing…
Their next target of conquest could be the Kingdom of Ebodia.
Darius clenched his jaw. Only now did he somehow understand some of the decisions the King of Ebodia had made; even resorting to an alliance even if it was through marriage.
He had to move fast and at least warn Ebodia of the coming danger they had to face.
If his hunch was right, it was the King of Helion's way of giving his regards for both of the kingdoms' pending wedding and alliance. It would have been such a bold and challenging move if it wasn't so despicable.