[KAWAI]
Lunch hour did come by so fast, and just like Lord Sadako had mentioned earlier, there was a banquet for the Lycans. It hadn't been a while since the Lycans had their last banquet, given the King had always insisted on it every third day of the week.
However, this was the first time that the king would be joining them willingly in almost thirty years.
"Hinata?" came a voice outside of Tamiko's room.
"Coming," Tamiko responded absentmindedly as he fumbled with the shirt he had found in one of the drawers.
Lord Sadako had told him that he could pick any clothes from the closet in the room and there would be no questions about it. However, what the Lycan Lord had failed to mention was the fact that it would be a little hard putting the damn clothes on.
"Hey… You look… Underdressed," Tamiko said as he looked at the Lycan King who was staring at him grimly. If this had been yesterday, then Tamiko would have started thinking of what to make of his life and if the King would let him live.
However, here and now, he knew the King was always going to have that grim face even when he wasn't angry. Perhaps there would come a time when King Zaffuto would smile on his own, right?
"Says the one fumbling with clothes. Need some help?" King Zaffuto offered, as he casually walked past Tamiko and into the room he'd never gotten into.
This was supposed to be his son's room, and everything in there was gradually upgraded to match the age his heir would have grown into, by the time they found him.
Currently, all the clothes that were in the closet were the perfect fit for a twenty-five-year-old and the fact that a strange Lycan was wearing what was to be his son's clothes, should have made Zaffuto angry, but it didn't. If anything, he was too relaxed.
"You are the King. It's not like I can come for help, and Sadako uncle is out. I'll find a way," Tamiko said and the King ignored him as he went into the closet to look for better clothes, those that he felt were more like Tamiko's taste.
"Shouldn't you be out there scaring people or doing anything other than helping me find clothes?" Tamiko asked as he plopped in his bed. He had given up trying with the shirt.
"It's my lunch banquet and I don't want you looking like one of the lost Lycans out there," the King shrugged as he kept looking into the closet.
"You're weird," Tamiko said and King just chuckled before turning to the young Lycan on the bed.
"Oh, really now?" King Zaffuto said as he stopped looking for clothes and walked over to where Tamiko was sitting.
His facials changed and he looked like he was offended by Tamiko's remark. Hell, even Tamiko could sense the dangerous aura coming from the King. He was trying his best not to look scared.
Part of him was seriously on his knees praying that Lord Sadako walked through the door and got him out of whatever situation this was.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound disrespectful… I just thought it was… That we were—"
"Thought what?" King Zaffuto asked, his voice getting grimmer by the second, and he closed the distance between him and the young Lycan.
He looked scary.
Tamiko was worried about his safety, for the first time around the King he had just met the previous day.
"I hate liars, Tamiko. You… Lied to me," King Zaffuto said and Tamiko looked at him, as he tried to think back to anything he may have lied to the King about.
Frankly, his mind was blank even as he looked at the man who seemed to want to tear through him. He couldn't think straight and with the dark King's aura growing even darker, he wasn't sure if he would be alive long enough to make it to the luncheon.
Perhaps he shouldn't have been more comfortable. But what else could he do, when he was just trying to fit in and forget his problems?
He had been so desperate to forget that Grealor had let him go as a sacrifice to the Lycans while they tried to figure out whatever happened to the Lycan, which Tamiko had seen was nothing.
Then again, the Grealor wolves didn't know of that and were probably growing lax by the day, given that they hadn't tried to negotiate for Tamiko. Maybe this was a good time for Tamiko to leave.
"I didn't lie… I swear. You're the King, of course, you'd know if I did. I'm really sorry, but maybe I should go to the dungeons, as I'm a prisoner of war and all?" Tamiko said though it came off as a question, given he was pretty shaken by the dark swirls in the King's eyes.
"Oh, but you lied, Tamiko," King Zaffuto insisted and Tamiko was genuinely confused.
"About what?" Tamiko dared to ask; even though he was so close to shitting his pants right now.
"Your parents," the King said as all the blood drained from Tamiko's face.
Of the things he had expected, his figuring this out was not on the young Lycan's bucket list.
Did the King know he was an orphan? Did he know that he had been away from Kawai his entire life? Did the King know Tamiko had so many questions about his past; questions that no one had ever really come forward to help him with?
Was that why he was doing this?
"What?" Tamiko asked not ready to get into the specifics of his abandonment.
There were so many questions he had about his birth, but he hadn't had a sit-down with Alpha Ashton enough to know who he was or where he had come from, save for the obvious truth that he was a Lycan. A young one at that.
"You didn't have to lie to me about your parents. I looked for them and no one knows them in Kawai…" The King trailed off before his face relaxed and he sat next to Tamiko, a strange determination on his face, which got Tamiko even more curious.
"Well, I didn't get to know them too. I was born and raised in Grealor, so it's quite hard to know if there is any truth to my parentage," Tamiko admitted, as he looked everywhere but at the King.
"Oh, Hinata. That explains why Sadako wanted you around. He likes you, and my brother hates kids," King Zaffuto said softly, and Tamiko wasn't sure what to say to that.
Was this some bonding session for the two of them?
Was there meaning to all of this? Or was this just the King passing time?
"I may have trespassed into Kawai a month ago because of a bad day I was having… Anyway, this is not the time for us to get emotional and shit.
"We have a luncheon to get to, and I don't even have something to wear yet," Tamiko said when he realized that the King wasn't going to harm him.
He was however still careful with all he did because this man could easily turn him into a puddle of blood if he wanted to.
"I can help you find them."
"You—" Tamiko began, as he choked on air.
"If that is okay with you," King Zaffuto added quickly like he was worried the kid would pull away.
"But—"
"Even if I don't find them, at least I can help you answer questions about who or even the kind of people they are or were… If you would want my help of course. I have so much power and too many connections.
"Perhaps I could put them to good use for you, Hinata," the King said and Tamiko relaxed, especially when the King called him, Hinata.
"Why?"
"My brother cares for you. Besides, if you're Chief Konstantin's mate, you will need to have parents for the mating ceremony. It's better if we find them as early, right?
"And if we don't find them, my brother and I can always stand in as your parents, since you're the first person I've seen make my brother genuinely happy in years. What do you think, hmm?" King Zaffuto said, shocking the young Lycan once again.
What the fuck was this King on, this morning?
"I appreciate the offer, but I'm fine. I don't want to be hopeful for something that might not work," Tamiko said and the King looked genuinely worried for him.
For people who had just met barely thirty-six hours ago, they sure knew how to understand each other, and Tamiko had even managed to get an emotion out of the King.
"No pressure Hinata. I just wanted to offer a helping hand. You can think about it. Just know I'll always be ready to help you find the answers you seek," King Zaffuto said.
"I will take that under consideration… After the lunch."
"It's a good thing I got the perfect set of clothes for you then," King Zaffuto said as he grabbed one of the crown prince's robes and gave the entire set to Tamiko, surprising the kid even more.
"Hold on. I thought it was lunch and not a coronation. Besides, I'm not even a prince, so this just—" Tamiko began but the King wasn't having any of it.
"Every son is their mother's little prince, and a ray of sunshine, Hinata. Dress up, we're getting late," King Zaffuto insisted and Tamiko knew he wouldn't win this time.
When Tamiko was done dressing, King Zaffuto couldn't believe what he saw, so he mind-linked Sadako.
'If he was mine, you'd tell me, brother, right?'
"Let's go!" Tamiko beamed, interrupting Zaffuto's line of thoughts.
***
[A/N]
* King Zaffuto wants Tamiko around because of Sadako's happiness, while Sadako wants Tamiko around because of Zaffuto's happiness. Ah, my heart!