"Your majesty, your humble subject shows appreciation for your kind act. I would have been hurt or worse if you didn't rescue me. Thank you, our great source," she says in between heavy breaths.
Aurelius wasn't listening to what she was saying as his focus was on something else.
"Why are you panting like a dying wolf?"
"I ran," she muttered.
Werewolves, especially those that are Fristia-bred, have great speed and can run hundreds of miles without feeling faint. She didn't run up to 1 mile, and she was panting this hard. She will be a useless Alpha Luna, Aurelius thought.
Aurelius began to eat, and Charlotte stood at a distance fiddling with her skirt anxiously. She looked up at the meal and sighted the steak, and her anxiety flew out the window. She stared dreamily at the steaks, reminiscing about how good her father's steak was. Aurelius looked up to find a carried-away Charlotte.
He traced her dreamy gaze to the steak, and his iris blazed.
He took a piece of steak, looking at Charlotte from the corner of his eyes before putting it in his mouth, chewing the succulent steak slowly and sensually. He felt smug as his adept hearing picked up the sound of her swallowing her saliva.
"Come," his deep voice echoed in the marble-walled dining room, traveling through Charlotte's spine as her heart quickened for the umpteenth time.
She walked slowly towards him as he stared at her intently like a predator watching a helpless prey walk towards it.
"You want some?"
"I dare not," she said hastily.
He chuckled lightly, and Charlotte sighed inwardly. He was wrecking her insides with the simplest of his actions.
"No one is here. There's no sin in having what you desire," Aurelius drawled, his words having a deeper meaning.
Charlotte hesitated. It'll be very nice to have some steak. She hasn't had a decent meal ever since she reached Fristia. Her stomach suddenly rumbled, and she bit her soft lips in embarrassment.
"Don't do that around me; you may or may not like the consequences. I'm positive that you'll like it, though," he said, a subtle threat coloring his voice.
"Yes, Your Majesty," she replied, freeing her lips.
"Good girl," Aurelius cooed, and Charlotte frowned.
"I am not a girl."
"What are you then?" Aurelius asked, amused.
"I'm a woman," she replied.
"You're not the judge of that. Your mate is," Aurelius reiterated.
Her shoulder dropped at his words, and her eyes turned sad. Guess she thought she hadn't found her mate yet.
"The steak will get cold. Have some," he said with an inviting smile that made Charlotte's knees weaken.
"Yes, your majesty, your subject appreciates you deeply."
He cut the steak into smaller pieces as Charlotte looked around the dining room. There were no other chairs in the room, and eating while standing around the king is considered a lack of manners.
"If your majesty permits, I'd like to take the steak back to the maid's quarters as there are no other chairs here. I can't stand and eat above you, your majesty."
"Then sit here."
"Where?" she asked innocently.
"Take my hands." He said. Blush crept up her cheeks as she stretched out her hands. Kiel was starting to cause chaos inside of Aurelius. "We've waited for too long" he boomed inside of Aurelius.
Just as their hands met, Aurelius pulled her, and she landed on his lap with a soft thud, her palms resting on his chest.
Their faces were so close to each other, and Charlotte couldn't help but gawk at him in awe. She was so distracted by his face that she momentarily forgot their position.
She jolted awake from her short trance and tried to stand up, but Aurelius held her back.
"Be a good girl and sit."
She pouted at his statement, and Aurelius lost it.
He buried his head in the crook of her neck, the bridge of his nose caressing her sweet spot.
"Your majesty, this is abominable," Charlotte breathed trying to push his head away from her neck, and he could sense her fear.
"What am I even doing?" Aurelius whispered.
Just one month ago, he was a strong-willed and principled alpha king who was content with being celibate for the rest of his life. What changed?
Aurelius took a deep breath as if it would be his last, inhaling her lavender scent before raising his head.
He held her by the waist, helping her face the table. "You can eat whatever you want," he said solemnly.
Now that she was no longer facing the king, her hesitation evaporated from her body, and she mumbled on the steak. She cleared the little bowl and reached for some grapes.
"Hmmn," she moaned in relish, and Aurelius' eyes started to darken, ink black enshrouding and engulfing the red hue of his eyes.
Charlotte finally remembered that she was meant to watch her appetite as she was before the king and dropped the cutlery abruptly.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the meal. May you live long."
"Hmmn," he grunted in response.
"May I take my leave now?"
"Yes, you can."
He watched her scurry away and smirked. This madness ends today. He'll tell the chief stewardess to assign her to other duties far from his quarters, where he'll never see her again.
When his eyes were back to red, he left the dining room.
Her scent had now become his favorite smell; it was addictive.
"How was your day?" Ella asked excitedly as Charlotte came into the room.
"It was delightful," Charlotte replied with a smile.
"You smell different, did you wear someone else's clothes?"
"No, I…" Charlotte tried to explain, but how could she bring herself to tell anyone that she dined with the king sitting on his lap.
"It's nothing," she finally said.
"Okay then, if you're not too tired, I can start teaching you tonight."
"You started your training today. Aren't you tired?" Charlotte nagged.
"I'm not tired; I'm used to hard work."
"Wow, what a gem. You're always happy, and nothing gets to you. I'm envious," Charlotte teased, making Ella chuckle.
They trained a bit in their room before going to rest.
---
Aurelius had breakfast with Charlotte present in the room. He acted oblivious to her presence and ignored her. He didn't reply to her when she greeted him.
Gamma Theron's grandson, Thorne, was appointed Gamma at the council meeting, and howls of rejoicing filled the hall.
"Welcome to the family, little brother," Kaden teased while ruffling Thorne's blonde hair after all the elites and ministers had left.
"Leave me alone, Kaden," Thorne grunted. He has an imposing stature and a tough demeanor but seems soft-spoken and easygoing.
"Now we have to make haste to find you your mate. I hope you're not planning to follow the steps of one big bad wolf." Kaden said, making Thorne steal a glance at Aurelius and looking away quickly.
"You don't have to be scared of Aurelius; all he has is his big head and stern face."
"Let's make a bet, Aurelius."Aurelius turned to Kaden with a smirk on his face.
"What are the stakes?"
"Your white beast against my respect."
"Your respect isn't worth the hassle."
"My land with the gold mine."
"I have a gold mine too."
"Mine makes more gold," Kaden boasted.
"What's the bet?"
"He who brings his mate home first wins."
"Why are you dropping your land as a stake for another wolf's bet?"
"What could he possibly offer you?" Kaden countered
"Can I not join the bet? I don't know how long it'll take till I find her; she hasn't surfaced for years now, and I can't tend
His Majesty's magnificent beast." Thorne pleaded.
"You have nothing to lose; I'll take care of the beast for you. Take it as motivation. There's a ball happening soon. Who knows? You might find her there."
"Okay then."
"Do you know each other?"
"Yes, we do. I held him as a pup and trained him while he grew."
"You were a terrible teacher," Thorne snorted.
"Heh, Freckles, was I really a terrible teacher?" Kaden probed, shaking Thorne's shoulder.
Kaden is a loud and bubbly werewolf that enters a room with his mouth going before him. Despite his playfulness, he is much respected in the palace as he is the second strongest in the land. He used to be the third strongest while Gamma Thorne was still alive, but now that he was more, only Alpha Aurelius could beat him in battle.
"Aurelius now has a rival in looks. Look how young and youthful he is. Don't frown all the time around the palace. Give those poor maidens something to dream about."
Thorne kicked Kaden before dashing out of the hall.
Immediately Thorne left, Kaden's gaze turned sharp.
"How is it going?"
"No physician in the land has heard of this before. We might have to seek greater help."
"What kind of help?"
"I don't know if they exist."
"Witches?"
"Yes."
"Those are just folklore."
"We're just folklore to humans too."
"I doubt if they'll be among us."
"It says in stories that they reside in the far south."
"It's not worth the hassle; you know that the south is guarded and can't be infiltrated. A country that doesn't even partake in any trade."
"It's your chance to get an heir we're talking about here, and you say it's not worth the hassle?"
"I'm not ready for all these, and besides, I've found her already."
"Have you thought far about this? The little maid with the black iris, she's the one, right? She is a frail creature; she can almost be blown away by the wind. Even if she survives mating, and even if she manages to carry an alpha pup in that weak body of hers, she'll never make it out of the labor room alive. Unless you want to trade your mate for an heir."
Aurelius sighed. Even if he didn't want her, it would be cruel of him to sacrifice her to achieve his own goal.
"Does Madame Rueda know who she is already?"
"She will. Soon enough."
"How did you know?"
"I traced the scent in your chamber when I came this morning and did a quick research on her background. Her scent is strong and peculiar. If only she had a meal." Kaden muttered dreamily; the temperature of the room dropped as Aurelius's gaze turned ferocious.
"I thought you didn't want her? Perhaps, I could take her with me?" Kaden said with a mischievous smile.
"Lay your hands on her, and I'll kill you."
"Hmm, I like your possessiveness. Why did you have them change her roles though? I already assigned her to serve as your maid. I have Madame Rueda's consent."
Seeing that Aurelius didn't say anything, he threw down a threat.
"If you change her, I'll tell Madame Rueda about her."
Aurelius gnashed his teeth as he glared at the Cheshire cat of a werewolf in front of him.
"You're having fun, right?"
"Yes, I am. Yes, I am."
"Get away."
"Okay then, your majesty. I'll take my leave."
Charlotte was crossed at the way she was being catapulted from one post to another. As she rushed to run an errand, she slipped and fell. Just before her body could reach the ground, she felt like she landed on an invisible pillow of air. Her eyes widened in shock, but before she could react, the pillow lowered swiftly, and her chest to the ground softly. She stood up hastily and looked around to see if anyone was with her. But she didn't see anyone. She was utterly dumbfounded at what happened. She looked around once again before dusting her dress. She wished she had super speed like other werewolves, so she wouldn't have to run around this way. A shadow of someone could be seen hurrying away after Charlotte left.