"Elijah! Please tell your horse to stop!" J screamed at the top of my lungs, which he only answered with laughter. I couldn't fathom opening my eyes because if I did, I would only get more scared. "Relax, River. We got you.""No! Your horse wanted me dead!" I answered, still wrapping my arms around his waist. The air blew my hair, and some strands slapped my cheeks hard, but I could not even collect the strands! Everything was difficult. One single move, and I may fall off. Damn it! I wanted this journey to end! If only I knew Leah would hate me, I would never join Elijah. "She's only playing, River."Playing? It seemed like it was not the case for me.Leah liked being petted by Elijah. She ran faster whenever the man praised her. What was more irritating was that Elijah seemed not to mind that I nearly had a heart attack while riding behind him. "Elijah!""We are nearly there," he answered. "Close your eyes if you can't handle the pace."And I did. The rest of the journey was
Hurts too much, my mind said. Fudge. I clenched my fist, controlling myself not to stand and fight back. Not now, River. You have a lot of audiences, which will have a boomerang effect on me. I struggled to get back on my feet. “That slave deserved to be punished!” the woman announced. I knew who it was. Lady Juliana. What was she doing here? Images of her kissing the alpha king fueled my anger. I drew a couple of breaths, urging myself to control my emotions. Anger was not the solution for now. "She bumped you, Your Grace, and turned her back at you," Lady Aurora added. "She is a feral dog that needs to be put in her rightful place. Punishment is a must."I clicked my tongue. Lady Aurora was getting on my nerves now. The older woman should know when to open her mouth and when not to. “Ladies! That's no longer necessary,” Elijah interjected. “Another move from your servant, Lady Juliana, and I will punish him himself for hurting River.”“Sir Elijah! That woman started it!” L
I jumped and shrieked simultaneously while glaring at the newcomer—Nobody. Did he lure me into this alley for what purpose?“Do you want to kill me, huh?” I asked while clutching my chest, beating frantically. He put his hands in the air as if he was silently surrendering while his eyes twinkled in mischief."Why are you acting as if we are friends, huh?" I asked again. From where I was standing, I could still hear the people selling their fabrics and herbal medicines. "I am not, River," he answered as if he was pouting. Nobody (as he told me) was better compared to his state before we separated. He looked handsome. He is an enemy of the alpha king. Why do you waste your time on him?Even if he was the alpha king’s enemy did not mean my enemy also. He chuckled, not minding my erratic heartbeat. “Scaredy-cat.”“Why are you here? You are a rogue. The alpha king is looking for you. After what you did to the dungeon.”"I came by to say my greetings. And to give you this." He pulled
But, of course, Elijah was the total opposite of an asshole. It was difficult to hate him. And if he continued showing me this kind of luxury, it would become more complex. After a couple seconds, I said, ''Can I say something, Elijah?'' I asked while clutching the pendant. ''Yes. You may. Do not hesitate to say what is in your mind, River.'' ''Why are you doing this?'' His forehead knotted. "Doing what? I don't follow you.'' I sighed. ''Why are you being good to me? It's confusing on my part. Is that because you also see that woman in me? If we don't have the same similarity, will you still treat me like this?'' What was the point of not saying it out loud? If he wanted honesty, he should be able to handle my question. My gaze went back to the servants. They were still looking at us while pretending to sweep the ground. "Are we thinking about the same woman?" "None other than." He fell into deep thought and confessed, ''I never liked that woman, to begin with. If you resem
In an instant, I closed the distance between us and put both of my hands on the hemline of the alpha king's hemline of his shirt while painting a smile on my lips. Alpha King Maxxwell did not like my smile, and his suspicions grew. Oops. I wiped my smile.Raising his eyebrows, he looked at me using his penetrating eyes, which I returned with the same intensity. "You're planning something, River. Whatever that is, you drop it. I have no time to play with your games."That was the alpha king. Nothing slipped under his nose. I beamed at him, pretending he did not catch me. "I don't understand what you are talking about, Your Majesty. I'm just helping you take a bath. Nothing else."He narrowed his gaze at me. "You smiled sweetly, but something's telling me you have an evil plan.""Evil? I don't have evil plans, Your Majesty," I retorted with an innocent look on my face. "May I?" I asked before I took off his jacket, followed by his undershirt, and set them aside. I stopped when I s
The alpha king raised his brow, disbelief in his eyes. "So I am right. You did plan something, River. I hate to break it to you, but you will not succeed."It would be a silent battle between us—an ongoing one. "I did not say I have plans, Your Majesty."I grabbed the bar of soap and asked, "May I?" He nodded. With that, I rubbed the soap all over his chest. He remained silent, not saying anything, as I continued rubbing the soap. Using the bubbles, I scrubbed the dirt and dried blood all over his body. He moaned, savoring the comfort I was giving him."At last, you finally did your job, River."The hemline of my clothes was already wet as some water splashed towards me. "This is my plan, Your Majesty. To serve you. I want to redeem myself. If you are thinking of other things, you are mistaken." He opened one of his eyes. "You know what it is. Don't play dumb with me."I chuckled and returned the bar soap. "You never believe what I say, do you, Your Majesty?"He leaned his head on
The alpha king is kissing me? What is happening? What is happening? my mind asked in disbelief. Why is he kissing me now?"Respond to my kisses, River. You want this badly from the start," he muttered when I stayed still like a barbecue stick. "And now I am kissing you, and you're unresponsive dampening desire."The alpha king bit my lower lip, making me gasp. Using that opportunity, he slipped his tongue into mine, teasing me, promising me what might happen if I let go. However, I continued to be unresponsive, trying to decipher his actions and the sudden mood change. What the heck? I told him I had accepted my defeat and that I'll start recognizing that he would never mark me.Still dealing with the confusion, I put both hands around his chest and pushed him away. No matter how much I wanted to return his kisses. Breathing heavily, I looked at him, dumbfounded. "Why are you kissing me, Your Majesty?"The corner of his mouth lifted. "Why? You don't like it?" he inquired back. "Now
The alpha king's bite on my shoulder blade was burning, and then it was replaced by pleasure as if he had just penetrated me. Our minds were suddenly interconnected, feeling each other's emotions. Desire. Passion. I didn't even know if it was coming from me or not. Everything felt surreal. Then, I saw a black wolf staring back at me and howling. Was it the alpha king’s wolf? The scenery changed, and I saw myself with the alpha king. No. It was not me. The woman had no curls on her hair. It was the opposite. Zenith? Did I see the flashback of the alpha king’s memory?I shuddered in his arms while he supported my weight. Giving his final touch, the alpha king licked the wound and pulled away. "Congratulations, River. Now, you carry my mark and scent for the rest of your life. And like I said, aside from power, you will also gain enemies. My enemies, they will be after your life. And I cannot protect you at all times. This is the consequence that my mark bearer will face."Feeling ligh