First love
The duke orders for the guards to leave with the crowd as well, leaving only three people in the room, the duke, Marian and Gregory, who walk up to the duke with eagerness and fear, eager to get something from him and fear of the strong aura around him.
"What?" The duke asked as he saw how Gregory acted so nervously around him.
"The… the payment sir." Gregory stutters as he rubs the back of his head.
"Ah sure, here's it." The duke replies as he points to Gregory's chest.
"W- Where sir?" Gregory asks the duke as he is confused.
"Come closer, don't be afraid." The duke calmed the nervous lad down as he approached him. With his left hand, the duke plunges his hand into Gregory's chest, squeezing out his beating heart after which he withdraws his hand, leaving the young lad's eyes bulged in fear and pain as he slumps to the ground with his crimson blood, splattering on the ground.
Blood splattered everywhere even on the duke's clothes but he was careful enough not to let any touch his mate, who is still unconscious in his other hand.
"Amali!" The duke calls out to his personal guard and carriage rider as he rushes in and prostrates before him.
"Take care of this and get me a change of clothes." The duke orders as his guard or rather, male servant rushes to clean up after his mess.
They are in the carriage as they set out to go back home.
"My Lord, did you plan on taking her home with you?" Amali asked the duke. He is the only one that is closest to the duke and shares his secrets with.
"I came here for a different thing but got her instead." The duke replies as he counts how lucky he was.
"Will you take her to the palace? Don't you think the king will know that she is not a werewolf but a human?" Amali asked in concern.
"She is not a pure human, Amali." The duke replies.
"What do you mean, master?"
"I can sense she has a different blood. I will find out when she wakes up." The duke replied.
"So what do you want to do before then? Don't you know that she might be a threat to you?" Amali asked again.
"I just want to watch her until she wakes up." The duke answers timidly.
"But…"
"Enough with the questions Amali, don't wake my girl up." The duke replied with an air of finality as Amali remained quiet.
"When we get to the palace, find a trusted human maid to cater for her. I'll be with my father before she gets ready. Make sure no one sees her in the palace, lock her in the room and let her never step a foot outside the door. Is that clear?" The duke instructed Amali as they approached the palace building.
"Yes, master." Amali replied.
"One more thing, no one should know about this." The duke replied as the carriage stopped almost immediately. Amali nodded his head as a reply as he got down to open the door for the duke.
The duke got down, leaving Marian in the carriage as he covered her well and closed the door. He walked into the palace without looking back as Amali entered into the carriage and rode away.
In the palace;
The king is seated on a giant gold plaited chair while the chiefs are seated on the floor as they engage in a serious discussion with the king when Reagan, the prince and the duke walks in, acting like he didn't see the people there and headed for his room.
"Where have you been, Reagan?" The king asked his son.
"Business trip." Reagan replied as he walked past his father who called him back.
"I will bear no disrespect from you again! Tonight is the mating ceremony, prepare yourself and get ready tonight. I've sent the maids to clean up your room so if you like, mess up again!" The king, who is also the alpha of the werewolves, replied in anger.
"I don't want to be mated." Reagan replied in a calm but hard voice.
"You are such a fool! How will you inherit the throne if you don't get married? How will you be an alpha if you don't get mated? You are twenty four years old and this is the last chance that you have otherwise, I'll give the throne to another pack!" The alpha threatened.
"You will do no such thing. At the right time, I will find a mate myself. I don't need the moon goddess to get me one, not after she cursed me because of you!" Reagan fired back at the alpha as he shook, petrified in fear at the last statement his son just made.
"W- What?"
"Stay out of my business! If I see anyone near my room, I'm going to rip out their hearts. This kingdom is mine and I must inherit it, not that bastard you adopted!" Reagan fired back in anger as his eyes turned red, revealing his lycan aura which frightened the alpha even more as he stormed away.
"Such a spoiled brat!" The king cursed as the chiefs around him sighed in disgust to the attitude the price just showed.
Reagan got into his room, pondering in anger at what his father just said as he took off his shirt and threw it on the big bed. Why does he insist on getting mated? The last time it happened, things didn't go well and he left the ceremony with a curse which has been following him ever since by the moon goddess. He didn't have any iota of feelings for the woman who was appointed to him as a mate.
He didn't even have any strong connections towards her, he felt nothing for her. Why then was he going to spend the rest of his life with such a woman? On the other hand, the pack which she came from was disliked by the royal house so why didn't his father didn't even see that as a reason why he shouldn't get mated to their daughter?
As he was still deep in thoughts, he felt a spark, a spark with an attractive scent. He doesn't know what this is but he felt drawn to some exotic scent coming towards the bathroom. Wondering what this was all about, he followed it gently to where it was coming from. He stops at the door as he hears a light melodious voice coming from inside the bathroom.
"Who is singing?" He wondered.
Reagan leaned his head on the door as he listened to the voice singing calmly.
"My love, Alec my love…
You are my first love, my lover please take me home…
My love, Alec my love…
You are my first love, my lover please take me home…"
Regan then gathers the wordings of the song, itoassed an information. Who is Alec? He doesn't also recognize this vouxe but he recognized this scent. HIS MATE!
He didn't go in as he waited to hear if there was any more lines to this song but that was all she kept singing. His blood ran quickly down his pelvis as it rushed to his genitals. The aura, the scent was luring him to go in. He perceived her scent in the air, her sweet voice tickled his heart, his red angry eyes turned back to those blue scarlet eyes. His veins showed, his muscles flexed, his legs quaked. What was she doing to him?
He pushed the door a little bit and found out it wasn't locked. The scent that greeted him from the small passage intoxicated him as he breathed in the sweet scent. He peered into the bathroom but couldn't see anyone in there, except for the reflection 9f the body of a young woman taking her bath through the curtains.
Knowing fully well that she won't know if he was in there or not, he gently got in and closed the door behind him.
"My love, Alec my love…
You are my first love, my lover please take me home…
My love, Alec my love…
You are my first love, my lover please take me home…"
She kept on singing as Reagan smiled while looking at her through the curtains when all of a sudden, she began to moan.
"W- WHAT? Is someone in there with her?" Reagan couldn't control his anfer as he heard her moan a bit loudly, as though she was trying to swallow the sounds but it just escaped slightly through her lips.
Reagan's heart was filled with anger as his chest pants in anger.
"Alec!" The name clicked into his head. Alec is the name of a guy. But who was he? He didn't care to know anymore as he couldn't stand another man in the bathtub with his mate. With the thoughts of that, he clenched his fist, his nails growing longer into sharp claws as he grabbed the curtains which scared Marian, making her to freeze in fear.