Chapter 4

Samira

Gods I was a little excited on thinking that… I felt like I bought a lottery ticket, and this was where the numbers would be called out. A mate that wouldn’t be a unicorn… The only one here is me… Maybe my mate is an elf, all proud and proper. I don’t want that, but it would make me a citizen of my elder brother….

I don’t want that either… Nanatori is so … so mean. Strict. I’m sure he’d deny my marriage if the dream man in question isn’t of royal blood… or ‘the right’ fit. He isn’t racist… but he’s made it clear that he wants the elvish fairing siblings to mate elves, and we unicorns to marry unicorns to replenish our numbers.

Of course, I was the oddball on that too… It isn’t that I didn’t respect the ‘duty’ of being female; it isn’t what I wanted… I wanted love, not responsibility… I guess in that regards my head really was in the clouds. I’d surely be scolded for such sentiments.

Our people are so rare now, that at the last census, there was debate on should we even be a kingdom…. Our numbers were more in line with minotaur….

It was so crowded that I felt almost lost walking around… I didn’t flag anyone down, because I didn’t know anyone. Shameful. Had I not been a hermit, I would have been here before, and not been lost in the first place.

Why did I make that gosh… gosh darn moldy wish?

This is so childish to go back and forth like this!

But Whenever someone wishes for stuff like this, the unexpected almost Always happens!

But honestly… if my mate is the King… I won’t reject such an impossibly rare bond… I don’t know how it would work since I am made of literal purity… and he’s a demigod who polices hell… but we could make it work.

But I can’t be dumb either. I’ll have to play this by ear… As I felt… My heart beat like a drum. It felt like I was getting closer to some unknown event that once encountered, it cannot be undone.

What horrors would await me? I’d never felt like that before… I looked around and people parted way, but I think it was to be polite. The excitement and fear combined and danced in my stomach… It was a strange sensation I wouldn’t wish on even an enemy….

As the Unicorn Delegate, I would have to talk with this man. What if I messed this up? Someone related to the Horned One will likely have a temper… I’ve spoken to quite a few dignitaries, but no Kings other than my father… They allowed me to stay home while my sister did all the hard work…

I kind of missed dad. He’d know what to do.

“My lady, I am Jabari, Royal Hyena guard. Your documents and items have been put in your guest chambers.” Said a tall, dark skinned man with locks.

The uniform he wore reminded me of a police officer, though his badge was the royal crest of the House of Charred, the silhouette of a wolf breathing fire… His teeth were silvery metallic, meaning that when he shifted, his fangs would be that material, not bone…

Jabari bowed politely. “Allow me to escort you. You seem troubled Daughter of Skylia.”

“I am. I have never met the new king.” I admitted, he chuckled.

“He is a sight to behold, taller than his thrice-great grandfather… stronger than him too.” He said referring to the original Wolf King, Ashital the Charred One, patriarch of their royal house… Though I suppose King Tyson is now…..

I said nothing, not yet. I didn’t know what to rightly say. I didn’t want to be rude, since I was a representative… A representative forced to attend, but still a dignitary…

“I would very much like to meet him tonight.” I lied. His curious look told me that he could tell too… unicorns are terrible liars… I felt slimy for even a little one…

“Your worry isn’t really warranted little princess. I will make sure that you are safe. The party is down this hall. Walk straight down and have a seat in the gardens if you don’t like it there. Have some tea. If you still think we’re all bloodthirsty monsters, you can go home; fain illness or something.” He said casually.

“I didn’t say that!” I whisper-yelled, surprised a guard would say that so bluntly….

“You don’t have to. You smell so much of fear that I was concerned you’d run into the woods or something.” He smiled.

With one last bow I silently walked down the hall. I stood as straight as I could. I looked down as I walked, but even still I needed to-

I bumped into the wall.

Tingles erupted from every inch of me that touched it… traveling straight to my core….

Electricity hit me.

“Mate.” Said the low, gruff voice of a man with power….

There was real power to it too… It nearly knocked me over with the authoritative boom…..

I looked up.

My violet eyes met red ones… His irises glowed crimson, while the whites of them were a dark, almost black-coffee brown, completely evil…

Lord he was shirtless, being the tallest I’d ever seen another supernatural creature in human form. He had goat horns too, and that was too much.

“Sorry your highness!” I turned to run, dodging the large hand of the King, who was probably already infuriated with me. The glow behind me was definitely fire.

“Wait!” he yelled, which only made me run faster.

I had to hold the train of my dress, while werewolves laughed…. I messed up and I didn’t even get to attend the party… Worse still, everyone thought it was funny that he was about to kill me….

I was going to be devoured by the King!

I was just a little unicorn, why me?!

I stumbled my way in these darn heels, getting to the gardens, bumping into a tree.

Sparks rippled across my skin, and my chest filled with butterflies…. My eyes were closed. His growl was more like a frustrated roar….. I could scent his aggression too… I could feel the power radiate off the king…

I can’t believe that I was here like two minutes, and I already offended the Wolf King…

“Your highness!” I yelled. “I didn’t mean to-”

He grabbed me, picking me up. I was spun around to see his eyes again, and they were a deeper, richer ruby than before.

Pain hit my shoulder, as I could feel fangs pierce the crook of my neck. They were hot like fire, yet as I felt them, I also knew he’d marked me… It was wild and demanding. I could tell as he did it, that he had no control of himself. Blood trickled down my dress… The snarl as he let go was possessive… He sounded like he laid claim to a morsel of meat…

And the sensation made me wet….. I went from afraid to aroused… very much so… That… That wasn’t right….

“Mine.” He grumbled, holding me like a bride so I couldn’t run.

There was no compromise to his words…. My heart pounded, and I felt between my legs, that my body betrayed me… I should be terrified and still running, yet I was frozen in awe, feeling the desire he held for me, even though we just met… Wanting to be in his bed…

I know he knew too…. He knew I was in heat… The scent appeared out of nowhere.

“I had no control over myself… forgive me.” The king said firmly. He pressed me to his massive chest, and I felt almost a comfort from him. “Look me in the eyes again.” He said a little softer….

I opened them, but now his eyes looked normal… They were a rich amber… And he wasn’t as tall, only 6’5…. Though he still had horns. They were sharp and long, slightly curving back, and in between them was a candle’s flicker of fire… That was the thing I feared…. That was Hell’s fire that floated between them… It seemed that was something he couldn’t hide as easily…

“What is your name, little unicorn?” He chuckled. I was put down, but even in his small form, I still only went to his chest.

Now that I’d calmed down, he was… unnaturally handsome. So much so that I almost thought he was an elf…. His body looked like sculpted, olive-skinned marble… His predominant features were like a Roman statue… chiseled…. head to toe. His aura wasn’t evil either… I wasn’t naturally repelled by him…. Strange.

His cheeks held the smallest dimples, and his eyes reflected back the image of my shyness since he looked down on me, being shorter than him by quite a bit… They changed multiple colors. Amber, red, then obsidian…

His hair was so dark that I thought it was black at first. But in the light, I could see it was a very dark brown… It was long, a show of strength, left loose to drape down his back.

With wolves And unicorns, only strong men could grow long hair, and his was the longest I’d seen on a man, about to his hips. Even then it was cut even, meaning that it was likely longer until at some point he was done maintaining it….

“Speak little mate.” He encouraged.

“Samira, Seventh Born of Queen Skylia, your highness.” I said shyly. “I am the delegate sent by King Allister.”

“I am King Tyson, the Charred One, Horned Wolf of the Adversary.” He said kissing my hand. “I declare you as my queen. What say you mortal?”

I felt like I had whiplash…