Protect Me, Alpha King

Zenith.

That name again. Why did I always hear that name from his mouth? What was the two's relationship? Did they have some sort of forbidden romance and the alpha king's people were against it?

I wanted to know more about them. If only the people's lips were not sealed, then gathering information about their relationships was easy as pie.

If only I could ask him about that...that would be magnificent. However, knowing the alpha king, he never wanted any slave to pry on his life. That was unacceptable and we did not have the right as slaves.

“I'm not Zenith, Your Majesty. My name is River. But if you want to call me by that name, you can call me that. Or do you want me to call her?" I asked, feigning ignorance about Zenith.

His vision cleared, recognition in his eyes, and his mouth pressed into a thin line. “River. It is you.” Disappointment crossed his handsome face before he hid it away.

Not wanting to be affected by his reaction, I beamed at him. “None other than your personal slave, Your Majesty. May I know who is that girl named Zenith—"

He stood, not wanting to continue hearing my words, bubbles hiding his manhood (to my relief), and stepped out of the tub.

He never wanted to talk about that woman. Why?

"Where are my clothes?” he asked, instead, not acknowledging my questions. “I'm starting to feel cold.”

If that's what he wanted, to pretend I did not ask about that woman, it would be better if I let it go, but I will know more about that woman. Sooner.

“Careful, Your Majesty, or you will slip,” I said and looked for his clothes, found them, and gave them to him, careful not to see the lower part of his body. “I'm not fast enough to catch your fall.”

He grabbed the towel and clothes from my hands. Forcefully.

He dried his hair and wrapped the towel around his tiny waistline. He passed beside me and walked towards his bedroom. I thought he would sleep after he took his bath, but he went to the balcony and looked at the windows while I stayed still, waiting for his orders.

He was looking at the moon and silently praised its beauty. We were like that, silent, but when I could no longer tolerate the silence, I asked, “Do you usually sleep during your bath, Your Majesty?” And why did you call me Zenith? Did you think it was me? I asked in my mind.

“You're unusually...chatty, River,” he commented, leaning on the wood, not bothering to glance in my direction. “It's getting on my nerves.”

I bit the inside of my cheeks, drawing blood.

"Out of habit, Your Majesty.”

I shifted on my feet, unsure if I will tell him my life story for him to know me better since he will be my master. And if he realized I trust him, perhaps he will be moved.

“I am always chatty, Your Majesty. It's just that back in my pack, no one wants to listen to me and wants me to become a mute who will only listen to them. Who will only nod.”

That was also one of the reasons why they called me Dog Slave, saying I always bark at the wrong tree. They said they were irritated by my voice.

“I do not need your words now. I want to enjoy my peace after dealing with this tiring day.”

Glaring at his backside, I asked, “What happened to the rogue, Your Majesty, if I may ask?”

He clenched his fist, his nails digging into the wooden balcony. “Crushed. Punished. Killed. Buried. Never in the history of my kingdom did the rogues succeed in taking over control of this place.” The rogue with whom I shared a cell flashed in my memory. Nobody. Was he included in the pile of dead bodies? Why did I feel sorry for him when we barely even know each other?

Not wanting to let it affect me, I said instead, “You're a powerful one, Your Majesty. You can do anything as well as crush anyone.”

He looked at me over his shoulder. “You know how to use your words to let me hear anything I want, River. Are they even true? They are fancy in my ears. My other slaves usually do that.”

My heart jumped at his declaration. Did he already have an inkling that I was only getting his affection?

I chuckled, nervously and hugged my body using both arms. The cold air attacked me and I had the urge to leave him and stay in my bed.

Gaining anyone's affection was difficult as it seemed. I did not usually want anyone's attention. Instead, I preferred hiding in the safety of my room, to avoid getting bullied. My packmates never even bothered to talk to me nor spare me their glances. Not even Alpha Erik.

"I am just trying to comfort you, Your Majesty,” I uttered in almost a whisper, making my head fall and looking at the floor. "This day has been tiring for all of us because of the enemy's infiltration.” I pretended to sniff due to the sudden attack of emotions while looking at him behind my eyelashes. Damn it.

My acting was a failure. He was no longer looking at me but at the moon again.

I scoffed. I will succeed. One day. Not now. But sooner. I promised.

"Call my other slave, River."

"What slave?"

"I need someone to warm my bed."

My eyes went round. Did he want some sex? Why did it make my heart feel like it was being crushed into a million pieces? Whatever the alpha king wanted to do in his extra time had nothing to do with me, right?

"Go!"

I jumped to my feet, and said, "Right away, Your Majesty." I did my courtesy bow and stepped back and looked for someone who would do the best job of warming his bed.

A couple of minutes passed, and I was dragging a gorgeous woman whose hair felt like silk in my hands and danced whenever the wave of air attacked her crown of hair. She moved with grace and dignity which made my eyes in awe. There were a total of more than ten sex slaves, but among all, a woman named Nora got my attention.

Alpha King Maxxwell did not particularly ask for anyone, so I had the chance to pick which I desired. According to what I heard the sex slave were also candidates for being the alpha king's concubines in the absence of his Luna and could bear him a son or daughter that would become the crown prince and princess of the Lycan kingdom. These groups of slaves were competing on who would succeed in giving him a son.

Images of a miniature version of the alpha king suddenly flashed in my mind and warmed my heart. Odd.

"We must be in a hurry. His Majesty might be sleeping now," Nora said as if she was singing. Her voice was also beautiful. She was strangely happy as we sauntered towards his chamber. “I have been preparing for this moment and I must never waste my time. I've been staying beautiful for His Majesty.”

I rolled my eyes.

We were walking side to side, but there were times when I would be left behind because she would walk faster, leaving me. However, her steps were light, as if she was dancing. No. She was practically bouncing.

"You can run," I suggested. "If you wanted to bed him that bad."

“I must kiss his lips now. The alpha king never wanted to allow anyone to kiss his lips. Only fuck him.”

Narrowing my eyes, I asked, “The alpha king never kissed any of you? Why?"

She threw me a bored look. “He would get mad at us. If we attempted to.”

My steps faltered. Back at the pack, he looked eager to kiss me. Why did he allow me to kiss him? "Why?" I asked again, not grasping the reason behind that. I was certain I kissed the alpha king of this Lycan kingdom. We kissed each other. And remembering those moments made my cheeks flush in embarrassment.

“I don’t know. No exact reason was given to us.” Nora touched her skin, making sure there was not a single dirt on it.

Her pale skin reminded me of the cold winter when I was forced to stay outside because of my punishment for doing something my pack did not want.

She gave me a nasty glare. "Who is the fool who does not want to get laid by the alpha king? Every female in the kingdom wanted to have a taste of him."

My face scrunched in disgust. How could this woman think that something out there was more beautiful than the alpha king? This woman wanted the alpha king herself, while I wanted to gain power that the alpha king could only offer.

"Well, that fool would be me,” I said, smiling but fuming inside. “We have different dreams and that does not include having the alpha king and being fuck by him.”

She cocked her eyebrows, stopped and looked at me from head to foot, and scoffed. “A lowly slave. That's right. Dream lower than that. Alpha King Maxxwell would never lay his eyes in your direction,” she spat and continued her stroll.

I was left aghast.

That woman! Perhaps I had chosen someone else! I tried to keep her pace. “Hey, you!” I called her. Over her shoulder, she glanced at me. “You can go back to your quarters and I will choose someone else. It was wrong to choose you.” I thought this woman was good, but outside her beautiful face was a devil waiting for the right timing.

She was a threat to me and I must eliminate her. At all costs. I should have looked for someone whose intention was to purely warm the alpha king's bed.

I tried to catch her wrists and drag her back to her quarters, but the woman evaded me, not wanting to return.

“What are you doing?” she asked, with pure disgust written all over her face. “You are nothing compared to me. You are not even beautiful, to begin with.”

I drew a series of breaths, trying to get hold of my emotions. Which was never easy, to begin with. “Me being hideous is not the issue.”

“Then, what? You choose me among those bitches. You cannot back down with your words.”

“I can and I will. If I had to drag you back to your quarters, screaming, I will not hesitate to do that. Try me, Nora.”

She stepped back, seeing the seriousness of my voice. These two should never meet. I did not care how many women the alpha king bedded. But he must never impregnate them.

Oh no. It was not jealousy that made me think about that.

“Who are you to say that? We are both slaves.”

“I am the alpha king's personal slave!” I exclaimed which made her stop.

“You are His Majesty's personal slave?”

I lifted my chin and proudly said, “Yes! So I have more command over the servants. You should listen to me since the alpha king favored me. He wouldn't choose me as his personal slave if he did not feel that, right?” I lied. I never felt he favored me. Instead, he always scolded me as if I was a mere five years old.

Nora trembled in anger. “You!”

I smiled sweetly at her. “Yes? Do we have a problem with that? If we have, you can demand an explanation for the alpha king.”

She looked at me with poisonous glares and said, “You are nothing like Zenith!" she said, mouthing the last word. The name which I also heard from the alpha king.

“You know that name is forbidden, so why did you still mention her? Tell me everything about Zenith."

Nora paled, realizing something as if she did the most horrible sin in the history of the Lycan kingdom.