Protect Me, Alpha King

The alpha king was pulling a prank on me. That must be it.

That was what I realized after he said he liked me.

There was no way that he was over with Zenith. My mind wouldn't accept that impossible thing to happen. And why would he like me, to begin with? There was nothing extraordinary about me. I was a slave without a drop of noble blood. I would be a speck of dirt on his throne, and there were a lot of women with royal blood surrounding him.

But that is not the kind of man he is, River, my mind said

Which was right. He had chosen Zenith, an enslaved person, as his fated mate, and there was also a chance he would choose another enslaved person.

I patted his coat while laughing when I recovered from my shock.

"You did not believe me."

"Because it's unbelievable, Your Majesty."

He was immobile for one second. "It's not."

My mind could not accept it.

I wanted to see his face and verify if he was telling the truth or not, but I was scared of what I might see.

"I did not smell any liquor from you, Your Majesty. But why did it seem like you were having a drunk talk?"

He stiffened against my embrace, and he released me from my hold.

"You think I am not serious?"

"Yes, Your Majesty,” I replied without hesitation. "You're not."

His face fell. "Why?"

"You're saying something I didn't expect to hear from you."

He opened his mouth, but a knock on the door interrupted our conversation. It was a servant telling us that a celebrant was already waiting for the two of us. Time to pretend again in front of the people who did not even care about me except the alpha king.

"That's our cue to meet the alphas, Your Majesty.”

"I really like you, River," he insisted.

His eyes softened as he stared down at me.

I sighed. "Your Majesty. You don't have to force yourself. Please don't use me to forget Zenith."

"I am not using her."

"If you like me, do you love me?"

He did not reply.

"See? Zenith is still in your heart. Maybe you only admire me because I have the guts to talk back to Alpha Wade. Don't be fooled, Your Majesty. I am only pretending to be courageous. But inside? I am a coward."

"That's made you admirable in my eyes, River."

Not wanting to lengthen our conversation, I told him, "Let's go, shall we? Let's stop this topic."

His shoulders slumped until he offered his arms to me. Giving a small smile, I anchored my arms to him, and together, we stepped outside.

At the venue, everyone was already having a good time. Their conversation stopped when they spotted us.

Alpha Wade was all smiles strolling towards us, and his smile vanished when he saw me.

It seemed like the celebrant was the alpha king. Not Alpha Wade. They hovered around us and tried to get His Majesty's attention.

I felt small and realized I was nothing compared to them.

When the alpha king already forgot that I was with him, I managed to slip away and went to the corner, observing them.

No matter where the alpha king goes, he always shines and grabs the spotlight.

I was no longer familiar with some of the people surrounding him.

A servant passed with a tray of drinks in one hand, and I grabbed one. Still looking at the crowd where the alpha king was situated, I sipped the wine.

The bitter taste of the drink made me gag. But still, I managed to sip another try.

"Having a good time?"

I jumped at the new voice and found Alpha Erik beside me, casually leaning on the doorframe.

He stared at my outfit and smiled. "Your dress suits you perfectly, Your Grace.”

It was an off-shoulder red dress and a combination of gold colors hugging my body's curves. The length passed my knee but did not reach my ankle. The alpha king had given this to me without even telling me he had asked someone to make this, especially for me.

To say I fell in love at first sight with this dress was an understatement. I love everything about this one and have forgotten my slave roots and felt a noble once in my life.

"No need to compliment me, Alpha Erik, but I appreciate it."

I emptied the contents of the glass. This was also the first time I had experienced drinking, although the alcohol content of the wine was not enough to get me drunk. Werewolves were known to have strong alcohol tolerance and rarely got drunk. But there were drinks exclusively for us, like the Merry Go Round drink. It would make your world merry when you sipped a single gulp. An inexperienced werewolf would knock him off.

"Why did you hide in here?"

"Hiding? Do I look like I am hiding?"

"You look like one."

"Nonsense. I am perfectly enjoying what I am seeing right now. But you won't be having a good time if Lady Juliana saw you talking to me. That woman has not an inkling of being fond of me." And she was more furious after our heated exchanges yesterday.

"I don't love her. I do not want to marry her."

"Tell your Father you don't want her. End of discussion.”

He exhaled. "I wish that was easy.”

I chuckled. Another waiter passed by and grabbed two glasses of whatever drink I could put my hand into and put the empty glass on the tray.

I offered one glass at Alpha Erik, which he declined.

"Are you sure you can handle yourself drinking, Your Grace?"

"Come on, Alpha Erik. It's not like you are worried about me. I am fine. Worry yourself first. Lady Juliana will give you a handful of curses if she finds out her fiance is talking to me. She already believed I snatched the alpha king from her, and she will think the same after seeing us together.” "I am anxious for you. Of what Father might do to you, Your Grace.”

Was he having a change of heart?

That would be unnecessary. If he were genuine about his request for us to be together again, he would be only wasting his precious time. He wasted his chance to have me by rejecting me.

"If you will not join me drinking, go away, Alpha Erik. I want to be alone.”

"What if I tell you I was with my Father when he saw you in the river? Will you still drive me away, Your Grace?"

I stopped putting the glasses on my lips.

He smirked and glanced at me.

My ears perked. "You were with him?"

"How old were you by that time?"

"Five years old.”

"How could I guarantee that the memory of a five-year-old was correct? And not a fragment of your imagination?" I asked.

My heart hammered against my chest.

I did not want to raise my hopes high, or I would be only disappointed. But what if Alpha Erik was telling the truth?

I had to take a chance.

"Let's talk somewhere private, Alpha Erik."

I turned around and silently told him to follow me, and we went to the library. From here, the music coming from the part was muted.

"Spill what you know, Alpha Erik," I ordered. "I mean everything you know. I want only the truth.” He glanced at the surroundings and watched me drink the two glasses. My throat felt like it was burning, but unexpectedly, it helped me calm my nerves.

"I was the one who found you first. Not Father. I saw everything, River."

My head spun. Undoubtedly not because of the wine, but of his revelations. Alpha Wade lied about that?

"How will I know you are telling the truth, Alpha Erik? May I—"

"I vow it, River."

A vow among the werewolves was sacred, which meant no one could lie about the statement. And whatever we do after giving our vow, we are bound to follow it.

Without wasting time, I closed the distance between us and grabbed his collar tightly.

Despite the vow, my eyes looked for any indication that he was lying but found none.

"Tell me more, Alpha Erik," I ordered. He was the key to unlocking my past and could lead me to my parent's whereabouts if they were alive.

Oh, Moon Goddess.

Please let them live. I want to hug them and talk to them and get to know them better.

He turned sideways and brushed the books using his fingertips.

"I was playing at the border while Father was securing everything when I heard hurried steps. As if someone was being chased. Thinking it was a group of rogues, my little mind was scared and hid in the bush and saw a bloody woman. Her jet-black and messy hair were all over the place. She was scared while carrying the baby in her arms.”

"Can you describe that woman?"

As if he did not hear what I asked, he continued his tales with a far-away look.

"She looked like you, River, except for the hair.”

Why did the first woman that flashed into my mind be Zenith?