I'm a straightforward girl. I see what I like and I take it. It's been the same when I was little and it's still the same now. So when I went out clubbing with my friends that night and I saw this highly attractive guy, I just knew I had to have him...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
What was that?
My skin still crawled with the uncomfortable feeling of having my life in someone else's hands. There was no way a human could give off that much pressure.
I was confused, wary, and irritated at the same time. My fingers itched with the absence of her presence. I let her get away.
I quickly tugged on my pants but abandoned my shirt as I couldn't find it. Then I opened the room door and prepared to leave.
"So, how was it? I don't sense her inside." Jakob stood leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. His curious eyes migrated to the slit in the door behind me, seeking out the woman that already ran away.
"Because she's not. She left." A bitter taste stung my tongue as the words lingered in the air.
He raised an eyebrow, his head tilted in confusion. "And you let her? That doesn't sound like you."
I frowned and walked away, but he quickly fell in line beside me.
My mind couldn't erase the feeling of her finger against my neck. I had almost shifted in surprise.
I rubbed the area subconsciously and replied, "I got distracted."
Was she really human?
I had doubts. My mate shrouded herself in mystery. Layers that I wanted to peel one after the other so I could slowly find the woman hidden underneath. The woman the goddess gifted me. The woman made just for me, and I for her.
She was clearly attracted to me, so there had to be something holding her back. Something that had her running. If I admitted to being the alpha king, would she have run away? Or would she seek my protection?
Running away was useless on her part. As long as she lived within my kingdom, I could easily find her. However, before I indulged in her cat-and-mouse game, I'd first dig into her past to find what she was so afraid of.
I chuckled to myself and quickly signed out of the hotel before heading back to the castle.
The moment I walked through the doors to my chambers, I found Dereck sitting on the edge of my bed. I ignored him and walked into my adjacent bathroom.
The minute I felt his presence, I frowned. "Are you my mate? I don't appreciate seeing your face every day."
I glanced back at him just as he rolled his eyes and leaned against the door frame. He said, "You think I like to wake up at the crack of dawn to force your grumpy ass behind your desk? If you don't see my face every day, no work would get done."
I shrugged. There was nothing wrong with taking a break or two. This role of mine was a cluster of responsibilities that weighed my shoulders down the more I tried to lift them up. This was why I didn't want to be king, but as the sole heir to the kingdom, and for the sake of my people, I took up that burden.
