All But The Bond

Chapter 3

The morning sun overlooking the Sphinx Kingdom palace was more beautiful than it had ever been, its intense rays shining on the heads of all the creatures below it. King Xander sighed for the umpteenth time since his arrival from the territory of the Blood Bane Pack two days prior, whose alpha and leader just so happened to be his mate, his one true pairing, his life partner.

He could not, for the life of him anyway, believe that the greatest alpha known to Wolfkind was his mate. It was an interesting turn of events, one that he could have never predicted nor anticipated. He sighed once more. He felt conflicted, which was understandable, considering his predicament.

He may have sounded brave when he spoke to Hayden, but being alone made him realize the gravity of the situation. After all, had he rejected Hayden, he'd have been led to a slow, torturous, and agonizing death in the worst case. Besides the pull he'd felt in the beginning, he didn't feel much else in that respect, especially working with the common knowledge about mate bonds. However, he also knew that there was no way werewolf physiology would lie, seeing the obvious effect they both had on each other.

He could feel a blush creep to his face as he recalled their makeout in Hayden's office. If anything, the feeling of electricity running through him and the undeniable attraction he felt towards Hayden from the moment he laid eyes on him was evidence enough of the mate bond. He wanted to bring peace to both kinds, but this was not what he had in mind at all. But in all honesty, though, it was an interesting turn of events.

He sighed once more. Oh well, he mused; It was not a bad situation, considering how attractive the Alpha was. I mean, smooth obsidian hair, well-defined and rugged features, a strong physique that was lean but muscular, giving him a subtle dangerous aura. But that wasn't it, the cherry atop the delicious cake that was Alpha Hayden Moon was his eyes. Beautiful, soul-wrenching, magnificent golden orbs that took your breath away. How they so accurately mimicked the rippling and pooling of molten gold was astounding.

That alone was enough to put his mind at ease. He let out a small groan of frustration before resting his head on his hands. He could already feel how large of a distraction Hayden was to his daily life. He had to reluctantly admit though, that he may have secretly liked the entire situation. It had its merit, especially since his mate was a fine specimen. It also got rid of all stupid suitors from the other kingdoms who'd been trying to increase their slice of the pie, so to speak, with the notion of a marriage alliance with his kingdom. He did wonder if Hayden was privy to his thoughts, as he'd heard was a staple in all mate bonds.

Thinking about his pending visit the next day, he couldn't help but let out a small smile at the thought of seeing Hayden again. He hoped that Hayden felt the same way about him. Sweet as his reverie was, it was cut short by the sound of footsteps followed by a gentle knock on the ornate doors that sealed the throne room from the outside world.

"Come in"  He ordered, watching as his head butler, William, walked in, bowing respectfully before him.

"Raise your head. What is it, William?" King Xander said, staring at him curiously.

"Excuse me sire, there's an urgent matter to attend to." He said, raising his head.

"What matter do you speak of? I was made to believe that all the emergencies had been resolved, was that not true?" Xander asked, his gaze hardening.

William could feel the tension in the air, however, he had no choice but to deal with the task at hand. He then carefully chose his next words.

"No sire. They were all resolved as reported... I simply said that since Prince Luke of the Corolis vampire kingdom requested an audience with you... That is all." He said, internally praising himself for keeping the vast majority of his composure in front of the King. It was quite a feat since he was not as experienced as the former head butler in dealing with the King.