The Making of an Alpha King

Chapter 9 – Her Lie

In the morning, Alex woke up early and went to her room. He knocked and called, but still no response. When he touched the door knob and tried it, he managed to open the door. There was a moment of elation, which quickly became a concern.

“Luna?” He’s still not comfortable calling her name, as it reminds him of his mother, the current Luna of their pack.

He looked around inside the room but she’s nowhere to be seen. Where could she be?

“Luna?” He tried calling her again, but he already expected nothing.

Akira. The wolf followed him and as he turned, he saw him.

“You know where she is, don’t you?” For some reason, he couldn’t pinpoint her presence within his surroundings. It was an odd feeling. How is she doing it?

His lip twitched when he interpreted Akira’s response as shrugging. The wolf isn’t going to help him, huh?

“Come on, I know I was wrong. I need to apologize to her. Won’t you help me?” If this was before, he wouldn’t believe he would soon converse with an actual wolf and convince it to help him. They do have wolves in Snow Mountain, but they’re mostly wild animals. Only some have been trained to guard and obey commands.

Akira stared at him and seemed to consider his request. He turned around and gestured for the human to follow him. Alex smiled. It’s great that he’s able to communicate with this one.

They walked slowly, though. The wolf doesn’t seem to be in a rush. Alex is getting a little impatient but he tried to control himself. He noted the places they passed by. The place is really huge but the destruction everywhere is apparent. Before he could ask why it hasn’t been restored, he reminded himself that werewolves currently don’t care about royalty. Also, she’s only one person. How could she restore it all? She can only do so much.

Akira stopped in front of a large door and Alex knew he had to open it. It creaked which made him grimace. It’s such a loud noise; surely, she would know someone is here.

He almost gasped when he entered. It’s the library and it looked luxurious. It must be a private one. There’s a lot of space and the shelves contain many books and materials. Looking past what’s in front of him, he could see a reading lounge and an open balcony on the other side of the room. Is she there? He slowly walked forward while looking around. He noted the condition of the books and the place. It seemed no damage has been done to this specific room, which he thought was odd. These are resources. If he’s someone who ransacked this place, he would surely take as much written materials as he can. It’s a curious thing.

Luna glanced back when she heard the door creak but immediately looked away upon realizing who it was. She took a deep breath to prepare herself. Would there be a confrontation? How are they going to talk? She’s still feeling a little angry and vengeful. She wanted him to feel how hurt she was.

Alex bit his lip as he walked closer to her. What is he supposed to say again? Something squeezed his chest when he saw her expression. She looked sad and unhappy.

He cleared his throat to make his presence known, albeit unnecessary.

“I wanted to apologize about last night. I didn’t mean what I said. I hope you’ll forgive me.” By the time he finished speaking, he’s already standing next to her. She slightly turned away from him, though.

“It’s fine.” Her voice was low and it didn’t sound as cheery as before. He felt bad about it.

“So, which of them would you like me to kiss?” Luna directly asked him. She would like to know if he’s no longer entertaining the idea, or is he still?

"Maybe someone else is my mate. Someone who would treasure me…” She spitefully added, but it was an unpleasant emotion for her. She’s not used to it.

Alex was shocked by her question and statements; his mind went into overdrive. His immediate reaction was anger. Heck, no. No one else would be kissing her. He almost growled in annoyance and she finally spared him a glance upon hearing it. She looked a little scared. Luna realized he can be scary when he’s angry. So, he’s angry? Why, though? She wanted to know his reason. It might be convoluted again, so she didn’t dare to get her hopes up.

He finally saw it from her perspective. She said she’s his mate and she probably found it incomprehensible when he suggested letting another man kiss her first. Now that she’s asking which man… even he was surprised by his reaction. As her words penetrated his mind, it conjured an image of her with one of his men and it made him extremely furious and disgusted. He won’t allow it!

“No, you won’t.” He finally spoke and took a step closer to her, startling her a little. His tone was firm with an underlying hint of his emotions.

Luna stared directly into his eyes. What is he thinking?

“I won’t? I really want to leave this place, though.” Her expression remained the same as he began to frown.

He grabbed her arm, but he wasn’t forceful. “Wasn’t it supposed to be a kiss between us? You can’t leave unless I kiss you. Me, not anyone else.”

Her eyes wavered, a reaction he wasn’t expecting. Luna decided to be honest with him. It was her fault anyway.

“You don’t acknowledge that I’m your mate, though.” She said softly before sighing and admitting the truth.

“Fine, I’ll tell you. It was a lie. You don’t need to kiss me. When you stepped foot inside the palace, the barrier keeping me here has already dissolved. It’s gone. I can leave this place now. Last night, I was only teasing you.”

She made him speechless. He felt an array of emotions during her explanation.

Still, she felt there’s no need for her to apologize. It served its purpose. It allowed her to know he’s not taking her claims seriously. He doesn’t believe her. To him, she’s not his mate.

“We’ll be leaving tomorrow? I’ll pack a few clothes for the journey.”

She was about to leave but he stopped her.

“You lied? And this is how you act?” He couldn’t understand her. She should apologize for that.

“Does it matter? You already think I’m lying. When I said I’m your mate, you didn’t believe me. Until now, you don’t. You made it clear that you don’t want me.” She’s angry and sad at the same time. Luna glared at him as tears pooled in her eyes.

The sight of it made him freeze and he was unable to move when she stormed off. He caught up with her, though.

“Wait, Luna…” He sighed as he pulled her arm but she struggled to free herself.

“Let’s talk about this...” That’s the only thing on his mind. They should figure this out together.

“No. Let me go.” Her tone sounded powerful and he felt compelled to obey. His hold on her loosened and she made her escape.

She felt bad showing him that. She didn’t mean to cry in front of him. She doesn’t want his pity. She locked herself in her room for the rest of the day.

As for Alex, he stayed away from the others, too. He’s not sure how to proceed. He stayed in the library, his mind empty as he blindly browsed the shelves. He did see some interesting titles, but he wasn’t in the mood to read them. Would they ever return to this place? Should he grab a few books to take home? He lost count how many times he sighed. That woman is a mystery. He might not be feeling a bond, but he easily sympathizes with her and her situation.

Let’s try that again. He went to the open balcony for fresh air.

She claims to be his mate. Yes, he doesn’t believe her. She’s mysterious. As an individual, she can be likeable. Her situation is different than most, so he should be considerate of her needs and be wary of her perspective. Clearly, she sees things differently because of what she knows and what she’d been through. Her knowledge is extraordinary, things most wolves probably don’t know. Now, let’s go back to the mate thing.

Would he be able to accept someone like her?