Mated: An Enemy King

Curious

"I Aryn, do hereby accept your– I, Princess Aryn, do hereby accept– I Aryn, princess and heir of Xatis, do hereby accept your rejection–" My heart ached! No matter how I put it, phrased it, there was simply no way of uttering those painful words without the sharp stab to my heart. Something that unfortunately served as a painful reminder of how much Eugan must not have wanted me if he endured it. His words had left his lips so effortlessly, I was tempted to think his heart and his wolf danced while he spoke.

"My princess is thinking an awful lot this morning." Rinarii noted, her hands gently combing out my hair before she started pinning it up for the hair do that would serve me for the day.

"I am." There was no use denying it and how could I not be?

"Important matters I presume?" My maid wore that proud smile she’d come to favour since we set off from Xatis. Knowledge that I was to lead the entire entourage had left her feeling especially proud of me and not a day passed without her showering me with compliments in any way she could.

“Important matters.” I sighed, my mind filling once more with the actual matters that had preoccupied my senses since the day we set off for Leif. I'd thought being granted the opportunity to finally free myself of the burden of the mate bond would make everything easier. I was most certainly wrong.

The dreams of my rejection still came, pouring into my days and mixing with my reality the closer we inched to Leif. And where I expected to feel only the sting of pain as I drew closer to the one who’d rejected me, my days came with something more. An unease that had knots tightening in my belly. Because more than accepting his rejection, I wished to see him. King Eugan. My mate. For whatever reason, a part of me was curious to see him as that. To behold him not just as a man that had the power to unearth the deepest of my desires, but as my perfect other half granted me by the moon goddess. Even when I was aware that it might all end in heartache, I couldn’t keep myself from longing for it.

I let out the longest breath I could, hoping it would carry with it the latest waves of unease that assaulted me.

“It suits you...” Rinarii beamed, her smile unearthing my own feelings of envy at how little she had to care about. “...and I cannot wait to see the look on King Eugan's face at the sight of you.” My insides tightened even more at that because I’d thought of it too. Wondered if those steel gray eyes of his would be filled with that familiar swirl of a storm or would I be greeted with something else altogether.

“My lady?” Alad’s voice at my tent’s entrance saved me from making any sort of comment as Rinarii scurried off to attend to him.

“Lord Alad, the princess will be with you shortly.” My maid’s announcement brought me to my feet and thankfully shifted my focus back to my duties. The one thing that had been the perfect distraction from my intimate thoughts on this journey. It was enough distraction for everyone else too as those pitiful looks towards me seemed to have lessened the longer we journeyed.

The entourage to Leif was larger than I had expected. Apart from the many guards that father insisted on accompanying me, Nobles from different houses and areas of Xatis’ economy had made the journey too. Something that spoke of father being really invested in the proposal to open mutual trade routes with Leif. Of course that did not leave out the more tighter circle of wolves charged with the most important mission.

Alad was here to accompany me to the first of two gatherings held by that small council for the sole purpose of speaking of matters that needed attention.

“Good morning, my princess.” Alad, clad in the official king’s guard’s armour of Xatis stood taller the moment I exited my tent. “The council awaits your presence.” He announced, his gait portraying the sworn protector he was always meant to be.

“Thank you.” Taking in a breath of the morning air, I gestured for him to lead the way. “Do you think General Misk will be in a better mood this morning?” The well decorated general and I had butted heads on pretty much everything when it came to how he intended to protect the heir of Xatis, much to my great grandmother’s amusement. I simply refused to have a whole army baby sitting me for the entirety of this trip while the general had no intentions of facing the king of Xatis with any other news apart from the fact that I was alive and well.

“I think your mere presence is enough to sour the general’s mood for days.” Liira emerged from her tent that was pitched next to mine and stopped me on my path. “Let me look at you child.” Her glimmer of approval at my look left me more than satisfied. “Look how you’ve blossomed. I’m almost tempted to think there is something in the air of Leif.” In short she was happy that my countenance no longer radiated the misery that came with my misfortune. If only that were true of my heart too.

“Don’t you think I’m overdoing it then?”

“You are a queen and a wolf, child. There is no such thing as overdoing it. Trust your gut.” One more gentle caress to my face and Liira gestured for me to head towards the largest tent in the centre of the camp.

“Are you not coming?” A sense of dread washed over me at not having her presence with me for the first time.

“You have never needed me. Now off you go.” She waved me away, not giving me a moment to protest. I was about to anyway when a lord stepped in my path.

“You look absolutely stunning, my princess. So much you put the beauty of this magnificent forest to shame.” Of course my days would not be complete without running into this lot.

In the wake of my rejection and the trip to Leif, those nobles who considered themselves potential chosen mates had been flocking to my side and showering me with untold compliments. For those who’d accompanied me on the journey it was also a chance to win me over before my return. The entire situation was quite laughable, but it’d left me feeling more annoyed than amused. A part of me did not simply appreciate their advances. I had no doubt that if I had my wolf I would have growled at the grinning man. Or worse.

“Such flattery and so openly. The Lord should be ashamed of himself for showcasing his desperation.” Rinarii's annoyance mumbled quietly before I could answer the lord was amusing, but yet again I was left feeling annoyed than amused.

"Perhaps you should look closer." The words left my mouth before I could stop them and the noble's embarrassed expression pacified something inside of me as I walked away satisfied.

Stepping a foot inside the tent, however, a strange wave washed over me and brought me to a halt.

“What is it, princess?” Despite the sour expression on his face, General Misk cared enough about my reaction to raise his own guard as did everyone in the tent.

“Something is wrong.” At my declaration everyone visibly relaxed once again. Except for Alad who seemed to totally agree with me. His hands were already hovering over the hilt of his sword.

“Worry not my princess, despite your reservations, this general has ensured that you are perfectly safe, as is everyone here. If our perimeters were to be breached, I would be the first to know.” The general’s assurances were not enough, however, as that gut Liira had told me to listen to kept screaming that something was not exactly right. I stepped back from the tent, eyes going over the perimeter of the camp.

The howls came first, before the dark figures began appearing from the dense forest and it took a mere second before the entire camp descended into chaos.