The Crown's Entrapment

Darius and Bartos had already left to go to their respective chambers, but Gideon remained as he sat on his usual spot at the training grounds. He had this weird urge to empty the remaining liquor for some reason, all while staring up at the bright moonlight above.

He let out a deep sigh before he chuckled and murmured, "I already have a mate, but..."

Gideon sighed once more before taking another swig of his liquor. His mate was a werewolf, but he wasn't sure if she even felt the same Mate Pull from him as he did to her. After all, she was still too young, a literal child at the time, and a werewolf could only feel the Mate Pull usually after they turned eighteen.

"How long do I need to wait?" Gideon absently questioned himself while staring at the moon. He then chuckled as he continued finishing off the bottle in his hand. With one last swig, Gideon unceremoniously passed out, his back against the wall and his head bowed down as he laid lifeless on the training grounds.

Little did he know, a woman had come to the same spot with a hefty amount of baggage on her back. Looking at him, the woman clicked her tongue as she shook her head.

"Tsk... Look at you being so wasted. What are you even doing here alone getting drunk like that?" she commented with a frown. She then sniffed around and continued, "I swear I smelled something good coming from this direction..."

Placing the baggage down on the ground, she kept sniffing around in search of its source. She even got down on the ground to sniff it out even further, crawling on its trail until she finally reached the origin of the smell.

Looking up, her disbelief was the first thing that came out of her mouth.

"No way!!! It can't be from you!"

Her eyes widened in horror. She couldn't believe that this alluring and intoxicating scent was coming from this drunkard man. She couldn't even see who this man was with his head bowing down from her.

"Oh, please... At least let him be someone handsome!" she almost begged while looking up to the moon.

It had been a gamble. She really shouldn't be back home for a few more days, but she had requested to come home after her four years of training at Mount Sorel. She had received a letter from her mother bearing some good news, that her brother had finally found his mate and was even getting married in a couple of days.

Of course, she made her way back immediately. As soon as she reached the castle, she got sidetracked by a very nice scent that she hadn't smelled in her whole life. It drew her enough to follow where that addicting smell was coming from. She couldn't explain exactly what the scent even was, but it was pulling her so hard that she simply had to follow. It was only after a few minutes into her search that it dawned on her that she was experiencing the Mate Pull.

Seeing such an opportunity, she actually felt giddy and excited at the thought of who her mate would be! She even thought that it was her reward after working and studying at Mount Sorel for four hard years.

The longer she followed the scent, the more she got excited about the prospect of having a mate. She was even chanting a silent prayer as she trailed the scent, hoping that the pull was coming from the man that she have always wanted. Yes, she had a man she have always adored. Or rather, it was most appropriate for her to call it her... her first love?

Ahh... Just thinking about such a person made her giggle nonstop. She had to admit that it was Gilas that she had pined for in her early years, the last man who was able to stand and fight against her brother for the throne.

"Tch..."

Unfortunately, reality seemed to have someone else in mind for her. Another heavy sigh came out of her lips as the drunkard man in front of him asserted itself in her mind. Somehow, she had found her mate at a highly unexpected time and situation. Obviously, the Almighty had a different plan for her, giving her a different mate that she'd be unsure to even accept or not!

"How come it's not him..." she helplessly whispered to herself. It would've been nice if her mate turned out to be Gilas.

With a pout, Freya sat on the ground with her legs crossed in front of the drunk man. She also crossed her arms over her chest as she stared at him with an arsenal of sighs at her disposable. She should at least see his face, at this point. Maybe she'd recognize him if she somehow knew this man.

"That's something, I guess..."

Still, she had spent four years at Mount Sorel training in seclusion. Surely, a lot of changes have already happened in the Kingdom by now. Maybe a lot of different faces too that she might not even recognize since she last left the place.

"Ah... You're making me feel anxious!" Freya scoffed with a pout, contemplating whether or not to try and raise his head up to look at him. It'll take some effort, but he was her mate anyway. She might as well get it over with and prepare herself for the inevitable.

"I like beautiful things... Surely, you won't feel bad if I reject you once you don't fit my criteria, right?" she childishly asked. Well, she knew she was being immature, but who wouldn't want a handsome, strong, and powerful mate?

Already, she detested the fact that he was already a drunkard werewolf, the empty bottles near him were proof enough of the fact.

"Geez... Did you finish all of this by yourself?" Freya shook her head in disappointment. "Ah, I hate men who can't get a hold of their alcohol addiction, you know..."

"Hmm... Maybe it'll be better if I just don't look at your face and leave you here alone," she hummed in deliberation, still wholly undecided on what to do.

Their kind indeed did honor the Mate Pull, but they still had a choice on whether to accept it or not. Of course, there would be consequences regardless of what choice they made, seeing as the Mate Pull between two pureblood werewolves was regarded as sacred and a blessing from the Almighty that should be cherished and honored. Rejecting such a thing could cause misfortunes. And her fortune was unlike her brother, whose mate was a human. She was practically blessed right now, and she should really treat it as something sacred.

Gathering enough courage, Freya exhaled loudly as she reached her hands out towards the man's head to tilt it up. With each breath, the suspense of the situation made it all the more tense. It was killing her as she gently tilted the man's head up. Seeing his face, she gasped as she removed the strands of his messed-up hair on his face...

"Lord Gideon?" Freya breathed out with blinking eyes, making sure she was correctly identifying the man before her.

As if sensing her, he smiled as he slowly opened his eyes and murmured, "Ah, how nice... Dreaming about my mate like this..."