The Crown's Entrapment

Inside the meeting hall, the commotion about the pending wedding was still the pressing topic of discussion.

"I already told you, my daughter didn't run away," King Stephan reasoned. "She's missing, and the palace mages are still discreetly looking for her!"

"Hah! Only fools will believe that!" one of the Valcrez Elders snorted.

"I can't believe that we're still wasting our time on this discussion when there's an oncoming threat to our kingdom!" the King of Ebodia roared.

"For goodness sake! My son already left with the bulk of our military power, and here you are taking advantage of our weakened defenses?! You should be assisting our kingdom by now, seeing as we're more than ready to proceed with this alliance. My second daughter is more willing to offer herself as a substitute for her sister should we fail to find my eldest in due time."

"Why should we even assist Ebodia in this war when the alliance is still not finalized?" another Valcrez Elder questioned. "Said alliance should only be binding once the marriage has taken place."

Darius kept silent as he waited on how Nikolai would resolve this issue. He knew that his fellow King could easily accept the second princess, but the Valcrez Council and the Royals who were with him were far too adamant against the notion.

He then looked at King Stephan, who also darted his eyes in his direction. The human King gave him an apologetic look every once in a while. It seemed like the distressed king wouldn't be able to have the private talk he wanted with him at the rate this discussion was going.

Letting out the lightest scoff, Darius thought of checking up on Xen instead. He would rather watch and be with Xen than waste his time listening to this kind of discussion.

These Valcrez Elders and Royals obviously wanted nothing but to simply take over Ebodia, and they were leading the discussion around in circles in hopes that they could get what they want. They were merely using the incident with the elder princess as an excuse for their behavior.

Having had enough, Darius stood from his chair to leave, only to stop when a Valcrez Soldier entered and declared, "The eldest Princess, Princess Xenia, is currently outside and asking to enter the hall…"

King Stephan quickly barked out with a frown. "What are you waiting for?! Let my daughter in this instant!"

The soldier quickly looked at his King, Nikolai nodding to the soldier before he finally opened the door for the princess.

'I guess it'll be rude to leave at this point,' Darius thought as he got back on his seat, only to frown as his eyes darted towards the woman entering the hall.

His eyes widened. That intoxicating scent like no other... That smell that kept on haunting and torturing him…

"Xen," he gasped as he suddenly inhaled the familiar scent entering the hall.

[She's that woman! Our Xen!] Zeus hollered out. [Short for Xenia… Hah! She's the runaway Princess! And this is the arranged marriage that she once mentioned about! No wonder Xen is always in a hurry to reach Ebodia! Our mate is the Princess! Wait… she's that bat's bride-to-be? No!!!]

Darius ignored Zeus's growling in his head as his gaze refused to leave the woman currently wearing a white gown. She also had a veil covering all of her face. All, except for her eyes. Those verdant green forests…

Clenching his jaw, Darius kept his outward appearance in check as he instantly contacted Gideon and Bartos telepathically.

After a few moments, however, there was no response. He knew he should really be running now to see what happened, but his body remained still where he was sitting. His mate was here, so he had to stay!

Yes, he was already aware that Xen was a woman since that day he woke up in the cage and looked for her. He accidentally saw Xen cleaning herself up by the pool of the waterfalls, and he had known it ever since. It was no deer that Xen heard that day while she was in the water… It was him…

It was unforgettable. That sight alone became his greatest torment while he was with Xen.

Everything was so vivid in his head, and Xen's alluring and perfect body as a woman haunted his dreams. Her long brown hair glistened from the sun's rays, blending well with the color of her verdant eyes as she bathed in the light.

And that wasn't all. He even had the opportunity to be intimate with her when she ate the Tatar berries.

She almost killed him that night, torturing him enough that he even had to shut Zeus off to keep himself sane and in control instead of just ravishing her wholesale.

He kept reminding himself that he shouldn't take advantage of her because she didn't know what she was doing. She was well under the poison's aphrodisiac influence at the time, so he did his best to not cross the line!

Xen was his mate, and he didn't want to force himself on her just because he had every opportunity to do so. Hell, he was someone who didn't even believe in mates and the Mate Pull for a reason!

He wanted to make Xen his not because he simply wanted to, but he also wanted her to desire him all the same! He wanted to make her fully surrender herself to him of her own free will!

[Grrr! Enough with those gentlemanly thoughts! You're about to lose Xen, and I know you want Xen as a man!] Zeus chided him. [You already fell for her without even realizing it! Do something, you idiot! Don't let her marry that bat friend of yours!]

Shaking his head, Darius looked at Nikolai, who also had the same unbothered expression etched onto his face. Zeus was right… He had to do something…

Making up his mind, his eyes darted towards the woman who just entered the room. Their eyes met, and Darius gritted his teeth as he kept himself in check and refused to bat an eye at her. As he expected, Xen quickly turned her eyes away from him, seemingly pretending as if he didn't exist.

"I apologize for the mess I caused. I heard what happened from our mage who found and save me inside my sister's private garden," Xenia began.

"I went there at dawn to calm myself from worries plaguing my mind, not wanting my family to find out about it as I ruminated about my upcoming marriage. While I was there, I then saw some berries in her garden, so decided to eat them out of hunger. Unfortunately, because of my ignorance, I lost then consciousness."

'What a lovely voice you have, my princess,' Darius mused, his eyes fixated on his mate. 'Do you really think you can fool me that easily? You won't get away from me no matter what.'