The Crown's Entrapment

Xenia let out a heavy sigh as she looked at Darius's current state. A part of her was relieved when Jayra confirmed that there was nothing to worry about, but she still couldn't help but worry as he lay motionless in her arms.

Adjusting her position, he was quite heavy on her arms, so she moved and tried her best to make themselves comfortable inside the carriage. Carefully resting his body on the side, she then began cleaning up the blood still clinging onto his body.

With each wipe, she noticed that there were different colors of fluid clinging onto him. Apart from the red sheen on his skin, some were black or green depending on the creature that had been a part of Helion's ambushing group.

Diligently doing her best, she let out another sigh of relief as soon as she was finished cleaning up his upper body. There weren't any deep wounds on his body at all. Just like Jayra said, only some minor scratches that quickly healed on their own were left on his skin.

"How can you lose consciousness this easily?" Xenia scoffed.

In truth, she was still worried enough that she kept on touching Darius's face to check if his temperature was dropping. He still wasn't waking up, so there might be something unusual still left in his system.

"Whatever…"

Shrugging in resignation, Xenia absently opened the curtains on the carriage, only to see that Atlas was currently riding by their side. He smiled at her, and she returned it with a smile of her own.

She knew that Atlas was glad to see her again and that he was definitely worried sick when she ran away. It was only natural. He was like a big brother to her, and she looked up to him with just as much respect as she did to Ezekiel.

"Close the curtain!"

Xenia almost jumped off her feet, Darius's commanding tone catching her off guard. Quickly closing the curtains, she complained, "You startled me!"

"Why are you even looking out the window when you have someone to nurse back to health?" Darius murmured with a pout.

Xenia raised an eyebrow as she snorted, "You look perfectly fine to me, my King…"

"No, I'm not perfectly fine," Darius denied with pressed lips.

"Why? Are you hurting somewhere?" Xenia asked, looking closely at him.

"You're worried," Darius teased. "I like it."

"No, I'm not!" Xenia defended herself with a frown.

"Yes, you are…" Darius cheekily countered. "Come here."

Before Xenia could even react, Darius had already pulled her into his arms. She could still feel bits of blood clinging onto his skin, brown and black assuredly staining her clothes as he held her tight.

"I need more rest, and I need some cuddles to feel comfortable," Darius whispered into her ear. "Let's stay like this till we arrive at the camp, yeah?"

"Cuddle? How could you rest if you're cuddling me in your lap like this?" Xenia scoffed.

"Your warmth is enough, Xen," Darius whispered, his face comfortably buried into the crook of her neck.

Xenia bit her lower lip. "It tickles," she absently murmured. Darius was brushing his lips against her skin, and it was making her feel things. Yes, it tickled, but apart from that, the burning sensation emanating off of her skin was sending shivers down her spine. It was alarming.

Even as she let him do what he pleased, she knew she should be pushing Darius off by now. She should be composing herself like the proper princess that she was; to sit quite a distance away from this shameless Werewolf King and keep her dignity. However, her body was refusing to follow her mind.

She was playing a dangerous game with fire… She was liking how Darius's lips were brushing against her skin, and her sinful body was somehow asking for more.

'I'm so doomed!" Xenia helplessly thought.

"You can't deny it, Xen. You care for me, and I can smell your heat even now," Darius hoarsely whispered onto her neck. "Please don't deny it again."

Xenia bit onto her lower lip hard, trying her best to suppress a moan as she felt Darius begin licking her neck. Her body tensed at the sensation, and all the hairs on her skin stood on their ends. Here she was again, trying her best to control her own lustful thoughts, and she was failing horribly.

Once more… the memory of that night flashed through her head… The amazing feeling she had just with Darius kissing her and touching her body everywhere made her remember, and she didn't want it to end somehow.

'Oh heavens!'

It was torture. Her body was burning, and she hated the fact that Darius had the ability to smell her as his mate like this! How could she hide and defend herself now?

She gulped hard when his lips then trailed all the way down from her neck to her jawline. Unknowingly, she tilted her head to the side, giving Darius more access to her supple skin.

Her stomach churned at the tingling sensation, and as soon as she felt his tongue licking and suckling on her skin, she couldn't help but groan in pleasure. Slowly but surely, the king went upward, finally reaching her lips as he took them as his own.

Xenia tried to open her mouth to say something, but asking him what he was doing was just a stupid question to ask. And even then, before she could even try another attempt, Darius immediately invaded her lips with his own mouth. She ended up closing her eyes, resigning herself to his ministrations as she enjoyed his intense and passionate kiss.

She felt like she was drowning in the depth of a deep sea with Darius's tongue probing deeper into her depths. Her hands and arms moved, encircling Darius's neck and wrapping it tightly as if her life depended on it. Darius only let her mouth go sometimes for both of them to breathe while he continued to suckle her upper and lower lips alternately as if it was some kind of reliever for their burning desires.

Xenia couldn't help it. Her body refused to move, nor make any sort of resistance at all. She had no power to do so, especially so when she was obviously enjoying the kiss. Keeping her eyes shut, she let Darius feast on her lips.

Seconds ticked by, and she wondered if what she was feeling was genuine, or if it was merely pure lust. It was simply baffling. Was this feeling only because it was her first time being intimate with a man? Would she even feel the same way if another man kissed her like this?

Seconds turned into minutes, and her mind came to its own conclusions. As much as she hated it, it was clear that she had growing feelings for Darius.

She cared for him, and she didn't want him to get hurt in return. Perhaps it was because he was her savior most of the time? Surely she would feel the same way for her brother and friends as well. After all, who would ever like to see their loved ones get hurt?

The minutes dragged on, and Xenia was starting to feel dizzy with all the various thoughts roaming in her head. Surprisingly, however, those selfsame thoughts helped her stay focused despite the temptations being thrust onto her.

Gathering her resolve, she finally managed to gently push Darius off of her, letting her lips find reprieve even as she instantly felt a bit of longing for the missing sensations.

Leaning onto his seat, Darius grunted, whimpering with a painful groan as he composed himself.

"What's wrong?" she worriedly asked.

Instead of answering her, Xenia was almost miffed when he chuckled at her. Looking at her with a warm smile, she met his dark ice grey orbs as she stood her metaphorical ground. Despite what she was feeling, she still couldn't help but notice how pretty and enticing they looked even with the obvious danger lingering within them.

"Oh, nothing's wrong except for the fact that I'm honestly glad that you stopped me," Darius chuckled.

"You would've been in big trouble if you hadn't. Who knows what could've happened? There's no way that I would've ever stopped by then, even if it'll have us ending up in a scandalous situation…"