The Crown's Entrapment

There was an awkward silence as Xen's face burned red from Darius gently caressing her cheek with his knuckle.

"Are you feeling better now?" Xen asked, doing her best to avoid his intense gaze. "If so, then let me go so that we can both sit properly."

Darius smirked. "I'd rather not. Besides, this position is so much better," he replied with a sweet, yet melancholic voice. "I feel more relaxed with you in my arms. Let's just rest like this, Xen."

Ignoring her weak protests, the king kept his position, cradling Xen in his arms as he hummed in satisfaction.

It was only then that he remembered. He had almost forgotten about it; the servants he had heard talking about her in their castle. They had mentioned how Xen hated non-human beings, and he had to know...

"Do you hate me?" Darius straightforwardly asked.

Xen partly opened her mouth in deliberation. Waiting for her answer, Darius held his breath until his mate finally gave him an answer.

"Why would I hate you?" she answered him with a frown. "You saved my life several times."

"Don't you fear or hate the sight of my wolfman form?" he specifically asked.

The silence that followed was making him restless. There was a pause, and Darius's shoulders dropped at the way she hesitated in answering him.

"I'll be honest. I really don't like any werewolf's wolfman form, my King. However, that doesn't mean I hate the sight of you whenever you're like that," Xen answered. "I guess I already have an exemption since I already trust you?"

Hearing her answer, Darius couldn't help but smile despite his apprehension. "Aren't you saying that just to make me feel better? You're betrothed to me, after all," he challenged.

"You see, I'll always prefer it if you acted more like yourself, Xen. I'd rather have the you that wouldn't hesitate to say what she thought; the you that's more vocal and free to say anything that comes to your mind."

Xen stared at him in a daze. "Are you sure about that?! Do you really want me to act that way?"

Darius squinted his eyes at her. With a smirk, he said, "Of course. Let's continue with our set-up from before; with you as my warrior-servant, but this time, let me add more duties for you. Your title will expand to be my queen-wife-warrior-servant."

Xen's face crumpled as she scoffed, "On second thought, let's just remain as we are with me being Princess Xenia and you being the Werewolf King."

Darius chuckled. It was a hearty laugh, one that he didn't even realize he was even capable of. What a thrill.

[You're head over heels for her,] Zeus chuckled even as it cheered for him. [I can only hope that the feelings will be mutual soon. But as of now, you're making great progress.]

Taking comfort in his wolf's words, Darius proceeded to ask, "Aren't you exhausted, Xen? How about you close your eyes and try to sleep some more?"

It was a valid question. He noticed that her body wasn't like it was back then, and he was sure that she needed more rest.

"I'm good, Darius," Xen waved him off. She then leisurely asked, "Can I ask you a question?"

Darius was surprised, but he quickly replied, "Sure. What is it?"

"Since when did you know that I'm your mate?"

Darius paused for the briefest of moments. With a slight thought, he answered, "Hmm… Ever since the moment I laid my eyes on you and you fell into my arms. It was after you fought off the barbarians if I recall."

"I'm disguised as a lad back then," Xen hummed in recollection. "Wait… You mean-"

"You have no idea how much grief and torture I've gotten from that time, Xen. I'm a straight man, so every single day I would quarrel with Zeus since my wolf insisted that you're a bonafide woman," Darius chuckled as he recounted.

"Like I said just a few days ago, I simply couldn't believe it till I confirmed it with my own eyes. Besides, no matter what kind of disguise or change you might do to your face or body, I'll still always recognize your scent. There's no other like it, Xen… You won't be able to throw me off your trail even if you tried."

A brief pause hovered between them before Xen eventually spoke.

"Well, pardon me if I have to ask a few more questions then," Xen casually said before she laid out her thoughts.

"I'm well aware of the Mate Pull and the other mate things, but I'm not sure if what I know is reliable enough. If you don't mind, I'd want to understand more about those things."

[That only means that she's acknowledging the agreement right, Zeus?] Darius quickly asked his wolf, her words inwardly making him shout for joy. [She wants to know more to try and make things work between us!]

To be honest, he couldn't help but feel a bit restless about the idea of Xen running away. After all, she had a history of doing such a thing in the first place.

It was also the main reason why he wanted Xen to remain by his side at all times, apart from having more time to win her over of course. Hell, even bringing her into the battlefield was a part of his plan just for him to be able to spend as much time with her as possible.

"That's alright, Xen. Ask me anything, and I'll answer you to the best of my ability," Darius replied with enthusiasm.

"Will I turn into a werewolf once you've marked me as your mate?" Xen immediately asked. "You need to bite me right to mark me, right? I'm asking this because I don't want to turn into a werewolf."

Darius chuckled as he replied, "I understand your concern, Xen. I guess you haven't studied enough about our kind." He shook his head, "No, you won't turn into a werewolf if you don't want to, Xen… I won't force you to be one as well…"

Darius took in some air as he then added, "We can choose whether to turn a human into a werewolf or not if we want to. It's always up to us since we can control the venom in our body that could turn a human."

He then raised a hand, "This venom… A werewolf can transfer it either through his bite or a scratch with his nails…"

"I see," Xen hummed in understanding. "If so, once you mark me, please let me remain as a human. It's not because I hate your kind or look down on werewolves, of course. It's just that I'd prefer to stay the way how I was born and created… As a human."

Hearing her conviction, Darius nodded and whispered, "I promised, Xen."

"Thank you," Xenia whispered.

Another brief silence went by. After which, Darius candidly asked, "Are you aware enough about the marking? And the mating?"

Xen blushed as she bashfully nodded.

"Good, because I intend to do it as soon as you're ready Xen," Darius nodded as he explained. "I need to mark you so that no one would dare lay a hand on you. I want to protect you as best I can, and with the mate bond, I'll be able to communicate with you through the mindlink. I'll know if you're in danger at all times."

He then let out a sigh as he honestly added, "Also… I'm scared that you'll run away from me again."

Xen bit her lower lip as she stared into his eyes. Ah… How he wanted to claim those sinful lips of hers again. So luscious and addicting…

"I promised I won't run away again, so you don't need to worry about that happening," Xen replied. "I owe you my life, so I can at least do that much. Also, I'll honor the agreement between our kingdoms, and I'll stay by your side for as long as you want me to."