KING'S MATE

The Darkan

I walked to the corner of the room with the intention of avoiding all guests who were trying to attract my attention. They pretended to be nice and friendly in front of me because they wanted to be seen well by Nickolas.

As for Nickolas himself, he parted ways with me when the first dance was over. The last time I saw him, hewas talking seriously with two men in suits on the other side of the room. I sighed and downed the champagne that I brought. My eyes pay attention to the whole ballroom whose atmosphere looks so cheerful.

"You never change, always hide in a corner of the room rather than socializing" I immediately turned and saw the man who came and went suddenly standing beside me.

"Vincent! When are you coming?" I said happily. I hugged him briefly.

Vincent looked at me and answered, "since the sun went down" then chuckled softly at my wry expression, "You look so good with Nickolas. You are meant to be together."

"Thank you, but I'm still not sure whether I can lead the kingdom or not, especially since this kingdom is in a new world for me."

Vincent tapped me on the shoulder while saying, "you can" he paused and watched me for a few moments. "I've heard what happened from Nickolas"

"About?"

"Britanny Drake" I just formed the perfect 'O' on my lips. "You know that there will be many obstacles standing in front of you, right? Moreover, the whole Supernatural world knows of your existence"

"I know"

Vincent squeezed my shoulder and said quietly, "if you need help, you know my cellphone number," I giggled, and nodded my head in understanding.

Me and Vincent are both speechless. We chose to pay attention to the atmosphere of the Ballroom and occasionally commented whenever something caught our attention. I looked at Vincent and this time he looked carefully at his appearance. "Why don't you ever tell me you're a Vampire?"

"It's a difficult thing Gween. Hiding this secret is so hard for me. I'm thinking of telling you, but I'm afraid our friendship will break just because I'm different"

"How can that be? I mean, you are a prince. That means my uncle and aunt are the rulers of the Vampire kingdom. Why do you live in a simple area like we used to?"

"Mom wants to feel a normal life like humans and dad obey that desire. We decided to live in London because she want to open a restaurant branch there" I nodded in understanding. Vincent's mother is a well-known restaurant owner and I also know their move to London because auntie wants to open a new branch. "Then, is your name really Vincent Valerio?" I chuckled softly when I remembered Vincent's nickname I gave at school, ViVi because the first and last names started with the letter 'V'.

"Yes, Lumiere Vincent Valerio-Darkan. Darkan is the name of the Royal Clan in the Vampire kingdom." I nodded my head understanding. "Gween, I know you feel disappointed because I hid my status with you, but this is my only choice in order to remain friends with you"

I confirmed Vincent's words in my heart. If Vincent had confessed his true identity to me, I would have considered him crazy and away from him, but now I would trust him because I had seen with my own eyes the existence of the Supernatural world.

"Well, I understand now," I murmured quietly, then something popped into my mind, "so if you are a Vampire ... Are you like Edward in Twilight saga?" Vincent gave me a deadpan expression. "What? I'm just asking. Making sure whether it's true or not"

Vincent took a deep breath. "That movie is very silly. Gween. Have you ever seen my skin turn into crystal when exposed to the sun? Or do you always see me avoiding the sun? No, no. Speed and reflexes are right, but vampires aren't allergic to the sun, just a little ... sensitive "

"Is that why you always complain like a woman in the summer?" I asked accompanied by amused laughter. Vincent glared, but still nodded his head. "What about the garlic and crosses that I usually find in movies?"

Vincent snorted in annoyance. "It really doesn't make sense. Garlic and crosses have no effect on the Vampire."

"So, what should be done to kill a Vampire? —I mean, you must have weaknesses. Same as werewolf."

Vincent grinned and answered, "it's a secret" I immediately poked my lips and turned my back on Vincent. "We should go back. Your Soulmate has been watching us all this time with a sharp look. He still doesn't like my closeness with you."

"Why did you tell Nickolas about our arranged marriage?" I asked in annoyance.

Vincent shrugged while saying, "to tease him"

***

"Didn't I tell you that I don't like you being close to Lumiere, Gween? What are you doing with him?" that's the sentence that came out of Nickolas's mouth when I returned to his side. Nickolas immediately embraced my body possessively then sniffed my neck for a few moments to calm down.

"Gween was my friend before becoming your soulmate, Your Majesty," Vincent said sarcastically. Nickolas growled and threw a sharp gaze at Vincent.

Vincent chuckled and then groaned when the back of his head was hit by a woman who was so familiar to me. "don't be rude Vincent"

Vincent grumbled and chose to look away. "forgive my son's attitude, Your Majesty"

"No problem Queen Sheryl. I understand that," said Nickolas flatly. I pinched Nickolas's waist and threw a big smile at the woman who always accompanied me when mom went to work.

"Aunt Sheryl, how are you. I miss you," I muttered as I broke away from Nickolas's embrace to hug Aunt Sheryl.

Aunt Sheryl chuckled softly and returned my hug. She patted me on the back a few times and answered, "well" then our hugs broke free and aunt asked again, "how is your family, Gween? Are Catherine and Julius okay?"

I smiled wryly and shrugged. "Fine. Nothing has changed," Aunt Sheryl's gentle gaze suddenly turned to a look of sympathy.

"Oh honey ... Don't think badly of your parents. They just want the best," she said, stroking my cheek. I didn't respond to Aunt Sheryl's sentence and chose to remain silent. "I heard you moved to New York."

"Yeah ... Looking for a new atmosphere ..." I said carelessly. I averted my eyes from Aunt Sheryl to Gio's uncle who stood there waiting. I smiled broadly and hugged him tightly. "hi uncle Gio"

"Finally, my presence was realized as well," he said with relief. Uncle Gio patted my back briefly and kept away from me. I looked at Uncle Gio and saw him so differently. Every time Maggie and I come to visit, Uncle Gio always wears knee-length shorts and a T-shirt, but when he sees him wearing formal attire with a crown like this, it makes me realize that they are not a normal family as I know him. "How are you, Gween?"

I smiled broadly and answered, "good uncle"

"Ah yes, how is Maggie? I miss that woman and her quirky style" I laughed at Maggie's definition in Aunt Sheryl's eyes.

"She's nice too" I muttered as I stepped back. Nickolas immediately pulled me into his arms. I felt he was doing this so that his body's scent was back on my body. After that he let go of my body and held my hand tightly. "Thank you for your presence King Darkan"

Uncle Gio smiled and said, "I didn't expect Gween was your soulmate King Andonov. Is Gween ready to carry out her duties as a queen?You know the risks of attracting her to this world, right?"

"Of course, I know very clearly about that and I will try to protect it and prepare it for the assignment it will hold" Uncle Gio patted Nickolas briefly.

"Before you marry her, you should first seek the blessings of the family, King Andonov, I know very well with the Peterson family and they are very strict in choosing a partner for Gween" I thinned my lips and chuckled in my heart. No need to be reminded of that uncle, I muttered to myself.

"I understand, thanks for the advice" Nickolas muttered sincerely. I squeezed Nickolas's hand and gave him a soothing look.

"One tip for you King Andonov," this time Aunt Sheryl spoke up. "You have to be patient with Gween. She can be very stubborn. Vincent and Gween fight easily because they are both stubborn."

I moaned and buried my face in Nickolas's chest in embarrassment, while Vincent grumbled even more. I felt Nickolas's chest tremble with laughter, "Of course, I already know that. Even my Alpha's tone doesn't work for her"

I snorted and said, "can you stop? I feel so embarrassed" Nickolas kissed my cheek because he was exasperated to see my behavior. I can't help but smile with a sweet gesture.

***

I groaned and took off my heels carelessly. Finally the party ended and I could sleep soundly on my comfortable bed. I immediately took off the dress and replaced it with a nightgown. After that go to the bathroom to remove make-up and brush my teeth.

I heard the door to the room open. I peeked through the gap in the open bathroom door and saw Nickolas sitting on the edge of the bed with a tired face. He was still wearing a tuxedo --- minus the crown and his hair also looked disheveled. His hands look busy releasing the bow tie that encircles the collar of his shirt and his feet kicking shoes.

I refocused my activities and after finishing, moved out of the bathroom. My eyebrows arched when I saw Nickolas who was sleeping in my bed as if it was hers --- well technically, it was indeed his. "Nick, why are you sleeping in my room? Go back to your place!" I murmured while pushing his body away.

Nickolas groaned and opened his eyes. He watched me for a few moments. I gasped when in seconds, my body was already lying on the bed and was in the arms of Nickolas. He buried his face in the recess of my neck and murmured, "I told you, I'm more comfortable sleeping here"

I rolled my eyes. My hand was stretched to turn off the light sleep and in the next second, the room's atmosphere turned dark. "You don't want to change your clothes, Nick?" I whispered, rubbing his head gently. Nickolas moved closer and turned me into his sleeping pillow. He shook his head briefly. "but if you sleep wearing clothes like that, it must be uncomfortable."

Nickolas sighed and woke up. He rose from the bed and moved to undress. I immediately sat down and looked at him with a confused look, but it didn't take long because my confused expression turned to shame when I saw Nickolas go back to the bed using only his boxers. "Do you want me to take it off too?" my cheeks immediately blushed and my head shook quickly.

Nickolas lay back on the bed and pulled me. He held me so tightly. My head was placed on his chest and my ears were right above his heart. I heard the sound of his heartbeat in rhythm with me. My eyes slowly closed and felt my back being stroked by Nickolas's big hands. "Thank you for today Nickolas"

"What do you mean baby?"

"Meeting with the council, lunch with the royal envoy, a party. All this you did to introduce me to your world"

Nickolas kissed my head and answered, "That should be what I did after you woke up from a coma. I have marked you as mine. So it's only fitting that they know who you are"

"Are you not curious about my relationship with the Darkan family?" Nickolas sighed and tightened his arms around my body. He didn't say anything, but I'm sure he wondered why I could be so close to the Darkan family. "I told you. They are my neighbors and Vincent was my childhood friend. So it's normal that they are close to me"

"I didn't expect that the Darkan family had been hiding for years in the human world," Nickolas murmured quietly. "Close to you. If only I had come to visit them, maybe I would have found you sooner"

I giggled amused and rubbed his broad chest and kissed the area briefly, "Didn't you say, sooner or later we will meet. Maybe not my office, but somewhere else. Remember?" Nickolas nodded and closed his eyes tightly.

"You know, Giovanni Darkan is a strict and quiet leader. He rarely smiles every time I meet him at a meeting between leaders. It is a miracle to see him smile and be gentle on you."

"Is it true?" Nickolas nodded his head briefly. "I really don't believe it. You know what, every time I come to visit, Uncle Gio will always look relaxed. He has never been assertive let alone be quiet. If I come, surely I will see him busy talking about the ball or busy teasing aunt in the kitchen"

"so?" I nodded quickly. "I'm grateful you're close to the Darkan family. So, not only the werewolf kingdom will protect you, but also the Vampire kingdom" Nickolas smiled with relief as well as mine. Come to think of it, what Nickolas said was true because Vincent also said the same thing. I'm grateful to have them in my life.

"Oh yeah, when was the Alpha Drake trial held?"

Nickolas growled and bowed his head. His eyes looked at me sharply. "Why did you bring him in our conversation? And don't call him Alpha, I've removed his position as an Alpha"

"I am just asking"

Nickolas sighed and replied, "The trial will be held the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow the council meeting will be held again to determine the appropriate punishment for Drake"

"Will I be have to come at the trial?" Nickolas just nodded his head in response. "What about the elders?"

"their authority was revoked in meddling with royal matters, but for Rowin, he was exiled to a remote place for several years"

"You know that they are still trying to separate us right?"

Nickolas nodded slowly. His face turned gloomy because he clearly realized what I was saying, "yes, but they can't do anything. They wouldn't dare fight me again after this incident." I sighed tiredly.

Looks like this is not over yet.