KING'S MATE

Tragic Past

The next day I awake with a feeling of peace.

My body feels fresh and last night I slept so soundly because every night while I was here, only this time I felt my soul calmer and didn't feel the burden on my shoulders.

I blinked and intended to get up, but something forced me to stay.

My forehead constricted and saw what object held me back, but what I got wasn't an object but a sturdy arm that held me. I smiled when I realized who the owner of this arm was. I turned around and found the gray eyes of the man who had filled my day for days.

His eyes met me and his gaze made my day brighter. "Good morning," I said happily.

"morning," he answered simply. Nickolas moved closer and pushed my head against his chest which was only covered by a plain white shirt. "I will never let you go, little mate"

I grinned and wrapped my arms around his waist, "hmm but you still have to try to win my heart first, My King," I giggled, amused when I heard him growling softly.

"This is my promise Gween, you will fall in love with me on the night of the next full moon and that's when I will claim you completely" Nickolas whispered sensually.

His hand moved stroking my back and dropped down then stopped on my butt. He squeezed it so hard that I cried out in surprise.

"Nickolas!" I protest annoyed.

Nickolas rose from the bed and kissed my lips and forehead. I noticed that his simple gesture like kissing my forehead was his latest habit that was done only for me. He convinced himself that I was real and in front of him, and convinced myself that he chose me.

Nickolas laughed and walked away from the room. I saw his figure disappear behind the door and moan softly. I lay back and stared blankly at the ceiling.

I glanced back at the door when I heard it open. Nickolas stepped in with his perfect suit, he even wore a vest under the suit.

I blinked and foolishly asked, "how come you take a bath so fast?"

Nickolas rolled his eyes and pulled me from the bed, "It's already been thirty minutes. I waited for you down earlier and when I found out that you were still in my room I decided to come here to make sure you didn't go back to sleep." My eyes rounded and glanced at the digital clock above nightstand.

I cried out in surprise and immediately ran to the bathroom.

How long have I been daydreaming?

***

"Why do you look so formal today, Nick?" I asked, once again paying attention to Nickolas's appearance.

I compared his appearance with my appearance then sighed. We are so different and look like two worlds forced to unite. He looks like a young executive --- ekhm means Alpha King who works as a young executive, while I am just an ordinary person.

I only wear black pencil pants with a long-sleeved shirt that I believe belongs to Nickolas because I found it in Nickolas's closet.

I'm glad that part is now open, first when I was here the cupboard was locked tightly and I didn't know what was in it, but now I already knew and my curiosity about the contents of that cupboard was gone.

"Today the castle opened and all members of the Royal Pack were present to reveal their problems to me. I also had to have another meeting with Alpha from the Red Moon Pack."

"Really? Are you going to use your crown Nick?" I said amused. The thought of Nickolas wearing a crown makes me slightly amused. Because this is the first time Nickolas wore the object over his head. "Are you going to wear royal robes too?"

"Apparently yes," he muttered softly. My laugh exploded immediately and I had to stop walking because of laughter.

Really, just imagining it was funny, but I'm sure Nickolas would look handsome and match his robe and crown.

Nickolas waited for me to stop laughing and then commented, "just this time you can laugh at me, if you do it again then I will punish you" I rolled my eyes at the threat. "I'm serious Gween," Nickolas said firmly.

The two guards near us seemed flinched at Nickolas's words, which were filled with the power of an Alpha, but for some reason the Alpha's tone didn't work on me anymore.

"Yes My King"

Nickolas let out a rude breath and grunted, "I know you're not serious about what you say"

"Looks like you know me better."

"Trust me Little Mate, I know you more than you know yourself" I ignored his comment and chose to look at the dining room.

I was a little surprised when I saw two strangers present at the dinner table. One man in his forties and the other a woman who may be only a few years above me.

The Nickolas Elite Team already in their seats, except Vincent.

I felt the aura around Nickolas turn cold, but I didn't say anything and chose to walk over to my section chair at the end of the table. Right on the right side of the head of the table, where Nickolas used to sit.

Everyone on the table stood up as Nickolas walked into the room. They bowed while saying, "Alpha King" and sat back down when Nickolas invited them.

I just blinked because I rarely saw this sight.

Hell, even Joshua and Edmund who usually don't care if Nickolas entered the dining room also did the same thing. The door to the dining room opened again and the person I was looking for walked in. "Sorry I'm late," he said simply. He pulled a chair right next to me that was empty while throwing a smile at me, "hi scaredy cat"

"Don't call me like that, Vincent!" I hissed softly. Vincent just grinned and patted my back softly. I turned my face to the plate that was filled with food. I thought about talking privately with Vincent.

He had to explain all the background he had been hiding with me, but unfortunately I hadn't found the right time because he was always busy meeting with Nickolas or Nickolas who deliberately kept Vincent busy so we didn't have time to talk.

"Jaxon, have you prepared the jet according to my command?" Nickolas asked, breaking the silence that felt tense in the dining room. I looked up and looked at Nickolas in surprise. My eyes then turned towards Jax and saw him nod a short head.

"It is My King"

"Do you want to leave when we are here, My King?" this time the question came from the stranger. I glanced at him and saw the man was staring at me in disgust.

I just sighed and glanced at the elegant woman who sat beside her. Shock and annoyance hit me when I saw that woman was giving a glance and a teasing smile that was so obvious to Nickolas. "And why is that man sitting in the seat reserved for the Queen? My daughter has the right to sit there because she is your future wife and queen"

Nickolas growled and looked at the man with a warning look. Jax cleared his throat slowly and chimed in the man's cold, flat tone, "because Miss Gween is the future queen of this kingdom Alpha Drake."

That man --- called Alpha Drake pursed his lips and snorted, "how can such a weak human being become a queen? Don't think about becoming a queen, maybe if she saw us transformed we would definitely faint or run away scared"

It looks like Nickolas could not stand hearing Alpha Drake scoffing at me because after Alpha Drake finished saying that sentence, Nickolas growled loudly and slammed the table with his palms hard until the desk cracked.

His eyes turned to gold and pointed sharply towards the Alpha. I took a breath when I saw Nickolas's fangs and claws coming out and his body was slowly overgrown with feathers. "Don't talk about my mate like that! Take your words back Alpha!" growled Nickolas.

Vincent held my hand behind the dining table and put his lips close to my ear, "calm your soulmate Gween, or he will kill the old man" he whispered so quietly.

"But My King, what my father said is true! I am your future queen and I ---"

"SHUT UP!!!" Nickolas shouted angrily. His breath roared because of such great anger. His eyes became sharper and there was an implied promise there.

"Now Gween, or Nickolas will be filled with the blood of those two fools," I nodded and rose. I slowly approached Nickolas then stroked his back slowly.

"it's okay Nick, calm down. I don't mind their words" I whispered softly. Nickolas quickly turned to me and growled softly.

"They've put you down in front of me"

"It's okay, I'm used to hearing it. They are just jealous, nothing more" I whispered again. My words seemed to make Nickolas calm down a little because he breathed in and closed his eyes for a moment. When his eyes opened again, the gray eyes that I longed for were there.

He put his arm around my waist and pulled me into his arms then Nickolas sank his face into the recesses of my neck and breathed my scent deeply.

After he felt sure that the wolf in his body was back in control, Nickolas moved away and sat down again.

I wanted to sit back in my chair, but Nickolas wouldn't allow it because he pulled my arm until I sat down right on his lap. "Your place is here. My lap, Gween"

"eh - uhh but ---"

"Shh, shut up and eat your breakfast calmly" Nickolas growled softly. Nickolas then looked at the two people who had made him almost out of control with a sharp look, "if you do something stupid like that again, then I will not be as reluctant to expel you as I expel a daughter of Alpha Jason"

Alpha Drake pursed his lips and his daughter just bowed her head. It's still morning and the day is still long, what will happen next?

Gosh, why did my life turn into drama like this?

***

"Are you ready, Gween?" Nickolas asked when he entered my room. He has changed his clothes to be more relaxed with dark jeans and sweaters.

He wore boots and his hair which was originally arranged neatly, now looks disheveled but looks so fitting for Nickolas. He is much younger if he looks like that.

"Have you finished your job at Castle, Nick? " I asked while raising an eyebrow. He nodded and stopped right in front of me. His hand reached out and stroked my hair slowly.

"If you could be there and stand beside me ... One day Gween, one day that will happen" he murmured full of promise.

I sighed and took his hand and held it tightly. "Are you sure about that Nick? It's just ---" Nickolas knelt before me and both hands gently squeezed my thighs. There was a smile filled with confidence on his adonis face.

"Only you have the right to sit on the throne, Gween, not someone else."

"But Nick, This is not my world --- New York is my world and I don't know how to become a Luna Queen. How do I get the respect of all werewolves if I am only a human?"

"Didn't you promise to give me a chance? You must fulfill it." Nickolas raised my hand and brought the back of my hand to his lips. "I believe in you Gween"

"Why?" I asked briefly.

"why? What?" Nickolas asked back.

"At the beginning of our meeting you were so cold and untouched. You were being rude to me and now? You look at me like I'm an angel sent down from the sky. I just don't understand your attitude Nickolas"

Nickolas sighed and stood up. He pulled my arm and asked me to follow him out of the room. We walked down the hall after hallway. No one spoke whether Nickolas and I were busy with their thoughts. Besides, this is my chance to feel Nickolas's warm hand for quite a long time.

I can also pay attention to his brave and sturdy back freely. He knew that if I watched him, that was evident from the strength of his grip. How would it feel if that hand --- "don't finish that thought Gween"

"huh?"

Nickolas stopped walking and turned to face me. His dark eyes turned to me so intensely that unconsciously, my body shivered and my nape stretched. The shock I used to feel when Nickolas touched me doubled in size until my breath roared. Nickolas walked over and stopped when the distance between us was so thin, only a few centimeters. "You already know that ---" whispered Nickolas in a hoarse voice, "---- I have strengthened our matebond by giving my sign to you, right?"

I nodded my head. "then?".

"Therefore I am able to read your mind easily and I beg you not to think of such things if you don't want me to lose control and fall upon you right now" a red tinge suddenly rose from my neck, into my ear and ended on my cheek. I am ashamed to know the fact that Nickolas can read my mind easily now.

"How can?"

Nickolas grinned and wrapped his arms around my waist. "It's easy, you're my soulmate and I have the right to know what's in your mind. Maybe I didn't know what was spinning in your head, but now that I claim you by giving a sign on your smooth neck, I can read you easily"

"I don't believe that"

"it's true baby ... It's true ..."

***

"What is this place Nick?" I asked as I entered a room filled with beautiful plants.

In the middle of the room is a small table surrounded by elegant park benches. On the table hung a small crystal chandelier that was so beautiful.

This place looks so beautiful and anyone who enters it, won't be bored and definitely feel at home here.

"This is my mother's indoor park. The late Queen Shafira," Nickolas muttered softly. He walked leaving me rooted to the spot and walked plant after plant in this place.

The late Queen Shafira.

So Nickolas's mother passed away?

I walked over to Nickolas who is currently sitting on the park bench. He was smiling at me while patting one of the park benches.

I obeyed his wish by sitting on the bench while watching Nickolas who was staring at a distance with a blank stare, but I could feel the pain that had been buried.

"I know you must be wondering all this time where my parents, right little mate?" I nodded my head and saw Nickolas laughing blandly. "they both died when I was ten years old"

I inhale.

"Maybe this has happened for a long time. Hundred years ago, but the memory is still so fresh in my brain," Nickolas said quietly.

"So what happened to Nick?" Nickolas took my hand and held it tightly and then he placed our hand link on his lap.

His head bowed for a few moments before looking up and his gray eyes that looked so fragile welcomed me. "I didn't know then, but that day everything went well" Nickolas took a breath and threw it away slowly, "I am the only child in this family because my mother cannot conceive anymore because of the great risk and my father doesn't want to face the risk.

They spoil me so much and love me. Father taught me how to be a wise king while my mother took care of me gently.

All that went well, but that day everything changed. That day is my tenth birthday. My father and mother with members of the Royal Pack celebrated in the castle. Everyone was so happy and happy, but one mistake my father made was to loosen security.

All the happiness turned into horror when the palace was attacked by a large group of Rogue who united to bring down the royal family. They are so cruel and kill everyone without exception. Royal Pack is known to be the strongest, but the element of surprise makes us all weak.

One by one the members of the Royal Pack were killed and only a few survived, including myself. At first my parents also survived, but when they were off guard some Rogues tried to attack me. My mother, of course, protected me. She fought back with all her strength, but everything has its limits, right? Likewise with my mother.

He began to fatigue and the rogue began to freely attack my mother. My father is across the room protecting other pack members.

Slowly my mother was no longer able and in the end she died from the wounds of the Rogues" my eyes felt hot and in the end a drop of tears fell down my cheek.

Nickolas smiled sadly and wiped away my tears that were dripping, "You don't deserve to cry Gween. I don't like seeing those precious tears flow in vain"

"This is not ---"

"Shh ... May I continue?" I nodded my head and Nickolas continued his story, "my father felt his matebond with my mother cut off. He searched the entire room and found my mother lying lifeless on the floor and I was crying for her.

My father immediately turned angry and the monsters inside him went out of control. He destroyed all the rogue only by himself. He was filled with sadness so profound because of the death of my mother, his soulmate.

My father survived at that time. He held a funeral for pack members who died, including my mother. Since my mother's death, father has changed. He became quiet and always spent his time working. Sometimes he took other women and made her mistress, but all didn't last long because my father would kill them when he was bored.

He no longer trained me as a wise King, but as a cruel and powerful king. He said that everyone would be afraid of me.

I often hear him cry or drink alcohol as impigment, but alcohol doesn't work for werewolf because our body's metabolism is different from humans, so my father is always conscious.

Two months later, something bad happened again. My father was in the study and I was in the room. We just had a fight because of our different thoughts.

Even he blamed me for the death of mother, of course in my heart I felt it was my fault, but I brushed it off and always convinced myself that it was all Rogue's fault.

I left the room and intended to apologize to dad, but I was surprised to see my father's body lying rigidly on the floor of his private study. A pistol with a silver bullet in his hand. A pool of blood surrounded his body and I could see the hole in his temple. That's when I lost my only parent"

Nickolas took a deep breath trying to regulate his emotions that must have been mixed. Repeating a bitter memory like that must be so heavy and very painful.

My free hand immediately encircled Nickolas's body and pulled it into my arms. Gives him all the warmth I have. Nickolas is alone, he doesn't have anyone to lean on and I promise to be someone he can lean on. "Nickolas..."

"Gween, my mother is a powerful werewolf. She's a daughter of Alpha and she's a warrior in her birth Pack, but she was killed by a cruel Rogue easily. Whereas my father chose to kill himself because of the pain and depression he experienced. He didn't being able to part by his soulmate and that makes him a cruel King"

"Nickolas ---"

"I don't want to feel it. Gween. Just say I'm a coward, loser, or selfish. I just don't want to feel what my father feels. My mother is a warrior, but die so easily. Especially you Gween? I can't imagine if you were killed just because I can't take care of you. I'm afraid "

"Nickolas it won't happen to me"

"That happened Gween!" Nickolas roared loudly, "because of that stupid decision of yours, I almost lost you! I felt what my father felt when he heard that your heart beat was gone! I can't feel that again" Nickolas looked at my eyeballs so sadly. There is a radiant fear that is so clear there and in the end I can get to know the man in front of me completely.

He just felt unsure and scared. After what happened to his late parents, Nickolas was traumatized and afraid that what his mother had experienced would be experienced by me too. "So are you trying to make me hate you? Are you trying to behave like that so I can hate you?"

"Partly yes and partly to convince me that I can live without you. If I can let you go and live with another woman. I think if you live without me, you will remain safe and well. No matter if I'm far from you as long as you stay breathe makes me relieved, but on the other hand I really need you beside me to stay alive."

"Nick, why do you think like that? Not all bad things that happen can make me die. If fate wants me to stay alive then I will live. Trust me if everything will be okay"

"But what if you die Gween? I'm sure I won't be able to live without you.I might do the same thing as my father did because no other woman could replace you."

"I promise I will never leave you Nick"

"promise?"

"I promise"