A Lover and A Liar

Conversations and Gossips

Rubbing his face with his hands, Julian let out a troubled groan. The lunch not only had ended up being ruined, but so was his mood after that.

His confused wolf was not helping the situation either. Instead, he only made it worse. He was supposed to desire no other female but his other half, which happened to be Katherine, a she-wolf. The kind of specie the male wolves wanted to have more as a mate, truth be told.

Then why was his wolf so obsessed over a wolfless witch he had met a few days ago?

"My King."

Julian was about to throw something against the wall. "Damn it, why does no one want to follow my orders around here? I've told you you can call me Julian, Annie! Why does everybody feel the need to refer me in titles all of the sudden?!" He hadn't realized his voice had risen until Annie looked taken aback by his sudden outburst. "I'm sorry... That was stupid and out of place." He looked down at the shining floor of his Throne Room. "It isn't you, really."

It was clear to him who it was, however.

"It's alright." She flashed him her bright, careless smile. "We all have our bad days."

"Still, I shouldn't have let it out on you," he kept apologizing. "Nick would throw a punch or two."

Annie let out a laugh, and so did he after her. "Nick can be annoying most of the times," she said, and they both knew she didn't mean it. He could, but Annie most probably found that adorable.

All by itself, his mind went back to her, the lovely witch, once more. "Annie, do you have any idea where Alina is?" He didn't know why he was exactly asking, he just had to know for some reason. 

"I've been busy so I haven't officially met her yet, but one of my maids told me she was at the library with Cedric," she explained.

"Cedric?!" Julian could feel the frown on his face. "On the library? With Alina? That's odd."

She shrugged. "I thought so too, but then why not? Alina is a gorgeous unmated female and Cedric an annoyingly handsome man. They could be enjoying each other's company."

Swallowing down hard, Julian sat down on his throne, trying his very best to bit back the growl that rumbled on his chest, all caused by his wolf right down his surface. He closed his eyes for a second, calming himself down. Julian being worked up over this did not make any sense. Any at all.

Yet he couldn't help the desire to rush out of this room and interrupt whatever was going on there.

Annie seemed to figure out something was wrong with him. Dragging a chair across the room, she sat down in front of his throne, her expression turning serious all of the sudden. It was always one of those times when her eyes inspected him until she found out what was going on with him.

And right now, Julian didn't want her to.

"Something is bothering you," she simply pointed out.

Shaking his head, Julian lied with a straight face, "Just usual political matters. The situation with the rogues is getting out of hands and I don't know how to stop it."

"I know that, Julian, it's been going on for three years now. But something else is bothering you. Something more... personal."

He admired how she was not afraid to speak what was on her mind, which was exactly what he wanted in his Beta female and his friend too, but today it was just not the day. Especially when Julian couldn't understand his own feelings himself.

"It's just..." he sighed, "complicated."

Nodding, she gave him a sympathetic smile. "I can already see that. And you don't have to talk to me if you don't want to, but I want you to know I'm always here to listen," she reassured him. "Just because Estelle and Evelyn aren't here, and just because Katherine isn't... deep-conversations material, doesn't mean you should feel alone. And I know you might feel that once in a few times. Being King comes with lots of responsibilities."

The smile that spread on his face was thankful. Sad. And mixed with other feelings he didn't know how to explain otherwise.

"You always know where to find me," she added, getting up and turning on her heels, walking away from him.

"Annie?" Julian's words stopped her on her tracks.

"Yes?" she turned to face him once more.

"How do you feel... about Dominic? If that isn't a really personal question to ask."

She didn't do a good job at hiding the pity on her face, making Julian instantly regret his question. Annie was the only one who didn't try to hide her dislike for Katherine, and she had openly told him a few times over the years he deserved way more.

"I don't really know how to explain it to you, Julian. I just know that I'm incomplete without him, that I would still choose him, every time." With that, she opened the door and left Julian to his own thoughts.

He knew she was trying to reassure him, be there for him, but at the same time she was only proving his point. Because no one he had ever known in life didn't feel that strongly for their mate.

His mother had always been in love with her mate even though their families separated them.

Arthmael had gone against everything, everyone, the whole world to have Evelyn, and so had she.

Victor could burn towns with a snap of his fingers for Estelle, Julian had no doubt about it.

The only one that hadn't loved his mate enough to choose her... was his father.

So perhaps he was not as much different from his father as people made him to be. And this terrified him even more than the already undeniable attraction he had for another woman, one that wasn't his mate.

***

It didn't matter how much Julian told himself he wouldn't go there, his feet sent him right in front of the library's door nonetheless. It was inevitable. He wanted―no, he needed―to see what was going on. If what he feared was coming true. If there was indeed a spark between them just as it was between her and Julian.

He was being paranoiac, maybe even kind of stalkerish, but he wouldn't sleep tonight if he didn't find out for himself.

"Your Highness." The librarian who just walked out of the door bowed down to him.

"Evening," Julian only told her, trying to focus his hearing on the conversation happening inside, which he couldn't. The library was too big to allow him to hear clearly.

"Are you looking for the Gamma, my King?" the old she-wolf asked. "I can bring him here for you."

"That isn't necessary." Julian shook his head, his gaze still focused at the door.

"He is helping the new Lady with some books she wants," her voice dropped lower as she spoke, finally taking Julian's attention, as if she wanted to tell him some gossips she had heard. "But if you ask me, they are having a good time together." As if to confirm her words, a sweet laugh was heard from inside the library, and Julian knew too well who it belonged to. "Told you. Mark my words, it won't be long from now when he marks her."

Bowing one last time, the librarian walked away from him.

Julian's wolf roared possessively, a thin line keeping him back from breaking Julian's skin. His fist connected with the closest stone wall until his knuckles started bleeding. But for the biggest irony, Alina laughed even harder, adding a bit more to his irony as the seconds passed by.

Julian walked to the other direction as fast as he could, until Katherine happened to be in front of him. One of his arms wrapped around her waist and the other on her head as he crushed his lips on hers.

Katherine was clearly taken aback, and so were the people around them.

There was just a lingering trace of sparks but nothing more. Nothing as strong as it should be.

Without saying a word, he let her go from his arms, let his wolf out and ran out of the castle in the speed of the lightening. Out of the Court, inside a forest that made him breathe at least for. His wolf threw his head back and howled to the moon that had already appeared on the sky.

He howled so hard, Julian was sure everyone back on the castle had already heard.