THE ALPHA'S HUMAN MATE

CHAPTER 8: HIS BEAST

DARIUS'S POV

I got up from my throne, walking out of the room with Kieran beside me.

“Your mother has requested to talk to you.”

“Tell her I'm busy,” I muttered to him, walking over to the elevator.

“You need to see her, Darius. She has been sending in a request to have an audience with you,” Kieran continued.

I sighed, glancing at him.

“You are well aware of the reason for the unending request. Right now, I am not in the mood to sit through a long list of potential females to be married to.”

I stepped into the elevator and pressed the seventh button.

“You know she is just worried about you. It's been years, and you still haven't found your mate,” Kieran stated. “She is scared you might end up alone, not having pups of your own and building your own family.”

I rolled my eyes and kept my hands folded against my chest.

I had long given up on finding a mate. It had been eight years since my first mating ritual.

The mating ritual was when the younger wolves, who had recently turned eighteen, got to meet their better halves.

Kieran was lucky enough to meet his on the night of the ritual.

His mate was definitely a perfect match for him. She was smart, beautiful, and an important person in the royal family, as she worked in the medical field as a doctor for the kingdom.

The Moon Goddess had blessed them three years after their union with a child of their own, Fiona, and now she was pregnant again, expecting their second pup.

“I have long given up on finding a mate. She doesn't have to worry about it. I can very well take better care of myself and the kingdom.”

My voice was as stern as ever.

The elevator slowly pulled open, and I stepped out, walking over to my room when I heard my name being called.

I took a deep breath, putting on a fake smile as I turned to look at my mother, who was standing right behind me, looking as graceful as ever.

Of course, she wouldn't mind coming over here.

I shot a glare at Kieran, making him cower. He gave me a guilty, sheepish smile, slowly taking a step back.

“Thank you for not telling him I was around,” my mother told Kieran with a small smile on her face.

“It's nothing, Your Highness,” he said, his eyes on me as he gulped. “I will take my leave now.”

Kieran returned to the elevator, giving me an apologetic smile as the doors closed.

“Mother, it's unnecessary for you to come.”

“Of course it is,” she countered, cutting me off. “I wouldn't be here if you hadn't ignored my request to see you.”

“You know I have been busy with the rogue attack and the affairs of the kingdom. I have no time to spare.”

“Hence my reason for being here. It also concerns the affairs of the kingdom, son,” she stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

She walked over to my room, and I immediately found myself blocking her path.

She quirked a brow at me, and I gave her a stern look, not faltering from her gaze.

“My room is being tidied up at the moment. It's best if we use the guest room.”

I ushered her into another room.

I had no idea why I did that.

Was it the fact that a certain someone was in there and I didn't want my mother to meet her or frighten her?

Why was I so worried about how she felt when she was someone I barely knew?

We both took our seats, facing each other.

“So, what affairs concerning the kingdom do you wish to talk about?”

“Oh, quit acting gullible. It's certain you are aware of my reason for being here.”

“I have no idea what you mean, Mother.”

I smirked, continuing to feign ignorance.

“How could I possibly know what troubles you?”

“Your birthday is coming soon, Darius, and since you took over the kingdom seven years ago, you have done exceptionally well. I'm sure your father would be proud of you if he were alive.”

“Do you mind getting to the point, Mother?”

I pressed, not wanting to talk about my father, especially not with her.

It was clear that my mother and I didn't have the best relationship, and it was no one's fault but hers.

Here she was, trying to patch things up between us by acting like a mother to me when she hadn't done so for a long time.

I watched her sigh, looking at me with sad eyes.

“The kingdom needs an heir.”

She continued speaking.

“I was able to do a little bit of investigation here and there, and I think Alpha Demetrios' daughter of the Shadow Pack will be a perfect fit for you.”

“She is beautiful, with a nice, curvy body. She is also of high standard, and she has many suitors asking for her hand in marriage.”

“I have no interest in Alpha Demetrios' daughter. I have met her, and I do agree she is beautiful with a nice body, like you said, but she is nothing but a spoiled little brat. She will definitely do the kingdom no good.”

I declined her offer, rising to my feet.

“We will see how great she is for the kingdom because I invited her over for your birthday. She will be here in a week or two.”

I clenched my jaw, and my hand formed a fist.

“If you think anything is going to change because you invited her here, think again. When she is done visiting, she will very well know the way out of my palace.”

I growled, stomping out of the room and into mine.

I slammed the door shut while trying to control my breath.

After trying for a second to control my anger and failing, I decided to go for the next best thing.

I got out of my clothes, threw them into the laundry basket, and walked into the bathroom.

I turned on the shower, stepping back as the cold water dripped from my head down my body.

The soft sound of footsteps in the bedroom pricked my ear, and a smile subconsciously graced my face.

I got out of the shower, wrapping a towel around my waist.

I pulled open the door and was engulfed by a beautiful scent.

Glancing over to where Elara stood, I saw her spin around, looking everywhere but at me, and I smirked.

I admit that I had asked about her and knew who she was.

Elara was the only surviving member of her family, as all her other relatives were dead.

Taking in her nervous state and how her head moved to the side like she was tempted to look back, the smirk on my face increased, deciding to give her breathing space.

I walked into the closet, changing into a set of clean, comfortable clothes before stepping out.

Yet again, her back was to me.

Even when I took a seat on the couch, she refused to look at me.

It was like she was avoiding my gaze.

After getting fed up with her behaviour, I got up from my seat and stood behind her, causing her to hit my chest when she turned.

She kept her head down, still refusing to look at me, rubbing her hands over her forehead.

“You've been avoiding me. Why?” I asked, looking down at her.

“I'm not avoiding you, Your Majesty,” her tiny, timid voice replied, not making any attempt to lift her head.

I knew it was part of the rule for them to keep their heads down until told otherwise, but I had a feeling she was using that to avoid looking at me.

“Really? Then why won't you look at me?”

She didn't say anything, but due to my super hearing ability, I was able to hear the wince in her voice even though she didn't want to make it obvious.

I looked down at her with a frown on my face.

Was she hurt?

Did something happen to her?

And was that why she wouldn't look at me?

I could also smell the blood. It wasn't particularly prominent, but it was there too.

“Lift your head up,” I commanded, trying not to scare her.

She shook her head, disobeying my orders.

“I said to raise your head up.”

My voice boomed around the room, causing her to shift back slightly and her body to tremble.

Her head slowly lifted until she was looking right into my eyes.

When I saw the bruise and the swelling on her cheek, I was confused at first.

My eyes lingered on the injury.

A growl left my lips, my eyes trailing up to look at hers before moving back to her cheek.

I cupped her cheek, and her eyes widened.

I tried to be as gentle as I could but stopped when she winced, moving away from my hold.

My eyes softened at her terrified state, and then suddenly the storm started brewing inside me.

It wasn't just my anger.

It was Silver's too.

We were both pissed.

The three of us were.

“Who?”

She shifted her gaze away from me.

Why was she protecting the person who hurt her?

I became extremely pissed, blowing through the wall behind her.

It only made my anger increase even more as the image of her injured face clouded my mind.

I started thrashing the room, throwing bookshelves as I imagined them to be the culprit's face.

I kept throwing things around the room.

This was the only way to appease myself and Silver, as we wanted nothing but blood for whoever had done this.

How dare they?

How dare they touch what was mine?

She was mine.

Who gave them the right to hurt her this way?

I could feel my eyes turn fully red and my fangs begin to come out, but they stopped when a loud sob filled the room.

Elara was slumped against the wall, panicking, and I had scared her even more by frightening myself.

How could I have frightened her even more?

Walking over to her, I got down on my knees.

My hand reached for her, but she flinched, and a fearful look graced her face.

She was terrified of me.

Of course she would be.

Not with the way I had acted a minute ago.

She had seen the beast in me, even though it wasn't in its full form.