Marked By The Demon Lycan King

Fourteen

CULLEN

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"Please forgive my daughter's behavior my lord." Alpha Cullman apologized as she walked out of the hall leaving Cullen in shock. Was he suddenly seeing ghosts? He was certain that she was the same person he rescued—His mate. She was the same drunk woman who was almost kidnapped by those goons.

But how come she doesn't recognize him? She didn't even look surprised like he was. Was she that good at acting? Or maybe she recognized him and that was why she left so quickly. Was she trying to avoid him? But even if she was, why didn't he feel the mating pull? Why was his wolf suddenly quiet. He wasn't growling like it was when he had rescued her before.

"I guess that she's feeling shy. Please do not take her character to heart. She's only but a child." He continued but Cullen was the least bothered about it. His eyes were fixed on the door as though she was still there.

"My lord?" Degar called out and he jolted back to reality.

"Alpha Cullman has been talking to you." He went further to add. "You have been zoning out on all our conversations. He's pleading with you to forgive his daughter's behavior earlier." Degar whispered to him while he tried to recollect himself.

"Ah..." He blurted out unconsciously "Do not worry about that Alpha king. I understand and if it's alright with you then I would like to take my leave."

"But you just got here." He primped "Stay a little longer please so that we can discuss the rest of the arrangements for the future. If you leave now, it'll only mean that we were bad hosts who couldn't take care of the needs of the Lycan king on his first visit here."

Cullen thought about what the Alpha had said and decided that it would be best if he stayed. Plus, maybe it might be the only way to figure out why Aria had pretended not to recognize him. He would stay and find out some things for himself.

"Alright!" He agreed at last.

Degar led him to the table where he had been seated earlier and he immediately sat down. The maids served them their food and they conversed as they finalized to come to an agreement.

Although Cullen tried his best to stay positive and pay attention to the Alpha, he couldn't. He mind was scattered and he found his thoughts wandering around the place. Degar answered most of the questions because he was just not in the mood to make conversations.

The meeting ended with the Alpha taking him for a stroll around the pack. After familiarizing themselves and amongst the pack members, he finally decided that it was time that they left.

"Thank you for coming all the way here my lord." Alpha Cullman appreciated him with a warm smile "I know that you have a lot of things to do but still chose to be here instead and for that, I'm extremely grateful."

"The pleasure is mine Alpha king. Thanks for inviting me." They both shook hands cordially.

"Would you like me to send for Aria so that she may see you off?" He offered.

Cullen thought about what he had just said but chose to decline "There is no need to. I would be back again before the marriage is finalized and I am certain that we would meet again."

Cullman nodded "That is kind of you."

He gestured to the guards and they approached them with gifts. "Please accept this, as a token of our bond and new formed alliance."

"This won't be necessary..."

"It is a tradition my lord. My eldest daughter is getting married after all and I would like to make sure that I don't miss out on any details. Please accept."

He breathed out slowly through his nostrils "Alright."

He darted his eyes at Degar who in turn instructed the escorts to accept the gifts that they were offering.

"We will take our leave now!" And with that, they made their way out of the pack gates and into the woods as they started the journey for their pack.

"You seem out of it my lord. Is everything okay?" Degar proceeded to ask halfway through their journey. He sighed deeply while his brain kept on calculating about what had happened earlier.

He couldn't seem to get the image of what he had seen out of his mind. That woman was his Mate or was she not?

"I think it's better of you actually told me what is wrong with you because i cannot understand you anymore." Degar told him incredulously.

"Tell you what?"

"Earlier today," He began "When we arrived at the pack, you seemed lost. Not to mention that you had zoned out on all conversations that was held concerning your marriage. It was a little strange to see you acting that way."

"Remember the woman that I had rescued on our trip to the human world?" He willed him to remember.

"The woman at the bar? The one that you mentioned was your mate? How could I forget that piece of information?" Degar paraded himself in his intellect and sharp memory.

"She is the same person that was introduced today as my bride to be." He broke down the news to him.

"By the goddess!" Degar uttered in shock. His ears suddenly couldn't believe what he had just heard.

"Are you sure?" He went further to ask "Maybe you're mistaken or imagining things—"

"I thought I was too but I wasn't. She was the same person. The same woman. The same face and everything. I do not imagine things." He cautioned him.

"Isn't this good news? If she was the same person then it only means that you are getting married to your mate." Degar chimed happily "I cannot believe that the woman we found for you was actually your own mate. If this isn't fate then I don't know what to call it."

Cullen actually wanted to believe that it was fate but something deep down told him that it wasn't. This is just the goddess trying to mess with him as always.

"Isn't it good news?" Came Degar's inquisitive voice.

"In as much as I don't care if it is, there's one thing that bothers me though."

"Which is?" He pressed.

Cullen glanced at his Beta, his eyes cold as his facial features took on a different expression.

"I didn't feel the mating pull." He commented "Unlike in the human world when my wolf fawned over her, I didn't feel anything here. Even when I got closer to her, I still felt nothing. There was no longing, no need, no aching."

"But that's impossible. You had perceived her scent before haven't you?"

"I have and it wasn't what I perceived today." He folded his hands at his back "The woman I met today had the scent of a potential mate but it was nothing like I had experienced that day. My wolf didn't try to claim her which brings me to the question? Was I mistaken or was she just pretending not to know me?"

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ADRIA

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Adria stood in front of the full length mirror but her thoughts were centered on one thing. The man that had rescued her. She couldn't stop thinking about him. Ever since he rescued her, he had always been on her mind. The need and longing she had for him only tripled by the minute. She had thought that she would forget about him but she hasn't. She couldn't. Although she was mad at him for saying all those hurtful things to her, she was still grateful she already felt the sensation of having a mate.

She sensed how happy her wolf was anytime she thought about him and it made her wonder if she was ever going to get over him. The more she thought about him, the more clearer it became that she was indeed his mate but then what if she never sees him again?

Adria finished up her dressing and was halfway through the stairs when her sister rushed past her with the maids trailing behind her. Perturbed, she took to her heels and ran after her sister till she got to the confinement of their chambers.

Shutting the door behind her, she faced Aria who had her head buried deep inside her pillow "What happened? I was on my way to the banquet hall only to see you coming back up. Did you meet him?"

Aria lifted up her face with a scrowl "One question at a time Adria. This isn't a twenty one question thing."

"That's because I'm worried about you." She approached her sister "Did something happen? Answer me?"

"I met up with him alright." She sighed deeply "And judging from his cold stare and demeaning look and attitude, I've made up my mind. I don't think that I can go ahead with this marriage."

"What?"

"I don't want to get married to him Adria. He looked so dangerous, like he would end my life if he gets the slightest opportunity to do so." She shrieked in fright.

"But Aria listen—"

"You had asked me to at least try and I have done that Adria and now I am telling you that I cannot go through with this." She repeated for the second time "As it is, I would rather die or run away than to end up with that man and that is my final decision." Aria whispered with an air of finality while she stood rock solid as her brain calculated the next word to say to her sister.