Yifa's POV
"You are to obey all my commands," he continued, his words laden with authority. "If anything goes awry, you shall face punishment." Punishment? Would he truly subject his own mate to such treatment? My father had never intentionally harmed my mother..
"Do you understand, rebel?" he inquired.
"Rebel, that's what he called me. He requested his partner to become his servant. What is this? Some sort of fetish?
"I-I don't understand. Wh--" I started to ask, but he abruptly interrupted me.
"I'm not asking; I'm commanding you to do it. You don't have the option to say yes or no."
"I give orders, and you obey them," he added, his voice devoid of warmth and emotion.
I couldn't resist any longer; his scent permeated my senses. He stood right in front of me, dangerously close.
I looked up, and immediately regretted it, for his gaze pierced into me with intensity.
Challenging me to defy him.
His eyes narrowed as I met his gaze, but fortunately, he didn't demand that I avert my eyes.
"I don't have unlimited patience. Do you understand what I've said?"
I nodded once again. Perhaps, when we're alone, he'll treat me with more civility.Indeed, that might be the essence of it. His intention could be to shield me from prying eyes, just as in the stories from my childhood that my mother used to tell me.
Those tales depicted kings facing numerous adversaries who would exploit the queen's vulnerability to weaken the king. They would seize the queen and employ her as leverage to coerce the king into complying with their demands.
Taking a deep breath, I attempted to rationalize his behavior. Perhaps that was the underlying reason behind his actions - ensuring my safety amidst the threat posed by his enemies. Nevertheless, deep down, I couldn't escape the thought that I was merely attempting to justify his conduct because I refused to believe that my partner was neglecting me.
"Very well. Black, I request that you accompany her to my chambers. I have made the necessary arrangements," Killian commanded, addressing Black. With one final glance in my direction, he departed from the scene.
Black acknowledged the order with a nod and then bowed before shifting his gaze towards me. I watched as he retreated, followed closely by two guards.
I found myself silently questioning, "Is this my bedroom? Or is it his room?" Lately, I had been asking myself that question quite frequently, reflecting the overwhelming confusion that enveloped me.
The butterflies in my stomach resurfaced, confirming my intuition that he was merely being cautious due to the prying eyes observing our every move. My inner omega echoed with anticipation, assuring me that we would reunite with our mate once more, this time in the privacy of his own bedroom.
"Follow me," Black beckoned, breaking the silence that hung in the air. I complied, trailing behind him in hushed footsteps, my mind still consumed by the whirlwind of recent events.
"Please forgive him for his rudeness," Black suddenly interjected, positioning himself in front of me. "It's not his true nature. He's just endured a great deal."
At first, I couldn't muster a response. I was at a loss for words, uncertain of how to react. While there might have been underlying reasons for his behavior, it didn't justify the way he had treated me. After all, I was his mate.
"Could you elaborate on that?" I inquired, curiosity seeping into my voice.
"I'm sorry, but I cannot disclose that information. It is not within my authority to reveal anything," I expressed apologetically. I nodded once more, comprehending the notion that royal families harbor numerous undisclosed secrets concealed from the public eye.
As I shifted my gaze towards Black, a profound sadness emanated from his countenance. Despite being a Knight, he exuded an aura of gentleness and kindness.
"Are you acquainted with him?" I inquired, eager to delve deeper into my companion's connection.
Black nodded affirmatively, responding, "Yes, we are actually good friends. We have been friends since childhood."
My eyes widened in surprise, for childhood friends often possess contrasting personalities. Black embodied shyness coupled with kindness, while Killian exuded an air of aloofness and detachment.
"Isn't it surprising?" Black remarked with a chuckle, acknowledging the shared reaction people tend to have upon discovering their friendship.
"I hope you don't take offense, but you're absolutely right," I replied with complete honesty. As I observed him, I couldn't help but notice how good he looked when he smiled. However, that smile quickly vanished as Black expressed his thoughts, saying, "But he's changed. He's changed a lot."
Lost in his own thoughts, Black appeared deep in contemplation. I chose to remain silent, hoping that he would open up further and share more of what was on his mind. Eventually, he continued, "But you know what? Despite everything he's been through, he's putting in tremendous effort to appear strong." There was a sense of pride in his voice as he spoke those words to me.
Black's expression carried a tinge of sadness, yet he seemed to harbor a certain admiration for his friend. It made me wonder about the trials and tribulations that Killian had endured. This was definitely not what I had expected when I first encountered my mate. Then again, I never anticipated that my mate would also be a king.
Life was brimming with surprises, but unfortunately, not all surprises lead to a happy ending. I was about to learn that lesson the hard way.
Yifa sighed quietly as she watched the snow falling outside their window, and then occasionally to the dying flames in the fireplace. Her head was resting on her hands which lay over the hard plane of her mate's chest, enjoying the steady rise and fall of his breaths.There was a slightly withered flower in their vase beside the bed, probably the last to bloom before this winter started; it was always colder in the mountains, colder than any winters either of them had experienced before. But this winter, Yifa was surrounded by nothing but warmth.When she saw snow, it was always accompanied by a strange nostalgia.She thought of shivering nights and lonely days sitting by the fire, shut indoors and not wanting to go out because of the coldness that would greet her irrespective of the weather.They were now living in the South where Killian was still the Alpha King.This is where they started their life together while they left the Western kingdom to Derek and George .Somehow, though,
Yifa felt a longing ache in his chest.She wished she could have a child too, one day.But if she was to have a child she wanted to be able to raise them in a good place, with a good mate, where they would be treasured and loved. She wondered if Killian ever wanted pups. She brushed off the thought - there was no point dwelling on possibilities that she had now buried.Besides, she could never raise a child here - they'd be ostracised and ridiculed, would have to carry the same burden she did. An innocent child didn't deserve that."Queen - flower!" She grinned, deep dimples in her cheeks. She picked up a fallen flower, still nicely bloomed though a slight brown on the tip of one petal, and tried to tuck it behind Yifa 's ear.Yifa helped her place it securely before taking her hand. "Thank you, Mila."She giggled before walking a few steps back, touching her crown. Then she raised her arms suddenly, facing in a different direction. "Father!"Yifa glanced towards the approaching alpha
Yifa blinked up at Elena and Anita , perhaps the only people in the palace that was friendly to her by choice, and tried to ignore the tightness of her throat and the guilt swirling in her stomach, hands shaking from the aftershocks.Elena finally fell in love with Derek and allowed herself to be more than just second chance mates.At this age, they thought that their mates must have died or they were somewhere out there happy with someone else so they decided to get together as well.Surprisingly, Anita was actually Jacob 's true mate. They ended up meeting when they visited Yifa when she was still injuredThey started building their own life together just like Elena and Derek .George , the last brother of the Storm's, was back and he ended up replacing Black as the Head Knight. Yifa met him and he looked scary at first but he was actually a big softie once they get to know him better."Are you alright, Yifa ?" Elena asked quietly, smile so warm.Yifa nodded, suppressing the whimper
Yifa knew something had been off when she felt a strange scent permeate the air. It was about midday, and she was starting to get a bit dazed and weak from dehydration, so she hadn't paid heed to the prickles of a predator's stare.It wasn't until a large wolf stepped out in front of her that she felt her heart thud against her ribcage and her breath catch in her constricting throat.Growl low in the throat and teeth bared.Alpha.It was slightly scrawny, but still built with muscle, and from the dark, vicious look in its eyes it was ready to kill.Yifa was frozen to the spot. There was no use running, she'd hardly have time to change even if she tried. The wolf must be a rogue, and judging from its reaction, Yifa had ventured too close into his territory. Rogue wolfs didn't take kindly to outsiders - they had little morals and ethical values. This wolf wouldn't care that Yifa was a weak omega and an absolute threat to no one. He'd have no qualms ripping her apart.Yifa 's hands clen
Yifa and Killian continued to live together as mates but if nobody knew about them being mates, they would assume that they were only acquaintances because they rarely talk and they are rarely seen together.Killian kept to himself in his office trying to look busy even if he wasn't.Sometimes, he really is busy because ever since he defeated the South, he has been appointed as the new King of the South as well.It wasn't really his intention to take that role because the only thing on his mind at that time was Yifa and that Brian was a threat to Yifa 's life so he needed to dispose of him as soon as possible.But now that he was given the South as a new responsibility, he wasn't exactly happy about it but he had no regrets about killing Brian because Yifa 's safety will always be his priority.He has been creating major decisions for the South because when he visited them once after the war, they had a poor and underdeveloped living state which means he needed to allocate some of the
'Where is she?" Killian asked while climbing down the stairs quickly and abruptly."We made sure she's in the prison as soon as you gave us the order, Your Highness," The guard said while following Killian down.They will not allow their King to enter the dungeon without any security even if it was against the future Queen of the kingdom.Killian nodded before clenching his fists at the anger radiating from every part of his body at the thought of Yifa suffering because of her!How can she act so innocent while watching Yifa suffer from his own hands?When Killian got there, he looked at the woman sitting on the floor with her head tucked in between her knees.If Killian didn't know any better, he would feel guilty and sad for her state but knowing what she did, he doesn't feel any kind of pity or sympathy for her."Do you know what you did? Do you know why you're here?" Killian asked while looking down at her.She must have been sleeping because, at the sound of his voice, she imme