Chapter 4

(Blaze)

MY lower half didn’t agree with me, but Natalia didn’t have to know that. Being involved with the soon to be queen was like buying a ticket to hell. Mikhail would certainly wage war. And as much as I craved the bloodshed, I had no plans of going through it all because of one woman no matter what she looked like.

Natalia’s dimples showed up when she forced herself to smile.

“Don’t worry, General. The feeling is mutual this time,” she replied before sliding down the car.

The princess was calm as if she was walking towards a party and not a war zone. This may be her home but every corner of the castle and every place in this kingdom have become a dangerous place for her now. There were many hyenas among the council who were only waiting for the golden opportunity to strike and steal the king’s throne.

With Mikhail still unconscious, the future of his daughter had become bleak. Her position had become unstable. Half the citizens were uncertain about her for her lack of wolf and then there were the vampires who would no doubt target her to weaken the kingdom. Natalia knew all that.

I walked behind her as she approached the king’s room. All the servants greeted her, and she greeted them back with a soft smile but all the bravado she put on had faltered the minute she opened the door and saw her father lying on the bed. Tears streamed down her eyes as she ran to him and held his hand.

My jaw clenched when all of a sudden, I heard the commotion downstairs.

“Let us in! We need to talk to Her Highness!”

I knew that voice. That was from Richard, one of the council members.

“The princess has just arrived, my lord,” Fernan, the butler, explained. “She needs time to be with His Majesty and to rest. She will summon you all once she is ready.”

“Are you kidding me? This is a crucial moment! There is no time to rest! Her Highness needs to meet with us right now to save herself and this kingdom! Tell her that my son and I are requesting a meeting. She needs to select a husband who will rule the kingdom with her. And my son Alec has all the qualifications needed to become the next king. I need to introduce them now to each other before the other lords bring their sons and nephews here. I heard they are now on their way here.”

“But my lord-“

“Hurry up and call Her Highness now!” Richard barked.

Natalia must have heard that. She winced.

I did warn her. I should no longer get involved. I was only here to assist her. However, this would never stop unless I do something. More lords would barge in, demanding their sons to be the next king. I knew their kind. They would pressure her and would never hesitate to use all methods to get what they want from her.

Mikhail and his daughter could lose everything.

The kingdom could fall into the hands of those hyenas, and it would certainly go down. Mikhail may be a lot of things but at least, he was a responsible and fair king.

I glanced at the doctors and the servants inside and motioned them to give the princess some time to think. They left right away and closed the door while I stared at the king’s face for a few seconds, silently cursing him for leaving last week without his guards. In all the years I’d known him, he had never been this reckless.

My wolf had sensed the lords’ presence downstairs. All of them were now here, demanding to meet Natalia and threatening the butler and my beta to use violence when none of them could even say a word and lift a damn finger when Mikhail was still conscious.

Natalia lifted her head, and I almost cussed again upon seeing her tears. She was not ready for this. She was exhausted. After all, she had one hell of a night, and she just found out about her father’s condition. But as much as I wanted her to rest in her room, it was simply impossible at the moment.

Those bastards would not stop unless she went downstairs to face them. They were manipulators. It was their forte. If I let her out tonight, they would certainly eat her alive.

“General, you are the only one I could trust right now. You are currently the only official I know who is loyal to my father and to the kingdom,” she started in a shaky but determined voice.

I shut my eyes for a moment before saying, “I’m at your beck and call, your highness.”

She wiped her tears away. “I need your help, General. I am commanding you to do it for the sake of the kingdom. After this, I promise I will grant you a wish as long as it will not harm anyone.”

Natalia was a wise woman. I could already guess what her next words would be.

“The council fears you and the citizens believe in you. Marry me. The marriage will be fake, of course,” she added quickly. “It’s only until the doctors find a way to cure my father. Once he wakes up, we will stop the fake marriage. You have my word. I will have that written in a contract.”

“Even if I say yes, I won’t be your salvation all the time, Natalia. Depending on things, I could even end up as your destruction.”

“You won’t destroy me again, General, in case that’s what you are worried about. Only my mate and the man I love could destroy me and you are neither. We are safe with each other.”

Safe.

I almost laughed at the word she recklessly used. There was this fire still blazing between us. I knew she had felt it too. I could never guarantee that I could keep her innocence, that her body would be safe with me and with my beast.

And she was aware of that.

She knew the risks. It was like choosing between the devil and the deep blue sea.

And she chose me, the devil.

Before I could answer, the door opened, revealing Richard. He frowned upon seeing me inside the king’s room while the son he was boasting about quickly hid behind him.

“I don’t think you are supposed to be here this late at night, General Kingston,” he said in a low voice before shifting his attention to Natalia. He bowed. “Greetings, your highness. Forgive us for the intrusion. My son Alec and I are here to offer a proposal that I believe you must not decline seeing your lack of wolf until now-“

Before Richard could say another trash, my fist landed onto his face. “Disrespect my fiancée again and I will send you to your maker.”

He gasped and so did Natalia. I looked at her, knowing full well that through agreeing to this marriage, I just signed my own death certificate.

My best friend would never forgive me for this.

Still, I found myself swallowing my words back in the car when I spoke, “You’ve got yourself a deal, doll.”