FIVE

KIARA

      He was warm and he smelt so good. Regardless of how hesitant, I was, I didn't want to leave his embrace. 

"Please," he whispered and I swallowed hard. His sincerity oozed from his words. He was tugging at the strings of my heart with so little effort. 

A few seconds slipped by and he pulled away, enough to look at me. 

"Your mate... the one you spoke of...is he the king of the Lycans?" He asked. Every muscle in my body went frigid.

When I didn't respond, he sighed.  

"I didn't leave out that information on purpose. I didn't know how to tell you" I mumbled. 

With the pad of his fingers, he wiped away the tears on my face. I looked up, my gaze meeting his gentle ones. A few locks of his hair had fallen over his face. 

"Well, you're in luck. As long as you're in my territory, he will never get his hands on you again" he said, a mysterious glint in his eyes. 

"Now, go. You can ask the maids to take you around the palace. I have issues to attend to."

I nodded and quietly left his office. My face had grown warm and despite myself, I couldn't stop the smile coming on. 

"Look at your cheeks, they're so red" my smile widened at the sound of Cassy's voice. She was standing in the hallway, a smile tugging at her lips.

"So, how did it go?" She asked as we both stepped out into the garden. 

Different kinds of flowers were growing here. They contributed to the pleasant smell of the environment. It was a bit strange though. We were basically on high land. 

"I don't know. He's too good to be true. There's something about him. He's so charming-ugh!" 

Reaching out to stroke the petal of an azalea, Cassy glanced at me.

"I get what you mean. I felt it too when I first saw him. I'm going to call it the Denzel effect. He seems nice. If you want to be with him, nothing's stopping you" she said. 

I gazed up at the cloudy sky, dragging in a deep breath. 

"I'm not ready yet. I mean...every fibre of my being is screaming for his touch. But, I still need time" I explained.

Cassy nodded, pushing her hair away from her face. Her hand was trembling, I noticed. 

"I understand. Lucas hurt you deeply" she sighed. 

"Cassy?"

"Hmm?" 

"Are you alright?" I questioned. 

She looked away from me, tugging down at one of the long sleeves of her shirt. 

"I'm fine. I'll be back shortly. I need to use the bathroom" she blurted out.

Puzzled, I watched her hurry back into the castle. Something was definitely up with her. 

"Hi," an unfamiliar voice said from behind me. 

It was a young lady. She had her ash blonde hair in two french braids. She was dressed like a maid.

"Hi. What's your name?" I asked with a smile. 

"Melissa."

"How long have you lived here in the palace?" I asked.

"A pretty long time" she responded.

"I heard that his Majesty's mate is a princess. You don't really look like one" she said, her grey eyes gleaming.

I frowned, "Pardon?"

"I mean, you're more beautiful than a princess. You must be a goddess" she said.

I chuckled awkwardly, brushing my hair away from my face. 

"Have you heard?" She suddenly said, tilting her head a little.

"Heard what?"

"The night of the blue moon is tomorrow." 

"Night of what? What's that?" 

"It's understandable that you don't know about it. It's well known among the mountain wolves. Every night of the blue moon, our Alpha suffers alone."

I frowned, puzzled.

"I don't understand."

"None of us knows why. His beta probably knows. It was supposed to be a secret at first. One of the maids found him along the passage hall, writhing in pain."

I stared at her with mixed feelings. Not only was I beginning to feel strong concern towards my mate, my curiosity was growing as well.

"I have to get back to work. I'll see you later," Melissa said. 

Before I could say anything else, she'd retreated into the interior of the palace. 

...

It was nightfall already and I was standing along the hallway of the south end of the palace, my thoughts threatening to swallow me whole.

I desperately wanted to see my mate again. This feeling of wistfulness was growing by the second. It also left me with a sense of confusion.

Cassy was still acting weird. It was obvious she was hiding something from me. 

I had not seen nor heard from Denzel since our conversation in his office, the previous day.

Worried, I gazed at the full moon through the spotless window glass. The moon had a strange hue of blue tonight. One I'd never seen before. Melissa's words repeated themselves in my head and I released a sigh, my eyes fluttering shut.

'Is Denzel somewhere in the palace suffering in silence?' I couldn't help but wonder.

I flinched at the sound of a resounding rumble of thunder which was immediately followed by a flash of lightning. 

"If you're this worried about him, you should go check up on him." 

At the sound of Melissa's voice, I turned around with a start. She smiled at me, raising her brows. 

"So? What's it going to be?" She asked. 

"I don't know... I'm not sure if he's going to be pleased about me showing up in his room," I replied.

"He's in a lot of pain right now, you know? Since you're here, you should go to him. Who knows? Your presence might ease some of his pain."

I bit my lower lip, clenching my fist. 

"I can take you there...if you want?" She suggested.

Taking a deep breath, I nodded.

"Do it."

Melissa beamed at me. She led me up the palace. When we arrived in front of a pair of golden doors, she glanced at me. 

"Go on in" She urged, gesturing at the door. 

Squaring my shoulders, I pushed the door in and walked in. The room was almost completely dark. The only source of light was the moonlight spilling through the window. 

Denzel's scent was strong here. 

"Your majesty? It's me, Kiara" I breathed, edging towards the large bed in the centre of the room. 

I received no response whatsoever. 

Tensed, I moved even closer. A gasp tumbled out of my lips at the sight of my mate. 

He lay on his bed, his face as white as sheets. His shoulder length hair was fanned out on the pillow, his forehead damp with sweat. His eyes were closed, his long eyelashes resting on the circles under his eyes. 

On his toned upper torso were strange glowing marks that oozed darkness.

Furrowing my brows, I reached out to touch the mark on his collarbone. But, before I could, he'd grabbed my hand. 

I tried to yank my hand out of his grip but found myself staring at the depthless pools of obsidian that had replaced his vibrant golden eyes.

"Denzel, you're hurting me" I croaked. 

In a blink of an eye, he'd flipped our positions with his hands wrapped around my throat. 

"Please...let go..." I choked, tears rolling down my cheeks.

The door was pushed open and a stranger dashed in. His green eyes widened, a string of curses escaping his lips when he saw me. 

"Adam, let go of her. She's your mate," he said. 

Denzel growled, flashing his prominent fangs. 

But, why?

Why would he react to a name that wasn't his?

"It's true! Look at her. She's not Deanna!" the stranger stressed. 

Denzel furrowed his brows, confusion flashing on his face as he stared at me, unblinking. 

"Who are you?" He demanded, relaxing his grip on my throat.

Did he have an amnesiac condition I was unaware of?

The fact that he appeared to be genuinely clueless was terrifying.

"Denzel, it's me -" 

He cut me off with a growl that sent shivers running down my spine.

He could snap my neck in half if he wanted. 

I didn't want to die yet. Not like this. 

"Don't call me that name!" He yelled, tightening his grip.

I coughed, kicking my legs in the air as I struggled with prying his fingers off my throat.

 "I'm K-Kiara. Y-your m-mate" I choked out, tears burning my eyes.