I knew I was getting the short end of the deal by agreeing to be his fake mate but I also knew I was still getting more than I could ever hope to achieve on my own. Yet, the way he used me as he liked would backfire on me and he would not even care. I already had Scarlett on my tail and now the queen. He did not give a rat’s ass about me but he didn’t have to be so dismissive of a simple question.
We got to the reception and we were guided to our seats. Alpha Hawke, the most powerful man in the kingdom after the king, opened the ceremony with a toast. This time, I was seated next to Killian. When he moved, the flowing red robes of the king brushed against me, making the hair on my arms rise. That was how closely seated we were.
To keep up appearances, he served me. I saw some women in the crowd fan their faces at that gesture. The king serving a peasant’s meal. Whether he was a murderous bastard or not, it didn’t matter to them. He was a powerful man and his looks were the most superior in the kingdom so they swooned at his actions. If only they knew that even his seemingly romantic gestures were born out of selfishness.
My mood plummeted the longer the ceremony continued – and it continued for quite a while. The kingdom would feast for seven days to celebrate the new king and every feast would last from dawn until dusk.
“Smile.” The prince – king’s face entered my vision, blocking my view. I tilted my body backwards but his head drew even closer. He was close enough for me to see the flecks in his red eyes.
“W – What are you -” I stuttered when he held my nape, preventing me from turning away.
“If you keep frowning, people will have questions. Smile or I’ll have to kiss you.” My lips pulled upwards effortlessly. “That’s a creepy smile,” he whispered, his breath hitting my face. “But it will have to do.” He let me go and readjusted his robes.
I looked up to see people gawking at me, the women with reddened cheeks. I did not dare look up again after that but their gazes still burnt holes into my skin.
A server brought wine and I grabbed the cup closest to me, holding it out to be filled. A sweet taste filled my mouth and my eyes widened in surprise. I’d only drank leftover wine from glasses I had to wash and they always tasted bland or bitter so I didn’t expect wine to be sweet like this. I gulped the cup in a short time and reached for the bottle next to me.
“You like it?” Killian muttered, tone soft but eyes indifferent. I nodded in response and he grabbed the bottle from me and poured my glass.
“Thank you,” I muttered, draining my cup a second time.
The wine was sweet but I did not want to seem like a glutton drinking so much in such a short time.
“More?” Killian asked but I shook my head. He shrugged and turned back to the event playing out before us. A group of children from a pack I didn’t care to listen to were praying for the king’s reign.
After a couple of minutes, I felt my insides warm. Uncomfortable, I poured myself a third cup of wine, nursing it this time.
The problem started after that. My eyes – The world swarm before my eyes and my vision began to blink out.
What – did the queen find a way to poison me already? I panicked, my heart beating as fast as my head spun.
My hands tugged at the sleeve of Killian’s robes. He was leaning over to listen to the man beside him so he shrugged me off. On another day, I would not dare touch him like that but I was freaking out. My heart threatened to burst and I thought it was due to the poison in my system. I tugged at his sleeve relentlessly until he turned to me with eyes clouded with annoyance.
“What is it?” He hissed. I shrank away for a second before shaking my head. It was not the time to let fear silence me.
“I – I may have been poisoned.” As I spoke, my words slurred into each other and the King’s pissed expression blanked out from my vision for a second.
“I served you from my plate. How is it that you’ve been poisoned but I haven’t?” He sounded unimpressed, uninterested even. “If this is a ploy -” He started but my head spun faster.
“I think – I think it’s the wine.” I pointed at the bottle that I’d drained.
“You are drunk,” he said with a small bark of laughter. “How can you be drunk from this wine? It barely has any alcohol” His tone mocked me. The heat spreading through my body intensified and this time it was from embarrassment. “How pathetic.” He didn’t sneer but the effect was the same.
How could he? All I’d done was drink wine that tasted good to my inferior taste buds and now he mocked me. How could one man take a piss on my esteem the way this one did? Tears gathered in my eyes but I blinked them away. I knew what I was getting myself into when I agreed to act as his mate. It was too late for me to feel sorry for myself and I would be darned if I let this kind of a person see how much his words hurt me – me, who’d made a thick shell over my skin to bounce off the derogatory remarks thrown at me every day.
“I didn’t know,” I muttered. My voice was weak and my gaze darkened some more. I felt struck by a spell of blindness from the way my vision wavered. Was this what drunkenness felt like?
“You have no wolf but you still drank a full bottle of wine. It barely contains any alcohol but even you should have known better,” he chided. Didn’t he pour me my second cup and offer me a third? I didn’t know but he knew.
“The Alpha King and his mate will now open the dance floor!” Even in my blurry mind, I could process those words. I paled when I realized I was the said mate.
“I – I can’t dance,” I whispered, leaning into the king. “I never learnt to dance and now -” Now I was drunk.
“Please, grace the stage, Your Majesty.” Claps and cheers almost rendered me deaf.
“You have to stand if you don’t want everyone to realize you are drunk,” Killian said.
“But – If I stand -” My train of thoughts scrambled for a second. “I’ll fall if I stand.” I slurred the words.
“Not with me here.” He stood and took my hand, pulling me with him. I would have stumbled if his strong and firm hands didn’t wrap around my waist.
He all but carried me down the stairs and then the music started. I couldn’t tell what was happening as my vision had turned dim.
“Raise your hands,” soft words touched my ears and stirred something inside of me. I raised my hands and he guided them appropriately. “Now just let your body go.” I didn’t have a choice as my body was out of my control at that point.
He guided me through the dance, moving slowly to the song. I didn’t have to do anything as he led me throughout the dance. We stopped moving and I heard cheers and then he was leading me away.
“Your Majesty, the event is not over yet. Where are you -” Someone was saying but he cut them off.
“Carry on without me. I have something I need to do,” he answered.
“Oh, Oh, yes.” I heard someone giggle but I couldn’t turn my face, focusing on holding up my smile.
He led me back to the main palace, up to our room, and then he put me on the bed, taking off my shoes. He was oddly attentive for someone usually dismissive of my existence outside of the public’s eyes.
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