I shook my head. “I’m not sure. I only remember the feeling when the scent comes to me, but I can’t even figure out what it is, exactly.” u Omar snorted. “Oh, I think I understand now,” he mocked. “It’s all just a dream. As for me, I was out like a light at the time, so I felt nothing.”
I pursed my lips and took a deep breath. I didn’t understand. Once wolves found their mates, their distinct scents were etched into each other. It was a unique connection that tethered their very souls to each other. It was impossible to forget the scent of one’s mate. Unless, perhaps, if one found their mate in a dream, and had wild, crazy sex with them in an illusion.
I rubbed my aching temples, not knowing what to do. Emotions were far more complicated to deal with than political affairs.
“I told you, don’t think about it anymore,” Omar insisted. “Just take it as a hallucination and forget about it.”
I paused for a moment and asked him in a low voice, “How do you feel about Adela?”
He seemed confused by my question. “How do I feel? I don’t feel anything. I admit, I was bewildered at first. Is this really what my mate is like? I used to imagine that meeting our mate would be a momentous event. I didn’t expect it to be so mundane. My heart didn’t even beat faster! I thought I would be all flushed and excited. Instead, it was like all my adrenaline had gone. Is it really how it is with mates? Did the Moon Goddess make a mistake? Or was it you, Rufus? Are you certain that Adela is really your mate?”
I could feel my brows furrow. Omar’s words had planted a seed of doubt in me. It was true that when I had first found Adela, I wasn’t the least bit overjoyed. Instead, I was annoyed.
When my subordinates and ministers had found their destined mates, they had been more euphoric and raucous than if they had been drunk out of their wits. But what about me? How come I didn’t feel anything? I closed my eyes in consternation.
I couldn’t have gotten it wrong, though. The Moon Goddess’ guidance and the unusually fast healing of my wounds were enough proof that Adela was indeed my mate.
But I never wanted her. In fact, I preferred that she stayed as far from me as possible.
Just then, Adela came back with a new tray of food. She had changed into clean clothes, too, her white dress making her look so pure and innocent. Even so, I didn’t feel any stirring of desire inside me. If anything, the sight pissed me off even more.
“I don’t have any appetite. Just leave it there, and I’ll eat when I’m hungry.”
I waved a hand to dismiss her. Adela remained where she stood, as if she wanted to say something. In the end, she thought better of it. She glanced between the tray and me, her tear-stained eyes filled with disappointment. Adela set the food down on the table, but didn’t leave. Rather, she sat quietly on the edge of the bed.
The room fell into a weary silence, agitating Omar. “Say something! That is your mate right there. You need to talk to her if you want to develop your relationship.”
I didn’t have the first clue of what to say, but Omar was getting so noisy that I found myself blurting out the first thing I could think of. “Adela.”
She raised her head and looked at me with earnest expectation.
I cleared my throat. “You have excellent fighting skills. Have you been training with your father since childhood?”
Adela looked utterly perplexed by this. “I am a she- wolf,” she said with some surprise. “I learned none of those. Only my brother trained.”
My face twitched, and I just knew I was scowling menacingly. “So it wasn’t you who helped me last night?”
Adela’s POV
Faced with Rufus’ question, I couldn’t help but get flustered. His sharp gaze pierced right through me, sending a chill down my spine. Lying to the supreme lycan king was no different from committing suicide. I couldn’t afford to make even the tiniest mistake on the most obscure detail.
After some thought, I decided it would be best to tell him the truth. I was quite bad at lying, and he would be able to uncover it easily.
“No, it wasn’t me who helped you, Your Majesty. I simply found you under the cliff,” I spoke in a hushed voice and observed Rufus’ reaction through my lashes.
His face didn’t change much; he had been frowning since I came in. Another wave of sadness washed over me as I was reminded yet again that he didn’t like me that much.
Rufus said nothing for what felt like an eternity. I started to bristle where I sat. I didn’t know if my answer had displeased him.
I racked my brains for a way to remedy the situation. What if Rufus refused to marry me because of this? It had taken me so much effort to get to this point. There was no way I was going to let this opportunity slip from my hands.
“Your Majesty-“
“You may leave.”
Rufus and I spoke at the same time. I looked up at him, feeling a little relieved. Surely, that meant that he was still willing to marry me, right? Otherwise, he would have pursued the matter. I didn’t have the courage to ponder it further.
“Yes, Your Majesty. ” I answered cautiously. “Please have a good rest.”
Rufus nodded once and then turned to look out the window, his expression as cold as ever.
I couldn’t help but pout as I slowly walked to the door. I would have liked to spend more time with him, since such chances were few and far between. But I knew I should cut my losses for today, or I might disgust Rufus. Anyway, he had promised to marry me, so there should be plenty of chances in the future.
I followed the servant out of the Lycan King’s palace and came to the palace where Rufus had once lived. It had the most gorgeous garden that boasted splendid blooms and other rare fauna. Clearly, no expense had been spared to develop the place. Even the steps were made of the finest marble. Despite being a little desolate due to being unoccupied for a long time, I had high hopes that it would be restored to its former glory.
The servants were still cleaning the rooms for me. I wasn’t sure whether I could stay in the same room Rufus had used. If I could, then I would be over the moon. If not, maybe I could plead with him later. I was sure he would agree. I was his fiancee, after all.
My joy was slowly easing the apprehensions I had. I looked around the palace, admiring the decor and every single piece of ornament in place. They would belong to me one day, just like the king had admired for the longest time.
I could still remember the first time I had laid my eyes on Rufus. He had just become the new king, and I had just turned thirteen. I always considered myself lucky to have found my Mr. Right at such a young age.
If Rufus hadn’t saved me from the giant snake that fateful day, we wouldn’t be where we were today. Since he had saved my life, it was only right that I used mine to repay him.
It didn’t matter that he failed to recognize me, or that he was treating me so coldly. As long as he was willing to marry me, I still had plenty of chances to make him fall for me one day. I would be a devoted mate to him and bear him all the children he wanted. So what if there was a huge gap between our statuses?
That wasn’t enough to make me give up.
I was so engrossed in my happy thoughts that I started to hum a song and spin on my tiptoes around the pond. If only Rufus could share my joy. It was all I could do not to pounce on him just now. Fortunately, I had learned to be adept at camouflage during my time at home. It was so much easier to play a sweet and innocent girl in front of the person I loved than I originally thought. It didn’t even take a great deal of effort to get what I wanted.
Adela’s POV
I had come to the imperial palace at this time because I’d happened to hear from my father and brother that the lycan king was going to hold a ball and choose a girl to marry. At first, my father had no intentions of taking me to the palace, because I was only eighteen. He believed that I didn’t need to get married at such a young age. I had begged him until he finally agreed to bring me with him to the palace.
Now, it seemed that I’d made the right decision. If I hadn’t insisted on coming, another she-wolf would have become Rufus’ mate. This thought distressed me. Fortunately, I’d come here in time.
If my father heard that I had become the lycan king’s mate, he would definitely be proud of me, and my sisters might even try to curry favor with me. I would have to figure out how to refuse them. Since I was going to become the queen, I had no need to socialize with those snobbish people from my past.
But I had heard that Rufus used to have a partner years back. However, I didn’t have a crush on him at that time, so I hadn’t paid attention to his mate. When I considered this now, I felt a twinge of jealousy. I didn’t know if Rufus was as distant from that mate as he was from me. He must have treated her very nicely though. Why else would he build a rose manor that spanned over an entire mountain for that mate? Although, that construction was never completed. That she-wolf had betrayed the empire and attempted to assassinate the old lycan king and Rufus. She had been executed, and the entire country was not permitted to utter her name ever again.
That she-wolf indeed had a legendary reputation. She not only undid the injustice her mother had faced, but also made an enormous contribution to the army. If she was still alive, she might have married Rufus and bore him several children. I really couldn’t understand why she had tried to assassinate the two most powerful werewolves of the kingdom.
Fortunately, she had been a moron and left Rufus, or I wouldn’t have got this opportunity.
I curled my lips and inevitably felt a little deflated. That woman must have been Rufus’ unforgettable love. Otherwise, he would have had another she- wolf by his side since all this had happened so many years ago. If it weren’t for this little incidence, the thought of finding a new mate probably wouldn’t even have crossed his mind. The ball that had been held for choosing a queen had been totally pointless. Rufus hadn’t even spared us girls a glance. On that day, I’d been a part of the crowd, longing for one look from him, but he walked out after the first dance and I didn’t get an opportunity to get close to him.
As my mind flashed back to that day, I was so annoyed that I grabbed the flowers growing beside the swing and ripped away the petals one by one. I didn’t know what kind of fruit this plant would bear. The flowers were white with speckles of green, which I wasn’t really fond of. I decided to just ask someone to tear them all out and plant some violets later.
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