Protect Me Alpha King

08. You Are Mine Now

I was stuck. With no way to get away from King Maxxwell's hold. It seemed like he was aware of what I

was doing and his grip tightened.

Damn it.

I cannot break away?

How can I break away?

It was then that I realized I could not. Was he afraid that I would run away and stop going with him to

the palace? Or was he only making sure that I will do the end of my deal since he did the same?

I sighed.

Regardless of the reason, I was not comfortable being with him. He was scary.

"Your Highness," I whispered under my breath.

"Zenith... "

I froze. A woman's name? Who could that be? Or was he only dreaming and calling a random name?

No.

He called the name with so much passion as if he knew her deeply.

Curiosity got ahead of me and waited for him to say something more. Something that would give me

more information about the woman.

"F-forgive me...It was my fault."

King Maxxwell trashed and released me from his hold. Sweat soaked his forehead and clutched his

chest as if he was in pain. He groaned and moaned.

"Don't leave," he whispered.

His voice was pleading. Who was the woman named Zenith? Was he his mate? As far as I

remembered from the servant talks, the alpha king was unmated. Or was it only something that the

kingdom spread? Maybe he has paired already with someone?

I shook my head. It was no longer my concern. I had to get away from him. It was better to sleep on the

cold floor than beside him.

Using the chance, I was on the verge of jumping off the bed when he suddenly grabbed my hands.

"Don't go, Zenith. I don't want to lose you anymore."

Was this Zenith woman his lover before? Or was his mistress? Ugh. Too confusing!

"Please let me go, Your Highness. I am not Zenith," I said. I tried to break free from him. But he

wouldn't budge.

Instead of listening to me, he pulled me closer to his body and hugged me. Can't breathe. I put both of

my hands on his broad chest and pushed him away but nothing happened. King Maxxwell was too

strong.

"I miss you."

I stilled when tears suddenly came out of his eyes. All because of that woman? I thought an alpha king

was devoid of any emotions.

"My heart is constantly calling for you, Zenith."

I checked his eyes. Closed. He was still sleeping. It seemed like it was real. The crying and the

nightmare.

And why would he even cry and show it to a servant like me? This was all true. Nothing more. Nothing

less.

"Shhh. Don't cry. I am here," I heard myself say, feeling guilty. My heart went towards him. King

Maxxwell was not the type of man who would show his vulnerability against other people whom he did

not trust. And if he found out that I was seeing this other side of him, he would kill me instantly. Without

a doubt.

Despite that, I could not fathom leaving him like this.

I wiped the tears from his eyes.

He snuggled closer to my hand as if he was seeking solace. He looked like a child who was hungry for

his mother's attention.

We were like that for how many hours and the next thing I knew, darkness succumbed to me.

—-----------

The sun was already shining brightly when I woke up. I was instantly on my feet when I realized my

mistake. I was a slave and I should never wake up late. Alpha Erik would kill me if he found I was not

yet working late.

I fell on the floor with my bum first and heard someone chuckling. I looked at the source and found King

Maxxwell, sitting on his chair, with a king aura.

I straightened myself.

Damn it!

“Y-your Highness. My apologies for waking up late. It was not my intention to—”

His eyes turned serious.

"Why did you wake up late?" he asked, cutting off my words. "I don't want to wait for my personal slave

when to awaken. I loathed that. You should serve me the moment I wake every single day, River."

I nodded. "I understand, Your Highness. I will not do it again."

"So why did you sleep late?" he pressed once more.

I stared into his eyes. Could I tell him that it was because he had some nightmares and that it was I

who consoled him as he clutched my hands into his bare chest?

"Why are you hesitating? Did you meet Alpha Erik while I was asleep?"

Meeting Alpha Erik? There was no way I had a rendezvous with that bastard.

I looked at him, horrified. "No, Your Highness! I never did that. It's just…I could not sleep peacefully if I

am not in my bed," I lied.

As if he did not hear my explanations, he said, "River. Let me tell you that you are now forbidden to

approach Alpha Erik without my knowing. What I hated the most are traitors. Do you understand?"

Why would I even approach Alpha Erik when I also hated him? I was not desperate for him to accept

me. The purpose of selling myself to the alpha king would be futile if I will only offer myself to Alpha

Erik.

I pressed my lips together. Defending myself was out of the equation.

"Yes, Your Highness. Point taken." Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

"Good. Prepare yourself. We will now be going back to the kingdom."

"Y-your kingdom? D-does Alpha Erik know about this, Your Highness?"

"I can do whatever I want. I have more hold on you than him. Why do you ask, River? Do you want to

go back to him and ask him to accept you as his mate?"

I gulped and shook my head. "It is not like that, Your Highness. Rejection is irreversible. And if ever

Alpha Erik regretted his decision of rejecting me, I would not accept him again."

King Maxxwell smiled and walked towards me. I secretly sniff him. He smelled of aftershave and

shampoo. And he had already taken a bath while I, on the other hand, was still dirty. Wait. Did I even

smell, right now?

"Good. You will not accept him again, understood? You are mine now, River Williams. Mine alone."

I shivered at his words, but could not help but ask myself why he was possessive of me when in fact

we were not mates. We were not mates, right?