CHAPTER 2
Alexei sat in his chair as he watched the display before him. He twisted the little flame around his fingers and tried to see just how much of the fire sizzling against his flesh he could handle.
He watched as the crowd cheered loudly when one of the wolves set his body on fire and began to chase its tail, forming a halo on the ground.
They clapped feverishly as the other wolf formed a place of fire from his lips, but more of them were things he found not entertaining.
The king of the fire kingdom and the protector of peace scoffed at the thought that the peace wasn't real and was nothing more than a delusion: the fire kingdom used fear to control the people, and the mirage did them a favor by spreading happiness across the land, but that was far from it.
They were anything but happy, and it was an insult to think that they were otherwise. He was pulled out of his thoughts, much to his dismay, when he felt a hand run along his shoulder.
"What is it, my king? You don't seem to be impressed by the show; would you like something else?" The voice said and he turned around and stared into the amber eyes of Celeste. Her red hair was parted to one side, and she wore a black sequin dress that emphasized her pale skin.
He tried not to seem bothered by her close proximity to him; he returned the weary smile that she sent him.
"How may I help you?"" He asked her. She seemed taken aback slightly by his lack of recognition of her.
"Do I need to remind my prince of what we did the night before?" She said to him as she leaned down and whispered the words into his ear.
His body tensed up as he cleared his throat. "Do I need to remind you that the prince doesn't engage himself in such activities?" He said to her through gritted teeth.
She reached out to try and touch him again, but he caught her hand. She tried to let go of his grip, but it was too late, as she cried out in pain when his touch burned her. She quickly tried to pull her hand away, and he let out a laugh as he let go of her red hand.
"Now get out before I burn your face next.” He said to her in a warning tone. He sighed in frustration as his gaze turned back towards the fire display.
His fist tightened at the thought of the girl’s audacity. He was becoming more and more agitated the longer he sat in the chair. He needed to find an escape and get himself out of the seat. He was grateful when he spotted Mason standing by the exit. He made contact with him as he gave him a head nod, causing him to let out a sigh from his lips. The last thing he needed was to be forced to stay there for even a moment longer.
Slowly, he stood up from his chair and began to make his way towards Mason. He was glad that the guests were too distracted with the show to notice his exit. It always left him with nothing but questions that he didn't feel like answering anyway.
He made his way quickly out of the ballroom and into the hallway as he felt himself let go of the breath that he hadn't realized he was holding. "What is it Mason?" He found himself saying.
"I see you are enjoying yourself, Alpha''. Mason said to him with a smirk, but he didn't initially answer him as he looked at him with a slight frown on his face.
"Okay, not in the joking or festive mood today, I see." He said to him in a mutter under his breath. He didn't answer as he began to walk behind him, "Just tell me what it is. So I can forget this night ever happened."
"He wants to see you." Mason said to him. And immediately, he felt a sense of dread come over him. He felt several thoughts ring through his head at the thought of what it was that he wanted with him now.
On most days, the only time that he made an effort to contact him was when he wanted to know an update on what was going on with the people. “Why?”
“Well, you can simply ask him when we get to his chambers." Mason replied and he let out a sigh before nodding his head at him in response.
They made their way through the long, winding hallway, and he could already hear some of the whispers that were coming from them.
They made their way up the spiral staircase before heading towards the king's chambers. He looked in the door, hearing a gruntled sound come from the other end, before turning towards Mason.
He only nodded his head at him before he let out a sigh as he made his way inside the room. The room was dark except for the glow that came from the window on the side. He clicked his fingers as he turned on the lights to see the figure that lay almost motionless on the bed. He approached him slowly as he heard him cough.
"Father?" He called out, and he watched as he slowly pulled his eyes open before gesturing for him to take a seat.
"My son." he said in a raspy tone. "I saw your mother today." He said and Alexei gritted his teeth as he attempted to push down the anger.
"Father, you know mother is gone. Now tell me the reason you have called me here. What do you want?" He asked him through gritted teeth.
He watched as his father struggled for a moment before he was able to slowly pull himself up into a sitting position. "You must find your mate before you lose your power." He said and it was as though the pin had finally dropped.