Chapter 4: KING

Ethan's pov

She was staring at me; our hungry eyes were locked in some sort of staring contest as we stood at the opposite ends of this large bedroom.

I smiled and bolted towards her the moment she did nothing but nod, like I was waiting for that signal. I scooped her up in bridal style, and soon we were on my kingsize bed.

I gazed at her like she was important, but she was nothing but a mere substance of desire fulfilment.

Soon she was under me, and my entirety was thrust into her. Our bodies moved in sync as our lips followed the tempo of both our hearts. Despite how hot and beautiful she was, I found myself lacking energy, and it annoyed me because I couldn't get the pleasure I desired.

She began to disgust me, and after hastily finishing, I kicked her aside.

"The full moon is approaching," Fang warned. Fang was my wolf, and I realised the reason for my lack of energy was that the full moon was approaching.

Immediately I am overwhelmed by a sad feeling of unease; the bitterness of a secret I'd harboured for a long time sufficed on my tongue.

I am a cursed king. Before inheriting the throne, there was great rivalry between my brother and me; he wanted the throne, and so did I, who wouldn't have to have the entire kingdom bow before him.

But for some unexplainable reason, I was cursed by this rivalry. Every full moon night, I would become weak. At first, it was something I could overlook, but as time went on, I found myself not being able to lift as much as a finger. No one wants a weak king.

I pondered for days on how I could get myself out of such a mess and finally resorted to seeking the advice of a powerful and popular prophet.

"The moon goddess cursed you; perhaps if you could find your fatemate and mark her, the curse could be lifted," he said.

However, it's been five years since I got my own wolf, and I have sought after my mate all these years, but unfortunately, I have never sensed the presence of my mate. I'd finally started to get used to my condition and forget about finding a mate for now.

I fell on my bed and watched the lady scamper to her feet and out the door with her clothes held firmly on her chest. I pitied her, but she was useless to me.

My mind wandered to the meeting I had with the ministers and how they insisted that they needed a queen even though I was doing an excellent job being a good king on my own.

"No!" I gasped as soon as I remembered that the ceremony for the selection of Luna was scheduled for tomorrow. I tried to explain to them that it was unnecessary and that I was completely uninterested, but a unanimous decision by the ministers is usually an irreversible decision.

The weakness had finally engulfed me as the bright light from the full moon shone into the room through its large windows. I could barely move, and in no time, I fell asleep.

With the first chirp of a bird the next morning, I woke feeling as energised as I should. I washed my face, and the noise from the field right outside my window caught my attention and I walked towards it.

The maids and servants were busy arranging all the things needed for the Luna selection ceremony. I took a deep breath in agony because some part of me hoped they would forget.

"So they are really going through with this."

I was tired of always getting my hopes up that I was going to finally find my mate and lift this course whenever ceremonies like this were held, only to get them dashed drastically. I knew that it wasn't going to be any different.

My head was already clouded by so many negative thoughts, so I decided to go for a run in the forest to clear my head.

The cold wind against my skin, the singing birds, and the soothing smell of moist sand reminded me of why I loved the forest as I ran. Deeper and deeper into the forest I ran, the trees were getting thicker and thicker. I was exceeding the distance I usually ran. I knew it might be dangerous, but I couldn't stop.

"What is this lingering sensation? Something is calling to me, and I must get to it," I thought to myself while I ran, and soon I approached the bordering forest. I heard Fang roar louder than ever before.

"Could it be? No, it certainly isn't, or is it?" I couldn't get my mind straight or keep my emotions in tact; I was soaring with excitement and curiosity.

"My mate is nearby," Fang announced, and I kept running. Tears escaped from the corners of my eyes; I didn't know if it was due to excitement or the cold wind against my eyeballs.

The excitement suddenly turned to worry. I sensed she was in danger. My mate, whom I had been searching for for years, was in danger. My pace increased at this point. I was running out of breath. The cold air was slowly taking away my ability to breathe.

I finally got to the border, and there she was, my mate, completely helpless and covered in bruises. I gently carried her in my arms and pushed her away from her face.

As I carried her back, I couldn't sense her wolf, but I knew she was my mate. This puzzled me.

"Fang, can you sense her wolf?" I asked, wondering if the problem was me.

"I'm afraid I can't," he replied, and I sighed.

I decided to carry her back to the palace and take care of her right under my watch till she was fully recovered and able to answer questions.

"I'm so excited about her—finally, a mate, a queen." Fang shrieked, but I shook my head in disapproval.

"I don't care about having a relationship or destined love with her; all I want is for this curse to be broken; that's merely the only reason why I need a mate," I corrected.

"Oh, please don't be so sentimental," he teased.

"I have more important matters to attend to; let me remind you that I am the king."

I said these words, but as my eyes rested on her face for the second time, my stomach churned—perhaps the rumoured butterflies in your stomach.

It was a mix of unexplainable emotions.