I mean, of all people, I had to be mated to the king. The same king that had been looking for a mate for ten years. Why? I didn't want a mate; I didn't need a mate. I was happy by myself, but for some reason, a little voice inside my head told me that I would never have been completely happy.
Holding my breath, I prayed that he wouldn't find me. I wasn't really religious, but I found myself praying. All I wanted was for him not to find me, and then I could leave this ball. There was no way in hell I was going to risk going back in there. I would go back to the hotel and tell my parents I was feeling so sick and had to leave. Yes, that was a solid plan.
My thought process was broken when I was suddenly lifted from my position behind the bushes. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I found myself standing face-to-face with the king, his hazel eyes piercing into my own. My heart started racing as he bent down and whispered in my ear:
"Because now that I've found you, I have no plans on letting you go. Ever."
Well, fuck! There was no denying this mate bond was strong, way stronger than I thought.
The moment was broken as the king brushed a piece of hair out of my face.
"Never in my life have I seen a girl as beautiful as you," the king whispered in my ear.
Sparks shot down my body, and I gasped. Why were his words having such a big effect on me? This wasn't normal, but then again, nothing about this situation was anyway. The king was holding my hands behind my back as if he were afraid that I would run.
"Could you… could you release my hands, please?" I managed to say.
The king raised his eyebrows and replied, "How can I be sure that you won't run? As much as I love the chase, I don't really want to catch you again."
I shivered at the desire in his eyes. As much as I tried to convince myself that the king wasn't drop-dead gorgeous, my body was saying otherwise. I found myself wanting to be caught by the king again. My mind was messed up; that was the only conclusion I could come to.
"May I know the name of the beautiful lady who will be my queen?" the king asked.
"Do these compliments of yours work on all the ladies?" I replied, my sass getting the better of me.
"I wouldn't know. You're the first lady I have tried it on," the king responded, smirking at me.
I forced myself to look away from his eyes; they were dangerous. With his free hand, the king moved my face so I was once again looking into his hazel eyes. His gaze demanded: Tell me your name.
I sighed. "Anaa. Anaa Bandi."
"Anaa," the king said slowly. Jeez, did he have to say my name like that? My body responded immediately, sparks shooting down my spine. He sounded so… intoxicating when he said my name.
No, Anaa. You are not meant to be thinking like that. Snap out of it, I scolded myself.
"Beautiful name. You already know my name, don't you, love?" he asked.
I didn't trust my voice, so I just nodded. The pet name caught me by surprise. This was all happening fast, too fast. I didn't know what to do, but something told me there was nothing I could do anyway.
After all, I didn't have a normal werewolf for a mate, or even a normal lycan. I had the lycan king. He was the strongest of them all. Whatever I did, he would catch me. My logical brain told me the dreaded truth: there was no escaping the lycan king. I was here for good.
The sound of footsteps caused me to spin my head around, and the king let go of my hands. My family and friends all came out. Relief washed over me at the sight of their familiar faces. Luke and Sophie both looked so relieved, and I knew why.
I took a few steps toward them but jumped back in shock as they all bowed to me. What? I didn't want my loved ones to bow down to me. I wasn't royalty.
Cain winked at me, causing me to roll my eyes. Obviously, he found this funny. I didn't have time to dwell on it though, because the king grabbed my hand. Sparks flew, and I gasped at the sudden contact. He didn't even stop for me to say anything to my family. Instead, he led me straight past them and inside.
I looked back to see they were all trailing behind. My heart raced as the king took me to the thrones. What was he doing? I wasn't going to be crowned, was I? I hardly knew the king.
My slow brain finally realized that Savanah was no longer at the top. When we reached it, I saw her in the crowd below. She didn't look happy at all.
"My loyal subjects. Today is a monumental occasion. Today I found my mate, your queen. And I couldn't be happier," the king announced, pulling me to his side.
The announcement was followed by loud applause. My gaze found my parents, who were shedding happy tears. Cain was whooping, and Diya was telling him off, which made me smile.
I glanced at the lycans. They had all been tense before, but now they were much happier, as if a weight had been lifted off their shoulders.
This all felt so wrong but also so right. Why was I so conflicted?
I looked around, but I couldn't see Niya anywhere. Worry overtook me as I scanned the crowd. She really wasn't there.
"What's wrong?" the king whispered in my ear. I looked up at him, and he must have seen the worry on my face. He looked back at the crowd and smiled before taking me away.
I realized that I didn't actually know what to call him. He smiled at me and said, "Only you can call me Atlas. Only you have that right."
I gulped as the air again became suffocating. I found myself wanting to run my hands through his hair and taste those luscious lips of his.
"Come, let me introduce you to some very important people in my life," Atlas said, taking my hand. We headed downstairs, everyone chatting among themselves.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" an unfamiliar voice interrupted my thoughts
.
I didn't even realize Atlas had brought us to a group of people. Two men looked at us with massive smiles on their faces. One of them stepped forward, smiling. He had dark brown hair that looked almost black, and dark brown eyes that shone with happiness.
"I am Evan Clark. I can't tell you how happy I am that this idiot has finally met you." Evan shook my hand.
I politely smiled, and Atlas shook his head. "These are my best friends. Evan already introduced himself, and that one over there is Gabe Davis."
"Nice to meet you." Gabe shook my hand. His blond hair was long for a boy, but it really suited him.
A female stepped forward next. She had shoulder-length red hair, and her striking blue eyes made her look gorgeous.
"I am Lexi Robinson, Gabe's mate. I have to say, you look so gorgeous." Lexi smiled.
"Thank you, I love your outfit," I replied.
"Do you know that the three of us have been friends for such a long time? Sometimes I wonder how I've dealt with these two." Evan sighed dramatically.
Atlas rolled his eyes, and Gabe glared at Evan. "It's the other way around, idiot. I don't know how Gabe and I have put up with you. The number of times we've gotten into trouble because of you…" Atlas shook his head.
I glanced at Atlas, who wore a massive smile. Even though we had just met, for some reason, seeing him smile like that made me happy. This mate bond was doing crazy things to my feelings, I swear.
"Even I struggle to believe that these two have put up with you for so long. I mean, Gabe and I have only been mates for seven years, but that's enough to know what a handful you are." Lexi shook her head.
Evan gasped dramatically. "What is this? Gang up on Evan time? You're embarrassing me in front of the queen."
The mention of queen made me stiffen. I didn't want to be queen. That was too much responsibility, and how could I commit to one person after the heartbreak I'd experienced?
"Enough. You are the one who is embarrassing yourself. Go and make sure everyone is happy. I am going to meet my mate's family," Atlas said. His serious face was back on.
Evan and Gabe nodded and left to fulfill the king's orders. Atlas gently took my hand; those damn sparks made me gasp. Was this what it was always going to be like?
Somehow knowing, Atlas made his way over to my parents. As soon as Mom saw me, she engulfed me in a massive hug. A mother's hug makes everything better.
"Why are you crying?" I asked, wiping the tears from her face.
"Because I am so happy. My baby girl has found her mate, someone who will take such good care of her. What else could a mother want?" she sniffled.
She turned to Atlas and smiled. "All I want is for you to take care of my daughter. Treat her like a queen."
Atlas nodded. "Don't worry. Your daughter will always remain happy."
"Wow, my princess is no longer a princess but a queen. I can't believe it," my dad said with a wink.
"Dad," I rolled my eyes.
He laughed and hugged me before saying, "Anaa, I want you to know that your mother and I are so proud of the woman you have become. You are now entering the next stage of your life. Enjoy it."
Dad's words made me want to cry. I realized it was his goodbye. I didn't want to leave my parents and stay here. I wanted to go back home to my comfy room.
"I'll miss you, my baby sister." Sai was the next one to hug me.
"Will you? Or will you just miss teasing me?" I raised my eyebrows.
Sai laughed. "You caught me. I'm going to miss teasing you and getting you all worked up."
Zara pulled me into a hug. "I told you she looked like a queen. Anaa, you are an amazing woman, never forget that."
"This isn't fair. I've only just come back and now you're leaving me, Smiley," Cain's voice came from behind.
"You now have a mate to take care of you." I smiled.
Cain sighed and pulled me in for a hug. I tried my hardest not to cry. This wasn't how I planned my night to go. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would find my mate at the ball and have to say goodbye to all my loved ones.
"You know I'll take care of him," Diya smiled.
"I know. He better take good care of you too," I glared at Cain.
He held his hands up in mock surrender. "Yes, Your Majesty."
"Really?" I shook my head.
"I didn't say anything wrong. You are going to be a queen, and an amazing one at that." Cain kissed my forehead.
It all felt so strange. Everyone from my pack was gathering around me and congratulating me.
Suddenly, my eyes landed on Hunta's. He wasn't smiling at all, and his mate was talking to someone else. All night, it seemed like he had been pretending I didn't exist. But the way he was staring at me now made my heart beat quicken and my breath catch in my throat.
Now that everyone knew I had a mate, which was the freaking king, no less, he had an unmistakable glint in his eye.
A look of pure jealousy.
Oh Goddess. That's when I knew I was in a whole lot of trouble.