The Crown's Entrapment

“Will they be alright?” Xenia had curiously asked, pertaining specifically to Freya and Gideon.

She and Darius were already outside, preparing to leave the Cordon castle grounds as both of them wore their cloaks with their hoods. The princess had already mounted Darius’s with the king following soon after, hugging her from behind.

In front of them, Bartos guided them out, making sure that there wouldn’t be any disturbances along their way. Setting out, they’ve decided to use the Southwest gate to leave the castle. Darius didn’t want anyone knowing when exactly they left, so they chose the least used gate of them all.

“Don’t worry about them. I’m sure Gideon can handle things smoothly on his end. I strongly believe that he can read women better than Bartos and I ever could. And Freya…”

Darius chuckled as he continued. “I’m sure my sister will unknowingly put her guard down soon enough. It’s actually good that I’m unavailable to witness what they’re up to. I might just end up ruining things for them if I see Gideon’s advances. I’m quite protective of the people I care about. And while I trust Gideon, Freya will always be my little sister in my eyes…”_.

Xenia chuckled, “I get what you mean. It’s not like Ezekiel isn’t like that around me and Mineah. Big brothers are the best.”

Flashing a smile, Darius finally led their horse away from the castle gate. It was already chilly outside, the moonlight being their only guide for their coming journey. It wasn’t enough for Xen to see clearly, but the same couldn’t be said for Darius.

“Was it hard to always have your guard up all these years?” Xenia suddenly questioned.

She understood that there was still political turmoil going on inside Cordon, and she could only imagine what was happening behind closed doors.

At her question, Darius simply chuckled and replied, “Hmmm… Aren’t you so lucky that your kingdom doesn’t have these kinds of problems?”

Xenia could only nod. It was true… Maybe Ebodia was one of the only kingdoms out there that was free from political strife. They were lucky enough that their citizens were supportive of the royal family, and so far, none among their relatives and officials showed any signs of wanting the throne for themselves.

Valcrez, on the other hand, also had the same hierarchy with their monarchy being based on birth… and yet Xenia had heard that their kingdom was also experiencing some fair bit of political turmoil.

“I hope the peace in our kingdom remains for a long time,” Xenia hoped in her voice. “Unity is important. It’s almost Ezekiel’s time to rule, and I could only pray that none would try to oppose his reign.” She sighed, “Ah… The only problem we have right now is the threat of other kingdoms trying to subjugate our realm… like Helion who wants to conquer more power and territory…”

“Helion is evil,” Darius commented. “King Devon is a demon, and someone like him would never stop spreading hell’s wrath in this world. I also strongly believed that the three kingdoms, Ebodia, Cordon and Valcrez, should join forces in bringing Helion down for good.”

Xenia nodded in agreement. She then jokingly said, “It’s like Vampires, werewolves, and humans joining hands to bring down the devil…”

Darius chuckled at that as well. It might sound funny, yet it did make sense… If nobody stopped Helion, then its army would only grow stronger and stronger. Inevitably, it’ll be harder for them to bring the Demon King down.

A short bout of silence settled between them, the sound of the horse’s steps being the only thing filling the air around them.

“Hmm… This feels like old times, don’t you think?” Darius suddenly whispered in her ear, sending chills running down her spine. As always, his hot breaths never failed to give a tingling sensation shooting up her body.

“Yes, indeed… But you’re more shameless compared to before,” Xenia pointed out, specifically, because Darius’s hand was currently on her breast instead of her waist. She shook her head as she composed herself, all while being distracted by that playful hand of his that was now amply squeezing her chest.

“If you only knew how tormented I was during those days,” Darius reminisced with a chuckle.

“Your scent was driving me nuts. I was in such a dilemma thinking you were a lad. Zeus, though, kept telling me that you’re a woman… But I simply couldn’t believe it till I confirmed it myself. Then that day came… I saw you naked, bathing in the pool of the waterfalls. Heavens… Then again, I might’ve been even more tortured after that…”

“How come you didn’t confront me then? You could’ve unveiled my disguise right then and there,” Xenia murmured, her breath hitching when Darius slid his hand inside her dress without much effort.

It was currently night, and Xenia had changed into a more comfortable set of clothes. She also wasn’t being conscious of her love marks anymore, her torso now draped with a comfortable and stretchy fabric that had a deep neckline plunging into her chest.

“Hmm… You have your reasons for that disguise,” Darius murmured against her ear, gently removing her hood. “I guess I wanted to observe you more. I wanted you to open up to me of your own free will. But that day… That day when I confirmed that you’re a woman… I promised myself right then and there that I will never let you go no matter what. You’re my mate, after all.”

“Hmm… I suppose you can say that it all started because of the Mate Pull,” Darius continued as he murmured against her bare neck. “I won’t also deny that the physical attraction I felt for you grew deeper, of course. I developed strong feelings towards you, all while knowing more about you… Eventually, I was confident enough to name it love… You’re my one true love, Xen, the only woman who can make me feel all kinds of emotions in my whole life…”

[0)ᴠʟ “Uhm… We’re supposed to move quickly at this rate, right?” Xenia weakly murmured. Darius was making her feel weak… so much so that she was already leaning on his chest for support.

“Right, I might end up stopping us at this rate…” Darius nodded with a murmur. “I feel like I’m no longer my rational self whenever I’m around you…”

Xenia giggled before he suddenly grabbed the reigns from him, making their horse move faster before Darius ended up taking her right then and there. This Werewolf King was becoming more and more shameless by the day, his actions around her being bolder each time they spent a considerable amount of time together.