FULL NOVELXO Chapter Danger?
XIMUN
“Your Majesty,” a burly man named Musse, greeted Ximun as he entered, his greeting reminding the he-wolf that it was indeed time to take on royal duties again. “You have guests.”
“Guests?” With resounding steps, Alpha Ximun moved forward.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” replied the throne’s informant. Andrew always called Musse the throne’s official gossip for fun. “They are emissaries from the Tarmish Pack.”
“Tarmish?” Ximun stared at the door ahead that led to the main throne room. “What business do we have with them?”
“That I have no knowledge of. They refused to talk in your absence.”
“Alright.” They reached the door and once that was opened, Ximun hardened th e expression on his face and refused to spare the guests waiting for him a glance. He moved that way till he was settled on his cushioned seat. Then, with fierceness in his voice, he asked, “How may I help you?”
Someone, probably the spokesperson of the five-man group, stepped forward, his head slightly bowed. “Alpha Ximun, it is a delight to meet you on such short notice.”
Ximun pushed his hair back and relaxed his body in a way that made him seem nonchalant. Once his elbow was resting on the armrest, he said, “I am glad you know that this is of short notice. I was not expecting to hear from Tarmish Pack after the brief encounter I had with Beta Richard.”
The man on the lower ground raised his head as though saying that he wasn’t willing to respect the Alpha anymore. “Actually,” he adjusted the expensive jacket drooping off his shoulders, “that encounter is the reason we are here.”
Ximun lifted a brow. “How so?”
“We are against Beta Richard’s decision to give his daughter to you.”
“Excuse me?”
“We don’t want his daughter to be given to you,” the man repeated and Ximun sat up abruptly.
“What do you mean by you don’t want Aysu to be given to me? Is she a sack of rice? Why would she be given to me?”
“Alpha Ximun,” the man chuckled, “you can’t feign ignorance concerning what I am talking about. Miss Aysu has been handed over to you for marriage. Everyone knows that she has been in this palace for several days. So, we are here to deliver our Alpha King’s message concerning the issue.”
Ximun didn’t like the sound of the nonsense the man was saying. But, with his tongue probing the insides of his mouth, he gave a silent nod and the man continued.
“The Alpha King of Tarmish Pack has sent us to inform you that Aysu is not meant for marriage. She is deemed a menace to society, she has wreaked a lot of misery on the Pack and for that reason, we can’t let her get married to you.”
Ximun tilted his head a bit. “I hate that you are speaking as though she is a sack of rice intended for sale.
“Alpha Ximun,” the average-height man had smugness on his face, “I am only delivering a message from my King.”
Ximun nodded. “All right then.”
“We would appreciate it if you handed Miss Aysu to us. Our journey here wasn’t easy, it would be difficult to have to come back to your lovely pack.”
Ximun laughed. The man’s words were certainly amusing. Infuriating? Yes.
But, also amusing.
So, he got to his feet and with his hands clasped behind him, he walked down the stairs that led to the lower ground.
“Can I know your name?”
“I am Cooker.”
“Oh, great. Your mouth cooks a lot of nonsense.” Ximun ended his short trip in front of the man who almost cowered in front of his tallness. “Look into my eyes, Cooker.”
“O-Okay.” The man’s smugness was instantly nowhere to be found and no matter how much he glanced at the people he came with, there was no help around. So, after many seconds, he had no choice but to look into the natural sinisterness Ximun’s eyes were producing at that moment.
“I have heard the ridiculous message from your Alpha King.” Ximun gripped the man’s shoulders. “I hear you and I appreciate your ability to deliver such nonsense. But, Cooker, your King can never have his way. Do you want to know why?”
“Wh-why?”
“Aysu is now with me. We got married and she will soon be officially crowned as my Queen.” Cooker’s eyes enlarged instantly and from that, Ximun was able to deduce the true reason their King sent them. So, he let go of Cooker’s shoulders and smiled. “That’s the reason, isn’t it?”
“I have no idea what you are-”
“You people and your King can’t stand the idea of Aysu becoming the Luna Queen of the greatest Wolf Pack.” After a hearty laugh, Ximun bit into his lower lip and debated how to further throw the people of Tarmish Pack into jeopardy.
“Alpha Ximun,” another man from the group said, “we might seem selfish to you, but this will also benefit you and your Pack. The longer Aysu stays here, the more dangerous it will get for you. As Beta Cooker said, Aysu is a huge ball of misery and-”
“What happens if I hand her over to you?” Ximun asked with seriousness.
“Well…” The man’s hesitation answered Ximun’s question. “We will take good care of her in whatever home she is put in and-”
“You intend to kill her,” stated Ximun, the firmness in his voice enough to startle the men who thought they were getting headway in the matter. “It doesn’t matter to you snippy wolves what kind of shit she has been through. All you want is her dead body.”
“That’s a little too much, Alpha Ximun,” Cooker added.
“Is it?” Ximun’s frown deepened. “Am I out of line over here?”
“Yes.”
“Uh oh,” Musse breathed where he was standing.
At the same time, Alpha Ximun headed for his seat. Once he was settled, he observed the men for some seconds. Then, he reached behind his seat and next thing, three small daggers were flying towards the men and the weapons made sure to hit three men on their shoulders. Moans, groans and confusion quickly filled the air.
“That is a warning,” Ximun said. “If you show up in front of me ever again, I will tear your insides open and have wolves eat you to their satisfaction.” After a sigh, Ximun faced one of the firm guards on his right and ordered, “Get rid of them and make sure you send a clear message to their King.”
The guard stepped forward and with his head lowered, he asked, “What message, Your Majesty?”
“Tell him that I am willing to kill for Aysu. Anyone who tries to touch her will never have a peaceful night. I don’t care how he interprets my message, I mean it with all seriousness.”
“Noted, Your Majesty.”
The deep voice that replied made Ximun confident that the emissaries wouldn’t return.
So, he sat back and watched as other guards joined in getting rid of the men from the Tarmish Pack.
Moments later, the throne room was quiet and Ximun was finally able to process his thoughts. And after a search into the truth of his mind, he realised that the presence of those men scared him a little.
Not because most of them seemed determined to carry out their mission, but because their mission was to get rid of Aysu.
Because of that fear, Ximun stood up and he finally yielded to the yearning in his heart he had been trying to push away since he saw Aysu with those two men.
AYSU
Her hair let loose in a way that allowed the breeze to play with it, Aysu looked out of the window and stared at the approaching moonlight that was welcoming a peaceful nighttime. At the same time, her right hand rested on her belly and in the depths of her mind, she wondered if being grateful for the gift of a child was enough to welcome the child once due.
Of course, it wasn’t. She knew that. But since she was greatly worried about her readiness to be a mother, a tiny part of her hoped that her grateful heart was enough criteria to successfully raise a pup.
But before Aysu could get any deeper into her thoughts, she walked out of it and took a look around the hugeness of her room. Gideon and Magnetino had earlier left for a mini-tour of the palace and palatial duties, so she was going to be alone for a while.
After admiring the layout of her bed which was softer than the one she had back home, Aysu got up and decided to sleep early. After all, ever since the pain from the curse ceased, her dreams became a field where she could experience the things she always wished to feel in reality.
While she wondered what her dreams would be made of that evening, a small thud from outside startled her.
Instinctively, her hand rested against her belly and she contemplated checking what was beyond the door. At first, she chose to head towards the bathroom for a quick bath, but her legs led her to the front door.
With caution, she opened it, and the next thing she knew, all she could smell was Ximun as he hugged her without holding back.