Filed To Story: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
He took another look at her and noticed bruises on her neck that were in the shape of fingers. Did someone choke her?
Rage rippled through Dayson. The thought that someone hurt Talia infuriated him beyond belief.
His urge was to protect her, to see her smiling and happy and this… just what is this?
“Who did this!?”, Dayson squeezed through his teeth angrily and Talia’s whole body shook in fear.
There was no way that she would say anything. It will only bring more trouble.
How can she say that it was princess Marcy? Aren’t this scary Alpha and Marcy on good terms? If she speaks up, at best he won’t believe her and there is a high chance she gets another beating. He was already angry, and she didn’t want to be in the vicinity when he blows up.
“No one. Please. Can I leave?”
Dayson released Talia’s chin and held her shoulder. Even through the coarse fabric of her sweatshirt, Dayson felt faint prickles on his palm that made him crave for more. Mate.
Dayson focused mightily on inspecting her face, especially the purple mark on her right cheek. It was oval with small dots around it and somehow it reminded Dayson of the ring he saw earlier that evening… a ring on Marcy’s hand.
‘Stop scaring the girl…’, the wolf spoke in Dayson’s head.
Dayson looked at Talia and he pressed his lips into a line when he saw the horror in her eyes.
Dayson’s attention moved to her shoulder under his palm, and he realized how small and fragile she was. He guessed that if he exerts a bit of pressure, he can probably crush her.
Reluctantly, Dayson released her shoulder, trying not to make any sudden movements in order not to scare her more.
“I will not hurt you.”, he said as calmly as he could, but her unchanged expression told him that she didn’t believe him.
Why would she believe him? So far, people either ignored her or bullied her. And those are people who live in this pack. Why would a stranger treat her better? And the stranger in front of her was intimidating.
‘She is probably abused.’, his wolf said, and Dayson’s closed his eyes in an attempt to contain another rush of rage that swelled inside him.
Abused. Someone abused his mate!
Dayson took a deep breath, the sweet citrusy scent of freesia made him lightheaded, like a drug that helped him relax. It was addictive. He greedily inhaled again and again, and it took him a few breaths to detect that the scent was getting fainter.
Dayson opened his eyes and realized that he was alone in the kitchen. She left, and he didn’t notice. Was she even real or did he imagine her?
‘Imagine my foot!’, his wolf grumbled. ‘Use that nose of yours and track her down!’
Dayson snapped to his senses and followed his nose outside, toward the garden.
Dayson stopped in the middle of the garden and took a deep breath in search of Talia.
The wind mixed in the scent of freesia with hydrangea and roses and scattered them in random directions, and… “Shit!”, Dayson cursed under his breath. “I lost her.”
‘Why did she leave?’, Dayson asked his wolf.
‘Maybe because you scared the soul out of her.’
Dayson was confused. ‘I scared her?’
‘The girl is abused and jumpy, yet you sneaked behind her. You prevented her from leaving, held her while demanding that she answers your questions, so yes. You scared her. And that was only the last five minutes. The first time you met, there was another she-wolf sucking you off and you shouted at this precious one to stop. It’s not the best first impression, if I may say.’
Dayson cussed internally. He didn’t want to think about the unpleasant things.
He was unable to get Talia’s image out of his mind. Damned mate bond!
An idea hit him… ‘Isn’t she my mate? Why did she run away from me? If we are mates, she should have a need to get close to me, to touch me, yet I could see her desire to escape.’
‘I don’t think she knows we are her mate.’
‘Is it because she is too young?’, Dayson guessed.
‘That’s not the problem. She is small and skinny, but I’m confident that she is over eighteen years old.’, his wolf paused, unsure how Dayson will take this information. ‘The thing is that… I can’t sense her wolf.’
‘She is a human?’, Dayson asked with a frown.
He never thought of having a mate, and he definitely didn’t think that the Moon Goddess will arrange a human for him. They are weak and fragile, just like Talia.
How can a powerful Alpha have a human for a mate?
She would be like a crystal figurine in the middle of the room full of angry elephants.
Dayson’s wolf was pleased to confirm how among all the emotions, Dayson wished to keep Talia safe. It was a step in the right direction.
‘No, the girl is definitely a she-wolf. There are cases when someone was harmed or neglected, the wolf would sacrifice himself in order to protect the human part. Considering the injuries on her body, I could see that happening. And she was skinny and looking hungry.’
Dayson shoved his hand in his hair. ‘I scared her away and she didn’t get food…’ He felt like crap. ‘How do I fix this?’
‘What do you want to fix, your majesty?’, his wolf asked sarcastically. ‘Your plan is to shag Marcy and leave. Did that change? Do you want to find the girl, say sorry for being a jackass, and take her out for dinner?’
Dayson groaned in frustration and stared at the dark forest in the distance.
He had no intention of dining and entertaining Talia or any other woman. He didn’t want to get involved further. His mind was telling him to stay away from the girl with the copper-colored hair because with every second passing she was changing him in ways he didn’t like.
Dayson craves control. He needs to be in charge, and Talia’s existence is doing the opposite.
He told himself to stop thinking about her and to move on. Can he stay away after getting a taste of her addictive scent? And the sparks upon touching her were phenomenal.
Dayson came out for a run, and now he didn’t feel like running. He wanted to find Talia, but he had no idea where she disappeared. And even if he found her, Dayson wouldn’t know what to say.
All this was super-confusing.
…
In the morning…
‘Are you guys up?’, Dayson spoke to Jaeden and Maya through the mind link.
‘We are now.’, Jaeden grumbled.
They have an understanding that nights are reserved for privacy between Jaeden and Maya, and unless it’s something important, Dayson will not disturb them.
Technically, it was morning, but it was way too early.
‘The reports from Europe are still not ready. It’s just past 5 in the morning.’, Jaeden said, assuming that Dayson was impatient to find out dirt on Marcy. ‘We should receive them soon. I will call our men to confirm the status.’