Alpha King Kash:
'What are you staring at?' Shak, my wolf, growled as I stood in the restaurant's bathroom, washing my face over and over again.
'Do you feel this pain?' I asked him. He scoffed.
The pain was intense, unlike anything I had felt before.
'It's from hurting her. She must have been crying nonstop,' my wolf argued, and I closed my eyes, my fists clenched.
Just the thought of facing her again was killing me. If she had cried so much in such a short time, how much more would she cry when she sees Lara coming home with me?
I sighed and then straightened my back.
'There is nothing you can say that will make me change my mind, Shak, so let's not ponder over it. I will go home and convince her to stay in the guestroom for a while. She loves me so much that she will agree, and when the time is right, I will tell her—' I stopped when someone else showed up.
The pack member gave me a bow of respect and started to clean the restroom. I walked out as I straightened my black suit and sat down with Lara and her father once again.
I noticed Lara putting down my phone in haste, and I frowned.
What was she doing with my phone?
"Seeing you two back together makes me so happy," Alpha King Ronald said, smiling from ear to ear.
"So what if we were never fated mates? We are soul mates," Lara continued as she clung to my arm.
"Yeah," I replied dryly, probably catching their attention, but her father continued to butcher the steak in front of him.
"What's going on with you?" Lara asked as she looked at my untouched steak, and she gripped my arm tightly.
"You didn't even touch me this morning," She added.
After I took her to my bedroom, I excused myself. I didn't have sex with her.
"It's nothing," I uttered, looking away.
"What is going on with you, Alpha King Kash? Is there a problem?" Her father asked, noting his daughter's concern.
"It's just that I have a lot on my mind. The East holds grudges against us. They wanted me to demand that you hand over the path of the river to them. They think whatever is hiding in that river is important for the development of werewolf strength," I explained. He rolled his eyes at the mention of the river.
The South wasn't very rich apart from that river and the secret it held. Everyone had their eyes on it. Every once in a while, this man would show up with tons and tons of gold as if he had a magic lamp or a genie.
As a result, everyone believed the secret lay in that river itself.
"Forget about them. I am pretty sure now that we are striking a deal, you will be able to protect our borders and also cherish whatever is in the river," Alpha King Roland spoke dramatically, while meticulously mentioning my takeover of the South soon.
He did not have another heir. Lara was an alpha, but in no way, shape, or form could she protect the South. He needed a son-in-law who was powerful and courageous enough to not only marry his daughter but also keep the river protected.
"Of course, I hope this union will only bring good fruits," I mumbled as I grabbed a glass of wine and cheered for our union. Lara happily shared the drink, and so did her father.
I had only taken a sip from the glass when my eyes moved to my cellphone screen, and a message popped up on it.
I put the glass down hastily and opened the text.
My Life: You made your choice. Now I make mine. Have a good life with your new mate. Goodbye.
My heart almost stopped in my chest.
"What happened, darling?" Lara asked, trying to hold my hand, but I shrugged my hand free and dialed Iris's number.
I had told her to trust me and stay. What the hell did she mean by 'goodbye'?
"Hello," I heard a man answer on the other side, and my jaw clenched.
"Who the hell are you, and why are you answering my wife's phone?" I yelled, getting up from my seat. Both Lara and her father stared at me.
Lara's father leaned back, wiping his mouth clean and watching me with scrunched eyebrows.
"Your Highness, I am Royal Beta Walkin. Your guard handed me Luna Iris' phone. He said she left the mansion and threw her phone away."
For a moment, Iris flashed before my eyes.
Her smile, her warmth, her embrace.
I almost lost my footing before I regained my balance and grunted under my breath.
"Find her no matter what!"
I slammed the phone onto the table, watching it break into pieces under the weight of my strength. The other customers in the restaurant gasped, staring at me with fear, while Lara got up from her seat.
"What did she do? Why was her phone with someone else?" she asked in a frantic voice. Probably watching me this angry had scared her too.
"She fucking left me," I hissed. As soon as I spoke, her face started to relax. She glanced over at her father, who smiled comfortably.
"And how is that upsetting? Aren't you happy that a burden is off your shoulders? Now you can marry my daughter without worrying about your mate clinging to your feet," his voice was calm—too calm. Almost victorious.
I glared at him for a moment before Lara broke the stare, warning her father with her eyes to restrain himself from making any further comments.
"Baby, it's okay. You've already tossed her out of your life, as you told me. So what's the matter now?" Lara asked, trying to rub my arm. I pulled away.
"I have to go," I decided, not even looking at her or her father.
I needed to find Iris and ask her why. Why did she leave when I had asked her to stay if she loved me?
Was she not going to fight for me? Even a little?
Or was it true what others said about her, that she only wanted the crown? Just because her spot was given to someone else, she would leave me?
That doesn't matter now.
I have to find her and bring her home. No matter the cost.