Protect Me, Alpha King - Chapter 147: Chapter 147

The Alpha King?
Alpha Raphael's eyes widened as he stared at me while touching his cheeks. "What the "
My hands trembled as I stared at him. "You told the alpha king?" I said, cutting off his words. I cringed and clenched my fist to my chest. "H-how could you...." I trailed off.
My fingers touched my parted lips.
Maxxwell knew I was here? It will only be a matter of time before he brings his guards and catches me. He will imprison me in his dungeon and return me to the darkest part of that place.
My breathing became quicker.
"Woman. Hey!" he exclaimed when I was no longer facing him.
He stared at me for a moment.
My heart felt like it was going to burst. Here I thought, thinking that I was safe. That Maxxwell won't be able to identify my location. So why?
"Maxxwell will kill me. He will hurt me. He will hurt my child."
Alpha Raphael looked at me with a questioning gaze.
"He won't do that, okay? The alpha king is not a devil. He will be ecstatic if he finds out he will have a child. That you are already pregnant."
I shook my head in denial a couple of times.
"Woman. Oh, come on. Why would the alpha king do that? That's absurd."
With bulging eyes, I turned my back, and just as I would take my steps, Alpha Raphael said, "I'm just kidding, woman. Geez. Why do you always slap me? If you have a different master, he will never tolerate this kind of attitude."
I titled my head to the side. "A joke?"
I did not know if I would be happy or furious at his different sense of humor.
"Yeah. You were serious earlier that I thought I would give you a good laugh. I'm sorry if I scared you to death. You look pale. I'm just kidding, okay? No need to be that serious."
Squeezing my eyes shut, I released a breath I had held earlier and faced him fully. "That was not a good joke," I scolded him. "I nearly died of a heart attack. Please don't do that again, Master Raphael."
His expression softened. "Are you that scared of the alpha king? Woman. King Maxxwell and I talked earlier. And do you know what keeps him busy these days?"
Gritting my teeth, I mumbled, "Do not mention his name again."
The upcoming meeting with the alpha king cannot be stopped. I had to do something.
Having an idea of what was running through my mind, Alpha Raphael reminded me, "Look, woman. Whatever you are planning, please don't do it. You will be at my side. You will stay at my side. End of discussion. Here. This is your dress. Wear it. Tell me if it's loose or not to make some adjustments."
I opened and closed my mouth.
He smirked. "See? You're speechless because of the dress. I know you will love it."
I was not even looking at the dress, nor had a good glimpse at it. "It's not that."
"Oh, come on. I know you are. You will enjoy the ceremony. That is for sure."
"The last time I joined an event was when my sister died in front of me." I pocketed my fist. "Ceremonies will never be the same again, Master Raphael. Ceremonies will remind us of death. Nothing else."
The alpha's smile vanished from his eyes. "I'm sorry to hear that, but you must face the alpha king sooner or later."
"I don't want to."
I turned my back while thinking of things how to avoid the alpha king. We should never meet.
"Oh. And one more thing, woman. I cannot guarantee that Father and Gavin will not say anything to the alpha king. After all, it was them who were adamant about bringing you back to the palace. I cannot do anything about it. The only favor I can do for you is to stop them from forcing you to return to the alpha king. That's all."
I was restless as the day progressed until this whole evening. Did not even sleep a wink. My mind was already tired from overthinking, but it won't stop thinking.
Even if my tummy were still tiny and without any baby bump, Maxxwell would notice something was changing in my body, and he would pinpoint that the child was his, to begin with. He knew I did not have any
relationships with other men.
I turned on the other side of the bed.
Damn it.
No one was to be at fault since the Mating Ceremony should push through because of the pack's dwindling population. Sooner or later, the Maxxwell and I will meet.
Now.
t was my responsibility to look for something that would help me get out of the situation.
A knock resounded on the door.
At this hour?
I checked the clock. "Three o'clock in the morning?" I mumbled.
Damn. Today was the Mating Ceremony. The visitors would start pouring.
I should be dressed by now and meet the visitors.
I got out of bed, checked myself if I was decent, and opened the door to see a dark-haired male servant at the door.
He bowed at me, which was not necessary. We were both slaves and servants in this pack. However, that is not necessary right now.
"Yes?"
"Miss River. The alpha said that you have t
A male?
"No offense, but I can perfectly do it alone."
prepare. I will be the one assisting you."
I was not comfortable with a male around me.
"I know how to doll up women. The absence of females forced us to learn," he replied. He gave me an encouraging smile. "You will be in good hands. I am the best. Not to brag, Miss River."
I glanced at the clock.
Well, he seemed kind. I cannot be choosy, right?
"If you say so. Only the makeup."
After an hour of fixing me, we were already done.
"You are beautiful, Miss," the servant complimented after giving the finishing touches. "You know what? I am excited about the Mating Ceremony. I am hoping I will meet my mate."
I let out a sigh. "Thank you. I am sure you will meet her," I answered while looking at my reflection in the mirror.
I looked...plain. In my eyes, there was no more beautiful except the baby I was carrying inside my womb.
The man set aside the brushes. "You should smile, Miss. We never saw you smile the moment you came into this place. You're the only female here. It would be lovely if someone would bring sunshine to this
lonely place."
I stared at him long and saw he was smiling, but it did not reach his eyes.
To give him consolation, I smiled at him. Real this time. Without any lies.
"The women will come. You will meet her."
"They will, but they will not stay any longer. They died mysteriously. For your safety and the baby, it would be better if you will not stay here. Will you consider that, Miss River?"
I was about to answer him when another knock resounded. The servant hurried and opened it only to see Alpha Raphael. He has dressed already. His white hair was tied in a ponytail. Overall, Alpha Raphael
looked dashing and handsome.
"I look good. I know. You don't have to open your mouth that wide, woman."
I glared at him. "I am not. Stop saying nonsense."
He looked at me from head to foot. "Better."
Raising my eyebrows, I asked, "Better? Explain it further. And why did you choose a high-slit dress and show my cleavage?"
Alpha Raphael looked sheepishly. "It looks good on you."
"When it comes to women, everything looks good on you," I snapped.
Perhaps one of the reasons why he liked women that much was because this pack had no women.
"And why did you choose the red gown? I looked like I was seducing every available male wolf."
"Correction. The one whom you will seduce is the alpha king himself. The rest? They are off-limits. The alpha king will kill them."
"Stop mentioning his name. He will only ruin my mood." The sense of dread came back again. "Let's go."
Alpha Raphael offered his arm. "Your wish is my command."
My hands trembled as Alpha Raphael, and I made our way into the Great Hall. It was still early for the Mating Ceremony, which usually happens during nighttime, but some alpha and she-wolves had already
arrived.
Servants were everywhere, serving the visitor's needs. From the corner of my eye, I saw Alpha Raphael's father talking to the visitors.
I could quickly pinpoint which belonged to Riverside Pack and which were our visitors. "Relax. The alpha king said he might make it or not," Alpha Raphael whispered in my ears. His hands were on my waist. As odd as it sounded, I felt safe in his arms. "Rest easy, okay? You made me feel as if I was
your worst date. Women love my company, woman. You are hurting my ego if you continue showing as if you are constipated and are forced to join here."
Smiling at the she-wolf we met on the way, I replied, "I am forced to come here. You said all will be punished if we will not attend the ceremony."
"You will be. Father will make sure of that. Due to his age, he is usually strict in implementing the rules. You can see that even if he has already stepped down, he is still involved in the pack's affairs; I told him to
relax and that I can do it. I can solve all the internal conflicts, but he won't listen to me. That old man."
"How will he relax if you continue being irresponsible, Master Raphael? If I were your mother, I would also be worried and nag you daily until you learn your lesson."
His steps faltered for a moment.
I tilted my head and looked at him only to see a serious expression cross his face.
"D-Did I say something wrong, Master Raphael?"
He forced a smile. "N-nothing," he answered but cleared his throat. "I just saw the alpha king."
My heart faltered and paled. "W-what? Where?"