Protect Me, Alpha King - Chapter 150: Chapter 150

Sorry
The alpha king had finally come. In flesh and blood.
My lips parted as I continued watching him. Unblinking.
I felt how the alpha king jerked as our skin connected. Delicious sparks flew between us.
My mind suddenly went blank. Temporarily.
He was as confused as me..
"R-River..." he whispered. His expression softened and his eyes darted to my flat stomach.
That was enough to snap me back to reality. As if a bucket of ice was thrown at me.
"I-I am not what you are looking for."
I stepped away as far away from him, without looking back and forth.
Maxxwell. Did he run after me or not? I was not sure.
My heart hammered against my chest as I looked for a way out. Far from the alpha king.
If I should have hid in my room, our paths would never have crossed by now.
What now? Will he punish me because of my sister's sin? Wasn't it enough that my sister already died because of him? And now. It seemed like he already knew that I was carrying his child. Will he snatch my baby away from me?
I balled my fist.
I would never allow that to happen. This baby was mine alone. I would fight him to death if worse came to worse.
"Miss River," I heard the servant call my name, but I did not stop nor answer him.
Pushing my feet to walk faster, I ran and walked.
Must. Try. To. Get.Away.
Sweat coated my forehead. I felt sticky all over. I knew I should fix myself to be presentable, but that was the last of my worry now. Using the back of my hand, I wiped the sweat.
My breathing labored. It felt difficult to breathe. Air. Where was the fresh air when I badly needed it?
I halted when someone grabbed my wrist and spun me around.
"River. Can we talk?"
Glancing over my shoulder, Maxxwell was hot on my heels.
Fuck.
The alpha king.
The alpha king could run and catch me if he wanted, but it looked like he was giving me enough time.
I looked around. I only succeeded in stepping into the hallway. It was vacant and did not have any traces of Alpha Raphael and his woman.
The alpha king tugged my hand. "River. Look me in the eyes," he ordered. Which of course I did not listen to. He no longer had the right over me. Period.
"Let me go," I answered, gritting my teeth. "I already have a new master and it is him whom I will follow. You cannot ask me to follow your orders." Not meeting him in the eyes, I shifted my gaze in the other direction. Anywhere. Aside from him.
"I did not expect you to be here. Of all the packs, the alpha of Riverside Pack bought you."
My eyes landed on our connected hands. "Will you let me be you, Your Highness? I am not comfortable with anyone touching me."
As if he did not hear my plea, he added, "Your friend, the luna is constantly sick from worrying about you."
I bit back the sob that was trying to escape from my throat. I missed that woman.
"I am perfectly fine in this place, Your Highness. I am enjoying myself serving the alpha. I like it here more than my stay at the palace. I did not suffer any abuse or maltreatment here." Something passed on the alpha king's eyes before he masked away.
"I-I can see you are well. G-good. G-good."
"My hand, please?"
He did not let me go.
I released an exasperated sigh.
"I am minding my own business, Your Highness. You should do the same. We are over. I rejected you. So why do you want to talk to me? I don't get it."
Please go away before I regret my next actions.
The mark had been tingling nonstop and if I moved my hand into that particular area, he would think I was still affected by his presence. Which was still the case. Goddess. This man? I had to control myself from jumping over him and kissing him like crazy. I did not understand what was happening to me. My hatred towards him should overpower my heart. However, my longingness for him persisted.
Was this all because of my hormones and the baby? Did my baby recognize I was with her Father?
I thought my rejection would make the mark fade but I was wrong. Then, there was my wolf. Sunflower was still silent and won't even talk to me. I did not even feel her presence even if I was near the alpha king. I hope she was alright.
The alpha king continued his silence.
"Now, you've gone mute."
I felt his hold loosen and I yanked my wrist away from him.
Putting a safe distance between us, I leaned on the wall while glaring at him. At our distance, I felt I could breathe again.
"Why are you here, Your Highness? Really? Did you come here to kill me as well?"
The alpha king's perfect brows furrowed. "Kill you? Where did you get that idea? If I come here to kill you, I should have brought my guards with me, River."
I scoffed. "Do you have to question that, Your Highness? You ordered the beta to bring me to the auction house. You want me to become someone else sex slave. You want me to suffer. You want me dead! You! Of all people, Your Highness!" My voice raised to a certain volume, and I did not care if he would punish me for that for being disrespectful. "How insensitive of you to ask me that kind of bullshit."
I faced him and saw how guilt crossed his beautiful face. Now that I was looking at him hard, I was taken aback as I realized he looked older than the last time I saw him. He already had a mustache and stubble under his chin. His eyes... looked tired as if he had a lot of sleepless nights.
I looked at him with satisfaction.
"Did your nightmares keep you awake every night, Your Highness? That makes us even then. I hope you suffer for the rest of your life. I hope the ghost of your sins haunts you for eternity. You should suffer just like how I suffered so much."
Angrily, I wiped the stupid tears forming from my eyes. How could I show my weakness in front of this bastard?
"River."
With trembling hands, I pointed my fingers at him. "Don't you dare call my name. I hate you so much that I want to rip off your throat and feed your heart to the vampires." My voice cracked in the end.
He moved one step. "I deserve your hate. I understand why you rejected me. Being separated from you helped me to think."
"I can't believe you, Maxxwell. Don't give me that sad boy look. Don't act as if you are the victim. I've been trying to tell you about Zenith's plan. If you just believed me...then...then....."
I drew a shaky breath when I remembered Zenith's glassy stare.
"River."
"Don't you call my name, Maxxwell! Is that the only thing you can say? My name?" He stepped forward. "Don't you dare, Maxxwell. Don't you dare. Or else, I will scream at the top of my lungs and tell the people you take advantage of me."
I was expecting that he would get furious, but he did not. Instead, both of his hands were at the back of his head.
"I looked for you everywhere."
My breath caught.
Harden your heart, River. You're not going to fall on that one. The alpha king was your enemy. He killed your sister. He drove her to her death. Hate him.
"You look for me because you suddenly want to kill me, right?"
"River. That's not it."
"Then, what, Your Highness?"
"I want to keep you...safe."
Safe?
I stared at him in disbelief. Then I laughed and tears came out of my eyes. "You think you can put me in your pocket using those words? Safe? If there is the most dangerous place for me, it is you. You want to kill me."
"River. Please listen."
"I'm not listening to you, Your Highness! I am already done with you. Go before I forget that you are the alpha king!"
"This pack is not safe for you."
"You think I care about that? As long as that is not beside you, I would rather die here."
I backed into the corner when he suddenly sauntered towards me and before I could react, he put both of his hands on my shoulders and gave me a hard shake.
"Don't say about dying that lightly!"
Before I realized it, my hand automatically flew into his cheeks.
The alpha king staggered.
"Fuck you! You don't dictate my life anymore, Your Highness." I pointed my hands at my chest. "This is my life. This is mine alone."
"It was a mistake when I told the beta to bring you to the auction house. I regretted my actions, River. That's why I keep on looking for you even if I did not know where to start."
"You want to know where I was? You should have gone first to the Underworld."
The alpha king shook his head. "I'm sorry. I mean it."
Two simple words, but they had an unimaginable effect on me, making my heart jump. Which was wrong. I knew. Besides, an alpha king never seeks forgiveness from anyone. He was proud and believed he was not wrong.
But now.
Maxxwell was willing to lower himself for my sake? Ha. What did he expect? That I would fall for that one?
Forgiving Maxxwell meant disappointing Zenith.
"Will your sorry bring back my sister's life, Your Highness? If it is possible, give me back my sister's life."
His shoulders slumped. "I will never seek forgiveness for traitors like her. She jeopardized the kingdom's safety. It is you who am asking for forgiveness. I hope you will have the heart to forgive what I did, My Queen."