Protect Me, Alpha King - Chapter 155: Chapter 155

Two
River Williams
Hugging the alpha king was like returning to my home. Being in his arms felt like I was in the safest place on earth. I closed my eyes, savoring the moment, inhaling his scent, and getting drunk to it. This was the scent that my body was searching for. Craving for.
Sensing I was not fighting against him, the alpha king sank his face into my hair. "Don't you miss me, too, My Queen?"
My Queen.
Suddenly, then the image of my sister flashed like lightning in my mind. Her lifeless eyes stared back at me.
My breathing labored. My body trembled.
"River? Are you okay?" the alpha king asked, his voice with a hint of worry.
Tears came out and I was back to reality.
Oh, Moon Goddess. What kind of foolishness was I doing? If Zenith sees me now, she will come out from her grave and scold me. 2
I inhaled deeply. A couple of times before I pushed the alpha king away. Caught off guard, he nearly fell on the floor after.
"Stay away from me. You repulsed me, Maxxwell. Do not touch me. Never!"
The alpha king hangs his head low. "M-my apologies. I-I was swayed by my emotions."
I clenched my fist. "You should be sorry for everything you've done. You ruined my family."
"Yeah, I did. Forgiving will take a lot of time. I am aware of that."
I turned my back to him. "It will take forever."
The alpha king released a long sigh. "I will...leave you here to do your task."
And the alpha king stormed out of the room.
When I was already alone, my knees gave out, and fell on the floor.
What just happened? Why was he giving me mixed signals? Why did I like it?
I slapped myself.
Wake up, River. Focus.
I stood, went to the door, and locked it. There were still more pressing matters to attend to.
It took me three hours to clean the alpha king's chambers. From what I checked, he did not bring any spare clothes with him. The clothes he was wearing now were still from last night. If he was staying in the pack, where would he get his clothes?
River. It is no longer your concern. He can get topless while he stays here as long as he wants. I was the only woman present in this pack. I was not affected by his body or his presence.
Giving one last look, I checked if there were still things that I was not able to clean. None. Everything was spotless.
I had the right to seek help from the other servants, but as of the moment, a part of me wanted to savor the moment of being in his room. His scent was the only thing that would soothe my body.
Foolish, I knew.
I hate him, but maybe it was the baby I was carrying telling me to tone down my hate.
I looked with satisfaction at the condition of the room. Everything was already back to its usual position.
Where was that man? Did he want to give more orders or not? If he wanted to boss me around further, he better do it now while I was around.
My eyes darted at the bed. It looked inviting.
I will just wait here for him.
Yawning, I jumped into bed. I will know if he arrived or not. Napping will not bring any harm, right?
Alpha King Maxxwell
River should be gone by now after cleaning the chamber. I did not really want to ask him to clean, but she would never talk to me if I did not order her.
I made sure to come back after a long time. During those hours, I talked to the alpha and all the pack members, doing my own investigation.
I heaved a sigh.
River changed. A lot. Her eyes were coated with hate whenever she looked at me. I deserved that. Goddess. I deserved that.
However, my position of being innocent about Zenith's death remained. The former queen had chosen death.
I stopped in front of the door and leaned my forehead on the doorframe. I will do everything so that she will forgive me for what I did.
I should be sleeping by now, but my mind would never allow me to sleep. It was always about River.
'Do better, bastard, Denaro interjected my thoughts. 'You messed up a lot. Redeem yourself.'
'I know what I am doing. You do not have to remind me every now and then. It's irritating as fuck.'
Denaro growled at me. 'Never repeat your mistake, Maxxwell. I am warning you.'
'Yeah,' I answered him, cutting off our conversation.
I pushed the door open and froze when I saw River, my beautiful mate lying on my bed. My heart constricted and forgot how to breathe at the sight of her.
She was so beautiful that it broke my heart.
She moaned and slept on her back. Her skirt lifted, exposing her bare legs.
I groaned, feeling the hardness down there.
Bastard.
How could I feel this around a sleeping woman?
Slowly, I sauntered towards the bed and grabbed the blanket, and put it on her body. There. There were no more temptations.
However, when my gaze shifted to her parted lips, the temptation knocked me off guard. I wanted to kiss her senselessly while she moaned my name, begging me to take care right and there. Images of what happened that night, when she was drunk flashed in my mind.
Asshole.
You're having a boner. Stop those sinful thoughts and focus on your mate. Think with your brain, not with your dick.
Carefully, I slowly dragged the chair and sat next to her. She looked peaceful. Gone was the usual glare in her eyes. She looked...perfect.
I held my hand when I nearly bruised her cheeks using my hands, but I stopped doing so. I do not want her to wake up. She did not sleep last night and coming here and sleeping in my bed while not disturbing
her was a favor I could do for him. 1
I sighed and made myself comfortable in my chair. As much as I wanted to sleep next to her, I should refrain from doing so or she will kill me when she woke up.
As I continued watching her, drowsiness visited me.
Yawning, I stretched my hand while carefully putting both of my feet at the edge of the bed. I will just take a nap.
My eyes shut open, nearly fell when I saw River trashing on her bed. She moaned in pain.
"Zenith..." she whimpered. Tears coated her beautiful closed eyes. "Why did you leave me?" she whispered, still crying. 1
My heart felt like it was being crushed into a million pieces as I could not do anything but watch her. She was having nightmares. Maybe about the former queen taking her own life and dying in front of River.
I clenched my fist as I pressed my lips together.
It was only right for me that she won't forgive me. She suffered so much and instead of understanding her pain because I was her mate, I pushed her into the darkness even more. I punished her for the sins she
did not commit.
Looking at the ceiling, I closed my eyes, mouthing, "Is this your punishment, Moon Goddess? To see my mate suffering while I cannot do anything about it?"
River's tears were like little daggers stabbing my chest. Those tiny droplets of water were like poison in my system.
"Damn it!" I harshly whispered.
Bumping my knuckles on my mouth, I stood and paced silently on the floor.
"Zenith..." River called. She held her hands in the air as if she was grasping something. "Sister!" she screamed.
I stopped and faced her.
"Forgive me," I murmured and went to her side and gave her a little shake. To hell if she will curse me if I wake her up. "River. Wake up. You are only having nightmares."
She sobbed
Using the back of my palms, I wiped away the tears from her eyes.
Just kill me now.
At the contact of our skin, she opened her eyes and stared at me.
My expression softened. "Shhh. Everything is not real. You're only having a nightmare."
Confusion crossed her eyes and recognition followed. "Maxxwell."
I gave her a half-smile. "I am."
She looked around and realized she was still inside my room. And crying. Repulsed, she angrily wiped her tears and sat upright.
"What did you do to me? Why am I crying?"
She straightened her clothes.
I put my hands in the air, as a sign of surrender.
"I did not do anything, River. Never the type to take advantage of women while they are asleep."
"Liar!" she spat. She hugged herself as if she was protecting herself from me. I would be the last person on earth who would hurt her.
The fire in her eyes shot back to me.
I heaved a sigh. How long will she keep on acting like this?
"River. Believe me."
"Why would I believe you when you never believed me before?"
Right. I did not. "I doubted you in the past but not anymore. I will believe everything you say."
She laughed, still wiping her tears. "It's too late, Maxxwell. It is too late for that. Now, if you will excuse me."
River pushed me.
Looking up at the ceiling, I muttered, "You don't have to be violent whenever you walk in front of me, woman."
She did not listen and opened the door.
The woman gasped.
"Who is that?"
"Beta Gavin? What are you doing here?"
"River. Is the alpha king around?"
"Yeah, why? Beta-"
The beta brushed her presence which was not a pleasant thing in my eyes. I growled at him which made him step back.
"My apologies, Your Highness. D-did I do something wrong?"
"Respect your queen," I hissed.
"I am not your queen, Your Highness."
"For me, you are." I faced the beta. "What is the important thing you are trying to say that will disturb my rest?"
The beta's expression went frantic.
"Your Highness. Two pack members died this morning."