Chapter 8

The days slowly passed by.

But as soon as Apple opened her eyes when she felt that fresh breeze of sunlight on her face, she smiles and throws the floral covers from her body.

“Wake up!” she pulls Anastacia’s covers from her body. “The king is coming today!” she shouts happily. Apple takes a quick, seven-minute shower and puts her hair up in a neat bun. She puts on the shirt Dario sent her and asks Ana to put her necklace on.

“Apple,” Ana mumbles tiredly. “I am still tired.”

“No! Get up and go take a shower. You’ll feel the energy!” Apple says with a huge grin plastered on her face. She draws the curtains together.

“Why are- Apple, he can actually see you.”

“Oh yes! Silly me…”

“Your mark is glowing.” Anastacia remarks as she squirts toothpaste on her toothbrush. “He’s near, right? It only does that when he’s near.”

“Could be. I-”

Apple’s sentence is cut short when the door opens and Amadeo enters. He tries catching his breath, “You need to come, Miss Apple, come quick.”

Apple follows Amadeo who sprints down the hallway and into the room she visited weeks ago. The beautiful instrument still sat in the middle pf the room, and a giddy feeling shoots through Apple as her eyes trail to the huge figure standing near the window. Tears well up in her eyes and Apple takes a step forward but is stopped by Amadeo’s hand on her wrist. She looks at Amadeo with a frown. “What’s wrong?” she asks in a hushed tone.

“It’s bad, My Queen,” by the look on Amadeo’s face, Apple could tell something was wrong. She tugs her wrist out of his hand and takes a few towards the king; her mate.

“Dario?” she whispers. She puts her hand on his back and shivers when Dario’s back muscles suddenly tense. “What’s going on?”

“Don’t touch me.” He bites out, but Apple doesn’t listen and she turns him around. Apple gasps as she sees a long, deep scar carved into Dario’s cheek.

“What happened?” she asks and gently runs her icy fingertips over the scar.

“I was attacked.”

“Who? How were-”

“I think it is best if you leave.”

“Don’t push me away, Dario.”

“Leave, Apple! Get out of my sight before I hurt you!”

Apple stumbles back, a queen only raises her voice when it is needed, “Very well then, Alpha King.” She chokes out painfully and quickly strides out of Dario’s presence and into her room.

“What was so urgent?” Ana asks as she puffs her pillow.

“Nothing I couldn’t handle.”

“I am guessing Alpha King is back, right?”

“Yes. He’s in a bad space so he requests that no one should bother him.” Apple rubs her temples.

“Apple, you know you can talk to me, right?”

“It’s just- I don’t know, he’s pushing me away… and I didn’t do anything. I’m probably the most stupid girl alive. I fell in love with someone… a dogman, that wants nothing to do with me.”

“I haven’t told you about Cecilia, have I?” Apple shakes her head. “The king saw her in the same brothel he saw me. She always threw herself at men, but when she saw Alpha King, she thought they had a connection. She referred to their moment as love at first sight.”

“But it wasn’t, right?”

“No, it was… and Alpha King thought so too. He fell in love with her body, the way she portrayed it. He promised her she would be his.”

“When would they discover that they were not mates? He knew when he saved me… he s—saw—"

“Alpha King was convinced that something was wrong with his wolf when it hadn’t told him that they were meant to be.”

“So, his wolf told him?”

“Yes. Anyway, they fell madly in love. They were inseparable. And Cecilia asked him for his hand in marriage. But the king had his doubts because for three years he still hadn’t felt it… the stir, nor the emotion. So, he broke off the relationship. Cecilia didn’t want that, she wanted to be with him, so she started reading all these Greek Mythology books. And when she found what she was looking for, she practiced it on the king.”

“What was she looking for?” Apple asks, completely intrigued with the tale. They hadn’t noticed Dario quietly standing in the doorway, his arms folded in front of his chest.

“She wanted to make me love her the way she wanted to be loved.” Apple looks at Dario, her eyes huge.

“Alpha King, I’m glad you-”

“You’re dismissed, Ana.” Dario rudely interjects, his hooded gaze fixated on Apple who nervously nibbles on her bottom lip. Anastacia bows her head and quickly leaves. “But when I couldn’t, when I caught onto her plan-” Dario slowly stalks towards Apple who walks backwards. Her back hits the wall, and a smirk dances on his lips. He cages her between his arms and slides his mouth over the crook of her neck. Dario’s teeth seductively graze the mark he made, a sudden possessiveness wash over him. “I missed you.”

“You’re the most bipolar creature I’ve met.”

“Wrong. I am your most bipolar creature that you love.”

“You said you’d hurt me,” Apple breathes out as Dario pulls her flush against him.

“I shouldn’t have said that.” He says as his hand slowly glides towards her inner thigh.

“You think,” she asks sarcastically as she tries suppressing a moan. “I think we should stop.”

“I think we shouldn’t.”

“Clearly we want different things,”

“I beg to differ,” Dario says against Apple’s ear and she shudders. His fingers sensually slide against her thigh but Apple grabs Dario’s wrist.

“Not until you apologise.” Apple blushes. Dario chuckles darkly and kisses Apple. He slams her against the wall and hoists her up. “Dario,” Apple moans in between their kiss to stop their heated moment from escalating. She wasn’t ready and needed Dario to respect that. “Dario,” she says again. Dario looks deeply into Apple’s soul, as if searching for a valid reason why she feared this, “We need to stop.”

“Why?” he asks breathlessly, his thumbs slide over her thighs. “Are you uncomfortable?”

“That, and the fact that I’m still-” Apple crushes her forehead into Dario’s chest. “I’m still a virgin, Dario.”

“But you said—”

“I lied,” she says embarrassedly.

“No, I haven’t been with a man before. My mother forbids it. And I’m not seen as sexy.”

“You’re the beautifullest, sexiest, ravishingiest and prettiest woman I’ve ever seen. Whoever told you you’re not sexy has no brain.”

“You’re a dork.” Apple giggles and wraps her arms around Dario’s neck. “But you’re my dork.”

“I know.”

“I missed you. Don’t ever leave me again.”

“We have to get married.”

“I want to see my mother.” Dario’s shoulders tense and Apple tries to pry herself out of his arms. “Dario, I want to get off and see my mother.” She says.

“Why? She doesn’t want to see you. She made that clear when you left.”

“I don’t care what she said, I miss her.”

“I missed you.”

“Stop changing the topic Dario.” Apple says frustratedly. She finally musters enough strength to get out of Dario’s arms and tries her best to keep him away from her.

“I forbid you from seeing your mother.”

“What! You cannot do that.”

“I can and I just did.”

“Dario!” Apple watches Dario strode towards the exit. “Dario!” he closes the door behind him and storms down the hall towards his special room.

“Alpha King,” he hears Cecilia’s soft voice calling out to him.

“What, Cecilia?”

“You requested whiskey, Alpha.”

“I don’t want anything from your hands, Cecilia. Get out.”

He shuts the door in her face and turns around, his gaze lingering on the huge instrument standing in the middle of the room. Dario lets out a loud growl that vibrates through the castle’s grounds.

He never knew having a mate would be so problematic.

But how is he supposed to tell her that Cecilia is her sister? Or that he brutally murdered her father because he murdered Dario’s mother? Or that he’s known her ever since she was a teenager?