a/n> Apologies for the delay. I'm not home.

Thank you for your responses to the small survey I took. If you'd like to get double updates next week as well, take part in another survey I'll be posting in a couple of days. It wouldn't take you long to respond there. It's a follow-up survey to the previous one and is only for Indians.

~

-HIM-

I leaned back in my throne as I looked down at the women in front of me. The possibilities of a headache danced on my forehead as my eyes skimmed through all their faces. With each face, my disappointment only grew.

A wrinkle was now forming between my eyebrows slowly as Tryfon brought more women into the room.

"What is this?" I demanded with a mixture of anger and annoyance. Seeing all these unknown faces were pissing me off. I didn't like crowds at all.

My question hanged a frown on Tryfon's, face before he looked at the women in bewilderment and then back at me.

"Why? You told me to bring them, didn't you?" He questioned urgently. I could see the frustration carved into his face as well. This was causing us more headaches than I thought.

All because of that fvcking mate bond.

I took a deep breath to compose myself. I was so close to losing my temper. I didn't know it would be so hard.

"I told you how I wanted them, the women," I told him while looking down at the women angrily. "Not like this!" I growled at some of the women who had the audacity to send flirtatious looks my way.

My growl instantly scared all of them and feeling my power, they instantly lowered their gaze. I didn't know why but it disappointed me even more because she wouldn't have lowered her gaze. She'd have instead looked me back into my eyes. Heck, she'd have glared at me.

She was stronger than these prostitutes.

I was finding it hard to bear the sight of them. I wanted them to be sent away instantly otherwise I was afraid they'd end up being buried somewhere in the garden behind my wing.

"Now what?" Tryfon's frown deepened as he stepped in front of the women and examined them. He then turned to look at me. He looked even more annoyed by every passing second.

"You told me to bring some women for you and I did!" He exclaimed.

I hissed in annoyance before I gave him a pointed look. "None of them looks like what I had told you to bring!" I couldn't help but growl at him. I hardly growled at him for matters so petty but this was demanding all the patience that I had.

I already had a long day at the court and the military camps. I didn't feel like arguing with Tryfon at that moment.

Tryfon frowned even more before continuing with his bickering, "Ezekiel, I brought you the most beautiful women I could find. What else could you want? Just enjoy them,"

"Tryfon," I spoke very calmly this time. My anger and disappointment were clearly audible in my voice, "I told you to bring tall, dark, pale blond hair and grey-eyed women. None of them here are close to the description!"

"Oh come on, Ezekiel!" Tryfon threw his hands in the air. I could see the frustration decorating his face. "It's impossible to find someone like that! No one like that exists!" He exclaimed angrily.

I'd have executed Tryfon right away for saying that hadn't he been my second in command but I simply leaned back in my throne, fighting my rage. I was so mad, not at Tryhon but at the she-wolf who plagued my thoughts.

She was the only thing I could think of after coming back from Zaeris. The mate bond had gotten worse over time than I'd have thought of. My lycan yearned for her very badly and I felt like an addict, searching for more substance to abuse. It felt like I was being controlled, controlled by her and the mate bond and I didn't like this a bit.

It was making me feel weaker and pathetic. I wanted to end this but at the same time, I didn't want to go after her because I was afraid I might end up marking her and keeping her with me.

Just the thought was so tempting to me. I couldn't help but think of all the ways I could take her. She wasn't weak like these prostitutes, ready to give up. She was the kind to put up a fight and I found out that I liked it so much.

The rage I was feeling before only intensified when I realized that I'd been yet again carried away by dark thoughts about her. They were the same thoughts to keep me awake at night as well. My lycan was already going mad without her while I was left dealing with all this mess.

"You don't know what you're talking about," I gritted more to myself as the picture of a certain tall and beautiful she-wolf flashed in front of my eyes. I groaned to myself as I slumped back in my throne and rubbed my forehead.

"Take them away," I growled because I was finding it hard to stand the sight of them. She spoiled it all for me. I didn't feel the same lust inside me while looking at the most desirable crowd of prostitutes that I had.

Just thinking about being with another woman was making my lycan madder. He wanted her only and he wouldn't settle for anyone or anything less than her. It was only her.

Tryfon glanced at me with concern before he sent the women away. It was the first time I didn't prefer anyone from that crowd. I just didn't feel like seeing them again. I didn't want to see them at all.

"What happened to you?" Tryfon asked me with a lot of concern after the women were gone. I was still slumped in my throne with my forehead in my hand and my eyes squeeze shut as I tried my best to push the image of she-wolf out of my head but it was no use.

It was like fighting a tide. The more I fought it, the more it pulled me into the sea.

"You've been acting very strangely ever since you came back from Zaeris. Is everything all right with you, your majesty?" Tryfon asked me.

"Get rid of them," Was the only thing I told him in response before I left the court and went to my wing.

It was already very late past midnight and I needed to get to work tomorrow very early again but I knew I wasn't going to get any sleep tonight as well. The yearning for her only increased day by day.

I'd had enough of it now. I'd sent for Inanna to talk about this mess. She was going to come to my court tomorrow. I was very impatient to see her and so angry. Whatever she'd put me under, it was something stronger than a mate bond because it was making my life harder.

I knew it wasn't only the mate bond. Mate bond wasn't this so strong to falter a king like me. There was more to it. There were more people involved in this and I needed to find out.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that it could be a strong plan against me by the gods and goddesses. They were doing this to stop me from gaining more power.

Little did they know, I was unstoppable.

_

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