-HIM-

"What do you say?" I asked Arles as I leaned over the royal balcony and scanned the crowd, looking for a particular dark she-wolf with extraordinary features. There was something about her that always caught my attention. I knew it wasn't the mate bond. It was something different... a curiosity, interest, desire... a very intense desire to find out everything about her that was there to know.

A frown climbed on my face when I didn't spot her among the crowd, especially among the crowd of Princes tonight. I wondered where she was.

"My General isn't very happy about it," Arles replied. This made me look at him. He was looking at me grimly before he added, "He doesn't want to send his wolves to proxy wars,"

His words made me stare a second longer at Arles. I couldn't help but glance at his mate standing beside him, looking at the crowd beneath. I never liked her because she completely changed Arles.

I'd known Arles for a long time. He wasn't like this before. He wasn't the one to play safe. He was always ready to jump into the fire and get what was his but after his mate came, everything changed. He changed, his policies changed and it was ticking me off day by day.

I clenched my jaw and looked back at the crowd only to be met by disappointment. I wasn't having any luck this evening.

"When did you start playing so safe, Arles?" I asked him after a grim silence. I straightened up and looked at the wolf king, "I never thought I'd hear these words from you,"

"What do you mean, Ezekiel?" He asked me pointedly. The already existing tension in the evening air rose even more. I saw Arles' mate turning towards us to listen closely to us. She didn't seem to be paying much attention before but now things were turning serious.

"You were not like this before. I never had to struggle this much just to ask for more wolves to help my men," I told him grimly, "You're the king. What you General says or does shouldn't falter your decisions. Your General doesn't rule Zaeris, you do, Arles," The tension between us only rose my words.

I could see hints of anger in his eyes, hinting that my words had made him unhappy. His mate was looking at me pointedly as well. I had extra loathing for her because of how she'd changed him. She was the woman I hated the most but I didn't have any choice but to respect her just because she was Arles' mate.

"I rule Zaeris," Arles started grimly, "There's no doubt in that but I like to listen to my ministers more because I trust them and they're always right. My court functions very differently, Ezekiel, and I'd like it if you don't interfere too much into my business because I don't interfere in your business no matter how much it pisses me off sometimes," Arles told me very grimly. His mate was looking at me with the same look.

I clenched my jaw hard because I didn't like where it was going. I decided not to press it more this evening otherwise things might turn the wrong way.

"Alright," I told them, "I just want your military cooperation. That's all," I told him coldly before turning towards the crowd again. I kept looking for her in the crowd but she just wasn't anywhere to be seen. She must have not shown up for the dinner in the first place.

"That," Arles spoke coldly, "You'll get. Let's eat now," He dismissed.

Even though I knew she hadn't shown up for dinner, I couldn't help myself but search for her again and again. I wanted to see her. The urge to see her was making me restless but I tried to contain it because I didn't want to do anything with her. It was the mate bond pulling all the strings and I hated it so much.

I needed to meet Inanna soon and ask her some very important questions. She'd been meddling with a lot of my business lately and I didn't like it when someone messed with me, especially if it was a woman. If she kept doing this then I wouldn't hesitate to get rid of her. I'd gotten rid of a lot of gods and goddesses before without any consequences. She'd be no different.

I glanced at the seat my mate had been sitting in yesterday. A Prince sat there tonight and there was still no sign of her. I contained myself from asking about her because I didn't want to give people any hints. It'd be very dangerous for her if anyone else got to know that she was my mate.

There were so many people out there who'd try to hurt her just to get to me. I didn't want that happening but at the same time, I couldn't care less about her. She was just an ordinary she-wolf who looked somewhat different than others. That's all. There was no reason for me to be smitten by her or even have any feelings for her... it'd be again dangerous for her because my love came at a price.. a very high price which she wouldn't be able to pay.

Everything I or my heart touched always succumbed. It was the reason I never got attached to anyone, at least emotionally. I kept my emotions at bay. They were my biggest enemy, my biggest weakness.

But I couldn't help but glance where she'd been sitting last night. My lycan thought of going to meet her before leaving several times but I cut those thoughts off. I wasn't going to see her again.

There was no point. I didn't like her and I was never going to like her. I was soon going to get rid of the mate bond so that the two of us could go our own ways.

I boarded my chariot and drove out of Zaeris right after the dinner ended. I didn't want to spend any extra time there because my mind was already being controlled by the mate bond and I was afraid that things might get worse if I didn't get out of there soon.

Putting as much distance between her and me was the only option I had at that moment but even if I drove out of Zaeris, her thoughts wouldn't leave me alone. They followed me like a shadow, reminding me again and again of the kiss. I shouldn't have kissed her because her taste still lingered on my lips, making my lycan crave for her even more.

I clenched my jaw and ordered my driver to get away from there faster before I could change my mind. I wasn't going to do anything with her. She was just a she-wolf, not even a lycan and I had no place for a queen in my court. Having her there would only contribute to my weekends. Women were the weakest most creature the creator made.

I didn't like them a bit. Thinking of one of them helping me reign was something I couldn't seriously imagine. It'd be always a joke to me but the farther I got from Zaeris, the more I was reminded of her.