"Come inside, Kaiya," Theo's voice comes.
I glare at the door of his office where he is working. I am his only personal guard during the day. Warriors and generals always surround him that he really does not need me. Besides, I believe he is stronger than me. I think he does this just so he can frustrate me.
"Kaiya!" he calls again.
I groan. With no other choice, I open the door and enter his office. He welcomes me with a bright smile. He places his chin on his hand and gazes at me.
"What is it, Your Majesty?" I ask.
Calling him these respectful titles never ceases to annoy him so I make it a point to do it, especially when all I wanted to do, every time I lay my eyes on him, is to kiss him.
"I am on my break."
"Is there anywhere you wanted to go?"
"No. I just want to talk to you for a few minutes."
I purse my lips. It's been three days since I killed the three snake monsters. The next day, my role as his lover ceases and I become one of the warriors. I also transferred room to the barracks and Meeghan lost her job as a maid-in-waiting.
"How was your room? I heard you transferred yesterday."
"It is lovely. Simple furnishings."
"Is it what you like? Simple and small? You can still become my lover. You can have any room you want. You can also use mine."
"I am content, Your Majesty. Thank you for the offer."
"How about your warrior training?"
It's not going well. Warrior practice is during the early morning. They do their jobs during the day and are forced to study the tenets of being a warrior at night. After memorizing it, we are required to move on to the list of books that can strengthen us.
Instead of saying all that, I answer him with a, "I am learning a lot as a warrior."
"No issues with the other warriors?"
"None."
Although there is. A couple of warriors are glaring at me. One even whispers that their training has become harder since I come into the practice grounds, courtesy of General Brandon.
Only whispered, because they think I still have the King's favor. They also whispered that my win against the three snake monsters is a fluke. They also don't know that I am a werewolf and can hear what they are whispering about.
Theo stands up, and I take a step back. It is totally unconscious. I don't want him coming near me, because of the desire I feel for him because of this mate bond.
Seeing my reactions, he deeply sighs and sits back on his chair. "Tell me more about yourself, Kaiya."
"There's nothing else to say, Your Majesty."
"Do you know what happened to the Weiller's?" he asks. I heard he destroyed it. I just don't know how. "I cut off their earnings and with that money, I bought the hunting park," he continues.
I swallow and look away. "Look at me, Kaiya."
I clench my jaws before returning my attention to him. "I also helped their slaves to escape, further weakening their financial capacity. The money they would get from me, due to the hunting park sale, is supposed to bring them back to their feet."
"Money that also comes from them," I say.
"That's correct. Then we invited them here. They saw one of their escapee slaves and finally realized what I'd done. They planned to dishonor our agreement and tried to take back the hunting park since that's where they get most of their money."
"And you defended," I continue for him.
"I did. I asked General Brandon and Captain Klevon for that."
"So now, they are annihilated," I state.
"They are. But the other werewolves stay on the island."
I snort. "Should I say thank you? For annihilating my captors?"
I watch his jaws clench. "I just want you to stop looking at me like that."
"Like what?"
"As if you find me frustrating. That your love for me already vanished, even if I know that the mate bond is still intact."
Someone knocks at the door. "King Theo," comes a woman's voice outside the office.
"Enter," Theo says without breaking eye contact with me. He only removes his gaze on me when I bow and take a few steps backward, then out of the office.
The middle-aged woman, who I know now as General Savannah Sandoval, is from the Duran Kingdom. She has two kids which she left to her husband for care. Her family is somewhere in the town. She's a newly minted general. She received the designation just last week, filling up the last spot of Theo's eight generals.
"We need to talk about our expedition to that island, and also talk about our Orttenburg visit," I hear General Savannah says before I completely close the office door.
It takes an hour before finally, General Savannah comes out. I bow my head to her as the door closes again. Instead of immediately leaving, she faces me, with her arms across her chest.
"Look at me," she orders.
I did. She is frowning, like some strict mother, and I am on some rough scolding.
"The King might be smitten with you, but I don't like how you scream at the King like how Harbin is."
"I understand," I answer. She is one of the Generals who comes to the beach with Theo to help with the snake monsters three days back.
"Do you really understand? You look submissive enough, so why don't you just stay as his lover?" I frown at her. To my surprise, she raises my chin and says, "Ah! Some hints of obstinacy. If you are in my previous Kingdom, and you show this defiance, the Duran King had already killed you the instant you deny yourself to him."
I bite my tongue so I won't talk back. She smirks. "Amazing self-control as well," she adds and releases me. "Nevertheless, as the King's personal guard, make yourself useful especially when you come in as a recommendation," she says and leaves.
I still bow at her. After a minute, I lean over the door again. Thankfully, Theo's break is done so he won't pester me for a while. Then I felt it. A ripple in the air. Some type of undulation somewhere around me. It's subtle, but it's there. I am still studying the fundamentals of wind magic, so I doubt this has something to do with it. But why?!
Then, I remember, the King! I open the door to his office without announcing myself. Seeing that it's me, Theo beams. I scour his room. Nothing, but I can feel it, a nagging aberration in this space.
"What's up?" Theo asks. He is in a good mood. "You-"
"Oh f*uck," I curse, as I finally see the reason for the strange feeling.
I take my knife hanging on the strap of my legs and make it fly towards the aura behind him. My knife passes through Theo's cheek, causing a small gash to appear on his cheeks.
The creature behind him squeals, and Theo glances at the source of the sound. At the same time he looks behind him, I approach his table, climb it, take another knife, and press it on the forehead of the black creature. Then I push it towards the wall by making sure its glowing green blood won't smear Theo's document. Green blood? That's another weird thing.
"Why are you protecting him?!" the creature screeches before it vanishes into thin air.
When the strange phenomenon is gone, I exhale in relief. I look at my clothes. There is a splotch of glowing, green blood on it. It looks brightly weird.
The door suddenly opens, and I whirl towards it. General Lorant is at the entrance. He looks at Theo and then at me, then towards the black and green remnants of the creatures.
"You are attacked again? This is happening quite frequently."
I scowl. How many times had this happened before?
"Thankfully, Kaiya felt it before it did any damage."
General Lorant looks at me and notes the knife in my hands. "Your knife is disintegrating."
I shift my attention to it at the same time that the blade cracks and falls to the ground.
"You're not hurt in any way?" General Lorant asks.
"I don't think so. I need to change my clothes though."
I point at the bright green blood and realize that it already seeped through my clothes, leaving a hole in them.
"I think you need to take a bath. Most creatures with bright green blood are poisonous. It seems to be not affecting you, but it's better to be safe," he adds.
"I can come with you," Theo offers.
He is about to touch me, when General Lorant interjects, "King Theo, please keep your hands off her for the meantime, at least until she had taken a bath," he advises. He looks at me and suggests, "Burn your clothes, Miss Kaiya. That bright green blood screams of danger."
Theo's hands freeze mid-air and let it run through his hair instead.
"Go on, Miss Kaiya. In the meantime, I will guard the King."
"But the gash-"
"I will find someone to handle it. Also, if you don't find us here, then find us in the harem rooms," General Lorant informs.
"Lorant!" Theo scolds.
"She should know, my King. Even if there are already pregnant concubines. You still need to continue impregnating them. Besides, she ceases to be your lover, right?"
Before Theo can answer, I excuse myself, "I will leave now." Besides, I don't want to hear anything about it anymore.