The King’s Tainted Mate
Chapter 32

I thought being angry at him would be enough to keep my mate from invading my every being. I was wrong. It was most certainly not.

Even with everything going on with Myrna, I seemed to be stuck in the moment I strode his laps while anticipation at what was to come had left me desiring every bit of him. It did not even matter that he had been the one to pull away. My body seemed not to have cared about that at all as it still indulged in the memory of his strong large hands caressing my back. Something I had found myself craving for all the way through breakfast which I had consumed with half a mind as the other half had chosen to day dream about the king of Xatis.

I had hoped that that would be over soon but I should have known better.

I tossed and turned on my bed. I had done so for hours since the moment I had decided to retire to bed in hopes of escaping my own thoughts and desires.

No amount of tossing or turning was helping with that however, and after doing it for so long, frustration was beginning to seep right into my bones. I wanted him. I wished to breathe in his scent and if I did not get a grip on my unfulfilled desires I would lose my mind before morning came.

Getting a grip was not what I wished for however. I longed for release. This was not me at all, but it was as if each interaction with my mate only served to thicken the pull towards him and I found myself stuck in moments where having him close was all I cared about. Was that the moon goddess's idea to keep mates together even when they did not wish to be together? If it was, then it was brilliant of her and a definite curse for me and my wolf. Because no amount of need or desire would bring our mate to us as he was probably too occupied with his chosen mate, leaving us to waste away in our state.

Bitterness trickled at the thought and I abandoned my bed for the large window that held a sight I hoped would serve as a distraction. Disappointment was waiting for me however when I stared out the window. With the moon long hidden behind the clouds that covered the night skies, the sight of the peaceful forest down below was nothing but an expanse of darkness that even my wolf sight could not penetrate. Emotions flowed and tears prickled at being denied such a simple thing too. I was probably being silly, but I could not help how I felt.

"Why do you insist on torturing me?" Instead of insisting on catching a glimpse of the forest, my teary gaze turned towards the heavens as a heaviness settled on my heart. What may have began as a desire for my mate had quickly turned into the kind of t*****e that brought every other misfortune that had befallen me to remembrance, bringing with it a lump that lodged in my throat.

I had been brought up to believe that the moon goddess was good and yet everything that she had laid out in my path did not speak of that goodness at all. Neither did she have the courtesy to answer my desperate question.

A knock at the door echoed in my quiet room instead, making me wipe away my unshed tears as I did not wish to have to explain what ailed me to whoever that was. "You may enter."

Thinking that it might be Gol, I reached for my gown to cover my thin night garment, but the incoming citrus scent had me letting go hastily and turning fully towards the door.

He was here... In all his majestic glory, my mate stood by the entry way as though he'd been conjured up by my own feelings of sadness. Unbelief flooding my senses at the coincidence, my eyes darted between my mate and the skies above. Was this her answer? Had the moon goddess decided that I had been tortured enough? I did not wait for an answer to my thoughts as that citrus scent invaded my space, making me realize that he'd come closer.

"Are you alright?" Of course he would sense my sadness and before I could decide what my reply should be, I got wrapped up in his embrace. Just what I needed. I let out a sigh of relief as I fisted my hands in his shirt and held on. "Shyla?"

At his inquiring tone, I nodded. "I'm alright... now that you are here." I did not know why I added that last bit. Perhaps it was because it was the truth. A truth that was received with the most alluring smile that got me weak at the knees. It was a stark contrast to the person who had stormed out of the garden this morning simply because his proposal had not yielded the answer he'd sought, among other things.

I wondered if that was the reason he'd found his way here. Was he perhaps seeking a way to get me to change my mind or perhaps he'd sought me out because he'd been driven by his need too.

Whatever his reasons were, or whether he was the moon goddess's gift of comfort to me, I decided that I would enjoy this moment and everything it would bring my way.

"I couldn't stay away." He began, sending my belly fluttering at his confession. "Neither could I sleep." I got pulled away from the comfort of his chest and I almost whined if not for the deep golden gaze in his eyes that fed the need pulsing in my bones. He needed me just as much as I needed him! My wolf purred at the realization and together deciding to be reckless and giving in, reached up and brushed my lips against his in invitation.

The action caught him so off guard I became aware that he had not expected anything of the sort from me tonight. I had not expected anything of the sort from me either.

The surprise, however, lasted but only for a moment as he accepted my invitation with a kiss that ignited the ambers of need into a raging storm. A storm only he could calm. And as he scooped me up and laid me on the bed, sweet anticipation dripped right into my bones and erased every trace of the frustration I'd felt earlier.

"God you are beautiful!" He mumbled against my skin, his warm breath sending delicious tingles that only drove me crazy. I had whined when he'd broken off the kiss, but as his lips explored every inch of me that was now exposed to him after ripping my night gown, I could only arch my back, pressing more into him and moaning with pleasure. His own pleasurable growls, groans and grunts were like music to my ears. I relished a whole tune as he expertly kissed his way down my body, lingering hotly over my jewels that graced my chest, earning himself countless moans as I couldn't seem to keep those from escaping my lips. It was shameless, but honour was not what I cared about in the moment. A beast had been unleashed in me and only he could tame it.

His assault extended all the way to my belly and I wished it hadn't because that would be the end of all the pleasure he'd had raging in me as he froze, lips still resting on it.

I was about to protest but held my tongue and merely watched as my mate eased back and gave my belly a long stare while an obvious conflict ensued. Was it regret about tonight?

His demeanour was enough to knock some sense back into me, making me realize how close to making a fool of myself I had come. I shifted on the bed, hoping to escape the embarassing situation, but something heavy settled lightly on my belly and when I looked, my mate had his head pressed to my skin as if he were listening for something. It took me a moment to remember that In carried his child and another to remember that his heir was the most important thing to him. Not tending to my needs.

The sight should have warmed me too. Should have had me relishing what was supposed to be a sweet moment between my mate and the child I carried, and yet only pain came of it.

I wiggled in his hold, wishing for nothing but a way of escape before the tears fell.

My struggling caught his attention and when he looked up, his eyes were clouded with an emotion that would have swept me off my feet, if only it were directed at me and not his child.