Chapter 11 Who Are They?

Chapter 11 Who Are They?
Verona

I claimed the king as mine?
No. No, I definitely did not. Evan must be losing his mind.

I turned back to their ridiculously handsome—but equally irritating—king. “I didn’t claim anything,” I said, but my breath caught when I caught him smiling. Dear heavens… if smiles were lethal, I’d be dead on the floor.

What the hell is wrong with me?

“Your Majesty,” Evan calls, dragging the king’s attention away from me. The smile instantly faded from the king’s face as he fixed Evan with a cold stare.

“Please, we must rethink this,” Evan pleaded. “She knows nothing about our world, nothing about ruling. Ina is still a better choice.”

Wait—are they seriously discussing this like I’m a piece of furniture?

“She will learn,” the king said simply. “She will do just fine, Evan. I don’t need her to rule beside me. I only care that she is my mate.” His tone left no room for argument.

“But many will come after her, my king,” Evan insisted. “She will be your weakness.”

The king paused. A long moment. His expression unreadable, deep in thought.
Then—calm, resolute—he spoke.

“Then she will stay by my side. Always.”

Judging by Evan’s strained expression, he hated that idea.

“Permit me to step in,” I cut in sharply.

Both of them look at me at once.

“Are neither of you going to ask what I want?” I demanded.

In perfect unison, they responded, “What is it you want?”

Good. At least they’re listening.

“I want to go back home,” I said plainly. “And pretend none of this ever happened.”

But instead of letting me go, they answered—again in unison—

“No.”

Idiots.

“Your life will be in danger if you leave,” Evan said. “It would be far worse for you.”

I raised a brow. “And why is that?”

This time, the king answered.

“They will hunt you down and kill you,” he said bluntly.

I gasp. “Why—who are they? And why would they want me dead? Is it because they hate you so much?”

He shook his head slightly. “No, dear. Not because they hate me… but because they love me.”

My confusion deepened.

“And one of the ‘they’,” he continued, eyes steady on mine, “is the woman I was about to name as my Luna—just moments ago.”

I froze.
Every muscle in my body going still.

Oh… wonderful.

“Then why don’t you just make her your Luna and she won’t want me dead anymore?” I asked, completely lost.
He watched me for a moment, almost like he was trying to figure out how to explain something to a child, then he released a long, tired sigh and turned fully toward me.

“It’s not that simple,” he said. “Now that she knows you’re my mate, she’ll want you dead whether I claim her or not. And if I do claim her, the only option we will have is you staying with your grandfather at all times, where he can protect you.”

My eyes flicked between him and Evan before I looked back at the king again.
“But you won’t claim her… will you?”

Evan was still just standing there, stiff and silent, watching us.

“No,” the king said without hesitation. “I’ve waited too long for you. I’m not rejecting my mate to claim another. Besides—” he shifted his gaze to Evan briefly before it settled on me again, “I can only die when I have a successor. And my body won’t even… respond… to anyone who isn’t my mate.”

He said it so calmly, as if he didn’t just announce something embarrassing.
My cheeks heated immediately.
“Ew. What do you mean by that?” I said, pretending to be disgusted even though I’m more embarrassed than anything.

“Exactly what it sounds like,” he replied smoothly. “Which is why I need my mate. Do you understand now?”
His eyes stayed locked on mine, steady and unbothered.

“Then why do you want to die?” I asked before I could stop myself.
He goes quiet for a moment, swallowing.

“I’ve lived long enough,” he answered softly. “Everyone I knew and cared about is gone. And just because you will give me a successor doesn’t mean I’ll die immediately. It doesn’t work that way.” I knitted my brows together, confusion pressing further down in my head.

Evan steps forward, finally joining the conversation.

“What the king means,” he explained, “is that giving him a child won’t kill him immediately. It only ends his immortality curse. It means he will no longer be immortal because there will be someone to take the throne once he eventually passes.”

My head began to spin from all that I was hearing and trying to comprehend. All these things they are saying felt too much, too fast.
I pressed my hand to my forehead, trying to steady myself.

The king’s voice softened.
“Are you alright?”

I looked up at him and his eyes weren't hard anymore; they were almost gentle.

“I just need to sit down,” I admitted quietly.

Without hesitation, he took my hand, warm and steady, and guided me toward a chair.
I sank into it, trying to make sense of everything.

And suddenly—
A loud, sharp knock slammed against the door.

Evan exhaled heavily.
“It seems she’s here,” he said, and both he and the king turned toward the door, their expressions tightening.

She doesn’t even wait for him to say “come in” before the door swings open and she barges inside.

“We need to talk, your majesty. I know why you want her—so why don’t you just make her your mistress and make me your Luna, and get this over with?” she snapped.

A deep growl rumbled out of him, so sharp and sudden that she flinched.

“You will watch your tongue,” he warned, his voice dropping into something darker, heavier. She bowed her head a little, and right then I realized just how gentle he had been with me compared to how he handled her.

“I will not take my mate as a mistress just because you want to feed your fantasy of being my Luna,” he said, fist tightening. “So shut your mouth, Ina, or I will snap your head.”

She stiffened, breathing hard. Her eyes flick to me, wide with horror—and suddenly everything they said earlier makes perfect sense. Her glare was maddening.

I looked away from her and met Evan’s eyes instead. His expression almost says poor child without a single word.

“Leave,” the king said, and Ina bowed quickly before storming out.

He straightened, his composure settling back into place as he turned to me.
“That is just the least—there are many others,” he told me and I swallowed.

Evan turned to the king and said, “From now on, we need to be very careful.” And the king nodded his head in agreement.

“Which is why I have to mark her now,” the king said simply.

I shot my head up. “And what do you mean by ‘mark’?” I asked, even though my head felt like it was about to explode.

“A mark seals the bond between two mates,” Evan explained. “It’s like what humans call making a vow to become one.”

My eyes widened. “You mean… like marriage? Well, I’m not ready for that yet!” I almost barked.

“And why is that?” the king asked, tilting his head slightly.

I snapped my head toward him. “Well, marriage isn’t on my bucket list right now! I don’t even know you well enough to marry you—I don’t even know your name!”

He tilted his head a little more, something flickering in his eyes. “If you want to know anything about me, you just have to ask,” he said. I lifted my head, to really take a good look at him. My neck hurt from that alone—it was worse now that I was sitting, because this man was impossibly tall.

I cleared my throat, curiosity getting the best of me. “Okay… so what’s your name?” I asked, something in me eager to learn more about him.

A flicker of amusement crossed his eyes as he answered. “Soren Vale. That’s my name.”

I furrowed my brows. “Well, Soren, your name is… quite odd,” I said plainly.

He smiled again, for the second time, and I could feel it in my chest and my stomach, it was as if I had butterflies in my belly.

“For the love of the goddess, you do not call the king by his given name!” Evan said, clearly exasperated.

But Soren doesn't seem like he minds though.