Ramose tightly carried Versailles in his arms as he dashed across the cracked ground of the desolate region of the Soul Sundering Pit. Since one of the conditions for participating in the challenge was for Versailles to keep going, Ramose couldn't make a stop for them to recover from their injuries.
So, Ramose kept on moving, rushing towards the Grand Colosseum of Nar, the location of the Battle of Kings.
"After this battle, I will take you to the Underworld Palace with me. After this battle, we will start a new beginning." Holding her closer, his eyes fell on her unconscious face, the faint rise and fall of her chest the only thing being him sane.
With anticipative and joyful eyes, he leaped out of the Soul Sundering Pit.
"Yaaaaay!"
"Look, the Werewolf King came out of the Soul Sundering Pit!"
"They made it out alive! The dark shadows must have fallen under their combined might!"
"Of course! That's the Werewolf King, after all. Who can stop him? Even the four clans fell under his might!"
"That's fine, but where is the Supreme Elder? Did he not come out with them?"
"Don't worry about him. Now that the Werewolf King and the serpentine made it out of the Soul Sundering Pit alive, the Battle of Kings will begin. The Supreme Elder won't miss it."
The races of the realm gathered together on the outskirts of the Grand Colosseum of Nar and patiently waited for the appearance of Luke, Ramose, and Versailles.
Since the Viewing Platform was crushed, the witches saw no point in remaining in the Erupting Volcanos' Region, leading the various races to the center of the realm in wait of the two leaders and one participant.
All the other participants died, making this decade's Battle of Wars the most unique.
One participant challenged an entire group of beasts, one participant became victorious, triumphing over all enemies.
"You know, when I think about it now, I can see why out of every creature in the realm, only the serpentine was able to become the Werewolf King's mate."
"Other than her, I can't think of any other beast that would match the Wolf King in might and presence either."
"From this, you can see how beneficial and wonderous the werewolves' mate bond is."
Amidst the excited murmur and chatter of the curious races', Ramose expressionlessly carried his mate and proceeded towards the Werewolf camp.
"Is Versailles okay?" Queen Nakee suddenly appeared and blocked his way, asking worriedly as she looked at Versailles still form.
"She will be if you move out of the way."
"Huh?"
"I will be taking her with me."
Rushing for an entire warm morning and ice night, Ramose was not in the best of moods. Right now, he only desired to carry his mate to his camp and wash her clean. They won't be able to rest, but they could at least look clean and decent.
Sidestepping the stunned Queen, he continued forward, glaring darkly at any creature that attempted to get within six feet distance of him.
After what felt like forever, he finally arrived at the Werewolf camp.
Olsen, seeing his King arrive with his mate, immediately ordered the wolves to clear the center of their camp.
"King Ramose, I had the pack clear the center camp for your use. Please let us know if there is anything that you need." Olsen came to the side of Ramose and informed him of his arrangements.
"Hmm. Olsen, get me a black robe. Try your best to find one crafted by the Flame Silkworms." He still remembered her dazzling beauty in the robe, seemingly not belonging to a wretched realm like the Nar.
Although there wasn't anything he could do about the realm's environment and atmosphere, as the Werewolf King, he was more than capable of providing her with the best of everything in the land.
"Yes, King! Is there anything else I can get you?"
"Get me a black robe as well." Widening his stride, he left the wolf behind, his faint yes barely making it to his ears. A soft smile appeared on his lips as his gaze shifted to her before naturally retracting.
A while later.
Ramose, fresh and clean in his newly acquired heavy black robe, walked towards the figure of his busy mate. Her flame hair lustrously glowed around her fair face, falling on her chest and brightening her violet pupils.
The more he saw her, the greater his worries became.
In his eyes, she was the most beautiful creature in the entire Nar realm, and possibly, even the seven realms. This beauty of hers was the reason for his fears.
Right now, the beasts of the realm were too busy trying to secure their future and the future of their clans. However, once this phase passed, they would get the free time to look at their surroundings and admire the little beauty the land offered.
At that time, if his mate happened to accidentally fall under the radar of certain beasts, chaos would descend.
He didn't care about what happened to the beasts or what changes the realm would experience.
He only cared for his mate. He did not want her to experience or endure even a single moment of hardship.
Arriving at her side, he took her hand and led her away from the cluster of strange rocks.
"You just gained consciousness. Why are you walking around and not trying to conserve your strength? The Battle of Kings will begin in half a warm morning." He rebuked in a scolding manner.
"I don't need to conserve any strength. The upcoming battle might be one at the King level, but it won't be difficult for me to snatch the second position."
"Second position? Why second when you can be first?"
"Because you'll be first! As your mate, I can't snatch the glory from you, can I?" The mischievous smile on her face tickled his heart and he instinctively pulled her close, touching their foreheads.
"If it's you, I don't mind losing all the glory. After all, you and I are one and the same."
With a raspy breath and dark eyes, Ramose stared deeply into her violet pupils, the intimate mixture of their warm breathes raising his heartbeat.
"So, if you can, beat me. I want you to stand tall and strong without any reservations or considerations...hmm?"
"Hmm."
Versailles felt her head become light as her breath hitched and her heart raced. The intensity with which he stared at her made her body heat up.
She had been in close proximity with Ramose many times before, her heart soaring and emotions surging.
However, she never felt like she was burning and floating at the same time as she did now.
"Light, you smell so good, like Flame Fruits, Night Pears, Red Passions, and Bloom Oranges. So good that I want to eat you."
Deep and low, the seductive whisper drifted into her ear and pounded on her heart. His soft lips teasingly grazing her lobe, they proceeded to skim over her cheek, the touch as light and flitting as the delicate wings of a butterfly.
With an unexpected forceful tug, her face was tightly pressed on his broad chest.
Blushing, she lowered her head and hid her face.
Ramose was on the brink of losing control. As a firm believer of control over mind and discipline in actions, in his entire immortal life, there weren't many instances where he lost control.
However, today seemed to be one of those moments where his control would be severely tested.
Wrapping his arms tightly around her soft waist, he supported her entire weight with his body as he raised her off her feet and buried his head in her neck. It was his most favorite spot because here, the fruity scent was thicker and the skin softest.
"Light, after the Battle of Wars, let's exchange our oaths at the Eternal Flaming Sea, okay?"
If life without her was dull and held no meaning before, now living without her was unimaginable and torture. From more than 18 years ago, this serpentine of his had slowly, but surely occupied every inch of his mind and heart.
As he nibbled on the delicate, smooth, and soft skin, Ramose felt an intense urge to officially and irrevocably tie the female to himself. He knew what he wanted, and he wanted her, desperately.
"Let's take our vows, hmm?"
His heart raced with anticipation as he raised his head from her neck and looked at her face.
What he saw froze him in place.
"This..."
While he was discussing such an important matter, his mate had actually fallen asleep on him!
Depressed and dejected, he sulkily fixed her posture to a more comfortable position and carried her by his side.
In this way, the Werewolf King took his mate to the gathering point of the beasts, appearing more like to mates smitten with each other walking closely together, rather than a sleeping serpentine and a disgruntled werewolf.