"Heh...who said anything about a Beta...? If you support me in changing the King, then I promise you the wolf on the throne will be an Alpha..."
"What did you say!?"
"I said the King on the throne will be an Alpha."
"...!"
Back in the Purple-Radiance Palace, Ramose sat on his throne with his head on his palm and his doting gaze unwaveringly fixed to his mate.
Every time her slender fingers touched her parted lips to deliver a piece of fruit, his intense gaze would turn dark and feverish as he traced the cherry outlines with his eyes.
Swallowing with difficulty, Ramose gently tugged at the delicate hand enveloped in his, asking for attention.
When Versailles felt the slight tug on her hand, she turned a questioning look to the restless wolf.
"Light, I want some too." His gaze fell on the hand raised to her lips before lifting to her eyes.
"..." Black lines appeared on Versailles's forehead and she cursed the shameless wolf under her breath.
If he wanted fruit, there was a tray right beside him. Why did he want the one in her hand? Didn't he know beasts of the Nar realm didn't share their meal or bed?
Well...unless it was with their mates...
Looking at the red, juicy fruit in her hand, Versailles decided not to be stingy and give it to him as a reward for his attentive care during the past few days.
Under his feverish gaze, she reluctantly raised her hand and delivered the fruit to his lips.
Ramose watched his mate's slender hand near his lips. Recalling how the same hand had touched her lush, juicy lips, his heart pounded and his breath hitched. With his dark gaze fixed intensely on her clear violet eyes, he sealed his lips around the fruit and her fingers, suckling and licking them in his warm, wet mouth as he wound his tongue around the nimble digits.
Versailles blinked. Her mind shut down and she dazedly stared at the Werewolf King in shock. The sensation of a warm and wet tongue swirling around her fingers sent electric currents shooting through her body, and as her body temperature rose, a fluttery feeling spread in her belly.
After what felt like an eternity, Ramose opened his mouth and freed her powerless hand. With a satisfied smile on his face, he licked his lips and remarked.
"Sweet. Very sweet." His dark eyes implied he wasn't talking about the fruit.
Breathless and giddy, Versailles squeezed her eyes shut and weakly slumped in her seat.
Da** wolf! Purposely seducing her in public!
Peeved and frustrated at her own weak will, she raised a fruit to her mouth and froze. It was the same hand that...
Her face flushed and her stomach clenched as she recalled the warm sensation.
The Nar! What am I thinking?
She roughly shook her head to banish the image from her mind, swiveling her eyes around the hall to see if any of the other beasts noticed their interaction.
For all her ferociousness and fierceness, Versailles was still a baby in the matters between mates.
She couldn't remember much from her first life other than the images and recollections she saw. But even then, she was certain she died innocent, because the Versailles in her recollection lived a life on the run, hiding her identity to survive.
Her second life was even more difficult to recall. She didn't know if it was because she died in the Nar realm, or grabbed the 'gem of three lives' in her spirit form during the invasion of the Dark Eagle in the Sacred Serpent Valley.
However, she knew she died innocent because she hadn't reached the age the serpentines came of age, which was 20 years.
And in her third life, she died impaled with Ramose.
But maybe it's because she was born as a human in the Sybil realm. Or because she lived as a human for 17 years in a society of order and modesty where strict restrictions were placed on female conduct.
Or maybe, it was because of the 'glowing soul' that used to live in her body in her third life.
Either way, Versailles could sense that she was different from the beasts in the Nar realm. Her emotions, though extreme, very extreme when provoked, weren't baseless and driven by greed or insatiable desire for wealth and power.
She didn't feel overly jealous or overly envious as the other female beasts did.
Heh...probably because they had nothing worthy of her envy...
Either way, she felt uncomfortable with public display of affections!
She felt empathy for the various beasts that roamed the realm homeless, hungry, and on the brink of extinction.
But most of all, she felt a deep desire to change.
Change the very law of the Nar realm...
Her roaming eyes paused, widening in disbelief as the inadvertent thought resounded in her mind.
Change the Nar realm...? Into what...?
Ramose's gaze was always fixed on his mate. Her every smile, every frown, and every lift of a brow, he didn't want to miss. Because there was beauty and story in every expression of hers that he wanted to know from small to large.
Therefore, the moment her gaze turned vacant, he felt alarmed.
"Light, are you okay?" What could cause his blushing mate to become dazed as if the land was snatched from under her feet in a matter of seconds?
Leaning over, he worriedly grabbed her face and looked into her eyes, wanting to find the answer to his question from her violet depths.
Sadly, Versailles returned to her senses the moment he called out to her. But she remained silent to clear her mind.
So when he turned her head, all Ramose saw in her violet orbs was amusement and crafty cunningness.
"What? The King of the Underworld Palace gets frightened so easily?"
Hearing her snarky remark, his hanging heart fell back into place, his anxious gaze relaxed. But in the next instant, he pinched her cheek and glared disapprovingly.
"This King is frightened of nothing. But a little frown on his mate's face crushes his reasons. In the future, you're not allowed to scare me like that, understand?"
"Hmm. I understand Werewolf King. In the future, this great Serpentine Queen will definitely not dare to frighten you!" Versailles raised her head and proudly slapped her chest, causing Ramose to release a bark of laughter.
The deep, throaty laughter, strong and full of indulgence, sent thrills of shiver down the female beasts' bodies. Like a pack of hens, they raised their heads in unison and gazed at the Werewolf King in shock.
In just one banquet, they had witnessed many sides of the Wolf King that they had never seen before. They had been in the Underworld Palace for over a decade, and yet, this was their first time seeing the Werewolf King laugh so freely and unrestrainedly.
They thought his earlier spoiling and protective stance was already above and overboard.
As such, while the mates sat on their thrones and whispered to each other, they had wisely lowered their eyes and blocked their ears, not wanting to be deafened with their sweet words or blinded with jealousy by their display of affection.
Hmph! He loves and pampers her...so what?
We can also get our mates to love and pamper us!
He confronts the Ruling Wolf Pack for her smile alone...so what?
We don't want our mates picking fights needlessly! And what's the point of fighting with his clan-kins? The real enemies are outside the Underworld Palace!
He can confront the entire Nar realm for her...so what?
They didn't care!
And with such words, they had successfully brainwashed themselves into dismissing the Werewolf King's affection for his mate. They had successfully controlled their emotions and got hold of their negative, depressive feelings.
But one laugh and this one scene shattered their calm, unleashed their barely suppressed emotions, and overthrew their hard found brainwashing words.
Because even their mates, who weren't as unreachable, majestic, and intimidating as the Werewolf King never laughed as happily, freely, and lovingly as he did at that moment.
To have the Wolf King, King of the Underworld Palace, laugh freely and openly just for her and her alone, there was no beast more fortunate than the Serpentine Queen...
Their eyes turned red as they aggrievedly bit on their lips.
'Poison! This venomous serpentine had certainly poisoned the Werewolf King! Otherwise, it was impossible for such a scene to occur...'
They thought with conviction.
At this time, Versailles sensed the strange tension in the hall. Coughing awkwardly, she embarrassedly lowered her head and whispered.
"Ahem! Amose...I am tired. Can we end the banquet earlier?"
King Ramose only needed a reason to pamper his mate. Her health and well-being and of course, happiness, were his priority. If it wasn't because he saw her happily enjoying her fruits and didn't want to interrupt her, he would've already brought the banquet to an end.
What could be more important and precious than spending time with his mate alone...?
Now that she had so meekly and sweetly requested to end the thing, why would he refuse?
"You're tired? Of course, we can end the banquet early! You're still recovering and need all the rest you can get. Always remember this, Light, there's nothing more important than your health."
Heh...he only wanted the Werewolf Clan to know that the Queen of the Underworld Palace had arrived. And as tradition required, he presented her before them so they could see her.
Moreover, he also wanted them to see her and recognize her so that in the future, if anyone dared to disrespect her, they wouldn't be able to use the excuse of not knowing her identity to escape punishment.
And this task was accomplished when the Ruling Wolf Pack and the King's Pack, along with their respective mates had all seen his Serpentine Queen, the new Queen of the Underworld Palace.
Wrapping his arm around her waist and protectively placing the other on her shoulder, Ramose raised his head and swept his sight over the restless beasts.
"My Queen isn't feeling well, so this banquet concludes here. You may all return."
Without another word, he turned and led his mate down the platform.
Just before he turned to the side door, he paused and glanced back.
"This Purple-Radiance Palace is closed to the public. Today is the first and last day any of you will be entering here. So make sure not to leave anything behind, because a reentry will not be permitted."
And with that, the Werewolf King left with the Serpentine Queen.
The females' faces turned red.
The werewolves didn't bring anything with them, so they wouldn't be leaving anything behind. The Wolf King's words were meant for them.
He was bluntly telling them not to use any tricks to return to the Purple-Radiance Palace.
And truly, he was worthy of being King of the Underworld Palace. His keen eyes had caught the clumsily hidden greed gleaming in the depth of their eyes that even Versailles had failed to notice...
"Haha...Olsen, it's your lucky day. Our King concluded the banquet early. This means you can go and vent all your frustrations..." Julian gave an encouraging pat to his friend and fled the hall before the other could respond.
"Da** this Julian! He wants a beating!"
"Ahem...Julian is right, Olsen. There's no need to be embarrassed. Feeling such surges prove your vigor and strength." Hugar gave a slight smirk and left as well.
"You..!" But before Olsen could even finish his cursing, another cough sounded from his left, making his muscles tense. Turning his head, he gave the two wolves a dark glare that shut them mid-speech.
The two grey wolves exchanged awkward glances and decided to not provoke the peeved wolf any further. Changing their words, they bid the bristling Olsen farewell and walked out one after the other.
"Ahem! We'll be leaving as well, Olsen." The female beasts were the only ones left in the wide hall. Seeing their mates walk out one after the other, their expressions turned dark and their eyes shifted towards the direction the Werewolf King and his Queen disappeared.
The King of the Underworld Palace supported his mate like he was a servant, but their own mates who worked for the said King left them behind without a backward glance.
The comparison made them grit their teeth in hate.
Luciana watched the flickering emotions in the females' eyes and smirked. Lifting her blue dress, she turned and elegantly walked to her mate.