8 Mother

(From Demetrius's Perspective)

Hearing my name come out of her mouth seemed to be the most tempting melody of all. My heart skipped more than one beat at this. It was too much; her effect on me was crossing the limit now.

"Yes?" I asked, tightening my fists in anticipation of my legs carrying me up to her and doing something completely inappropriate.

"Thank you," she muttered.

"For what?"

"I don't know. For making me feel like a human, I guess."

My heart constricted cruelly inside my chest as I heard this. I had taken her away from her family, but the way they treated her was something that no one, not even a beast, could do. Her family was going to pay for that. I did not know exactly what they had done, but I knew it was something serious. What kind of parents would sell their daughter to an unknown person?

"You deserve it," I said, smiling at her, though I was sure that it did not reach my eyes. The pain she was feeling inside, I was determined to ease that away so all she would remember was happiness.

"You need to go to your work then, my king," she said. I knew she was saying that to see how it felt to say this.

"You don't need to call me that, Blue. Call me Demetrius only," I said, smiling at her. This time the smile was not tight. It was automatic and it was only for her.

"Ok, my king, I mean, Demetrius," she said and smiled.

I left the room, feeling light-hearted suddenly. Her smile seemed to be the fuel my machine needed.

I went to my study room. The table had several papers on it and a map, with red and black marks on it. The Beta stood there and as soon as I entered, he bowed slightly.

"My king."

"Any news?"

"He wants the East part. He threatened of war if we don't give him that," the Beta said.

"A war? Does he have no idea that he will lose in that case?" I said. "Send him a letter and tell him that I will not give up any part of my kingdom. If he wants it, he has to fight me."

"Then it's going to be a war, my king," the Beta gasped.

"Yes. It is a war, indeed," I said.

"But what if King Ford says that he doesn't want the land anymore? He can try to have a sly plan."

"We will be ready. He can't do anything," I said.

"Yes, my king," the Beta bowed and left.

I sighed and sat down in the chair. Finally, she was here. I wanted her for a long time and now she was with me, in my world. Even though my sister and mother liked her, my other family members were not too fond of the idea of me marrying a human.

They wanted a werewolf, a King's bloodline, but I wanted her. I knew she was going to be a perfect Queen as well. I did not care what others were going to think about it. I had made up my mind a long time ago. It was her, and it would always be her.

"Is she okay?"

I was jolted back to reality, hearing Mother's voice. She always managed to do that to me. Even though I could hear Mother's footsteps, she still managed to surprise me. It had been always like this since childhood.

"I told the maids to bring her dinner to her room," I said. 

"Have you told her everything? She is, after all, a human. This world is new to her, and it's also a bit of a shock. One moment she is at home, and the next she is in a completely different world surrounded by strangers," Mother said as she took the seat in front of me.

"She asked me some questions, and I answered them. I'll tell her more later. She needs to rest right now," I stated.

"She is beautiful. She was sleeping when I saw her, but I'm sure she'll look even more gorgeous when she wakes up," Mother said, smiling. "There's already a rumor going around about you and her. People are assuming you chose her."

"But I haven't made any announcements yet."

"Oh, my boy, it's clear. The way you carried her, the way you looked down at her when you told us that she is the Blue you were talking about, the servants suspected that you like her. It's not their fault. You've never done anything like that before. They know you as cold and merciless. Your strong ruling made them think that you can't like someone. But seeing you with her, they sure got a blast."

Mother was beaming. She sure was happy for me. She was always telling me to find a mate. But I always refused because the only girl who was in my mind was Blue. 

"So, how does she feel about it all? The marriage, I mean."

"I don't know. She is not saying that she is unhappy nor is she showing that she is happy. She is just... okay with it, I guess," I said, thinking about her reaction.

"She will love you, Demetrius. She is lucky to have you. Anyway, what about her family? What do they think of this marriage?"

Just thinking about her family made me want to rip their heads off. They had been cruel to her. They did not deserve her in the first place. They did not even bat an eye selling her to me.

"They are okay too," I said. It was not my right to tell my family about her family. She would tell them if she was ready.

"That's strange. They don't even know you."

"Don't worry, Mother. Everything is fine," I tried to reassure her.

"I certainly hope so. Your uncle, on the other hand, is not pleased with the situation. He wanted you to marry King Lysander's daughter, you know. And the fact that you've chosen your mate, who is also a human, has enraged him even more "Mother said.

"I told him a lot of times that I will marry the girl I want. What's his problem? If he continues to behave in this manner, I will expel him from the palace," I said angrily.

"You know we can't do that. He is your father's younger brother. Your father would not want that. Now that your father is gone, we can't disrespect his wish," Mother said. "Moreover, the main thing is that we like her. I'm sure your father would like her too. He would be happy for you."

"I know. But Uncle Victor is crossing the limit. I'm giving him this one chance and it's the last one he will get. If he tries to disrespect Blue in any way, he will have to pay the price," I growled, clenching my teeth.

Mother sighed, knowing that I would not move from my words. Even though he was my uncle, I never liked him. He was always blabbering on keeping up with the King's bloodline, and stupid traditions. I knew he was not happy at all with me choosing a human and would try to tell me to get rid of her again. But if he tried to say awful things to Blue, he would not live to see the light of the world again.

"Keep her close, Demetrius. She is a human and not all werewolves will like her so soon," Mother said in a warning tone.

"My room is next to hers, Mother. Nothing will happen," I said.

"Just be careful. I'm worried."

"I know, Mother. Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to her."

"If anything happens to her, it'll be your fault, Demetrius. You're the one who has brought her here. She did not want to be here, but you wanted her to be here with you and be your wife, your mate. Just make sure that you value her as one and take care of her. Save her with your life. She's..."

"...worth it," I finished for her.

"Yes. I know you'll save her. Just don't prove me wrong, son."

"I won't. You know I won't." Mother managed a smile.

I knew she was afraid, but she tried not to show it. She was always like this. She was strong. She would not back away. And I was proud to have someone like her as my mother. She was not just my mother. She was my friend as well. I could talk to her like I could talk to no one else and she understood me. She was straightforward with everything she said and even managed to give me that characteristic of hers.