His Mate

[When the King met his mate]

The sound of a flowing stream could be heard. Coupled with the occasional chirping of birds, the scene could originally be picturesque. Romantic even, if one wanted to put it to such use.

Yet, instead of the fresh scent of nature, the air was filled with the stench of blood. Dead bodies lay around like slaughtered animals.

One might assume that it was a slaughterhouse, except it greatly contrasted with the tranquil air around.

A man dressed in military garb was squirting over the last living person. To the side sat an elegantly dressed woman.

She was neither bothered by the cruelty in the man's orbs nor the dead bodies around. Not far from where she sat stood another man in a guard's garb.

It was one of those extravagant garbs that emphasized his position. One could easily tell that he was an important guard.

However his garb had nothing on the man, he was glaring at the almost dead person beneath him. His royal blue uniform was made of the finest material there was.

A cool breeze blew over the area, making the leaves nearby sway gently in the wind. The golden-eyed man impatiently sliced the other's neck, silencing him forever.

His sword was drenched in blood, but he was unfazed. He began to use the dead man's clothes to clean his weapon when he noticed the foreign scent in the air.

Initially, his sharp nose was filled with the scent of blood. Then it changed. Atlas closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

He wasn't hallucinating. It was there again. The sweetest scent he had ever smelt. It was the perfect mixture of jasmine and roses.

He could feel it in his bones. This was his Mate's scent. His mind worked too fast to reach that conclusion but was soon clouded by confusion.

‘A mate? He had a mate? What happened to the belief? None of the Kings before him had a mate.’ He dropped the sword and stood up.

His feet felt heavy as he tried to control his urges. He was going insane. The sudden burst of emotions he couldn't begin to identify was terrifying.

He felt overwhelmed, but none of it was evident in his features. His ears picked up the soft rustling of the leaves. He turned his body as his sharp gaze fell on her.

Time seemed to stop. The dead bodies around were forgotten. Her scent overpowered the scent of blood, intoxicating him further.

He could feel a stir in his groin. Atlas was on the verge of growling out at her but managed to keep it in. Like a predator who found its prey, he began to prowl toward her.

His gaze studied her face, memorizing it. She was a beauty, alright. He especially liked her emerald eyes. They reminded him of gemstones.

'So pretty and endearing to look at,' his heart whispered. His mind disagreed instantly, 'Just another pretty face. What's there to be flustered about.’

The King predicted many reactions from the girl who looked like she just saw a ghost. The most prominent one was bowing to him and throwing herself into his arms.

He was given a cold slap to the face when she turned around and sprinted. He stopped in his tracks, unsure of what just happened.

'Did she just run away from me? But why? Am I not good-looking enough?' Atlas frowned at his own thoughts.

Since when did he begin to feel insecure about his looks? As the King, whoever he wanted, he got. Nothing could prevent him from possessing any person he wished to have.

The contrary was true. Most of the women around would give anything to be his wives. They were greedy little things who only wished to live a comfortable life.

His mate ran off and that was the thing he couldn't understand. ‘Well then, she can run but not for long. A little game will be fun too,’ he thought again.

He stood there, contemplating for a while. Clearly, his heart and mind were in conflict.

His soul was ready to submit and accept the new discovery. His mind resisted it albeit knowing the truth. Which of the two won, one would ask? He soon got the answer when he felt a woman's hand on his shoulder.

Atlas knew instantly whose touch it was. His chilly aura softened a little as his gaze looked at the woman by his side.

He could immediately tell that she was worried and confused. "What was that my King? Who was she?"

Atlas smirked then, a proud look was obvious on his face. He went ahead to explain to the woman that the Goddess had gifted him something he didn’t think he would have in this lifetime.

The woman gasped and asked if it was what she thought, and he nodded, saying it was his mate. For a few minutes, there was no other reaction from the woman.

The next thing he knew, she jumped into his embrace and squealed, "I am happy for you, Bestie. Wow! Who could have thought that such a miracle would happen? Do you know who she is?"

Her happiness and questions made the King's lips stretch into an arrogant yet cold smile.

"It's my first time setting my eyes on her. This honorable one would have long locked her up in the palace willingly or unwillingly if I had known of her existence."

The guard whose presence was forgotten watched the two. His face maintained the phlegmatic expression he had.

The only change in his posture was the clenched fists to his side as his gaze peeled away from the pair. Though he had this reaction, it didn't last long.

In a matter of seconds, he looked calm once again. By the time the pair turned towards him, he looked the same way he always looked.

Emotionless and cold. His body stood rigid and straight, a posture that could easily be associated with soldiers.

His grip on the sword by his side was lazy yet his vigilance was, without a doubt, present. Atlas walked towards his third in command and came to a stop before him.

"Elias! Listen to my orders. This will be your new mission. I reckon that you saw the little sticky ginger head just now?"

The man nodded. "Good! Track her down and bring her back to the palace. She shall be my fifth wife. If she resists, you can use force. Just ensure that you won't hurt her."

Elias accepted the orders, saluting the King while his eyes wandered to the woman for a second. He looked away the very second their gazes met and walked away.

Atlas looked back at the flowing stream in deep thoughts. Things would be interesting from this day onwards. He could tell from his misbehaving heart.

His fists clenched to the side as the image of the girl appeared in his head. 'I will see you soon then. Let's see how far you can run from me.'

The woman silently watched the King. Somehow, her gaze moved towards the route Elias took and stared there in a daze for a while.

A sad smile formed on her lips which she managed to hide soon. She and Atlas walked back to the palace, leaving the corpses to be cleaned up by the guards.

Neither of them noticed that the other was in a strange mood. Only silence lingered between them as they made their way into the palace.