Heartbeats -Part 1

Lily, who was finally able to get away from the disgusting men's gazes and touches, moved far away from them and stayed behind the people who had gathered to watch the performance. She however, wasn't interested in whatever was going on.

She just stood next to the other servants who were also abandoned by their masters for the show.

She could finally rest. She sighed and glanced at the tray of food on the table behind her as the delicious aroma hit her nose and her stomach growled immediately in response. Not intending to resist the urge, this seemed to be the perfect opportunity to eat, as everyone's attention was on the performance.

She slowly took silent steps back and hid behind the servants and she instantly began eating from the tray of food.

She couldn't help but thank the goddess for giving her this opportunity to eat to her satisfaction. Her last meal had been last night, she felt so exhausted that she could almost faint. She also thanked the king in her mind for taking all the people's attention away. The king, she hadn't even seen him ever since she arrived. She had been so busy, serving those pigs that she didn't bother to glance his way. However, his throne was quite far from where she stood, so even if she did glance up, she wouldn't be able to see him clearly. But that wasn't her concern, it was the people's.

Lily continued stuffing food in her mouth, unaware of a pair of dark eyes silently staring at her.

~

When the performance was finally over, it was time for the king to choose his bride. The girls who seemed excited at the beginning, were now looking not so eager to be chosen anymore, not after the brief eye contact they had shared with him.

The king remained silent, his temple still on his knuckles. Everything they had performed seemed utterly useless in his eyes. Because while they performed, his eyes raked every girl present and there was none who sparked just a little of his interest. He didn't even plan to get up from his throne to address them.

Now there was a frown on his face, seeing the whole event as a mere waste of time.

But while Torak continued to scowl, he heard a low voice, more like a growl. Causing him to freeze.

Torak thought perhaps he had only heard nothing, until the growl came again, from his beast.

He furrowed his brows and silenced his thoughts, trying to listen to what his beast was trying to say.

"Mate!"

Torak froze upon hearing what his beast had just aggressively growled.

Did his beast just mention the word mate? Torak grew annoyed, wondering if his inner beast had finally gone insane from all those years of loneliness.

All of a sudden, a sweet scent came like a silent wave and hit his nostrils. He paused for some seconds, his cold eyes slowly widening before snapping and glancing at the crowd. They all stood, watching him with fake smiles written on their faces as they awaited his decision.

Torak didn't know what was happening; curiosity, confusion and annoyance flashing in his eyes. He didn't want to believe that he heard his beast right. However, the scent he had just sniffed in was making him believe that he wasn't actually going insane.

The scent only grew stronger and his inner beast growled aggressively again, "mate!"

Like a controlled machine, Torak suddenly stood up from his throne and took a step down the stage. His eyes on the crowd, ignoring the gasps and horror on everyone's faces.

He began moving towards the crowd and the crowd instantly took silent steps back fearfully. Had they angered the king? They were unaware of his intention, dread crawled upon their skins as they wondered why he was coming towards them all of a sudden. The young females immediately moved out of his way, knowing he would have stepped on them for all he cared.

His eyes laid on none of them in particular, but they were being led by his inner beast who only had little patience left, which was stopping him from going berserk. Torak had never seen his beast act this aggressive before, except when he was mad and hungry for blood.

He kept walking through the crowd and they all made way for him, like a sea parting into two to create a clear path for the king.

But there was one who remained where she was, unaware of what was happening. Lily, who stood at the back, behind everything that was going on didn't know why everyone was suddenly moving out of the way. Until she noticed the king coming and she immediately bowed her head like everybody did.

She could hear echoed steps getting closer, hurried steps coming towards her direction at a powerful pace.

Lily didn't know why her heart suddenly began racing, she was getting nervous. But why? Even her palms were already getting sweaty.

She kept her head low, waiting and hoping those steps would pass her by quickly, so her racing heart could beat steadily back.

However, she didn't hear them pass her by, she didn't hear them again. Had they stopped?

Confused, Lily opened her eyes, only to meet a pair of black shoes.

Lily slowly raised her head, as well as her eyes traveled up from the expensive black shoes to a pair of black pants, up to a muscular looking body hidden in a royal attire of black and gold. To meet a pair of golden eyes. She froze. Those eyes, they were staring at her silently, with no emotions seen in them.

Lily couldn't speak. It was as if time had stopped.

Apart from the fact that the ancient immortal king was right in front of her, just a step away. She felt instantly seized by those eyes like a prisoner, staring at them and wondering how they could be so beautiful. She had never seen such eyes before, the entire iris looking like it was a universe created in nothing but gold, only the pupils remaining black like an abyss that was ready to suck whoever was curious in.

Lily felt lost, she couldn't move. But she did come back to reality the instant she heard a very deep voice.

"Mate.."

The king muttered, but mainly to himself, his eyes not risking to leave hers. He stared at the girl as if trying to wonder who she was, as his beast sniffed in her scent once more, already trying to connect with her own wolf but it couldn't. He and his beast were just as curious now.

Lily heard him and her heart skipped a beat as well as her entire body freezing again, doubting if she had heard him right.

Lily's heart pounded in fear, she didn't want to believe what she heard, she couldn't. After being frozen for a couple of minutes, she snapped back to reality, silently shaking her head as her brows furrowed and the king could see the fear clear in her eyes.

She didn't want to believe what he just said was true, neither did he.

Lily saw his hand suddenly lift up to touch her, as if to feel if she was real and not just in his imaginations.

And she instinctively took a step back as if his touch could burn, she continued taking steps back until she suddenly turned and started running away.

Leaving him standing, still frozen on the spot with his hand in mid-air. His eyes watched her continue running till her sight was gone, including the heavenly scent he was already beginning to get addicted to.

Lily kept running away from the throne room, she ran down a hall searching for the entrance door that they had all came in. She found it and ran out, catching the guards outside by surprise.

They were not expecting a girl in maid's clothing to suddenly run out of the palace. They watched her continue to run, still standing on the spot looking beyond shocked.

Until one of them asked, looking confused. "Should we.….go after her?"

But the other one sighed, "sounds stressful. Let's just leave her, she's no one anyway."