Hours had passed, and the sun was almost up when Darius opened his eyes. He took a deep breath and let out a loud sigh as he remained on his bed, staring at the ceiling of his bed-chamber.

Last night, he couldn’t sleep at all because of his dilemma about Xen so he did nothing but quietly observe the lad’s movements from the other chamber. Something was telling him that Xen would try to escape that night so he patiently waited.

And true enough, the lad did try to escape. He even telepathically instructed his men to let Xen off while he followed him. He wondered what was the reason Xen wanted to escape him when the lad perfectly knew that his action was screaming treason against him.

Darius let out another sigh. His thoughts still lingered on Xen and he was getting frustrated over it…

He groaned under his breath when he recalled the dinner last night. He couldn’t take his eyes off Xen and that meant taking note of the lad’s every movement.

He could still recall how Xen’s tongue would dart out to lick at the seam of his lips in an attempt to moist them. He knew it wasn’t meant to be seductive, but the sensations it brought to his body were still too intense. His actions sent a spasm of need down his body to his groin, so much so that he had to curse under his breath so many times to calm his raging need.

Even Xen’s expressions were too feminine! Was he really a lad? Or was he someone who was in disguise? He wanted to rip the lad out of his clothes already, but he didn’t know what was stopping him from doing it.

He could possibly instruct some of his female servants to check Xen, but that would be an awkward request, and for sure, it would spread like a plague throughout the kingdom, especially to the Elders who were constantly pushing him to have a queen!

And of course, his wolf Zeus claimed to have found their mate. It was Zeus who recognized Xen as their mate through ‘her’ strong alluring scent. It was a maddening scent like no other he had smelled and yet that damn wolf seemed to be playing a prank on him!

Still, was Xen really a man? What if he was? What would he do then? Would the Almighty truly play him like this?

The Council would never accept Xen if he ever did end up being male just from the indisputable fact that they would never be able to produce an heir, inevitably putting his throne and his kingdom’s stability in danger. He couldn’t lose his throne just like that.

He couldn’t let all of the sacrifices that were made for him to secure this position be rendered futile. He had worked very hard to earn this position, and he wouldn’t dare squander it even though his wolf, Zeus, and him wouldn’t see eye to eye.

Darius’s face darkened as the memories of that painful night, of him losing the people he loved and treasured around him surfaced once again. However, he immediately calmed himself. It wasn’t good to let those memories resurface back to the forefront of his mind.

He only had one goal in his rule: to unite every pack in their Kingdom and establish a vital realm against all others who would try to conquer them.

Getting up from the bed, his usual servants immediately came inside to serve him and prepare him for his travels.

He motioned for Dale, his main attendant, to step closer to him and said, “When we return, teach Xen how to serve me properly. He will replace you starting tomorrow. Xen will also personally serve me with all my needs.”

Dale suddenly went down on his knees. “Your Majesty! I deserve to die! I was unable to serve you properly!”

The King couldn’t help but laugh as he grabbed Dale by his shoulders and helped him to stand back up.

“Don’t exaggerate, Dale. I am not removing you. You will still work for me when it comes to other things. But for now, I need to keep that warrior, Xen, close to me. He will be my warrior servant in and out of the castle,” he explained.

Dale smiled and nodded in understanding. “Is it because I’m getting older, Your Majesty?” his trusted aide asked, with his head bowed down a bit.

Darius sighed loudly and replied, “You’re like a father to me, Dale. I’m not replacing you because you’re old, but because I’m sure you also need enough rest after tirelessly serving me and my father for years. Of all the people who work under me, it’s you that I trust the most. Like I said, this is just temporary.”

The old man sighed but smiled at him in understanding.

“Now, help me get ready,” Darius commanded, and Dale immediately went to work along with the rest of the attendants.

After The King got ready, he dismissed his servants and walked straight to the secret door that connected to the other room where Xen was sleeping.

Xen was still asleep on her bed. Darius could easily breathe in his scent, which seemed to fill the room even from a distance.

Darius silently praised himself for coming up with the brilliant idea of making Xen his personal warrior servant.

Xen might’ve had an unpleasant reaction to the news, but he didn’t mind it so long as he could solve this problem without having to personally strip the man out of his clothes. That would be too extreme a reaction regardless of if he turned out to be a woman or a man. On top of that, it would make him look desperate, and the last thing he wanted was for his warrior to question his behavior and ruin his reputation.

If Xen would stay close by his side, then he would eventually find out if he was a man or not. He would trust Zeus on his instinct for now since he was his wolf, and his wolf wouldn’t put him in an awkward position regarding this ‘his mate’ thing.

Silently, he approached the peaceful being and stared at his small face. Leaning down, his eyes focused to observe his face more closely and keenly.

Darius unknowingly looked at his lips. As he had observed before, they were red, plump, and heart-shaped.

He gulped, finding himself leaning closer to Xen’s lips when he suddenly halted as Xen opened his eyes.