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"Good." To Sandra, he said, "I heard that you are Ismena's human best friend?"

"Y-Y-Yes, I am." She bit her lips from blurting out that they've been best of friends for more than ten years now. Nope, the less she says, the less she'll fumble.

"Ismena has been here with me since yesterday. I hope you have not been worried about her whereabouts or how she is doing?"

"No, no, no," she denied instantly, shaking her head repeatedly, "Of c-course not, Alpha King. M-Mena is w-with you, so she i-is in great h-hands."

Mentally, she apologized to her best friend for denying her like this. Even if Ismena is tied up and gagged at a hidden part of this tower now, she wouldn't want to know. That's how bad this man terrifies her.

Hell, she wanted nothing more than to run far away from this tower, and at least shower and change into a new pair of panties.

As if he heard her mental request, the Alpha King announced that he's done seeing her—scaring Jesus' garments outta her. Well, those weren't exactly his words but it meant the same thing to her.

"Thank you f-for b-being kind enough to see me." Sandra bowed again, while wondering if this is how every visitor of Naturiah has to stand before the King and be welcomed by him?

Damn, no wonder they have no visitors. Ismena, her best friend, has officially become the bravest woman she knows in her life.

"I hope we see again soon." He added in a soft note.

Eline took it as her cue to walk forward and gently urge her to the direction of the door.

Sandra was all too grateful to follow. She was done having balls where these people are concerned. It's obvious those balls are as useless as rain in hell. They do her no good at all.

As they walked out, she noticed that Alphose was not coming out with them.

Silence descended after the two females left.

Alphose stood there trying so hard not to look as hopeful and dreadful as he felt. The fact that Wolfariane’s face had remained unreadable throughout his encounter with Kassandra and the part where he's being too quiet now was not helping him at all.

"Say something, please." Alphose urged at last, when he couldn't take the silence anymore.

"She was too terrified of me." Was his first remark.

Alphose took a deep breath. He smiled crookedly, "I know, I smelled it too. Surprisingly, the cougar was being too quiet at that point. Probably because it knows that you would not harm her."

He nodded, rising from his seat. He walked to the window, crossed his arms and looked out of it.

The evening sun casted a long shadow to the ground. The sky was ablaze with the fire of the setting sun.

"It was strange. I could not scent the potential mate in her, nor did I smell your scent on her. Only her feminine scent." He sounded confused too, "I allowed the cougar to the surface too while trying so hard to suppress its instincts to kill and destroy the human, but still, I could not smell them in her."

"You too?" Alphose was more confused than him. Wolfaraine could always tell even when other changelings are unable to or having some doubts. Always.

He nodded once.

That nod killed all the hope in Alphose. "That means she is not my mate. Or any changeling's mate at all."

Wolfaraine heard the pain behind those statements. It was so loud like a gunshot.

"That is what it would mean." He responded truthfully, anyway.

As the silence descended between them again, Alphose walked towards him and stood beside him on the window. He was hurting and he did not try to mask that feeling.

"Except the part about your cougar, Alphose." Wolfaraine wondered aloud.

"What do you mean, Alpha King?" Alphose mused dejectedly.

"She wasn't the only one I tuned in on while she was here. I tuned in on you too and I felt every emotion your cougar felt in her presence. Its hunger for her. Its pleasure because of her presence. The need to lick her. The need to hold her. The need to mark her." He paused, "I felt your cougar's need to mate her and make her yours forever, Alphose."