Heart Of A Lycan King
Chapter 33

“Lale Lale Maraba! (Welcome, Welcome!)” Mama sang, clapping her hands as we stepped into the lit living room. I kept my head down, wondering how I would face her now after what had happened.

I had quickly pulled away from Aiden’s hold after I heard Mama’s voice, while Aiden had simply smiled. He tried to assure me that no one outside could see what was going on inside, but the fact that Mama had to knock on the door before we realized the car had stopped made me feel worse.

When we stepped out, Kane was standing beside the passengers side, arms clasped in front of him as he tried to hold back his laughter. But it was impossible because I caught him snickering.

That hypocrite! The least he could’ve done was to let us know we had arrived. I wonder how long we had been there before knowing we had arrived.

Mama smiled when she saw us, engulfed me in a quick side hug that caught me off guard, which in turn made me stiffen before she pulled back.

“You just had to ruin the moment between couples, Mama,” Aiden grumbled, a faint smile dancing on his lips.

I shot him a quick glare as he laughed.

“See, even Nala is pissed you ruined our moment,” he added and my eyes widened.

I shifted my gaze quickly towards Mama and shook my head, unable to speak, while she walked up to Aiden and smacked him loudly on the head.

“Mara kunyan yaro kawai! (You shameless boy!)” she exclaimed before she had turned and walked towards the large door before us.

I looked around my surroundings, taking in the new scenery before me. The two story building was big. If I had thought Aiden’s house was big and beautiful, then this one beats it to it. There were plants and flowers all around, a walk down of sanded wooden steps that led to a comfortable seating area nestled between the trees.

Three men stood on either side of the stairs that led to the main door. They wore black khaki shorts and black shirt with the Kingdom’s mark on the right side of the shirt.

“That was bad of you, Kane. Shouldn’t you have notified us when we arrived?” I tittered.

“Forgive me, Your Majesty. I didn’t want to break the moment,” Kane replied, still stifling his laughter.

I rolled my eyes at him, turned to Aiden and rolled my eyes as well before Mama had beckoned us in from the door.

Now, she was all smiles as she showed us to a red two settee royal sofa.

“I am so happy this afternoon,” she laughed as she stood with her arms crossed before us.

I slipped from the sofa and kneeled down. “Good afternoon, Mama,” I said in hausa, knowing she likes speaking in her language more than anything.

“Afternoon, My Daughter. Sit, come on, sit back up,” she smiled, then leaned and grabbed me by my shoulders before helping me up. “How was the ride here?”

“It was fine, Mama,” I said quietly, still keeping my head down. I could still feel my feet shaking. I wonder what Mama must be thinking we had been doing in the car.

Goddess! This is so embarrassing.

“How is my Mama?” Aiden said, leaning in to briefly give her a side hug. “I bet you missed me,” he teased.

“I didn’t,” Mama laughed, pulling his nose. “I missed my daughter though.”

“Ouch! You just broke my heart,” Aiden placed a hand on his chest and laughed.

“It would be too much fun if I break your Baba’s heart,” Mama laughed warmly. “Feel at home, Natasha, I’ll go get him,” Mama said before she turned and quickly left.

I let my gaze follow her. As always, she was wearing a free Boubou, which I seem to have noticed was her favorite way of dressing, head gear wrapped securely around her head and a gold necklace dangling across her neck. Simple, yet elegant.

“Well, I told you Mama didn’t see you squeezing the life out of her son in the name of cuddling,” Aiden whispered in my eyes.

I stiffened for a moment, before I turned to face him. “Squeezing you say? Who did the squeezing? You or I?”

“You of course,” Aiden chuckled. “We can cuddle more here if you want. No need to ask anyone to raise the privacy glass or anything. Wanna try?” He leaned closer, his dark eyes dancing with a mischievous glint.

“Sure. Make me regret asking for a cuddle, Aiden,” I pursed my lips and crossed my arms over my chest as I let my eyes wander round the living room.

A large LED TV covered a better part of the wall before us. The living room was large, with three sets of royal chairs in different colors fitted in. On the far right, was a large dining table with five chairs and a round table. A winding staircase that lead to who knows where? A large family portrait was hung on the wall. I instantly recognized Aiden, despite seeing the younger version of him there. He and another boy, whom I recognized as Mav sat in front of Mama and Baba.

Mama had a large smile that showed happiness, while Baba’s face was grim and tight. Aiden and Mav held their hands and both smiled at the camera like Mama did.

“That was on Mav’s thirteenth birthday. He insisted that he wants a family portrait of us all as his birthday gift,” Aiden said. His voice sounded hollow. Distant. There wasn’t that much warmth in it anymore.

“You both look happy,” I commented, closing the little space between us. But I didn’t make a move to touch him. “Do you miss him?” I asked.

“So much. I wished he never left,” he mumbled as he carefully laid his chest on my shoulders and wrapped an arm around my waist. “Sorry for not asking first,” he said again.

I didn’t like the sound of his voice. Or the way he looked broken. One moment he was happy and teasing me and now this? What was it about this Mav of a person that hurts him this much?

“It is fine. I’m okay with it,” I replied. No, it’s not fine. You’re making tingles run up my skin, make my stomach tighten with needs, and make me wish I was confident to do more. You, Aiden, are responsible for my having a whole different perspective on life. Was what I wanted to say. Those words were at the tip of my tongue.

“You make it possible to get through all the stress this day came with. Thank you, Nala.”

“I read that telling someone something funny when they are sad helps,” I found myself saying. “But I don’t have any funny stories to share,” I added.

Aiden chuckled a bit, then laced our fingers together.

“You could tell me about an embarrassing moment from your past,” he mumbled. “Did you wet the bed as a kid? Or perhaps, liked to run in the woods naked in hopes that you’d shift as well?”

I laughed, my body shaking from the impact as Aiden tightened his hold.

“Are those things you did as a kid?” I asked, as I timidly brought my fingers to his head and twirled around a lock that had escaped the bun he made.

“I wet the bed only twice,” he smiled, the edges of his eyes wrinkling as I stared down at him. “Okay, that was a lie. I did it occasionally and always pinned it on Mav.”

“How so?”

“I’d wake up at night after wetting the bed and start crying, then when Mav wakes up, since we shared the same room and our beds were on either sides, I’d tell him how I had dreamt of a snake chasing me and I ended up wetting the bed. I’d tell him how I hated sleeping back on the bed and he’d help me change my shorts, help me to his bed and take mine. And every morning, Mama simply shakes her head and takes the sheets away. At some point, I began to think if she knew I was the one responsible.” He laughed a bit. “But Mav never outed me. He always took the blame for it like he did for most of the crimes I committed. As a kid, Mama said I was overly stubborn.”

“That much is evident,” I murmured, allowing my fingers to ease into his head, without moving them. I was waiting. Waiting for him to tell me to stop. To push me from his embrace for overstepping my boundaries. But he did none of that, instead, he sighed and squeezed my hand in his.

“You have no idea how much you going through these lengths means for me, Nala. I know how you are still uncomfortable with all this, I feel your body stiffen from time to time, but even at that, you didn’t pull away or tell me to stop. I know you’re making efforts, but do not push yourself too hard at my expense,” Aiden said as he sat up.

A sudden wave of cold hits me. I had none of his warmth anymore, and I didn’t like it.

“Like I said from the start, you and I are on this journey together. I’ll always be right here beside you when you need me. I have been frustrated since yesterday, but I can’t tell you why. However, I’ll hit my chest everywhere now and scream how happy you’ve made me. It was a big move on your part, and the fact that you noticed something was wrong with me showed that I matter to you, no matter how little,” he paused, tipped my chin so he could stare into my eyes.

His eyes held raw emotions, and I could feel the soft caress of the bond behind my neck. It tingled and for a brief fraction, it felt like I was being pushed to him.

“You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, Nala,” he breathed.

“Aiden…” my throat wasn’t working. It was as though a heavy lump had sat there, making it nearly impossible to speak. “Thank you too,” I finally managed to say. “For never giving up on me these past few weeks. I know things are hard, and while I may not be ready for more than this, know that I’m slowly weaving my way towards it. I may have only a little to offer at a time, but it is all I can afford for the time being,” I whispered.

“And that is more than enough for me right now. We take this journey slow and steady,” he smiled, rubbed his thumb on my cheek before he pulled back and sat straight, hands still intertwined. “I’m going to do something in two days time, I am apologizing for that in advance because I’m not sure how you’d react to it,” he said solemnly.

“Is it something you think is absolutely necessary?” I asked.

“Yes,” he nodded, refusing to meet my gaze. “For my sanity, it is something I desperately need to do,” he replied.

“Then I’ll trust your judgments. I’ll still get the reports, right? Will you let me handle it? Can I investigate? Can I go visit them and…”

“Nala, Nala, calm down,” Aiden laughed, then ran his thumb behind my hand and I flushed with embarrassment. “You are the Queen. You can do anything and everything you want. You don’t always need my permission.”

I beamed at him. I loved the peace he managed to stir within me. It was all I needed.

“Thank you!” I was eager to see the reports. Eager to see how I could help. Eager to make myself useful around everyone.

“Are you okay with being introduced as the Queen during the Kalmanshe festival?” I heard him ask.

I gulped, suddenly overwhelmed with the idea of everyone knowing I was Aiden’s mate. Would the people replace out I have a two colored wolf and hate me? Or would they replace out about me having the Fikoians b***d running through me and hate me even more? What if Matteo and Camila show up and tell everyone who I am? Or that I was good at giving bj like they said back at the pack? Or that I am undeserving of becoming a queen?

I don’t know what happened, but perhaps, I was already panicking. I could feel my breath come out in deep pants, the way my chest tightened as different flashes of what hadn’t happened yet filled my head.

“Come here,” I heard Aiden’s voice distantly calling to me, before his scent engulfed me and then his arms wrapped tightly around me in a fierce embrace.

It took a moment before I finally relaxed, the movement of Aiden’s hand on my back as he held the back of my neck with the other help in soothing the tension ebbing around my shoulders.

“We don’t have to do it if you don’t want to,” Aiden whispered. “We can wait.”

“No, no. I want to,” I murmured. “I…I’m just not sure…”

“It’s fine. You can decide before the day comes,” he said softly as he pulled away.

“Thank you,” I forced a smile. “And I’m so sorry for…”

“Don’t say it,” he growled a bit. “Just don’t,” he added as he shut his eyes.

“Would I have an investigation team?” I asked, trying to shift the conversation. “I may need a team,” I added.

“Yes. Sherneil and Ivayne are going to be part of your team. Sherneil is a lab technician. She works at the CSI, while Ivayne is a tech geek and can hack into every computer she wants. I think those two are going to help you best. You can of course add anyone you want to the team,” he explained.

“Who’s Ivayne?” I asked, because he mentioned Sherneil once and I knew she trains with him.

“She is from the Abashe pack. Her dad is the Delta of the pack but she wants to come work in the capital. I thought the two of them would help,” he replied.

“I’ll ask Tiffany if she’d like to join as well,” I replied, imagining all four of us in heated conversations as we investigate the accident, and many more things to come. “I’m excited!” I clapped my hands.

Before Aiden could reply, a loud voice cleared from behind us before I heard the loud thud of a foot walk towards us.

A strange scent invaded my nose, before I felt a certain aura engulf me. By the time the owner of the voice stopped before me, I was shaking.

“Baba,” Aiden greeted, hugging the large man the same way he greeted Mama.

The man slapped him softly on the back, as I slipped to the floor to greet him.

“Good afternoon, Ba…Your Majesty,” I bowed my head, afraid to look up at him. His aura was intimidating enough. I wonder what looking at him would be like.

“Oh come on, he’s your Baba too,” Mama said as she came to stand beside the man.

I waited for his reply to come, but nothing, at least, not until he kneeled before me and stretched his hand and patted my back.

“You can be at ease, Natasha, I don’t bite,” he said.

But even his voice sounded scary.

“Sit up,” he added as he stood up.

I stood on shaky legs, but unable to sit back on the sofa. So I sat down on the carpeted floor and tried to tuck my legs, but it was impossible, because I wore a fitted gown.

Damn!

“How do you replace the capital?” I heard his voice drift from the side. It was then that I managed to look up towards him, only to replace myself looking at a man with white hair, dressed in a white caftan. His face was grim, and he had two tribal marks on either side of his cheeks. His eyes were hollow and deep, yet they felt inviting? Or not? I had no idea.

“The capital is very okay, Your Majesty,” I replied, as Aiden sat beside me on the floor. He flashed me a grin when I looked at him and mouthed that I ease up before turning his attention away.

The atmosphere in the room was chilly, and I didn’t like it one bit.

‘The man is too intimidating,’ Erin grumbled.

“I heard you are a Malakarian,” Baba said, making it impossible for me to reply to Erin. “Although, not completely. I smell two different scents from you.” He added.

“She’s that way because her Mum is a Mandalian,” Aiden intervened.

“She has another scent on her, I just can’t figure what that is,” Baba said again, pinning his gaze on me.

I ducked my head, playing with the idea of telling him about the Fiko b***d I have or not. But before I could, Mama broke the silence by asking us all to come eat lunch.

Lunch was quiet. And I was a nervous mess. Despite the fact that I loved bitter leaf soup with the rice staple before me, I couldn’t eat more than two morsels. I also couldn’t eat the Jollof rice staring at me, with peppered chicken thighs.

At some point, I don’t know when, Aiden reached for my hand underneath the table and squeezed, which calmed me down. But it didn’t help take away the uncomfortable feeling Baba’s gaze made me feel.

I suddenly felt myself flush when Aiden’s feet touched mine in a very sensuous way. He rubbed his feet over mine tenderly, almost as if he was caressing me. I closed my eyes for a brief second, loving the way his feet felt against mine. I will ask him to do this more often.

Soon we were done, and we filed back to the living room. I was eager to leave, because I just figured I wasn’t ready to meet this man. But I couldn’t ask Aiden to leave, so I sat back and listened to Baba and Aiden speak about the kingdom’s economy and the political aspect without understanding one bit of what they were saying.

Mama, on the other hand, was busy. She hardly sits for five good minutes before she gets called again, so it was mostly just the three of us in the living room.

“Tell me, Natasha, as a prospective Queen candidate, what do you have to offer to the Kingdom?” Baba asked, bringing me out of my reverie.

“We already discussed this, Baba. Today is the first day you two met and you’re asking her this?” Aiden said with a sigh.

“I have nothing against her, like I told you. Even if she was a full Malakarian, I had already decided to accept her as one of us. I’m only trying to strike a conversation with her, Aiden, no need to get all defensive,” Baba explained.

“Well…”

“I think I have enough potential to rule beside your son, Baba,” I said quietly. I had no idea where that boost of confidence came from, but I loved it.

“You do? What do you have to offer?”

“I would like to think my potential isn’t limited to a certain aspect. There are so many situations that would warrant one to make a move, but one mostly only replaces out they have the ability to tackle that issue when it comes hard at them,” just like my life changed and I realized I can handle it, I wanted to add.

“Hmn,” Baba said thoughtfully, as he leaned back on the chair.

“What do you think about the Kingdom’s political system?” he continued.

“I have no deep knowledge of the Kingdom’s politics, but that is only because I didn’t get the privilege to study them all. However, that is not an excuse I am trying to give right now, no, I am admitting what I do not know. Next time we meet, I’ll be certain to answer all, or most of your questions regarding politics,” I answered carefully.

Baba stared at me carefully, and after a moment, he laughed out loud.

“She is a wise one,” he said. “I’ll be looking forward to your answers when you study more, Natasha,” he smiled warmly, and I didn’t know whether to scream with happiness or beam at him.

However, what sealed my remaining day was when Aiden and I left for home. Aiden took my hands in his, grinned at me and said just seven words that made my heart swell with happiness.

“I am so proud of you, Nala.”

Above all however, I was proud of myself.