The Alpha King's Claim

Aero

The Kingdom of Phanteon boasts a vast and grand land. Naturally, I placed watchtowers on every boundary to ensure the safety of my people.

In addition, I ordered guards to make rounds every hour, day and night. The realms have had nothing but peace ever since it was created, but it pays to be vigilant sometimes.

My men are doing well with their duties, but a king like me prefers to check the lands from time to time, be outside the castle, and see if everything is in order.

Evenings are my best times to shift into my werewolf or lycan form. I run all over the kingdom, sometimes not stopping for hours until dawn hits the horizon.

It is my way of keeping up with my form and stamina. I find running exhilarating, and I find it a good way to destress from the dramas of my court.

Like, for example, on this very night when I just found out my crown is under threat.

My father is known to use underhanded means in getting what he wants. I had just never expected he would use them on me.

When Elijah told me about the decree, I immediately called the council and ordered them to eradicate it, but unfortunately for me, they refused, saying my father’s words were absolute, non-negotiable, and executory.

I had to control myself not to bury all of them six feet under. I am now the alpha. I am now the king.

I was supposed to have full control over my subjects, but it seems my father made sure I couldn’t worm my way out of this problem.

What the hell.

Running around my kingdom successfully decreased my anger from the night’s unfortunate events. I have calmed down, but still, the thought of having to take a woman to be my queen lingers inside my head.

As for how I will do it, I have no idea yet, but I will be sure to use underhanded means to fulfill the decree.

An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. It’s time to use my father’s teachings against him.

When the early morning sun hits my metallic black fur, it is my cue to return; but instead of going back directly to the castle, I go to my manor that is on a nearby lake northeast of my kingdom.

Made with the finest stones in the land, this abode was a gift from my father to me when I first successfully shifted at the age of twelve.

This manor has since become my place of sanctuary; the only place free of worries, ministers, and women—especially them.

I was looking forward to a peaceful bath in my bathroom; however, the moment I stepped inside the building, I sensed a presence.

Someone was inside and was giving off a scent that was both enticing and poisonous to my nose. I fell into guarded mode immediately.

Slowly, I traced where the scent came from, and it led me to my chamber. The intruder had the gall to trespass into my most sacred space.

But instead of frowning even more, I grinned, looking forward to ripping this intruder’s head off with my bare hands.

As I entered my bedroom, the scent grew stronger and stronger. I was torn between gagging and relishing it. I was almost tempted to do the latter, and that made me all the more angry.

This intruder could be using magic to get to me.

Once inside, I looked around, but there was no one there. No sign of any soul at all, living, dead, or otherwise.

It was only when I opened the double doors of the bathroom that the scent really hit me in large volumes. I growled in displeasure.

Maybe it was the oils used that had thrown me off earlier, that’s why I hadn’t really realized who it was immediately; but now, as I stood in front of a very naked woman using my pool, I knew for certain.

The first thought that crossed my mind at that moment was: I’m going to wring Elijah’s head for this.

The woman was sitting comfortably on a partly submerged section of the pool, but I could see clearly that she was buck-naked, like I was whenever I shifted back to my human form.

I had definitely been naked earlier too, but thanks to witch magic, werewolves and lycans alike didn’t need to worry about procuring clothes post-shift.

Now I was garbed in my casual outfit of a white tunic and loose trousers—a perfect look to interrogate this woman again.

The way her back curved and the way it looked flawless and pristinely white against the sun’s rays tempted my eyes to ogle instead of look away.

I clenched my hands, feeling disappointed by my idiotic show of weakness. She was just showing a lovely feminine back. No big deal. But I hated how I couldn’t keep my eyes off it.

I continued to look, still deliberating on how to interrupt her when, out of the blue, she stopped drying her hair and glanced up.

Our eyes met; hers instantly showed surprise while mine seesawed between anger and amusement.

“Shit!” she cried out before she jumped into the water.

I approached the pool, positioned myself directly above the sloping steps to block her exit, and waited for her to resurface. After a minute, she did, but she was on the other side of the pool, out of my reach.

“Here I thought I still had time to take a bath before your arrival. I guess I was wrong,” she said flatly, giving me a disappointed look.

Her face was turned towards me, but her body was pressed up against the pool tile as if she was trying to shield her nakedness from my view.

Huh, as if I want to look at those insignificant reproductive organs.

I raised an eyebrow and puffed out my chest, feeling proud of myself. “I wouldn’t argue with that. Unfortunately for you, I’m a fast runner.”

“You’re not surprised by my presence here,” she pointed out.

I crouched down to the floor and dipped a finger in the water, testing its temperature.

It was oddly warm and inviting, as if the stream that supplied water to my pool approved of this woman’s bathing activities.

“I haven’t fully grasped why you ended up here instead of the dungeon, and with a complete head at that,” I began.

“But I have a strong suspicion my dear brother had a hand in this. He’ll get what’s due to him, and as for you, well, I’ll decide later once you step out of my pool.”

“You see, I just came from a good run, and I’m feeling dirty and tired. I’ve yet to take a bath and peacefully enjoy my water.”

She tipped her chin up, picking up the hint I gave her. I was not fond of sharing my possessions, my water included, so that meant she was absolutely not welcome here.

“Then, would it be too much for His Highness to leave?” she stated, and then pointed her eyes down to the water. “I’d appreciate it if you’d give me some private time to… put on some decent clothes.”

“No,” I answered flatly, a tic in my jaw appearing. “I’m the king. This is my manor. You don’t get to tell me what to do.”

“I heard you hate women, Your Majesty.”

“Correct.”

“Then I presume you also hate watching them fully naked, right?”

“Of course.”

For a moment, I hesitated before answering. The image of her naked back earlier flashed in my mind. I didn't want to admit to myself that I had enjoyed looking at it.

Damn senses. They're traitors.

“Well, then it's a win-win solution,” she continued. “You leave, and I can have some privacy to get dressed. You can enjoy your pool.”

Hell. She had the audacity to negotiate with me. My eyes narrowed, and I stood up. “How about this? You leave now. I'll take my bath. I don't care what you flaunt with that awful body of yours.”

Her face cringed for a moment. “Prince Elijah warned me about your colorful language.”

“Good. That means I don't have to sugarcoat everything I say to you. Now, are you going to leave or not? You're wasting my time, woman. I'm not a patient man.”

Her brows furrowed, indicating her stress. I couldn't care less if that was the case. It was her fault for bathing in my pool in the first place.

“I'm going to stay here until you leave,” she finally stated, lifting her chin and giving me a serious gaze.

“I’m not a voyeur, Your Highness, and I’m certainly not the kind of woman who struts her breasts and genitals in public.”

Quite a problematic woman, as expected.

Clenching my teeth, I took a deep breath to control my anger. If she didn’t want to leave my pool, then so be it.

“Not my problem then,” I said, and I started undressing.

“Wha…what are you doing?” she asked, her voice suddenly shaky. Whether it was because of fear or awkwardness, I couldn’t care less. Let her feel it as a form of punishment.

I dropped my tunic on the floor and continued unbuckling my belt while giving her a sharp glare. “Taking my well-deserved bath, of course.”

When I pulled down my trousers, she immediately turned her head away. Her fair-skinned complexion had turned bright red.

This is a first.

Normally, whenever my female subjects saw me, they dropped their heads low with their faces white as chalk. This was my first time seeing a woman respond differently at the sight of me.

Well, this was also my first time stripping naked in front of a woman. Never in my life had I expected that I would do such a thing, but I didn’t have a choice.

I couldn’t let a woman win. I couldn’t let her win.