The Alpha King and I

~ Helena ~

I visited Kenneth's apartment on a drizzling day in Moon City. Kenneth William had been my boyfriend for six months. I brought a picnic basket because I always wanted to picnic with him. But so far, it wasn't fulfilled yet.

From my house to Kenneth's, I used a bus. It took a half-hour. It was a sunny day when I left my home, but it was drizzling suddenly after arriving at the bus shelter. Fortunately, I brought an umbrella.

I knocked on the door. It took Kenneth a while to open the door. When he opened the door, he wore no shirt, and sweat was all over his neck and chest.

"Are you exercising? Have you finished yet?" I opened my purse, took a tissue, and wiped it on Kenneth's neck. I almost placed the tissue on his chest, but then I blushed.

"Exercise?" Kenneth laughed. "Yeah, you're right. I'm in the middle of an exercise."

"Oh, do you want me to return after you have finished?"

"Sure, babe." Then Kenneth stared at the basket. "Hey, where are we going later?"

I giggled. "It's a secret! But we're going for a picnic today. I'm excited about this since I've planned for a week."

"Picnic? It's rainy outside. We'll only get wet. Maybe it's better for another time, okay?"

I sighed. Kenneth's rejection instantly ruined my mood, but what he said made sense. Maybe we could go picnic another time. "So, what should we do for our date today?"

"How about this? Let's meet an hour from now at the Moon Bridge." Kenneth stared at his wrist. "At 2 p.m., okay?"

"Where will we go from there?"

Kenneth shrugged. "We'll think somewhere." Then he pushed me to go. "I must continue my exercise. See you an hour from now." Then Kenneth closed the door immediately.

My knee-length pink dress was a little damp because of the rain. I'd better change my clothes if I wanted to stay comfortable on my date. While the pink dress was my favorite, I had no choice. I might get cold later if I insisted on wearing the pink dress. So, I opened my umbrella and walked to the bus shelter again.

The bus came fast. Fortunately, I got a seat. Then my mind wandered to Kenneth again. Six months after dating me, Kenneth hadn't introduced me to his parents or family. In contrast, after dating for a month, I had already brought him to meet with my adoptive mother, Freya Ross.

After four months of dating him, my mother stroked my hair when I complained. "Sweetheart, men and women are different in their approach to relationships. Men usually take a lot of time before introducing their partners to their family and parents. But it doesn't mean they aren't serious with you."

"But Mom, I'm wondering if Kenneth has someone else."

My mother raised her eyebrows to hear that. "Why are you thinking like that?"

"He has never mentioned he loves me. He often buys me expensive gifts, but it's nothing for him. I mean, Kenneth is super-rich. So buying me those gifts for him is easy."

"I see. Are you happy with Kenneth, sweetie?"

I stared at my mother and then let out a long sigh. "I don't know. Sometimes I think I do, but I am not so sure of my feelings when I'm with him."

"Sweetie, you're still so young. Take your time. Don't rush things." My mother took my hand and patted it. "If Kenneth is for you, then you'll know it. But if he isn't, don't push yourself to stay with him. There is plenty of fish in the ocean."

I smiled as I recalled the conversation with my mother. Though she was my adoptive mother, I loved her so much. The feelings were mutual. I had no birth parents since they passed away. Yet, having Freya in my life was indeed a tremendous blessing. Never did I doubt her love for me. My mother was always there for me, giving me all the love and support I needed.

The bus finally stopped at the shelter. I rushed to get off the bus and then walked to my house. I opened the door with my key, and after putting the umbrella outside, I ran to my room. I undressed quickly and then changed my clothes to a white lacy dress. Since the dress is thin, I put on a bolero too.

Later, I picked up the picnic basket, opened it, and placed the ham, cheese, chocolate, a bottle of champagne, and two wine glasses on the dining table. I sighed, too disappointed with the canceled picnic, but there would be a better time. After storing champagne in the refrigerator, returning glasses to the cupboard, and the basket to the kitchen, I picked up my purse again.

When I almost reached the door, my mother's voice startled me. "Helena, are you home already, sweetie?"

"Mom, I'll go now. Do you want me to buy groceries when I return?"

My mother walked to the living room. "No, we still have a plentiful food supply." When she saw me wearing the white dress, she wrinkled her forehead. "Why do you change your dress? Your pink one is prettier than this one."

"I know, but the drizzle damped my dress. I have to go now, mom. Talk to you later, okay?" I waved at my mother.

"Where are you going?"

"To the Moon Bridge. See you later!" Then I ran outside. I picked up the umbrella, locked the door, and rushed to the bus shelter again.

Fortunately, the bus came quickly, and I could get a seat. But unfortunately, the rain was heavier now. I bit my lower lip. After the canceled picnic, should we halt this date too? I checked the time; it was almost two p.m. I still had ten minutes.

Though I was born and raised in Moon City, I had never had a date at the Moon Bridge. So, I was excited to get there. Yet the heavy rain forced me to stroll.

I arrived at the bridge at five past two p.m. It was five minutes late. I bit my lip since Kenneth once told me he hated seeing women who weren't on time. I immediately ran to the bridge, but I couldn't find Kenneth so far. So, I called him, "Ken, where are you? I have arrived at the bridge."

Kenneth didn't answer immediately. Instead, I heard a woman's voice. "Who's this?" the woman asked.

I frowned when I heard an unrecognizable voice. "I'm Helena, Kenneth's girlfriend. Who are you? Why are you answering Kenneth's call?"

"Kenneth's girlfriend?" The woman gave a long sigh. "Are you sure? Since Kenneth and I have just shared our intimate moment."

"What?!"

"Are you deaf? Oh, right! No wonder Kenneth told me that you were so naive. A virgin!" The woman laughed. "Well, Helena, for your information, Kenneth and I have just had a mind-blowing sex moment." Then she laughed again. "Do you know what a mind-blowing sex is?"

I gasped. "Y-you!" She had the nerve to taunt me like that.

"Kenneth is in the bathroom now. He'll go to meet you soon. I guess he'll break the relationship with you." She sighed. "Poor Helena. But hey, if you don't want to satisfy his appetite, don't blame him for finding someone else who can."

"Kenneth told you that?" My tears started trickling down my cheeks. It was hard to believe that Kenneth was so mean.

"Uh-huh. Kenneth also said that your body was too skinny. He wants a woman with big boobies, you know." The woman sighed again. "A quick farewell is better than prolonging a hopeless relationship."

"But ... but ...."

"Helena, please, don't embarrass yourself further. Please take my advice and dump him. It will help you more than to cry over him." Then the woman stopped for a while. "Ah, Kenneth has finished showering. Bye for now." She ended the call.

I stared at my phone, and my sight was blank. Then I shook my head and wiped my tears. I didn't even realize I whimpered. "No, the woman must lie to me. Why does Kenneth betray me? He's always so sweet with me."

But then, immediately, my mind recalled a few events where I refused to have sex with him. We almost broke up at that time. Then I remembered when we made out heavily, and he almost touched my private parts, but I said no immediately. Kenneth didn't force me, but he was cold suddenly toward me.

I later sat on a bench nearby and closed my face with my hands. Did Kenneth honestly want me only to satisfy the lust? If he did, then what the woman said on the phone made sense. If sex was the only thing he was looking for with me, no wonder he was so disappointed when I said no. I bit my lower lip since tears threatened to flow down my face again. I raised my head and looked to the sky to help me not cry. After taking a deep breath, I shook my head. I must be strong.

Five minutes passed, and then my phone rang. Next, I took my phone from my purse and stared at the screen. It was Kenneth. I thought about whether I should pick up the phone because I was too upset with him. Finally, I picked up the phone. "Yes?"

"Helena, where are you?"

I gulped and took a deep breath before saying, "Moon Bridge."

"Where exactly are you now? I'm at the bridge too."

Then I looked around to see whatever I could say as the direction for Kenneth. "I see a mark of the Moon Bridge here. Also, there are a lot of street food sellers around me."

"Okay, I'll go there. Wait for me."

I returned the phone to my bag and took a deep breath. Maybe the woman was wrong. Perhaps she liked Kenneth and wanted him for herself. That was why she made up an evil story to separate Kenneth and me. I smiled again after thinking about it. Yes, she lied to me. I should trust Kenneth more.

When I saw Kenneth approaching, I waved fast. "Over here!"

Kenneth walked toward me and then kissed my cheek. "Have you been here for long?"

I shook my head. "No, not long. So, where are we going?"

"How about we walk to the middle of the bridge? Who knows we can see the rainbow."

Kenneth took my hand, and we walked hand in hand to the center of the bridge. Unfortunately, the sun hadn't shown up yet, so it was a little dark though it was still afternoon.

I held the side bridge and took a deep breath. My heart was pounding hard. Should I ask Kenneth about what the woman said? I bit my lower lip and knew instantly I should ask him. Otherwise, I would keep questioning about this for days. "Uh, Ken?"

"Yes, babe?" Kenneth smiled and stroked my hair.

"When I called you, a woman picked up your phone. She said ... she said ...." I couldn't tell what the woman said about Kenneth and her.

"Well? What did she say?"

Since he was so calm, I exhaled and giggled. "Nothing, she must be wrong. After I think about it again, she must be wrong."

"Oh? Why?"

"Because I trust you." I smiled again while placing my hand on his cheek.

Kenneth sighed and looked away to see the Moon River below us. The water is sparkling blue, and it rushed downstream. "You're too trusting. That's why you'll easily get hurt," he muttered.

"What do you say?"

Kenneth stared into my eyes. He sighed again. "I'm sorry, Helena."

"For what?"

"I think we should end our relationship."

I gaped. I thought I had misheard it. "Come again? Can you repeat it? I thought you said something, but-"

"I want to end our relationship." Kenneth repeated it slowly a few seconds later, "I want to end our relationship."

"B-but why? I thought we were happy together." My tears were flowing now. I had never thought that Kenneth would end our relationship. It couldn't happen. I shook my head.

"Oh, Helena." Kenneth closed his eyes, maybe because he didn't want to see my tears.

"Ken, why?" My voice was trembling. "Is there something I did you didn't like?"

Kenneth stared at me for a while and then looked elsewhere. "Helena, the thing is .... Well, at first, I asked you to be my girlfriend because you were so cute. I like you. You are pretty and nice. Yet, I have never wanted it to be a serious one. I want someone I can have fun with."

"I can have fun too."

"Helena, what I mean by fun is someone who can fulfill my desire." Kenneth scratched his head. "Physical desire." He sighed. "The woman who picked up the phone, Debbie, is a woman like that."

"D-did you have sex with her?"

"Yes."

I blinked my eyes, too shocked since Kenneth admitted it. Was it all about that? Sex? "But-"

"Look, Helena, what happened between us is nice, but it's time to end it."

I caught Kenneth's hand and shook my head. "No! We can fix it! Please give me more chances." I was to shocked to hear what he said. How could he say that?

"Helena, do you want to sleep with me?" Kenneth asked.

I couldn't say anything. After a while, I shook my head. "I-I can't." I stammered

"Can't or won't?"

"I ...."

"Then there's no other way than to end this. Goodbye, Helena."

Kenneth walked away, but I grabbed his hand. "Please, don't do this to me, to us."

"There is no us anymore. I only had fun with you."

"You lie!" I gripped his hand and didn't want to let it go because if I did, he would no longer be mine.

"No, I don't!"

"Ken! Why are you so mean to me?" My tears were flowing down my cheeks. "I love you ...."

"I'm sorry, babe, but I don't."

Kenneth pulled his hand harder, but I gripped it, and when he used full strength to pull his hand while I pulled in the opposite direction, my body was suddenly thrown to the barrier fence. Unfortunately, the barrier had a gap there. My body went straight through the opening, fell over the bridge, and went directly to the Moon River below.

I was gasping and moving my hands to get some air. "Help! I can't swim! Ken, help me!"

Kenneth screamed, "Oh, no! Helena! I can't swim either! What can I do?"

***

~ Ethan ~

I saw a woman drown, and the guy on the bridge only saw that and did nothing. He said he couldn't swim. Though he couldn't swim, at least he should do something to save her. What a coward!

I removed my shirt immediately, threw it to the floor, then jumped straight to the Moon River. Then I swam right through the woman, swept away already by the current. Since the water flow was strong, her body was almost drowning. Fortunately, the Moon River's water was clean, so I could see her better. I swam faster and finally caught her on time. Unfortunately, she drank a lot of water and couldn't breathe.

"I got you!" I said, then swam to the riverside and pulled her body. She was unconscious, and her face was pale. I patted her chest. "Breathe!"

Since she didn't react, I patted her back too. There was no movement at all, so I did CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) to save her. First, I placed my hands interlocked on her chest, then pressed her chest. Later, I opened her mouth and breathed into it. I smelled her fragrance.

The wolf inside me screamed loudly in my mind, "Mate!"

I should have recognized her as my mate faster if I weren't worried about her safety. Also, the river's water wrapped her body, and the smell covered it well.

"Come on! Breathe! I won't let you die like this, mate."

She remained on the ground, unmoving. So, I continued doing CPR. When I opened her mouth again and breathed into her mouth, she weakly opened her eyes. Finally, she choked, letting out some swallowed water.

"Finally!" I closed my eyes and shook my head as I immediately felt something different when I stared at Helena's face. My heartbeat was so fast since I knew it was the first time I had met my mate. A jolt in my heart was new. I had never felt it before.

When the woman opened her eyes, she coughed a few times. Then she stared at me, blushing to see my sturdy body with six-pack abs in front of her. Later, she widened her eyes and reached out her hand. "Thank you for saving me."

I could hear her heartbeat racing, and she couldn't look away. She wondered why she felt so different about me, the man she had just met. Her mind also said I might be his future spouse.

"Don't think about that!" I said.

She gasped, too shocked with my tone. "What do you mean? Don't think about what?"

I sighed as I realized how harsh my tone was. "Never mind. Forget it. What's your name?"

"Helena Starr. What's your name?"

"Ethan Cross."

"Ethan," Helena repeated my name. "Suitable name for a strong man like you."

"Thank you." I raised my hand, wanting to stroke Helena's hair, but I stopped midway. "Are you alright now?"

"I'm okay." But when Helena stood, she winced. "Aw!"

"What's wrong?"

"My feet and waist are in pain. I hit the barrier fence before falling into the river." Helena lowered her stare and endured the pain. "Don't worry. I'll call my mother, and she'll pick me up."

I scooped Helena into my arms as if I only carried a lightweight thing. She was too skinny. "No need. Let me tend to you first. My place isn't too far from here."

Helena stared at me, and I couldn't help but smile because I could read her mind. Helena liked me and thought I was such a handsome guy. Yet she hid other thoughts about me.

"What?"

"Nothing." Helena blushed and sighed.

Though Helena wasn't a short woman at approximately 5'7", my 6'3" height made her tiny in my arms. When I reread her mind, she thought how nice my body was and wanted to touch me. I took a deep breath. "Stop it!"

Helena raised her head to meet my hot stares. "Did I say something?"

"No, but your eyes said what's inside your head." I sighed. I could read Helena's mind since I was her mate and a werewolf. We could read our mates and connected with each other's mind.

"Oh? What was I thinking back then?"

I sighed and shook my head. "Are you sure you want me to say it out loud?"

"You don't have to say it aloud, but you can whisper it in my ear."

So I did what she asked. I whispered in her ear, "You want me, don't you?"

She gasped because of my direct statement. "What?!"