A flawless skin, eyes which he knew were lovely, soft brown when open, dark hair that were fringed at the forehead and cascaded to her back and were right now fanned on the pillow of Sky Moon's infirmary bed, pointed shapely nose, pink beautiful lips, feminine chin, good height and a figure that was curvy yet lithe. Danish allowed himself a smile, after ages. He had waited for her to come along since he had come of age. For ten very long uncertain years. But the wait was worth every single day now that he has finally found her, for he knew that he could not have gotten a more beautiful mate if he would have ever searched one, with a magnifying glass in hand. Or a more loyal and courageous one, with innocence written all over her face and in her actions. With a voice that he now knew had the power to make his strong heart skip a few beats with ease. Not that he was an expert on the subject of mating, but he knew this much that her mating pull was unparalleled. His heart wanted to leap out of his chest and reside in hers, that strong. His wolf had never been so content in all twenty-six years of existence as it was right now, near an unconscious Aria.

'What will happen when she will actually open her eyes!' he could only wonder.

When the sharp smell of jasmine mixed with sweet fragrance of vanilla had assaulted his senses in the mid of the battle, he was baffled. But coupled with the fact that his usually controlled senses were on an edge in the last two days, after a moment of shock, he was wise enough to figure that if there is anyone's scent that can send his already heightened sense of smell into a frenzy, it would be his mate. A fate chosen mate. Finally. And then she had materialized. All pure white fur; a rare specimen in their mystical world. How in the name of Fates did he never hear about her? A coat of fur like this should have been a topic of great discussion. It is not every day that wolves are born with pure white fur like hers. Or pure black like his. Mostly the color of their coat is varied shades of gray and brown. But then it was the Sky Moon pack he is talking about. The fools aspiring hard to behave like humans in the name of progress. They were shunning the protocols and customs of their world remorselessly. Sitting on such vast expanse of strategically placed land, oblivious and disconnected with everything that goes on in werewolf world. Soft target themselves, they were making the connecting lands that were in his possession just as vulnerable. He for one, had no respect for the wolves who did not respect their heritage.

Still when her father had interfered after she fainted in his arms, that she should be brought back to Sky Moon's establishment and be treated under his care, he had grudgingly relented to the man. No matter how much he wanted to whisk her away to his domain, he knew that since he had not marked her yet, healing powers of her father would be more effective on her due to the blood bond they shared. Her checkup revealed that she is fine. Their surprisingly fierce imprinting has done no harm to her. Merely stressed out, she will come around shortly. That however could not stop them, him and his wolf that is, from going insane with worry over her. He knew things outside the door of this room are a mess considering how the fight came to a halt in the mid, still he finds himself unable to leave Aria and go attend to business. Everything and everyone else has to wait.

His first priority in life has just showed up to claim his undivided attention.

However, he could not believe that his mate fainted on him like this. Not the kind of welcome one expects from their mate. But hey, his luck had been kind of different from the start. Why would it behave any differently now?

That brought his thoughts, quite violently, back to the beta of Sky Moon whom she had declared her mate. What's up with that? He will have to ask Faheem to look into the matter. She had said that he was her intended mate. Who in the name of Fates go looking for intended mates until they cross twenty years of age, without giving Fates the full opportunity to scout and find the most suitable one for them? Wolves sometimes wait even after that. He himself had. Tampering with laws of nature, what kind of ideologies is this pack practicing? He was glad that he came here in the nick of time, else who knows, he might have been forced to lead a mate-less life. For he was dead certain on one thing, he was going to lead his life, his pack, his kingdom only with his fate-chosen mate by his side. Though not finding his fate-chosen one, especially in last six years since he had crossed twenty had disheartened him somewhat, still selecting a mate did not figure in his life plans. Even if it meant a life full of loneliness. Even if it meant leaving True Blood without an heir. That was one thing he had long decided he was going to be selfish about. In that one aspect of his existence, he wanted to keep himself above his pack, above his legacy, above his responsibilities and above his people. Just in this one aspect.

But he does not have to worry about it now, does he? His bright grey eyes once again roamed over his future, his happiness, his mate Aria. Curbing the immense urge to hug her, nuzzle her and sniff her scent, he willed himself to look outside the window.

A meek knock on the door broke his chain of thoughts. What is it, his mind swam with a thousand reasons for being disturbed when he had strictly asked them not to, until it is a matter of life and death. Faheem was in charge till then. His men were standing guard outside the room considering they were on enemy land, which unlike the area where their tents were erected, did not come under no attack zone. The way every single wolf of this land was looking at them with such unbridled hostility, a sneak attack was not an impossibility. But then Sky Moon is the self-professed civilized pack. Most probably ninety percent wolves here do not even know the basics of a combat fight, if their Alpha's weak war skills in the battle field are anything to go by. But a little precaution never hurt anyone.

He moved to open the door himself, lest someone looks inside and disturbs his mate or sees her lying carelessly on the bed, with her top buttons that had come loose and her shirt that had ridden up her waist, which he hadn't tried to correct because he doubted that he will not be able to stop at just that if he touched her. His wolf growled with a deep yearning at the mere thought. However, on opening the door, instead of his men, he found a boy no older than thirteen or fourteen years of age standing in front of him. Dark hair, brown eyes, looking worried and tense, and desperately trying to hide it.

"Who are you?" Danish inquired.

"I am Parth.... Aria's brother... My father sent me to.... sit by her," he spoke with a bravado which he was clearly not feeling inside.

Her father was busy treating the wounded pack members on the floor above, Danish knew. "I am her mate and I am here for her. You can leave," Danish retorted sternly, not knowing how to deal with a kid. His mate has a brother so young? If she wouldn't have fainted on him, he might have known a few things about her by now.

"My healing powers have started showing. I can help her if you let me in," the boy tried to get entry in the earnest. It was visibly taking him a lot of effort to not stammer.

"How old are you?" Danish looked at him skeptically. If he can help Aria gain consciousness, then... why not.

"Thirteen," came the reply.

Too young for any substantial healing power. "Parth... right?"

The boy nodded hopefully.

"Why isn't your mother here for Aria?" he asked cuttingly, not liking that his mate is ignored even a bit by her family.

"Dahlia, my younger sister, well my second sister, she is elder to me but younger to Aria, Luna of our pack, Alpha Shikhar's mate...." he started.

Danish put up his hand to stop the tirade. "Get to the point" his Alpha baritone resonated, unintentionally.

The kid gulped at the Alpha tone and reflexively cowered away a few steps, bowing to the blood supremacy of the man who had a decided European accent and was intimidating to say the least. Parth was reluctantly awed with his Alpha authority. Way more commanding than even Alpha Shikhar's. This is Aria's mate? The news had spread like a jungle fire already. Family now, is he?

On the other hand, Danish instantly regretted scaring him. He can do with allies in his mate's hostile pack. And this boy here is her blood relation, her family. His family.

"What about her?" he said a little softly this time.

"She is pregnant. And after looking at Alpha Shikhar she is hysterical. She has fainted three times already. And then jerks awake like she is having a fit. Mumma cannot leave her. So she sent me here to stay with Aria," the boy collected his fraying courage and supplied.

The boy was still hoping of getting an entry into the room. Danish was a little impressed. One thing was sure, the kid loves to talk. Is Aria talkative too? However, his brain then caught up to what the boy just said.

"You earlier said your father sent you. Now you say your mother sent you. Are you lying to me?" he looked at the kid pointedly.

"No. Mumma forced papa to send me here. She ..." the boy looked for words to put his situation in the most unoffending manner in front of this formidable man, "... wanted someone from the family to be present here in the room too."

Clearly, he lacked the finer points of art of conversation for he could not have been any blunter.

Danish bristled at the insinuation. His mate's parents did not want to leave their daughter alone with him? Why? Maybe because he hasn't marked her yet. Maybe because of the current situation between their packs. Or maybe because they did not trust him. But whatever it was, it did not matter. Fates had decreed Aria as his and nobody else's approval mattered. Only Aria mattered. Do they really think that their toddler cub is any match for him if he wished to mark her or remove her from here? Still, Danish decided to let the boy in. If nothing else, he can know something about Aria from him. Also so that Aria does not freak out when she gets up, seeing a known face. Of him, she barely saw anything before passing out, he dejectedly accepted.

He opened the door a little wider and stepped aside. The boy looked at him skeptically. However, gratefulness was evident in the kid's eyes, but then so was fear. Is his love for his sister greater or his fear of being with him in the same room, Danish mused

"Aru," he rushed inside as soon as his eyes fell on his sister, but stopped short before actually touching her and looked back as if asking for permission to approach from the authority figure in the room.

Both, Danish concluded.

Parth sat on the bed, near Aria's stomach, snaking her palm in his, but only after swiftly pulling his sister's shirt down and cinching her collar to modesty. Trying to not look at the man who had piercing grey eyes and a scar running from his forehead to left cheek. The One, about whom everyone was talking of since last week. The One, who was standing at the window but looking in their direction.

The man in question kept looking thoughtfully at the kid and girl in front of him. Actually, he kept glancing mostly at the girl. Danish's wolf had somehow accepted the kid without fuss, especially after seeing his love and protectiveness for Aria. His mate seemed to have a close-knit family. His chest tightened at the thought. But he refused to oblige the congestion. He had lived alone since last twelve years without looking needy and will continue to do so. However, it was mighty difficult for a wolf to live alone. They were hard-wired with the need to belong. An acute need to belong to a pack. To a family. To a mate. But his parents were dead and he was the only child. And he has met his mate just today. As for the pack, he was made Alpha at the tender age of fourteen as opposed to eighteen due to his father's demise. He never had the time or freedom to enjoy a normal pack life. He was busy leading the pack and simultaneously being groomed and home-schooled for the eventual taking over the True-Blood of Austria.

And power, no matter whether it is acquired or inherited, comes with a price. Royalty specially has its own set of gruesome expectations. Expecting you to stand upright, alone or not. Royalty does not allow you to be weak. It does not give time to grieve your loss because people are waiting for a strong leader to take command. It demands that you lead your life like a textbook example. It expects decisions from you that would undoubtedly curse you to hell, pushing your personal life to the back burner.

Still, Danish had not bowed down to the pressure of taking in a mate in the name of providing Austria with an heir. And fortunately, everything will change now when he will have his true mate, his Aria with him. He will guard her with his life. Love her more than his life. They will create a life of their own. Their own family.

Except for the tick-tock of the wall clock, there was no other sound in the room. Danish decided to utilize the time until his precious little mate decides to wake up.

"So, how many brothers and sisters are you guys?" he asked looking at the boy.

Startled, Parth looked up from his sister's hand that he was inspecting with utmost interest till now.

Danish cocked an eyebrow.

"Three. Aria, Dahlia and I," he replied in a respectful tone.

"You all are a close family?" Danish enquired in order to keep the conversation going with obviously demurred and subdued kid.

He nodded in response.

"You like to talk, don't you?" Danish asked what he hoped was a light tone.

Parth's eyes twinkled just a little hearing this. "Sometimes."

"Your sister likes to talk too?" he came to the point.

"Dahlia does. Aru not so much. She is very quiet. And shy too. Mumma says she needs to socialize a little more," the kid confided.

"You guys call her Aru at home?" he questioned.

The boy nodded. "And we call Dahlia, Dalu, but she hates it. Makes teasing her a lot more fun. But Aru is a sweetheart. She just smiles if someone pokes," he added, with a little smile of his own.

Even-tempered, loyal, courageous, beautiful mate. Danish felt blessed.

'What does she like to do in her free time?' he probed.

"Read. She reads a lot. I think she must have read a few billion books by now. Mumma says it gives her a headache to see Aru reading," the kid shook his own head.

Danish could not help the amusement that crept on his face at the kid's disapproval of such a nasty hobby of his sister.

"What else?" he furthered his inquisition.

"Ummm.... she bakes awesome cakes and cookies, like finger licking good. Only that she acts very pricey about it. I had to ask and plead and beg her for a week before she baked my favorite banana cake last month," the kid pouted, easing up now. Feeling far less intimidated of Midnight Warriors Alpha than what he was feeling at the door.

Danish assimilated every piece of information about his mate that was coming his way.

"And she loves to go into the woods," the kid continued. "Whenever she is sad or upset, she shifts and runs into the woods. Says it helps her to think," he rolled his eyes. "And then she would cut the mind link from the pack too. Says it is her me time, whatever that means. Papa gets so angry and worried when she does this. He has to go himself and get her so many times. These days poor Rajit runs after her all the time to fetch her, being her mat...," he halted abruptly, looking at sudden darkness that descended on Alpha Danish's face.

A terrifying growl that erupted from his throat rang dangerously in Parth's ears. Reminding him of Dahlia's prophecy of someday getting killed for his stupid mind to tongue coordination. Did Alpha Danish know about Rajit and Aria? Looks like it. What was the need to mention Rajit, Parth cringed. He was thirteen, not a baby in a cradle. He knew everything about mates. And as if that was not enough, his parents were mates and one of his sister had a mate. He knew how possessive a guy can get over his fate chosen mate. And this man here was capable of tearing him into pieces like he had done to Alpha Shikhar. His whole body trembled in fear, which he was unable to hide even if he wanted to. He has doubtlessly infuriated the King of Austria himself by his mindless blabbering. Now only Fates can save him!!

He dropped his sister's hand like a hot potato and jumped to a standing position. As if relinquishing all his rights on her to the powerful warrior about whom he and his friends had talked non-stop throughout last week. He will not kill Aria he knew. About himself, he was not that sure. As an afterthought, he cautiously took a few steps backward. Though Aria's bed and a few steps in between them in a closed room did not do much to his faltering courage.

"So...sorry," he stammered.

"Next time I do NOT want to hear Aria's name with that man," Danish hissed menacingly.

Parth bobbed his head in eager agreement.

"Now leave," Danish gritted out. He wanted his mate's brother out of his sight unharmed. His rage was a common knowledge and this kid did not deserve it for a mere slip of tongue. These baboons who call themselves a werewolf pack do. Intended mate, LIKE HELL!!

"What is.... going on?" Aria's unsteady voice cut through the tension.

Relief was evident on the faces of both the people in the room, for different reasons obviously. Danish's features transformed instantly. Aria had opened her eyes. Where he was growling a few moments back, a softness descended in his countenance. Parth on the other hand, was happy that Alpha Danish will now be sufficiently distracted, away from his blabbering stupidity.

"Aru... you are awake. I am going to call papa," he declared and bolted out of the door, without glancing in Danish's direction.

"You are awake, Aria," Danish said the same thing, but with much deeper feelings.

Listening to his voice made her wolf purr in satisfaction. She felt content and oddly at peace. But before she could lose herself in those grey depths, his face brought everything back to Aria in a flash. Shikhar most importantly. The peace evaporated.

Sitting up and scooting away as much as possible from his towering figure that was standing on the side of her bed, mostly to get away from his patronizing pine scent at this moment, she blurted "'Shikhar, how is he? Is he fine? Is he... alive?"

Danish did not like the direction of his mate's thoughts, or her scooting away from him. They had just met, already so many years too late. He is standing in front of her, worrying himself dead over her. But who does she think of the moment her senses come back? Her brother-in-law. He did not like it. Not even a bit. But he concealed his irritation.

"Your father is taking care of him," he replied not giving out his true emotions. He had been informed that Alpha Shikhar has good chances of survival.

"Oh!" she eased up a little. "What are you doing here?" she asked next.

Disbelief dawned on his handsome face. "You fainted in my arms. Where else would I be? You are my mate, Aria. My wolf would go crazy not knowing how you are faring."

"Hmmm," she hummed and started chewing her lower lip in nervousness. As much as having him concerned for her pleased her heart and her wolf, guilt was also gnawing at her, that her fate-chosen one is responsible for Shikhar's almost murder. A very conscious and cold-blooded effort at that.

Danish accounted their almost offending conversation to her dazed state. She will be fine. They will be fine, he assured himself.

But Aria did not seem to agree. "I am fine now. You can leave if you want," she said.

Her wolf whimpered at the prospect of losing the company of their mate, but she ignored it. And at her despondent reaction, his temper flared up. What is it with her? She was supposed to come to him. Hug him. Smile at him. Put him out of his misery of last ten years. Give her consent to mark her as only his. Not dismiss him. Nobody dismisses the royal Alpha of Midnight Warriors. Ever. Specially not his mate. There will be some ground rules set in this relationship and she will have to follow them, whether she likes it or not. Starting right now. And that does not include dismissing him.

"'Look Aria, I understand you and I did not meet in best of circumstances, but that does not change the fact that you are my mate. The sooner you accept it the better," he could not keep at bay the royal authority that resonated through his suggestion this time.

"Best of circumstances? That is to put your atrocities towards my family very mildly," she scoffed.

"Surely you understand that politics and power is no kin to family ties. I have no personal grudge against your family," anger had started bubbling inside of him and it showed in his clenched jaws.

"Politics? Power? They might be your concerns but to me my family is more important than anything. Family that you've hurt. I don't understand why Fates even matched us," her wolf writhed in agony as the words left her mouth. But appeasing her wolf was not her priority right now. Her loyalty towards her family and her pack was.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?" he bellowed.

"I mean I need time to think," she managed to reply in spite of mating pull tugging at her painfully, with her wolf hurting inside her.

"Think WHAT?" he looked at her incredulously. His insides sickened in suspicion as to what she was hinting at.

"A lot of things, specially our situation. And then I have an intended-mate if you have forgotten. The one that I like. Rajit," she matched his gaze.

Is she contemplating rejecting him as her mate? Storm raged in Danish's clear grey eyes. He knew he was not a romantic man by any stretch of imagination, but the degree of love, protectiveness and possessiveness he was feeling for this girl in front of him was utterly overwhelming. Never in his life had he felt even a wisp of jealousy towards anyone. Right now, however, he was nearly drowning in it imagining how this Rajit looks in his human form to become her favorite. Rejection was also not something he was familiar with, but he was definitely not going to allow his fate-mate to familiarize him with it

"YOU.ARE.MY.MATE," his temper flew off the handle.

Startled, Aria recoiled into herself, but did not lower her eyes. Looking at his anger she did not dare to vocally refute his claim, but her silence spoke volumes about her stand.

"We have only imprinted. I think...." she opened her mouth after a few suffocating tense moments.

Before she could utter what he dreaded hearing to the core of his being, Danish brutally cut in "I THINK, you have done enough thinking. Now, allow me to take that burden off of you." He was humiliated and stung to say the least. He was not sad, no, he never gets sad, right? He is just angry. Yes.

Aria blinked in confusion.

"JOSH," Danish yelled on the top of his lungs. The walls vibrated at the sound waves that pierced through them.

Swiftly the room door opened and a muscled, tall, white-skinned and chilled blue-eyed Josh, who was Midnight Warrior's Delta, meaning third in command, rushed inside.

"Yes Alpha," he mumbled as he stood to attention.

"Take Sky Moon's Alpha under custody. RIGHT NOW."

Aria's heart dropped to her stomach.

"But...he is already under our watch Alpha," Josh replied, unsure.

"No. Remove him from this infirmary. By force, if necessary. Take him to our tents till we find ourselves accommodations. No member of his pack or family..." he looked coldly at Aria at this point ..."not even his wife or their healer is to meet him until my further orders," he barked.

"Yes Alpha," accustomed to such orders, Josh at once took his leave.

What just happened here? Aria sprang up. "You ... you cannot do that," her quivering voice all but pleaded.

"Watch me," he hissed.

"Shikhar will die. He needs papa's healing blood serum if he is to survive. Please," she tried to reason, her eyes begging.

"You should have thought about it before opening your mouth," he spat.

"So you are going to kill Shikhar because I am not comfortable being your mate?" She was so right. He has no heart. Why him Fates, why him?

"I was going to kill him anyway," he shrugged, convinced that he has ruffled the right feathers of his stubborn mate.

"You are a cruel being, Alpha Danish," she accused.

First time his mate takes his name, but for what? To call him cruel. A thousand arrows pierced his heart.

"Seems like you have already decided what I am," he spat hiding the hurt.

"Then show me that I am wrong," she challenged.

"I am going to show nothing. Not when you refuse to take our mating bond sincerely," venom dripped from his tone.

"So you will force me to accept the mating bond now?" she asked bitterly.

"No. Now you will come to me and accept it on your own."

"You have my baby sister's mate as your captive. You know bloody well that I'll come to you and bargain for his life," she hissed.

"Thank Fates, at least you are not slow," he sneered and left, banging the door behind him.

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