Protect Me Alpha King novel Chapter 49

"Elijah! Please tell your horse to stop!" J screamed at the top of my lungs, which he only answered with laughter.

I couldn't fathom opening my eyes because if I did, I would only get more scared.

"Relax, River. We got you."

"No! Your horse wanted me dead!" I answered, still wrapping my arms around his waist.

The air blew my hair, and some strands slapped my cheeks hard, but I could not even collect the strands! Everything was difficult. One single move, and I may fall off.

Damn it! I wanted this journey to end!

If only I knew Leah would hate me, I would never join Elijah.

"She's only playing, River."

Playing? It seemed like it was not the case for me.

Leah liked being petted by Elijah. She ran faster whenever the man praised her. What was more irritating was that Elijah seemed not to mind that I nearly had a heart attack while riding behind him.

"Elijah!"

"We are nearly there," he answered. "Close your eyes if you can't handle the pace."

And I did.

The rest of the journey was mind-blowing! My heart seemed to throw out from my ribcage when Leah ran faster than lightning. And the only one who was happy throughout the trip was Elijah, who kept complimenting his beloved horse.

Leah suddenly halted.

Still closing my eyes, my hold on Elijah's waist tightened even more.

"Good girl, Leah. You never failed me."

Good girl? There was nothing good about this horse! She wanted me to die because she was freaking jealous I was riding with her master! Leah's possessiveness was worse than a freaking werewolf!

"You can open your eyes now, River. We are finally at the Garden Palace."

"I thought I was gonna die, Elijah," I whispered. I felt my body tremble.

Lesson learned. Never ride with Elijah if he was riding Leah. They will be the cause of my early death.

He chuckled. "Forgive my baby. Sometimes she had another way of showing fun. Open your eyes now. And see the beauty in front of you."

Left with no choice, I opened my eyes and gasped when a golden boat structure flashed in front of my eyes. It turned out we were standing in the middle of the bridge and below us were colorful boats paddled by men who carried passengers.

Unwrapping my hands, I looked around, and my eyes went around. Everything was beautiful. Magnificent. Fantastic.

To my left side was the marketplace busy with buzzing people, while on my right stood the golden boat and on top was a house. The latter had glass windows, while the golden ship (which I did not know if it was made with real gold) had wheels on both sides as if it was a real boat.

I glanced down. The crystal clear water showed our reflection with the three of us and the clear skies.

"It's beautiful, Elijah. We never have a lake at Haverstone Pack." Only forest. Unending.

Elijah beamed at me, his other hand holding Leah's rein. My near-death experience was forgotten and replaced by this gorgeous view in front of me.

"The alpha king was the one who ordered the people to build the different structures you see here, River. All of this is his legacy. When he seized the throne, the kingdom flourished. Business boomed. The kingdom opened to the neighboring kingdoms for trade. The people are happy. Contented and wanted prosperity to continue. But their jealousy also drove the alpha king's mate to her death."

The smile was suddenly wiped away from my face.

"Everything had Zenith's memories." Jealousy scattered in my heart. If the alpha king had accepted an enslaved person as his mate, why can't the alpha do the same?

Not sensing what I was feeling, Elijah continued. He pointed at the boat.

"That golden boat structure there? That's one of the famous attractions in the kingdom. Nobles keep visiting that place. It was built in memory of the woman. The alpha king also loved this place before. Both rode the boat during nighttime and savored the serenity of the place. Others saw them cuddling each other while someone rowed the boat."

"The alpha king truly loved her even if she was a slave?" I asked, half-believing it.

"Their huge difference in status never bothered him at all. He accepted the woman for who she was and fought for his love for her."

How lucky Zenith was. My view of the alpha king was slowly changing as moments passed.

It would be better if I were his mate.

I halted at my train of thought.

Where did it come from? Pathetic. If we were mates, I would only beg for his love since the alpha king still loved that woman. I did not want to plead for something which should be freely given to me.

Crossing my arms in front of my chest, I said, "Let's not talk about her for now."

Elijah scowled. "That's a first, River."

The more I got to know the alpha king and Zenith's love for each other and how and to what extent the alpha king loved her, it felt like a million needles stabbed my heart. I did not understand why it was happening and why I was feeling that way.

"Nothing. We have been talking about her. I just wanted to savor this day by choosing her as our topic. Why don't we have fun while we tour around?"

"That's exactly the point of why we came here, River. Come. Let's go to the marketplace."

The marketplace was busy as usual. Different goods were displayed at the various tables. Some stores were also open.

"They are staring at you, Elijah."

His eyebrows furrowed. "They did? Perhaps it is because of Leah. She's a cutie."

It was not because of the horse but because of his look. He looked regal, like a prince making his rounds to his territory.

We stumbled upon nobles with their servants tailing behind them, and their eyes were glued on the prince. The horse seemed to know people were looking in their direction, and it even stood proudly as ever while it continued to glare at me whenever our eyes met.

"Do you want to buy anything, River? You can choose anything you like."