He didn't think much of it until after he had done it. He simply reached down and grabbed her hand, wrapping it in his own without much thought. It felt natural.

He hoped that Amaryllis wasn't hurt by his actions or lack thereof. He hadn't shown any affection toward her publicly before, but not because he was ashamed of her or having a human mate. He was simply still trying to fully grasp the concept of having a mate. He wasn't used to being committed to a woman and it was something he would have to familiarize himself with if he wanted to stay in Amaryllis's good graces.

Not only was he still trying to comprehend having a mate and all that comes along with being in a relationship, but it was also none of their business. His relationship with her was new and enthralling and he wanted to experience it for himself without the judgments of his people. He wanted to have it for himself without their opinions being thrown around the castle as if they had any say in his mateship at all.

It felt nice though, to be able to show his connection to her in public. He felt a sensation of pride flow through his chest. He wanted the whole world to know about his lovely mate.

"What's got you in such a great mood?" Thierry asked when he walked into the room. Rather than his usual emotionless, cold expression, a slight smile was gracing Ulric's lips.

Ulric looked up at him when he entered his office. If anyone else would've asked him that question, he would have told them to mind their business and stay in their place, but Thierry was Ulric's closest friend. They had a different relationship than Ulric had with anyone else.

"Amaryllis," he answered. And that was the truth. She was the reason he was happy. She was the reason that he felt much happier and relaxed rather than being in his usual state of aggravation.

"I like this," Thierry said.

"You like what?"

"This new you. It's a nice change from the grouchy, 'I'll rip your head off if you breathe near me' you," he replied as he stretched his legs out in the chair.

"Well, you can thank Amaryllis for that. Though, I'll still rip your head if you give me a reason to."

"Don't worry, I know," Thierry said.

"How's Marley? Does she want to go back to the pack?"

He shrugged and shook his head. "She's doing a lot better, but she doesn't want to go back. She's afraid and she doesn't want to see any of the pack members after they let this happen to her. I don't blame her, those bastards tortured her, her whole life," he said, growing visibly angry. His fists balled and his jaw clenched as he thought about what those pack members inflicted on his mate.

Ulric nodded. If he was in Thierry's position, he wouldn't want Marley going back either. He would rather she stay on his own land, where he would know she would be safe.

"Do you think she would be willing to spend time with Amaryllis? Ever since Cameron left, she's been isolating herself, and I think it would be good for her to establish friendships here," Ulric asked. "If she's not up to it yet, then we can wait."

"No, she's up to it. All she talks about is how she wants to leave my quarters and come see Amaryllis. I think she's ready to socialize soon too."

After he and Thierry had finished their meeting, Ulric filled out some monthly income reports. He needed to finish up the trivial paperwork that he hated doing. While doing it, his mind kept wandering back to his sweet mate, particularly the time they spent together at the house.

Seeing her naked body for the first time was exquisite. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He couldn't wait to see her that vulnerable again. It excited his inner beast.

He thought of her naked, blushing body laying on the bed in front of him. He could hear her heart racing, but could also sense her excitement in the air. She had been so tight when he touched her. He couldn't wait to feel her wrapped around him when they mated for the first time. He shook his head, trying to focus on his work, but his mind didn't exactly cooperate.

After three hours of filling out paperwork, he stood up from his desk and locked the door before walking to his quarters. He could hear Amaryllis in the shower, so he poured himself a glass of her blood and sat on the couch, waiting for her to be done.

Hearing the water turn off, he began to grow giddy. He hadn't seen his mate in seven hours and he couldn't wait to feel her small body pressed against him.

He heard the sounds of her rustling around to get dressed. Walking out through the bedroom door a few minutes later, Ulric admired her from where he sat. Her gorgeous long hair looked five shades darker since it was wet. Her cheeks were tinted a deeper shade of red than usual because of the hot water.

She looked up from her feet and made eye contact with him, shooting him a small smile before quickly looking away. The smile didn't meet her eyes.

She wrung her hands together as she walked into the kitchen. She seemed off, like she was nervous maybe. Ulric wasn't exactly sure, but he knew she wasn't feeling her usual cheerful self.

He stood from the couch and followed her into the kitchen. She was digging through the pantry looking for something to eat.

"How was your day?" Ulric asked, hoping to initiate conversation.

"It was alright," she answered, not elaborating at all. Something was definitely wrong. She usually had a five-minute answer as to how her day was and always made sure to ask how his day was as well.

Ulric grabbed her hips and pulled her back from the pantry to face him. She wouldn't meet his eyes.

He reached his fingers up and gripped her chin, tilting her head so she would look at him. Her eyes were distant and had a gleam of sadness in them like she was thinking about something else and not what was right in front of her.

"What is wrong?" Ulric asked.

"Nothing's wrong. Why?" Amaryllis asked while a smile spread over her face. She was trying to portray a calm and relaxed demeanor, but she was a bad liar and Ulric could see right through her mask.

"Don't lie to me Amaryllis," he commanded and applied more pressure to her chin.

"I don't want to tell you," she whispered, looking everywhere at his face but his eyes.

"Tell me," he growled, feeling anger swell in his body. He did not appreciate disobedience. He was a primal being and he was King for a reason. Not only was he born into his position, but he had earned it. When he first became king, he had many challengers. Ulric was the victor each and every time. No one had challenged him in over a century because they were afraid of the brutal king and the aggressive reputation he had built for himself. It was no mistake that he had been deemed the most feared King in all of history. He deserved respect.

"Someone told me that- that you had a-a mate before," she said quietly. Her heart hurt as she spoke the words. The woman told her she was his second chance mate. Did that mean she was only second-best in Ulric's eyes? Did that mean he would always love some other woman more than he loved her?

Ulric's body tensed up. He had been waiting to tell her that himself. Now someone had ruined that chance for him.

"Who told you that?" He asked as his eyes flared with anger.

"A woman named Binta," she replied. She figured it was best to stop delaying information that would inevitably be revealed. Hopefully, he wouldn't be as angry.

Ulric could smell the fear radiating from Amaryllis and he felt guilty, but he couldn't stop his anger. He was supposed to share that detail of his life with her on his own terms. She wasn't supposed to know yet.

"And what else did she tell you?" His voice was calm but it expelled anger.

"She said that she was happy that you found your real mate... and that I'm your second chance mate," Amaryllis replied, her heart breaking even more as she spoke the words.

She wanted to ask questions, but based on his reaction, he didn't seem to be in the right state to deal with her questioning him.

He growled lowly and ran a hand through his hair. She saw anger swirling in his eyes, his jaw was clenched tight; he was very angry.

"I'm sorry," she whispered as she continued to play with her fingers.

"I was supposed to tell you about her on my own terms. I have a right to reveal my information to you myself. Yet that was taken away from me, Amaryllis. You have nothing to apologize for, it's Binta who will pay," he seethed.

"Please don't be mad at that woman. She seemed very nice," Amaryllis begged. She didn't want someone to get in trouble because of her.

Ulric didn't respond but he did turn in his heel to walk away from her. She wasn't sure where he was going or what he was going to do, but it didn't seem like he should be around other people at the time.

She reached out and grabbed his arm before he could leave the room. "Please don't go."

Amaryllis noticed over the last few weeks that Ulric calmed down some whenever she touched him and more so whenever she kissed him.

She slid one hand down his arm and grasped his hand in hers, putting the other on his chest. He simply glared down at her as a cold expression clung to his face, but on the inside, he was intrigued. What was this little human up to, he wondered.

She pushed her feelings of sadness and betrayal to the back of her mind. Right then, she had to distract Ulric so he would not punish poor Binta. It wasn't her fault, she didn't know that Amaryllis didn't know.

Since he was looking down at her, his chin was closer to her face, so she stood on her tiptoes and leaned up to kiss his chin. She peppered a few kisses along the base of his chin before he responded.

He wrapped his thick, corded arm around her back and pulled her closer to his body. He bent down for easier access to her lips and pressed his against hers.

She tasted delicious. His tongue ran along her plump lips before slipping between them and meeting her tongue. His other hand wrapped around her ass and latched onto a cheek.

She moaned into his mouth as pleasure pulsated through her body. Her hands wound into his thick hair and she tugged slightly. Ulric knew she was distracting him, but he didn't really care. He hadn't seen his mate all day. Binta and the mate conversation could wait.

"Fuck," he groaned when their lips broke apart. He could feel himself growing hard and he could also smell her arousal in the air. He reveled in the fact that he could elicit that reaction from her.

Leaning down, he grasped her ear lobe in between his teeth and pulled it into his mouth, evoking a moan from her. He loved the sounds of her pleasure.

He released her ear lobe and trailed his lips to her neck. He sucked against her neck, making sure to leave the spots nice and red. He soon felt his fangs beginning to appear. It was getting increasingly more hard to stop himself from feeding on her.

He must've not pulled away from her neck fast enough, because she let out a sharp gasp. She felt his fangs.

She looked up at him in shock. She'd never felt his fangs on her skin before. She'd only ever seen them once before when he attacked that poor girl at the blood brothel to punish her. His eyes were shining silver. He was hungry - for her. Oh boy.

She reached up tentatively and touched one of his fangs. They were razor-sharp and blindingly white. She felt her panties beginning to dampen even more. She was already extremely aroused, but seeing him with his fangs extended, with bloodthirsty eyes, and in his most primal state, she was turned on even more.

She wanted Ulric to bite her. She'd thought about him biting her before, but she'd never really wanted it. Until now. Seeing Ulric with his fangs out, looking like he wanted to mate her on the spot affected her.

She was just about to ask him to bite her when he shook his head and his fangs receded. The silver in his eyes was still there, but not at the concentration it was just moments ago. Disappointment lapped at her heart. She very much so wanted Ulric to bite her. She wanted to feel the pleasure of his serum and she also wanted to please him by giving him her blood.

"Enough with the distractions, Amaryllis," he said. He turned his back once more, heading for the door to leave the quarters. She shook her head as well, focusing on the task at hand. Her efforts to distract him also distracted her from their current predicament. She needed to stop him. For 1, she didn't want Binta to be punished, and 2. She needed to know about his other mate.

"Wait!" She exclaimed. "Please tell me. Why am I just your second choice?" She asked with a tone of desolation.

****

If you haven't yet, please check out my story "Mafia's Woman!" The synopsis is below!

The moment I approached his isolated mansion in the middle of the woods, I knew my life was forever changed. The moment I laid my eyes on him, I knew my life was forever changed. The moment he showed me the first hint of kindness, I knew my life was forever changed. The moment he saved me, I knew my life was forever changed.

Arsenio Campione, leader of the Italian Mafia - the most dangerous, most feared, and most powerful Mafia in the world - saved me.

****

'"I need you, Arsenio. Please," I begged. I knew he wanted this too, but he was hesitant. He wanted to make sure I was serious, and I was. I was one hundred percent serious.

He tightened his hold on my bare hips. "I can't hold back anymore, Eloise. I need you, too."

"I don't want you to hold back," I whispered against his lips. And then Arsenio led me into night full of passion and romance where my innermost desires were released.'

Disclaimer: I do not speak Italian. I translated English words to Italian words using Google Translate.

Also, thanks @idemen-san for creating the cover!