Once Upon A Pack (Royalverse #1)

Chapter 35

thirty-five

BAST I worried that might make my sweet omega feel intimidated or unsure.

But Ivy’s subtle confidence surprised me. She came right to my side, accepting the scent-mark I left along her cheek with a glowing blush.

I still got her out of there as quickly as I could. The other princess’ scent used to be mildly tolerable, but now? I could barely stand to inhale it without my Alpha snarling in disgust.

He only wants Ivy.

And so do I.

Our princess drifts closer to her speckle-flanked filly. As I suspected, the horse is perfectly docile while Ivy gently offers a hand for her to sniff before smoothing her other palm over the silver-white mane.

“She looks like a star,” Ivy whispers with wonder while the creature lowers her muzzle and looks right into Ivy’s eyes.

“Asher told us you love wishing on stars,” I tease, stepping into her back. “Maybe we ought to name her after a constellation. We can brainstorm while we ride.”

Ivy casts a suspicious look over her shoulder. “Ride?”

I gesture at the brand-new saddle I picked out for her—a deep, rich navy, perfect for my angel’s cool-blonde beauty and her filly’s silver-white hair.

Ivy bites her bottom lip. “I don’t know how to ride…” Her eyes darken as they take on a mischievous quality. “… my lord .”

God help me . How am I supposed to sit in a saddle with a boner?

“I can teach you,” I murmur, dropping my face to skim my lips along her unmarked throat. Rubbing my cock against her soft backside with intent. “From what I recall, you’re a natural.”

Ivy most definitely did not find any panties this week.

I bask in her bare skin as I settle her onto the saddle and arrange her limbs. She squeaks when the sun-warmed leather presses between her thighs. I bite back a grin, swinging up into the spot behind her.

I’m really not in any position to tease her. She might be pantiless, but I’m the one nudging an erection against the small of her back.

Ivy doesn’t mind, snuggling into my embrace and handing me the reins. I go over a few basics—showing her how to balance and how I use my heels to signal different speeds to her mount. Within a few minutes, we’re trotting away from Everdeen.

My omega laughs and glows the whole way across the property. She alternates between complimenting me on my handling and telling her horse how lovely she is. I might be crazy, but I swear the filly seems to understand her praise, holding her head higher by the time I bring us to a halt near the willow trees clustered at the edge of our lake.

I tie the silver-white beauty to a low branch before lifting my blonde one down to the ground. Ivy grins, patting the horse’s flank.

“Andromeda,” she announces. “That’s her name. Andi for short.”

It’s perfect. Our omega has a knack for naming all her creatures. Calling me “my lord.” And shortening the prince’s name to “Ash.”

I wonder what she calls Dair.

Probably not “dickhead” like Asher and I do.

Whatever it is, it’s having quite the effect on His Grumpiness. Last night, he slept in the hallway outside her room. Didn’t say a word about it, either. No complaining or bitching to try to get her to let him into the suite—or her bed.

Nope. The Duke of McAffry just helped himself to a slice of hardwood. I found him there this morning after sleeping with my face in Ivy’s hair and waking early enough to lay out a dress for her.

When I caught him, he didn’t put up a fuss or act like an ass about it. Instead, he growled a terse “good morning” and stalked off to get Ivy’s breakfast.

I’d call him a simp, but, uh…

“Bast!” Ivy stops short between two groups of swaying trees. “This is beautiful .”

I suppose I may have gone a bit overboard on the picnic. We probably don’t need eighteen pillows. Or a solar-powered champagne fridge. Or three duvets?—

Not to mention the food. Dair pointed out her eating habits, so I didn’t include any meat, but there’s tons of fruit, various cheeses and breads, spiced nuts, little lemon cakes, chocolate-covered strawberries…

I lead her over to the arrangement, falling to the cushions and reaching up to pull her on top of me. Ivy shrieks with laughter—a high, musical sound I can’t help but echo with a bass harmony.

Her legs part, resting over mine while she tucks her face into my throat, leaving the last of her chuckles against my skin. Moving with her feels as natural as breathing—without thought, my hand finds the back of her head, stroking her scalp as I shift under her weight, leaning back to give her more space.

For perhaps the first time I can recall, I don’t feel I need to say anything. Most people expect me to be “on” all the time. Lord Sebastian Burns, the life of the party. The one who smooths ruffled feathers and always has something witty to say.

Ivy isn’t expecting small talk or jokes, though. As she snuggles closer, sliding her arms around my torso, she just wants this . Affection. Intimacy. A moment of connection.

With me .

It’s so sweet, I almost forget my actual gift for her.

Until it makes itself known with a chorus of quack s.

Ivy and I both turn to the lake as a family of ducklings paddle toward the shore. Their mama leads them away just as quickly, not trusting us or our setup.

My omega turns an accusatory look at me. “Asher said there weren’t any animals on the property other than the horses!”

I can’t help but grin, shrugging. “But you love animals.”

Understanding lights her crystal irises. “So you—you brought these ducks here? As like…”

“Your gift.” I nod. “I found a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center and offered our grounds for healed animals in need of a new home. This morning, they brought a couple of duck families they had saved from a polluted pond. A hawk with only one eye. A few owls. And a bunch of squirrels.”

Too many, actually. But whatever. We won’t tell Asher.

Ivy blinks, turning back to the pond. Across the water, two geese glide around some lily pads.

Oh yeah . “Forgot about those. I figured this might go down better with the prince if one of the animals is an ode to his nickname for you. But it seemed mean to only get one goose and leave it all by itself. They mate for life, you know, so I thought?—”

My angel tackles me with a kiss, pressing her softness into the planes of my body. I hum against her lips, gathering her closer.

“Thank you,” she breathes, tears clinging to her voice. “Thank you, Bast.”

Hugging her with all my strength, I brush a kiss over her temple. “My pleasure, love.”

It truly is. Surprising her is the most fun I’ve had in months.

Her tastes play a big part in that. Turns out, buying perfume and pearls isn’t nearly as much fun as choosing duck families.

It’s almost ironic how little she cares for wealth or glamour. The dress she’s wearing cost thousands of dollars, but I doubt she even knows. She has her first public event tomorrow, and the clothes for that are even more expensive—but when I showed her the ensemble this morning, she simply beamed up at me and thanked me for my help.

My help —not the Chanel dress or its matching $10,000 purse. She barely even looked at those. But the fact that I went out of my way to take time selecting them… that made her smile.

I honestly don’t know who’s luckier to have her for a princess—our pack or our country.

Now, we just need her to believe that.

I frame her face with my hands, brushing her bangs and loose waves back so I can look her in the eye. “How are you, love? Feeling ready for tomorrow?”

Her first outing as a potential princess is a big deal. None of us have lied to her by downplaying it, but I can tell Asher and Dair are miserable about the whole thing. Our prince thinks forcing her into this role is the height of selfishness; while the duke detests these events in general. I suspect putting Ivy in the path of paparazzi and rooms full of strangers is only adding to his usual angst.

Our omega tilts her head back to look me in the eye. Her fingertips dance along the patch of grass beside us as she bites her lip, thinking.

“I don’t want to let you all down,” she finally whispers. “Especially Asher. I know he thought I couldn’t do this… back then… What if he’s right, Bast?”

I’m starting to think this is one of the reasons finding an omega means creating bonds between alphas. Because in this moment? I could strangle our pack leader. It would be convenient to be able to send him a mental middle finger.

Or, you know, show him her face and tell him he needs to sort shit out with our girl.

Punching him is still very much an option, too…

“Asher’s dad clearly thinks I can’t do this,” she goes on, her hushed voice full of hurt. “And his mother was telling me about the public bonding ceremony and designing a new crest and making heirs ?—”

Oh fuck. Did I just start purring when she mentioned babies ? Shit .

The rumble behind my sternum cuts her off. She blinks at it and swings her wide-eyed stare up to my face. A slight wince creases her brow.

I fumble for an explanation, blurting out an overshare, “I… don’t have any siblings, and I hated it. Playing by myself all the time, going to big events and boarding schools alone. I’ve wanted a big family of my own ever since I was a kid.”

Ivy listens with the purest sort of empathy, her whole face softening. “I used to wish I had siblings, too. And a bigger family,” she whispers back. A dash of fear streaks through her sky-blue irises. “I just never imagined needing to have children. To… produce heirs. ”

I can’t deny the thought of making a small army of pretty blonde babies with my angel appeals to me on a cellular level. But I would never want her to do anything she wasn’t one hundred percent comfortable with.

And besides, having her here? Making her happy? If the rest of my days end like this, I’ll be perfectly happy with no heirs at all.

“It’s whatever you want, love,” I vow, impressing my certainty into every word. “You’re our center. Whatever you decide is right for us is all that matters. That goes for everything. Babies, the bonding ceremony. You decide.”

Ivy bites her lower lip again. “Y-you guys won’t be disappointed? You promise?”

Her pained features pinch my heart. I draw in a deep breath, cupping her cheek in my palm as I frown back at her, keeping my face entirely solemn as I raise my other hand and offer my smallest finger. “Pinky promise.”

It works—she cracks the loveliest smile, laughing quietly as she wraps her little finger around mine. “Okay then. I guess… I’ll try my best to figure all this out.”

Our connected hands fall to my abdomen as a less urgent sort of uncertainty winds into her scent. My purr kicks up a notch as I stare at her, considering.

Jokes and charm are my comfort zone—she usually likes that, but maybe she needs sincerity right now.

“I know this place is intimidating,” I murmur, stroking a thumb over her cheek. “And the expectations of possibly becoming a queen are… a lot. But, Ivy, we don’t want you to feel like you have to be anything other than yourself to be ours. Because you’re exquisite exactly as you are.”

Her eyes glimmer. “Bast…”

It hurts to watch her tears spill over, but I keep staring into her, hoping to prove how fucking sure I am. “Your heart is a thing of beauty , Ivy. If that means we have a queen who talks to ducks, we’ll all be better for it.”

I can see how much she wants to believe me. The teeth pressed into her bottom lip bear down, blanching the peachy curve. “When I decided to come here with you guys, I thought I would do everything I could to make myself the sort of omega everyone expects for the princes’ pack… but it’s been a week and I don’t think that will work. I can wear the right clothes and learn correct etiquette from the queen, but I can’t change who I am , Bast.”

I bend to press my mouth over hers, freeing that abused lower lip. “That’s my whole point, angel. The fact that you can’t change who you are? Might just make us the luckiest men on the planet.”