5. Raine
5
Raine
The sun shines through the window over my bed, waking me slowly.
My entire body is sore and for good reason. Not only did Aiden keep his promise to me by taking me again and again last night, but by the time we were both too exhausted to even move anymore, I’d forgotten my own damn name.
I stretch my arms over my head and sink deeper into the mattress. Last night was…well, incredible. I’d never been with anyone, let alone an alpha, before. I’d heard rumors that they could be a handful in bed, and damn did I get that confirmed up close and personal.
Opening my eyes, I turn my head with a smile to greet my mate, only to find the bed next to me completely empty.
For a moment, I lie there staring at the space he’d been occupying only hours before, while my wolf croons in agony. Maybe he’s off getting us breakfast, or maybe he’s been called away for something important having to do with his pack.
I can’t imagine an alpha would willingly leave their mate so soon after the first time being together. Actually, it’s kind of unheard of. Newly mated couples are always sent away for a reason—that being that trying to function apart is next to impossible.
Sitting up takes a bit of work, especially since the more I move my legs around, my back, inner thighs, and my more… intimate parts ache. It’s a good kind of hurt, though. The kind that I wouldn’t mind feeling again.
Aiden’s clothes are gone too, though as my feet touch the cool wood floor, I feel a button or two pressing against the soles of my feet. So I hadn’t been dreaming any of that, after all.
Sure, my body’s condition is a very good indication of that fact, but it’s nice to have some other kind of confirmation.
Glancing over at the bed on the other side of the room, I notice that it’s still made. I wonder where Delilah ended up staying last night, because it obviously wasn’t here. My cheeks flush.
Fuck, did she walk into anything last night? I barely remember Aiden getting here or what happened after he began to kiss me.
How am I going to explain to her that our first night here, she caught me rolling around in bed with someone—the alpha king, no less.
Hopefully she didn’t. Hopefully she ended up staying with someone else and I’ll be saved the embarrassment of having to explain myself so soon after everything that’s happened.
A mate.
Me.
With the soon-to-be alpha king.
Gods, I have to be dreaming.
Hurrying over to the windows, I wind the latch around and slowly prop them open to let in some cool air to hopefully get rid of the residual pheromones that are no doubt lingering in the room. Next, I gather my clothes, strip my bedsheets, and throw them all into the basket next to the door, which the maid service should be coming by soon to grab.
By the time I’m getting myself dressed and ready to head out to forage for some breakfast, a sharp knock at my door startles me.
Aiden?
He must be coming back to check on me, probably with food.
When I reach the door, I notice that it’s locked from the inside—Aiden’s doing?—and I flip the lock away from the jam and open it. To my surprise, though, it’s actually Delilah on the other side of the door.
“There you are!” she exclaims, pushing her way into the room before I can say anything. “What the hell happened last night?”
“Uh.” I quickly shut the door behind her. “What?”
She’s still in her dress from the night before and her hair is a little disheveled. Other than that, she still looks absolutely stunning.
“Last night after the ball.” She turns to look at me. “You just disappeared. I tried looking for you but I couldn’t find you. And then when I came back here, the door was locked and I couldn’t get in. I knocked and knocked but you weren’t answering. I had to sleep with Milly and her weird stuffed cat!”
I wince a little, though relief shoots through me at the confirmation that she hadn’t walked in on anything last night. At least for now, my cover isn’t blown.
“Sorry, I was super tired from our trip and came back here to lie down. I must’ve passed right out because I didn’t hear you knocking.”
Delilah’s eyes grow soft. “You okay?”
“I’m fine. Probably just all the stress finally leaving my body for once.”
She smiles a little.
Delilah’s the only person in the pack who knows about what Daniel’s put me through. She’s unfortunately powerless, like myself, to stand up to our pack alpha, but at least she’s always there to lend a shoulder for me to cry on. I couldn’t ask for a better friend.
“I’m sorry you couldn’t sleep here. It won’t happen again, I swear.”
She waves her hand. “Don’t worry about it. Let me change and then we can go grab breakfast.”
I sit on the bed while she gets out of her dress and washes her face in the small private bathroom attached to our suite. My thoughts drift back to Aiden.
I wonder where he is or what called him away that forced him to leave me.
It must be important—dire even. It has to be.
“Ready to go?” Delilah asks, popping her head out of the bathroom doorway.
I slowly stand, trying to not make it obvious how sore I am. If she asks, I can probably wave it off as not being used to standing in heels for a few hours.
At least it’ll buy me a little time until I have to come up with my next lie.
Heading downstairs with her, the wafting smell of food hits my senses and has my stomach and my wolf growling in delight. Since I barely ate last night and had nothing after rolling around in the sheets with Aiden for hours, it’s safe to say that I’m goddamn famished.
A bunch of the other female shifters are already down in the dining hall when we enter, all seated at a very long table with platters of food already served. Delilah and I take two seats near the left end and start immediately covering our plates with food.
“Mmm, oh gods.” Delilah groans with her first bite. “This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted.”
I nod while wolfing down mouthfuls of egg. It really is.
It shouldn’t be a surprise that the Pollis pack lives well—after all, they are the pack that rules us all. But goddamn do I wish we had this back in Andromeda. I probably wouldn’t get a cut of any of this, but it seems unfair that Delilah can’t either.
The clinking of a fork against a glass has the table quieting down and turning to the source of the noise. A man around Daniel’s age stands at the head of the table and smiles at us all.
He bows his head slightly and then says, “Welcome ladies. It’s nice to see you all up so bright and early. While the rest of the estate is still waking, I wanted to address you all first by saying that last night was lovely. Unfortunately our king-to-be wasn’t able to make it, but rest assured he’ll—”
“I’ll take it from here, Riker, thank you.”
I freeze in my chair, hearing that familiar voice.
Behind the man, Riker, comes another one. An alpha. He takes the glass from Riker’s hand and holds it up, a pleasant grin on his face while he nods to a few of the females near him.
Just as I remember from the night before, the alpha standing before us all—as dashingly handsome as ever—wears more formal clothes today, a dark long-sleeved shirt made with fine silk brocade that buttons up all the way to his collar, and a pair of slacks that hug his muscular thighs and taut waist.
It’s a fit for the king he’ll become in the near future.
“As I didn’t get to tell any of you last night,” Aiden, my mate, says, “I wanted to formally welcome you all to the Pollis packlands. Please enjoy your stay, and I look forward to getting to know each and every one of you.”
My heart sinks.
What the hell is going on?