18. Sloan
M y petal is in a sour mood. If it weren’t for the slight bite to her normally sweet scent, the frown on her pretty face would tell me so.
In all my time spent observing her, I’ve never seen her look anything but utterly enchanted when walking through the gardens—and I’ve watched her often.
I know too much about my mate for having never met her. Like how she speaks to the staff when no one else is around: gracious and endlessly kind. I know she, like me, is as nosy as they come. But she isn’t as stealthy as she believes herself to be.
It may be unfair for me to pass judgment since I can smell her so vividly. She could never hide from me. Not for long anyway. Her apple cake scent—my favorite dessert—is far too delectable for me to miss.
Soon I’ll have her— savor her— lick her taste from my lips after sampling straight from the source. Show her exactly how good I can be for her. My packmates may have been raised in the ways of courtly decorum, but I can offer Ivy a glimpse into another part of her nature, something more primal and instinctual. A space where she can leave all responsibility behind and simply be an omega.
With me as our pack’s prime alpha, she will never have to worry about being provided for physically or emotionally.
Ivy is all I’ve wanted in my life. Others might believe some commoner like me should never delude myself into thinking I could win a royal’s heart. But how could I deny what Fate has so clearly bestowed upon me? Who am I to question Her?
Social hierarchy matters little when destiny is on my side.
For Ivy, I’ll do my damnedest day in and day out to prove myself worthy. She will see it, too. I have nothing but faith in my mate and her soft heart.
Oran may call me na?ve for believing in this pack against all odds, and I feel for my packmate, I do. His father is a right bastard, and his mother’s unforgiving self-interest made for a very cold, unhappy home. But if he had grown up like I did, seeing the unconditional love between pack alphas and their omega mate, he would accept my surety.
Cillian, at least, understands what having a scent match means. After what happened to his mother by his own father’s ire, he would never turn his back on such a gift. I’ve told him time and again he doesn’t need to tread so lightly with the court on this matter. I may not be of noble birth but I know better than anyone what activities the nobility partake in under the cover of night.
It’s no secret they carry on with common folk—sharing omegas with us for their pleasure, some for love. A few have even formed secret packs of their own. This change Cillian hopes to make would bring to light much of what already goes on in the shadows.
Besides, he’s the bloody king. The sovereign. Before he ever ascended the throne, Cillian—with eyes like his mother’s and the same heart of gold—was adored by all his people. If anything, the common folk will only love him better for it. As for the nobles, some might kick up a fuss, but I think many will take to pack living easily.
The former king could have done the same. He was given the chance to save his wife from the ill fate of high-born omegas.
Queen Aoife was beloved. A great beauty—a common girl from Namara who unfortunately caught the former king’s attention. She was raised knowing she needed a pack to stay healthy, but Cillian’s father cared little about the needs of his bonded mate. We lost the queen to his selfishness, and as a result, his death was not mourned by many.
Cillian has never been like his father, though. Undoubtedly, he’s the best alpha I’ve ever known.
Unfortunately, I may have to kill him if he’s the reason my omega looks so distraught.
It’s a beautiful day with the weather finally resembling spring. The sun is shining, reflecting brilliantly against my mate’s earthen hair. Despite her sadness, she blooms amongst the flowers.
Keeping my distance would be the smart choice, but what mortal alpha could deny the draw of his Fate-blessed mate when she so clearly needs him? Besides, if her determined stride is anything to go by, she’s definitely spotted me and is quickly descending upon my hiding place.
I should retreat, or at the very least duck behind the hedges. But I can’t take my eyes off my omega. The instinct to hold her, to bury my nose in her hair and breathe lungfuls of her heavenly scent, is so fucking powerful I can hardly keep my feet rooted. I fear if I move even an inch, I might take her to the ground and rut her senseless.
But Ivy isn’t ready for me yet.
When I take her, it will be because she’s dripping wet and begging for me to knot her until she weeps— not because I can’t master my own urges.
“Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s rude to stare?” Ivy’s melodic voice rings out, far too near. I stupidly allowed visions of rutting her in the garden to cloud my judgment.
Luckily, my scent blends in with the aromas of the garden: earth, rain, and fresh grass. I could easily explain it away if need be.
“My apologies, Your Majesty,” I offer, bowing at the waist. “I must have been daydreaming.”
My mate steps toward me, and I retreat in return. Her arched brow speaks to her confusion, but she moves again— and again— until I’m forced to hide behind the trunk of a nearby oak tree.
“What are you doing?” she inquires. It’s clear she’s unamused by my antics, but what else am I meant to do? Cillian will lose his head either way.
“Who? Me?” I ask—like a fucking eejit. I saw our first conversation going much better than this.
“No, not you. The fairy flying around your head,” Ivy scoffs with a precious sort of exasperation. “Of course you. Why are you hiding from me?”
I choke back my laughter, tickled by her cutting tone.
Funny omega.
I love a woman with a sharp tongue.
“Don’t be cracking wise about fairies now, petal. Fate’s helpers are powerful, vengeful little things.”
Her eyes widen. Though I can’t tell if it was the mention of the fairies’ scent-matching magic or the stupid slip of my tongue. Petal is the perfect endearment for my soft, pretty omega. But I didn’t mean to say it aloud.
Either way, she advances on me once more. One step forward for her is another I take backward. This continues until I reach another tree to shield me from her determination.
“Why do you insist on moving away?” Ivy asks through gritted teeth.
Her scent is driving me mad, swelling with frustration right alongside her excitement. If I didn’t know better, I’d guess my little mate is enjoying this chase.
My touch-starved, lustful mind latches onto that, makes me wonder how she might respond if I were the one hunting her.
“You’d like me to be close to you? Is that an official request?” I can’t refrain from flirting with her anymore than I can stop breathing. She’s my omega, after all. Not to mention the most fuckable woman I’ve ever laid eyes upon. To behave in any contrary way would go against all that’s true within me.
Ivy blushes redder than a spring rose, and I nearly lose myself to the rut I’m desperately keeping at bay. I want to see those cheeks stained with tears of pleasure—want to kiss them dry until she’s soft as silk in my arms.
“I—I didn’t say that!” she sputters, surprised by my forwardness.
Her perfume is vibrant now: decadent, freshly baked apples slathered in honey and cinnamon. Smug alpha pride swirls in my gut, and my teeth are fucking aching again.
Take her.
Bite her.
Love her and never let go.
This cat-and-mouse game is riveting, stirring wicked thoughts I know I can’t act on quite yet. But fuck —I want to.
“Didn’t you?” I purr, assured in my own prowess. But when Ivy halts, I feel as though I may have overstepped.
Guilt has stolen the color from her heated cheeks, her gaze now downcast. I can only assume she’s thinking of Cillian and how he might disapprove of her getting wet and worked up for the castle gardener. Little does my sweet omega know. Still, I would never aim to cause my mate distress.
Bowing once more, I retreat several steps. “I’ll keep my distance then, Your Majesty.”
“Ivy,” she rasps—more like a plea to hear her name on my lips than an offer of familiarity. “And you are?”
“ Me? ” I feign ignorance just to see the precious way her brow furrows once more.
“Sorry, no. I thought we went over this,” Ivy quips. “I’m speaking to your fairy friend.”
I laugh aloud this time—it can’t be helped. My blue-eyed beauty is speaking to me at long last, and I want to spank her sweet arse for all the lip she’s giving me. Make her sob pretty tears and then fuck her hoarse.
Fuck, my cock is hard. I need to leave now if I want any chance at keeping a lid on all this lust bubbling up inside me. Ivy makes it so I can’t think clearly.
“I feel it’s only right I should know the name of the alpha who’s been following me around,” she presses, unmoved by my silence.
I can tell by her wide eyes and gaping mouth; Ivy didn’t mean to let that particular thought fall from her pretty mouth. Now she’s opened a door she likely wasn’t ready for me to walk through.
A better man might ignore the comment, but unfortunately for the queen, I’m not willing to let her off so easily. I’ve only been caught staring at her twice. Last night, as she danced with Cillian, and in the king’s study, when she gave herself to my packmates so beautifully.
“So you remember me then, do you?”
Ivy opens her mouth once, twice, without a sound. Beautiful . She’s so damn beautiful and I want more than anything for her to admit she still thinks of that night. I need her to tell me she dreams of me like I do of her. But she’s not quite there—not yet ready to admit how much she wants more than the life she’s been told she must lead.
“It’s all right. I know I’m not easy to forget, what with me being so big and handsome,” I say, taking mercy on her.
Laughter, bright and airy, bursts from my omega’s lips, and I’m merely a fool in love all over again. Even if she hasn’t taken note of my scent, Ivy has been mine since the moment I first laid eyes on her. She will be until the wheels of time stop spinning.
Trying my hand at bravery, I do the daring thing of taking a step forward. Fuck this waiting shite.
“You shouldn’t be here,” she whispers, trying to convince herself against what we both know to be true. Never mind I work here and she’s the one who sought me out.
“Shouldn’t I?”
“I—”
More hesitation. I can’t stand it. This rut is making everything hazy, and I can no longer live in the land of in-between. I need to fuck her or I need to leave. These are trying times and I don’t presently possess the composure for rationality.
“What’s that then? You want me to stay or go? Can’t seem to follow what you need from me.”
Ivy blinks up at me, unmoving. Her mouth tries to form the words, but as she continues to flounder, I make the agonizing choice for both of us.
“That’s all right. Best be making my way to the kitchen anyhow. Cook’s just made a lovely apple cake and I’m ravenous ,” I grumble, retreating deeper into the gardens.
Ivy gasps, watching me with glassy eyes and weak knees. Perhaps the insinuation was a bit heavy-handed, but who can blame me?
“It’s Sloan, by the way,” I call out to my Fate-blessed mate. When Cillian’s touching her pretty little cunt tonight, I want her thinking of me too. I need my name at the front of her mind when she comes apart for him.
I don’t break our stare until I fear I might run into a tree and ruin this mystique I’ve created around myself. I’m a fucking eejit, but I don’t care. I need my omega. It’s not natural to be kept apart like this.
Cillian has to understand that. I need to find him and explain what’s happened. He needs to know I can’t stand another fucking minute of this.
We can make it work just as Tiernan, Fiona, and Liam do.
I don’t even mind being kept in the shadows forever so long as I can taste my mate on my tongue. So long as I can hold her. Kiss her. Love her like she deserves. But it needs to happen now.
Ivy is my destiny, and I’m coming for her whether the world is ready or not.