A Kings Duty
Roman's pov
Paperwork was the curse of kingship.
I was seated behind a massive obsidian desk, jaw tight as I scanned the latest reports spread before me. Border disputes. Trade routes. Patrol rotations. Every inked word was a reminder that ruling a kingdom required far more than strength-it demanded patience.
Something I was running dangerously low on.
The pen scratched sharply against parchment as I signed my name, sealing an order for increased guards along the eastern borders. Ever since she had entered my life, the land itself seemed restless. Packs watched more closely. Enemies listened harder.
I had to be cautious.
I exhaled slowly, forcing the Beast within me back into its cage.
A knock sounded at the door.
"Enter," I said without looking up.
The door opened, boots striking stone with familiar confidence. I didn't need to glance up to know who it was.
Keal.
My beta stopped before the desk, posture respectful but tense-too tense for a routine interruption. My hand stilled on the pen.
"Speak," I ordered.
Keal stepped forward and placed a sealed letter on the desk. The wax stamp caught the firelight-an angular lycans head etched into dark red wax.
My eyes narrowed.
"It's from the stoneridge pack alpha," keal said grimly.
I leaned back in my chair, fingers steepling as I stared at the seal. The Stoneridge pack was a small, struggling pack.
What did they want from me?
I broke the seal with one sharp motion and unfolded the parchment. My golden eyes moved swiftly over the words, my expression darkening with every line.
Most of their pack members were already killed, woman and children included by rogues. They wanted an alliance, or at least a promise that I would stand with them if the darkness widened.
Two days. That's what the alpha and the council had asked for. It would be a fast journey, an audience, a show of force and diplomacy. It should have been simple.
Except duty never accounted for the way my chest constricted when I thought of her.
How am I going to stay without seeing her for two days?
It's going to be difficult and I can't refuse them my help after all I'm their king, if I don't show up what sort of leader would I be?
_____________________________________________________
A few pack members gathered in the courtyard to see me off.
Their faces were steady, loyal-an armor of its own.
They bowed in ways that meant more now than they had before I found her.
Kael, Rynn, lyra, Kiera-familiar faces, each carrying some question in their eyes about what the absence of the Alpha's mate might mean.
I saw respect, concern and curiosity. The pack will follow orders; the pack will protect the palace.
But the pack does not understand the ache of the bond the way I do.
"Aurora is staying behind," I said aloud when the murmurs rose.
"Under my watch," Kael, my beta answered, voice rough and steady. "And the others will-"
"Protect her," I finished. It was less a command and more a benediction. They knew what that meant. They understood the sanctity tied to an Alpha's mate.
I smelt her scent Jasmine and sandalwood. I turned away from the pack and strode toward her. The afternoon light caught in her dark hair, her hazel eyes searched mine with something that made my chest tighten in a way I wasn't used to
Concern and attachment.
"You're really leaving."
Her voice was soft, but it carried.
"It's necessary," I said, my tone firm, though not as cold as it once would have been. "The Stoneridge Pack was attacked by rogues. Their Alpha is weak. If I don't step in, what's left of his pack will fall."
"Can I not come with you?" she asked, the strain tethered to a brittle, hopeful edge.
"No you can't. It's too dangerous and I don't want you to get hurt."
She pouted, crossing her arms. "You're afraid I'm fragile and I'll brake? Is that it?"
"Of course not." I sighed, moving closer to her. "You're not weak Aurora," I said my voice low. "And you're the bravest human I've ever met. If it were anyone else they wouldn't be standing in front of me right now."
That brought a smile to her face. She closed the distance between us, her
fingers found mine-small, human, and certain.
My hand lifted, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. The simple touch grounded me more than I cared to admit.
"I will be back in two days," I said, my voice lowering. "You will stay here, the pack will protect you."
Her eyes softened slightly, though the worry remained.
"Two days..." she repeated quietly.
I nodded.
Silence stretched between us for a moment, heavy with everything neither of us was saying.
"I'll miss you."
The words left me before I could stop them.
For a second, I almost didn't recognize my own voice.
Aurora smiled, soft, warm and real.
Something in my chest tightened painfully.
"I'll be waiting for you," she said.
Those words they settled into me deeper than anything else ever had.
Waiting for me.
No one had ever said that before.
No one had ever mattered enough for it to mean anything.
Until now.
I stepped closer, closing the final space between us. My hand slid to her waist, pulling her gently-but firmly-against me.
Mine.
Always mine.
She didn't resist instead, her hands came up to rest against my chest, her warmth seeping into me in a way that made leaving feel... wrong.
I lowered my head, my gaze flickering briefly to her lips before meeting her eyes one last time.
"Stay out of trouble," I murmured.
A small, almost playful breath left her. "I'll try not too."
A faint smirk touched my lips and
then I leaned in and kissed her.
It wasn't rushed.
It wasn't gentle either.
It was something deeper, something that carried a silent promise, a warning, and a need I didn't fully understand yet. My grip on her tightened slightly as I deepened the kiss, memorizing the feel of her, the taste of her, the way she responded to me.
I reluctantly pulled away and placed a kiss on her forehead. "I'm going to miss you little one, I murmured, stepping back.
Without another word, I turned and walked toward the car. The gravel crunched beneath my boots, each step heavier than the last.
I didn't look back immediately
I knew if I did I might not leave.
But just before I reached the door, I paused and glanced over my shoulder.
She was still there, watching me.
I got into the car, shutting the door with a solid thud. The engine roared slightly louder as I pressed down on the accelerator, the vehicle moved swiftly down the winding path that led away from Blackpine.
Away from her.
As the forest swallowed the road ahead, my jaw tightened.
Rogues.
An Alpha on the brink, a pack on the verge of collapse.
And now something far more dangerous than all of it combined.
I had something to lose.