Chapter Three
Indy
“We need to have this discussion. You can’t keep avoiding it.”
My dad, ruling alpha of the Fallon Unicorn herd, had me practically cornered in my own kitchen. He’d dropped by unannounced to speak to me yet again about taking an omega mate.
“It’s time,” he said. “In fact, way past time. You are my heir. You can’t remain unmated any longer.”
Dad had brought up the subject many times in the past couple of years, in emails and texts, as well as every time I visited my parents for a weekday lunch or a holiday dinner.
I didn’t live all that far from them. My cabin was six fields over, in the outskirts of Fallon by the woods and the willow-lined blue stream where unicorns loved to run.
But even though that was less than four miles away from his and Papa’s estate, he didn’t like me living there and kept insisting he wanted to subsidize a penthouse for me downtown.
He wanted me to have the prestige of it. The high profile.
“You are, after all, a unicorn prince,” he always said.
That wasn’t the actual title the herd used for an alpha heir. It was steed for the primary heir, courser for the next siblings in line. But okay. Dad liked the drama of the phrase unicorn prince.
I couldn’t dispute he’d made a generous offer, but steed, prince, or whatever, I liked my privacy. I didn’t want to be in the limelight. The future held enough of that for me, and life as I knew it would change forever when that happened a few months from now.
“I know all that.” I tried to keep the resentment from my tone. “You keep reminding me. I’ve told you, I’ll choose an omega mate when I’m ready.”
“Don’t avoid this further,” he stated firmly.
“You have to choose now. There must be time to plan the wedding before I hand the title down. You’re still interested in only males, correct?
And you need to court him, right? You demanded that when you were eighteen.
Yet it’s five years later, you’ve graduated college, and I see no sign of you courting anyone. Time is running out.”
My dad was a tall alpha, imposing and charismatic, with a mane of chestnut hair down to his waist. So many shifters assumed unicorns were always white-haired and blue-eyed.
I got my looks from him in all ways, including the dark eyes.
The only difference was, I kept my hair styled short, clipped on the sides but thick on top.
If I didn’t use mousse or hair gel to hold it back, the forelocks hid my eyes.
Seth loved the locks. He always told me he enjoyed pushing them away from my face before he kissed me.
Seth.
I couldn’t think of him right now. Yet, I couldn’t not think of him. My first love. My only love secretly still beating in my heart.
Even as Dad set three portfolios on the counter before me, lovely color photos of the omega prospects he’d picked for me on the covers, all I saw was Seth’s beautiful image. My vision blurred.
“Indy, you’re not paying attention. Here.” He tapped his fingers on the first file. “Eyes on the counter. These are your prospects. They are all well-bred, strong, and beautiful. We can look them over together,” he said. “I’ll help you in any way I can.”
“Can I look at them alone first?”
Dad’s perfect eyebrows narrowed. “Is there some reason you’re avoiding this? And me?”
“No, Dad.” I bowed my head. I’d never spoken to anyone in my herd about Seth, who lived in the neighboring town and was also his herd’s alpha prince.
I couldn’t. My family, whom I loved very much, could disown me and cast me out.
Even though I doubted my doting fathers would ever abandon me, it was always a possibility.
Seth and I had discussed it. We never wanted to hurt anyone with our affair.
Our love was pure and bright, as unicorn love tended to be, but it interfered with our inherited duty.
Alpha/alpha matings weren’t forbidden in general, but for alpha princes, it was not accepted.
We had to produce heirs. We both had no choice but to find omega mates.
An invisible space on my forehead tingled and burned sometimes when something important was going on in my life. The magic unicorn horn. My beast wielded it, but I could still feel it inside me like a beacon, a light to guide me.
It burned now.
Often, my beast spoke when he had an observation or request, especially about big decisions, but right now, he remained silent. That, combined with the forehead tingle and Dad’s imposing presence in my kitchen made me feel even more forlorn and alone.
Without Seth, I faced an emotionally barren life.
Dad put his hand on my shoulder. “Son, if you have something to tell me, let it out. I’m here for you. I can help.”
I shook my head, unable to look him in the eye. “Nope. It’s all good, Dad.” I gulped. “I just want to look over these files by myself.”
“All right.” His voice had softened. “Contact me with your decision by the end of the week. I mean it, Indy. Call anytime if you want to discuss it.”
“I will.”
Dad left after that. Only then did I realize I’d been such a terrible host to him. I hadn’t offered him anything to drink. Or any of the oatmeal cookies I’d just bought, which were in plain view on the counter. Or a chair. I hadn’t hugged him goodbye.
Of course, he knew something was up. And I knew it had to end. But how?
I picked up my phone and cradled it in my hand for a long time before going to the living room couch that sat before the flickering fire. I hugged a satin pillow to my chest then opened my phone to Seth’s contact page. Taking a deep breath, I sent him the most difficult text of my life.
My father cornered me today. I have to choose a mate.
Immediately, I got a response. Mine, too.
There was a pause. Then Seth sent another text. Indy, we have to obey. You know that. As difficult as that is, we’ve both always known it.
The edges of my eyelids stung as I typed, Meet me one more time.
A quick yes was his reply. He didn’t have to say any more words, nor did I. We had our favorite meeting place between townships. It would take us each about twenty minutes to get there.
As I walked to my car, my forehead tingled again. I could feel Seth’s energy all around me. In me. As if we were already bonded, though we’d never consciously done the bonding bite. In my mind, my beast let out a tiny neigh. How, if I felt all this, was it not meant to be?
I pulled into the driveway of the tiny Highway Inn.
The innkeeper knew us and our secret. He had a stable out back converted into a beautiful loft that we paid him to keep clean and ready for us.
We rented it by the month. We could park in the back behind the ancient oaks, so our vehicles would not be noticed from the highway.
There, we could make love all night long if we wanted.
The lights outlining the stable and its small porch were on, all white, bright, and glowing. It was a setting right out of a fairy tale. Unicorn appropriate.
As I turned my car off, I heard another vehicle pull in behind me.
Before I could blink, I was out of my car and headed toward Seth’s driver’s door. He jumped out and faced me. We didn’t speak. We both knew what was happening, that this might be our last time together. There were no words as we threw our arms around each other.
A sob started to escape my mouth, but Seth stopped it as his lips met mine and the outside world disappeared. For now.