Chapter One
Prince
Adrian, the second born alpha son to the King of the North, frowned. As he
stood near the throne where his father sat with his four brothers flanking him,
his gaze bounced off the six omegas that had their foreheads pinned to the stone
floor and their naked asses presented in the air.
He
sighed quietly in disappointment. Not one of these omegas was his fated mate.
The Selkie Seekers had gathered these males from good families all over the
world, but none of the half dozen presented today belonged to him.
Rian—as
his brothers liked to call him—glanced over at Luca who stood with his pup,
Dylan, at the back of the Great Hall, bouncing the baby in his arms to keep him
from fussing. He reminded himself that it had taken his oldest brother, Kai,
several presentation ceremonies until he found his fated mate.
This
was only Rian’s first. But still...
Unlike
Kai, Rian had always preferred the Selkie traditions and he looked forward to
finding his true mate and producing an heir. He was tired of rutting with the
betas they had at their disposal. And to even think about rutting with a
human...
He
wrinkled his nose. His brothers may very well enjoy the sexual release the
human males brought, but Rian refused to join them. He was a Selkie prince. He
would rut only with another Selkie.
He
found humans to be boring and figured none of them would be able to take his
size anyway. As his brothers like to point out time and time again, Rian was big. Most alphas were, but his was...
extraordinary. As his younger brother Zale liked to call it... a dinosaur bone.
Not
even all the betas could accommodate him. He knew which ones could and tended
to use them for relief when needed.
He
wrinkled his nose again, but this time it was for another reason. A sweet scent
pulled at him. And it wasn’t coming from any of the omegas kneeling on the
ground before him.
His
eyes flicked back to Luca. Then he twisted his head and glanced over his
shoulder at Kai. “Is Luca due to come into oestrus soon?”
Kai’s
blue eyes narrowed as his gaze shot to his omega mate then back to Rian. “No.”
Rian
inhaled deeply trying to pinpoint what the smell was and where it was coming
from. “Do you smell that?”
Before
any of his brothers could answer him, this father, the king, loudly pounded the
end of his scepter onto the floor at his feet.
“Douglass!
If Prince Adrian cannot identify any of these omegas as his fated mate, then
let’s get this wrapped up.”
His
father’s asshole assistant fluttered down the steps from where he had been
standing behind the king, and approached Rian.
Rian
frowned at the weasel-faced beta servant. “What?”
“Has
none of them caught your fancy, Your Highness?”
Rian
let his gaze wander over the six naked males all bent over in a line. “None of
these are my omega, Douglass. You may dismiss them all.” He tried to keep the
disappointment out of his voice, but it was a struggle.
With
a nod of his head and what curiously looked like a satisfied expression,
Douglass clapped his hands, had the omegas rise to their feet, and herded them
out of the Great Hall.
Rian
couldn’t help but take one last look at the naked males. All were from acceptable
families, all very handsome and some were even hung very well for an omega, but
even if he was sexually interested in any of them, he was forbidden to rut with
them.
Doing
so could throw an omega into heat and with heat came pregnancy and then Rian
would be stuck with an omega who was not his intended fated mate.
All
for a quick dalliance.
Rutting
for pleasure with an omega would also ruin the omega’s reputation. Omegas
didn’t have to come to their mate with their corona membrane intact, but no
matter what, they couldn’t rut with an alpha unless it was their mate. To do so
was illegal and could mean imprisonment. Or worse, banishment.
For
an omega, beta lovers were acceptable, alpha lovers were not. For an alpha,
beta lovers were acceptable, omegas were not. The betas had the most freedom
when it came to lovers, but they, unfortunately, were not fertile so could
never produce pups. They would remain childless unless they adopted one, which
was rare since they were only permitted to adopt orphaned beta pups.
As
he turned to address his father, the somewhat strangely familiar scent hit him
again. It wasn’t strong, but it was enough to make his cock twitch in his
pants.
Rian
quickly glanced around. No omega remained in the Great Hall besides Luca and if
Luca wasn’t in heat, then...
“Are
we done here, father?” Caol, Rian’s youngest brother, asked impatiently. “I
have things I need to do.”
“You
mean males you need to do,” Zale corrected.
“No,
I actually have some royal duties to attend to,” Caol answered.
“Royal
duties?” Marlin scoffed, then he practically fell off the platform that held
the throne when he doubled over in laughter.
“Whatever,
brother. Father, are we done?” Caol asked again.
With
a sigh, King Solomon raised his hand and waved it. “Go. All of you, just go.”
Caol
jogged down the steps and rushed out of the hall.
“Someone
must have a hot date,” Kai murmured as he wandered down the steps at a slower
pace. He paused next to Rian and clapped his hand on Rian’s shoulder. “Sorry,
brother, I know you hoped to only have to do this once. Your mate’s out there,
I’m sure of it.”
Rian
nodded as his older brother headed toward his own bonded mate and pup.
Suddenly,
Douglass was back, flitting around the king, assisting him from the throne and helping
him with the heavy scepter. He even reached up and adjusted the king’s crown
when it tilted precariously on his head. “Your Royal Highness, let me assist
you back to your quarters.”
“He’s
not an invalid, Dougie,” Marlin said. “He’s quite spry for his age.”
The
king shot his second youngest son a look. “You make me sound ancient.”
At
only fifty-two, their father certainly wasn’t over the hill, especially for a
Selkie. And the hair at his temples only recently turned from dark brown to
grey. For which he blamed his sons.
“Father,
I know you’re not. And I know you’ve been keeping that omega in the wings just
for yourself.”
King
Solomon’s dark blue eyes narrowed as he stepped up to his son and pulled
himself to his full height. “You forget yourself, Prince Marlin.”
Marlin
dipped his head then met his father’s gaze head-on. “So you’re telling us that
you don’t intend to take Finn as your own mate? You know it’s dangerous to keep
him in the castle when he’s not bonded to an alpha. My suggestion is to send
him back to his colony and his family.”
“Good
thing I don’t rule this colony with your suggestions.”
Marlin
“hmm’d,” then said, “Well, it’s a good suggestion,” before heading toward the
exit. “At least let Dr. Harper put him on heat suppressants so we all don’t
fight over him when he comes into heat.”
“I’ll
consider it,” the king answered dryly.
Rian
surprisingly agreed with his brother. He had no idea why the king hadn’t sent
the unbonded omega away. He only brought Finn to the colony when he wasn’t sure
that Luca could get pregnant. He’d been on the verge of making Kai’s mate an
outcast and forcing his oldest brother to take that omega instead.
His
father was all about making sure their royal bloodline continued and that there
would always be an heir to sit on the throne when his stubborn ass finally gave
it up.
Which
wouldn’t be any time soon.
With
five alpha sons, even Rian, who also didn’t want to see their bloodline die
out, agreed that the king in no way needed another omega or to bear a sixth
son. He already lost five omegas during whelp. Kai had even nicknamed him the
Black Widow of the Selkies. Because of his father’s unlucky streak when it came
to mates, none of his brothers had the same pater.
As
Rian watched his father and Marlin leave the Great Hall, he wondered why he
wasn’t moving to leave as well.
For
some reason he couldn’t. The alluring scent that wafted around him kept him
frozen in place. It didn’t make any sense.
Luca
wasn’t in heat. Finn wasn’t, either. Even if he was, the visiting omega hardly
left his quarters, which was as far from the princes’ wings as it could be.
The
only males remaining in the Great Hall were the Royal Guards.
He
let his gaze roam over the dozen betas that lined both sides of the hall. None,
of course, made eye contact. They stood staring straight ahead, stiff as a
board, all holding spears.
Yes,
spears. Because his father refused to
allow the guards to carry guns. Which was a bit ridiculous for this modern day
and age. Though, they at least carried a large knife on their belt and were trained
in hand-to-hand combat, that was it.
If
he was king...
Rian
sighed. He would never be king. And neither would his firstborn son.
But
that still didn’t mean he didn’t want to do his duty and produce an heir. Just in case.
Not
that he wished ill will on Kai or his son, Dylan, he didn’t.
The
sweet scent tickled his nose again, making his cock twitch once more and start
to grow this time.
That
made no sense. Betas made up the Royal Guard for a reason. And that reason was
a sound one. They wouldn’t react to any omega in oestrus, nor did they come
into heat themselves. And the only alphas permitted as their leaders had to
already be bonded to an omega mate. And even then, there were only a handful of
those.
The
alpha guard standing at the front of the hall bowed deeply at the waist as Rian
approached him. “Your Royal Highness, can I dismiss the guards?”
“Not
yet.”
The
alpha tipped his dark head and returned to standing at attention. Rian turned
on his heels at the front of the hall and stared down the line of guards.
Something
was amiss, and he didn’t like it.
How
had his brothers not smelled that odor? That sweet, intoxicating aroma that
remained in the hall.
Rian
cross his arms behind his back and marched down the line of guards to the right
of the throne, taking his time, pausing for a split moment in front of each one,
giving them a good once over, then moving on to the next in line. When he was
done with the six on the one side of the hall, he crossed over to the other
side and started at the end doing the same. Pause, sniff, a thorough once over.
Then
it hit him like a stone wall. The second one in. His step stuttered as he
pulled himself to a halt. Planting his feet so he wouldn’t lean in and shove
his face against the guard’s neck, he took a deeper inhale.
He
gritted his teeth since his erection was now raging and he clenched his hands
into fists to keep himself under control.
This
beta had an odd scent. An enticing odor. One he never smelled before on a beta.
It
wasn’t quite like when Luca had gone into heat. That aroma had been almost impossible
to resist and if Luca hadn’t already bonded with Kai, not only Rian, but all
his brothers would have fought to the death to rut and breed with him. The scent
given off during oestrus had a purpose, which was to ensure the continuation of
their species.
However,
the scent of one’s intended fated mate when not in oestrus was still detectable
but not nearly as strong. But the scent would be just potent enough for an
alpha to identify his fated mate. The omega who was destined to bear that
alpha’s pups.
Or
in his case, the possible heirs to the throne.
Since
most fated mates were strangers and must rut during the bonding ceremony, that
identifying pheromone made them extremely appealing to each other, making the entire
process much easier on both Selkies. It caused an attraction they both couldn’t
resist.
His
attention was drawn back to the guard in question. Rian turned to face him
directly and inspected him from head to toe. He was tall. Taller than most
betas and even some alphas. He was very handsome with light brown hair and
chocolate brown eyes. And it was clear to Rian the guard was trying not to meet
his gaze.
Rian’s
nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply once again.
That
was a colossal mistake. When that unique aroma entered his lungs, he shuddered
and fought the urge to touch himself, as well.
His
reaction was frightening. While some betas could turn him on—and he’d rutted
with enough of them—he’d never reacted to one like this before. Usually to get
this hard with a beta, he needed to work at it.
Maybe
he should have this guard removed from his current duties and moved into the king’s
stable for his use. Of course, the male would need to agree to it. None of the
betas at their sexual disposal were forced. They were all volunteers and got to
live a pampered life in exchange.
He
pursed his lips. Would this one be agreeable?
He
would love to explore this desire further. In private.
Rian
closed his eyes and blew out a breath. What the hell was he thinking? He was
turning into Caol, whose goal was to rut with every beta and human male on the
planet. Or at least in the northeast.
He
was a prince, not a rutting fool. There was no good reason to remove a guard
from his duties just for his pleasure.
None
whatsoever.
But
the male’s lips... They looked full and soft and so... kissable, among other
things.
Rian
straightened, appalled at where his thoughts were headed. He stiffly turned and
rushed down the line of the remaining guards and went directly to their alpha
leader.
He
tried to keep his voice level as he commanded, “You may now dismiss the guards,
but you must remain.”
The
alpha guard bowed his head once again. “Yes, Your Royal Highness.” He lifted
his head and shouted, “Fall out.”
As
one, the guards turned on their heels and filed out of the Great Hall in an
orderly fashion as they were trained to do. As soon as Rian heard the double
doors at the end of the hall latch, he inquired, “The last guard I stopped at, he’s
a beta?”
“Yes,
Your Royal Highness. As you well know, the captain only employs betas as
guards. That is law.”
“You
haven’t detected anything strange about him?”
“Your Highness, has he offended you in some way? If
so, I—”
“No!”
Rian cut him off. He did not want to see a beta lose his job because of his own
wild imagination. “No,” he continued more calmly. “But instruct the captain to
remove that guard from duty in the Great Hall. From the castle all together. If
he has any questions regarding that order, please have him come see me.”
“Again,
Your Highness, if he’s insulted in you in some way...”
“He
has not. He may remain in our service, but just have him moved elsewhere. That
is all.” Rian waved his hand. “Carry on with the rest of your day. I thank you
for your service.”
The
alpha guard tapped his heels together. “Thank you, Your Highness.”
Rian
waited until the male left the cavernous room. He finally let his hand wander
to his painful erection and he stroked it over his pants.
“Holy
Poseidon,” he muttered as his hips twitched in an automatic response to his own
touch. He needed to relieve his erection and the deep ache in his balls.
With
an annoyed sigh, he headed toward the quarters where the betas lived within the
compound.
He
only hoped that one of the betas who could accommodate his size was available
and willing.
If
not, he would have to tackle his enormous problem on his own.
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