CHASE
“My Prince, Which do you prefer I wear for our mating ceremony, The red dress or the blue dress?
“Ohm… the red one?” I respond without looking up at her. I keep swiping through the school basketball social media page, angry that I’m stuck in here when I should be in the gym practicing with my team.
“Really? You aren’t paying attention, Chase. I can’t do this all by myself.” She slumps tiredly on a sofa.
I pull the black cord of my earbuds so they drop out and flash my failsafe bright smile.
This whole thing about Royal masks and mating ceremony took me unaware and it is happening so soon… I don’t think I’m ready, not like this… not with little Pink occupying a large space in my head like a deadly virus.
My body thrums, pleasure courses through my limbs every damn time I think of her. Her scent, it has remained indefinite in my bedchamber. Inhaling it infiltrates my senses. I can almost taste her on my tongue while my her scent gives me more satisfaction than anything else.
I’m going to enjoy taking her, marking her, and tasting more of her blood. Feeding on her while she clenches around my c**k. Kendra is mine, the earth and it’s nature has ordained her for me and no bloody alliance can change that.
“It will be nice if you show little enthusiasm. I feel like I’m the only one into this. You seem detached…” Ellie accuses, wagging her fingers up. I let out a sigh and run my fingers through my hair.
“But I’m here with you when I should be in the gym. Don’t be selfish.” I spit out. Looking up at her, she’s staring at me with her lips pouting. Lord save me!. “what do you want me to do? Jump around like a whiny little pup that saw a candy?”
“you aren’t even listening to me. Keep your phone down and help me, will you?"
I shrug nonchalant and sink into my pillow. “Well, it seems you have everything under control… ” I lift my head up from my phone where I’ve been watching different clips of Trystan's live video of the practice the whole time. “ Why don’t you use the help of your maids or my sister, Anna, she is great at planning events like this one.”
“You know we don’t get along.” She inhales and her shoulder drops. “ I think I’m just too afraid of screwing things up.” she makes a deliberate pause and continues by saying, “I want everything to be perfect. I don’t want to disappoint my parents. I will be seeing them for the first time in years.”
In a serene and composed tone, “Hey! Relax, Princess. Everything will go the way you want it to, that is my promise to you.” The way her eyes soften with a resolve tells me she'll take things easy. But no! I was wrong…
She power-stand up instead. “The dresses… which color do you think will look better on me?” She asks, holding out the two ball gowns that looks somehow identical in styling.
“ Ohm… the wine red?”
She makes a face, squinting her eyes at both dresses. “ Nah! I will go with the navy-blue. It speaks royal.”
“ I doubt that. When you talk about royalty, red is the color. It’s Stormhalt coat-of-arm color.” I suggest.
“Duh! Who cares about your dumb coat-of-arm?” she scoffs. “ I’m wearing blue.” She tosses the red dress forward and it lands on my face.
Great! I have no idea why she wants me to stay and help her pick a dress when she already knows what she wants. I feel like I’m dealing with a self-obsessed teenage girl and it’s exhausting. How I was able to put up with her overbearing attitude is what baffles me.
Having managed to escape Ellie’s yammering, I stroll off to the garden to clear my head from the chaos brewing in there, passing large statues and flower bushes along the way.
“My Lord, Your brother, Leo has returned to the palace.” My head jerks toward the man who spoke, a lowly beta who cowers under my stare while the stench of fear pervades the air around us.
It’s very shameful that most of our betas and warrior citizens are weak and cannot hold the walls of the kingdom without the help of other kingdoms. Their inability to do their job is the reason my life is about to be ruined.
“Are you sure?” I ask, my tone hard, and he nods, body visibly shivering as he stumbles back.
“Yes… yes my… Lord. He just entered his chamber.”
The low hateful hiss from me makes him stiffen as I take a step closer, my now crimson red eyes daring him to move a muscle. “Tell him to join me in the field ... with his sword. We have scores to settle.”
In less than ten minutes, I sight my half brother who once meant the whole world to me approaching the open field with his sword like he’s been looking forward to it.
He still looks the same as he was when he left the palace seven years ago, strongly built, and half the man I’d ever be. My resentment for him might just be from a place of envy.
“ Little brother.” He scoffs, pinning me with an intimidating gaze that’s somehow managing to weaken my beast.
I just need to remind myself that I’m the crown prince here, the Alpha... and he... a pathetic reject. “ Hello Leo.”
“Good to see you again.” He smirks and it made his face look like father's. Their resemblance is too striking. He was and still is the king’s favorite son despite their differences.
My entire life, I’ve lived under Leo’s shadow, begging to be seen and love, but nothing I do seem to please the King. Many times, he has given me the reason to believe he put up with me because I’m his last hope. Like using me as a bet to acquire military strength?
“You really want to fight me?” He asks, pinning his sword to the ground between his legs and his hands on the pommel.
“Quit asking stupid questions and come at me.” I challenge and he chuckles. “Pick up your sword, brother.”
“I say we do hands instead.” He hisses and throws his sword aside. "That is how you know a true fighter."
Dropping my sword, we circle each other. Leo stalks me with careful grace, seemingly waiting for me to make the first move. He's almost smirking, making me look like a toddler under his scorching masculinity. I have it too, but nothing close to what I see before me.
My heart races in anticipation, but Leo is calm -- i can sense the pleasure he draws from the game but it won’t last for long because I plan on beating him.
“Are we fighting or dancing? Come on, big man, are you scared?... Stop circling like a girl. I taught you better than this.” He mocks.
“ We are not here to reminisce on your stupid past. I have improved!” I fire back.
He chuckles, "then show me what you've got."
I hang back, carefully watching his elbows the way he taught me when I was nine. I f*****g hate that I remember that. Waiting for him to make the first move, he does in a sudden rush...and I land a blow on his jaw. He staggers back, digging his tongue in his gum he spit out blood and it gave me a good satisfaction.
“Who needs a lesson now?” I stifle a mocking laugh. "I guess it's the one bleeding."
“You!” he growls, a murderous fury in his voice. His eyes as red-flamed as mine.
Transforming into primal form, his face stretches and twist with his howling, arms lengthening... I didn’t let him finish before going through the same process. Back hunching... Nails sprouting into claws we both transformed into our wolf form.
I succeed in knocking him off balance, but he quickly frees himself from the tangle of my forearm.
“Stop now!... .” His warns. His growl rumbles through his ribcage. “I don’t want to hurt”
I roar back at him. “Surrender!” with a surge of bravery, i grit my teeth and lunge for him, hoping to catch him by surprise.
He scrabble back onto his feet, and, with a surge of bravery, i grit my teeth and lunge for him, hoping to catch him by surprise but he raises a clawed hand and swipes it across my shoulder!
“Stop already!” His warns again, this time more monstrous than before and I knew I have to retreat.
Shrinking back into human form I clutch the injury, my skin on fire, and my hand comes away stained with blood. I watch as Leo’s eyes blaze with triumph. Turning on my heels, I leap over the iron bar fence surrounding the field and race into the forest.
I need to dip myself into a sacred spring to heal. There is no way I’d return to the palace to use the royal spring without being seen. No one should see me like this – defeated and whimpering. No one should perceive my weakness otherwise I’ll be doomed.
The man that just cut my arm open is not my brother. Leo would never hurt me. Never! Leo has only held and protected me since I was a little boy.
Reaching an open clearing with a sacred spring that’s just about fifteen minutes away from the palace, I strip off my shoes, clothes and socks, then enters the water.
I watch as the cuts close beneath my fingers, leaving nothing but healthy skin. I take a deep breath and duck a little lower, enjoying the feel the cold water on my skin beings.
The thought of Kendra is all it take to forget my up coming Mating ceremony, the fight I had with my elder brother who I fvcking hate with a passion and this godforsaken kingdom and it blood bathed throne.
The moment I imagine her pretty face, I’m done for. Nothing else fvcking matters.
I’ll live, breathe and exist for my little Pink..
She's mine!