The King of Wolves

Chapter 7 - Mates

Caspian POV

Once in the hall, I close my eyes and take a deep breath, hoping to find her delicious scent.

I need to calm down, or I will end up scaring her more than she probably already is.

My body relaxes, but the heat intensifies as I catch a whiff of honey and wood.

Delectable.

In a daze, I leap down the steps, skillfully breezing past servants and pack members, following the faint trail of her. Everyone scuttles out of the way until I reach the bottom landing.

I take another deep breath, and my body pulls me towards the garden, her scent getting stronger. As I make my way outside, my eyes are in a frenzy, scanning the faces of every dark-haired female in my path.

Finally, I see her talking with some warrior with a look of lust in his eyes. She seems distracted, unaware of her stunning beauty and gorgeous body.

The need to have her in my arms is too much to bear. A growl rips from my throat, drawing her eyes to mine.

When she sees me standing outside the door, a look of hunger in her eyes slowly turns to pain. She casts her eyes down, busying herself with what's in front of her.

The male looks back in forth from me to her, probably sensing her shift in emotion.

He takes a half step forward in an attempt to shield her half-heartedly.

Like you could ever stand in my way, boy.

I try to contain a low growl that is begging to be set free.

A crowd has started to form. People are glancing between her and me, waiting to see what will happen next.

This is not good. I can’t cause a scene like this when the trip is supposed to be about providing comfort and stability.

Damn, wolves are so nosy.

I quickly make my way over to her, her aroma smacking me hard in the face making me forget how to breathe. Her face is full of fear and confusion as she stares up at me.

Goddess, she is the most extraordinary thing I have ever seen.

Damn it, Cas. FOCUS.

I have to keep myself in control.

I grab her wrist gently and tug her to follow me, sidestepping the guy beside her. Immediately, sparks ignite where our skin is touching, the pain turning back to a warmth that spreads into every inch of my body.

She must feel it, too. She sucks in a breath and starts to shake.

"Back to work." I bark before heading for the trees next to the house. No one moves as they all watch us disappear into the forest.

Once we are away from prying eyes and out of earshot, I whip Morana around and pin her to a tree with my hips, taking her face in my hands.

"W-what are you doing?" Her voice is quivering, her beautiful eyes staring up at me.

I bend down to nuzzle my nose against hers, and her eyes flutter shut. I feel a breath get caught in her throat.

I love the reaction, knowing I’m the one that can bring it out of her. It’s electrifying.

"Mine," I say softly.

Her eyes flash open, and she backs her head away from mine to pep at me through her lashes.

"I thought you didn't want me," she breathes, her voice laced with pain.

I sigh. Of course, that's what Morana thought when the mate bond brought us together, and I all but ran away from her.

I was so full of lust and rage at what was happening that I didn’t even think about her feelings. I was desperately fighting for control, and I hurt my mate.

But I know I can make it right.

"Mine," I say again, bringing my lips down to her and planting a soft, tender kiss on her full lips.

They feel better than I imagined, like silk. Mmmmm.

Finally.

She lets out a soft moan against me and moves her arms to wrap around my neck.

I deepen the kiss, sweeping my tongue across her bottom lip, asking for access which she quickly grants. I pull her closer to me, pushing my now growing erection into her side, and glide a hand from her neck down over her body until I reach her hip.

Little sparks of pleasure through me when she weaves her fingers into my hair, grabbing fistfuls.

This is what our first meeting should have been. I wish I had known about her past before I met her.

I wouldn’t have been so angry.

I wouldn’t have hurt her.

We break apart for a brief moment, gasping for air. My lips travel across her jaw, leaving little kisses until I reach her earlobe. I gently give her a little nip and smile as another moan escapes her.

My hand moves from her hip, finding the sweet spot between her legs.

She moans even louder. She’s already so wet for me. I let out a growl into her ear.

I bring my mouth back to hers as I slip a finger under her panties, tracing her wetness before slipping inside of her.

A shudder wracks her body, and she pulls my hair.

Her core tightens around my finger, and I move my hand faster.

She pushes against my hand as I go in and out, an orgasm coming quickly.

I remove my finger and fix the fabric.

We pull apart, breathing heavy, neither one of us saying a word.

Suddenly, her body goes rigid, and I pull back to look at her, confused.

"What's wrong, Morana?"

She sucks in her bottom lip, chewing on it as she thinks. I stare at her lips, wanting to feel them on mine again as I wait for her to answer.

Her chin starts to quiver, her eyes shining. I take a step back to take both her hands in mine, rubbing them gently with my thumbs.

She looks down and takes in a shaky breath. "I'm an omega. How could you ever want me?" A small tear lands on her dress.

A wave of pain washes over me. This beautiful girl has no idea who or what she is, believing she was powerless all her life.

And now she thinks her mate doesn’t want her.

I’m such a jackass.

*****

POV Morana

I can't believe this is happening. I must be dreaming.

One minute I'm talking with Fin, waiting for Alex to return after helping some other warriors. The next, the King of Wolves looks at me full of lust and pulls me into the forest.

His musky scent fills my brain, making everything fuzzy. The pain inside me dulled from the moment he touched me, my insides turning to mush. My body is alight with energy.

I can't believe he wants me. Or does he? My stomach does a couple of flips. I can’t tell left from right or up from down.

His lips feel like silk against my skin as he plants soft kisses along my jaw, and I can't help but moan at the pleasure.

I nearly combust when his hand drops to my core and begins rubbing me.

I’m lost in how good he feels, how good this feels.

My heart almost fails when he moves my panties and guides a finger into my wetness.

He works quickly, hitting all the right spots and sending me over the edge as I shudder around him.

We’re breathing heavily as he adjusts me like he didn’t just do what he did.

So suave.

Abruptly, my thoughts land elsewhere, causing me to still. I try to fight back the tears, not wanting to appear weak in front of my mate.

Is he lost in the mate bond, in lust? Embarrassment sweeps over me.

He pulls back to look at me, confusion on his face. I don't sense any disgust or anger, which makes me want to cry even more.

How can he be so calm? Doesn't he know what I am? What his mate it?

"What's wrong, Morana?" His voice is deep but tender.

He knows my name, so he must know the truth. I suck in my bottom lip to keep a sob at bay.

Should I ask him? I already know the answer, and I'm not sure I can handle hearing it from my mate's mouth.

After a moment, I find the courage to say, "I'm an omega. How could you ever want me?"

His eyes soften as he looks at me.

That is not the reaction I’m used to.

I look down at my hands as he holds them, stroking little circles with his thumbs. It's sending little sparks up my arms that feel oh so good.

He lifts his hand to pull my chin up to look at him.

"Don't worry, little one. We have a lot to talk about."

I nod my head and lean into his broad chest. He wraps his arms around me, enveloping me and laying his head on top of mine. I snuggle into him and melt, feeling at home.

It's like our bodies are two puzzle pieces that fit perfectly together.

I know it won’t last forever. He’s just trying to think of a way to let me down easily.

We stay like this for a while, each enjoying how the other feels—letting our mate bond revel the closeness.

He kisses the top of my head before he steps back and takes my hand.

King Caspian sighs, "Come on. Let’s talk.”

I let out a small laugh. “Okay.” He smiles slightly, the corners of his mouth turning up, leading the way back to the house.

As we approach the gardens, they are mostly empty, meaning it must be dinner time, so everyone is inside the packhouse dining hall.

We were out there much longer than I thought.

“Crap, we're late." I let out a groan of annoyance, knowing Jessica is going to lay into me.

She’ll come up with some bs reason why I’m at fault for a ruined dinner. Well, I guess it’s not nonsense, considering the King and I being mates is why we are both missing dinner.

Ha! Take that evil b***h.

He chuckles. "Don't worry about it. We can eat in my room."

Shocked, I turn to look at him. "We're going to eat in your room? Together?" My voice is still a little shaky.

"That's the plan. Unless you would rather do something else?"

His eyes darken as a glint flashes through them.

Right on cue, my stomach growls, and I throw my free hand over my face to hide my embarrassment.

Why wouldn’t my stomach betray me at a moment like this?

King Caspian just chuckles lightly again and continues to lead me through the common area and up the stairs, completely unaffected by my stomach. I love the sound of his laugh. It’s deep and sends shockwaves through me.

As we are walking, his eyes gloss over. He must be mind linking someone.

"Dinner will be up shortly," he states. Is he always so calm and collected?

This seriously cannot be happening. I have never been in this level of the pack house and definitely haven’t dined with royals.

Oh my goddess, what do I even call him?

A fresh wave of embarrassment washes over me. All that confidence I felt this morning is nowhere to be found. Awesome.

He guides me down the hall of the second-story landing and opens the last door, standing to the side to let me enter first.

This doesn’t seem right. Shouldn’t the King enter first? I hesitate and look sheepishly at him.

He places a hand on the small of my back, giving me a gentle push.

When we're in the room, he walks over and sits on the light grey couch in front of the king-sized bed, patting his lap.

I take a seat next to him which makes him snort. Suddenly he scoops me up and pulls me onto his lap, a look of triumph and humor on his face.

Wow, the King is a lot more playful than I pictured.

He runs a hand through my hair, softly tugging on a curl. Tingles prickle my head and move down my back.

"You are truly breathtaking."

I cover my face again, and he sighs. I peek through my fingers to find him gazing at me softly. I don’t sense anything but what could be described as love in his eyes. I stare at him for a moment, getting the chance to notice how beautiful he is.

He pulls my hand away from my face and laces his fingers through mine.

Oh.

His eyes are a light shade of blue, almost grey. It’s so much different than before in the common area when he first arrived. He must have been trying to keep his wolf at bay, then. I sure know I was.

His hair is a dark chocolate brown with light caramel streaks running through it and surrounding a solid chiseled jawline, covered in stubble, and I spot a few freckles sprinkled around his nose.

Oh, sweet Moon Goddess, what did I ever do to deserve a fine man like this?!

"Okay, so where to start..." His voice brings my wondering eyes back to him.

Oh right, talking, not gawking.

I wiggle my butt on his lap, accidentally grinding on his length, trying to get comfortable.

He glances darkly at me and c***s an eyebrow as if to say, 'oh, please continue.'

He clears his throat and pulls me tighter against his chest.

"I'm not sure how to tell you this," the King starts, "and I can imagine this would have gone very differently if your father were still here."

I stiffen at the mention of my dad. He notices and runs a hand across my back to comfort me. I relax slightly at the contact.

"I guess there’s no good way to say this, but you aren't an omega, Morana."

I roll my eyes and let out a sarcastic laugh, throwing my head back. When my eyes meet him again, there is no humor. A sense of unease washes over me.

"What are you talking about, King Caspian?"

"Call me Caspian or Cas, please." He nuzzles his nose against my hair.

"Okay, Caspian.." I hesitate, "but I'm an omega. That's why my father lost his place as Beta.." My heart clenches in my chest, thinking of all my family's pain because of me.

“I know it’s a lot to take in. I just had a long discussion with Alpha Maddox and Beta Jacks-“

I scrub a hand over my face. “Wait, you talked with The Alpha? About me??”

My entire life has revolved around the fact that I’m an omega in a Beta bloodline, and now the King of Wolves, who also happens to be my mate, is telling me that’s not true.

I’ve known this man for like a second, and he knows more about me than I do?

This is all happening so fast. I can’t breathe.

I scramble to sit up and clamber off Caspian’s lap. My nerves get the best of me, and I pace around the room.

“This can’t be real!” It comes out squeaky, panic rising. My hands are out of control, flailing wildly around me.

“I don’t understand what you’re trying to get at….”

I glance at him, but he doesn’t move. His eyes are filled with sadness as he listens, watching me, patiently waiting for me to finish.

“I mean, my life, my family’s life, has always been about the fact that I’m the omega that ruined my father’s Beta bloodline.” I’m talking faster and faster as thoughts start buzzing around my head. “Now, the King of Wolves, who just happens to be my mate somehow, is telling me I’m not an Omega? I mean, it sort of makes sense. But also not really. Ugh, why? Why did this happen? How did this happen?” The words are tumbling so fast out of my mouth that I can’t control them. My breaths are coming out in short bursts.

Caspian doesn’t move. He just sits quietly, letting me process.

Wait, is this a joke?

I turn to face him and wag a finger in his direction. “This is a joke, right? Did someone put you up to this, and you thought it would be funny or somehow put me in my place?” I feel my face getting hot with new embarrassment. Anger and pain poke my heart.

His head goes back as he lets out a hearty laugh. “No, Morana, this is not a joke.”

He gets up and walks over to me, placing his large hands around my face. He brushes my hair away with feather-light touches.

Oh, that feels so good. My heart rate begins to decrease, and I can finally breathe easy again.

“Come. Sit.” He leads me back to the couch and pulls me onto his lap once more.

“Let me explain.”

Okay, yes. Explain. It’s okay. I got this. I pump myself up, let out a shaky breath, and look into his eyes.

“Okay, talk.”