Ezra's Second Chance

Romance in the Air

"What do you mean you're in love with him?" Queen Margaret demanded. "He's not a royal, you barely know him he's a..."

The King put his hand on Margaret's arm and she stopped talking. She looked at him sharply. Everyone knew she was going to say "omega" next.

"I understand your concerns, your majesty," Ezra began. "However, Aria and I have spent quite a lot of time together. First, I grew to respect and admire her. But then, when my ex mate died I felt it. The mate bond. She is my second chance mate and I am hers."

Aria slipped her hand into his and looked up at him.

"How do I know you aren't lying to gain the wealth that comes with marrying a princess?" Margaret asked.

"Mother!" Aria said, shocked.

"I have to ask," she shrugged.

"Let me step in here..." the King said. "Ezra has been with us for more than eight years. He trained hard, working his way through the ranks. Being an omega has never been an issue for him. I placed him as my own personal bodyguard because of his trustworthiness, his strength of character and his strength of body. He would never lie to gain power. I have seen them together, they have chemistry."

Aria and Ezra went straight to the King and Aria's mother. They declared their intentions. A courtship for the public eye and a marriage quickly to follow. It was a shock to both of them. Aria was meant to marry a prince or a high nobleman. Someone closer to her rank, but the mate bond couldn't be denied. The mate bond trumped politics, even for royals.

Queen Margaret sighed and her shoulders dropped. "Very well, begin your romance. But Aria, you may back out at any time for any reason. If Ezra doesn't like that then my people will deal with him. Understood?"

Aria rolled her eyes. Ezra remained neutral. "We understand," they said together.

They left the room and went to the dining hall. Still hand in hand. They ate together at the peak busy hour in the hall so to have the most eyes on them possible. They'd let the rumor mill take off from there.

"So, how long do you think we have to wait to get married?" Ezra asked with a smile.

"Oh, I don't know... a few years..." Aria said with a wink.

"How about three days? A week?"

"I think two weeks would be long enough. I'll start planning immediately," Aria said. Suddenly serious.

"Are you okay?" Ezra asked, he reached for her hand across the table.

"Do you... do you think a kiss would set off my ex mate? Would he feel it?"

"He'd feel something. I'm not sure how much, but from experience, I know he'd feel something."

"Then kiss me, Ezra. But not just because of him. I want to kiss you..." She blushed deep red.

Ezra slipped into the seat next to her and leaned in, brushed her hair away from her face and kissed her. A deep, long kiss. Filled with passion and love. Neither wanted to end it, so they displayed a drawn out show of PDA that was definitely not normal for a royal.

"The rumor mill will eat that one up. Your home land will hear about it by tomorrow," Ezra said with a chuckle.

"All the better, maybe we should make this a habit," Aria said with a giggle.

After the meal Aria went to her room to rest. She'd perked up a little, but was still very tired most of the time. Ezra was just happy that she'd eaten, even if it wasn't a large meal. Between this and tracking her mate down, he'd have her feeling better in no time.

Ezra shadowed the King and was pleased to see him with Queen Margaret much of the time. They held an air of propriety, but it was obvious that they were very much in love. Aria had been pushing them together before she'd gotten too sick to have the energy to. When the King was alone in his office he called Ezra in.

"You know, you put a monkey wrench in my plans," the King said with a chuckle.

"Oh? How so?" Ezra was genuinely confused. How could he do something that would change the King's plans?

"You and Aria took the spotlight. I was going to announce that I'd proposed to Margaret and she accepted. Her wedding and coronation was going to be the biggest, most broadcast event of the decade. But we've decided to wait until after you and Aria have married."

"Oh... I'm sorry, I had no idea," Ezra apologized.

"No worries, we waited this long. Another month or so won't hurt. You two are young and in love, you deserve the spotlight. Margaret deserves to have her own moment as well."

"Well... I appreciate that," Ezra said. He still felt bad, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. He'd had no idea and the ball was already rolling. Besides, Aria's health was at risk and to him, that was the most important matter to consider here.

Ezra went to sleep that night feeling a sense of peace and accomplishment he hadn't felt in awhile. Finally, he felt that he was making progress where it mattered.