Mated to the Alpha King (A Royal’s Tale Book 1)

Five years later

Cambridge, UK

THEIA ANDERSON

It was just like any other day here. The clouds, heavy and gray, hung over everyone. The wind kept picking up, occasionally soothing out in apology. I smiled as I walked out of the store and onto the footpath, my palm securely around the royal-blue box I held.

“So, you got what you wanted?” Roman asked as I slipped into the car and closed the door.

I grinned. “Yeah.”

He only shook his head, his lips quirking up in amusement as he drove the car into the lane. “He is an alpha, you know. King at that. You might want to check this over again.”

I blushed beet red, nodding. I wasn’t exactly sure myself yet, but I was never going to be too sure if I didn’t give it a try.

I clenched the box tighter against me.

“You’re a king too. How would you feel if your—” I stopped immediately as soon as I realized what a touchy topic I had just probed into.

A shudder of panic ran down my spine when I noticed Roman’s knuckles turn white around the steering wheel.

“I’m sorry,” I quickly blurted out before turning around.

My eyes now on the road, I stilled when I felt Roman’s warm large hand engulf mine. I brought up my hand and entwined it with his.

“It’s okay. I would say yes if my mate proposed. I may be an alpha, a king, but I’d just be me in front of her. I’d say yes,” he murmured slowly, his voice low and serious.

I smiled as I pressed my fingers with his. “That’s really sweet, Rome.” Beside me I felt him let a side smile break out on his serious features.

“And then I’d propose to her all over again. Alpha male tendencies and all.”

I couldn’t help but tip my head back and laugh at that. The image of Romanov actually accepting his mate’s proposal and then proposing again was hilarious.

Romanov’s mood suddenly darkened, and he removed his hand from mine. I sighed, knowing exactly what had caused it.

“I won’t find her anyway. So nothing to worry about there, eh,” he bit out bitterly, and I gasped.

How could he be so sure about that? So sure about not having a soul mate. How could anyone not have a soul mate?

I cringed as Derek popped up in my mind.

My heart bled out for the two boys.

“You can’t be so sure, Rome,” I mumbled softly, my fingers fiddling with the hem of my sleeves.

Rome barked out a bitter laugh, and I flinched in response, my eyes wide at the sheer amount of bitterness his laugh held.

“The fortune-teller said I didn’t have a mate in my palm lines.”

Immediately, I rolled my eyes. “The fortune-teller lied, Rome!”

The car halted at a red light, and a serious-looking Romanov turned towards me. “The fortune-teller never lies.”

I couldn’t help but scoff at that: “And how would you know? It could be purely—”

“My mother died!”

I stilled.

He clenched the steering wheel harder, looking away. “She said my mom would die, and she did, the exact way.” He then turned towards me. “The fortune-teller never lies.”

***

“I look alright, right?” Charlotte whispered for the sixth time as we stood in front of the door of the huge brightly lit mansion.

“You look great,” I responded, giving Char a thumbs-up. I quickly pressed on the doorbell and took a step back.

“Hey, guys! I’m so glad you’re here!” Saara, one of our course mates and the birthday girl, exclaimed brightly as she opened the door wide to let us in. She gave both Charlotte and me a hug as we passed her.

“Happy birthday!” Charlotte squealed while handing Saara her gift, then I followed after.

“Enjoy the party, you two! I know you’re both taken and all, so keep out of the east side of the house. The lads have claimed that side.”

Charlotte and I grinned as we made our way towards the kitchen.

Bringing out a can of Coke from the fridge, I chuckled when my eyes landed on a stiff-looking Roman. He was making his way over to us through the crowd of giggling females, his eyes on me as he kept talking on his phone.

I frowned when his eyes did a roll before they moved back to me.

He reached us just as the call ended.

“I hate parties,” he remarked, slumping against the kitchen island.

Tipping an eyebrow up, I let Roman as he snatched my can of Coke away from my grip and took down a gulp or two.

“So, did he remember?”

I sighed and shook my head. Beside me, Charlotte groaned, but Roman actually shrugged as if understanding what Bryce was going through.

“Maybe you should just tell him?” Charlotte suggested while bobbing her head to the loud music booming around the house.

“Don’t get mad at him. I understand how hard it must be to take care of his royal duties and his business together.”

I sighed as I nodded. “That’s why I’ve not mentioned anything yet. He has an important meeting to attend tomorrow.”

Whereas Roman shrugged, Charlotte stomped her feet against the dark coffee-colored floorboard.

“That’s it. You always let him keep his royal duties and business first! You hardly ever demand things or his attention, and even when he’s over, he’s working on his laptop and for the UK kingdom. I say you demand he come over!”

Although what she said made sense, I really didn’t want to pressurize Bryce. I loved him, and the least I could do was let him put our people first.

“You’re an idiot.” Roman rolled his eyes at Charlotte as he leaned further against the kitchen island. “But I actually agree.” He turned to me. “Just get him over. Celebrate your anniversary at least.”

Just then, a barely audible ping began sounding from my clutch. I quickly fished out my phone.

It was Bryce calling. Instantly, I pressed on the accept option.

Maybe he finally remembers what day it is tomorrow.

“Hey!” I chirped up, turning away from the two curious-looking people.

“Hey, where are you?”

I frowned. “Oh . . . I’m at a friend’s birthday party.”

“Oh yeah? How’s it been going so far?” Bryce’s low, amused voice echoed back from my iPhone.

I smiled at the softness of his tone. The mere act of just conversing with him seemed so intimate.

“Oh, it’s fine. Lots of dancing and—”

“Hey, babe!” Tony, my apartment neighbor, cheered as he strode over before giving me a side hug.

“Hey.” I smiled, hugging him back, then watched him strut over to his boyfriend.

“Who was that?”

My eyes widened when I realized how all this might be coming out to Bryce. Quickly, I grasped my phone harder and pressed it closer against me. “Oh. That was Anthony, the guy who lives next door?”

Bryce growled, making me cringe even though I was so far away from him.

“I told you to let me move you into the home I purchased last year!”

I scowled at this. “I’m not moving into that mansion alone, okay?”

Bryce scoffed, “Of course you wouldn’t.”

My breath hitched, and I stilled. All the suppressed anger towards him not remembering how important the next day was to being so jealous over nothing suddenly boiled up and tipped over the kettle.

I gave in to trickery. Taking in a deep breath I almost exploded, “Bryce you’re impossible! I don’t even . . . You know what? Bye!”

Instantly, I disconnected the call and put the phone to silent mode before shoving it in my clutch. I knew what ignoring him would do. I knew he would be here the next day. I knew he would skip his meeting, but right now I couldn’t care less. Looking around the party, I shook my head as I made my way back towards Roman and Charlotte.

Looked like I didn’t care much for the party anymore too. It was time I went back home.

My mind drifted off to Bryce, and I smiled, slowly realizing how he must have been packing instead.

***

ALEXANDER BRYCE WILHEM

Lover’s quarrel—that was what Aunt Meryl had dismissed it as, something that we both would be over with by the end of the night.

I, however, couldn’t let go this easy. I was furious, crazily mad at Theia’s dismissal over my jealously. Dismissal was not what I needed, especially not when the full moon was so close.

I stiffened in my seat as my anger flared up, my hand clutching the handrest of my seat in the private jet. My mind ran over the guy who had spoken behind her when she was talking with me—the guy who had called her babe at the party.

A low growl left my lips, and I leaned forward in my seat. Theia’s quiet dismissal of my inquiry seemed even more infuriating than the trash who had called her babe. She had brushed it off with an ease that had blood boiling in my veins. And when I had refused to let it go, she had disconnected the call.

My gaze darted to the gray iPhone placed on the table, and my frown hardened when I noticed no set of missed calls or messages. She hadn’t even responded to my missed calls.

“You do know how utterly ridiculous you were to berate her for being at her friend’s birthday party and having guys hitting on her, right?”

Beside me, Alistair leaned further into his seat as he brought up the glass of orange juice to his lips and then tapped a soft napkin to his mouth.

I resisted the urge of telling him to fuck off, and I quickly looked away, out of the windows and down at the world below us.

I had been in a private jet, on my way to her, in the next hour.

“Ignoring me won’t help, mate. You’re dragging me with you all the way to the UK just to make sure you don’t lose yourself to your beast on the way. The least you can do is not ignore me.”

I growled. “She’s my mate.”

I tensed as I heard Alistair sigh.

I turned to face him. “You would have done the same.”

Alistair immediately leaned back and brought both of his hands up in front of him. “Would never know, now would I? Don’t have a mate. Don’t need one.”

I scoffed at his response. The man was deluding himself. Everyone wanted a soul mate. And apparently, my soul mate was being in a whole lot of trouble.

***

“We’re here, sir.”

My eyes grazed up at the building where Theia’s apartment stood, and I nodded in response to my driver before sending a short nod towards Alistair, then I opened the door and moved out of the car.

“Alright, mate. Don’t do anything you will regret, eh?” Alistair chuckled as he pulled the door of the limo close, and the car drove away.

I frowned after the car. He had no clue.

Striding into the building, I quickly found an empty elevator. I marched in and pressed the floor number.

Theia’s apartment door wasn’t hard to find. I’d been here many times before, but strangely, it seemed to take longer to get to her this time, and maybe it was all due to the anger.

I forced myself not to pound on her door when I pressed the doorbell. It was nearly six, and I was sure she was already home.

“Bryce, you’re impossible! I don’t even . . .You know what? Bye!”

I clenched my fists harder on my sides as I glared daggers into the still closed door. Why was she taking so long?

Seconds passed, and my anger flared up. I bit on my tongue, resisting unleashing my beast, and just focused on getting into the apartment.

The door opened.

I immediately stormed in, grabbing my mate’s hand. I pulled her closer before my hands went around her thighs. I hoisted her up and, with my body, slammed her against the door.

“Happy Anniversary,” Theia whispered giddily as my lips found her neck.

Lost in my fury, I growled lowly and pulled her closer. “You’re in so much trouble, Thi.”

She wrapped her arms around my neck, and I tried to gulp down the groan that bubbled in my throat. The hot need shot straight to my south, and I bit back the urge to just take her here against the door.

She sighed. “Happy Anniversary, Bryce.”

This time, however, I stilled when I heard it. I moved back, my eyes finding her dark ones. “You hung up because . . . ?” I blinked.

“I knew you’d come.” She shrugged, a smile on her lips. “You had a meeting with Alistair, and you didn’t seem to remember, and well”—she shrugged again—“yeah.”

I groaned, resting my forehead against her shoulder. “I’m an idiot.”

She raked her fingers through my hair. Her sweet laughter bubbled out of those pink lips. “No, you’re not. You’re just possessive.”

A groan left my lips, and this time I didn’t stop it from echoing out.

“Too possessive for my own good,” I whispered, then pressed a kiss on the nape of her neck.

She gasped as my fingertips found the underside of her tank top.

“I’m sorry.” I pressed another kiss, on her chin. “I’m sorry, babe,” I mumbled again, this time kissing her left cheek.

“I missed you,” Theia whispered, her eyes closed, as I brushed my lips against her temple.

“I missed you too,” I whispered back, moving back.

She opened her eyes and looked into mine, then she leaned forward and caught my lips with hers, and I pulled her closer.

She broke the kiss but kept her lips against mine as she pleaded in a whisper, “Take me upstairs, please.”