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

Golden leaves were blown down from the branches, swirling around in the air above us before landing near our feet. The day was still gray, the sun was doing a great job hiding away, and the clouds were doing a great job helping it.

I sighed happily as I turned to the trees. It had been raining; the wet narrow road bore witness to that. But the sky was calm now, and it seemed like it would be a while until the rain graced us again.

As we continued to stroll down the path, my gaze wandered and stopped at the bed of white daffodils we were slowly approaching. They were wild—untamed—and the partially dead trees harbored them under their dying branches and slightly browning leaves. The grass, however, looked as green as it had come in this area.

“This part of the park was not open to the public till 1993,” Bryce spoke, and I tilted my head up in order to smile at him.

“It’s beautiful,” I said, grasping his arm tightly. I leaned closer to him as we continued to stroll.

We had strolled around in peaceful silence for quite some time when Bryce unexpectedly stopped and turned.mI gasped in surprise as his grip on my arm tightened, and I was pulled in for a hug.

“Did I ever tell you how I felt when I saw you by the swing?”

I smiled. “I don’t recall. No.”

“I thought you were the most beautiful girl I have seen in my entire existence.” I felt him place a small kiss on my hair and then he continued, “I actually stared at you for quite some time before deciding to wake you up. Selfishly regretted it the rest of the night.”

“Why were you acting so mysterious? And Italian, really?” I cocked an eyebrow up at him as I played with his T-shirt.

“Well, I made a blind throw. I didn’t exactly want you to understand what I was saying, but I wanted to say it nevertheless,” he replied, chuckling.

“Funny.” I rolled my eyes, smacking his back lightly.

Bryce’s deep chuckle rang around the mostly empty park, and I tilted my head upwards, only to smile at the sight of his brightly lit face as he continued to chuckle, his bright blue eyes showing me the depths of the bright-blue sea.

He crossed his eyes towards his nose, and the soft spot of brown in one of his irises showed itself, making my breath hitch in my throat.

“You’re so pretty.”

A gasp ripped through my lips as soon as I realized that I had said that out loud, and my palms instantly found my shocked, gaping mouth.

Bryce, on the other hand, only shuddered slightly.

“I believe the word you were looking for was sexy,” he replied.

Oh, wow! But yes . . . But wow . . .

In the face of his obvious confidence, I couldn’t lie; it was the truth, and no one—no one—could deny that. Bryce was sexy.

So I took the easy route.

“Mm-hmm,” I hummed as if indifferently.

Bryce turned to me. “You don’t think so?”

“Nope.”

He frowned. “If not sexy, then what?”

Ahhh!

I smirked. “Pretty—like a princess!”

I couldn’t stifle the giggle that erupted out of me as he moved back to look at me properly before, in one fell swoop, taking me in his arms and twirling me around.

In our little haze, we almost had no idea about the guy standing behind a fairly thick tree trunk, watching us with a firmly placed glare. Only when he walked out of the shadows did I take notice, my laughter dying slightly when his expression registered in my brain, diminishing the high from the little moment.

“R-Roman! What are you doing here? We didn’t see you!” I rasped, surprised, while Bryce turned to him with a blank face before placing me down on the ground again.

Roman stood in front of us, his blazing gaze settling on Bryce’s for a minute before returning to mine. He was that crazy kind mad again.

“I was just passing by,” Roman said through gritted teeth.

I noticed his fists were clenched against the dark jeans he had also worn earlier in the day.

“Oh.”

I jumped suddenly when a deep growl tumbled against my back, piercing through the quiet air around us.

“Stop staring at her!” Bryce snarled, his arms sliding around my waist, before holding me close to him.

Roman’s glare deepened, and he didn’t look away.

“You’re going to hurt her.”

I heard another growl. “No, I’m not. She’s mine!”

Roman growled now, taking a few steps towards us, before backing up again—just like he always did when he was on the brink of utter destruction. “You know what I mean. Just tell her!”

This had to end.

I sighed. Looking back at Bryce, I poked his side with my free hand to get his attention and then motioned him to let me go. Reluctantly, he did.

“Let me talk to him?”

“No.”

So difficult!

“Please?”

“No!”

Impossible! Think! Think, Thi!

“I’ll admit you’re sexy?”

I could have breathed an “Oh, thank God” when a small smile broke out on Bryce’s lips, and although reluctantly, he nodded.

After mouthing a thank-you, I turned to Roman and, with hesitant steps, began walking towards him, slowly—cautiously. Meanwhile, my newly-made friend, Rome, stood his ground and stared, his expression fuming, yet his eyes were blank.

Why is he so angry?

As I finally stood right in front of him, I sighed, fisting my shaky hands at either side of my skirt. I didn’t want to turn around and look at Bryce. I didn’t want to see where the small bursts of growls were coming from.

“He will hurt you, Thi,” Roman suddenly snarled, and I shuddered from the viciousness of the growl that rang out from behind me afterwards.

Do it, moron! You may hate each other, but he’s your friend.

A soft sigh left my lips as I finally mustered enough courage to tilt my head up and look at Roman. He, on the other hand, was already watching me sternly.

Taking a step forward into his personal space, I let my shoes slightly touch his before putting out my hand and flinging it around his neck. Instantly, his arms went around my waist, holding me tight.

I tried to ignore the growl that came from Bryce. I instantly felt guilty, but I didn’t know why. I was just comforting Roman.

“I really, really like him,” I whispered softly as Roman breathed into my hair.

“How can you know? It’s barely been a month. You barely even know Alex!”

I sighed. “It . . . I don’t know, Rome. It feels like there is this thing that’s pulling me towards him.”

Roman slumped against me, his breathing returning to normal.

“I won’t let him hurt you,” he whispered as a promise. “I don’t care if you’re his or he’s k—” He paused for a second. “I will kill him.”

“K—”?

After I’d shaken the curiosity off, a nervous chuckle left my lips as I nodded. “Okay, deal. But now it is time to make peace.” I grabbed hold of his arm and turned to Bryce.

It took everything in me not to shudder when I saw just how livid he looked.

“You shouldn’t touch me right now,” Roman whispered beside me, regarding Bryce with equally angry eyes.

My gaze still on Bryce, I nodded, immediately let go of Rome’s hand, and started walking towards Bryce, who pulled me into his arms as soon as I was within arm’s reach.

“Mine,” he growled, his tone menacing.

I rolled my eyes. “You and your brother need to make peace.”

“Cousin,” Roman quickly chimed in, but I ignored him.

Bryce snarled at Roman again. “No.”

“Please?”

“N—”

“Stop being clouded by jealousy. You guys know this is the right thing to do!” I snapped to both of them before they could bluntly refuse me again.

I felt Bryce sigh against me as he let go, then he moved back before extending his arm towards Rome.

Rome glanced at me, and I nodded, smiling. He gripped Bryce’s hand and gave it a good shake.

“I must leave now,” Roman spoke, eyeing me, as he smiled softly.

I nodded. “Okay. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Yeah, later,” he agreed. He then turned around and disappeared into the woods.

Strange . . .

“Why did he take the woods route?” I asked Bryce, turning to face him.

He shrugged. “Roman prefers the atmosphere in the woods; it’s peaceful.”

I giggled. “Well, I guess so do you since, you know, you come and go by the woods often as well. And there is that monkey-man aspect t—”

I gaped at Bryce. “Did you just roll your eyes at me, mister?”

He did it again.

“That’s it!” I yelled, jumping on his back. “You’re going to give me a piggyback ride!”

Bryce’s arms instantly went under my legs, hooking them around himself securely, while he chuckled.

God, his torso . . . I could die of intense bliss.

“You’re just something else, Theia Anderson.”

***

Some antibiotic inhibitors that could be involved in different steps of protein synthesis are: Diphtheria toxin—this inhibitor inactivates EF-2 and thus prevents the translocation. Clindamycin and erythromycin—they block, due to irreversible binding, a site within the 50S subunit of the ribosome; it is in this way that they inhibit the translocation. Lastly, ricin—from castor beans—is a very potent toxin that exerts its effects by removing an adenine from 28S rRNA, thus inhibiting the function of eukaryotic ribosomes.

“Finally!” I mumbled, exhausted, as I put the pen down. I then gently rubbed my sore fingers. “What was I thinking, thinking it would be better to write rather than type this damned essay?”

Now, don’t get me wrong. I loved biology. I just hated those lengthy essays Mrs. Jenson never forgot to throw our way whenever we started a new topic.

After flipping the book closed, I got off my seat and marched towards my bedroom door. It didn’t take me long to reach the kitchen, yet it took me too long to look away from my dad kissing Mom on her lips as if he were a starved man.

I don’t know about him being starved or not, Theia, but you sure are scarred for life.

“Alright, break it up, people! PG-13 in front of the kid, please!” I yelled, opening the fridge and taking out my leftover pizza.

Yes, Dad didn’t manage to find it!

“Hey, where did you get that pizza from?” Dad exclaimed, eyeing my beautiful pizza with yearning.

I smirked, brought the plate to my chest, and rubbed it as if it were a genie’s lamp. “My precious.”

“Theia.” Mom scowled, and I rolled my eyes before handing my dad a big piece and doing the same to her.

“Thank you,” Dad mumbled, his mouth packed with pizza.

Did I forget to mention my dad loved pizza?

“All good, old man.” I giggled as I moved towards the living room, then I plopped in front of the TV and switched the channel to Glee.

Too busy staring at Kevin McHale, whom I’d had a crush on since his NLT days, I didn’t notice my dad settling himself beside me.

“So, Alexander Bryce Wilhem, eh?”

Kevin’s so cu—

“Thi?”

“Hmm-huey!” I glared at Dad. “Turn the TV back on, Dad! Pleeease.”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “There will be a rerun tomorrow. Right now, I need to talk to you.”

Shit.

I sat there looking at Dad expectantly, hoping I looked calm on the outside. I felt anything but that on the inside, though. What if he didn’t like Bryce?

“Alexander Wilhem—how do you feel about him?”

I frowned. “Er . . . Dad, I like him, a lot—a lot a lot. T-the— It feels like there is this rope, and it’s pulling me towards him. I’ve never felt this way before, you know. I . . .” My voice died down.

This was the part I was afraid to admit.

“Go on,” Dad said encouragingly, a soft smile on his lips.

I sighed. “It feels like . . . maybe . . . one day . . . I could l-love him.”

Dad nodded, surprising me. “Theia, I want you to know that that’s normal, okay? And your mother and I approve.”

He approves!

A smile broke out on my lips, and before he could prepare himself, I leaped into his arms. “Thank you, Dad. I love you so much!”

Dad chuckled merrily as he rubbed my back. “I know, darling. But, Theia . . . there is something else I want to have a talk about.”

“Sure, Dad.” I smiled and moved back to sit in my space.

“Theia, there are things we think we know about this world—the things that we deem normal, usual. But, dove, one must keep their mind open to new things—things and facts that are new to us but may in fact even be older, more superior.”

I frowned. “I-I don’t know what you’re trying to tell me, Dad.”

He smiled at me lovingly, his hand soothingly brushing down my hair. “I just want you to know that if you ever come across a situation that isn’t deemed normal by human standards, don’t run away. Keep an open mind, Thi. The unknown is a dangerous thing, but it is also the most beautiful.”

Still slightly confused, I managed to nod at my dad as he smiled at me warmly. He then got up, turned to the stairs, and declared that he was going off to bed but not before reminding me to also be in bed before twelve.

Situation that isn’t deemed normal?

After shaking off the thought, I looked at the clock and sighed. It was 11:20 PM.

“Guess it’s time for bed,” I mumbled to myself as I made my way to the kitchen before placing the dishes in the sink, then scrubbing and rinsing them.

The sound of the storm going on outside made me smile. Even hours after its beginning, the rain was still pouring down so heavily. I could imagine the trees wavering in their places, being pushed and pulled by the strong force of the wind.

The storm started yesterday, just after I’d come back home from the date. Though, it did seem like only minutes ago, actually.

Still smiling in contentment, I wiped my hands and moved towards the stairs. After walking in, I turned and closed my bedroom door. Just then, what felt like a pebble hit my window with a good amount of force, and I stilled.

Serial killer! Oh my God, Jeff the Killer?

No, no, Thi, don’t move towards the window. That’s what it wants, a tiny voice in my head pleaded as my feet automatically moved towards the window.

I gasped when I saw Bryce gripping the wall with his . . . bare hand while his other was fishing in his pocket to retrieve another pebble.

He turned, and our eyes met. I immediately slid open the window, and a gush of wind blew on my face, bringing with it the bone-chilling rain.

Bryce jumped into the room, landing on all fours.

Still quiet, I closed the window, grabbed hold of his hand, and pulled him towards the bathroom. He needed a warm shower if he wanted to stay out of bed and not get sick with a cold or flu or something.

He let me lead him, following me slowly.

After walking into the bathroom, I turned the shower on and pushed him in.

I then turned to the door.

“Where are you going?” Bryce immediately called out.

I stopped dead in my tracks and turned.

“There is a bloody storm going on, and you’re hanging on to my home’s wall! How can you even do that? And I thought you told me to stay in because of the storm. That applies to you too. Just— Just shower and let me go and see if you had the sense to put clothes in that bag of yours.”

A low growl sounded through the bathroom, but he nodded, and I turned to the door once more before walking out and closing it behind me.

I grabbed hold of the bag that was still lying on the floor by the window after moving towards and closing it, then pulled out its contents.

Okay, shouldn’t have done that.

His boxers were the first thing that popped out.

My face heating up, I quickly placed the pair of boxers on the bed and pulled out a pair of navy-blue sweatpants and a white T-shirt and then placed them on top of the boxers. Just then, wet arms slipped around my waist and pulled me back against a warm wall.

“Wasn’t that a little too quick?” I breathed, the sensations running along my belly and arms overpowering me.

“I already bathed before coming over,” Bryce mumbled back, his voice low and husky.

It was then that I noticed something fairly large and hard poking me in my lower back. I frowned, then gasped, my breath hitching in my throat.

“Bryce, you— You’re naked!” I whisper-yelled, wishing my heart would slow down as its excessively fast beating was hurting my chest.

“Mm-hmm.”

He brought a hand to my hair and moved it to one side before leaning down and dipping his nose in the crook of my neck.

He let out a content sigh. “I missed you.”