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

“Matthew.”

The trees seemed to whisper his name with me as I stared at the wolf lying before me, his brown eyes looking at me with warmth in them. Hostility was absent from his gaze, which was so unlike a wild animal’s.

“Matthew,” I whispered again, becoming uncertain of what I was doing, what I actually wanted to get out of this.

Could I actually come to terms with the fact that I thought this wolf who had somehow made the other wolf disappear was actually my best friend? That werewolves could exist, or did exist?

I shuddered. “I-I know it’s you,” I stuttered, cautiously reaching out to caress him behind his ears.

He closed his eyes and, leaning closer, dropped his head lightly before looking back at me, as if nodding.

“C-can you turn back into a human?”

I stared silently as the wolf got up and moved behind a thick tree.

I waited.

I dug my heels into the slightly wet soil and realized I had forgotten to wear shoes before rushing out of the house. However, the sight of my arms and legs being bruised and having been scratched by the sharp stones would bear witness to the fact that this had actually happened, in case I woke up the next day and decided to question the sanity of this, as well as myself.

Just then, I heard sounds of twigs snapping behind me, and I bit on my lip to prevent myself from screaming bloody murder when a half-naked Matthew moved out from behind the dark bushes.

It was then that I realized that it was final—that werewolves did in fact exist.

I suppose my plight was obvious because Matthew hurriedly put his hands in front of him in submission while moving closer almost at the pace of a tropical turtle.

“Don’t be afraid. I know I have a lot of explaining to do.”

I nodded, and he moved closer, regarding me with utmost care, before lowering himself beside me.

“S-so I was right, right? Werewolves exist . . . Y-you and . . . Bryce . . . Who else? And how? I thought all this was great in books and all, but . . . real life?”

Matthew stared at me.

I frowned. “What?”

My frown deepened when a soft smile spread across his face.

“You’re more accepting of this situation than I thought you would be.”

I smiled weakly. “I suppose Twilight and The Vampire Diaries help a little. Besides, what choice do I have other than to be accepting? I can’t run, can I?”

Matthew nodded, the corners of his lips lifting in a soft smile. “I suppose not. He wouldn’t let you leave.”

I stilled. The momentum of the situation crashed in a matter of a few deadly seconds, shaking me from the inside out. Bryce was a werewolf. And, by the looks of the castle, a very important one at that.

“He’s alpha,” Matthew informed me, answering my unvoiced question, but I didn’t hear him.

The buzz from all the emotions flaring around me was quite overwhelming. All I wanted to do was hold Matthew and cry—why exactly, I didn’t know.

I looked at him, a little confused. “He’s what?”

This time, though, Matthew seemed to hesitate. He looked around the dark woods, then back at me. He frowned, then got up, shaking his head.

“I’ve been a dick of a friend, sitting here chatting with you when you’re bloody and bruised. Let’s get you home, Theia.”

I shook my head, refusing to grab onto his extended arm.

“He is a what, Matthew?”

Matthew sighed. “I’m not in the position to tell you.”

“Oh, shut up! You’re my best friend. You are in every position to tell me. Besides, you already did tell me. What’s so bad about saying it again? P-please, please, just tell me.

By the end of the outburst, my voice was barely a hoarse whisper. I didn’t even mind that I was practically pleading. I couldn’t take it anymore. Everything seemed so overwhelming. I should at least get answers if I couldn’t have an out.

I expected Matthew to answer, but being how he was, he only lowered himself again. In one fluid motion, he scooped me up in his arms, my scratched-up, bloody limbs splattering red over his chest, neck, and arms.

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled, my voice breaking, as the events of the past few hours finally caught up with me.

I eventually broke down in his arms, completely forgetting that just a few minutes earlier I had been worrying about bloodying him. To hell with blood right now. I needed answers, and no one was giving them to me.

I could feel Matt sigh against me as he moved into the night with strong strides. The anxiety cut deeper into me with each silent second he took.

Why couldn’t he tell me?

“If I tell you, you must . . . not let Bryce know that you know until he is comfortable telling you this himself, okay?”

My eyes shot up to his, gleaming with victory.

He was going to tell me!

I nodded vigorously. “Okay, I promise.”

He also nodded in response.

“Well . . . you see, Theia . . . Bryce is the alpha king.”

I felt reality dissolve for a long moment before I could finally think again: What?

He heaved a sigh, pulling me higher in a sudden movement and making me jump in his arms, before continuing with the walk.

“This is going to be difficult,” he muttered, stepping over a small rock, as he followed an invisible path only he seemed to know about.

He seemed to sigh again, then continued, “Okay, so in every wolf pack, there is an alpha, who’s the leader of the pack. Then there is a second-in-command, the beta; and a third, the delta. While the alpha leads the pack, the beta and delta assist him, the beta being more strategic and an all-rounder while the delta usually being the commander of warrior wolves.

“I am the delta. There are the pack members, being weres in the pack who hold normal positions. And, well, there is the most important member, the luna, who in this case is you.”

I opened my mouth to say something, but Matthew immediately continued talking, “Alpha Alexander, however, is royal. Now, there are a lot of packs across the States, a lot of alphas and betas and deltas. They, however, are common weres. Royals . . . are different. Alpha Alexander is the alpha of all alphas—the king, so to speak. Every pack in the States comes under him. There are other royals, other kings. They all are cousins in a way, and they are quite distinguishable from us, even with me being delta of all deltas and all.”

As much as all this was freaking me out, I just knew what I wanted to do as Matthew resumed walking us out of the woods. Though his stride seemed faster than before, his face looked calm, so I just gave in to my curiosity—I asked him questions.

“What exactly do you mean when you say that ‘royals are different’? And what’s a luna? And how am I it when I’m human? How many people here are weres?”

Matthew let out a low chuckle at my questions, his chest giving a low rumble. “Well, I have a feeling I am going to get myself killed telling you all this.” He sighed, sobering up. “Royals are lycanthropes, Theia. They possess more power, more speed, more strength—more everything! But Alpha Alexander being king takes his capabilities up a notch.

“As for you being luna, since you have watched Twilight, this will be easier. Alpha Alexander has imprinted on you. In other terms, you are his mate—short for soul mate. I’d ask you if you had any more questions, but we are at the edge of the woods, and Alpha Alexander is beyond livid from trying to control himself from exposing his truth to you and freaking you out. For my sake and yours, Thi, please pretend you know nothing?”

It was true.

I could see light glowing at the end of the path we were walking on, so I only nodded in response to my best friend’s whispered request.

He seemed to have caught that because his grip around me tightened, and he leaned in to whisper a few helpful tips: “Alex is on the brink of going in a frenzy. Although he has consumed wolfsbane to make him weak, its effects will probably deplete as soon as he sees you. So if he grabs you and lashes out on someone else, hold him, kiss him, control him.

“He will listen only to you. If he coddles you, let him. If he seems like an overprotective prick, for tonight, let him be that. If he . . . gets touchy and needy, well, you take care of that however you want to. Okay? Okay. All the best, love!”

“Okay,” I whispered back meekly, and Matt had pressed a small kiss on my temple just before he stepped out of the woods and into my backyard.

With the light illuminating the patio, it was clear to see that Bryce was sitting on the patio steps, his head down and his shoulders slouched as if he was extremely tired. Two bulky men were standing on either side of him, holding him, but as quickly as Matthew walked out of the woods with me, they stepped as far away from Bryce as they could.

I sighed as I watched him.

Bryce, my Bryce, my soul mate . . . a l-lycanthrope, not human . . . mine.

This is not right, Theia. This is not normal. Wake up! You’re dreaming! a tiny voice somewhere inside my brain told me, sounding frightened—scared of everything.

I swallowed hard as I considered the sanity of my situation.

Could this really be real?

Can’t you see, Theia? This is real. Bryce is made for you, and you are made for him. So what if he is a werewolf or lycanthrope or whatever? Does it really matter? As long as he is Bryce . . .

This tiny voice seemed more sure, more adamant, about her decisions; she sounded more right. I almost nodded in submission.

It was true. This was real. I had to live with it—with him.

Bryce seemed to have sensed my presence because, in a matter of seconds, I was ripped out of Matthew’s arms and cradled in his. The dangerous, low growls rumbling from his chest as he held on to me and dipped his nose into my neck made me look up to see that Matthew and the others were now standing a good distance away. It was then that I realized that the two bulky men standing beside Matt were Connor and Emigen.

My eyes widened as our gazes connected, and they smiled.

Them too?

Bryce’s low growls were starting to tire me, and his ever-tightening grip on me wasn’t exactly helping, so I took Matthew’s advice and moved my lips near his ear and whispered soothingly, “I’m okay. I’m here.”

Bryce growled again, only this time it sounded lighter. Though, he continued to hide his face behind my neck.

“Can’t lose you,” he murmured hazily, his fingers drawing tiny circles on my back.

I almost cried.

“You won’t. I’m here,” I cooed softly, sinking my fingers in his hair before planting a wet peck on his temple.

I felt as Bryce nodded, and when he lifted his head to look at the three boys, I turned to look at them again.

“Thank you,” Bryce said appreciatively, his hands tightening around me, as he pulled me closer to his chest.

All three boys nodded with small smiles before they turned and moved towards the fence on the side of the yard and then jumped over it like it was nothing.

I didn’t even have time to stare at them in wonder as I had been rushed into the house, and the back door closed behind me.

How Bryce had managed that was truly beyond me.

“Er . . . Hi?” I mumbled slowly. The silence was a killer.

“You’re bleeding,” Bryce growled in reply, pulling me even closer, as he made his way up the stairs with me still in his arms.

I tilted my head to look up at him and almost gasped at how his features had changed, from his clenched jaw to his blazing midnight-blue eyes. I could even tell he was holding off those golden flecks from showing with everything he had.

“Bryce, I think you need to—”

“Don’t you dare tell me to calm down!”

I sighed. “Okay.”

Pulling him closer still, I dangled from him by my arms as he first opened my bedroom door before marching towards the bathroom and opening its door too. Slowly, he settled me on the edge of the bathtub and turned on the hot water. Almost immediately, the bathroom turned foggy.

“What are you doing?” I gasped as I placed my hands on his, stopping him from pulling off my top.

“Shut up and let me do this, Theia,” he growled, tugging at my shirt.

But I managed to keep my hands on his and stop him from completely leaving me half-naked, for a moment.

“Bu—”

“Just stop resisting!” he spoke through gritted teeth, and after one swift movement, I was sat on the edge of the bathtub half-naked.

He didn’t stop there, though. With a few more tugs, he managed to strip me of all my clothes—well, all except my panties.

I blushed as I kept an arm across my chest to cover my breasts while Bryce picked me up and gently laid me in the tub full of hot water.

Ahhh . . .

He just stood there.

“Can you, er . . . get out, please?” I mumbled, looking down at the dreamy white foam, trying to hide the blush that was beginning to form on my cheeks.

“No,” Bryce snapped to me harshly before marching towards the toilet, tipping its lid closed, and sitting down on it. He looked at me sternly, as if daring me to kick him out of the bathroom.

I sighed. There was nothing I could do. Bryce would have to stay.

***

The feel of having a hard stare on you while you’re bathing, completely naked, is unraveling.

It felt like I was coming undone just sitting there, washing away the blood and dirt, with only bubbles to hide what was meant to be hidden. But the irony was that nothing was hidden anymore. There was no use in feeling undone because Bryce had already caused my undoing; it was already done.

All I could do now while sitting in the tub surrounded by soothing, warm water was to actually wash myself, which was quite difficult as seeing Bryce’s searing gaze on me was extremely awkward.

I sighed as I brought the sponge up to my neck and rubbed off the dirt. The silence was almost deafening. But when I brought my leg out from under the water to rest it on the edge of the tub, Bryce let out a warning growl and moved slightly on his seat.

I glanced at him in surprise and, after quickly scrubbing the dirt off my foot, put it back under the water.

“If I were you, I would hurry up a little. I’m losing my patience. I’m sure you don’t want me in that tub with you now, do you?”

I shuddered. Can’t he just go out already.

“C-can you please move out so that I can s-shower? Please?” I didn’t dare break eye contact as I said that.

His darkening gaze lingered on my slightly chilly, exposed skin before he stood up and briskly walked out of the bathroom, placing my towel on the vanity.

I sighed as I got out of the bathtub and unclogged it, letting the foamy water run out, then rinsed it with running water before stepping into the shower.

I closed my eyes as warm water ran over some of the cuts, burning a little. I tried to shut out the pain and sighed when I succeeded. The wounds were hardly important at this point. What was truly important was what I had learned only a few hours previously: Werewolves existed, and Bryce was their king. I was his mate—his only mate.

I shook my head, shuddering, as the gravity of the new revelation hit me suddenly. What now?

This doesn’t change anything, Theia. Well . . . it does, but it doesn’t for you and Bryce. He is still your Bryce. And, hey, now you know this means something to him . . . and you and he mean something to him. At least now you know that Bryce and you are solid, not just a phase. Smile, Theia. Face this music. So what if he can be classified as a beast? You always did like Beauty and the Beast, didn’t you? Well, he’s yours—your Adam. Be his Belle, a tiny voice piped up in my head, urgent and commanding.

I smiled.

Sometimes the voice in the back of my head was such a genius.

Running a hand over my tummy, I rinsed off the last of the foam and soap before turning off the shower. I wiped myself dry, wrapped myself in the towel, and with a more confident mind, I walked out into the bedroom.

I closed the bathroom door and turned around, only to let out a shrill scream.

“Bryce! Put me down!” I yelped as he picked me up bridal-style and started walking towards the bed.

“I need to tend to the wounds.”

Oh no. Those things burn!

I shook my head. “No, it will be fine. Forget about it, please.”

“No.”

I looked up to glare at him. “I don’t want any tending to, and you will not force me!”

He snapped his head towards me, and I nearly shivered at his expression.

“Don’t test my patience right now, Theia. Just get the damn—”

I pouted, looking at him with soft eyes. If being straightforward didn’t work, hopefully this would. Tightening my hold on his nape, I pulled him close and buried my face in the crook of his neck. Gently, I planted a soft kiss on the base of it and couldn’t help but sigh happily.

“Please don’t . . . I don’t really like those creams. They burn. Besides, you already poured Dettol into the tub, didn’t you? Can’t I just get dressed and go to bed? Please, babe.”

I could feel as Bryce sighed against me and, without a reply, marched towards the closet.

I stared expectantly at him, waiting for him to say something and walk out of the room. I frowned when he started rummaging through my drawers, pulling out a pair of navy-blue knickers and a soft thin white tank top, before handing them my way and taking a seat on the tall vanity chair.

I sighed, ignoring the heat in my cheeks. He was being very difficult.

I stole a glance at him and stopped. His gaze was locked on me, and my blush deepened. A shiver ran down my spine as I quickly looked down at my feet, my toes buried in the fluffy white rug.

I had to be smart about this.

I let my towel stay as I bent over, slipped both feet through my panties, and pulled them up to my thigh, then successfully into place. It didn’t take looking at Bryce to know that he had an amused look on his face. I couldn’t help but smile at my own intelligent idea.

“You do know there is no way you can wear a shirt without letting go of the towel, don’t you?”

Blushing, I rolled my eyes. Men could be so stupid sometimes.

Wait and watch.

I mentally snickered at Bryce as I ensured that my towel was wrapped tightly around me properly before picking up the tank top and slipping it on from the top. Grinning, with my back still to Bryce, I finally let the towel go, pulling it from under the tank top, then marched towards the towel rack.

As I padded back into the room, I couldn’t help but snicker at Bryce, who was frowning.

Not a minute into walking towards my bed, Bryce reached me in two long strides and picked me up in his arms again. I stayed silent, remembering Matt’s cautionary advice.

As Bryce placed me on the bed, I stifled a small yawn and blinked away the haziness that had begun to form in front of my eyes, my eyelids dropping lower and lower by the minute.

Who knew running around the woods from a wolf and getting saved by another wolf, who just happened to be my best friend, then finding out my boyfriend was my soul mate and the alpha king could be so exhausting? Nope, no one could know. I suppose their imagination would stop at the bit where they’re running from a wolf.

“You should sleep, love,” Bryce murmured softly into my ear as he wrapped himself around me, engulfing me completely.

Normally I would feel suffocated, but I let it slip this time. Matt had said to let him do whatever he pleased.

Suddenly, a sharp pain erupted in my ankle, and I pulled my feet away from Bryce’s with a yelp.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Bryce exclaimed, freaking out, as he pulled me closer.

I shook my head, my eyes shut, as I tried to assure him and push away the pain at the same time.

“It’s okay . . . It’s okay . . . Shhh,” I whispered soothingly as I tried to calm him down, placing a soft kiss on the corner of his lips.

Breaking the kiss, I smiled into the embrace as I rested my head against his shoulder, my lips touching the smoothness of his neck.

“Goodnight, Alex,” I whispered sleepily, wrapping an arm around his waist, before I finally let myself go.

I smiled at the last words I heard before sleep took me: “I love you, Theia.”

***

Something was wet, and I was awakened. I bit back a groan as consciousness floated back to me.

There it was again, something wet touching my ankle.

After my eye crept open a fraction, I realized it was still dark. The night illuminated by the glow of the moon served proof enough. Just then, a shadow moved on the bed, its true form looking quite blurry in the dark room. The only thing that gave away what it was, was the pair of glowing golden eyes.

Fuck.

All the haziness left at that one moment. The glowing golden irises—they told me who it was: Bryce.

I held my breath as the shadow held on to my leg and, lowering itself, ran a wet slab of muscle along the soreness of my soles. While I watched, almost frozen, a strong gust of wind blew into the room, bringing forward the light curtains—which danced around in the darkness, letting the moonlight shine through and exposing Bryce completely.

My breath hitched in my throat, and Bryce almost immediately stopped and turned to me, his golden eyes glowing in my direction. Dark fur covered him as he came closer.

I stilled. Was he suspicious?

No, no, no.

Immediately, I clamped my eyes shut, moving my head to the side, and I let out a soft, sleepy moan, hoping he would buy it.

I couldn’t help but press my lips tightly together in shock when a hairy claw grabbed my arm, and Bryce began licking the wounds on my palm and arm.

I shuddered as he moved away, and another gust of air hit me, blowing on the wetness around my bruises and wounds.

Bryce must’ve noticed me shiver because, before I knew it, the hairs that were in contact with my legs had turned into smooth skin, and a very muscular leg wound itself around me, an equally heavy arm slipping around my waist. My heart beating a mile a minute, I finally mustered enough courage to turn my head to Bryce and open my eyes a fraction once more.

Golden eyes stared back at me.

I closed my eyes again and sighed as Bryce twirled a loose strand of hair behind my ear while planting a soft kiss on my lips. Sleep then seemed to make its way back to me.

“I love you, mate.”

I hummed in reply as the last remnants of my consciousness floated away.

Smiling, I snuggled closer to Bryce, not at all realizing that I had just replied to his confession, when I was meant to be asleep.