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

I groaned as the harsh morning sun danced over my face, toying with me, coaxing me to get out of bed and close the drapes I so desperately wanted to pull together. But my bed was inviting, and the want to stay cuddled against my various amounts of comfy pillows outweighed the need to close the blinds. So I stayed in bed and grumbled out a million very colorful profanities, hurling each one at this morning.

To be defined as a morning person was nothing I’d be accountable for.

“Honey, get up! You have to go to school, remember?” Mom yelled, knocking on the door twice before the sound of her footsteps faded.

All sleep suddenly forgotten, I shot up on my bed and stared ahead, wide-eyed.

It was Monday. I had school.

It was the middle of the year, and I had a new school.

Kill . . . me . . . now.

“I hate this,” I grumbled to the empty air as I moved into the bathroom, my morning voice sounding as gritty as an amateur trying their hands at a violin—horrendous.

After picking up my toothbrush, I quickly brushed, then my crying bladder decided to make its agony known.

It seemed like minutes later when I found myself walking out of the bathroom freshly bathed and having brushed and peed. Happily, I padded lazily into my bedroom. A cold gust of wind hit my wet skin, and I shivered.

Strange. I don’t remember opening the window after I closed it last night.

I assured myself, thinking maybe Mom had, as I ignored the now-open window and walked into the closet, then picked out my newly purchased underwear, a white sweater, and baby-blue skinny jeans—an outfit that would go well with my well-worn-out white sneakers.

Once all dressed up and ready, I checked for my iPod, phone, and books before walking towards the window and glancing at the castle once again.

I just couldn’t stop looking at it. The tales I spun as I watched and analyzed each and every window, the tiny glimpses of halls and the grounds, which usually consisted of beasts and pirates, of lords and ladies . . . of Belle, in her yellow gown, gliding along the ballroom, her beast only at arm’s length—yep, the tales I spun while watching the castle were truly beyond what would even be considered possible. And with every tale I spun, I couldn’t help but wonder, How would it be like to live there?

With a final glance and a faint smile lurking on my lips, I walked downstairs and into the kitchen.

I came to appreciate my new home the past weekend. The brick house was actually very homey once I’d managed to get used to it and made sure that the hallways in this house turned right and not left if I wanted to go downstairs, and that there were now four bedrooms and not three. Despite all these facts, I still liked this house mainly because of the views. In fact, I personally believed it was a very clever design to have all the views to die for in every single room, with one side of the house actually sitting on the edge of a cliff—or mountain or something—and facing the countryside and the castle, and the other facing the distant city.

My gaze stopped at a small note, and I quickly picked it up and began reading. It seemed that my mom and dad were already gone. I suppose I had stared at the castle a little too long.

Gone to work. Blueberry pancakes in the fridge. Eat before you leave. We are not kidding! Alex will give you a ride to school. Thank the sweet boy after the ride, Thi. See you by 7!

Love,

Mom and Dad.

I spared my wristwatch a quick glance before picking up two granola bars and moving towards the front door. I was possibly late—not a good thing for the new girl.

The pancakes would have to wait for later.

“About time she walked out!”

Looking up as I closed the front door and turned around, I saw Blond seated in a black Range Rover with a brown-haired boy with glasses in the passenger seat. I smiled at the two boys awkwardly. I hadn’t seen much of Blond all weekend.

My attention moved back to the nice-looking boy riding shotgun.

Hmm, maybe that’s Matthew.

“I’m sorry for being late,” I murmured apologetically as I opened the back door and got in.

Usually, as much as I was not a morning person, I still managed to get to school an hour early and have myself a good library session. Needless to say, my attendance record had been pretty spotless.

“It’s okay. We like to make banging late entries anyway. I’m Matthew, by the way. You’re pretty! Alex here wasn’t lying.” The brown-haired boy looked back and smiled at me, extending his arm.

I took it and gave it a shy shake, the heat in my cheeks making sure Matthew saw exactly how surprised I was by the compliment.

Apparently Blond thought I was pretty.

A sudden cough rang around the vehicle as Blond quite violently shoved his arm into Matthew’s side, then glanced at me through the rearview mirror, his cheeks slightly flushed.

Oh . . . so he’s shy.

“Oh, so Blond thinks I’m pretty, eh? Well, good. I’m glad our thoughts are so similar. Anyway, thank you, Matthew; that’s very sweet of you. How is Rosenberg High School, by the way?” I chirped brightly as I smirked at Blond before turning towards a smiling Matthew.

“The house of wolves,” Alex replied, still smirking and turning to look at me before moving his attention onto the road.

The fear of a car accident began flashing in my mind.

“You didn’t exactly answer my question,” I responded, cocking an eyebrow up at Alex before turning to Matthew. “But wolves are my favorite animals.”

Matthew turned back and looked at me, a grin set on his face. “How so?”

I shrugged. “They are beautiful.”

“We are here,” Alex declared suddenly.

After turning into the parking lot, he found a parking space and drove in.

After he’d parked the car in a good-enough spot, I got out of it first and turned to say my thanks, but then two arms linked themselves to mine, and I yelped as the two boys began walking towards the school.

“What are you guys doing?” I whisper-yelled as a dozen stares presented themselves to us.

“Helping you around,” Matthew answered with a chuckle, pulling me closer, as he tightened his hold on my arm.

Blushing beet red, I shifted my gaze onto Blond, who was looking at me with a very amused smile.

“What?” I asked, frowning slightly.

Was there something on my face?

“You look like a tomato,” he remarked, chuckling, causing Matthew to let out a loud laugh.

I huffed as I felt my blush deepen. The nagging feeling of having the attention of all of the students, who were currently standing outside, on the three of us—me especially—was extremely uncomfortable.

The glares being thrown my way were also something that didn’t go unnoticed, and I shuddered because I knew that if they could, the glares would definitely shrivel me up into a pulp.

However, the analyzing gazes from the guys weren’t exactly low-key, either, and Matthew soon pointed out: “Awkward how the boys are looking at us. We’ve never experienced this sort of look before,” which in turn caused a low growl to be heard from Blond. “They’re looking at Theia, Matt. They really should look away. I hate being stared at . . . and my fists are itching for a brawl.”

“Hey, Matt, who’s the new girl? Cousin or something?” a pretty, buff, blond dude asked as we entered the hallways.

“Whose? Yours? Good to know at least one of the girls here at Rosenberg is your cousin, Jared,” Matthew retorted with a chuckle and pulled me away, leaving the guy gawking behind us.

Turning to Matthew, I giggled. “That was really good!”

“Hey, guys, um . . . I need to be somewhere. See you during lunch,” Blond suddenly spoke and, unlinking his arm from mine, walked away.

“Where’s he off to?” I asked Matt, who continued to lead me to the office.

Come to think of it, he was actually very cute.

“Probably gone off to meet Diandra.” Matthew shrugged.

“Who’s Diandra?”

“Alex’s girlfriend of two years. Didn’t you know?’ Matthew asked, looking at me incredulously.

I frowned.

Blond tried to kiss me.

Blond tried to kiss me but has a girlfriend.

Blond tried to kiss me but has a girlfriend and never told me.

Well, shit.

It hurt a bit that someone would do that, and suddenly the fact that I had initially found him attractive made me cringe at myself.

What an idiot, Theia.

“You okay?” Matthew nudged me as we turned to the hall that led to the office.

I glanced at him and smiled slightly. “Dandy.”

Rosenberg High was incredibly large, not as large as my previous school but large nonetheless. Its facilities looked newer, and although I didn’t appreciate the cream-and-blue combination, it seemed to fit perfectly well in the halls.

“Good morning. How may I help you, Matthew, and the lovely lady you have clenched beside you?”

I smiled at the lady at the counter, ignoring her slight emphasis on the word “clenched.” She seemed nice enough—with a pretty navy-blue suit on, gracefully graying hair rolled up in a bun, and those twinkling eyes that assured me of a good sense of humor. A badge rested itself upon her breast.

Marilyn Jeffery.

“Good morning. I’m Theia. I’m new here,” I mumbled sweetly, not at all trying to move out of Matthew’s grip even though Marilyn kept on glancing at it while smiling to herself.

“Oh yes, dear! Here is your schedule, as well as your locker number and pin. Also, we were informed by your previous principal that you were one of the top students and are an avid reader. Hence, here is a library pass, to make you feel more at home. It will enable you to use and issue out just about any of the library books available, even the references—if you need them, that is—and you will have your own little space.”

I was shocked for a minute, but I quickly recomposed myself and beamed as I took the papers and card from her. “Thank you, ma’am. It means a lot! Have a nice day.”

Still beaming over Mrs. Ambrosia actually making an effort to call my current school and help me get an all-access library pass, I’d only just turned to leave when Marilyn called out, “I’m glad you’ve finally found a girl, Matthew. She seems like a keeper! Just keep her glued to you like you are doing right now, and everything will be fine.”

Matthew stilled. I stilled. Marilyn let out a slow giggle.

I turned to Matt, who now looked like he would rather have the floor open up and swallow him alive, and this made me giggle.

“Thanks, Mrs. J,” he mumbled before pulling me behind him and quickly fleeing the area.

I couldn’t breathe.

“Let’s find my locker.” I let the words out in puffs, still trying to catch my breath while being rushed out of the reception area.

“We have math now,” Matthew then declared as he scanned through my schedule, while I stood in front of my locker, placing all my books, spare pens, pencils, tapes, paintbrushes, and paint in it.

Once done, I picked out the books and other things I would need for math and closed the locker.

“Well, let’s go then,” I declared, hooking my arm with Matt’s.

The occasional jealous glares I had thought I’d been receiving only for Alex actually were being handed to me for Matthew too. Apparently his cute-geek/angry-young-man look appealed to the ladies at Rosenberg High. I could see why, though. He was actually very handsome.

As we walked into class, the loud and obnoxious whispers floating around the classroom instantly came to a halt, making me deliver a quick scan through the crowd.

Smiling girls: check.

Oblivious boys: check.

Glaring girls: check.

Oblivious boys: check.

Slightly alarmed-looking Blond sitting beside a blonde-haired girl: check.

Ignoring my urge to land a swift slap on Blond’s face for even attempting to cheat on his girlfriend, I made my way to the only vacant desk, which was just in front of Alex, and as gracefully as I could, placed my butt in the seat.

I knew it wasn’t worth it. Good-looking guys were hardly ever faithful, and I was never one to end up in these types of dramas. As long as I didn’t let myself get into such a situation as that again, I was fine with ignoring Blond.

Matthew, however, grinned a little at the number of glaring boys and made his way over to the seat beside mine before plopping down in it.

“H-hey, Matthew! Is she the new girl?” a new voice spoke from behind me, and I turned around to glance at a timid-looking girl sitting just behind Blond’s girlfriend, Diandra.

The girl smiled at me shyly, her lips crinkling slightly. She looked about my height, which wasn’t much, only five foot three. Her soft-red hair glowed slightly as she tilted her head nervously.

I smiled back and waved in greeting, not missing the eye roll Diandra was sending my way as she pulled Blond’s arm closer. Blond, however, looked at me as if apologizing for his act, but I shrugged it off without handing him a reaction to work with.

Serves him good. That attempted cheat!

“I’m Theia Anderson. It’s nice to meet you.”

“H-hi, I’m Marley! Theia as in goddess of light, right?”

I giggled but nodded. I had also wondered why my mother and father had decided to name me Theia since it was a Greek name and we were anything but Greek. The curiosity led me to do a bit of research, as any twelve-year-old might do once a sudden topic of interest sparked, and it was then that I found the meaning of my name. I later learned about how Dad’s fascination with Greek mythology during the days of Mom’s pregnancy had gotten the best of him, and well . . . that was that, and I was thus named Theia.

“Yep, that,” I answered with a giggle, still nodding to a now giggling Marley. I had a feeling she and I were going to be great friends.

“Good morning, class. How are you all this fine Monday morning?” a voice boomed out, and I turned towards the whiteboard to see a quite handsome man wearing glasses, standing in front and smiling at us students with a strange, sarcastic sense of humor.

His eyes did a small sweep around the room until they landed on mine, and I barely held up my head as a sign of approval flashed in his eyes, and he smiled rather nicely at me.

“If my sources are correct, we have a new student here? Theia Anderson? I’m Mr. Phelps. Could you please stand up and tell us a little about yourself?”

My eyes widened, and I turned to look at Matthew frantically. The last thing I needed was to make a complete fool out of myself. It wasn’t hard to see I had trouble speaking in front of large crowds without mucking up.

When Matt refused to offer me anything except a sad smile that barely yelled an “I’m sorry,” I slowly got up and instantly felt my feet give out—this was bad.

Breathe, Thi! Breathe! Imagine them wearing coconut shells and leaves, doing the hula!

“Hi, my name is Theia Anderson, and I just recently moved here with my family from Los Angeles, California. And er . . . that’s all?”

Phew! That was good!

Mr. Phelps nodded approvingly, and I gladly slumped back into my seat, avoiding the glares from every girl, Marley excluded.

“Well, Ms. Anderson, I hope you enjoy studying here at Rosenberg High. Now, class, let’s start with AP Calculus.”

“Bring it on, baby! This is a piece of candy!” Matthew whispered as he held his pen with much vigor.

So I was right. He is a nerd!

Thank you, God. I have found my people.

“Let’s do this!” I whispered back and passed a grin to Matt.

Maybe this new school wouldn’t be as bad as I’d thought.

***

Dipping my toe into the man-made miniature stream, I sighed happily as I felt the water flow right past it.

So cool!

I barely had the time to check out my backyard the past weekend, seeing as I helped Mom and Dad decorate the house and all, and the shopping wasn’t easy as well. So naturally, I thought to remedy that after school.

The day had gone by as smoothly as it could’ve. I had gained two friends: Marley and Matthew. And although I wouldn’t mind calling Blond a friend, even after his kissing stunt, Diandra seemed to think it better to keep her boyfriend at least five feet away from me—not that I minded or anything; the last thing I was looking for was drama, and Diandra spelled out drama with a capital d, being the queen bee and all.

After math class, Marley and I discovered that we had the rest of our classes together as well and ended up teaming up as desk mates in art class, our project being that we had to paint each other, which was awesome on our part.

From what I had seen, I personally thought Marley had a crush on Matt. I mean, it wasn’t that it wasn’t possible. He was pretty handsome—and smart too. I definitely saw myself playing Cupid when it came to both of them, though.

Matthew, on the other hand, shared every class with Marley and me except art, and that was pretty sad since I had a feeling he had amazing art skills.

The day ended pretty quickly, and before I knew it, school was over, and I was boarding the bus. I made a note to myself to beg Mom and Dad to let me buy my Audi. I had been saving up for it forever and just turned eighteen a few weeks ago; I deserved a car. Besides, after the kissing incident, I refused to travel in Alex’s vehicle. That would be wrong.

Shrugging the thoughts away, I made a sweep across the rest of the backyard and noticed a swimming pool near the tiny patio, which led to a bench area that was surrounded by rose bushes and vines. I stared in wonder at its beauty. With the pink and white roses in full bloom, it looked like a scene straight out of a romance novel.

Mental note to spend time reading here: check.

After five minutes of staring at the beauty, I finally managed to tear my eyes off the pretty bench area and continued to look around the backyard. There were roses bushes planted firmly along the fences, but they also ended with the fences as our backyard seemed to lead straight into the woods.

Strange. Why not fence the whole yard?

All of a sudden, my eyes landed on the large apple tree in the far corner of the yard, which was currently pretty plain-looking, with neither fruits nor flowers in bloom, but what had caught my attention was the swing that was attached to one of the strong thicker branches.

As a child, I loved swings and would make Dad take me to the parks every afternoon just for them. Now, to have my very own swing seemed like the best thing that could happen, and although it was fairly plain, it would do.

Sighing in contentment as I ran my hand along the strong rope, I finally gave in and sat on the bench. After dragging the swing back a meter, I let go and let it thrust me high above the ground.

It was the best feeling I had felt all day. I felt free like the birds, and it felt so elevating that I couldn’t help but let out a low giggle.

Smiling gently, I continued swinging, and leaning slightly on a rope, I let my eyes close.

***

“It’s getting dark,” a deep voice spoke from behind me as I felt my swing come to a sudden stop.

Clearly caught off guard, I gasped not only at the sudden stop but also at a stranger being in my yard. My eyes shot open, and I instantly saw that the stranger was right; it was growing dark.

Damn it, Thi!

My mind was everywhere. The deep voice was very alluring. The person also had a very distinctive British accent. So trying to put a dangerous face to the voice was nearly impossible.

Shut up, Theia. What if it’s a killer! What if . . . ? Oh my God, I can feel it breathe behind me. Oh my God. Shit, Theia! Do something! Run!

Okay. One . . . two . . . thr—

“Ahhh!” My sudden scream echoed around me as the stranger pulled me back onto the swing in the middle of my escape. His seemingly large hand was clasped around mine while mine was still gripping the ropes tightly.

I was stuck.

What does he want? Does he want to kill me? Why does he want to kill me? I am too young! Damn it, I haven’t even finished the book I was reading! What about Mom and Dad? Oh, why is life so cruel?

“A-are you going to kill me?” I whispered, not wanting to let my voice waver if I spoke up. I was too proud to show my future killer how scared I actually was.

If I were to die, I would die brave.

The stranger let out a chuckle, and my eyes widened as I felt a warm feeling run through my belly.

I wonder what he looks like.

“No, I am not going to kill you.”

Despite the warm tingles bubbling inside my belly, I stiffened.

Feeling calm enough, I let out a deep breath. Turn around . . . slowly.

Having finally mustered enough courage, I turned to face the stranger.

I died, literally. I died, went straight to paradise, and came back.

Standing behind me was a living Greek god, Adonis. Standing behind me was the epitome of perfection, the type of man who deserved to be in movies or magazines.

His deep baritone voice fit his face perfectly. Everything, from his clear blue eyes to his beautiful cleft chin to his strong, aristocratic jaw to his wavy dark hair, spelled out power and dominance.

When he realized I had been staring for too long, his lips pulled up in a ghost of a smile, and my wide eyes found another thing to marvel at . . .

This man’s smile was officially to die for.

How could someone so beautiful be ba—? What the hell are you doing, you stupid girl? He could kill you! He is trespassing on private propert. He could be a looter!

Suddenly seeing sense, I shook my head and looked away.

He couldn’t want anything good, could he?

I sighed. There was no escaping him. The man was built like Hulk.

“What do you want?”

“A name,” he responded, his voice a bit on the huskier side.

I frowned. “Whose?”

He smiled, his cleft chin becoming more prominent. “Yours.”

“Why?”

“You ask too many questions, amore mio.”

I stiffened. “A name for a name?”

I really did want to put a name to his beautiful face. Okay, I had officially lost my mind.

The man smiled. “You may call me Bryce.”

Bryce, huh? This will need some getting used to. Wait, you probably won’t ever meet this man again. No getting used to anything.

“Now your turn,” he added, moving to stand in front of me, while I still sat on the swing. His hand returned to mine as he switched his position.

“T-Theia,” I mumbled. Suddenly too shy to meet his eyes, I turned my gaze onto my lap.

“It’s an honor to finally meet you, Theia. Ti ho aspettato per tanto tempo,” Bryce’s deep voice spoke softly, making me glance at him in disbelief.

Finally meet me?

Still holding on to my hand, he slipped it off the rope and slowly brought it to his lip. His warm, soft lips pressed gently against the back of my hand for a little while longer than normal, as if holding a promise that this would not be the last time his lips graced my skin.

I shivered at the thought of his lips gracing my skin.

Stupid Thi. He is a Greek god, and you an English milkmaid. Chill out. You’re weaving worthless romances.

“I have to leave now,” he announced all of a sudden. He let go of my hand and stepped back, his stance stiff and his facial expression a little distant.

I nodded and instantly stood up, a little disappointed he had to leave but also somehow overjoyed.

Why couldn’t I just feel one thing?

You’re never going to see this beautiful face again, Thi. Of course, you would be sad. Hell, even Grandma Lidia would be disappointed at the thought of never seeing this beautiful face again.

“You’re tiny,” the stranger said with a chuckle, pulling me a little closer.

My head barely reached his shoulders—well, almost. Damn him for being so tall!

“Or maybe you are just too tall,” I retorted lamely, folding my arms in front of me.

Bryce grinned. “Touché. Now, close your eyes.”

My eyes did the contrary; they widened.

“Why?” I asked, stepping back for a bit, causing Bryce’s eyes to narrow at me, his anger apparent. Though, he quickly shook it off, and a ghost of a smile appeared on his lips.

Damn that smile!

“Just close your eyes. I promise I won’t bite . . . yet,” he said, assuring me.

Finally sighing in defeat, I closed my eyes slowly. The sound of leaves crunching under shoes drifted to my ears, and before I knew it, a voice whispered into my ear, “Until we meet again, my love.”

A sudden rush of wind hit my face as if urging me to open my eyes, as if informing me that he was gone. So, I did. And he was . . .

Bryce was gone.

His words seemed to echo around me even though they had been but a soft whisper into my ear. And at that moment I knew this was not the last I would see of Bryce. He and I would meet again.