The Alphas & The Heiress

Magnolia (Syble)

I can’t wipe this stupid damn grin off my face. Even though everything is so completely fucked with my dad and uncle still missing, the usual rage that simmers below the surface relaxes when I’m near the twins, my mates.

After getting dressed, I head down to the kitchen hand in hand with the twins. The palace staff all bow as we pass one another, the women stopping to eye the twins a fraction too long. I tug them along and they chuckle, “I like this possessive side of you, princess.” Ro purrs.

“I’m not being possessive,” I argue but we all know it’s a lie.

As we get closer to the kitchen I pick up on their anger. At first I thought it was directed at me but turning the corner I’m faced with the source.

“Luna, at last! How are you, my child?” Accalia swoops around the kitchen island, arms wide ready for an embrace.

“Mom, what are you doing here?” Varian asks his mother as she wraps her arms around me. When she pulls back she holds me away at arm’s length and begins inspecting my neck which causes a red flush to tint my face.

“I sent for her early this morning.” This voice belongs to none other than my mother who just strolled into the kitchen from the other side of the room.

I shoot a glare at Incandis for not warning me, but he just shrugs his shoulders telling me he didn’t know of it either.

“Luna!” Kat abandons her breakfast plate and runs into me, throwing her arms around my neck. “Finally! I’m so happy it’s you!”

I catch Incandis staring at us with the dumbest grin on his face, what the fuck has come over everyone this morning?

“Okay, weirdo?” I try to deflect and disentangle myself from Kat.

Ro clears his throat, and shifts his eyes from mine to my mother and back again, a subtle hint for me to introduce them.

“Oh! Right! Uhm, mom, this is Rohanor and Varian.” I begin, pressing my hand to each of their chests as I introduce them. “They’re the Alphas of Shadowmoon, they’ve been helping us on our mission. Guys, this is my mom, Queen Ianthe.”

My mom looks at them impassively, giving away nothing of what she’s thinking. I’ve never brought a guy home to meet the parents — and I’ve got two guys — so this phase of the relationship is completely foreign to me

Without breaking eye contact with the twins she addresses their mom. “Accalia? I think we’ll be needing to add a wedding to the coronation, it would appear that your sons have been marked with the sigil of the Queen.” She says tapping on her neck where Ro and Varian bear my mark, my sigil. Her once neutral face splits into a rare, but warm, smile.

Kat begins jumping up and down clapping her hands like a giddy fledgling, Accalia smiles at us just as warmly as my mom, Incandis looks like he’s going to kill the twins but something is holding him back, and Xander is completely unphased by any of this, stuffing his face full of bacon and eggs as if the room isn’t spinning.

“Good morning, my Queen.” Xander beams at me with casual arrogance. “How is the most beautiful woman in the grove doing?”

Well, he was right about one thing last night…it doesn’t take much to set off the twins. Ro and Varian begin snarling at Xander who just grins victoriously.

“Xander, stop being such a pain in the ass.” I say with no heat behind my words. “Mom, wedding? What? Coronation?” I’m incredulous. “Nothing happens until we find dad and uncle Dex.”

“Xander, gather the guards I want to debrief on this past week. Incandis get me Elder Rimori here within the hour, she owes me some fucking answers. Mom, no planning, I mean it.”

She lifts an amused brow at me, like I could ever tell her what to do. If she’s upset by my words she doesn’t show it. Instead she and Accalia instantly fall back into easy conversation about party planning. I’ll have to deal with that later.

Xander and Incandis take off immediately to execute my orders, as they should. I pivot around to leave but I’m faced with Ro and Varian cemented to the spot, eyes black and their teeth tugging suggestively at their lower lips.

— — —

Varian

Magnolia begins rattling off orders to everyone, easily commanding attention and exuding authority. It’s so fucking sexy, my cock twitches to life beneath my jeans.

I shamelessly scan my eyes over her body, my mate’s body. There’s my confident, badass mate. She’s not the kind of woman to bow down to a man so it gives me untold pleasure that she submits and surrenders so easily to our touch, letting only us dominate her and take control of her pleasure.

“You’re fucking insatiable.” She laughs, knowing exactly how we’re feeling and what we’re thinking thanks to the bond.

Ro flashes her a salacious grin. He kisses her neck and causes her legs to give out when he drags his teeth over his mark. “My bossy little spitfire, brought to heel with a single kiss.” He whispers through a grin.

Faster than lightning, she throws a punch aimed right at his jaw. He manages to catch her fist and spin her around so her back is to his front, then presses her up against the counter and pins her there with his hips.

“I could do this all day, princess.” Ro taunts her.

“You know I can knock you out, I’ve done it once before.” She postures but the threat is empty.

“You promise?” He smirks against her neck.

“Goddess, guys, ew. Get a room.” Kat complains from her seat across the kitchen. I completely forgot that she and our mothers were still here. I can’t seem to focus on anything but Mags when I’m near her.

Queen Ianthe encourages us to head over to the meeting ahead of Mags so she can have a word with her daughter in private. I don’t want to leave her side, but I do understand a mom needing some time with her daughter. Ianthe hasn’t seen Mags in over a week and wasn’t able to see her last night after the attack, which was definitely our fault.

The meeting hall is another very large and spacious room, almost the size of a ballroom but for them it’s just another office. There are two dozen people in the room, but the only one I recognize is Xander. When Magnolia joins us in the meeting room I expect him to move to her, I dare him silently to put his hands on her, to look at her with darkened eyes – I’d be only too happy to snap his neck for it.

But he doesn’t move. He stands, bows his head at the neck, and sits back down listening seriously to her summary of the week’s events. Incandis, Ro, and I fill in where we can, especially regarding the ambush. Incandis’ description of her laying on the ground wounded, bleeding out, cold – cold. I can’t imagine her without her permanent warmth, her permanent glow. She’s literally radiant.

The more I think about that day the angrier I become. I grip the arm rests of my seat so tightly my knuckles turn white and the wood begins to splinter under the pressure. A soft, warm hand peels the tension off of my hand. Once she manages to dislodge the chair from my grip, Magnolia slips her hand into mine.

Relax, I’m here, I’m okay. Her silky voice billows through my mind.

My eyes fly open in surprise. Did she just mindlink me? She looks at me curiously, confused by my surprise. She must not have done it intentionally. I lift her hand and press a tender kiss to her knuckles, never taking my eyes off of hers as I do it.

Oh this is going to be fun.

Ro, watch this. I link to my brother and he turns his attention away from the table and towards us.

I love the way your tits bounce when you ride me. I link to her and Ro. He must think I’m insane because he gives me the most bewildered what-the-fuck look.

My words have an immediate effect on Mags. Her skin warms, her heart starts beating faster, arousal blooms between her thighs. I was right. She heard me.

Should we let Ro bend you over this table and reclaim you so everyone knows who you belong to?

Her mouth pops open by a fraction letting her tongue slick across her bottom lip before she sinks her teeth into her lip.

Am I imagining this? She asks through our link.

Oh no, Princess, this is happening. Apparently you can mindlink us. Now I can tell you about everything I want to do to you whenever, and wherever, I’d like. And no one will hear me but you. Ro purrs through the link, his darkened eyes are fixated on hers from his place beside her at the table.

“Mags?” Incandis’ voice interrupts our private dialogue. “I asked if there was anything else you wanted to add before we adjourned?”

“Oh, uhm, yes. Please see to it that every member of the queen’s guard has the day off. Trackers, too. And can someone get me detailed schematics of the tunnel systems in these caves? Where are we on Elder Rimori?”

“She’ll be here in ten minutes. Your office.” Incandis says proudly, chest puffed pleased with himself for accomplishing such a difficult task.

The guards file out leaving the three of us plus Incandis and Xander. Almost as soon as the door closes behind the last guard, Xander’s posture relaxes. Business is done, back to being his overly flirtatious, pain-in-the-ass self.

“I’ll walk with you to your office, my queen.” Xander offers.

Ro snarls at him when he walks closer to us, to her, as if we didn’t even exist. All he sees is her.

“Actually, I’d like to see Elder Rimori on my own. Xander, why don’t you go keep tabs on my mother and Accalia. Keep them from planning anything.”

He hesitates for a fraction of a second, before flying off as she asked.

“D, I’ll meet you in my office. I need a minute with them.” She says as she nods in our direction.

Incandis is barely airborne before she snaps at us, “guys I don’t know what your problem is with Xander but I need you to let go of whatever it is. He will be the head of my guard, he’s important to me and my family.”

“Our problem is that as soon as we’re alone he looks at you like he’s undressing you with his eyes.” I grit out through a clenched jaw.

“What’s worse, is we can’t tell if it’s wishful thinking…or a memory.” Ro’s eyes turn black, heat bubbles under the surface of my skin.

I grab her face and tilt her head to look at me, my lips hovering above hers. “Is he remembering your naked body, Princess? Has he ever fucked you? Has he had a taste of what’s ours?” I growl out as my canines drop, ready to reclaim what’s mine.

She lifts her chin up to me even more, my defiant, confident little spitfire.

“Yes, I’ve slept with him. I won’t deny it. But he has never tasted me. He’s never emptied himself inside of me. No one. Not once. Only you.” The blaze in her eyes grows larger with every word. I can feel the heat from her gaze on my lips like a torch.

I tug roughly on her ponytail and her head tips back and to the side. “Good,” is all I say before I sink my teeth back down into my mark, claiming her again. I’ll never get tired of biting her, of feeling her melt into my arms and into my mouth.

She must not have been expecting me to mark her again because she bursts into flames as soon as I latch onto her.