The Gold Queen (Prequel)

November 18th, 1994.. Two weeks until the Wedding.

***Mateo***

I hear the door creak open, followed by the sound of hushed giggling. Groaning, I grab a pillow and cover my head, wanting to drown out the noise.

Small footsteps tiptoe to the foot of my bed and I decide to steal a peak at the clock, bright white numbers declaring that it was only 5:30 am.

“Teo…” a voice sings.

“Five more minutes,” I grumble, closing my eyes.

“Teo wake up!” Valentina shouts, stomping her foot on the floor.

Sighing, I pull the covers off and growl in annoyance when I’m met with two very dirty twins covered head to toe in flour and frosting. A misshapen cake sits lopsided on it’s tray in Emiliano’s hands, multicolored frosting covering the surface of the cake in uneven layers.

Two candles are snuggly tucked into the center of the cake and I smile as Emiliano and Valentina begin to sing:

“Estas son las mananitas que cantaba el rey David,

Hoy por ser dia de tu Santo, te las cantamos a ti.”

Happy birthday! Luis howls.

“Make a wish!” Valentina squeals as they finish their song.

I stare at the surface of the cake and a single wish comes to mind. A wish that a certain pair of perfect pouty pink lips were kissing my own, devouring me, savoring me. A wish I knew could never come true.

Doesn’t hurt to wish… Luis says.

I sigh, closing my eyes and wishing for Sofia’s lips to meet mine one last time.

“Que le muerda, Que le muerda! {bite it, bite it}” Emiliano sings, bringing the cake dangerously close to my face.

“Emi-“ I warn.

A smirk hangs on his lips. “What?” He asks innocently. “I won’t do anything, just take a bite. Right there in the corner,” he points.

I hesitate as I lean forward, keeping my eyes glued to the smirking Emiliano.

But of course, this was a mistake, as Valentina, suddenly pushes the cake up from the bottom of the tray, smearing its frosted surface onto my chin, nose and forehead.

“You little shits tricked me!” I snap, wiping frosting from my eyes as they burst into laughter and high five each other.

Valentina shrugs innocently while Emiliano hands me a towel to wipe myself off. Somehow the cake managed to stay on the tray and not on my bed.

“We got you a present,” Emi chirps, setting the smeared and crumbling cake on the night stand.

He lifts a small brown package from behind his back and hands it to me. Sitting up a bit straighter, I carefully tear away the wrapping paper to reveal a small leather bound journal.

“It’s so you can write down all your adventures when you explore the world,” Emi says.

“Maybe you can read it to us when you return from you trips,” Valentina adds with a shrug.

I run my finger tips along the cover, feeling the intricate designs carved into the surface. It was such a simple gift, but one I would treasure always. Unlike my father, the twins never judged me for wanting to leave. When we were a bit younger, they would ask me all the time where I would go and listen to all the tales I had to tell of the incredible world we had at our fingertips. Every year, they got me a gift for adventures. Last year, they gave me a sturdy water proof backpack to keep my stuff safe when I travelled.

“I love it,” I smile, opening my arms out wide for them. “Thank you.”

I gather them up in my arms and squeeze them tightly. A bit of frosting rubs off on them but they don’t seem to mind so much and lick a bit off their cheeks.

My eyes wander to the cake.

“Do I want to know about the mess you made in the kitchen?” I ask, raising an eyebrow at them and they shake their heads sheepishly.

I roll my eyes at them, climbing out of bed. “Well, go clean that up before Cassandra sees it and I’ll meet you downstairs in a bit for some breakfast before we go to the training grounds.”

“But it’s your birthday!” Valentina whines. “It should be a crime to train on such an occasion!”

I smirk at her, messing up her hair. “Nice try, Vale but we are training today. Get your uniforms. I’ll meet you all downstairs in half an hour.”

Valentina g****s as Emiliano takes the cake and pushes her out of my room. I hop in the shower, Luis whistling to himself. He was excited to now be able to sense our mate.

What do you think she’ll look like? He daydreams. I bet her eyes sparkle in the moonlight and she’ll be the most beautiful girl to ever walk this earth.

I sigh. I had already met the most beautiful girl in the world and she refused to speak to me. Since the attack on the village, Sofia had kept her distance. We no longer studied together and she was never in the library balcony at midnight anymore for our night long chats. I missed her…more than I thought I would.

Shoving the thought aside, I quickly get dressed in my uniform, making sure it was all nice and neat for inspection.

I steal a glance at myself in the mirror and not to toot my own horn, but I looked good. A handsome devil if you will. I flash a smile at the mirror and wink. I don’t know who my mate would be, but she would definitely be pleased to see me.

At least that’s what I hoped.

I place my hand on the door handle but can’t seem to turn it, suddenly feeling very nervous.

What if my mate rejects me?

She won’t! Luis says confidently. Our mate will love us.

Taking a deep breath, I step out into the hall way and catch the faint scent of roasted coffee beans and almonds.

Mate! Luis cries out.

I raise my nose to the air, looking for the source of the incredible smell of my mate.

Goddess so soon? Who could it be? One of the omegas of the house?

Perhaps it’s was Cassandra’s niece, Lesley. She was a very shy Omega who did the laundry so I rarely ever spoke to her. I tuck the thought away, deciding it was best to just bite the bullet and see for myself.

I follow the trail down the hall towards the library. Taking a deep breath and putting a smile on my face, I turn the knob slowly, my heart pounding in my ears.

To my shock, I find Sofia hunched over some documents at the desk, the incredible coffee scent permeating from her being.

Oh goddess…Could it really be her?

It’s as if the entire world melts away when I gaze into her beautiful amber eyes, finding myself mesmerized by the swirls of golds and browns in her irises. A silence engulfs us, neither one of us moving or breathing, too afraid to break this sacred connection we had somehow formed.

Mate! Luis howls.

Mate…

My heart swells with joy that the most beautiful girl I had ever laid eyes on was my mate. But the feeling quickly slips away when I notice she looks more like a deer caught in the head lights than a wolf happy to meet her mate for the first time.

“You’re 18,” she whimpers as she stumbles back into a bookshelf. “Oh goddess you’re 18…”

She was not surprised at all that we were mates…

Did she know? She knew this whole time and didn’t tell me? Didn’t tell me that we were meant to spend the rest of our lives together?

She breaks the connection, casting her beautiful eyes down to her feet. “You should go,” she says, her fists clenching at her sides.

The morning light peaking through the window catches the diamond on her ring. Her engagement ring.

Luis growls in anger when we remember that our mate was engaged to someone else. To a Prince who made her cry on her 18th birthday. To a man who didn’t know the first thing about making her happy. To Julian.

“How long have you known?” I ask, stepping closer to her, still in shock that this was our reality.

“Doesn’t matter,” she says, inching as far away as possible from me. “I’m engaged so you should really leave-“

“Well it matters to me!” I snap, slamming my fist on the desk in front of me. “This is my life too, ya know? You can’t just make this type of decision and expect me to just sit back and watch you get married to that-” I’m seething with so much rage, I can’t even bring myself to pronounce his name. “That thing!”

Her eyes fill with tears. “You think I wanted this?” she asks, pain gripping her every word. “I tried everything in my power to get away from you. To push you away. Hell, I even made up that stupid lie about wanting Emiliano to join the army, but you-“

“So you what? You just planned on never telling me the truth?” I sneer, pushing my hands through my hair in frustration. “You really were just going to give yourself away to that man without so much as a second thought about what I wanted!”

“I have a responsibility to my kingdom!”

“Don’t hit me with that bullshit,” I growl, once again slamming my fists against the table. “What about your responsibility to your mate?”

“I don’t owe you anything,” She huffs, storming over to me and pushing her finger against my chest. “You don’t control my life. You don’t own me!”

I tower over her tiny, perfect body, staring into her endless pools of honey. Luis fights for control, scratching and clawing his way to the surface but I shove him back. This was my battle.

“If you think I’m going to just let him take you away from me then you are sadly mistaken,” I whisper through gritted teeth as I lean closer to her face.

My hand grabs her chin, the sparks tingling across my skin at the contact and we both still, enjoying the rich sensation of our bond. I let my thumb rest on her pretty plump lips, parting her mouth. As I lean closer, I can hear her heart begin to beat uncontrollably in her chest, as if ready to leap from her being into mine. Her hot breath caresses my face as our noses touch and I enjoy the look of absolute desire in her eyes.

My eyes travel down to her pink lips, craving them, needing them. “You want me just as bad as I want you,” I murmur, my lips just barely hovering over hers. “Don’t do this to us. Don’t push me away.”

“I can’t,” she whimpers as my lips graze hers.

“Please!” I plead, needing her to say she would never trade me for a Prince. That I was the only Prince she would ever need.

But it seems that was just wishfully thinking because before our lips could meet, she presses her hands up against my chest to stop me.

“No, we can’t. I’m engaged,” she says, trying to side step me but I block her way, not wanting this conversation to end this way. “Get out of my way!” she warns as I grab her by the shoulders and push her gently against the bookshelf.

“No, not until we figure this out!”

“There’s nothing to figure out. In just a two weeks, I marry Julian.”

“But-“

“I, Sofia Isabel Reyes, Princess of the Sol de Oro Kingdom, reject you-“

Panicking, I slam my lips onto hers before she can finish breaking my heart, not wanting to hear those cruel words leave her precious mouth. I pour every ounce of my being into this one k**s, hoping somehow it will be enough to make her realize she belongs with me.

She tries to fight it, but as I swipe my tongue against her lips, she finds herself surrendering to me. My hands find their way to the backs of her thighs and I lift her up, never once breaking our connection and feeling her wrap her legs around my waist. Her hands bury themselves in my curls as I explore her mouth, savoring her taste and the relishing in the sparks that explode across my entire body.

Needing a breath, she pulls back and I take advantage to trail k****s down her chin and onto her neck, my body going haywire as I inhale her intoxicating scent. My tongue caresses her marking spot as she m***s in pleasure, driving me over the edge. I nibble and tease her delicate flesh, my canines eager to mark her.

But feeling my canines on her marking spot was enough to break this trance for her and she once again pushes her hands against my chest.

“No, stop!” She whimpers. “Put me down!”

I stare at her in bewilderment. She was mine to mark. How could she not want this? Did she not feel what I felt?

“But-“

Despite her tiny frame, Sofia manages to shove me hard enough to make me stumble back a few feet away. When she tries to walk around me, I grab her by the wrist, the sparks igniting across my hands.

“Let me go of me Mateo-“

The scent of another wolf fills my nostrils and before I can react, I feel my body being slammed against a wall. A hand wraps around my throat while an elbow and forearm trap me up against the wall. It takes me a second to re-orient myself and realize it’s Julian.

Luis is livid, eager to tear out the throat of the man trying to take our mate away, but I manage to push him back before he can surface.

“Tell me why I shouldn’t rip out your throat this instant for touching my fiancé,” he growls at me, his hands getting uncomfortably warm.

“Let him go, Julian,” Sofia pleads, tugging at his arms. “He didn’t hurt me so just let him go.”

“He touched what’s mine!”

“She doesn’t belong to you!” I snarl, baring my teeth at him as I concentrate on his throat.

Julian gasps, his grip loosening on me as he fights to get some air into his lungs. Taking advantage, I raise my knee and slam it into his stomach, making his stumble back a few paces. His face turns bright red as he claws at his throat.

“Teo, stop!” Sofia cries, rushing to Julian’s side, angering me even more. “Please,” she begs, looking up at me with tear filled eyes.

Eyes that make me fall deeper into a pit of despair and tear away at my heart.

I release Julian and he rolls over onto his hands and knees, coughing for air while Sofia rubs his back lovingly.

It’s too much pain to bear, and before I know it, my legs carry me out of the room, leaving my mate with her fiancé.