The Gold Queen (Prequel)

***Sofia***

“S-sofia!” Mateo practically shouts with joy, his cheeks flushed from the booze he still held in his hand.

I rush to him as he leans a little too forward and just barely manage to catch him before he falls. He sniffs my hair as I hold him up and chuckles to himself.

“Y-You smell s-so good,” he whispers loudly.

“Shut up!” I hiss, using all my strength to hold him up. He was incredible heavy. “Why are you drinking at this late hou-“

I hear footsteps walking down the stairs and panic. I’m literally wearing a flimsy night slip and a thin robe with a drunken man, my mate no less.

The Pantry, Solana suggests .

`Draping his arm around my shoulder and wrapping my arm around his waist, I steer us in the direction of the pantry, quickly closing the door behind us to conceal us inside. Mateo opens his mouth to speak and I quickly shove my hand over it to shut him up, placing a finger to my lips in a warning.

Sparks light up my palm as I feel his tongue drag across it and he smiles in amusement when I smack him over the head.

“Hello?” a small voice calls out and I feel my body relax.

I pop the door open and find a very confused and sleepy Emiliano staring at the mess his brother made in the kitchen.

“Psst Emi!” I hiss, waving him over to the pantry. “Help me.”

He runs over, careful not to step on the broken jar on the floor. When he sees his brother’s state, he bursts out laughing.

“Is he drunk?” he wheezes.

“Yes,” I snap. “Help me get him into bed before your parents (or my mine) see him.”

He laughs a little more as he hoists Mateo up while I quickly dispose of the broken jar and clean up Mateo’s mess. Thoroughly entertained, Emiliano decides to let his brother stay drunk a little longer and not heal him, much to my annoyance. It takes a little over 10 minutes for us to get him upstairs as he kept trying to escape to get another bottle of booze. By the time we get him into bed, I’m panting furiously and sit on the edge of the bed to catch my breath while Emiliano attempts to heal his brother’s idiocy.

Things don’t seem to be going too well as Mateo swats at his brother’s hands to keep him away and I have to jump into action, climbing on top of Mateo so I have my thighs clamping down on his sides. I reach for his wrists, ignoring the sparks that he ignites on my skin and pin them over his head.

Mateo smirks at me and begins to giggle.

“What’s so funny?” I snap.

“You’re the most beautifullest girl I’ve ever met,” he slurs quietly, my face heating up. “Pretty, pretty girl s-siting on me,” he laughs.

I can feel Emiliano’s gaze switch between Mateo and I, but before he can say anything, I hiss at him.

“Heal him now,” I snap, trying to hide my embarrassment by letting my hair fall on my face.

“I’m going to s-scream now,” Mateo hiccups, a smirk tugging at his lips as he opens his mouth.

Panicking and with no free limbs left to use, I crash my mouth onto his before he can let out his scream.

Solana giggles with joy as the sparks light me up inside, making me melt right into him. Despite his drunken state, Mateo knows exactly what he’s doing as he reacts to my k**s, raising his head to deepen the k**s, his tongue hungrily exploring my mouth.

Alarms start ringing in my head and I remember Emiliano was standing right beside me so I muster up the will to pull away. Mateo looks thoroughly pleased and sighs as he rests his head back on his pillow.

“Heal him quickly,” I plead with Emiliano and he nods, the look of shock never leaving his face.

He gently places a hand on his brothers cheek, his eyes glowing turquoise as he works his magic. After a few seconds, Mateo sighs and stares at me with pain filled eyes.

“Why couldn’t you just let me be happy a bit longer?” He whines.

I close my eyes, unable to look at him any longer. “Because you have to face reality sooner or later.”

He says nothing as I climb off of him and get to my feet.

“Emi, could you give us some privacy,” I sigh. “I need to speak with your brother. Alone.”

“Of course, your Highness,” he replies, bowing slightly before turning to leave.

“Oh and Emi?” I call out, not wanting the news of this little incident to spread.

“Don’t worry, your Highness,” he smiles. “I won’t tell anyone your and Mateo are mates.”

A blush reaches my cheeks as he winks at me before quickly shuffling out of the room and closing the door behind him. Left completely alone with my mate, I stand with my back to him, a little afraid to see him and the pain I had caused him. After a few seconds, I feel his stare bore into my back and I shiver, suddenly very aware that I was only wearing my flimsy night gown, my robe discarded somewhere on the floor.

“Are you cold, Princess?” Mateo finally asks and I hear him shuffle around.

“No, I’m fine,” I reply, wrapping my arms tightly around my body and mustering up the courage to face him.

My heart skips a beat as I almost crash into his chest and I stumble back a little whilst holding my breath, afraid I would lose my will to resist him if I inhaled his scent. There’s a blanket in his hands.

“What are you-“

“You’re shivering,” he says, draping the blanket over my shoulders. “Now you won’t be,” he chirps, sitting back down into his bed and smiling at me. “Now let’s talk,” he adds, patting his bed.

I gulp, taking timid steps and sitting on the furthest part of his bed.

“Teo I-“

“Before you finish ripping out my heart, just hear me out,” he sighs. “Please.”

I hesitate but the pain in his eyes breaks something inside me so I nod quietly and listen.

“There’s no way I can convince you to pick me, is there?” He asks, a little hope flickering in his grey eyes.

I shake my head, despair filling my heart as I watch his hope dissolve.

He’s quiet for a moment before sighing. “Then I have one request.”

I sit up a little straighter and wait patiently for him to elaborate.

“You made your decision before we met…” he says, his voice shaking. “So I never got the chance to change your mind.” He takes a small pause to exhale slowly. “I want to know what it’s like to love you and to be loved by you, Sofia.”

Solana purrs as my name rolls off his tongue and my chest tightens as I realize I wanted to be loved by him too, that I craved to be loved only by him.

“You marry in two weeks… that’s fourteen days before you give yourself away to that …. Prick,” he growls that last word and I almost chuckle at his fury, but I know this was no laughing matter and instead swallow hard.

“So for the next fourteen days,” he smiles at me, making my heart flutter. “I want to know what it’s like to be your mate. I want us to love each other like mates would.”

A few tears spill onto my cheeks at his request. “Teo we can’t-“

“I may never get the chance to love someone like this ever again,” he pleads. “Second chance mates are rare so I’m begging you Sofia. Don’t take this away from me. Just let me have two weeks to be with you. Afterwards, you can reject me all you want.”

His silver pools fill with tears and I hate myself for doing this to him.

“Teo, if Julian finds out, he’ll kill you,” I shake my head.

“Then he won’t find out. Well just keep this a secret between us,” he responds, clearly having given this some thought. “To the rest of the world, we’ll just be friends.”

I stare into his pain filled eyes, contemplating his proposition.

This would just make things more painful for us in the long run, I sigh. I need to end this now.

We are about to spend the rest of our lives tolerating a piece of s**t, Solana growls. Two weeks is the least you can do for me!

“It’s just two weeks,” Mateo adds, leaning his forehead on the side of my head, his breath brushing up against my ear. “Please?”

Tiny sparks tingle down the side of my face to my neck as his lips stroke my skin and I find myself leaning towards him, wanting the sparks to never end.

“Okay,” I whisper, turning my face to his, quickly finding his lips with my own.

His hand goes to my cheek, caressing my jaw with his fingers as he pulls me onto his lap. I gap at the sudden movement, allowing him to slip his tongue inside my mouth to deepen the k**s. His arms wrap around my waist, pressing me agaisnt his body while my hands explore his chest before making their way into his hair and pulling him closer. But it seems no matter how hard I pull, I can’t get enough of him.

Solana attempts to surface, but Mateo was mine and I was not willing to share. At least not tonight.

My lungs burn as I slowly run out of breath but I wanted more, needed more of this perfect k**s that was lighting up my entire being with desire. With passion. With Love.

Mateo, however, seems to have more self control than I do and is the first to pull away, a wide smile on his swollen red lips.

“Stay with me tonight,” he whispers, pecking my lips as I pant for breath.

My cheeks flush at the thought of us spending the night together in the same bed. I suddenly felt very hot as several images of a shirtless Mateo fill my head, a tingling sensation reaching my core at the thought of running my hands over his chiseled chest and torso, exploring every curve with my hands, with my lips, with my tongue….

I feel my panties dampen and he smirks at my reaction, kissing my nose.

“Calm down, Princess,” he chuckles, his hands exploring my sides, the thin fabric of my night gown the only barrier between us. “I’ll be a gentleman,” he adds, grabbing my thighs and lifting me up as he stands up.

I squeal excitedly, wrapping my arms around his neck and pecking his lips. Mateo gently lays me down on his bed, looking down at me with a mix of emotions I find hard to decipher. His eyes travel to the hem of my night gown, the fabric having ridden up so it exposed a larger part of my upper thigh. I watch as his fingers linger on the hem, sparks igniting as our skin meets. It’s as if we’re both in a trance, neither of us moving and both of us holding our breaths. My heart starts to accelerate as he traces the hem with his index finger before he finally has mercy and pulls the fabric down to cover me.

Without a second word, he climbs into bed and lays beside me, pulling me to his chest and setting the covers over us. His lips k**s my forehead, the tenderness of the gesture sending a warm shiver down my spine and I close my eyes to enjoy the sensation. Finally in each other’s arms, I bury my face in his neck and let his scent lull me to sleep.

—

I wake up to the sounds of birds singing by the window as light peeks through, announcing the dawn of a new day. There’s an arm draped across my h*p and I feel a warmth behind me. The scent of pine and raspberries surrounds me and I back into the warmth, enjoying the sensation of its company. My eyes flutter open and it takes a moment for me to remember where I am. My eyes travel to the arm on my h*p and I interlock my fingers with Mateo’s, bringing his hands to my lips to k**s him.

I steal a glance at the clock. It was almost 6 am which meant the house would soon awaken and I would need to leave.

“Good morning, mi amor,” a husky voice whispers in my ears, making my stomach erupt in butterflies. “How did you sleep?”

I had the best sleep of my life, I want to say but just k**s his hand some more.

“I have to go, Teo,” I reply, mentally preparing myself to leave the comfort of his bed as I lift his arm off of me.

“No,” he whines, tightening his grip on me and burying his face in neck “Stay a little longer.”

I close my eyes as I feel his k****s on my skin, spark after spark sending warm shivers down my spine.

It takes all my will power to keep from turning around and making him mine.

“I would love to, but remember…” I chuckle, propping myself up with my elbow. “We agreed no one would see us and I have to get back to my own room before anyone realizes I spent the night somewhere else.”

Mateo g****s as he lays back in bed and I sit up, stretching out my arms and yawning.

“I slept so good last night,” he whispers, staring at the ceiling.

“Me too,” I sigh, forcing myself to my feet. “But the day awaits.”

He turns on his side to face me, propping himself up by this elbow and resting his cheek in his palm.

“So what are you doing today?” he smirks, his eyes darkening as they travel up and down my body.

I fumble with the robe nervously. “N-nothing,” I smile sheepishly. “I have some studying to do.”

“And when do your plans involve me?” he asks, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

Solana growls, giving me a boost of confidence as I lean down on the bed and close the gap between us. My lips hover over his, just barely grazing them and I smile at the tingles that he sparks within me.

“I don’t know,” I tease.

He leans forward as I pull back and he stares at me, completely baffled when I march towards the door.

“Tonight,” I smile before running out his room and locking myself in my own.

***Mateo***

When I come down for breakfast, my father pulls me into an unoccupied room and locks the door, rubbing his temples furiously as he apparently collects his thoughts.

“What is it?” I ask, still a bit hurt about his reaction yesterday.

“Do you love Sofia?” he asks, finally looking me in the eyes.

It was an easy answer.

“With all my heart,” I reply confidently.

“Then I have an idea,” he sighs, the worried look on his face making me uneasy. “I just hope it doesn’t get you killed.”