The Kings Mate

Ryder’s hazel eyes are soft as he watches me. I wasn’t even doing anything but running my finger over his shoulder, and he was amazed by it. Ryder was laid out on his stomach with one arm folded under his pillow with his other hooked around my waist as I cuddled myself into the warmth of his side.

“I don’t want you to leave.” I say softly to him as I watch the small goose bumps rise with the tingles that come from the contact of my fingers against his muscled shoulder.

Ryder hums in agreement as he slides his fingers up my back. “I wish I could spend all day with you, right here.” He smirks as his hand comes down my back again, gently brushing the sweet spot between my legs. The touch was short, retreating back before I had the chance to slap his hand away, but it had its desired effect. “I need to meet the pack alpha’s that are arriving and you need–”

“To not leave my guards sight,” I say my eyes shotting up to his as I drop my voice and fake a Jordenian accent. There’s a soft slap to my bum as Ryder shakes his head. “You’ve been saying it all week Ry. You’ve pretty much drilled it into my head.”

Noticing the change of tone Ryder purses his lips and drops his head down to kiss my fingers. “I know you don’t like being followed and you are only really comfortable with your regular guards but the extras are essential. You understand why it’s important that nothing that happens to you.”

Of course I understood. Even though Allie had told me not to worry about Ryder and me creating an heir, it was all anybody seemed to care about. Out of everyone that found out that I hadn’t gotten pregnant on the honeymoon, only a handful understood my nerves and didn’t show disappointment. Those people were Allie, Heidi, Letty and even Acton and Brylee. Ryder was the number one person and he, as always, wasn’t pushing anything on me that I wasn’t comfortable with. Something he also wasn’t really comfortable with.

“It doesn’t mean I have to like it.” I whined as I cuddled closer into Ryder. There was a cold breeze coming through the slightly opened balcony doors and it was sending a chill over my naked body.

Ryder rolls to his side when he notices the shakes that are starting and he pulls me in closer to him as he raises the thick blanket up around my shoulders. “It’ll get easier. Once the rebels are gone you won’t be as heavily guarded and I won’t be as busy so we can do some partially normal stuff.”

With every inch of his skin pressed against mine, I couldn’t help the way that my mind wandered. “We can have more sex.”

My train of thought had been implanted into his mind now, and I knew he was feeling and thinking what I was. “Can’t keep your hands off can you?”

“I can’t keep my hands off because you can’t, your majesty. It’s your fault.” I counter, watching as his eyes darken and drop to watch the words fall out of my mouth.

“You know we can’t do anything now. I’m supposed to be at a meeting in five minutes and Reynolds and Theo are outside now.” His voice is husky, his eyes flicking back up to mine and showing me the dark colour.

Lifting my hand up I cup his cheek. His eyes return to their normal colour at my soft touch. “You’re seeing your dad as well aren’t you?”

Alexander had blamed me. He had thought that I had somehow ‘fixed’ our mating so I wouldn’t conceive. When he had stormed in on us eating our first night back, with Allie only a step behind him, he had nearly grabbed me. It was strange seeing two large sized wolves fighting right in front of me and breaking the furniture.

Reynolds was one of the first people in the room once the fight broke out. Quickly his arm was wrapped around my stomach and holding my arms to my side because he knew how I would react even though I didn’t. Alexander was clearly stronger than me but I still struggled to get out of Reynolds arms so I could push Ryder out of the way so he wouldn’t be hurt.

Once Allie had finally managed to get Alex out of the room, but not without the two wolves getting a few bites in on each other, Ryder turned and snapped at the hold Reynolds had on me and nuzzled his head into my stomach as I run a reassuring hand through the matted tufts of his fur. I hadn’t seen Alex since then.

“Yes,” His voice was tight and hinted to how angry he was that he had to see his father again.

Knowing that he was angry I really didn’t want to let him leave. He had to go anyway. With a final sigh Ryder leans forward and presses a quick kiss to my lips before he presses himself up from the bed. Heat flooded my cheeks as he shamelessly walked towards his jeans that are half way across the room. He smirked as he bent down to pick up both his jeans and his shirt which he threw back in my direction.

Slipping his shirt over my head I kneel on the side of the bed and hook my arms around his neck as he dropped his hands to my waist. “You’re going to shower and train more aren’t you?”

Over the week Reynolds and Cole had taken me down to the grounds and continued to help with the bow and arrow. My aim was nearly perfect now, much to my surprise. All my guards were now used as moving targets, much to me initial unease they took it as their own way of training to avoid attacks as well. The arrows were blunted so once I shot them all they did was yelp before it fell back out.

Nodding my head I pull at the locks of his hair that needs to be tamed. “Be careful.”

I smile innocently when he shakes his head at me. “You’re the one that needs to be careful. Should I be scared by how much you like doing this?”

“Why? Are you afraid I’ll be stronger than you?” Using his weight to leverage me I tighten my arms around his neck and pull myself into him and up off the bed so I can wind my legs around his waist.

Ryder’s eyes darken again and he turns, carrying me towards the bathroom. “Oh baby, you know that physical strength doesn’t make me stronger than you, you only have to bat your eyelashes at me and I’d be on my knees in front of you. You know that.”

His voice was husky and deep. I did know that. I was his weakness which is why he was always worried about me. Especially now, if the rebels wanted to get to him and to the throne, the best way was to attack me. I was also his strength. I was what was fuelling him to make sure the kingdom was safe from the rebels. I was his strength to make sure that the palace would be safe for me and any of our future pups.

Me feet connect with the heated tiles as Ryder gently lowers me to the ground now that we were stood in front of the shower. Bringing his hand up, he runs it along my cheek gently. “I really have to go.”

“I know.” I whisper back, turning my face into the palm of his hand so I can kiss the tough skin there.

“Heidi is coming back today and you’re welcome to do anything with her inside the castle ok?” I nodded my head at him. I knew why he was so protective didn’t mean I had to like it. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

When I had finally gotten out of the shower Ryder was gone. I wasn’t used to having long showers but when I had stepped in and the warm water rained down on my body I couldn’t find myself wanting to get out. It was a luxury that I savoured after what I had been through, and I spent my time, massaging my scalp and washing the skin that had only recently been worshipped by Ryder’s lips.

I froze when my hands had landed on my stomach. My head dropped forward and the water ran down my face as I looked at my palms pressed against the soft and flat skin of my stomach. In that moment I could see myself with a large tummy that was carrying a child that had been created by the love that Ryder and I had shared.

Slowly my fingers stroked against the smooth skin. I didn’t know if the liquid moving down my cheeks was tears or the water from the shower head. That was when I knew that I had to get out of the shower.

Wrinkles covered my fingers as I pulled on a pair of jeans and a long sleeved shirt. It was still cool outside so I also grabbed the jumper that Ryder was wearing when we were down in the private courtyard last night. It was bathed in his scent and I breathed it in as I pulled the sleeves past my fingers.

Walking into the sitting room I see Reynolds and Theo sat on the lounge watching the television on a low level. Reynolds is the first to look over at me, noting that I wasn’t in the usual clothes that I wore to go to training of a morning.

“Not training today?” he questions as he sits up properly. Theo’s eyes flick towards me for a quick second before he concentrates back on the television.

Shaking my head I sink down into the plush pillows of the lounge. “I don’t feel up to it anymore.”

“Are you okay? You’re not sick or anything?” He pushed himself up further and I could hear the worry that was running deeply through his voice. “Do you want me to call Ryder back?”

I shook my head again, my fingers picking at the fringe of the jumper sleeves. Theo seemed to notice that I wasn’t ok and he excused himself from the room. Even though I was friends with all of my guards, they all knew that I had a better bond with Reynolds. He was a brother.

Once the door closed Reynolds started to speak again, his voice soft. “What wrong gorgeous? You were opening up and being happy, what’s happened?”

This morning I was fine and now it seemed like something had clicked inside of me. “Do you think I’d be a good mother?”

I barely heard my own voice through the mumbled words but of course he heard them. His eyebrows shot up. “I think you’d make an excellent mother Lottie. It might not seem like it, but it’s in your genes. You were born to not only be the mother of your own children but all wolves.” Thinking over his words my hand moves to my stomach. “You’re not going to tell me that I’m actually watching over two people are you?”

Chuckling lightly I shake my head once again, flattening my hand over my stomach. “It’s not the right time, with the rebels and everything but I want it now. I want to have his children.”

“Well you’re still on the birth control aren’t you? Just talk to him and say you want to stop taking it.”

“He told me about Lucas,” I whisper, looking up through my lashes.

His face drops and nods his head running his hand over his face. “Ry was only two when it happened. We were all little then and don’t remember much but I do remember how tense my dad was, how my mum was a lot more protective of me. It rocked everybody but Ryder will be nervous and insanely protective of you either way when you’re pregnant.”

A silence had settled between us after his words had relaxed me. “What about your mate?”

“What about her?” he asks a teasing smile on his lips.

“Why aren’t you trying to find her? You don’t seem bothered that you don’t have her by your side. I want you to find her. I want you to be happy.” This time it was my words that hit him. His face got a lost look on it as he nodded at my slowly.

“For you I’ll find her.”

A silence had fallen over us and Theo had entered the room again. I sat and watched the movie with them but I couldn’t help the way that my mind had wandered. I couldn’t stop thinking about being a mother and the prospect of having it happen soon.

Pushing myself up from the lounge Reynolds and Theo shot me a look. “I’m just going to go for a walk to clear my head.”

“We’ll come with you.” Reynolds says as both he and Theo stand up.

I shake my head at them and the both give a look to each other. “Unless it’s in this suite we can’t let you out of our sight.”

“Please,” my hands where shaking as I pushed them into the pocket of the jumper. “I want to get out of this room and be by myself for a little bit.”

Reynolds inhales deeply and his eyes glaze over slightly. “Ryder says that you can only walk around the top two floors of the west wing of the castle. There are still guards around but they won’t bother you. He also wants you to know that if you want to talk to him, he’ll come up.” He says to me after five minutes of waiting.

Letting out a deep breathe I know that I don’t have any more wiggle room after that. Ryder didn’t want to see me get hurt but I still wanted a bit more of a freedom. Getting out of the room I nod at the other four guards that are stood by the doors.

Locking my arms over my stomach I continue down the long corridor of the top floor of the castle. It was always quiet up here. It was only me, Ryder and his parents on the floor but there was always at least four guards around 24/7 as well.

I didn’t want to be on this floor anymore so I make my way down the stairs to the next floor. This floor had more warmth to it. My feet carried me towards the windows that look out on the woods. The sun was out today and the shadows that the trees casted were beautiful as they danced with the wind.

Inhaling deeply I watch the guards pace around the castles perimeter. There was double the amount that I usually saw and half of them were already shifted into their wolves, ready to attack the imminent threat of the rebels.

“Miss Charlotte,” turning towards the guard I eye him up and down. He’s breathing heavily, his black hair falling in front of his eyes. “I’m so sorry.”

Quickly his hand comes up over my mouth and I don’t have time to react before he grabbed me around the waist and blocked my nose, forcing me to breathe in whatever he had in his hand. He continued to apologise to me as I squirmed in his arms trying to escape his hold.

Eventually he removed his hand as I stopped struggling and my thoughts started to get fuzzy. It took less than thirty seconds for whatever drugs he gave me to kick in. Pulling my up into his arms he gives a quick look around to see if there are any other guards before he sneaks behind a secret door.

“Don’t try. You’ll just make yourself nauseous.” The guard says to me his voice tense.

“Try what?” my voice is breathless as my head lolls back over his arm. “What are you doing to me?”

“Don’t try and contact your guards or the king.” It’s all he says as we finally enter back into another room that wasn’t a dark and secret back corridor.

We were in the car garage which I knew was in the basement of the castle but I had never been to before. Whatever was in the drugs that he had given me, made me so of out of it, I hadn’t even felt that I had been carried down five floors.

Slowly he placed me in the front seat of one of the large SUV’s. My hands tried to push his away as he buckled up my seatbelt but my push was too weak. In my head I could see myself with the strength to remove his touch but somehow it just wouldn’t connect to my limbs.

Again he said sorry before he walked around and got into the driver’s seat, quickly pulling out of the garage and up the drive way. I tried to push myself into Ryder’s mind and tell him where I was but it wasn’t working and it was making me feel sick. The further we got from the castle, the more worried I got because I couldn’t feel him anymore.

“What’s your name?” I whisper my head twisting to look at him.

His jaw clenches and his grip tightens on the steering wheel. He couldn’t be any older than twenty five but he looked so much older in this moment just because of his tight facial expression.

“Travis.” His eyes quickly flick towards me before they concentrate back on the dirt road he was driving us down. Trees lined the road and got thicker the further we drove and I knew that we were headed deeper into the woods.

“What are you doing?” I ask again, my hands shaking as I start to worry about what this guy is doing.

He gulps and shakes his head. The muscles in his arms tightening as he tries to stop his wolf from taking over. “I’m taking you to the rebel’s base camp.”

“Why,” my voice shakes as I try to move but again my brain won’t connect to my body and my movement is to slow to do me any good. “They want Ryder’s throne, they want him and they’ll kill me to get to him. You’re part of his pack, why are you betraying him?”

His wolf is on the surface, I can tell by how much he’s shaking to hold him back. “They’re going to get him the same way they got to me.”

This time when he turned to look at me he locked his eyes on me. They were watering slightly and I could see the pain behind them. “They have your mate.”

A single tear rolls down his cheek as he looks back to the road. “I’m so sorry that I have to do this to you but I can’t lose her. They said they wouldn’t hurt you.”

“They don’t seem like the type to tell the truth. How do you know they won’t hurt me? How do you know they won’t just kill your mate and you once they have me?” I was getting emotional as my chest tightened and the shakes that started in my hands moved up my arms.

“I don’t, but I have to hope I can get her home safe.” His voice is quiet as if he’s trying to convince himself that his words are true. “Now stop talking and relax, the drugs will make you sick if you try to push yourself to much.”

“What are you going to do once you get her back? Ryder will kill you for betraying him.”

Travis looked down and I barely heard the words he whispered next. “Sara will be safe.”

Whether it took five minutes or five hours, I don’t know but Travis finally presses on the brakes as we stop outside some abandoned barn. He gets out and walks around just as another guy walks out of the barn. Travis’ hand locks around my upper arm and pulled me from the car, out into the filtered light that pushed through the thick foliage.

He kept up with my slow steps. My lethargic steps gave me time to look at the rebel. I had seen them in their wolf form and was scared by their appearance then but their human form looked worse. The guy that was in front of me now, was staring me up and down a smirk plastered on his scared face. Some of his joints looked out of place but still functional. His biggest disfigurements were the scar that stretched from the left corner of his ear and up to the base of his ear and another t shaped one that run along his hair line and parted his hair slightly to the left.

When another two rebels come out from the barn with a distressed girl, wearing only a ripped shirt that covered everything, Travis’ grip on my arm tightened and I knew it was his mate. I couldn’t find myself to be angry at Travis because if it were ever me trying to save Ryder I would do the same thing. These two wolves were my responsibility to protect, even if it cost me my life.

“Give us your queen and you can have your mate.” The main rebel says as his eyes move to Travis with a cocky smile.

“I don’t think so.” When Travis spoke his voice was steady and I could see why he was a palace guard. “We trade. I hand you Charlotte, you hand me Sara.”

The rebels head tilts, contemplating Travis’ words but are peak before he has the chance to speak. Pulling my arm from his hold I take a step forward. The rebel eyes me curiously as I hold my hand up to Travis to stop him from grabbing me again.

“Tell him, I said, not to hurt you.” I whisper to Travis’ low enough that the rebels won’t hear me. Travis eyes me curiously but quickly flicks his eyes over to his mate. “Hand her to me and I’ll give her to her mate. You want me then you stick to your word and don’t hurt either of them and let them leave. He won’t tell Ryder where he bought me.” I say slowly to the rebel. Not that I can speak much faster, I could barely stand.

The rebel scoffs at me but still calls his two goons forward and pulls Sara into his hold. “He just kidnapped his queen and delivered her to the enemy’s hands. As soon as he and his mate are a safe distance from us he’s going to go straight to his king.”

“That’s what you want.” My voice hints to how worn I am and I feel myself starting to sway.

“Of course I do gorgeous. He’s already looking for you. Now let’s get you inside before you hurt yourself.”

With his words he throws Sara towards me and I just catch her before she pulls the both of us towards the ground. Quickly I pass her back to Travis but she grips my hand and tries to pull me with her. Shaking my head I force her into her mates’ arms. I needed to keep them safe. I was starting to believe that the rebels really weren’t going to kill me. He had other ideas.

We kept eyes on each other as I heard the car back away. Once I couldn’t hear the tires anymore the rebel took slow steps forward until he was stood in front of me. “Your majesty.” His hand comes up to caress my cheek but I turn away from his touch. My legs faltered and he had to grab me to keep me up right. The second he touched me I felt bile rise in my throat.

“Don’t touch me.” I whisper a weak threat.

The rebel chuckles as he starts to carry me into the barn. “My name is George gorgeous. Call me anything else and you’ll regret it.” George. His name almost made him seem normal but his face told a different story.

“What are you going to do to me?”

“I’m going to put you in a car and we’re going to get away from here before your mate shows up to kill all of us.” George lies me down on the back seat of another SUV.

My thoughts were starting to make sense but I was still too slow to stop George and another rebel as they grabbed me, stopping me from struggling and move away from the needle they were pushing into my arm. I screamed at them to stop but George just run his free hand through my hair. “Everything’s alright Charlotte. You’re just going to have a sleep till we get to the new location.”

Nothing was making sense now but I still managed to form one more sentence before I blacked out. “He’ll find you and kill you.”

“Not if I kill him first gorgeous.” His words are hazy but my chest still tightens. “You’ll stay reign as ‘my queen’ though.”

***

My breathing was laboured as I came to. Forcing my eyes open I meet a grease stained floor and see that my feet are dangling. I can’t lift my head but as I flex my hands I can feel the rope digging into my wrists.

“Good morning gorgeous.” George’s voice breaks through my thoughts and I flick my eyes up enough to see his mud covered sneakers. His hand cups my chin and forces my face up. “The drugs are just starting to take effect but you should be able to hold your head up soon.”

He watches me for a little while before I pull back from his hold and keep my head up without his assistance. He smirks and leans forward, with the drugs still making their way through my system I only just have enough time to twist my head out of the way so his lips land on my cheek instead of my own.

“What do you want?” I felt like I should’ve been scared but there was an adrenaline rush fuelling me.

George smiles and grabs my chin again, holding me still as he moves closer into me again. “You know full well what I want, gorgeous.” His eyes flick down to my lips as he slowly sticks his tongue out and licks his dry lips.

Tyring to twist out of his tight hold I grunt, feeling a bruise form already. “If you really want the throne you would’ve killed me by now. Killing me makes him weak and the perfect time to attack.” My voice is rough from both George’s constricting hold and the lack of use.

“No, no, no.” he whispers, crudely releasing my face. “Killing you now would be the worst time. You and Ryder just got married and from what I know, you just turned eighteen. You would’ve gone through your first heat meaning that there was a very high chance of you creating an heir for the country.”

When his hand comes down to press against my stomach, I try to move back away from his touch and the rope burns into my wrists. “From what I can smell, you aren’t pregnant and if I kill you, Ryder will be more pissed and looking for revenge then grieving for his precious mate.”

“If you’re not going to kill me then, what are you going to do?” I’m still trying to pull back from his hands that are running over my stomach. I didn’t care for the pain and blood that was staring to move my down my arms now.

George sighed, his hands sliding to grab my hips. “By now Travis has told him that I’ve taken you and he’s bought his best fighters to take me out.” His eyes look on mine as he continues. “The castle will be left, mostly defenceless, and my men will be attacking.”

My chest shakes as I fall slack in his arms, because if a squirm in his hold now, I’ll be rubbing myself against him. “You can’t do that.” I whisper.

“Oh gorgeous, Ryder is already on his way here and my people are attacking the castle soon.” His arm hooks around my waist and pulls me into him more. “I wanted to be there but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to spend some alone time with you.” His voice is sickly seductive as he cups my cheek again.

I was worrying now as I realised that I was in a situation I couldn’t get out of. His touch was repulsive and as I thought of what he may do I felt my eyes start to sting with tears. “Don’t touch me.” I manage to get out with a strong voice.

When his hand moves down my neck and to the hemline I notice that Ryder’s jumper was gone. George ripped through the material of the long sleeved shirt straight down the middle, revealing the skin coloured bra I had on beneath. My arms desperately pulled at the rope despite the pain I felt from hanging for so long.

Then I felt it. He’d extended his claws and dug them across my lower back, cutting deep into my skin. A scream escapes my mouth though I try to keep it contained. When he pulls his claws back from the wound my chest tightens as I try to take in a breath.

No words come out as he slides his hand around to my stomach, his sharp claws ghosting over the skin. Shaking my head at him, I silently beg him not to hurt me again. “Don’t worry. When I take the throne, I’m going to need someone to give me an heir. My mate’s gone and any wolf you bear will be strong. I won’t hurt you here but there are some other places I know will get a rise out of the ‘perfect’ king.”

“Ryder’s the only one who can get me pregnant.” Even though Riley’s word had confused me, I understood that my body was made in a way to keep the royal blood line pure. Only he could ever get me pregnant and I was the only one who could give him a pup.

“Hmm, there’s a way to work around that when he’s dead, gorgeous.” He smiled and met my eyes as he began his torture again.

George smirked every time I screamed. He was enjoying the pain he was causing me. I wanted to shut my eyes and see myself somewhere other than here. I wanted to see myself back on the island, just laying in the comfort of the large bed, watching a movie, a cool sea breeze blowing through the doors while wrapped up in Ryder’s arms.

He wasn’t allowing that every time he dug into my skin, he forced my eyes open, forced me to look at what he was doing to my body. The drugs that he had given me had broken my connection to Ryder. I couldn’t feel him and I couldn’t contact him. Without that connection I wasn’t healing fast. The pain continued to radiate through my body as blood seeped down my legs from the cuts that ran around my thighs and down my arms that showed more muscle than skin now. He’d even tore at the skin of my back but he had stuck to his words of avoiding my stomach and even my chest that was still covered in my blood.

After nearly an hour of torture he finally retreats back. I didn’t know how I was still conscious. I’d lost a lot of blood but every time I felt myself fading into darkness, he would slap me to get me to wake up. I’d stopped screaming and feeling pain after twenty minutes. It was a saviour mostly to not have to experience that any longer after that happened.

“I’ve just been informed that your mate’s close gorgeous. So I’ve got to be on my way. We’ll see each other soon though.”

Forcing my eyes open I watch him advance on me again, my blood already soaking his clothes. I only just had enough strength to turn away from him as he tried to kiss me again. He wouldn’t have to try hard to get what he wants, but he settles for my cheek before he disappears.

“Ryder,” I whisper to myself, trying to convince myself that he was going to be here soon and I’d be safe.