Pregnant Runaway Mate of the Alpha Prince, page 9
part #37 of Forbidden Alpha Kings Series
One of the children, petite with a cute round face and curly red hair, ran toward us and latched onto my leg.
Leaning down, Harris picked her up and held her gently.
A few more little kids came running to us and started begging to be picked up, too. He’d fallen for their trap.
“Who are these kids?” I laughed.
Harris picked up another kid and looked over at the woman who was guiding them through. “Employee daycare. They leave their kids with a trusted sitter within the castle so they don’t have to stress about their children at work.”
“Wow, I didn’t know your dad offered that here,” I was legitimately surprised.
“No, I set this up. We almost lost a couple of cooks and guards because there wasn’t any affordable daycare,” he laughed.
He was more hands-on in the kingdom than I knew.
The caregiver came over and freed him of a couple of the kids, and my heart beat a little faster watching him interact with them. He was so good with children. I didn’t know there was a side of him like this.
Did he want kids?
That thought was quickly chased by wondering if I wanted kids, either.
I never thought having children of my own was an option.
Did I want kids?
As I watched him give back to the toddlers, the answer was a resounding yes. I could absolutely see myself being a mother if it was with him.
He’d make it so easy.
The kids waddled away behind their caregiver, and I softly wrapped my arm around Harris’s. What was life like for him? Of course, he had his responsibilities, but was it as easy as he was making it sound?
Paradise.
“Here are the kitchens,” he motioned, and I was stunned by the size of the ovens and stoves in there.
“Oh my god, the bread I could make in there,” I said softly.
Harris laughed and pulled me into the room. Half a dozen people were working on making the most delicious-looking food I’d ever seen. The smell coming from that kitchen was like magic.
“You can use this kitchen any time you want,” Harris assured me.
“I might take you up on that. I can’t believe you live here.”
“It’s all I’ve ever known,” he said.
His voice was almost apologetic. I squeezed his hand and was glad when he continued the tour. Did he like it here? I couldn’t imagine being unhappy with this much money.
“You don’t have to show off for me, you know,” I said softly. “I’m glad you found me, but mostly because I’m glad to see you again.”
Harris pulled me aside into a hallway and looked almost concerned.
“I’m doing everything I can to avoid just pulling you into my bedroom.”
My jaw dropped, and my entire face felt hot suddenly.
I didn’t realize how tall he was until Harris started backing me up against a wall.
“I haven’t stopped thinking about you for a moment since you vanished,” he murmured. “This tour is to stop myself from scaring you away.”
My heart felt like it was beating out of control.
“You don’t scare me.”
Harris leaned in and kissed me roughly. My entire body felt like it was buzzing, pulling me back to life after a long week of trying to act like this wasn’t everything I wanted.
If he wasn’t royalty, I wouldn’t have avoided him.
I would have found him the next day.
I’d give him all of myself.
Pushing me further against the wall, closing any space between us, Harris kissed me like he thought I was going to run off again. As if I wanted anything except him. I kissed him back desperately, hungry for anything he could offer.
His left hand found the mark on my neck and pressed softly against our bond.
The sensation was heady and hot as if his hand was between my thighs instead of just on my neck. I moaned against his mouth, a soft, desperate sound that I couldn’t stop.
“You’re mine,” he demanded.
I didn’t have to think about it. He was right. “Yours,” I agreed.
He kissed me again, a reward, and I felt like my entire world was spinning and vibrating. I needed so much more. His tongue slid against mine as my lips parted in another gasp, and all I could think about was what we’d done in the forest.
I needed more.
My body craved him.
Before it could go any further, Harris stepped back and broke the contact. His face was as lost in it as mine was, and I wanted him back against me.
“There’s one more room you should see,” he explained.
I was sick of the tour.
I took his hand, though, and let him lead me through a couple of halls and down one last corridor before taking me to a doorway that seemed almost ordinary compared to the rest of the castle.
“Welcome to my room,” Harris said as he opened the door.
His room.
Of course.
Giddy with the freedom of not being caught in some hallway, I followed him in and loved the sound of the door closing behind us. The room was beautiful, but I only saw it for a moment before he closed in on me and kissed me again.
It was almost a waltz of us kissing, stripping out of our clothes, and tumbling toward his bed until we were finally back together. I didn’t get to see him that night, but now I was getting more than an eye full of his body’s muscles and gorgeous lines. I couldn’t resist letting my hands slide over his abs as he pulled me against him on the sheets.
We never stopped kissing, claiming each other’s slips, so we’d never forget the perfect shape they made together. My mind was reeling, and I loved every moment of it.
Harris leaned me down onto my back and slowed our kiss down.
I was desperate for any contact with him.
How did I go so many days without tracking him back down? Why did I leave him? I knew there were answers to these questions, but at the moment, all I could think about was the lost time I could have spent with him.
Harris’s mouth went lower, kissing my jaw, then my throat, and my breath hitched as he kissed my chest, tongue lathing over one of my nipples. He looked up at me in amusement, stopped, and sat above me.
“These scars,” he said softly.
Oh, oh no, he could see me in this light.
Shame crept into my chest, and I couldn’t look at him. “Sorry, I know it looks rough.”
His hand tugged my chin, so I had to look at him.
“Who did this to you?”
There was anger in his voice, a possessiveness that I would have loved in any other context.
I couldn’t stand that he could see what Vivian did to me through the years.
“I was unruly as a kid,” I tried to explain. “I needed guidance.”
“You did not deserve whatever these are,” he motioned to my arms where broken and thrown bottles and hot pans had broken skin before.
“I know,” I felt tears filling my eyes, and I shook my head. “I didn’t have any choice.”
He wiped my tears away, and as he did, I saw my makeup wipe away with it. “Oh, god,” I said, going to cover my face, but he softly moved my hands away so he could see the bruise.
“When did this happen?”
“Before the ball, I got in trouble for trying to go.”
“Who did this?”
I avoided the answer again, unable to rat her out despite everything she’d done to me. “It’s fine, I’m okay.”
“Was it Vivian?” He was furious, and I had to calm him down. She’d burn the bakery to the ground before she’d let this type of embarrassment taint her name.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to see all of this.”
“Why the fuck is she laying her hands on you? She’s your mother.”
“My stepmother,” I corrected him. “She’s just a bitter woman. I promise I’m fine.”
“This isn’t fine,” he insisted as he traced some of the scars on my skin. “I’m never going to let another person lay their fucking hands on you.”
I pulled him down into a kiss to bring his mind back to me, and I could feel the anger melting away from his expression, but his hands were still firm on me. My hands went from his jawline to his back, pulling him down against me until all I could smell was him.
Harris held my body like he never wanted to let me go, keeping me against him so no air could get between us.
I never wanted him to see my scars.
In all of this excitement, I’d forgotten my place in the world. At twenty-one years old, I was still just an orphaned woman with no independence.
As much as I wanted him, I shouldn’t have let him see my body.
As things started to get heady again, his hands touching and grasping me so that he was the only thing on my mind.
A knock sounded at the suite’s main door as if the universe was out to get me.
I froze, but Harris didn’t seem to want to stop.
“Just ignore it, they’ll go away.”
Another knock sounded, and I couldn’t keep going, knowing someone was out there. “I could just invite them in for an audience, show you off,” he teased.
My face felt white hot, and I shook my head laughing.
“No, please figure out what they want,” I half-whispered.
Harris kissed me again, slow and easy, and then yawned as he slid out of bed. His body was incredible in the bright evening light. The window above the bed poured pure sunlight over him, showing off every muscle he had and making his broad shoulders and thick thighs look even more tempting.
As he pulled on some underwear and pants, I was sad to see his cock leave my view. It was girthy and clearly as interested in what we were doing as I was. Maybe I shouldn’t have let him leave the bed.
He was the soon-to-be ruler of this clan, though. I needed to get used to him being called away for work. It was part of the deal.
Coming back to me as he buttoned his shirt, Harris kissed me like he was leaving for war.
“We’ll continue this when I get back,” he promised.
I nodded as he left, pulling the silky soft sheets around me like a cocoon of his scent. How was any of this real?
14
Harris
Those scars were like a knife to the fucking heart.
In all the ways I pictured pulling her into my bed, I never considered that she could have been through so much before I got to her. The fact that anyone thought they had the right to lay hands on her had me boiling over with rage.
I didn’t need her to be scared of me.
I glanced back at the bed as I stepped out and knew that if she hadn’t wanted me to go, I’d be fucking her at that exact moment. Hell, all I wanted to do was put her on display for everyone to see she was mine.
Just mine.
I’d kill Vivian if I got the chance.
Pulling open my door, I was annoyed to see Brock standing there. “Could this have waited?”
“The king and queen want to speak to you again while they have dinner,” Brock explained.
“Now?”
“They’re demanding it.”
“I just spoke to them a couple of hours ago,” I reminded him.
I knew he had no say in it, but I was clearly in the middle of something. “Do they know she’s here?”
“A few people saw you making out in the corridor.”
Of course.
“How did things go with your dance partner?”
“I told her I didn’t want to see her anymore. I’m not convinced she wasn’t trying to get me to help lie to you.”
“I’m sorry,” I offered.
Brock shook his head. “It’s all part of the job.”
I wanted to laugh, but he was right. It wouldn’t be the first time someone thought they could use him to get to me. That was the one major flaw with having one main guardsman at my side.
“Keep her safe. I’ll talk to my parents. Don’t leave this door unless she wants you to take her somewhere.”
“She’s safe in the castle,” he laughed.
I nodded, but I couldn’t help but feel like something was horribly off.
Brock stayed, listening to what I told him to do, and I set off to find my parents. Of course, they’d interrupt us finally getting back together, but I didn’t want or need these distractions.
“This couldn’t have been a text?” I asked as I stepped into the dining hall.
My dad was nearly finished with his meal, but my mother had barely touched her food. If she was going on a hunger strike to guilt me, it wouldn’t work. I wasn’t giving up Ella for anything.
“We hear you brought a woman into the castle,” my father spoke first.
“Yes, my pick from the ball.”
“You know the event wasn’t meant to be used that way,” he cut back angrily. Another plate was prepared on the table, with a seat pulled back, but I wouldn’t take it.
Maybe one of my siblings would show up and eat with them instead, but it was unlikely. None of them liked our parents either.
Besides, I had better things waiting for me in my room.
“We want you to meet the woman we selected anyway.”
I wanted to be surprised by this turn, but I knew them too well to be shocked anymore. “You said I’d only have to do that if the woman I danced with didn’t show up. Ella is here. I don’t need to meet this other woman.”
My mother was getting agitated and shook her head.
“How do you know she’s actually the one you danced with? I heard the girl you brought back is latent. She can’t even shift.”
“I don’t care,” I answered flatly.
Both of my parents recoiled.
I didn’t need to tell them she shifted in front of me at the ball. If they were going to be old-fashioned in their viewpoints, I would challenge them on it.
“She’s everything to me. My fated mate, I know it.”
My dad slammed his fork down deliberately like he was doing so to avoid stabbing me with it. “A week ago, you were adamant that you weren’t interested in marriage and that it was a waste of time and energy. Now you swear up and down you’ve found the one. You aren’t in your right mind.”
“I’m not interested in anyone else.”
My mother flinched at this as if I’d cussed her out to her face.
“Meet the woman we lined up for you, or we’ll remove you from the crown,” he explained angrily.
“Then remove me from the crown. I’m sure the public would love to know you only did it because you were against me picking my bride.”
My dad opened his mouth to yell and then snapped it back shut.
“It’s worse that she’s latent. Anyone in our clan would agree that having a latent shifter as your mate puts all of us at risk.” Of course, my mother was trying to guilt me.
“Latent shifters can still have shifter children,” I reminded her.
“Yes, but it’s genetic. Imagine explaining that your firstborn, the heir, isn’t even able to shift.” Her voice was full of disappointment as if I’d ruined her faith in me by simply picking which woman I wanted to marry.
“I’ve already marked her as mine,” I countered. They were going to find out eventually, so the least I could do was tell them. Finding out from me had to be the best option.
My mom’s mouth popped open in surprise, and my dad stood up immediately. “You did what?”
“I marked her as mine that night at the ball. I’m hers in return.”
“You can’t just do that. There’s a process for this! Just marking her as yours is such a stupid and—”
“What your father’s trying to say is this is against everything we taught you. What type of woman convinces you to break everything you were taught growing up? She’s conniving. You should not trust her.”
Leaning forward onto the table, I leaned in until I was closer to my mother’s face. “Ella hasn’t done anything dishonest. She’s not doing this for the crown or to trick me. She didn’t even know who I was when we first spoke.”
“Did she know when you marked her?” My father was shouting.
“She didn’t ask me to mark her, but I wanted to because I could feel that connection with her. We’re fated mates,” I said, keeping my voice calm and level. I wasn’t going to let him get the best of me.
“She targeted you, tricked you, and now your mating hormones are out of control, and you think it’s love. It isn’t,” my mother’s voice was calmer than my father’s but was pissing me off more.
“Ella didn’t trick me.”
“You’re not marrying her,” my father shouted.
“It’s funny that you think you have a choice,” I replied. Before he could take a swing at me, I stood back from the table and shook my head. “I’ve worked my entire life for what you’ve wanted for me. I just want this one thing, and I’m taking it. She’s mine. I’m hers. Enjoy your meal.”
I had more enjoyable things to be doing.
“Come back here, talk to us,” my mother begged.
I kept walking.
They could guilt me all they wanted, but now that I had Ella, I wasn’t letting her go. She was everything to me. My mind felt starved for her, but the closer I returned to my bed chambers, the better I felt.
I needed her.
Brock was still outside of my door, and I nodded to him. “Thank you for protecting her.”
“How did it go?”
I shot him a frustrated look, begging him not to ask anymore, and he took the hint. He’d hear it all from them anyway. The last thing I needed to do was gossip about how badly my parents hated her while she was in the next room.
“Can you tell the kitchen to bring dinner for two here in an hour or so? Something that doesn’t need a fork and knife,” I asked. Brock nodded and set out to follow my request. He was a good man.
Pulling open my door, I was slightly disappointed to see that Ella wasn’t naked anymore. Instead, she’d pulled on one of the tee-shirts I had specifically for working out and was sitting on the couch texting someone.
She looked like she belonged here.
“Sorry to let you wait,” I said as I walked in.
Ella looked up, and looked genuinely happy to see me. She set her phone aside, texts still on the screen, and stood up to greet me. I could get used to this. Closing the door behind me, I pulled her into my arms and breathed her scent in deeply.
