Wild Magic Two: The Dark of the Sun- a M/M shifter fantasy romance

5- Royal Wedding

CAIN—

The wedding came up on me faster than I would have liked. The preparations for it kept everyone in the keep busy, even though Edon tried his damndest to be as small and undemanding as possible. For the most part, he directed all of the wedding inquiries to Lhiam.

Being beside Edon as he spoke his vows to Lhiam was a surreal experience. We had become as close as I was to anyone since I had spoken aloud my suspicions that Edon was from my own home land Akar. I hadn't been home since I was taken forcefully as a child, but I had recognized the wild magic in him, and the tiny bit of accent he sometimes let slip. His skin was light enough I could tell he had other blood running through his veins, but the wolf in his soul was most definitely Akaran.

I had spent hours telling him about wild mages, the lore, what I remembered from the teachings of my fathers, who were both wild mages. I even told him some of the more fanciful lore told by my mother— about the legend of a wild mage's soul mate, and how their beast was drawn to that mate's soul.

Or mates, as the case may be. I was Akaran, after all. Who was I to say there could only be one? I myself was born to three parents. This seemed to frazzle the poor wolf, so I kept the idea of polyamory a vague thing in the stories I told.

The wolf looked stunning in dark satins and silks, and the way the prince watched him, his eyes heavy and almost haunted... My kinsman would live a happy life being gazed upon like that. And I would ignore forever the way it made my heart ache and my own eyes seek out the bright red hair and sparkling, laughing emerald eyes I had begun to search for in dreams.

The man's scent was even now in my nostrils, held by my hungry beast.

Each time I was forced to interact with the man, my plans to leave Lhiam's keep behind me became more and more solid. Because if there was ever a man to convince me to break my vows, it would be the Emperor.

During the reception after the wedding, I danced with Edon, Princess Lacy, and Lady Sera. Sera was her usual charming, warm self, remarking on my grace in dancing— where had I learned to dance?— the beauty of the wedding, and the obvious love of the couple. Edon was all but silent, his hands shaking against my skin, his touch light, his embarrassment apparent. But his new cousin was anything but embarrassed or hesitant. Lacy spent the entire dance scolding me for my relationship with Lady Sera. According to her, I was being a calloused asshole, refusing to see how Sera cared for me, leading on a woman who was in love.

"You don't deserve her," she bit out as she stepped back at the end of the dance. She glared up at me for a moment more before turning on her heel and storming out through the south entrance to the large banquet rooms. I would have been almost amused, if I didn't see the concerned, frustrated look in Prince Lhiam's eyes as he followed his cousin.

I refused to reply, or defend myself, choosing not to involve myself in whatever was going on with the prince's heir.

RIECE—

The man was like smoke. Each time I closed my fists, thinking I had him at last, I'd open them to celebrate my victory and he would be gone.

He dominated my dreams; his hard, much larger body tormenting me until I woke on the verge of orgasm, covered in sweat and crying out for something I couldn't even name.

I had never felt anything like the pull I felt towards him. It was sexual, fuck, yes it was. But it was... more than that.

It was a desire for possession, to be possessed. A hunger for his body completely devouring my own. His scent on mine, his essence on my tongue, his breaths in my ears and his heart beating beside mine. It was obsession and passion and languishing turmoil. It was arousal past sanity.

I didn't just desire him.

I craved him.

The ferocity of the feelings terrified me. But that fear didn't stop me from trying over and over again.

And it didn't stop me from being rejected time and again, sometimes rather violently. The poor man really seemed to hate me.

And that hurt.

More than it should have.

I was used to being hated. Many of the princes and nobles in my empire hated me. I had freed slaves, outlawed slavery, set up laws against sexual intercourse with people under the age of 16, set in place safeguards against forced marriages, ended many wars that had been started by my predecessors, and even passed a law about same sex marriages. That last had been nothing but selfish. I was attracted to both men and women, which the three women who had given birth to my heirs could attest to, but sexually I was much more attracted to men. So I set in place a safeguard in case I ever found a man who aroused more than my body.

My empire was prospering. But there were still some— slave owners, old nobles set in their ways, some religious factions— who hated the work I had been doing since I was crowned at the tender age of 14. Now, 18 years later, I continued to force peace and fairness on those who would take advantage of others.

So I was no stranger to hatred. But Cain's particular brand of hatred and disgust somehow hit me harder than it should have. After the first time he rejected me, gods even after the second time, I should have shrugged it off and left him alone.

But I couldn't. I just... couldn't. So I kept trying. And failing.

The third time was at the wedding. Through the entire ceremony, I couldn't take my eyes off of him. Broad shouldered, bigger than most around him, he held Edon's much smaller hand against his arm with such gentless and affection I could feel my eyes pricking. He handed him off to Lhiam before moving off to stand to the side. I couldn't even look away when his eyes met mine and he frowned, his eyes darkening with annoyance.

Gods, I was like a thorn in the poor man's side.

During the party after the wedding, while I danced with various nobles and others who asked— I never turned down a dance partner, that was just rude— Cain danced with only three people. The three who dared approach him to ask.

One was Edon, who blushed hotly the entire time, his much smaller body looking like a child next to the thick, dark man who held him like he was glass.

Then Lhiam's cousin and heir Lacy approached him and without a word, dragged him onto the dance floor. She looked almost angry as she did it, and the stoic way he held her showed his discomfort as she seemed to spend the entire dance scolding him.

Last was a beautiful woman I knew by name but had never met: Lady Sera of Ruleden, heir to Lord Spencer, Duke of Ruleden in Teren.

The way he held Lady Sera in his arms was... different. He held her gently, but not like she would break at any moment like he did Edon and Princess Lacy. And there was no discomfort as there had been with Lacy. In fact, he seemed to melt a little as Lady Sera held his shoulder in her thin, delicate fingers and stared up at him with affection and warmth. I could see her lips moving, smiling, even laughing a few times. Cain answered, one word every few moments, but it was more than I had seen him express with anyone else.

The sight had me gripping my goblet of wine so tightly in my fist the gold dug into the fleshy part of my palm painfully. I ignored it, furious I had allowed my horrible infatuation to continue.

He was obviously taken, and they looked beautiful together.

But why hadn't he said that? It was only four words— I belong to another— and I would never have sought him out again. Instead, he had kept his lips sealed and simply denied me, drawing up my blood and making me want him even more.

The way he danced with her, holding her close, his eyes even sparkling with amusement, although his lips remained a stoic line as always, was with obvious affection and attraction.

And I was ashamed at wanting to stomp over to them, rip them apart, and growl mine against his lips.

But I couldn't do that. So instead, I raised my wine glass, wished them well silently, and proceeded to drink as much of Lhiam's cache of wine as I could.