"I don't understand, Alex, aren't you happy with me?" Bristol sobbed, tears falling down her face. I sighed loudly,
"Of course I am, Bristol. You knew this would happen eventually." She was clinging to me and I was trying to gently remove her from my body. She refused to release her ironclad grip on my arm.
"Yes, but you don't need to dismiss me. Lots of Alphas take mistresses." Bristol argued.
"I don't want that for me or for you. You should want more for yourself." I tried to sound empathetic, "Besides, that's not the way of the royal family." I added, without giving away any further details on the Royal family's many secrets.
"It's always been us, Alex." Bristol grazed her hand across my face.
"It was never forever." I said again.
"We have plenty of time until the Ball, though." She changed tactics, her hand dipping dangerously below the belt.
"It's probably best we end things now, Bristol." I tried to sternly remove her, but she wasn't having it. She began to kiss a line down my neck and tugged at the hem of my shirt.
"Best for who?" She asked in a breathless voice. Goosebumps ran down my spine as her breath blew across my skin.
I was a weak, weak man as I let Bristol undress me and shove me down on the bed. She released her perky breasts from her bra and tossed her pink lace thong on the ground, climbing on top of me. I threw my head back and groaned as she grinds her body on top of mine, pushing us both over the edge.
"I heard you breaking up with Bristol all night long last night." Ian smirked at me as we met in the kitchen for breakfast.
"Like you had any more success than I did." I grumbled.
"Oh, I think we both had plenty of success, my brother." Ian slapped me on the back with a laugh.
"Your mate is going to hate you both." Dylan grumbled under his breath.
"Listen, not all of us can end up mated to their high school sweetheart, Dylan." I snapped, shoving him away.
"Still doesn't mean you have to be a manwhore." Dylan argued.
"Alex, control your Gamma before I kill him." Ian growled and I shook my head. It was way too early for their bullshit.
Walking away from the pair, I pulled a K cup from the drawer and shoved it into the Keurig, angrily brewing a cup of strong coffee.
"Two weeks, you two have two weeks left of bachelor-hood. How do you plan on using it?" Carter walked up to us like a talk show host, pretending like he was holding a microphone to Ian's face. Ian swung at him and Carter narrowly avoided his fist.
"Seriously though, we should party." Hudson piped in.
"You know, since we have to go to the Ball, so do you idiots." I pointed out. The look of dread on Hudson's face was downright comical.
"Fuck." Carter complained.
"I, for one, am glad that your parents are finally forcing you both to go. I've been wanting to attend since high school." Owen admits.
"Why haven't you?" Ian looked at him in surprise.
"I couldn't be your guard and attend the Ball at the same time." Owen shrugged.
"Dude, I think your Beta is in love with you." I mocked Owen who glared at me.
"I will be attending purely as your guard, of course." Dylan said.
"Obviously, Dylan, thanks for rubbing it in some more." Hudson grumbled.
"Goddess willing, you two will meet the Luna and I can finally start my job instead of being your lackey." Dylan ignored his fellow Gamma.
"I, for one," Hudson began, mocking Owen's earlier tone, "Enjoy being a responsibility free lackey." Hudson said, earning a glare from both Ian and I.
"Perhaps you need to be reassigned then." I said in a dangerous tone. Hudson frowned, sensing that he had screwed up.
"I was just joking, relax." Hudson said,
"You can be a dumbass all you want, Hudson, but your main function is to be the Luna's guard." I reminded him.
"I know that." Hudson bowed his head, baring his neck to me in submission.
"I say we enjoy the last few nights of freedom." Ian cleared his throat, breaking up the tension.
"We don't even know if we'll meet her at the Ball." I pointed out.
"Knowing our luck, we will." Ian said. He pretended not to want a mate, but I knew better. He was just as interested in her as I was.
"So, what? We're going to spend the next 14 days drinking?" I snorted.
"Sounds like a plan to me!" Ian cheered before disappearing from the kitchen with Owen and Hudson in tow.
"Goddess help me." I groaned, plopping down on a kitchen stool and staring at the brewing coffee.
"You know, maybe she's a human like my Mom." Carter said, unhelpfully. Dylan shook his head with a groan, walking away from us both to pace the kitchen.
"Thanks, Carter, big help." I grumbled and Carter shrugged,
"It worked out for them."
"Ian would lose his mind." Dylan said from somewhere deep inside the kitchen.
"Dylan's right." I said,
"So, you're saying you wouldn't accept a human mate?" Carter challenged me.
"You know that's not what I'm saying. Of course we'll accept our mate no matter what. It would just....complicate things." I said, reaching for the hot mug once the liquid finished pouring out of the machine.
"The challenge will be your mate accepting you and Sebastian." Carter said,
"Yes, thank you." I swear, I'm going to kill him myself in a minute.
"Sire?" My top advisor, Walker, walked into the kitchen then.
"What is it, Walker?" He only bothered me if something urgent needed my attention.
"That pack in Charleston you asked me to keep an eye on was attacked last night." Walker said.
"My mother's old pack? The Cypress pack?" I asked and Walker nodded,
"Yes, sire. It was attacked by rogues. A particularly feral bunch of rogues, if reports are to be believed." Walker explained.
"Alright, get a team together and I'll meet them at the portal in twenty minutes." I ordered, already walking out of the kitchen.
Dylan and Carter followed after me quickly.
"Dylan, I want you to stay here and handle any matters on my account. Go let Ian know what's going on. Carter, you and I are going to Cypress."
"You got it, Alpha." Dylan nodded and disappeared. Carter and I hurried off to my mother's office.
"Mom, there's been a rogue attack on Cypress. I'm leading a team there now." I spoke urgently. My mother stood up with wide eyes,
"Rogues?"
Since my parents created the Redemption pack, rogue attacks and sightings were far and few between. But, the rogues that did remain, were often very dangerous and awfully feral. When Ian and I split up our royal duties, I agreed to take on any issues with rogues while Ian protected the realm's borders. Still on our radar was the missing older brother of my mother, Reid Cooper, a known associate of the rogues in Charleston, South Carolina.
"Yes, I'm going myself so I can get a handle on the situation." I told her assuringly.
"I should come with you."
"Absolutely not, Junie." My father appeared behind me. I stepped to the side so he could enter Mom's office and comfort his mate.
"I can handle this, Mom." I said, squeezing her hand and offering her a smile.
"I know you can, Alexander." She said, "Be careful. Remember all the things we've taught you about the rogues of Charleston." She added with a stern expression.
"I know, you've taught me well." I quickly kissed her cheek before grabbing Carter and running off towards the portal room.
The portal spun eagerly in anticipation as a dozen guard wolves waited for my command. I punched in the coordinates and led them through the sparkling looking glass doorway. The guards followed after me, the portal dumping us out right outside the front gate of the Cypress pack.
"King Alexander!" One of the guards jumped into action, opening up the gate and motioning us through.
Alpha Rebel was waiting for us on the front steps with his mate and Luna, Koda. He hurried down the steps to greet me,
"Thank you for coming with such haste, your highness."
"The Cypress pack will always hold a special place in the realm." I said and the Alpha nodded,
"And we honor that relationship, your grace."
"Tell me about the attack." I ordered as we walked inside the packhouse.
"It was a small group, no more than thirty. They were weak and feral, and we took them easily. We managed to capture a few alive, but most were killed." Alpha Rebel explained.
"Take me to the prisoners." I said and Alpha Rebel complied, leading me down to the dungeon through the entrance in his office.