I'm sitting on Linc's lap in his office chair. He's reading countless emails while I attempt to subtly distract him in ways that won't be visible to Luke on the cameras.
I wiggle against him and he growls.
"Stop it, Jo," his voice is hoarse and low. I know his resolve is starting to weaken. I moved to his lap about twenty minutes ago from my chair across the room. Honestly, I'm surprised he's lasted this long.
In the weeks since the seer came, we've spent most of every day wrapped up in each other. Today is the first day that he's tried to really focus on his duties for more than half an hour.
"Play with me," I whisper and I feel him hardening further beneath me.
He lets out a breath then a quiet laugh before leaning forward and kissing my neck. I can't help the victorious smirk that spreads over my mouth.
"Ok, you have my attention, what do you want?" He moves my hair over to one shoulder, giving him open access to my mark.
"Isn't it obvious?" I grind down against him again.
I giggle as he hisses a low "fuck."
Just as he snakes his arm around my body, pressing his hand against the front of my pants a loud banging knock at the door interrupts.
He sighs, frustrated, as he adjusts himself below me.
"Come in," he growls.
The door flies open revealing a frazzled-looking Luke.
"Linc, I have a secure line phone call that you need to take, now!"
The room suddenly feels very serious.
"Speaker, set it up," his all-business-Alpha voice booms through the room.
Luke quickly types a code into the computer, tapping impatiently on the desk as the screen loads.
"Press this button when you're ready," he gestures before stepping back.
"This is Lincoln, we're on a secure line, who am I speaking with?"
"Alpha King Lincoln, thank you for taking my call. This is General Paul Martin, we met at the last cooperative council."
"I remember you, General."
A human? I know that Lincoln is very active in interspecies relations but it still surprises me to have a human calling him directly.
"Your Majesty, what I'm about to tell you is incredibly delicate, our own kingdom hasn't even been told of this news yet..."
"I understand."
The man clears his throat, "King Miles is dead, Sir. He was found murdered this morning in the castle."
Lincoln's body tenses but his voice is completely calm, "What do you need from me? How can we help?"
"The princess is missing, we went to inform her of the tragedy and she wasn't in her quarters. From the looks of it, she left in a hurry."
"Do you suspect her?"
"Yes, Alpha, we do. The Queen wants this kept as quiet as possible. She knows her late husband would not have wanted his daughter to be the subject of such scrutiny. She has been unwell this past year."
"Unwell how?"
"Since the King and Queen married last year she's been hostile and aggressive, generally lashing out toward her stepmother. The girl is...troubled. We don't want to raise suspicion by sending our own guard."
Lincoln nods his head in understanding, "that's where we come in..."
"Yes, if you're willing, Sir."
"King Miles was a good man, I'm sorry for your loss, General. I will send my best to find your princess. Get me her information and I will have a team in your Kingdom by tomorrow."
"Thank you, Alpha Lincoln. The Queen has authorized any means necessary for... neutralizing her without causing harm to anyone else. We are considering her dangerous."
"You're sure she hasn't met with some kind of foul play? She left of her own free will?"
"We believe so, Alpha."
Lincoln's brow furrows, "I understand. We will be in touch."
He quickly ends the call and turns to Luke who is leaning against the wall with a deep scowl on his face.
"Neutralize her? How old is the human princess?" Luke questions.
"I haven't seen Miles for almost two years, I think she was nineteen then, so... twenty-one?"
"Can I go?"
"You want to take this one?" Lincoln is clearly surprised.
"Yeah, it seems... odd. I have a strange feeling about this. Plus, you said you would send your best," he says with no humor in his voice whatsoever.
"Call Vic, see if he wants in, if not, call Nabila. I don't want you going in alone, not outside of our Kingdom. Be careful, treat this delicately, she might have killed him, or she's running scared, or..." his voice fades.
"She was taken by force..." Luke nods before leaving the room quickly.
"That felt weird, didn't it?" I turn around in his lap to see his face better.
"Definitely weird, unless they know something we don't. I don't see why they would assume automatically that she was involved."
"Shit," he grumbles, running his hands down his face, "I'm going to reach out to Vic and Nabila. I want them both on this with him."
I place my hands on either side of his face, letting my thumbs graze softly over his skin until he relaxes some.
"It will be alright, like you... and he... stated, he's the best."
"I know, I don't like sending anyone into the Human kingdom alone or with such little preparation, we have no eyes there if something goes wrong."
He closes his eyes for a moment and I feel him trying to relax. When he presses his lips to mine the kiss is soft and sweet. I kiss him back gently, hoping to comfort his anxious mind.
"Thank you," he smiles against my lips.
"Anytime," I pull back to look at his face, "I'm craving something sweet, want to bake with me?"
"Always," he lifts me up and starts walking toward the door, stopping suddenly.
"Wait, craving?" A huge smile covers his face.
I hadn't realized I phrased it that way. I look up at him, surprised.
"I... I don't know..." my hand instinctively goes to my stomach, "maybe?"
He smiles, "I'll take a maybe."
[End of Alpha Linc: Captivated, Cursed]
Authors Note: This is certainly NOT the end of The Fairytales Series, but it does conclude Book 1.
I'll be offering Book 2 as a FREE sample, so just comment on my site readmyrandarae.com and follow the instructions. I haven't decided when I'll begin reuploading more of the series on all my free platforms so that's TBD.
For now, Book 2 - 5 is exclusively available on my Patreon under Tier 2!
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Love you forever,
- Myranda