The Prince's Fated Mate: M/M Alpha/Omega Paranormal Werewolf Romance (Norvargen Wolves Book 1) (8 page)

Not after he had taken ten steps away from the pavilion, he heard something, and two familiar scents filled his nostrils. He turned around and saw, to his horror, Jack and Peter in their wolf-forms, sprinting happily towards the white pavilion from the forest. They must have been playing in there. They unknowingly made a beeline for the Prince, and Will was about to chase them away when he saw James sit up suddenly. He probably picked up on the pups’ scents and was curious.
 

The boys sprang up the steps to the pavilion and halted at the sight of James. Just as quickly, they popped back into their human-forms, and looked up at him curiously.

“Hi!” said Peter eagerly.

“You’re the First Son, right?” said Jack.
 

“Yes, yes, I am,” was the Prince’s response, sounding amused.

Will cringed. James didn’t sound offended or annoyed, but he probably wasn’t very pleased at being disturbed by two boisterous boys. He headed back to the pavilion, ready to usher the boys away.

“I’m Peter, and this is Jack! Can you come play with us?”

“Play with you?” the Prince sounded bewildered.

“Yeah, fox-and-hound! This field’s really big. It’s perfect for running! Or we can play in the woods, it’s really nice in there.” Peter grinned, his missing front tooth making his smile look even cuter.
 

“Now, now,” said Will, finally reaching the pavilion. He pressed against the boys’ backs, trying to urge them away. “Don’t bother the First Son with your games. He wants to rest, you know.”

“But —” Jack and Peter started to whined simultaneously.

“It’s fine,” said James, and the happy look on his face surprised Will. He let out a grunt as he stood up, and leaned over the railing of the pavilion, looking back at the inn. He squinted his eyes. “What rooms look down on the party field?”

“What rooms?” Will repeated, confused. “Well, the main building’s only. Both the west and east wings don’t face the field.”

“So I suppose none of my family will be looking down here?”

“No, I don’t think so,” said Will, bewildered.
 

Prince James smiled. “Good.” He took off his coat. “Let the children be, Master William. I could use a good run, anyway.” He grinned, and Will realised that was the first genuine smile he had seen from James. And then, the First Son shifted, his massive wolf shaking off and slinking out of the rest of his clothing. He pawed the ground by the twin boys’ feet.

Jack and Peter squealed and shifted on the spot, and they darted out of the pavilion, the Prince tailing behind them.
 

Will watched, speechless. He sat down on the bench, garden shears resting on his lap, as he watched the three wolves chase each other. They were zipping around the field, and they would take turns nipping at the hind legs of another, so that all three had equal turns being chased and playing chaser.
 

This is the most alive I’ve seen him
, thought Will, thumbing the creases in his trousers quietly. The Prince was far more comfortable and happier with a pair of cheeky twins than he had been talking to Will.

Will stood up, and made his way back to the inn. He passed by his father in the reception hall, who took the shears away from him and asked furtively, “So? How did it go?”

“Not very well,” Will admitted. “Not badly either. But I don’t think I’m going to get through to the Prince any time soon.”

Pa sighed. “Don’t give up yet, son. Something will go right soon, I’m sure of it.”

Will nodded, appreciating his father’s effort, yet feeling more certain than ever that they were not going to figure anything out.

*

That night, when all was dark and most of the guests had returned to their rooms to sleep, Will let the effects of his morning dose of wagsroot wear off.

He made sure the door was locked. A bowl of the broth was sitting by his nightstand, waiting for him, but he wanted to experience the full flush of his heat for a moment, to indulge himself in what his body was offering. It was dizzying and powerful, like a fire burning from the inside. His body felt like a furnace, and he stripped off his clothes slowly, fondling himself as he went along. He touched himself, rubbing the length of his erection, wondering what the Prince looked like naked. How big would his cock be, Will couldn’t help but perversely imagine. His fingers reached down further, passing his taut balls and brushing against his wet hole. He shivered, groaning as he felt how slick he was. It was ridiculous just how wet he was.

He plunged his fingers in, weaving them in and out. His hips rocked back and forth as well, and he shut his eyes, imagining desperately that he wasn’t alone in his room. He dreamed of the prince touching him, fingering him, enjoying his body. He dreamed of not being alone, of having his fated mate with him, loving him back.
 

He brushed against his prostate hard, rubbing back and forth, wanting to get off quickly. He came to with a harsh jerk of his slender hips, his round buttocks rising off his bed as he came hard. He moaned wordlessly, withdrawing his fingers shakily. When he came down from his orgasm, he sighed quietly, now facing the fact that he was alone.
 

Even though it had been quite a satisfying orgasm, his heat still remained. It would remain until he was bonded, and he would have to keep taking wagsroot until then.
 

He cleaned himself up, and then drank the cold broth waiting for him. He gave it a few minutes to kick it before standing up, unlocking his door, and carrying the empty bowl down. He went down the many flight of stairs, only passing by a single person along his way.

“Excuse me, sir, this is the eastern wing,” he said politely to the guest, who he recognised as the brown-bearded advisor of the Alpha. “The Redfangs stay here. Your room is at the west wing, just along this way down.”

 
Once the advisor had curtly nodded at him and left, Will continued his journey down to the kitchen, where he washed his bowl and set it aside to dry. He was about to leave when he spotted Kytes just around the corner.

“Fancy seeing you here,” he said, even though it was normal to bump into his friend around various spots in the inn.

“Just grabbing a snack,” said Kytes, grinning. “You here for your wagsroot?”

“Already drank it upstairs. Just came down to wash the bowl.”

“Hmm, I see. How’s it going with the prince?”

Will frowned. “Not good,” he admitted. “I managed to talk to him a little bit more in the afternoon, but not much came out of it. Jack and Peter roused more of a response out of him than I did.”

Kytes sighed. “Who would have thought you having a fated mate would be so troublesome?”

Will nodded, shutting his eyes tiredly. “And I only have a week left before they leave town. Nothing short of a miracle will help me out now,” he said.

*

A miracle wrapped up in unfortunate circumstances happened just two days later.
 

A bout of sudden illness sent the people of Hemslock into a tizzy. It was nothing more than a mild influenza, usual for that time of the year, but several members of the Alpha party and the Redfang entourage were hit hard.

“They’re probably not used to the climate and food around here,” Will supposed, when Kytes brought him news of yet another brother of James confined to bed rest as of that morning.

“That and they’re still recovering from their long journey here,” Kytes added. “The Third Son’s sneezing up a storm now, and, well, let’s just say that his mood is even less pleasant than usual now.”

“Weaklings,” Will chortled. They were in the kitchen, nicking whatever scraps of food they could find to snack on, with no risk of being overheard by any of the Alpha party.
 

Kytes cracked a grin at that. “But it seems like Prince Dashel’s really under the weather. I passed by his room earlier, and I could hear him coughing even from outside. Hell, his whole floor’s filled with the sound of coughs. The Redfangs seem harder hit than the Den-folk, though not by much.”

“Prince James is still all right,” Will said, thinking back to that morning, when he passed by the Alpha’s son, looking as hale and hearty as ever, shyly saying ‘Good morning’ and earning himself a polite smile and nod that had his heart twitterpating.
 

“And here’s hoping he stays healthy,” Chef Isaac said, angrily stirring something in a bowl across them. “It’s been nonstop work in here since the lot of them got the flu. We have to keep sending up tea and honey and soup to those prats. More and more work, and not enough time. I’ll quit if even more of them get sick, I promise you that, Will. It’s a damn good thing that they know how to make their own tea at night, because if I had to do that for them too, I’d snap in a second.” The chef carried on muttering to himself while Will and Kytes finished off their mid-afternoon break.

Passing by the dining hall, Will could see a few members of the Alpha party inside, Prince James included, seated around the head of the massive rectangular table that took up nearly half the entire room. They were engrossed in a discussion, and though he couldn’t hear a word of it, Will could see in their faces that it was a serious debate.
 

Pa was in the reception, and Will went up to him. “What are they talking about in the dining hall?”

“I’m about to find out,” answered Pa. “The Alpha just requested my attendance.” His eyes suddenly lit up. “Why don’t you come along with me?”

“Can I?”

“No harm trying.” Pa shrugged. “You’re my son, and you get a bit of leeway with that. Not too sure about you though, Kytes,” he added, eyeing the taller man.

Kytes held up his hands. “It’s fine, I’m not very interested in those matters. I think it’s best if Will isn’t bothered by my presence in front of Prince James, anyway.”

Will flushed. “Is this why you want me to come along with you, Pa?”

“Every second extra you have with the prince is an opportunity,” said his father, and before Will could argue, he grabbed his son by the arm and led him down the corridor to the dining hall.

The two alpha-males standing guard by the doorway nodded at them and let them pass and soon enough, Will was feeling severely underdressed in the presence of all the dignitaries.
 

“Thank you for coming,” said Alpha Miles to Will’s father.
 

Respectfully, Pa held his gaze to the ground as he answered, “An honour to be at the service of the Alpha. This is my son, William, and I hope his attendance may be permitted.”

Alpha Miles nodded briskly. “It’s fine. He may be of some assistance. Seat yourselves.”

Besides Alpha Miles and James, there were seven others, most of them elderly advisors, save for the younger one with the brown beard.

Will took his seat opposite an aged, wrinkled man, and Pa sat by his side. He couldn’t help but flit his eyes to James every so often. Were he just a little bit more shameless, he would probably be swooning, his head and heart throbbing maddeningly, but he kept himself in check.

“The doctor came in last night to have a look at our ailing members,” the Alpha spoke, his deep voice commanding attention at an almost instinctive level, “and his guess is that they are still many weeks away from a full recovery.”

“That bad?” said Pa, sounding surprised. The flu was unpleasant for all, but it normally ate up only a week or two from the wolves of Hemslock Town.

Alpha Miles himself seemed a bit mystified at the situation, shaking his head and sniffing derisively. “It seems that
some
of my wolves may be a little too sheltered back in the Den and their first brush with the countryside isn’t helping their condition. But as it is, this throws our plans into a rather dire situation. Prince Dashel is unlikely to make a recovery in time for the feast next week — indeed, it seems he will be in need for a much longer period of convalescence.”

“What do you suggest we do then?” said Pa, listening attentively. Will couldn’t help but notice that despite the sad news that his betrothed had taken ill, Prince James showed no reaction, looking neither upset nor angry at the situation.

“Your hospitality and courtesy thus far has been appreciated, Master Connor, and I ask if you would extend it further in our favour. Since James and most of our advisors are in full health, we were considering postponing the celebration feast by a few weeks, and sending them out in the interim to the border.”

“The border?” Pa repeated curiously.
 

Will sat politely by his side, echoing the same thoughts, but with none of the authority to voice them. Immediately west to the Norvargen territory was a free territory, mutually agreed between all seven major packs to remain an ungoverned region that any and all could travel in. Lining the border were several scattered outposts comprised of tiny community of shifters who were just as likely to call themselves Norvargen wolves as not. Many of them had never seen a member of the Alpha Court before, but would still submit to Alpha Miles for the privilege of his territorial protection.
 

Alpha Miles nodded. “It was planned that after the feast next week, they’d visit the villages by the western borders. Merely to check upon them and to preserve their goodwill and relations with us; we will be hosting no feasts with them. Prince Dashel was also never planning on attending in the first place, as he was to return to the Den shortly after the feast here, so his absence isn’t an issue. I myself have seen the border a few months ago, but it will be the first time for James, and I am keen on having my son thoroughly acquaint himself with all those who call themselves Norvargen.”

Makes sense
, thought Will, nodding along,
if he’s to become Alpha one day, he ought to meet with even the border wolves, I suppose
.

“Of course, this will require at least a two months extension of our stay,” said Alpha Miles. “The journey back and forth from the border will require that much. You will be generously compensated in return, of course.”