Bliss

Bliss
Zachariah

“I’m sorry,” I say the minute I see her eyes widen. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. Did you not feel it?”

“I—” She pauses, taking a breath. “Yes, I did. But this can’t be real, right?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“You... you’re the Alpha King!” she says. “I’m just a peasant girl from a farm,” she adds, lowering her voice and looking around as if I would ever feel ashamed of our mate bond.

And I have no doubt now that’s what this is. I’ve felt the sensation before, after all, with my Catherine. This is a little different, somehow. It’s still a very powerful mate bond. But it’s not quite... complete, I suppose the word is, though I don’t understand what that means. Maybe this is what it feels like to have a second-chance mate.

That’s something we’ll discuss later, or maybe I’ll just keep it to myself. I don’t want Madeline to think she is one single ounce less precious to me than Catherine was.

“I assure you, Madeline,” I begin, rising and reaching out my hand for her. “You are not just anything. You are Madeline of Brindle Pack, of Crystal Waters. You’re my mate.” Every time I say the word, excitement thrums through my veins. “Would you take a walk with me in the garden? If you’re finished with your meal, that is.”

“I am,” she says. “And I’d love to.” She rises, smiling softly.

Her hand trembles in mine, and I squeeze gently to help her relax. I feel her tension calm through our bond, somewhat. She’s still nervous. I don’t blame her. She found out only seconds ago that the Alpha King’s heir, to whom she was supposed to be a breeder, is actually her mate.

Honestly, I’m still in shock myself. Now that we’re touching again, the bond is even more unmistakable, though I have to admit I still have a nagging feeling that something isn’t quite complete.

“Come on,” I tell her, leading her out through the parlor’s back doors onto the private patio. Florals scent the air from the garden just in front of us, but none so alluring as that of my mate, who smells deliciously of lavender and vanilla—my favorite mix.

“It’s lovely out here,” she says. “We don’t have many flowers out on the... where I’m from.”

“Why is that?” I ask her as we stroll down the steps into the rose garden.

“We have to conserve water on the farm,” she explains. “We need it for our orchard, so we can’t spare any for ornamentals.”

“What town do you live in? I don’t recall where Brindle Pack is located.”

“It’s not really in a town,” she replies. “Our farm is out in the country, near the tiny village of Brighten.”

“Ah, I am familiar with the area nearby,” I tell her. “But why wouldn’t there be water? Doesn’t the Tiger River run in that direction?”

She crinkles her forehead. “Your father,” she begins, but then she stops speaking and looks around nervously.

“What about him?”

“He built a dam on the Tiger and rerouted it,” she blurts out.

“What? When?”

“A couple of years ago,” she answers quietly. “All the farmers, and the town... we’ve all been doing our best to conserve what water we have since then.”

“Madeline, I’m so sorry,” I tell her. “I had no idea.” I recall a faint memory of my father’s instructions one day. “That must have been when he said he had agricultural projects I wouldn’t be concerned about. He had me focused purely on manufacturing at the time, on the other side of the kingdom.”

“We’ve all... struggled,” she says sadly.

“I’ll make this right,” I say firmly. “Excuse me a moment.” I reach out to Lucas in the mind-link. “I need you to do me a favor.”

“Of course. What’s up?”

“I’ve just learned that my father built a dam on the Tiger River a couple of years ago.”

“He did? Why?”

“I don’t know that yet, but Brindle Pack has been suffering,” I explain. “I need you to go there and open it or, whatever you have to do to get the water flowing on its old course again.”

“Your father will be pissed.”

“Likely. But I can’t let this continue.” I catch Madeline’s gaze, her blue eyes gleaming with hope as she waits patiently.

It’s... distracting.

“Okay,” Lucas answers. “But how do I cover my ass on this? It would be going against the Alpha King.”

“I know, and I’m sorry,” I tell him. “I’ll take all responsibility for the fallout.”

“Why are you doing this all of a sudden?” he asks. “I’ve barely even heard of Brindle Pack.”

“Me neither, until now.”

“Hmm?”

“She’s my mate, Lucas,” I say.

“What? Who?”

“Madeline.”

“Um, am I supposed to know who Madeline is?” he asks.

“The woman I chose as the breeder,” I explain. “Madeline of Brindle Pack.”

“Um... oh. Oh!” His surprise registers through the link. “When did this happen? Tell me more.”

“Not right now,” I tell him. “Please, just take a trusted team with you and go see to that dam. Keep me posted on what’s going on there.”

“You’ve got it. I’ll leave as soon as I gather my team.”

“Thank you, Lucas.” I turn back to Madeline. “I’ve sent my future Beta to see to it,” I explain. “I hope it’s not too late for your farm.”

“I hope so, too,” she says. “Thank you. You’re very... kind.”

The flush of pink rising on her cheeks has my heart racing.

“I simply can’t allow that shadow of sadness to cross your beautiful eyes,” I say, taking a step closer, breathing in her scent. “And I can’t bear to know that anyone you love is suffering.”

She’s silent as our gaze lingers, the air between us heated with warmth of our bond. Her throat moves as she swallows, and deep inside, my wolf longs to place my lips there, to sink in my fangs gently to mark her. At this moment, I vow that it’s the only pain I’ll ever cause her.

I look up into her eyes again to find she hasn’t broken the gaze, but she does so an instant later to admire a flower.

“The Alpha King will never accept the fact that you’re mated to a peasant,” she says, quickly adding, looking back up at me, “I know what you said, about me not being just a peasant, and I can... feel that you believe it, that you aren’t ashamed of being mated to me. But the Alpha King will think differently. You’re already going against him to deal with the water situation for me.”

She looks down again, but I lift her chin with my index finger, then brush her soft cheek with my palm.

“Yes, I admit I’m doing this for you,” I tell her. “But I can’t say I wouldn’t have reacted in a similar way the moment I’d found out what my father had done. That’s wrong, and it hurts our people, and I won’t allow it, even if he refuses to ever turn the throne over to me. As to what he thinks about our mate bond, that’s none of his business. He will accept it or not. I don’t care.”

She sighs lightly, leaning into my touch. The small gesture sends sparks of electric pleasure through me. She looks into my eyes, and only now I notice the silver flecks against her blue irises that shimmer like jewels.

“We have each other now,” I tell her softly. “You’re not a breeder. You’re mine. I’m yours. Nothing else matters, not my father or anyone in this castle.”

She nods, biting her bottom lip gently.

“I hated the idea of a breeder,” I continue. “But now... honestly, I’m glad my father put out the call. I would never have met you, Madeline. And I’m so grateful that I did.”

A light breeze picks up, blowing a strand of her hair toward her mouth. I scoop it up, tucking it softly behind her ear.

“May I?” My question is nearly a whisper.

She gasps lightly as if startled by the question. As my breeder, she’d thought she was my property, that I owned her. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

She... owns my heart, from the moment we first touched.

She nods lightly.

Yes....

I bend to meet her lips, barely a touch at first, but even that small connection shoots lightning through me. I press closer, and she brings her arm up on instinct to wrap around my waist, pulling me in.

Deepening the kiss, I close my eyes. I don’t want to miss a moment of drinking in her beauty, but right now, I need to savor the feeling of the mate bond connecting us. I pull her in, and she parts her lips slightly, giving me access to her warm, wet tongue.

This is everything. The power of our connection, the ribbon that binds us, surrounds us like a cocoon. There is no one else, just me and her, joined blissfully in a bond so powerful, it has wiped away every other care in the world.

I’m lost in her—Madeline, my mate, my life, so much so that I can’t tell whether the voice, familiar and... incredibly unwelcome, screeches inside my head or out loud.

“How could you do this to me?”