Chapter 104 Fretting About Cheese - Aleksandr’s POV
I watched the lantern light dance across the clearing as I laid out the last of the pastries on the blanket. The night air carried the scent of pine and wildflowers, a welcome change from the castle’s stone and polish.
Tomorrow, Amelia would be officially crowned as my Queen, but tonight – tonight was just for us, away from the prying eyes and whispered judgments that had followed her since our mating. She deserved at least one perfect night, unmarred by politics or ancient traditions, before facing the spectacle that awaited her.
The glade I’d chosen was one of my private retreats, a secret place known only to me and a handful of trusted guards. Ancient oak trees formed a natural barrier around its edges, their massive trunks standing sentinel against intrusion. Above, stars pierced the velvet darkness between leafy branches, more visible here than anywhere near the castle’s eternal twilight glow.
I adjusted the cushions on the blanket, feeling almost foolish at my nervousness. The Alpha King, feared ruler of the Kingdom, fretting over the placement of wine glasses and whether I’d chosen the right cheeses. But this wasn’t about kingdom business or pack politics. This was about giving Amelia something I’d failed to provide when we’d first mated – romance. Our bond had formed in crisis and necessity, forged in the heat of curses and threats rather than gentle courtship.
‘Mate will like,’ Skoll assured me, his presence warm and certain in our shared mind. Since our mating, his voice had grown stronger, more distinct, the curse no longer driving a wedge between us. ‘Simple things matter to her. Not gold. Not power. Us.’
He was right, as he often was about Amelia. My mate valued genuine connection over grandeur, had never once been impressed by my wealth or status. It was one of countless reasons I loved her.
The soft crunch of approaching footsteps pulled me from my thoughts. I rose to my feet, smoothing down the front of my simple black shirt – casual by my standards, though still finer than anything Amelia had owned before coming to the castle. Through the trees came my mate, guided by Mira who carried a small lantern to light their path. Amelia’s face, half-shadowed in the gentle glow, registered first confusion, then dawning delight.
“Aleksandr, what is this?” she asked, stopping at the edge of the blanket, taking in the spread of food and wine, the cushions arranged for comfort, the lanterns hanging from low branches.
I crossed to her in three long strides, taking her hand in mine. “This is what I wanted our mating night to have been,” I said simply, bringing her fingers to my lips. “Quiet. Beautiful. Just us.”
Mira slipped away with practiced discretion, leaving us alone in our private sanctuary. Amelia gave me a small smile that made my chest ache with its sweetness, rising on tiptoes to press her lips softly against mine.
“Thank you,” she whispered against my mouth, her gratitude flowing through our bond like warm honey.
I led her to the blanket, helping her settle among the cushions before joining her. We ate in comfortable silence for a while, sampling the array of foods I’d selected – summer berries still warm from the day’s sun, creamy cheeses, thinly sliced meats, and pastries filled with honey and nuts. The wine was from my private reserves, aged longer than Amelia had been alive, its complex notes of cherry and oak filling the air between us.
“How are you feeling about tomorrow?” I asked finally, watching her profile in the gentle light. Despite the ease between us, I could sense the tension she carried in her shoulders, the slight furrow between her brows that appeared whenever she thought I wasn’t looking.
She shrugged, taking another sip of wine. “I’m okay.”
I reached over, tilting her chin up until those remarkable mismatched eyes met mine. “It’s okay to be scared, my Queen.”
The endearment made her lips quirk upward, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. She leaned into me with a sigh, her head finding its natural place against my shoulder.
“I’m not scared, exactly,” she said, her voice soft against the night sounds of the forest. “That doesn’t feel like the right word.” Her fingers played with the stem of her wine glass, twirling it absently. “I’m nervous about my speech, about how that will be received. The vows are just as I expected, nothing surprising there.”
She rubbed her face, a gesture of fatigue or frustration I’d come to recognise. “I’m dreading the fertility rite,” she admitted finally, the words spilling out in a rush. “The thought of shifting in front of all those people, of Kaela and Skoll...” She trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.
Skoll whimpered in my mind, his distress at our mate’s unhappiness as sharp as my own. ‘Humans stupid,’ he growled. ‘Human traditions stupid. Why make mate unhappy?’
I wrapped my arm around her, drawing her closer against me. Her scent – lavender and vanilla with the subtle musk of wolf beneath – filled my senses, grounding me even as my mind raced for solutions. There had to be a way around this archaic requirement, some loophole we’d missed, some alternative that would spare her this public humiliation while still satisfying tradition.
‘If she already with pup, wouldn’t be needed,’ Skoll grumbled suddenly, his practical wolf mind cutting straight to what seemed, to him, an obvious solution.
The thought sent a bolt of heat through me, my mind suddenly flooded with images so vivid they stole my breath – Amelia, her belly round and full with my child; her face soft with the glow of impending motherhood; her body changed, marked in the most primal way as mine. My heartbeat quickened, pounding against my ribs with enough force that Amelia lifted her head, her eyes searching mine.
“What just happened?” she asked, placing her hand against my chest where my heart raced beneath her palm. “Your heartbeat just spiked.”
Instead of answering with words, I opened our bond, projecting the images Skoll had planted in my mind – Amelia heavy with our child, both of us curled protectively around her swollen belly, the four of us – man, woman, and both wolves – united in fierce protection of what we’d created together.
Her eyes widened, pupils dilating as the images flowed between us. I felt Kaela’s reaction through our bond as well, a warm surge of longing and possessiveness that mirrored Skoll’s. The scent of Amelia’s response – surprise melting into something deeper, warmer – filled the space between us, making my blood run hot in my veins.