Chapter 54 Courting a Mate - Aleksandr’s POV
I had been sceptical when Nora cornered me in my office that morning, her ancient eyes gleaming with mischief as she outlined the day she and Mira had planned. A "date day," she'd called it—as if I were some ordinary wolf courting a mate, not an Alpha King racing against an age-old curse with the fate of my kingdom hanging in the balance. But watching Amelia's face as we finished our lunch, seeing the easy smile that had barely left her lips all morning, I had to admit the old wolf had been right. We needed this—not just as potential mates fighting dual curses, but as two people learning to exist in each other's orbits.
"That was wonderful," Amelia said, setting down her spoon after finishing the last of her seafood risotto. Her mismatched eyes caught the sunlight streaming through the windows, making them appear almost luminous.
Before I could respond, Mira swept into the room with the precise timing of someone who had been waiting just outside the door. "Time to get ready for the theatre," she announced, giving me a quick nod before turning her full attention to Amelia. "We need at least two hours to prepare."
Amelia raised an eyebrow. "Two hours? For a musical?"
"Trust me," Mira insisted, already tugging her toward the door. She threw a glance over her shoulder at me. "You can have her back at four, Your Highness. Not a minute sooner."
I chuckled as Amelia cast me a helpless look before being whisked away. "I'll see you at four," I called after her retreating form.
Left alone in the dining room, I found myself at loose ends. Normally, I would have retreated to my office, buried myself in the endless work of kingdom governance. But Nora had been emphatic—no work today. It was part of our "date," this forced separation of a few hours, this building of anticipation.
"Enjoying your day off, Your Highness?" Speak of the devil. Nora stood in the doorway, her silver-streaked braid falling over one shoulder, her ancient eyes sharp with knowing.
"More than I expected to," I admitted, rising from my seat. "Though I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with myself for the next three hours."
"Read a book. Take a walk. Do whatever normal wolves do when they're not carrying the weight of a kingdom." She studied me with those unnervingly perceptive eyes. "You've forgotten how to just exist, Aleksandr. Perhaps that's part of the curse too—this slow erosion of your humanity through constant duty."
'She right,' Skoll rumbled in my mind. 'Always duty. Never just... being.'
I sighed, acknowledging the truth in her words. "The library, then. I haven't read anything but reports and petitions in months."
Nora nodded approvingly. "An excellent choice. And Aleksandr?" Her voice softened slightly. "She's good for you. Anyone can see it."
I thought of Amelia's smile, the way she'd looked in the sunlight as we walked through the rose garden, how she hadn't flinched or pulled away when our hands brushed. "Yes," I agreed quietly. "She is."
The royal library was blessedly empty when I arrived, its soaring shelves and comfortable alcoves offering the kind of solitude that felt companionable rather than lonely. I selected a novel at random—something about human explorers discovering a lost civilisation—and settled into a deep leather chair near a window overlooking the western gardens.
The story should have been engaging enough, but my thoughts kept drifting back to Amelia. In just two weeks, she had transformed from a frightened girl arriving as a potential sacrifice to a woman who challenged me, who pulled me from isolation, who looked at the monster I could become and still chose to stand beside me. Nine weeks until my hundredth birthday. Nine weeks to break a curse that had defeated generations of Alpha Kings before me. The odds were stacked impossibly against us.
And yet...
'Mate strong,' Skoll insisted, pressing forward in our shared consciousness. 'Kaela strong too. Not like others.'
He was right. There was something different about Amelia, about Kaela. Something that defied expectation and convention. If anyone could help me break this curse, it was the wolfless girl from Frozen Mountain with her trapped wolf and unbreakable spirit.
I must have lost track of time in my thoughts, because the library doors suddenly opened, and I looked up to find the sun much lower in the sky than when I'd entered. And there in the doorway, haloed by the golden afternoon light, stood Amelia.
I rose slowly, the forgotten book tumbling from my lap to the floor. She wore a floor-length gown the color of champagne, the fabric catching the light with each breath she took. Her dark hair was styled in loose waves around her shoulders, and someone—Mira, I assumed—had applied subtle makeup that emphasised those extraordinary eyes.
"Amelia," I breathed, crossing the distance between us in long strides. "You look..."
Words failed me. I took her hand instead, raising it to my lips before gently spinning her in a circle, watching as the gown flared slightly around her ankles. "Stunning," I finally managed. "Absolutely stunning."
A blush coloured her cheeks, but she didn't look down or away as she might have even days ago. Instead, she met my gaze directly, a small smile playing at her lips. "You don't look so bad yourself."
I glanced down at the formal attire Nora had insisted I change into—dark pants and jacket, crisp white shirt, a tie in a deep purple that matched Skoll's eyes in wolf form. "Shall we?" I offered her my arm, which she took without hesitation.
The drive to the theatre passed in comfortable conversation, Amelia gazing out the windows at the city with undisguised curiosity. It struck me that this was her first time seeing the Royal City up close, having been confined to the castle since her arrival. I found myself pointing out landmarks, enjoying her reactions to the grand buildings and bustling streets.
The royal box at the theatre afforded privacy while providing a perfect view of the stage. The musical—a classic tale of star-crossed lovers who defied tradition to be together—seemed almost too on-the-nose, and I wondered if Nora had selected it deliberately for its parallels to our situation. Throughout the performance, I found myself watching Amelia more than the stage, captivated by the play of emotions across her expressive face. When the lovers were finally united in the final act, a tear slipped down her cheek, catching the stage lights like a diamond before she quickly wiped it away.
"Sorry," she whispered, noticing my gaze. "It's just... I've never seen anything like this before."
I reached for her hand in the darkness, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Neither have I, not really. Not like this."
By the time we returned to the castle, night had fallen completely, the sky clear and filled with stars. Instead of entering, however, our driver took us around to the eastern lawn, where I was surprised to discover a picnic had been laid out—blankets, cushions, a basket of food, and lanterns casting a warm golden glow over the scene.
"Nora thinks of everything," I murmured, helping Amelia from the car.
We settled on the blankets, discovering the basket contained an assortment of finger foods—tiny sandwiches, chocolate-dipped fruits, small pastries filled with savoury meats and cheeses, and a bottle of sparkling wine chilling in a silver bucket.
"This is perfect," Amelia sighed, slipping off her shoes and tucking her feet beneath her gown. Above us, the night sky stretched endless and clear, stars scattered like diamond dust across black velvet.
We ate and talked, the conversation flowing easily between us. She told me more about her childhood before things went wrong—exploring forests near the Frozen Mountain Pack territory, helping in the kitchens, the books she'd sneak from the pack library. I shared stories of my own youth, before the weight of kingship and the looming curse had narrowed my existence to duty and survival.
Eventually, the food forgotten, she lay back on the blanket, her hair spreading around her like dark water, her eyes fixed on the stars above. "Look," she whispered, pointing upward. "A shooting star."
I watched as the brief streak of light arced across the sky, there and gone in an instant.
"Make a wish," I said softly.
She closed her eyes, her lips moving silently as she made her wish. In that moment, with her face relaxed and open, bathed in starlight and lantern glow, she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.
I couldn't have stopped myself if I'd tried. I leaned down, one hand gently cradling her cheek, and pressed my lips to hers. For one heart-stopping moment, she was perfectly still beneath my touch. Then, with a soft sigh that I felt more than heard, she responded, her lips moving against mine with gentle exploration.
It wasn't our first kiss—that had been in the garden, just before the curse had overtaken me. But this was different. This was untainted by darkness, freely given and received. This was a beginning rather than an ending.
When we finally parted, her eyes fluttered open, those mismatched irises luminous in the starlight. She smiled, reaching up to touch my face with fingers that trembled slightly.
"You know," she whispered, "that's exactly what I wished for."