**Everly**
“Mate.” It is a simple four-letter word. By definition, it should be like a pal or friend. But in this universe, it is the most magical word for supernatural creatures and the most feared word for humans. You learn about the concept of mates in school from the first year.
Mate. The four-letter word that binds you to someone forever. Most supernatural creatures have “fated mates,” which are soul mates chosen by supernatural deities from the beginning of time. These creatures can also choose their partner, but unlike conventional human marriages, these bonds are irreversible and will last forever. There is no such thing as divorce for the supernatural, but it doesn’t mean they are monogamous. It is up to the individual creature and their mate or mates how their dynamic works, whether fated, chosen, or mixed. Mixed supernatural mates are more frequent now, whereas fated human mates are rare.
“Mate” is all I heard, and my mind spun. King Lucien stepped into my personal bubble space and swiftly locked a sizeable muscular arm around my waist so I was flush with his chest. I am spellbound by his now glowing golden eyes. Then his lips were on mine like a water bottle for a man in the desert, and I melted further into his embrace. Our lips began to dance, and a foreign heat tingled between my legs.
My saving grace appears from thin air. “EVERLY!” Stella yells. Thank all the supernatural deities for Stella! “There you are, o.m.g! You look so beautiful!” She begins to rant, pulling me casually from King Lucien’s grasp. I can’t help but smile at her while catching my breath.
“You will never guess! I met my mate! His name is Jax, he is a werewolf, a little older than me though, and he's like a twelve on the hotness scale…” Stella starts chatting but stops when a throat is cleared and she looks up at the mountain man who put his hands on my waist possessively.
Her eyes practically bug out of her head. I look to my right to see King Lucien giving her a scolding look, with a bit of a puckered tight lip and raised eyebrows.
Stella immediately let my hands go and bowed at her waist. “Y-your Ma-majesty.” She squeals out. Stella never stutters. She has always been the strong one. I can only imagine how powerful he must be in making someone like Stella want to submit in fear.
“Rise,” he commands, and she obeys. I can’t help but let a shutter visibly flow through my whole body when he speaks. If I thought I was being subtle, I wasn’t. He saw it and smirked. Damn him!
Before the King could utter another word, a tall, muscular man wrapped his arms around Stella while scolding her: “Where did you go, little mate? I was looking for you!” I could almost hear a growl escape him, and his eyes fluttered to black, the color of his beast.
“Jax,” King Lucien addressed him. It was casual yet authoritative. I shuttered again with his sultry voice.
“Boss,” This Jax guy said, inclining his head in reverence, but he didn’t make any other moves.
“I guess congratulations are in order. Have you found your mate?” King Lucien asks politely. Part of me wants to get out of his hold, but I know better than to resist. My heart is like a jackhammer. I am sure everyone can hear it. Stella raises her eyebrows at me. I close my eyes briefly, trying to take a deep breath to steady my heart.
“Yes, Your Majesty. This is Stella, my star, my mate,” Jax beams with a huge smile and then kisses Stella on her head. Stella blushes bright red, and it's adorable.
“Well then, I look forward to seeing her at the palace. Since she is already associated with my mate, she can be a Lady-in-waiting,” King Lucien states. I was caught up on the ‘Stella will be my what and where will be going?’
Stella quickly got out of her mate’s hold, and before I could react, I felt her embrace me in a tight hug. King Lucien’s hold is still firmly on my waist.
“OOOOh Eve! What wonderful news.” She giddily says to me, a smile plastered on her face, but her eyes show tears ready to escape and sorrow in her beautiful doe-like eyes. She turns her attention to King Lucien and says, “It would be a great honor to serve at the palace, Your Majesty.” Her resolve is calm and collected, but I can feel the tremble in her shaking hands. I squeeze them for assurance, but I'm not quite sure who the assurance was, for now, her or me.
Of course, I barely hold it together inside. I am a mate to a supernatural, and not just any supernatural, a dragon and a freaking King.
Lady Annabel comes over to us, kissing both of us on our cheeks in motherly affection. She gives us her blessings and tells us she will inform our parents when she returns home after the party. An unshed tear sparkles in her eyes, threatening to spill.
Not long after, a hungry-looking Jax quickly pulls away Stella, and before I can process fully, King Lucien has guided me to the Royal podium where the giant thrones sit on the dais. He motioned for me to sit on a smaller throne that suddenly appeared right next to his chair, which was in the center-right. His golden throne, adorned with his Dragon Crest, is a royal purple cushion for his perfectly sculpted gluteus maximus.
“Like what you see, little one?” He smirks, sending my heartbeat to the moon.
“Hmmm,” I nod quickly before an overwhelming bashfulness fills my face. I blush hard, feeling the heat radiating off of it in waves. I look away and scan the party, gulping an invisible lump in my throat. I begin to rub my hands together, trying to control my nervousness.
“So your name is Everly?” he asks, his sexy, deep voice pulling my attention again.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” I say quietly, although I know he can hear perfectly. I have so many butterflies in my tummy and am still super hungry. I guess as if my body couldn’t get more obvious, my stomach growled, leaving me to feel embarrassed, and the sexiest, most beautiful belly laugh penetrated my ears like a symphony that went straight to my core.
Without saying a word, he snaps his fingers, and a dwarf appears. He orders the servant to bring us a variety of foods, a glass of water for me, and a bourbon for him.
“Food will be here shortly, little one.” King Lucien begins. “You have a beautiful name. And by the Gods, you are truly breathtaking,” he says, admiring me, his eyes sparkling, just drinking in every inch of me. I can’t help but deepen the blush on my face. “And you may call me Lucien—no need for formalities, little mate. My family and close friends sometimes call me Luke. So you can call me that too if you want,” He adds at the end, trying to show me some comfort.
“Okay, Your Majesty…. I mean Lucien,” I correct myself when his eyes flash bright gold at my formal response. He visibly softens afterward and gives me a small smile.
Thankfully, a feast of exquisite food was wheeled on a trolley the next moment, saving me from more awkward interactions. The dwarf plated up mouthwatering culinary delectables before placing a plate before us.
“Tell me more about yourself, little one,” Lucien commands. I try hard not to stuff my face like a starving pig, as the food tastes just as good as it looks.
“Ummm. I am from New Glim in Elders Haven. My mom is a doctor, and my dad is on the Council assisting Lord Handich. I have an older sister, Candy, and my older brother, Cayden, recently graduated from the military academy. Um… Stella, who you met, has been my best friend since the 1st year of school. I love learning and reading. I sometimes paint. I like to cook with my mom. I’m nothing special, sir… And I just turned 18 yesterday.” I finish my rambling. I swear it is now about 1000 degrees in this place. I can feel the little beads of sweat on my brows.
“Your birthday was yesterday?” Luke asks quizzically.
“Yes, sir,” I say with a gentle nod and shovel more food into my mouth. I can’t help but moan in delight and do a little happy dance in my seat while I continue to eat. I eventually look over to see Luke staring lustfully at me.
“What?” I ask ever so informally. I completely forgot I was in the presence of Royalty! But then I can’t help but gasp when I see his golden orbs of ambrosia, showing me that his beast is present. I gulp my invisible lump again.
“Your moans, baby girl, are going to be the death of me.” He says, his eyes glowing even brighter, and I feel a dangerous yet delicious aura coming from him. He licks his tempting lips, and I bite mine in response. I hear a growl coming from him, purely animalistic, and if my panties were wet before, they are definitely a river now! I have this crazy urge to lean over and kiss him again.
Eh, what the hell! I am already headed that way, so I might as well. So that’s exactly what I did. I put my plate down, leaned over the armrest of his throne, and kissed him smack on the lips. I put my hand on his chest to steady myself.
He was shocked at first, stunned by my bold action, but then he immediately reciprocated and took control, using his free hand to caress my cheek before gripping my neck tightly to deepen the moment. I moan into his mouth as our tongues begin to dance, our lips moving in sync.
He breaks the kiss, and we both are panting heavily. He looks into my eyes, and I swear he can see into my soul. The smile that graced his face was majestic and could make any woman buckle to their knees.
He wastes no time in pulling my lips back to his. I feel a strong set of arms effortlessly pick me up and place me on muscular thighs, not breaking the heated make-out session. He ran a hand up my exposed thigh, heated tingles erupting on my skin as he got closer to my pulsing core. I felt like I was being devoured, and in that moment, I was utterly smitten with the idea of being dessert.
Then we hear a minor throat clear.