Page 13 of Bound to Four Alphas (Silverthorn Alphas #1)

The time apart from Selena had been excruciating. As she slept, the final dying sparks of her heat fading, magic compelled the four of them to leave her in the chamber. They had been silently shown to their various quarters, where they separated to bathe and rest.

Malek had never needed sleep. He could choose to, but he didn’t need to. And so instead of sleeping, he crept out into the forest, letting his human skin fall away into shadow so that his true form could roll through the trees undisturbed.

It wasn’t long before Kaelen called him back, his eyes still tight despite the week they had spent together in the temple. He had been told there was to be a ball, with delegations from the dragons, the wolves, and the Fae. Kaelen had handed him a parcel of clothes, told him to dress, and warned him to keep to himself at the ball.

Malek was surprised he was even allowed to go.

So he had waited in his rooms as the other three alphas met with their various clans, trying to work out the various adornments and trinkets included with the pack. Eventually he had given up trying to decipher a long silver chain and instead just wrapped it around his antlers in a way that reminded him of frozen spiderwebs on a dying tree.

He rather liked it.

The ball had started, and so he went downstairs, and Malek felt the old familiar stab of loneliness as he watched as the other three males mingled and laughed with their people. It would, of course, have been madness to invite any of Malek’s monsters. But still. It would have been nice to have someone to talk to.

But then it hit him. He did have someone.

He could hear Selena inside her chambers, surrounded by priestesses, all of them tittering about how beautiful she was. He nearly snorted. Of course she was beautiful. It seemed impossible to him that she could ever be made more beautiful than when she had been writhing naked beneath him, her pretty pink lips parted in breathy moans.

However, when he knocked and the door swung open, he felt his world shift.

She was resplendent.

The dress she had chosen was silver, practically lit from within, bathing her skin in glowing light. Her dark hair was a curled mass, crystal jewels nestled like stars among the inky tresses, a circlet of silver dipping low onto her forehead. The dress hugged every gorgeous curve of her, every sumptuous dip and swell. She looked like the moon shining bright against the night sky.

Her eyes widened as she took him in.

He didn’t even acknowledge the priestesses as he extended a hand, his alpha purring in satisfaction at the blush that rose high on her cheeks as she walked forward to take it. Her scent, rose and lavender, was like coming home.

“Selena,” he said by way of greeting as he tucked her hand into the crook of his arm, “there are no words to describe your beauty.”

She laughed, a little nervous, her gaze dipping down. He caught her chin with his finger, crooking her head upwards to gaze into her wide silver eyes. “You are beautiful.”

He could hear the stutter of her heart as she replied, “You look very well also, Malek.”

“Come.” Je led her down the corridor towards the stairs, “the others are waiting for us.”

Selena stopped then, stumbling for a moment and he paused, looking over her with sudden panic. “Are you alright?”

She glanced between him and the staircase, fear spiking in her scent. “I … I’ve never been to anything like this. I don’t know what to do, what to say.”

Understanding dawned as he pulled her close. She was nervous. Of course she was. She was a human, raised on the outskirts of a tiny village pack. She knew nothing of the upper echelons of this world, of the scheming, the lying, the deceit.

Then again, neither did he.

“You do not need to do anything,” he said after a pause, trying to find the right words to say to set her mind at ease. “I will stay with you. The others will be there, and they will not let you falter. I often find that…” He trailed off, hit with an unfamiliar bashfulness, but she looked up at him with encouragement and he swallowed before continuing, “I often find that when I do not know what to say, remaining silent is a suitable alternative.”

She smiled at him then, radiant and warm, and heat curled through his limbs as he drank in her affection. Truly, what had he done to deserve such a gift? Every single day of his existence had been so lonely, so dark, and then suddenly she was here.

There was no need for her to fear anything. He would sooner die than let her experience a moment of discomfort. The people downstairs, the dragons, the wolves, the Fae, all of them. They were nothing compared to her.

“Thank you, Malek,” she said, her voice soft. “I am grateful to have you by my side this evening.”

It was everything he could do not to fall to his feet and worship her there and then.

But others demanded her time. And so together, they walked down the stairs and into the hall that had been decorated for the occasion. It seemed that Kaelen and Elian had spared no expense in preparing the relatively run-down temple for the celebration.

Huge garlands of ivy and fern hung down from the ceiling, tipped in riotous red flowers that caught on his antlers as they walked underneath. Tables of food and drink had been set up, thousands of candles lining the walls, there was even a small group of musicians in the corner. And beyond the hall, the great doors had been thrown open to the gardens where an enormous fire raged, casting glowing light on the shadowed figures milling about.

He had never seen such an eclectic group before. Indeed, there were Fae and wolves and dragons, as was to be expected, but other clans were present also. It seemed word had spread beyond the First Realm about the Omega of Prophecy. There were shifters of all kinds, foxes and lions and great hulking bears. Delegations from many different Fae Courts. Elves, mages, witches. There were even a few humans.

With his towering height, it was easy for Malek to spot Kaelen amongst a group of elaborately dressed dragons, members of his clan, his face easy and relaxed. Ronan was talking to some bear shifters, a great tankard of mead in his hand, his head thrown back with roaring laughter. And Elian. Elian was flitting from group to group with such a look of delight on his face that Malek felt almost concerned. The Fae truly never did pass up the opportunity to embroil himself in intrigue.

Selena, however, who barely came up to his chest, had curled into him, her scent spiking in distress at the noise and commotion. He wrapped a protective arm around her shoulder, dipping his head to murmur in her ear, “It’s okay, I won’t leave you.”

She smiled at him with appreciation, but her scent did not relax. Malek watched as one by one the other alphas scented her distress and cast their eyes about wildly, pushing their way through the crowds as they spotted Malek.

The crowd of magical beings had seemed to notice the monster in their midst, concerned eyes and whispers turning on him. He swallowed. It was nothing that he wasn’t used to, but he didn’t like the idea of causing undue stress. Not when it might endanger Selena. But he had promised to stay by her side.

Let them talk.

Of course, there was also the way Ronan was physically shoving people out the way, his eyes grim and focused as he made his way to the omega. That was bound to draw attention. Indeed, as the other alphas reached them, one by one, everyone in the near vicinity was trying to subtly watch the interaction, their curiosity palpable.

Malek resisted the urge to draw Selena into his robes and whisk her away from the prying eyes.

“Selena.” Kaelen reached them first, cupping Selena’s cheek with a large hand. “Are you alright?”

She nodded. “Yes, of course, it’s just … there’s a lot of people. That’s all.”

Kaelen’s jaw tightened and Malek watched him mentally kick himself. To one raised in a way that Kaelen had been, a gathering like this would be a paltry thing. It wouldn’t have even occurred to him that Selena might feel panicked by so many people.

A fierce blush rose on her cheeks as Elian and Ronan also reached them, surrounding her and peppering her with questions about her well-being. Her scent spiked again, although this time with something heady and needy, and Malek realized she must be remembering the last time the four of them were all together.

Ronan bellowed out a laugh. “Feeling a little embarrassed are we, sweetness?” His voice was full of mirth, no hint of mockery at all, but still her eyes narrowed at him.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she replied, her voice prim despite her burning cheeks.

“That’s my girl,” he replied. “Come on, let’s get you a drink, I want to introduce you to a few members of my clan, they’ve been dying to meet you.”

“Many of us have been dying to meet you,” came a silken voice, and Malek turned.

Ronan’s reaction was instantaneous. He snarled viciously, loud enough to draw the attention of the entire hall. He shoved past them, pushing Selena further into Malek’s protective arms as he bared his teeth at the interloper, muscles primed to launch.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

The man dressed in ornate purple clothes, a human by smell, raised his hands mockingly. Malek’s hackles rose.

“Word reached us about your little … omega. ” His grin was pure predator, and despite the difference in their size, he didn’t seem at all concerned that Ronan looked ready to rip him limb from limb.

“Your crest,” Kaelen’s words were pure ice as he drew up beside Ronan. “You’re from the Silverthorn Kingdom.”

“Well, shit,” Elian murmured with a wicked delight in his voice. But even his adoration of intrigue didn’t stop him from drawing close Malek, close to Selena .

“He’s their fucking prince,” growled Ronan, his figure looming huge.

Malek knew Ronan couldn’t shift. The temple hindered magic within its grounds. That was a good thing. With the threat to Selena, Malek wasn’t sure he would be able to control himself if there was bloodshed.

“Guilty as charged,” said the human with amusement.

“Damien,” said Kaelen, his voice unnervingly flat. Out of the corner of his eye, Malek saw some wolves and dragons shift closer, their eyes trained on Damien and his men. “You’re not welcome here.”

Damien sucked his teeth, crossing his arms. “Well, it’s a real shame to hear you say that, really, it is. Because you see, that omega you have hiding behind you, she’s one of my subjects. My … property , if you will. And you have stolen her.”

The hall was completely silent, every single being watching the interaction with a mix of fear and excitement.

Ronan’s growl shook the very building, “You fucking dare— ”

“Ronan.” Selena’s voice was gentle but firm as she pulled out of the circle of Malek’s arms, walking up to stand between Ronan and Kaelen. A whine escaped Malek’s chest at the loss of contact, and she turned to give him a small smile.

What was she doing? She was safe in his arms, they would look after her, eliminate the threat for her, she didn’t have to—

“Prince Damien,” she said sweetly, ignoring Ronan’s growls and Kaelen’s hard stare, sweeping into a curtsy. “It is an honor to make your acquaintance.”