Page 13

EZRA

King Alaroth’s long, silver hair was braided today. He sat shirtless in his throne, his pale skin and chiseled muscles making him look like a carved Renaissance statue come to life. Various necklaces hung down his chest, and he cooed at the two-headed black snake crawling across his shoulders and down his arm.

“What news do you bring me today, Ezra?”

I rose to my feet from my position of supplication on the floor, folding my hands behind my back. “Word of my skills and Marlowe’s pack’s ability to shift has spread, Your Majesty. Shifters and vampyrs alike are suspicious, and I worry for her safety.”

His eyes remained on his pet, flicking his tongue and smiling. “Yes, I suppose they would be. Fools, what did they expect would happen after they cursed the portals? Within a few generations they’ll be just as powerless and weak as humans. Serves them right, as far as I’m concerned.”

It was well past breakfast, and half his court was still sleeping off the effects of last night’s festivities, while the other half had never stopped celebrating. I sidestepped as a female reached for my cock, letting her fall in a drunken mess at my feet.

Alpha knots still fascinated these fae endlessly. When the royal seer first delivered the prophecy about me and Marlowe almost a thousand years ago, the king had begun rounding the shifters up to ensure the crown could inspect any twin pups as soon as they were born. A few managed to escape the shifter camps over the years in the Earthen realm, such as my parents, but most of them still lived in contained havens, far from the types of people living here at the capital.

“Will my beloved be ready to make the crossing soon?”

the King asked, glancing longingly at the empty throne beside him. “I’m so tired of waiting.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,”

I replied. “I can feel the Aetherium building inside her. It won’t be long until she’s ready to access it.”

“Excellent. And have you brought me my token?”

Something didn’t sit right with me about his request, and it felt like pimping out my sister. Then a sharp pain ripped through my skull, and I clutched my temples and winced.

Alaroth’s gaze narrowed. “Something the matter, alpha?”

Was something the matter? What had I been thinking about? Oh, right, the token.

I turned and nodded to the guard holding a small chest. He brought it to me, and I took it the rest of the way, kneeling on the edge of the dais as I opened the lid and presented my gift to him.

The king snatched the scarf out, bringing it to his nose and breathing deeply. “Oh… oh my.”

His aqua irises disappeared as his pupils dilated. “This is the most exquisite thing I have ever scented.”

His hand slowly began stroking the growing erection in his pants, and I held my breath to keep from vocalizing my disgust, my head beginning to throb.

It had always been difficult watching males lust after my sister, and now that she was off the hormone suppressants, I was going to have to get used to the way fae-born creatures reacted to her potent perfume.

Thankfully I was immune, otherwise things would be really awkward. She just smelled comforting to me.

The King snapped his fingers at an omega concubine and pointed at his cock. The female rushed over, giddily removing it from his pants and lifting her skirts to slide on top. He closed his eyes, breathing in my sister’s lingering scent with the scarf in one hand, the other holding the female’s waist as she rode him into oblivion.

I trusted Alaroth—he was the one who’d found me after I’d accidentally wandered through a portal I’d stumbled across in India. The one who had created the simulacrum that jumped in front of a truck for me so I could fake my death and join him in Vespera eight years ago. He’d taught me how to shift, how to use magic, and how to fight. He’d given me purpose and direction. And he’d rewarded me with whatever I’d wanted, although I didn’t want much.

Clothing was useless when I shifted in and out of my wolf form so often. Females, or even males for that matter, didn’t excite me these days. I had no use for money or jewels when he already provided me with food and shelter. All I really wanted was my sister, and we were working on that. The king also wanted my sister, albeit for very different reasons, and I worried about what he had planned for Marlowe.

He’d developed a taste for omegas over the years, having steady access to them through the havens. And with him seizing control of Marlowe’s destiny, he had also latched onto the idea that she would be his perfect queen.

Yet watching the way he treated females was often nauseating. Would he force my sister on his lap like this? Would I have to endure watching him fuck her from his throne during one of his lavish parties?

He finished quickly, waving the omega off as he tucked himself back into his pants. The corners of his mouth lifted in a slight smirk as he carefully observed me, my brow furrowed due to a building ache. “You’re clearly conflicted about something, Ezra. I see how hard you are trying to hide it from me.”

Crap. I had never quite gotten the hang out of keeping my thoughts off my face. The king was particularly tuned into my expressions, and could often read me like a book. Lying was out of the question —he could sense them too easily. But I still needed to be careful with my words.

“It’s about Marlowe…”

The king removed the snake from his shoulders, handing it to a nearby attendant so he could wrap my sister’s scarf around his neck, eyelashes fluttering as he continued to breathe her in. “And?” he asked.

“She’s… she’s very… outspoken. She’s not your typical, submissive omega. I only want to prepare you.”

He leaned forward, the smirk growing wider. “Do you think I am not up to the challenge?”

“No,”

I replied quickly. “No, of course not. It’s just…”

“It’s just what? If I wanted a weak-willed, simpering whore, I clearly have my pick of them.”

He laughed as he gestured around the room. “Your sister will be my queen. I do not mean to break her, simply mold her. There may be some adjustment pains, but her training will be much different than yours, if that’s what worries you. I will be taking a much gentler approach.”

I swallowed and bowed my head, placing a closed fist on my heart. “Thank you, Your Majesty. You have indeed alleviated my concerns.”

The King stood and walked towards me, taking my chin in his hand. “You love your sister dearly. I wish I could say I understood—I killed all of my brothers and sisters without a second thought to ensure my succession to the throne. However, it is admirable.”

He kissed my cheeks and then let me go, turning back around. “I do hope the next time I see you in here, you’ll be escorting my beloved, Ezra.”

He sat back down and crossed his ankle over his knee, taking another whiff of my sister’s scent.

“Or there will be consequences.”