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EZRA

Watching the king with Marlowe had been difficult. More difficult than I’d anticipated.

Ever since we’d hit puberty, I’d had to deal with my sister’s sexuality and guys hitting on her. But I’d been there to protect her and step in when she’d needed help.

It was kind of astounding, looking back at how many grown alpha men I’d had to bark at as a teenager, to think about the power I’d had even then to make them go away. How many dangerous situations had she avoided thanks to me?

Alaroth’s attention was a different story, though. I knew Marlowe didn’t want him, and I knew he could hurt her to get his way. But he was my king, my mentor… practically a brother sometimes with how he cared for me.

It felt like a betrayal, after all these years, to watch him touch and kiss her, knowing that I had delivered her to him…

“…Are you fucking crazy?”

I spat. My mouth was filled with blood, my hands chained with silver to the walls. Every inch of my body ached and burned.

Alaroth sighed. “Ezra, we’ve been over this. I need both of you to fulfill the prophecy. And if she’s as delectable as I believe she could be, then I would like to make her my queen.”

I grit my teeth. “I won’t let you lay a single finger on her, you…”

A sharp pain speared through my temple and I gasped.

Wait, why was I so upset? The king would be good to her, obviously. He’d promised me. But it wouldn’t hurt to be sure, so I kept an eye on them from a distance, unwilling to allow Marlowe’s first encounter with him to go unguarded.

She was upset and confused, as I’d assumed she would be, though she’d managed to hold her own well enough. I always forgot how smart my sister was, and how well she could read people and adapt to social situations. She’d thankfully realized it was better to go along with him than fight, and had thus far managed to keep herself safe.

After she’d been dropped off with the other omegas, the king headed towards his garden, and I slinked in to meet with him. Just as he knew I would, of course.

“Your sister has not been harmed,”

he spoke. His tone was amused as he inspected a fragrant bloom growing on a large bush, waiting for me to reveal myself and shift back to my human form.

I walked in front of him and dropped to a knee. “I apologize if it appears I do not trust you, Your Majesty. It’s just…”

Alaroth motioned slightly for me to rise. “She inspires one to do anything to be in her good graces. Her perfume, the feel of her skin, her little whimpers—I understand now. I would gladly sell my kingdom if she promised me her tight little cunt in return.”

I winced slightly and a smirk grew on his face. “I have greater willpower than that, but were I a weaker male…”

he sighed wistfully. “It matters not. But now that she is here, in addition to planning our wedding, we will need to prepare her for the battles ahead.”

Yes, this was a far better topic. She’d shown a lot of power when she’d attacked me at the Rite, more than I’d anticipated. Fighting didn’t come naturally to her—she was an omega, after all—but with my help she could easily become a formidable force.

“I can start training her at once. She wielded for the first time back on Earth. I will teach her how to channel her magic and…”

“Shh,”

the king said, bringing his finger to my lips. “That is not the preparation she requires.”

I tilted my head in confusion. When we had discussed our plans over the years, the king had made it clear he expected Marlowe to fight alongside us. “I’m not sure weapons would be as effective given her size. Magic is still…”

Alaroth laughed, interrupting me again. “You think I would risk my queen, my beautiful omega, by placing her on the front lines? No, no. Her potential greatness lies somewhere much closer to her wheelhouse.”

My sister’s greatest assets, aside from her intelligence, were of the sort I didn’t really want to think about. The king read the thoughts on my face clearly, and patted me on the shoulder. “No need to let your mind rush towards the darkest possibilities behind my words, Ezra. I would say it’s insulting, but then again, it’s good to know you understand the potential depth of my depravity.”

He grinned widely, picking the flower he’d been sniffing and sticking it behind my ear. “You may teach her how to use magic, if it will help you sleep at night. We have another matter to discuss, however.”

He turned and began to walk further into the garden, his hands clasped behind his back, wordlessly expecting me to follow. I kept pace just a step behind him.

“What shall we do about her pack?”

Crap. I didn’t really want to hurt them.

If we had grown up in Maiingan Hollow like normal shifters, without this prophecy hanging over our heads, then I probably would have even liked them. They weren’t as strong as me, but they certainly weren’t weak. They also seemed to really care for my sister and wanted to protect her, like by bonding with that younger male who’d performed so well in the Rite.

And Marlowe was just as protective of her pack as they were of her, what with the way she’d stepped into the ring to fight me herself so I wouldn’t hurt them. If she found out about our parents, she would never speak to me again. But if I killed her alphas?

She would rip my throat out, and I would probably let her. I didn’t have a bonded pack myself—the king forbade them—but as a shifter, I could understand how deep those ties ran.

“They are no threat to us,”

I replied. “And I’m afraid you would lose Marlowe’s favor if you ordered them to be eliminated.”

The king was silent for a moment. “You’re wrong about the first thing, although it’s because of the second.”

A pixie buzzed in my face, and I shooed it away. Worse than mosquitoes.

“Their threat isn’t physical—it’s precisely because of Marlowe’s connection and feelings that makes them dangerous to keep alive. As long as she believes she may someday outsmart me and make it back to them, she’ll never be mine.”

He stopped, his eyes shifting to mine. “You watched us from the woods. You must realize as I do that your sister has no intention of ever marrying me or sharing a bed. At least right now.”

I cringed again, the thought of them together too nauseating to respond to.

“She knows this is a game, so what is the best move for me? If I kill them, she’ll be too distraught to play along. But if I keep them alive, I’ll never truly win.”

He turned around fully to face me, crossing his arms. “You know her better than I, so how do I get what I want from her?”

Did I want to hear it again? No, but I still needed to confirm. “And what you want from her is….?”

“Her heart.”

When relief crossed my face, the king laughed, slapping me on the arm. “Come now, if I just wanted to fuck her, I could. Easily. But the heart is much more difficult to conquer than the body, and I do enjoy a challenge. So, how do I navigate this?”

I ran my tongue along my teeth in thought. What did I really know about Marlowe anymore? “When I left, we were both still kids who thought they were human. Now she’s a grown omega female with a pack of bonded alphas. She’s not a stranger to me, but the last time I was involved with her relationships, she was asking me if she should keep dating a guy over the summer just because he had a car and a pool.”

His brows furrowed in thought, and then a small, delighted smile grew on his face. “So she appreciates wealth and comfort?”

“No,”

I said with a sigh, “that’s not what I mean. It’s just that I’m sure her priorities have changed. What impresses a teenager and what impresses an adult are two different things.”

It was like high school all over again, with my friends begging me to help them get into my sister’s pants. How exactly did I end up back here?

Alaroth clicked his tongue against his teeth. “You’d be surprised. However, I believe you when it comes to Marlowe. She certainly hasn’t been attracted to my title and strength thus far, nor my countenance.”

He closed his eyes and bit his lip, chuckling quietly. “Although I am skilled enough to elicit a positive reaction from her body, so at least at a visceral level she does not find me abhorrent.”

I muffled a laugh. “She does not find me abhorrent at a visceral level—wow, the marriage vows are writing themselves.”

He gave me a pointed look. “I’m glad you find my inner torment so amusing.”

Even though we were talking about Marlowe, it was times like these that reminded me why I respected Alaroth. In front of his court, he projected absolute power, strength, and control.

But when it was just the two of us, he treated me like a peer. We talked openly with no fear of repercussions, even if I teased or disagreed with him. To a point, of course, but I had learned where the line was by now.

The king pounded his fist, outfitted with silver knuckles, into my face over and over again. I felt my jaw crunch from the impact, and nearly bit my tongue clear off.

“You.”

*punch* “Will.”

*punch* “Obey.” *punch*

I shook my head to clear it from the fog that had mysteriously settled over my mind.

“Okay then, if you want my truthful advice, I need to know—how open are you to sharing Marlowe?”

I watched his hands clench into fists, slowly relaxing them, and my jaw began to mysteriously ache. “I find the idea of any other male touching Marlowe detestable. I am… possessive of my things. However, if that is the price I must pay to have her at all, I may be willing to consider it.”

I gave him a reassuring squeeze on his arm. “It’s moot if they never accumulate enough Aetherium to cross anyway, but I think being open and accepting of her pack as her lovers will move her in the right direction regardless. I am also happy to sing your praises when I’m with her, if you’d like.”

His expression perked up. “You would?”

“I mean, I’m pretty sure she hates my guts almost as much as yours right now, but yeah. I’ll help where I can.”

Alaroth grinned. “In return, you can have your pick of my omega courtesans. Moons, you could even take them all if you wished. I won’t be needing them much longer.”

I coughed nervously, heat rising to my cheeks. “Oh, I don’t know…”

“I insist! Besides, I’ve seen the way they look at you. They’d all be happy with you as their new master. In fact, I’d even let you bond to one.”

It was awkward enough talking about Alaroth wanting to sleep with my sister, but when he talked about my love life, or lack thereof, I really couldn’t handle it.

It was easier to just avoid the topic of sex altogether whenever possible.

“I’ll think about it, thank you.”