17. Abrocaelum

When I woke from a night where T demonstrated just how able he was to act like an alpha with three rounds of sex where he knotted me each time, I found him standing at the side of the bed, looking at me.

He was dressed in his fanciest elven clothing. A turquoise blue tunic which matched the color of his eyes, embroidered with golden thread, his family symbol in the middle. The pants he wore were tight fitting, showing off the shapely length of his legs and highlighting his muscular thighs. His long, beautiful, platinum blond hair was tied in several complicated braids, with clasps made of gold decorating him.

In short, he looked otherworldly, expensive, out of reach.

Until he smiled at me. “I’ve been waiting for you to wake, dear one. Can you escape your duties for the day?”

“Uh, maybe?” I framed it as a question. It really depended on what he wanted us to do.

“I would like to take you to Abrocaelum.”

Those words had me shooting upright, ready to spring for the bed. “Are you serious? Let’s go!”

Teárlach chuckled. “Please, calm down. Shower first. I’m sure you would like to make a good impression on my people. You will want to dress… nicely… there is something we must discuss first.”

“Oh-kay,” I said, sitting back on the bed.

“All is well, Axel. Please tell your family where you will be going and get yourself ready. Then we can talk on our way to the portal.”

“So it’s nothing bad?” T seemed to be nervous.

“I do not think so. Perhaps you will have a different opinion.”

Intrigued, I picked up my phone. “I’m going to call Chase and text Dalton. Would you grab us some breakfast?”

Seeing I wanted some privacy, T went into the kitchen area.

He called our house a hut, but it was a tiny one bedroom home. It had a compact kitchen living area, a bedroom big enough for a full sized bed—a necessary item with shifters—and a decent bathroom.

Texting Dalton was first on my list.

Axel: Won’t be in the office today. Anything pressing then ask Chase. Back tomorrow.

He didn’t take long to reply.

Dalton: Everything okay?

Axel: Fine. Heading to Abrocaelum with T.

When he didn’t immediately reply, I called Chase, who answered after two rings.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Just the sound of his voice made me smile. My twin was connected to me in a way Blake couldn’t be. We had that extra bond.

“Yeah. I told him.”

“Fucking finally! Honestly, I was going to tell him if you didn’t. You were just hurting each other by keeping it a secret. How’d he take it?”

Just as I didn’t need to be told he was relieved not to have the gene, Chase hadn’t really needed to be told I wished to be an omega. Saying it out loud hadn’t been necessary. I’d just needed to say the words. To make them real by speaking them.

While he hated keeping it secret from Blake, he understood the necessity.

As it was, I was happier people were assuming I was an alpha and I wasn’t asking to change because I didn’t want to take over the pack.

The thought of taking over the pack made me ill. That had always been Blake’s destiny. Not mine, even if I’d been an alpha.

I was silent for a minute, but Chase let me be. He knew when to push and when to back off.

“He… uh… there was talk of artificial in—“

“Nope! Don’t need to hear it! Fuck dude, that mental image will be with me for the rest of my life! So he was cool?”

“Yeah. He promised I would…” Shit, I couldn’t even say it myself.

“He promised you a baby. However, that works.” Chase was using his gentle voice. The one he rarely broke out. “You got lucky with him, Ax.”

“He’s taking me to Abrocaelum today. Has something important to tell me first.”

“Do you think he’s finally going to spill the beans on the secret he’s been keeping?” I could feel Chase’s anticipation. He was as anxious to know as I was.

“Think so. Can you cover for me today? I didn’t have any meetings planned…”

“No worries. I’ve got you. I’d better get a call, text, smoke signal, anything, to tell me what it is he’s been hiding.”

“You’ll be the first to know.”

I got ready for the day as if I was meeting the council or some investors for our cider business. That meant my nicest suit, including a silver tie that apparently brought out the color in my eyes.

Breakfast was a quick, quiet affair, both of us too caught up in our thoughts to really focus on a conversation.

Teárlach smiled when I came from our room freshly dressed and saw what I was wearing. “You look… you’ve rendered me speechless.”

“I have?” I felt a blush rise in my cheeks as I smoothed down the jacket.

He approached and set his hands at my waist, squeezing lightly. “You are perfect…”

“Why do I feel like there is a but in there?”

“Because I had hoped to get you into elven clothing.”

“Oh.”

“Oh? Is that a good or bad oh?” He searched my face for the answer.

“Good. I think.” Wearing elven clothes felt… important. Who were we going to see?

“I would love to see you in the clothing of my people and have had something made for you. May I show it to you? If you decide not to wear it, I will not be offended.”

Knowing he had gone to great lengths for me gave me butterflies. This man, this elf, truly loved me and only wanted to see me happy.

“Please show them to me. I can’t wait to see what they look like.”

Teárlach went to the loveseat where I noticed a garment bag draped over it. “I collected this whilst you were in the shower.” He unzipped the bag carefully, revealing a tunic with a high collar, the style and cut reminiscent of Teárlach’s. It was made of a deep blue fabric with the subtlest sheen of silver through it. Embroidered on the front near where my heart would be, was a howling wolf.

“I thought you should have your family represented in a similar fashion to mine.”

“This is…” I trailed off, unsure what to say to properly voice my feelings.

“Now it is my turn to render you speechless,” he teased. “Can I take it this is a good thing?”

“It is. I love it.”

“Would you like to wear it to my home?”

Without answering, I picked up the garment bag and went to our room to change. The clothing was impossibly soft and stretchy. It fit me perfectly, which I was a tad perturbed by since I hadn’t provided any measurements. I chuckled to myself at the thought of T measuring me in my sleep.

I returned to the living room wearing the new outfit and my most comfortable lace-up boots.

Teárlach practically glowed with happiness. “You are perfect!” He motioned to a chair at the breakfast table. “Come, I must sort your hair.”

“My hair?” I touched the soft waves that came to my chin with a nervous hand as I sat. “Why?”

“Well, for a start, I cannot see those lovely eyes when you hide behind it.” I blushed hard. “For another, as you are a warrior for your people, you have earned the right to wear braids.”

That confused me. “Teagan wears braids.”

He smiled brightly. “She does. Teagan served in the army briefly.”

My mind whirred, thinking back to the appearance of the elves. “Most of them wear at least one braid.”

“Ah, I wondered when you would realize. All elves serve in the army, however most only do the basic training. It does mean they can wear the braids. The more of them and the more complicated they are, suggests an elf’s ranking.”

“So you’ve served for a long time and are high ranking?”

“Yes, I am… a general, I believe is the correct term.”

With gentle fingers, T got to work on my hair. He worked swiftly, creating a simple style. Two pieces were braided from the front to the back, joining into a single braid at the back.

“Your hair is much too short for anything more complicated, I’m afraid.” T fussed with the strands, smoothing them until he was happy. “I much prefer your hair now it is longer.” He had commented on my hair before, which is why I hadn’t gone to get it cut.

“Come, we should go to the portal. I have a few things to say as we walk.”

We left the house, leaving the door unlocked. There was enough magic in the place only a few could enter without prior permission, so locks were pointless. Not that we had anything to steal. Both of us lived simply.

“Now I’m nervous.”

Teárlach paused, his grip on my hand shifted as he turned me to face him. “If you decide to return to Sweetwater at any point, I will not be offended. When I tell you this, know I did not plan for this to go on for as long as it has.”

He turned and led me away from the temporary homes, the portal was just a short walk from the mansion near the trees that surrounded it.

T stayed quiet until we were clear of anyone else, close enough to see the portal, but not have anyone overhear.

“In my time at Sweetwater I have had only one regret.”

My heart sank. Was it me? Starting a relationship with a shifter knowing we were incompatible?

“No, dear one. Not you. Never you.”

Had I spoken that aloud?

“I feel your doubt. No. You are my joy, the reason I regret my lie.”

Lie?

“When we arranged to come to Sweetwater, I asked my party and the elves that followed to hide something very important from you all for fear of how it would affect how you viewed me. I have since come to regret it because I know none of you would have treated me any differently had you known. It has meant there has been some distance between us as the longer it went on, the more the omission felt like a lie.”

“T? What is it?”

The silence built between us until it was almost painful.

His eyes fluttered closed. He took a deep breath, centering himself, then opened them, looking at me so mournfully, I felt like I would cry at any moment.

“I am the Crown Prince of the elves. The current and only heir to the throne.”

“What?” I stumbled away from his reaching hands. “What the fuck?”

Breathe, my alter urged. He is still your elf. Calm down and think.

Right, I agreed with my wolf. I just need to think.

How could this be? I searched through my memories, willing it to make sense. It didn’t take long for it all to click into place. The elf who had started saying ‘Your Highness,’ but had turned it to ‘sir’ then the way they all the elves turned to him for guidance. Even ívarr at times. I had thought it strange. Now it all fit.

But where did I fit? The man, elf, I was in love with, was a prince. Not just a prince, actually, the only heir to the throne. One day he would be king!

“Where does this leave me? What about us?” Were we just temporary? Were all his sweet words a lie? All the promises he made just waiting to be broken.

“You are not angry?” T frowned.

I laughed, it was a shaky sound, but there was humor there. “No, T. Confused, worried, scared. Not angry.”

“This changes nothing between us,” he said firmly. “You are my heart, Axel. Without you I would surely fade.”

I wasn’t quite ready to hear him. “We knew something was off. That you weren’t telling us something. Being a secret prince wasn’t what we thought—“

“I am curious to know what you thought.”

“Anything from a secret family to an illness. Someone did have a government official as a guess.” I chuckled. “Seems Kade won the betting pool.”

“You really don’t mind?” He reached for me again. This time I went into his arms, resting my face against his neck. “I swear the only thing I have lied about is my status. What I feel for you is unchanging.”

“Just tell me what it means for us,” I pleaded, desperately clinging to him.

As stupid as it sounded, T being a secret prince wasn’t a problem to me. A scorned mate, a family, a hundred other scenarios had gone through my mind. Just not that. I really wasn’t angry about it either. Only really worried about what it meant for us as a couple.

He was pensive for a moment. “It will be difficult for them to accept you, but I want you by my side. Always. Whenever I see myself as king, in a long distant future, the goddess willing, I see you next to me, as consort. It will be a hard road, yet I believe we will gain acceptance.” He paused, kissing the top of my head to soothe me. “Once we figure out the fertility crisis, I should look for a surrogate, so that I can have an heir. Once we have a suitable heir in place, the pressure will be off us.”

“Just as easy as that?” I drawled, rolling my eyes.

“It will not be easy,” he conceded. “There are many who see shifters as lesser. Their opinions will only be changed by getting to know you, and through you, the pack.” His voice faltered for a second. “Though I cannot give you the baby you so desire, I will ensure you do have a child of your own. We will raise them as siblings, though only the elf child can be the heir to my realm.”

“You’ve thought this through.” His faith and plans were reassuring.

“I’ve thought of nothing else.”

Yes, that helped. His solid confidence we could make it work, no matter the obstacles in our path.

What do you think? I asked my alter.

The wolf deep inside rumbled and barked. He is ours. Family. He will do as he says.

After the sickness, I had been closer to my wolf than ever. I trusted their judgment.

I broke from our hug and took his hands. Meeting his eyes, I made my choice. “Okay. Maybe I’m being naive, but I want to try this. Let’s see where life takes us, together.”

His joy was clear in his eyes. “Yes, together.”

“Prince Teárlach, would you do me the honor of showing me Abrocaelum?”

He smiled wide, showing pearly teeth. “Dear one, I would love nothing more.”

We toured a village close to the portal, the one where Asher lived for a while. The elves there were very welcoming, asking a lot of questions about my wolf and expressing their joy at seeing me in their clothes. Someone from the village had made the outfit.

I think T took me there because they had the most experience with shifters as it was the place Hakeem often took his charges. If they realized we were a couple, then they didn’t say anything about it, which was the best I could hope for this early on. It would take a while for the elves in Abrocaelum to get used to the idea of a mixed species relationship. The ones in Sweetwater had been the same at first. Wary of offending us by commenting on it. Now it made sense why.

A freaking prince was my boyfriend!

My wolf was still amused by the entire thing.

For the most part, Abrocaelum was much like the pack, except, like in the demon realm, they used magic and renewable technologies to power things. In some ways they were more advanced than us, it was humbling.

“Do not fret, I will not take you to the castle. It is not a simple journey, you would have to shift to keep up with me.”

Teárlach could move as fast as a vampire, though he admitted they usually rode as it used a lot of energy. Even in wolf form, it was a struggle to keep up with him. It was like he became as fast as the wind moving through the trees. I didn’t want my first time at the castle to be all sweaty and exhausted from running. We would have to plan properly and likely ride horses there. Horses often didn’t like me because of my wolf.

My alter huffed. Stupid beasts fear I want to eat them, not travel.

Many of the villagers asked us to eat with them. “They see me walking through their home and want to boast about hosting the prince to their friends.” T grinned, looking perfectly at ease.

As soon as we had arrived, he had been swarmed by the people, all of them asking multiple questions about Sweetwater.

“You know, if you want the people to accept us as a couple, perhaps you should invite them to spend time in Sweetwater, just maybe in small groups.”

“That is a good suggestion. I shall discuss it with the elves in Sweetwater and with your cousin. It would be best to check if he had security concerns first.”

“And…” I took his arm, “we should have food with them. Is there a community space, like we have in the compound?”

“There is.”

The rest of the time was spent having a feast in the center of the village. Teárlach listened patiently as elves approached and inquired how research was going. I knew it broke his heart being unable to give them answers. Instead, I gave them hope when I explained about the beta sickness and how the elves had helped us find the reason for it. It showed progress was being made.

“Though our time was short for this visit, would you like to return? Perhaps visit my mother? She will be offended when she finds out I was in Abrocaelum and did not see her.”

I thought of the distant castle T had shown me from the roof of one of the buildings. Nerves fluttered in my belly at the idea of going there, then I looked into Teárlach’s hopeful turquoise eyes and knew I would go anywhere, put up with disdain, hate, anything, just to be with him.

“Next time, for sure.”

It was the right thing to say. He gathered me into a tight hug and kissed me until I was breathless.