Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Alfred

I am tired. It has been a long fucking day, and yesterday was not so easy either. I want only to take my mate to a bed and fuck her again.

It is not to be, for a bunch of nosy fucking nobles want to gawk at me.

Well, one in particular, for all the rest have been dismissed, but this is the important one, also known as the king.

For all Penelope acts tough, I can see that her energy is waning. It has been a big day for her, too, and last night was eventful.

But this is not my home, although I hope to make it so, and I do not know this man who is her father, save he wears an overly bright breastplate to negotiations and can be decisive when he needs to.

"It has been a long day," I say bluntly, stopping the king amid a long, rambling speech. We have been ushered into a drawing room where servants linger fucking everywhere under the pretense of providing refreshments. It is a fancy cream and gold room with no less than three candelabras and two blazing fires. There is more light here than in the midst of a summer's day.

"Of course," Louie says magnanimously. "I have had the green room prepared."

"Thank you," I say, not quite sure what to expect by the green room, but I don't care much about the specifics so long as it has a bed, and I can be alone with my mate.

"I don't think that will work out, Papa." Penelope casts a concerned glance my way.

Her father frowns. "Why not?"

"They, ah, do things a little differently in the clans. In Alfred's eyes, we are already wedded."

Her father's face flushes a deep crimson.

Getting an inkling as to where this is going, my nostrils flare.

"I did mention we were together unchaperoned, did I not?" Penelope continues, probably sensing I am about to wade in.

Her father shakes his head emphatically. "You cannot share the same room. That would cause a scandal."

I raise both brows. His daughter is marrying a barbarian. Sharing a room cannot make matters any worse. Also… "I am sleeping with my mate."

"You could put him in the lilac room," Penelope continues like I have not spoken. "At least we would be in the same wing of the castle.

Same fucking wing? Where was he trying to put me?

"No," her father says, lifting his imperious nose. "We need to maintain an air of decorum. Also, it will take time to prepare for the wedding, what with the weather at this time of year. It will be weeks before the roads clear of snow and guests can arrive."

"Well, you might need to hasten the wedding," she says.

The sudden flush on her cheeks brings an unwitting smile to my lips.

I understand that my woman is spirited and can very much hold her own. But it is also cute that she thinks she might be with child. It will be my pleasure to demonstrate how a barbarian alpha gets his woman with child… soon… after much training and preparation… And now I need to think of something else.

"Two rooms," her father says in a decisive way that pisses me the fuck off. "Alfred will stay in the guest wing until the wedding, when you may choose a suite to your preference for when you visit the capital."

Penelope huffs out a breath. But before I can set the kingly bastard to rights, she takes my hand.

The feel of her small hand against mine arrests all my attention.

"I'll take him there," she says, smiling sweetly at her father.

Even I am not falling for her nonsense and fully believe she has a plan.

Her father narrows his eyes and, perhaps sensing the nosy servant bastards listening in, relents on the point.

"You will join me for breakfast. I will have your maid tend you early, daughter."

"Of course, Father," she murmurs, all fake sweetness… I suppose this is a way for him to save face.

I am led out of the room. This woman could lead me into hell, and I would not hesitate to go.

It is only when we enter the aptly named green room that I question whether I would have preferred hell. It is very green and makes me feel a little queasy, truth be told—green and gold. They seem to like gold here and use it fucking everywhere… on the edges of the chairs with the plump green coverings… on the swags at the windows, that are so high, I question how they close them… and on the great canopied four-poster bed, which is likewise green and gold.

There is a touch of mustard here and there, just for variety's sake, I presume, but I do not like mustard well and less so when coupled with the twenty-seven shades of green.

"Gods," I say thickly. "It is very fucking green." How the fuck do people sleep in here? And there is not a fur in sight.

"I will sleep in your room," I announce as the door clicks shut on us.

"You cannot sleep with me," she says. "You will cause a scandal."

I gesture towards myself. "I am a barbarian, lass. I am a walking, breathing scandal."

She snorts a laugh. It is adorably cute and distracts me for all of a second.

"I cannot be parted from you," I say softly. "Not while we are newly mated. Even afterward, it would be hard. But especially now, and while we are yet new to one another."

I don't mention how I fear the bond has not yet been taken for her… She is a beta, and they do not imprint as an alpha and omega do; at least, it takes considerably more time.

"Would you feel better if I snuck back later?" she says casually.

I arch one brow. "No, I would not feel better. You are my woman. You should be in my bed with me. There should not be any fucking discussion about it. We are mated. I have put my marks all over you and filled your pussy with my seed. We have not yet built up to the knot. But that is only a matter of time."

"I'm not sure I can take another—ah—mating session tonight," she hedges.

My blood pounds. Gods, why does the thought of her being all sore from my rutting make me want to plow her again? "This is exactly why we should be together. I cannot tend to your soreness while you are on another side of the fucking castle. It is like being in another country. How many rooms does the castle even have?"

"Dozens," she says, then shrugs. "More if you consider the lower chambers, which are rarely used."

Why the fuck does one family need so many rooms?

I am building up to full alpha bastard rampage when she leans up onto her tiptoes and presses her lips to mine, silencing me.

My arm circles her tiny waist, and I yank her into my arms. My fist is in her hair, and I slant my mouth over hers. Through the kiss, I seek to imprint upon her the magnitude of my feelings.

I ask myself how she can bear to be away from me. How can this be reasonable to her?

Then I remember she is a beta. She doesn't feel the same pull that I do. An alpha always knows when he finds his one, but betas have no such compulsion. I will need to thoroughly scent her for weeks before the bond begins to form. This is a dangerous fucking time when another bastard could poach my claim.

It did not escape my notice that she did not declare her love when I did. For me, it is already set forever. Yet I am all too aware of those rare occasions when a beta has turned away from her mate and when another male, be their alpha or beta, has lured her away—and not in the way of her taking a second mate, which should be discussed and agreed upon by all.

The thought of Penelope with someone else, even being near another male, stirs my rage.

I tear my lips away from hers and stare down at her, breathing hard. "I cannot be parted from you. Not for a night."

"I will sneak back," she says. "I promise."

I growl. "I do not like fucking sneaking."

"I know," she says. "But it is only for a little while. I shall do all I can to progress the wedding." Eyes searching mine, she cups my cheeks. "But please, I beg you, give me time to bring my father into this. We have been at odds for as long as I can remember. I am rebellious and sometimes difficult. I didn't know why until I met you. It is strange how someone can change your perspective. You are so steady, while I feel like a bird always poised for flight. I do not wish to be at odds with my father anymore. I see how you are with your family and your people, and I want that. It is hard for Papa to look at me when I look so much like the woman he lost. He can be overprotective in some ways, and, in others, overindulgent. I cannot fix the past, but I would change my future with him if I can, be a better person for him, but also for you."

Her words soften me and also give me hope. I slide my hand to the front of her throat and press a kiss against her temple. "Do not be gone long, or I will be searching the fucking castle for you."

"Yes, I am getting the idea." She grins and wriggles out of my hold, moving to the door, where she pauses and looks back. "I will return soon," she says, then slips out.

Alone, I turn back to the room, once more assaulted by the abundance of green.

The lamp, with its gold-trimmed green shade, is lit, bringing soft illumination to the room; it sits on an ornate green and gold nightstand. That matches the wallpaper, the swags, and the woven floor covering that stretches to the far corners of the room.

Gods, I'm going to lose my damn mind sleeping here.

I note that the windows are actually large double doors. When I open them, I find they lead out to a stone balcony surrounded by a carved stone balustrade. The air is crisp and cold, with a light dusting of snow covering the balcony. It is quiet and offers views across the castle courtyard and the city beyond. I am high, alarmingly high. The endless twisting stairs Penelope guided me up have taken me up into the sky.

My fingers close over the balustrade as I take in sights such as I never thought to see. Here I am, a former barbarian king in a Hydornian castle, set to marry a woman who will one day be queen of all this.

As I stare out at the expanse of rooftops, watching the smoke of a myriad of chimneys rising, I see so many lights. They twinkle from windows and make long chains through the streets.

It is pretty in the way of a forest full of fireflies.

I wish my parents had been there before I left. They have traveled extensively since I took on the role of king and are wintering at a neighboring clan. My mother, as wise as she is kind, would have approved of Penelope.

The lasses of the clan never stirred more than passing interest. I always thought I was waiting for my fated omega to enter my life. It is a fantasy many alphas have.

It is not my fantasy anymore, for I do not want anyone who is not Penelope. Now, I must navigate a delicate time and thoroughly stake my claim, imprint myself upon her, and ensure her every need is met lest another male step in.

As I look across the great city, I question what I have to offer a princess. In the clans, I would provide a comfortable home with her favorite things, the softest blankets for her bed, and fine clothing as I could afford. She would want for nothing. When the babes come along, it would be my privilege to provide for them, too. Yet, what could I possibly provide for Penelope that she does not already have? I do not even need to offer her protection when she has an army of loyal soldiers. All the wooing gifts I might buy for her are nothing compared to the grandeur she lives in every day.

I have only my love.

This realization confronts me. An alpha enjoys the wooing of a mate, paying attention to those things she favors, so he might provide her with more, whether that is tending her to pleasure or digging the plot over so she can have a pretty rose rambling over the garden wall.

Penelope wants for nothing.

She wants me, I remind myself. And I want her; I am already fully committed, and there is no changing that.

I close the doors and return to the overly green room, which puts a strange queasiness in my gut.

I note another door on the left opposite the bed. Curious, I stride over and open it to find a bathing room with a green marble floor and walls.

"Gods! Do they not have any other colors?"

I turn to the left and start when I find a giant barbarian staring back at me.

My heart rate steadies as I realize I am the giant in the looking glass.

I scratch absently at my jaw. Fuck, I am a big, fearsome bastard.

"I see you found the bathroom."

There is a smile in her voice, and I swing around to face the object of all my lustful thoughts.

She circles, coming around the front of me, placing herself between me and the looking glass.

"You have changed," I say unnecessarily, for she is wearing a pretty blue dress with a carefully placed silk scarf against her throat to cover my necklace… and the love marks I put there.

I growl and, fisting the silk, unravel it, revealing the welts that mark her as mine. "You washed off my scent."

She nibbles on her lower lips. "Oops."

Damn brat!

I'm about to toss her over my shoulder when I notice her in the looking glass. Not only her but her and me… together.

I purr, watching myself as I lower my hand to cup her ass. She is tiny beside me, delicate, and I am a big hulking brute.

"W-what are you looking at so lasciviously?" She twists to peer over her shoulder, only now realizing the image of us has captured my interest. "Oh."

I don't know what lasciviously means, but I can guess… "I like the looking glass," I say. "I'm going to fuck you in front of it."