5. Cole

"I look ridiculous!"

Sizing myself up in the ornate full-length mirror, I sneered at what was reflected back at me. A dark uniform, emblazoned with medals, ones I hadn't earned in battle, unless you counted me attending high-level functions and investitures as war zones.

"I'll clink as I walk into the chapel."

The left side of my chest was heavy with metal attached on bits of coloured ribbons which I'd been given because I showed my face on important occasions. Real people in the real world got medals for an act of bravery or because they were the best in their line of work. Not princes and kings. We awarded ourselves a chunk of metal when we felt like it.

"It is what's expected, sire. Your father, the king, would be disappointed if you didn't wear them." My valet, Thomas, brushed lint from my shoulder.

"He'd disapprove, more like it."

Thomas didn't respond. He would never speak badly of Father, and whether that was because he admired the man or he valued his job, I couldn't say, but he had been loyal to me all these years.

Papa stuck his head in the door. "Stunning." He kissed my cheek and made a face at the array of medals on my chest. "Walk slowly and don't make any sudden movements." We shared a smirk, and he left.

I stood unmoving in front of the mirror, memorizing the face of a man who was unmated and unmarried. After the ceremony, I'd never be single again. I might divorce or be widowed, but no one would ever call me single and carefree.

"Sire, it's time to go."

The wedding was taking place in the palace chapel which sounded like a place big enough for a cozy ceremony with a few guests. But it was huge—similar in size to some cathedrals—and it would be full of people rubbernecking at my parents, me, and my intended. I was used to being stared at, but I wished we could have done this getting-married caper in private.

Thomas opened the door for me, and after one last glance at myself in the mirror, I strode out and hurried along the corridor. The contrast between me dawdling in the room and my brisk walk had Thomas asking if I was headed to the chapel or elsewhere.

I grinned at him thinking I was going to run away. But the wedding was inevitable, and it was best I get it over with. There would be food, toasts, and speeches, washed down with copious amounts of wine before I could sleep this evening, and I hoped my new husband wasn't the chatty kind.

As the weeks dragged on, he could stay elsewhere if he wished, but people kinda expected a newly married couple to spend their wedding night together. Not that we'd be in the same bed. The new suite for us as a married couple had been redecorated, and I'd made sure there was a bed in my attached dressing room. No one, other than Thomas, would be any the wiser.

But as I walked along the corridors where I used to play as a child, a scent slammed into me and almost knocked me over. I swayed, my heading spinning as I tried to make sense of it. Leaning on the wall, a huge painting of my great-grandfather on his coronation day above me, I pieced together the puzzle.

Mate!My bear didn't need to work out anything. Instinct told him what or who it was.

You're right, but this is the lousiest timing.

On any other day, I could've had the visitor's log from our security officers along with the CCTV cameras positioned on every floor, and have narrowed it down to a handful of people. From there I would have been provided with addresses and names and have set up surveillance on their homes or offices and found my mate.

But I was on the way to a wedding—mine—and my mate would not be smiling as he walked down the aisle. Nope, he was elsewhere, maybe poking fun at a prince spending tons of money on a wedding when I should've been using it for charity.

I was letting my thoughts run away from me, and I hauled them back and wrestled with my uniform. This wasn't a catastrophe, but I needed to get the wedding and celebrations over with so I could find my one true mate.

After telling Thomas what I needed regarding the logs and footage, I headed toward the chapel, feeling lighter than I had in days. The universe was on my side. I'd have a husband for public events and a mate in my private life, assuming my mate and husband agreed. Maybe they'd gang up on me, because I couldn't keep them a secret from one another even if I wanted to. Father would proclaim my marriage from the palace balcony later today, so my mate would be aware of my matrimonial status. And my shifter husband would scent my mate on me.

The doors into the chapel opened and a thousand voices stilled as I waited at the entrance for quiet. Father had always taught me how to make an entrance, and he'd be furious if I walked down the aisle while people were sharing gossip or admiring each other's attire.

Staring straight ahead, I strolled down the rolled-out carpet and took my place near the altar. I caught Father's eye, and he gave an almost imperceptible nod. At least I'd done something right today.

The doors swung open again, and I caught a glimpse of my husband-to-be. He was wearing a very smart suit which must have cost a fortune, but he wore it so well. It fit him snugly in all the right places, and I was almost disappointed he wasn't my mate. But as he came closer, it wasn't his dazzling green eyes or his broad shoulders that caught my attention. It was his scent! The same one that had announced who he was earlier.

Mate!My bear urged me to rush up the aisle and claim him, but we had time.

A lifetime!