^Don't you just feel like Alastair is peering into your soul O.O^

"Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days.'"
-Benjamin Franklin

Chapter 15

River's POV

I awoke to murmurs of excitement and shrieks from nearby maids as they spoke in hushed whispers outside our room.

What's going on..?

Did I miss something?

I turned in bed only to feel a cold spot from where Alastair's warm form had been previously causing me to frown in disappointment.

Where did he go?

"Did you hear?" A hushed voice sounded outside our door.

The curious side in me awakened as I tentatively creek out of our bed and sneaked towards the door. As embarrassing as it is to admit I've always been a huge snoop. In the marketplace, I always used to love to listen to the merchants gossip among themselves. It's really bad, but I just can't help it.

"-mating ceremony", one giggled.

My eyes widened.

Are they talking about what I think they're talking about..?

How do they know? Did Alastair..?

No. He wouldn't. Unless...

I barged through the door scaring the living daylights out of the maidservants as I stomped my way to Alastair's office.

I barged through the door; not even bothering to knock.

"How could you-" Alastair began screaming towards his brother, veins popping angrily from his neck, mouth agape.

He turned towards me, eyes widening as he takes in my small form.

"Love, what are you-"

"How do they know?"

Alastair's eyes flashed towards his brother with a growl.

Keith raised his arms in mock defeat with a smirk plastered across his face, "Guilty."

"Did you-"

"By mistake rat out your mating ceremony punch line? Why, yes. Yes, I did."

"Why?"

He scratched his neck, "Well before my brother decides to sever my head from my shoulders, I'd like to start with saying it was not on purpose," a resounding growl came from Alastair's direction, "And that if I could-"

"What the hell happened, àsswipe?! Stop dragging this out and just get to the damn punchline!" Alastair growled.

His shoulders were tense as he hunched over in his leather seat.

I have to do something.

I scurried across the room as I placed myself in Alastair's lap, kissing his neck gently. His hands froze midair for a few seconds before placing them on my waist and pulling me closer. He stuck his face into my mop of hair and slowly breathed in my scent.

His shoulders began to unwind and his posture loosened as he breathed me in.

A smile etched its way onto my face as I pulled away to look at him. He smiled down at me with a small, tired smile as he rubbed the pad of his finger against my cheek in a slow, gentle fashion. He bent down and kissed me softly on the lips, allowing me to soak in the warmth and electricity that radiated off his soft, plump lips.

I whimpered as he pulled away with a pout. It felt as if he took all the heat along with him as his lips abandoned mine in a quest to speak to the man across from us.

"So, how exactly did you make it that the entire kingdom knows now, brother?" I kissed the veins that began to pop out from his strained neck.

"Well, I got a bit excited and rushed into Michael's office to tell him and I may not have realized that he had patients at the time." He scratched his neck.

"Moron," Alastair growled, but before he could say more the sound of rushed footsteps beckoned into the tense room.

"I heard the news," Michael declared with a smile as he pranced through the open door.

Keith's sullen face lit up as he took in his mate's form.

Michael was still in his white doctor's coat with a towel in hand as he wiped his hands of a suspicious red reminisce as Keith swooped him into a tight hug. He kissed the side of his head with a large smile as Michael tried to play cool but it was easy for one to detect how his posture seemed to relax as he hugged his mate back just as tight.

"I missed you, Sugar." Keith whimpered as he placed his hands on Michael's butt.

"You saw me like twenty minutes ago, idiot," Michael mumbled into Keith's shirt.

"Twenty minutes without your heat is like half a century," Keith huffed.

"Moron," Michael smiled as he kissed his cheek before turning back towards Alastair still encased in Keith's muscular arms.

"I apologize for Keith's idiocy early today. He had gotten a bit overzealous and may have spread the news early than you would have wished."

Alastair huffed a reply as he rubbed his nose against the top of my head. He was clearly angry and was trying to calm himself down with my scent. I squeezed his white-knuckled hand with mine as I looked up at him.

"It's alright, they were bound to find out sooner or later." I tried to reassure them.

"I know," he sighed, "but I wanted us to make the announcement rather than them find out this way. Our people deserve better than finding out in a random gossip display."

He'll make such an amazing leader. He always worries for his people more than anyone else.

I brought his hand up to my mouth and kissed it lightly as I peered up at him through my lashes, "You will make such an amazing leader one day," I breathed.

"As will you, my love." He cupped my cheeks in his large hands with a soft smile.

"I'm so happy for you guys." Michael smiled, "You may be a complete moron sometimes, Alastair, especially-" he paused when Alastair sent him a look, "I'm just so happy for you," his voice cracked, "even though you won't admit it, I know you've always wanted a mate; someone to cherish and love forever and now..now you get to have that."

Alastair's hold tightened around me as he pulled me closer up his lap until I felt as if his muscles were engraving themselves into my chest.

"Mine," he growled into my neck.

"Yours."

All yours.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

It's been four days since the news has spread about our mating ceremony. The palace has been filled with florists and planners alike, all rushing around like flustered kittens as streams of flowers and silk streamed into the palace along with dishes of food that I hadn't know existed. Each imported from kingdoms from around the world. Princes, princesses, and foreign dignitaries from far and wide had streamed into our once quiet palace in order to attend our mating ceremony. How the news had spread as quickly as it did still remain a mystery to me.

It's a bit overwhelming always being surrounded by those of high-ranking all the time, constantly watching me like the posh hawks they were. It's a bit intimidating when you walk into the dining area for a midnight snack and the princess of Bulgaria is sitting at your table with a smile plastered across her face. I almost had a heart attack. I had to watch the way I walked, talked, and ate. It was exhausting. I have no idea how Alastair's dealt with this amount of stress all his years. I'm afraid of saying something stupid and making a complete fool of myself in the eyes of all the upper-class people occupying the palace with their grand gowns, diamonds, and silk.

I even saw one complaining to the chef the other day that her dish was neither salted nor spiced enough for her palate to detect any kind of flavor and that the temperature of her soup hadn't fit her standard. I was as dumbfounded as the chef was. She couldn't handle the idea of having to blow her own soup or reach across the table to add her own salt to her dish. For God's sake how in the world did she walk to the dining room on her own with the amount of lacking stamina she seemed to express.

It's ridiculous.

At the moment I was seating at the dining room table to the right of the head where Alastair sat with an air of confidence around him.

How does he do it? How could he sit in front of such intimidating people with so much confidence and class when I'm here shaking in my seat hoping that they'll just disappear so I could just be alone with Alastair and eat my food in peace?

My respect for my mate has increased by a tenfold as I watch his nonchalantly making small talk with the men around him, all watching him through eyes of awe. The girls all seemed to push up their breasts and flutters their lashes when he would look in their general direction.

What the actual hell? I'm right here!

To think they presumingly came here to take part in our mating ceremony, yet it seemed as if they just came for an excuse to eye rape, my mate.

Stupid, big breasted perverts.

Wait.

If they're royal are they considered royal perverts..?

Does being royal change the status of one's perviness..?

Hmm...

"River?"

I looked up from my thoughts to a pair of curious browns. The girl looked around my age in a golden satin dress. Her hair was pulled up in a loose updo with two curled strands falling around her round face.

"Yes..?"

"I was calling your name for a while." She giggled.

I blushed as I looked down, "My apologies. I was lost in my thoughts."

"What were you thinking of."

"If a pervert would be considered a royal pervert if they were royal." My eyes widened as the words spewed out of my mouth like uncontrollable throw-up.

God, I have no filter.

Her eyes widened before she went off into a fit of laughter, "That's quite the topic to be thinking of," she giggled, "Though I'd have to say I believe being royal and a pervert should classify one as a royal pervert." She said with a completely serious face.

"You think so?"

"I know so. Just like if one were royal and an ass they would be a royal ass. That's why the term was invented of course."

"Who told you that?"

"My maidservant, Bernese. She comes from Talksville, so, of course, she would know."

I don't think to be from Talksville would classify one as an expert in talk, but I had a feeling telling her so would just upset her.

"So what's it like being his mate?" She asked with wide eyes.

I assumed by 'him' she was referring to Alastair.

How does one answer such a question..?

"Umm good..?" It came out like a question rather than a statement.

She raised a brow, "you don't like him?"

"Of course, I love him." My voice louder than I meant to speak.

How could she ask such a thing?

Everyone at the table looked in my direction with wide eyes.

"S-sorry," I stammered as I looked down at my hands.

"You need to teach your mate some manners, Alastair." A bearded man scoffed in a harsh tone.

"This is our palace, he may speak as he pleases." Alastair declared.

I could tell from his tone that he was trying to keep it cool but you can sense the underlying anger towards the man beneath his words.

"If he were my mate I would teach him proper speaking habits in front of guests." He hissed.

"Good thing he is neither your mate nor you my guest, Victor."

Victor's eyes widened at Alastair's harsh tone along with all our other guests.

"I believe it's time for me to retire for the night," Alastair declared as he stood up from his seat and swooped me into his arms, allowing me a few moments to wrap my arms around his neck before making a beeline from the suffocating area that was once our dining room.

He sped down the halls till I heard the creaking of a door and slamming before I was gently laid into our silken bed. Since winter had come and gone, Alastair had replaced our once fur-filled bed with sheets of silk, claiming it was less sweat inducing during the heated nights.

He crawled on top of me, keeping both arms outstretched on either side of my head to keep his weight from crushing my small form.

His golden eyes bore into mine, almost causing me to melt into a heated puddle where I laid, "Don't listen to what he said. He's but an idiot. An idiot friend of my moronic father."

I can see how they would get along so well.

Two birds of one obnoxious flock.

The tense atmosphere suddenly lit up as Alastair's soft laughter encased the room in a light, bell-like melody that only he could produce, "I can't believe you declared your love for me in front of all those people."

My face heated up, "T-that's not what happened. I was-"

He caught me in a heated lip lock that shut me up almost immediately as I shivered beneath his muscular frame. Electricity pumped through my veins as he bit my bottom lip in a request for entrance. I opened my mouth slowly, but he wouldn't stand for it. He pushed through my mouth in a heated urgency as he locked my tongue with his twirling and twisting, tugging and pulling.

He reached his hands beneath my shirt, softly brushing his hand up my stomach, leaving goosebumps in his wake before latching onto my nipples and tugging.

"Aaah!"

"That's it, love." He coaxed.

He pulled his mouth from mine as he directed it towards my stomach, leaving small butterfly kisses down the trail of my stomach before pulling my pants off my shaking form.

"A-Alastair."

"What is it, love?"

"I-I want to touch you, too." My face warmed up in heated desire.

He smiled softly as he stood up on his knees and pulled his shirt off in one swift move before taking my hands in his and directing it to his hard, muscle. I wanted to memorize his body, so I did the only way I knew how. I ran my fingers slowly down his chest, feeling every rock hard muscle beneath my hesitant touch. His breath picked up as I got lower down his chest, slowly tracing his V line with the pads of my fingers.

So soft.

I brought my lips down and kissed it.

I heard a choking sound and I looked up through my lashes and almost wet myself at Alastair's heated gaze.

He pulled my face up roughly into a heated kiss. He pried my mouth open with no hesitation as he filled my mouth with growls of heated desire.

"Fûck, love. You don't know what you do to me." He growled as he sank his extended canine into my bottom lip.

I moaned a pleasure filled moan as he reached his hand into my undergarment and grabbed hold of my weeping erection. He massaged it in a gentle upwards fashion. Up and down, up and down.

I clenched my teeth together as an overwhelming feeling of electricity shot up my stomach.

More. More. More.

With no notice, I reached down and took hold of his large, hardened erection.

He growled above me as his canines extended considerably as they dangled from his agape mouth. His eyes flashed a bright yellow as I slowly rubbed my thumb against his head. He growled and gasped above me as I used my other hand to slowly pull his pant down his toned legs, exposing his pulsing erection in full view under my widened gaze.

How in the world is that going to fit in me..?

He looked down at me with hooded eyes, noticing my hesitation," What's the matter, love?"

You're too well endowed for my virgin entrance to handle.

"How's that going to fit in me..?"

He laughed as he bent down and kissed my nose, "We were made for each other, love. We'll fit together perfectly like two pieces of a puzzle."

"Is it going to hurt..?"

"Well, from my understanding it always hurts the first time," I gasped, "but I'll try my very hardest to make it hurt the least amount possible," He cupped my cheeks, "I would never put you through more pain than what's in my control."

"D-don't want to." I whimpered.

His eyes softened, "That's okay, love. We'll only do it when you're ready, there's no reason rush anything." He kissed my forehead softly before pecking my lips.

"P-promise?" I rubbed my eyes before any tears could trail down my face.

"Pinky promise," He stuck his pinky out towards me. I laughed and looped my pinky around his.

He brought our entwined pinkies to his lips and kissed mine lightly, "Now the promise is sealed."

I smiled up at him, "Forever?"

"Forever." He smiled.

We separated our fingers as he pulled up his pants and pulled me into his arms, "Are you excited for our mating ceremony?"

Oh, that's right. It's tomorrow. Oh my gosh, it's tomorrow.

The reality of it all began to sink in.

"You're finally going to be mine," his eyes softened as he peered down at me.

"I was always yours."

He laughed, "I guess so, huh?" He pecked my nose, "but now you'll officially be mine. The whole kingdom will know."

And more, judging by the foreign guests occupying the palace.

"And they'll all know you're mine as well."

"Forever," he entwined his pinky in mine.

I smiled, "Forever."