^^Pictures of the crew^^

"Hope is grief's best music."

Chapter 5
River's POV

Mate, mate, mate, mate! My mind screamed along with, mine, mine, mine!

One can never know how possessive they truly are until they've found something they truly wanted more than anything else in the world.

My mate. I truly wanted him more than anything else imaginable. More than the air I breathe.

Oh, what I would do to call this beautiful man mine.

My father's cruel words rang in my head, 'Mate?! You don't have a mate! Even if you did, one look at your face and she'll reject you on the spot!'

Was he going to reject me?

I felt as tears cascaded down my face.

The feeling of loss was truly indescribable. I had barely met him, yet there was nothing more I wanted than him; to have this beautiful specimen of a man hold me in his firm arms while reciting the three most beautiful words known to man.

'Worthless.'

He would never want me. River, the weak, worthless, ugly, River. Why would one as beautiful as he, ever want someone as hideous as I? Foolish, that's what I am. Foolish enough to even contemplate the idea of one as beautiful as he embracing someone as disgusting as I. Pitiful enough to torture myself with the image of something never to come.

The hope was so beautiful while it lasted.

I was suddenly pulled into the arms of the man above me. He held me firmly against his chest in an embrace so similar to the image I had previously concocted. It was so warm. So much better than I had previously imagined. Though, as firm and toned as he was, he was also strangely soft, so cozy. I hid my face in his chest, as he walked towards Wayne. I began to shake as we got closer and closer. My mind raced a mile a minute, taking my hope with it as it raced to the finish line.

Was he giving me back to him? Was this his way of rejecting me, by handing me over to death himself? I'm going to die...

"I'm not going to let him hurt you." He whispered softly in my ear. His voice was so soft, so soothing, like a gentle breeze on a spring day.

My mind went blank.

Wait, what?

"Y-your M-majesty, I-I c-can explain."

"Oh, I'm sure you can," My mate growled, "please, go ahead, explain to me how attempting to kill my mate seemed slightly intelligent on your part."

"M-mate," the man stammered, "Y-your M-majesty I h-had no idea-" I heard a crunch as the scary man wallowed in pain. I tried to lift my head to see the fallen man but my mate held me tightly to his chest in a firm, protective hold.

"This is not something for you to see, beautiful." My mate whispered softly in my ear as he gently stroked my hair.

Beautiful? He's not...I'm not...if anything it should be the opposite. I should be calling him the beautiful one not the other way around.

"Take care of him and send all these people free." My mate called to someone as he jumped from the carriage, landing with a thump. I cried out as my stomach convulsed in pain.

"What is it? Where does it hurt?" My mate asked frantically as his eyes roamed my body.

"My...stomach..." I managed through deep breaths as I squeezed into a small ball, holding my stomach in an attempt to lull the pain.

He wrapped me firmly in his arms, brushing my hair from my face as it stuck to my forehead.

"Isaiah!" He screamed.

Why does that name sound so familiar?

I heard running. Then, "What is it? What happened? Did you find the weird-Whoa! Who's this?" Isaiah asked mischievously.

"My mate, genius, go get the carriage and the idiot while you're at it. Where the hell did he go?!"

"Derek!" I heard him run into the distance. "Stop flirting with her, we have to go!"

"Awww!!" I heard a familiar voice murmuring in the distance.

I squeezed my eyes shut as the pain got worse and bit my lip.

"Stop, don't do that." I looked up at my mate.

Stop what?

"Let me see," my mate said raising my chin towards him, "Let go of your lip, beautiful." I shook my head, "You're causing yourself unneeded pain." His voice tightened.

"It hurts." I whimpered.

His eyebrows scrunched together as his eyes flashed with an emotion I couldn't quite read, "I wish I could do something."

Why did he sound like he was in pain?

A loud screech interrupted him. I turned my head to see a large golden carriage.

Whoa, huge.

"Finally," my mate said exasperatedly. He pulled me closer to him as he carried me, princess style, into the waiting carriage. He sat down onto a maroon velvet, cushioned seat, placing me gently on his lap as he stroked my hair; as if it were the most natural thing to be doing. I felt my face heat up.

Why was he being so kind to me? Didn't he find me gross and repulsing? Why does he keep calling me beautiful? Is it because I'm his mate; does he feel bad for me?

Two men climbed into the carriage, bickering in whispered voices as they took a seat across from us. My eyes widened in recognition.

They're the guys from the marketplace earlier. Are they here to kill me?

I felt my body shake instantly as a sudden wave of fear hit me.

"What's wrong, love?" I heard my mate ask but I was too shell shocked to answer.

They both looked up from their conversation at me as their eyes widened along with mine.

"Gorgeous boy!" They both shouted at once.

I jumped at the sound and my mate pulled me closer to him, clearly realizing what it was that I was afraid of.

My mate growled as he held me protectively in his arms, "Care to tell me why the hell my mate looks like he's seeing a ghost when he peers at your idiotic faces." His eyes flashed with anger.

"Whoa, we didn't do anything to gorgeous boy. Promise. Right Izzy?" The dark-haired brunette said raising his arms.

"Yeah, Derek isn't lying," the one named Izzy, I believe, said.

"We just briefly saw him in the marketplace and when we went to talk to him he ran like a bat out of fûcking hell!" Derek said, sounding seriously offended, but by what?

"Are they speaking the truth?" My mate asked, peering down at me.

"Y-yeah, I saw them performing a p-play-thing and I laughed at it a-and s-so I-I thought the-they were mad at me, that they w-would b-beat m-me u-up s-so I ran when they s-started walking t-towards m-me..." I looked down and fiddled with my thumbs.

I was so embarrassed. They were probably thinking I was an idiot for running when I probably should have just stayed and listened to what they wanted to say. I was a coward, weak, a runt.

'Worthless.'

"Idiots." He growled. I looked up to see him staring down the two 'idiots', as he called them, in front of him as if they were the most outrageously idiotic beings he'd ever had the displeasure of seeing.

Izzy turned to me with a small smile. I pressed myself harder against my mate.

Why is he looking at me like that? As if I'm some poor, kicked puppy?

"Sorry for scaring you before. We didn't mean to, honestly." He said softly as if speaking to a frightened child.

"I-it's o-okay," I whispered back shyly, pressing my face against my mate's chest.

Maybe if I hide from their view, they'll forget I'm here and stop talking to me. I'm not very good with talking to people. It makes me nervous. Not to mention self-conscious.

As if feeling my anxiety, I felt warm arms wrap around me gently and a pair of lips on the top of my head. It immediately relaxed me. I closed my eyes soaking in the feeling of warmth engulfing me, the lulling feel of my mate.

"Okay, please get a room," Derek whined.

"Feel free to leave, Derek." My mate growled signaling the door of the, still very much moving, carriage.

"Umm," Derek stroked his clean-shaven chin, "I'll go with...no thanks!" He smirked.

My mate grumbled as if hoping that he would have chosen to jump out of the moving carriage.

Just then the carriage stopped and I was whipped off my mate's lap as I was carried, bridal style, out of the carriage.

When we were just a few feet from the carriage I could have sworn I heard Derek cough the word 'dick'.

I mustn't have been the only one because I could have sworn I heard my mate growl.

.......

I'm not sure when I fell asleep, but suddenly I woke up in layers upon layers of expensive furs. I slowly ran my fingers through the furs.

So soft.

"I'm glad you like them, beautiful." I turned my head to my smiling mate, seeing him smile caused my heart to skip a beat and immediately caused me to smile back.

"What's your name, beautiful?" He asked caressing my cheek softly, it's funny how the word caressing held such a negative connotation only a little while ago but now that it was my mate who was doing it, it was almost the sweetest thing in the world.

"River," I said softly, cringing as I did.

"Does your throat hurt?" His brows creased together.

I nodded, "I'll go fetch the doctor, I'll be back shortly." He said kissing my forehead softly.

He opened the door and closed it behind him, only to reopen it seconds later.

"Almost forgot, my name's Alastair." He smiled as he closed the door softly behind himself.

"Alastair." I let the name roll off my tongue.

I like it.