Chapter 6
Gus
For some reason, sleep wouldn’t find me. It wasn’t the bed. It was featherlight, like floating in a forest lake, gazing up at the endless night sky. It wasn’t the room either. It was exactly the right temperature, cool night air drifting through the slightly ajar window. I had a full belly, and I think I was still a little drunk. I should’ve slept like a baby, but it was like I was playing hide-and-seek with sleep, and I’d hidden too well. I knew the reason, of course. It was because ofhim, my king. Ever since we’d hidden under the table, passing a bottle of wine between us, I’d been so attuned to him that my body seemed unwilling to rest now that he wasn’t with me.
I could still smell him. The sweet, alluring scent of his slick. Like honey. Thick and heavy. But not just any honey, no. It was like the precious royal nectar the worker bees made to feed their queen. It had taken almost unearthly powers to keep my hands off him and not bury my entire face in his crotch and just sniff him, lick him, devour him. As a result, I was now painfully hard.Harder than I’d ever been before. Was this how it felt when you met an omega?Youromega. No, he wasn’t mine, I reminded myself. He was the king, and I was here for one reason and one reason only: to breed him and secure an heir for our kingdom.
But, gods, why did he already feel like mine? Maybe because he was my first. Yes, that was surely it. I was twenty-three years old, and I’d never been with anyone before. I knew some of the other alphas at the farm sought relief in each other, but I’d never had the urge to. Not like this. Not like this searing fire coursing through every limb of my body, threatening to set me aflame any second. But it wasn’t just a physical urge. No, my body ached for him like it ached for food, or water, or air even. King Sebastian made me feel safe when no one else here did. He radiated warmth and comfort, and when he smiled and laughed, he lit up the entire room. At first, he’d been guarded, I could tell. Broody even, but tonight, under the table, I’d seen another side to him, one that was bright and more beautiful than anything I’d ever seen.
An omega to your alpha, a dangerous voice inside me spoke. The forbidden words moved through me. Omegas and alphas weren’t supposed to be together. It wasn’t safe. And yet, King Sebastian’s absence felt like torture, like a limb had been torn from my body. With a cry of anguish, I buried my face in the downy pillow and whimpered all my forbidden longing into the night.
The room was buzzing with servants when I awoke. Curtains were drawn, and sunlight burst into my bedroom, a clear blue sky greeting me. I loved mornings—when the entire world was slowly waking up, with the sound of birdsong invading the air, and the smell of dew-covered grass. Sitting up, I rubbed my eyes, my head a little heavier than usual. Then I recalled last night. The feast Sebastian had provided for me. The wine.Him. My cock stirred, and I breathed through my nose, counted to ten, then threw the comforter aside.
A choir of gasps and squeals tore through the room as two servants quickly covered their eyes and a third dove behind the bed. Gods, were they really this afraid of me? Jumping from the bed, I moved carefully toward the two servants, who were covering their eyes. I held my hands out disarmingly in front of me.
“It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you.” My voice was raspy from laughing so hard last night, but I hoped I sounded somewhat harmless.
“Please,” the servant behind my bed called out. “Please cover yourself, Alpha Gus.” Staring down at my morning hardness, I gulped.Oh! Looking around the room, my gaze landed on the bed. Reaching for the comforter, I pulled it from the bed andwrapped it around my waist, my dick tenting the front, but at least it was covered. “Okay, I’m covered up now.”
One of the servants peeked from behind his fingers, then sighed in relief. “Thank the gods.” Then he poked the other servant’s elbow. “You can look now. He’s all covered up.” The one hiding behind my bed resurfaced, his eyes wide and worried.
“Your bath awaits, Alpha Gus,” he said as he carefully rose, then started laying out a white shirt and a pair of moss-green pants on the bed. “His Majesty is expecting you in the sunroom when you’re ready.”
“Thank you. The sunroom?” I had no idea what a sunroom was, but it sounded… nice somehow.
The servant moved toward me. “Yes, His Majesty often takes his breakfast in the sunroom. It overlooks the royal gardens, and the scenery is especially pretty this time of year.” He attempted a smile, then quickly moved toward the door, bowing at me. Hebowedto me!
“Okay, and—”
“Everything you’ll need is in the bathroom,” another servant spoke, his voice shaky. His gaze zeroed in on where my hardness was still tenting the comforter. “Will you be able to bathe yourself, Alpha Gus?”
I didn’t understand why they treated me with such caution since they hadn’t yesterday. Shrugging, I nodded. “Yes. I always bathe myself.” Simultaneously, they all sighed with clear relief, then proceeded to back out of my bedroom, still bowing.Huh.Omegas were weird; then again, they probably found me weird, too.
I quickly bathed, dressed, and then went in search of the sunroom. Two guards were waiting for me just outside my door, and without a word, they started stalking down a long corridor, signaling for me to follow them. It was hard to keep up with them. I wasn’t used to wearing pants this tight. I was used tomy baggy, well-worn overalls, which I could move freely in. The shirt wasn’t any better. I’d had to leave the top three buttons open because I didn’t like the tight sensation around my neck. At home, I was used to wearing either a loose cotton blouse or nothing at all.
“Wait up!” I called out as the guards disappeared around a corner, but when I reached the end of the corridor, I found them waiting for me, standing in front of two large glass doors. “The sunroom?” I panted, and the guards nodded, then one of them opened the doors for me. “Thank you.”
Stepping inside, sunlight and warmth surrounded me. The large room was filled with plants and colorful flowers, their intoxicating scent hanging heavily in the air. What sounded like trickling water intermingled with soft music. I looked around and found a small fountain to my right and a young omega playing a harp next to it. Wow, did I die overnight and go to heaven?
“Morning,” a familiar voice broke through the harp music. Appearing from behind a large fig tree, Sebastian smiled at me carefully.
“Morning.” I hardly recognized my own voice. My heart started racing in my chest, and my manhood stirred again. Sebastian’s gaze dipped to my much-too-tight pants and smiled knowingly, then blushed.
“Did you sleep well?” He stepped closer, and his distinct omega smell invaded my senses. I shook my head, and he frowned at me worriedly. “Why not? Was the bed not to your liking? I can ask the servants for a different room if you’d like. Until you join me in my chambers.” The blush increased, and his gaze flickered. I hadn’t noticed last night how long and thick his dark eyelashes were. They surrounded his piercing green eyes like soft feathers, dark against his pale skin.
“The bed is…” I swallowed as heat licked down my spine. “I had too much to drink, I think,” I lied. Well, it was only half a lie. “I’ve never had wine before.”
He nodded as he seemed content with my reply. “Are you hungry, Gus?” He nodded over his shoulder, and I noticed a small table set for two behind the fig tree. Food was the last thing on my mind. The way Sebastian’s lips wrapped around my name when he spoke it was all I could think about.Gus. No one had spoken my name like that before, with such care and consideration. Almost like I mattered to him. Well, I did. My alpha seed mattered to him.
“Yes,” I croaked, and he held out his hand between us. It was so small compared to mine, his fingers slender and delicate, a golden ring on his index finger with a green stone in it. When I didn’t take his hand, he smiled at me, his eyes bright. “Come, Gus. Eat with me. We need to talk.”
Reaching out my hand, I wrapped it carefully around his, feeling his warm skin beneath my fingers. He chuckled then, his eyes wrinkling at the corners. “You don’t have to be careful with me, Alpha. I won’t break.” Then he tugged me after him toward the table. “Sit down,” he nodded at a chair that looked so frail I feared it would break if I came anywhere near it. As if Sebastian could read my mind, he laughed. “Don’t worry, Gus. It’s painted iron. It might look delicate, but it’s very sturdy. Like me.” He winked, and my dick swelled in my pants, as sweat beaded along my forehead.
“Okay,” I nodded, my voice thick with lust. Sitting down, I decided to focus on the food in front of me. Everything looked delicious. There were buns that looked like they’d just been pulled from the oven, a plate with golden butter, and a jar with what looked like raspberry jam. There were cakes and pastries and a platter of cold meats and cheese. A large bowl of fruit stood in the middle of the table, and as Sebastian sat down in front ofme, I noticed a cart behind him with fresh-squeezed orange juice and a selection of small, labelled jars.
“Eat!” Sebastian beamed at me, then reached for a pot and started pouring tea into my cup first and then his own. “This is elderflower tea, my favorite. I hope you’ll like it.” My heart raced in my chest. No one, aside from Hal perhaps, had ever taken any interest in what I liked, or even cared about me, not since my omega family. My eyes stung, and I think I was close to tears. “What is it?” Sebastian tilted his head, a frown between his brows. “Do you not like elderflower tea? I can ask for something else?” He looked around the room as if searching for a servant.
“No, no. It’s not that,” I whispered, my eyes dipping to the steaming tea. “It’s just…”
