Okay, I could do this. It was not the perfect scenario while being touch-averse to the point of shivering when Elias’ hand clasped down hard on mine. He needed me, though.
“Hang on,” I comforted him while gritting my teeth before I rushed out the door to alert the guards outside the room. While one of them hurried down the hallway to fetch the royal doctor, the other, the one who’d bred Elias, stood frozen as he stared back at me, his body shaking as sweat started forming on his forehead. Was he nervous that he would hurt his son? Or was it a need to be with Elias and comfort him? Before I met Gus, I would’ve been in doubt, but now that I knew alphas could be sweet and caring, it was obviously the latter.
The doctor came running, way faster than I thought possible, considering his age, with four guards on his heels.
“Your Majesty!” the doctor panted. “The guards will need to move him to his room immediately.”
I nodded, and the guards rushed to help, while the one who’d fathered the child remained frozen in the hallway, likely unsure if he was wanted here or not.
Two guards carried a whimpering Elias to his room, and I followed, gesturing for Elias’ alpha to follow too.
In Elias’ room, the doctor had all the alphas leave, and they hurried out, leaving just me, the doctor, and one of the nurses to help with the birth. I’d promised Elias I would do my best to be here for him, and I would do just that.
Elias kept glancing toward the closed door, his eyes so sad and pleading. I knew exactly what—or whom—he needed. I didn’teven stop to think. Letting go of Elias’ hand, I hurried out into the hallway where I found his alpha pacing nervously. Dragging him with me inside, I gave the doctor a pointed look when he tried to object. Closing the door, I led the alpha to Elias’ side. The way Elias brightened when he saw his alpha was enough confirmation for me. Elias cared for him. And it was obvious the alpha cared for Elias, too.
Soon, Elias started screaming in pain, and my attention was now back on my best friend and how awful my timing was. Enduring a birth knowing I would soon be in the same place was no fun. But at least it kept my mind off Gus.
Chapter 14
Gus
When Seb told me he soon wouldn’t be able to bear my touch, I don’t think I fully understood what it meant. Although he’d assured me it had nothing to do with me, I still felt rejected. It was impossible not to crave his touch and the feel of his body against mine when we’d been as close as two people could be. And it wasn’t just physically. No, it had been in spirit, too, like we were one being, sharing one body and one mind. And now he was gone, off to do important royal business somewhere, and I was left to myself, now that I had performed my duties.
Although Seb had told me he didn’t know if he was pregnant yet, I had a feeling that he was carrying my child. I didn’t think two people could be such a perfect match in every way without it resulting in a baby. It just wasn’t possible. I think Seb knew it too, but it was, of course, too early for him to announce it.
As I entered the stables, the smell of horses and fresh hay wafted toward me, and I instantly felt at home. While I hadn’t thought about Hal even once during Seb’s heat, the smell ofcountry and animals reminded me of the farm and of him. How was he? Did he miss me, or had he made new friends? What would happen once I returned to the farm? Would things just go back to the way they were? Somehow, I didn’t think they could. Meeting Seb and falling in love with him—because I truly had fallen for him—wasn’t something I could just leave behind and then move forward as if nothing had happened. I would never be able to forget him, and although I didn’t know if Seb was pregnant yet, I knew deep in my heart that I would also love this child. I already did.
“Have you been relieved of your alpha duties?” A jovial voice sounded behind me, and when I turned, I found Adrian walking toward me with Maiden trailing after him on a rope.
“I guess I have,” I shrugged, and my heart clenched with sadness. “The heat is over.” I might as well have said my life was over because that was how it felt.
“Ah, yes, I see. So your presence is no longer required nor wanted.” He offered me a small smile, then nodded toward a bucket of water to my right. “Hand me that, will you?”
Reaching for the bucket, I handed it to Adrian, who held it before Maiden’s muzzle. She eagerly dipped her face into the bucket and gulped down the water, her tail swinging from side to side.
“He won’t be able to bear my touch,” I mumbled, my eyes not leaving the foal.
“I know. But that’s just a few days, then he’ll want you again.”
My gaze snapped to Adrian at his forward speech. “What do you mean?”
Adrian sighed like he didn’t know what to do with me. When the bucket was empty, he pulled it away from the foal’s muzzle. “There’s a good girl, Maiden.” He patted her neck, then grinned at me. “It’s inevitable.”
“I… I don’t know what that means.” I slumped my shoulders. Damn, even in the company of this simple stable boy, I felt dumb,daft.
“It means it can’t be helped. I know what the laws say, what history tells us. That alphas and omegas are better apart, that it’s safer for everyone.” He leaned in and lowered his voice. “But it’s not true.”
I gasped at his forbidden words, then looked around the stables. We were alone aside from the horses in their boxes, happily chewing on their hay.
“Alphas are dangerous.” The words left a sour taste in my mouth. I wasn’t sure I believed them any longer.
“Are we? Areyou?” He narrowed his eyes, and I shrank under his scrutinizing gaze.
“I… I…”
“Does the king fear you?”
“I don’t know. I don’t… I don’t think so.” It was true. Seb had felt at ease in my company. He laughed with me and smiled at me. He’d slept soundly next to me, cuddled up against my side like he was a natural extension of me. He’d let me bathe him and take care of him. Not once had he seemed to fear me, though.
