“He’s too big,” someone quipped. “His Majesty won’t like it. Shouldn’t we take one of the ot—”
“Shut up! He’sperfect. A breeder for sure. Look at his thighs. He’s like… a horse. An ox. A prime breeder.”
A breeder? I turned, looking over my shoulder desperately. They must surely be pointing at someone else, speaking of someone else. But I was alone in the field. The other alphas stared at me from behind the royal advisors, shaking their heads at me, mumbling something under their breath.
I swallowed. The buzzing was now inside my head. Nausea built in my stomach, but no longer from hunger. The‘perfect’ rang through my head. I wasn’t perfect. I was an alpha, imperfect from the day I was born. A breeder, yes, but not meant for the king. That was ridiculous.
“Come with us,” someone said to my left, but the words didn’t register.
“Careful of the bees,” I whispered. Where was Hal? Shit, where was Hal? I needed to get to him.
“Bees?” someone said. “What is he talking about? Bees.”
“Where’s Hal?” I mumbled, my chest squeezing. “Where’s Hal?”
“Like I said. Simpleminded. Harmless. He’s perfect.”
“Come with us, Alpha,” a distant voice said. “King Sebastian is eager to meet his perfect breeder.”
Perfect. Right.
Chapter 3
Sebastian
I felt utterly ridiculous as I stared back at my reflection. Why did it matter what I wore? I was the king, for heaven’s sake! Whomever my advisors had picked for me would—and should—be honored to be chosen. I shouldn’t have to go through this ordeal of picking out the perfect outfit!
Slumping back on my dressing chair, I allowed my heart to calm down and my nerves to settle. This would just be like any other heat, I tried to convince myself, but it was fruitless. This would obviously be so much more. This alpha would be the father of my child, my heir, the future king. If all eyes weren’t already on me, they definitely would be now.
Elias came into my dressing room looking eager. His smile was blinding, and his eyes held so much glee I started feeling a little worried.
“Seb!” he exclaimed, wobbling further into the room. I knew he would’ve run to me if not for the big belly. “He’s here!”
Swallowing down my nerves and the breakfast that was trying to make its way up again, I nodded woodenly. “And? Is he um…?” Decent? Big? Strong? Terrifying?Well-endowed?
“The biggest alpha I’ve ever seen? Oh, yes! Definitely,” Elias gushed, looking almost giddy with excitement, like I’d just been sent a new toy. “A rather impressive-looking young man.”
“Did he seem…” I was going to ask if he seemed kind, but no alpha was; they couldn’t be. So why did I even bother asking such nonsense? Instead, I asked, “Handsome?” Please let him be handsome and not some orc.
“Very,” Elias nodded, smiling impossibly wider. “You’re in for a real treat with him.” Then, my best friend winked at me.
I felt less like the king and more like a nervous teenager. I hadn’t been this worried since my first heat. Maybe I should just act like this was exactly just that—another heat, nothing more. He was just an alpha to service me through my heat, and then a baby would be born because of it. Just a means to an end, nothing more. That actually seemed to help my erratically beating heart.
“Okay, then,” I stated, then stood and took one last look in the mirror. I had my golden crown on, my favorite navy outfit with gold stitching. Glued to my lean body, it looked like it’d been painted on. I felt handsome in this, impressive even, and it somehow felt like my armor, protecting me and emboldening me for this meeting.
“I was sent to grab you, so we’d better get going,” Elias said, gesturing for me to take his arm. I seriously doubted they were in a hurry if they sent Elias. I loved my best friend, but he was currently the slowest omega in the castle. Even our head cook, Milfred, was faster than him, and he was ancient.
Accepting Elias’ arm, we walked in silence down the many hallways before descending the big staircase leading to the foyer.I had to help Elias with each step; his belly was truly a hindrance to his daily life, but I was more than happy to help.
As I’d expected, my advisors stood proudly in the foyer at the end of the staircase, looking livelier than I’d ever seen them. It frightened me, to be honest. Whatever their gleaming eyes conveyed couldn’t be good. Nor could the fact that the alpha wasn’t waiting with them…
“Your Majesty,” Clive greeted as they all bowed. “We are delighted to announce that we have found the perfect alpha for you.”
“And the kingdom, Your Majesty,” Nicholai added, stepping forward to help me with his son. “An heir is secured!”
They truly must be pleased with their choice, since they’d started speaking before Elias and I had even fully descended the stairs, something that was considered rude to do.
This truly didn’t bode well for me.
