“Is that weird?” I asked.
“No.”
He paused as if in thought, his gaze flickering down to the sheets. It was during this span of silence that I became extremely aware of the fact that my knot was still inside of Sebastian. It was deflating, though in an agonizingly slow manner.
“There’s an old tradition in the royal family,” Sebastian began quietly. “Our given names are what we share with people, but our middle names are actually our true names. We are never supposed to share our true name with anyone except our closest family. Only Father and my brothers know mine.”
“Not even with a mate?” I asked.
A smirk curled Sebastian’s lip. “As a prince, I do not take amate.It is customary for me to take an alpha donor, who ceases to exist in my life after he’s performed his duty.”
My heart sank. That couldn’t be all I was to Sebastian, was it? But Sebastian must’ve seen the crestfallen look on my face because he chuckled.
“If I hadn’t made it clear by now, I’ll spell it out for you, Rourke,” he said. “I do not think of you as merely a donor.”
I let out a relieved sigh. “Scared me for a damn second.”
Sebastian reached out a hand and stroked my cheek. Warmth fluttered in my chest. Even though we’d had sex, it still surprised me to see Sebastian acting so intimately. Never in my life did I imagine I’d react so intensely to an omega caressing my face like this.
“Would you like to know my true name?” Sebastian asked.
“Is this a trick question?”
“No.”
I stared back at him, unsure. “Only if you want to tell me.”
The smirk reached Sebastian’s eyes, turning them mischievous. “Rourke, I’m laying here with your knot in me. The least I can do is tell you my name.”
“Well, when you put it that way…”
I met his magnetic gaze and fell into his eyes, swimming in the open soul he was baring to me.
“Arctos,” he said. “That is my true name.”
A shiver ran down my spine. The weight of this information didn’t escape me. Only the King and other princes knew Sebastian’s true name—and now I did, too. It hit me just how deep Sebastian’s trust ran, and it made my heart clench.
The urge to kiss him was suddenly too strong to ignore. I gently cupped his face in mine and pressed my lips against his, which he met with equal passion.
I forced myself to pull away before my knot began to swell again.
“Don’t get me started,” I mumbled.
Sebastian grinned like a cat pleased with itself.
“By the way, er, do youwantme to call you—”
He interrupted. “No. Just like you are fine with Rourke, I am fine with Sebastian. My true name is for you and you alone. Never in public.” His smirk widened to reveal glinting teeth. “I might let it slide in private, depending on my mood.”
“Got it.”
We fell into a comfortable silence, in which I wrapped my arms tighter around Sebastian and pulled him closer to my chest. He let out a content sigh, his breath warm against my skin.
I was laying naked in bed with the Prince of Lacehaven in my arms, the second-most powerful omega in existence, and I felt no fear or anger. I was completely at peace. But even deeper than that was a feeling of fierce protection. It was what I’d experienced during the altercation in the courtyard, but a thousand times stronger now. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I’d do absolutelyanythingto protect Sebastian.
And no one was ever going to keep us apart again.
21
