As she so subtly declared I was her mate.
I was hers. She was mine.
I wouldn’t be so subtle with my claiming. Not now that I knew exactly who I was, and who I would forever be. Neither alpha nor omega. Neither soldier nor royal. It was simpler than that. Simpler than labels people wished upon you, or you wished upon yourself.
I was simply a man who loved a woman, and wanted to keep her forever. I knew I’d do anything to make the world safe for her, for us. There was nothing else I needed to know.
I took her hand, lifting it to my lips for a soft kiss. “My Ashla, your beauty takes my breath away.”
Her return smile was soft, her pretty, kissable lips begging for mine to capture them.
I pulled her close. “Will kissing you mess up your makeup?”
Her breath caught. “It depends,” she whispered. “On what kind of kissing you plan on.”
I groaned, imagining all the ways I wanted to take her mouth with mine. Hard and fast. Soft and tender. Messy and breathless.
“We’d better wait,” I admitted, instead, nipping her earlobe. “Because when I kiss you, I’m not going to want to stop until this dress is on the floor and you’re on my cock.”
Ashla gasped and I pulled away to watch her cheeks go pink with a blush, satisfied that my female was just as hungry for me as I was for her.
Offering her my arm, she took it and we headed to the royal ballroom where a significant crowd had gathered. Alpha, betas, and omegas alike, had arrived for the celebration. With the resistance squashed and the Badlands secured from the human forces, the ease in the room was palpable. For the first time, in perhaps ever, we all felt safe. Not just royals, not just Luxorians, but the whole Weren pack. I couldn’t remember a time like this, and it made me think of my parents’ sacrifice. What would have happened if they’d taken me with them to the Badlands, if they hadn’t made a deal with the king?
Things might be a lot different.
I might have never met Ashla, and I surely wouldn’t have become the man I was today.
I sent out a silent thanks to them, and Ashla squeezed my hand as if she could feel my thoughts.
At the front of the room, the king and queen sat on their thrones. A cradle of intricate carved wood inlaid with gold was nestled between them. Zelene looked tired but deliriously happy as she reached into the cradle to shush the crying baby. My eyes went to Adalai. Love shone on his face like the sun on a cold day. I’d never seen my king so satisfied.
“Aw,” Ashla crooned. “I can’t wait to hear what they’ve named him. Can you believe how little he is? Tiny perfect Weren. He’s amazing.”
I nodded. “He’ll grow up strong. He has many aunts and uncles who will teach him how to fight.”
“And how to be fair, and how to love,” Ashla reminded.
I grinned. “Definitely that.”
She hugged my arm in response. “Will you want babies?” she asked quietly, but her question made my heart race in my chest and my animal instincts flare to life.
I found her curious gaze, and that familiar shyness bled through. Did she doubt exactly how much I wanted from her?
Bending low so only she could hear me, I murmured, “I want everything you will give me, my little spitfire. I want you every way, every day, for the rest of our lives. I want babies, family. I want your future, gray hair and wrinkles. I want your heart. All of it. Because you… you have mine.”
Her eyes were bright with happy tears. “Oh, Solen. You have it.”
I kissed her forehead as Dagger walked to the front and the music stopped playing.
“Welcome, on behalf of King Adalai and Queen Zelene. We are gathered to celebrate our recent victory against the humans and resistance, and…” He turned to peer into the cradle, a smile curving his cheeks. “… and the birth of our future king. Before King Adalai names his heir, we will have a report from General Solen.”
“This is me,” I muttered to Ashla, and then made my way to stand before the king and queen. After a slight bow, which made Adalai smirk—the delightful asshole—I turned to the crowd to give my report. “Those who once intended to rob us of the very thing that bound us together—our uniqueness, our variety, our heart—have finally been defeated. Sadly, however, not without much damage to our omegas. We will continue to see that those who were harmed by the humans are treated to the best of our abilities. We hope to see many make a full recovery under General Evander and Omega Rielle’s care. The king and generals would like to thank all the brave soldiers and omega wolves who fought to defend our people.” I bowed my head. “You are honored in this place from this day forward, under decree of the King Alpha.”
With roaring applause at the gesture, I left the stage to return to my mate. Her proud smile was all I needed to make me feel like I was finally worthy of happiness, that all the fighting had yielded a true victory.
Dagger cleared his throat. “And now for the presentation and naming of our most anticipated new member. I give you, King Adalai and Queen Zelene!”
The crowd roared with giddy anticipation as the king
