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“And this is my sister, Princess Nicolette Donnelly.” When Caulder splayed his hand to the right, I paused, anticipating feeling a punch of longing when I faced her.
But when I turned… Nothing.
Allera had been right. The princess honestly was one of the rarest beauties I had ever seen. But I still released a breath of gratitude when my mark didn’t focus on the dark-headed girl, glad my bond wasn’t for the princess. She was quite young, just a teen from the looks of it. It would’ve been agony to have to wait years before I could wed her… And thus bed her.
Because I wanted to bed my one true love today… Right now.
My brother Olivander’s one true love was only fifteen and half his age. He’d met her when she was just a babe, and as soon as she’d hit puberty, he’d sent her off to a boarding school to avoid temptation, where he refused to see her again until she was a proper age to wed. The last few years had been a miserable, difficult time for him. He’d become quite moody and irrational. It would wreck me if I had to suffer through the same fate as him and wait so long for my mate.
I barely paid Nicolette any attention as I took her hand, but I noticed Allera’s avid gaze on us as we greeted each other, probably hoping the young princess was my intended match after all. Glancing at her, I gave a slight shake to my head.
Her shoulders lowered fractionally, the only disappointment she would dare show.
“And please excuse my wife,” King Caulder said, flashing a dismissive wave of his hand over his shoulder toward his throne. “She’s remained seated with her sister. Movement becomes quite difficult and cumbersome at this stage in the pregnancy, I hear.”
Caulder continued to motion his white-gloved hand toward the dais, where two honey-blonde-headed, dark-eyed women sat talking with each other in bejeweled chairs next to the king’s seat. One wore red. One wore blue. When they noticed everyone’s attention on them, they stopped chattering and waved to us, calling out pleasant greetings.
Caulder turned back from them, an affectionate smile lingering on his lips, before he prattled on about…something. But I couldn’t pry my attention from the two sisters, where my one true love sat, swollen with pregnancy.
Chapter 3
Urban
My chest compacted, making breathing impossible, and my mark pulsed uncontrollably, until my vision blurred, which panicked me because I didn’t want to stop looking at her. From what I’d seen, she’d been so pretty, all her thick, blonde hair swept up in a large bun to display the curve of her jaw, her pointed chin, the length of her graceful neck. Her eyes had been dark and soulful and her nose pert and short.
And she’d been mine. My one and only. My mate and one true love.
I blinked rapidly until, ah…there. She came back into focus. Thank God.
My happily ever after rested on the shoulders of this very woman… Who was quite obviously full with another man’s child.
At first, I didn’t understand that part. Because, really, what?
My one true love was pregnant? That didn’t make sense. I hadn’t even met her yet. I mean, the need for her was strong, but not strong enough to impregnate her from across the room with my desire alone.
Or was it?
Shit, this was just all wrong.
How could she be…? She wouldn’t. Except, okay, she wasn’t from High Cliff and didn’t believe in our marking ritual or one true loves. Of course, she had no reason to wait for hers to show up.
Which apparently she hadn’t.
Fuck!
Sweat coated my brow. Needles prickled my abdomen, making nausea swell up my throat. My vision dimmed again. I wasn’t sure how I remained upright.
But… Jesus Christ on the cross, the woman who was supposed to become the love of my life was already taken.
My lungs heaved, and breathing picked up. Only the fingernails biting into my flesh from my sister’s hand when she touched my arm was able to draw my attention away from my heart’s purpose… The woman who could make me the happiest… My one fucking true love.
I turned to Allera frantically, seeking support, but she wasn’t looking at me; she was too busy smiling politely and answering a question the king had asked her.
“Yes, it was a good trip. Thank you for asking. But long. So very long. I fear it’s worn both me and my brother quite to the bone.”
She finally looked up at me. The pointed glare in her eyes told me to shape up and pay attention. We were here to align our kingdoms, not tear them apart by me stealing one of its royal women from whichever man expected a baby with her any day now.
I clenched my teeth, not at all pleased by Allera announcing to everyone that I was some weakling who couldn’t handle a bit of travel, but at the moment, any excuse to evacuate this room was welcome. If I couldn’t carry my one true love away and bed her right now, then fuck it, I had to flee before I strode up there and fell at her feet, bellowing about my rage and sorrow.
