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Chapter Eleven
Rory
Lex let me sleep late the next morning, not waking until I heard him talking to the other Alphas outside our door. I could hear them teasing him about all the noise we made the night before. They were interrupted by the servants of the inn bringing water for me to wash in and some breakfast for me too. The Alphas took what they’d brought, not letting them come in to see me. They brought the hot water and towels over to the fireplace and set them down, giving me a long look—but not too long, because Lex growled at them.
They left then, telling us they’d see us downstairs.
Lex came over to kiss me and we got a little caught up in that for a while. But he shook himself after a few minutes and sternly ordered me out of bed.
“It’s late, and I want to be at my lodge later tonight. Wash yourself with soap and I sacrificed a shirt to leave you some new pads for your heat. I’ll go down and have some breakfast, but you eat here in the room. Keep this door locked and open it to no one but me.”
“Yes, Alpha,” I said softly, and he shook his head and pointed a finger at me.
“I don’t believe a bit of that obedience, sweetheart.”
He kissed me again anyway, like he couldn’t quite help himself.
After he left, I did as he’d said and washed myself all over with the clean, hot water and soap. So much better than that icy stream! Afterward, I dressed in some old, but clean clothes from my pack and put on the pads. I was cramping a little and really sore in my backside, but if I sat on one ass cheek, it wasn’t too bad. I knew I’d be coming in full heat really soon now. It was good we’d be back to Lex’s home soon. He told me he’d keep me in his bed every day until it was over. What I’d dreaded for so long was now something to look forward to.
Afterward, I ate some crusty bread and gooey sweet cakes from the tray of food and drank some by now cold tea. It was still delicious.
They came back to get me and made sure I wore my cape and hood on the way out. We left by the main road, but Asher, who was leading us, came back to talk to Lex.
“I think we should take the cutoff ahead—it’s a quicker route than the main road, and I’m not sure I trust that innkeeper. He was way too nosy about your princeling this morning. It could be nothing, but he knows we have money on us too.”
“Good call. Yes, we’ll take the cutoff. But have your weapons ready.”
“Will do,” he said, almost cheerfully, like he was looking forward to a bit of mischief. Alphas.
Fortunately, to my way of thinking, we didn’t have any trouble and we rode all the rest of that day, only stopping in early evening to rest the horses and eat a quick supper. We got back on the road, with only the moon and stars to light our way, but Lex told me we were close to their lodge now, and they knew these roads like the backs of their hands.
Predictably, I fell asleep, leaning back against Lex’s chest. I felt his hands stroking over the bite marks on my throat, but I pretended to be asleep. It wasn’t much longer after that until Lex shook me gently to wake me up.
“Rory, we’re home,” he said, and I rubbed my eyes and tried to wake up to see. My first impression was of a huge manor home, but not fancy like some in my kingdom. This one was rustic, in a way, but really large, with a broad front porch all along the front. It was three stories tall, with a wide front door that had servants spilling out, even though the hour was late. Lex jumped down off the horse and held up his arms to me. He put me down beside him and we walked inside, following the others, with some servants taking the horses to one of the many outbuildings in the big, cleared area in front of the house.
Inside the main entrance hall, the ceiling towered all the way up, as high as the house, with a massive chandelier made from stag horns hanging down in the middle. A wide staircase led up to the second floor
Lex gave some orders to the servants while I stood in the main foyer, looking up. I had lived all my life in a castle—a small, old, one to be sure, but still… This place that I’d heard Lex call his “lodge” was far finer and maybe even just as large as my father’s castle. I turned to look at him as he strode around, giving orders to the servants, who called him “Your Highness,” and he laughed and talked with his cousins, all of them glad to be back home. He noticed my regard and came over to me.
“What’s the matter, princeling? You can’t be tired after sleeping all day.”
“Who are you, Lex? Who are you, really? I know you said what you said, and I know you’re Morovian, but this place is so large and extravagant. Please tell me the truth.”
His cheeks pinkened the slightest bit. If I hadn’t gotten so familiar with his handsome face and expressions in the last couple of days, I might never have noticed it.
“I don’t know what you mean,” he protested. “It’s just my family’s hunting lodge. I’ve lived here for a few years now.”
“And your family? Where do they live?”
He hesitated and there was that slight flush again. “Somewhere else.” He sighed and ran a hand through his thick hair. “I’m Prince Lexington, youngest son of the late King Robert of Morovia. My brother Harrison is the current king.”
I took a step backward, shocked at his words. “You lied to Berinda and my father about who you really were.”
“Yes,” he said, the arrogance he’d shown when I first met him making a reappearance. “And why not? Your stepmother was searching for an Alpha who would marry you for who you were, and then as soon as you inherited the throne, she wanted that Alpha to murder you and marry her own daughter. All she cared about was the gold I had. We couldn’t allow her to put someone ruthless and without honor on the throne of Igella, so close to our own borders.”
“So you volunteered to take me off her hands and do the deed yourself. And you’ll be my Regent when something happens to my father.”
He lifted his chin. “I didn’t exactly volunteer, and I have never planned to ‘do the deed,’ as you call it. I’m no murderer. My brother asked me to marry you and become Regent of Igella for the good of our people. And because he was afraid of any kind of dark magic that you might have. But basically, yes. That’s what happened. I lied about who I really was and took you for myself. And I’d do it again.”
