by G. Bailey
"It's just so fast," I say, pulling my bottom lip into my mouth and gently biting it.
"I know...but it feels right, doesn't it?" he asks, "and I'm pretty sure your wolf could rip me to pieces if I'm an asshole."
"She could," I grin, and he laughs.
"Is that a yes?" he asks, and it may sound crazy to anyone else, but as I look at Aith, I know I want this. Mating is complicated, and elves don't have true mates like wolves and vampires do, or any other species. For them, they trust fate to make the decisions in their lives.
"Yes—" I don't get to say anything else before he is kissing me, not a gentle kiss this time, this kiss makes my toes curl up and the air escape my lungs. I never want him to stop, but he does, and I'm left just wanting more. My wolf wants more and practically whines in my mind when he steps away.
"Let me take you on that walk I promised, then I will let everyone know the news," he replies, sounding happy with a big grin. I know it is going to hurt my leg, but I must keep walking on it. My shifter healing is slowly kicking in, fighting the poison.
"Do you think they will judge us for mating so quickly?" I ask, because usually, wolves get to know each other for a few weeks before making the decision. It is hard for male wolves to be around their mates without mating though, so that makes sense. I trust myself and my wolf to know if this is right for me or not. The only reason Aith and I are rushing this is because I need to save my other mates. Even if they hate me when they find out I've taken another mate. I'm pretty sure Erik hates me anyway, so this will just make the situation a million times worse.
"No, my pretty little wolf. It isn't the elf way to be the judge of other people's actions or decisions," he replies to me. "We are not gods or fate, so we do not have the right."
"I like that way of thinking," I respond, because it is a nice way of viewing the world. I find most people are too judgemental when they rarely know the full scope of what they are talking about. Humans are worse about this, and wolves are just plain nosy.
"And I like you," he replies, briefly kissing the side of my head before linking our arms together to walk down the path to the gardens.
"We don't wear clothes to the mating?" I ask the maid for the fourth time, and she just nods, her green cheeks having a strange blue hue to them. It’s her way of blushing, I suspect. Three other maids stand by the door, holding baskets with apparent paint in them because, according to them, the mating ceremony for elves means we are naked, painted with these ceremonial paints. The only thing I can wear is a thin white cloth that hangs from my shoulders to my feet—and covers nothing. I'm not like usual wolves; I don't like being naked, and I've always taken care to shift back in private. Erik always thought I was odd to feel bothered about walking around naked like he and most the pack do.
The door is knocked two times before the door opens and an older woman walks in. She is very familiar from her light green skin and her eyes that are the mirror image of Aith. The leaf crown on her head kind of gives her away as well. I lower my head as I bow, and when I lift my head, she is smiling.
"We don't bow to family," she explains and comes over, placing her hand on my cheek. "Aith said you saved his life and that you are brave, beautiful and smart. Seems like my son has found his soulmate after all this time," she says, sounding so happy as she lowers her hand. It makes me want to find out more about Aith’s past though. We have spoken about his first mate a little, but I always felt like he didn’t know much about her.
"Wasn't his first mate his soulmate?" I ask.
"No, she was his mate through an arranged marriage for the well-being of the kingdom. Aith loved her as he should, but he never chose his own mate as he has with you," she tells me, and her voice is simple, just stating a fact. "Though today is not a day to speak of the past. It is to celebrate a wonderful future. Aith is with his father and son, who are very much looking forward to meeting you. My name is Eloimaya, though elves and now wolves close to me call me Maya."
"Maya, it is lovely to meet you. My friends call me Snow, though my full name is Snowleigh," I explain, considering she is offering her friendship.
"Snow is a beautiful name. Now what colours have you chosen for your paint?" she asks me.
"I haven't quite gotten over how clothing isn't allowed, to be honest," I say, and she sweetly laughs.
"Ah dear, the paint is thick, and it shows very little. Do not worry," she tells me, waving a hand over to the paints. "Plus, it is only until the ceremony is over, and then you can wear a dress for the rest of the night." I sigh, knowing I need to uphold their traditions, before following her over to the pots where she is taking the lids off the three. One is a thick blue paint with drops of white paint and what looks like glitter mixed in.
"This paint is from the mountains," Maya explains, and I dip my finger in, seeing how very thick it is. “It promotes the coldest part of our world, where snow always falls and the most stars can be seen in the sky.”
"I want this one, please. Blue is my favourite colour, and it almost looks like snow falling on a starry night," I say, and the maid happily nods.
"I will look away and sit on your bed, if you do not mind my presence?" Maya asks me.
"Not at all," I reply, because it is actually nice to have someone here with me. My mother died when I was young, and with no other female relatives, I didn't have anyone for my mating ceremony with Erik. I only just met Gold, and we didn't become close friends until many years later. Nikoli tried to be there for me, but he was so busy with his new pack. Harper only came into our lives a few years ago, and now I have a beautiful niece called Emma. The Forest Pack has never been happier, but what the shifter queen is doing is a threat to us all. It's been months since she closed her castle with my mates in there. I just hope they are still alive.
"Tell me about your daughter, Arisa," Maya asks as she sits down on the other side of the bed, looking out the window at the views of the forest. I pull my dress off, feeling anxious as the maids start painting swirls and designs with the paint.
"Arisa is my world, my everything. She is funny, creative and loves to cuddle. Though she looks like me, she is much more like her father, Erik, I think. I really do miss her," I admit, wishing she could be here with me today but knowing that wouldn’t be safe.
"I can just imagine. It is difficult to be away from your children when they are young. I have three children, Aith and two daughters. My daughters are married and live in the mountains that sent that paint over to you. They wanted to be here for the wedding, but the mountains are currently buried under heavy snow like they are every season. They do send their best wishes," she explains to me. “In the summer months, I do hope you, Aith and the children will come with us to visit them and the other areas. This world is very beautiful.”
"Can they not portal here?" I ask, curious. “And I would love to go on a tour.”
"No, the mountain is the only place here that has no magic. The mountain blocks it, and the people live their lives there as humans would," she explains to me. "Personally, I prefer a bit of magic in my world."
"So do I," I reply with a chuckle. Talking with Maya has completely distracted me from the maids and their work, so much that they are already done. I run a finger over the paint on my arm as the maids clip the thin fabric on my shoulders, and to my surprise, the paint is dry despite it being so thick that I can't see my skin. The maid dips her finger into the paint and comes closer, sliding it over my forehead and in what feels like swirls around my cheeks before stepping back.
"You suit the elf ways, my princess," the maid tells me before each of them bows and leaves the room. That is something to get used to. I nervously look towards Maya, seeing her come over to me, and she looks happy.
"The maids were right, you really do look like a princess meant to be on a throne. I've heard rumours you are the destined mate of the prince of the shifters," Maya says. I always try to forget who Prince really is as I love the man not the title he has with it. The fact we are d
estined mates actually just makes things a million times more complicated. We had planned to sit Erik down and tell him we were together and going to mate. It just never happened.
"I am and I love him," I explain to her.
"Then it seems you are destined to be a queen one way or another," she smiles. "My son is already in love with you, and I do hope you won't break his heart when he helps you get your mates back."
"No, that won't happen. I never break my promises or vows. I will admit I don't love Aith yet, but I know I am falling for him," I say, wanting to be as honest as I can with her.
"That is all I need to hear. Do forgive me for being an overprotective mother. Are you ready to leave?" she asks, standing up and smoothing down her stunning dress.
"I think so," I say, turning to look at myself in the mirror. My long black hair hides my breasts but little else as I am covered in the paint.
"You will make a good queen. The very fact you are nervous tells me that. Only a stupid person would happily take on a throne when there is a war on the horizon with a shifter queen," she states, and it makes me smile for some reason. I think it might just be the simple part of someone believing in me when I'm so far from home. Maya opens the door for me to walk out, and no matter how nervous I am, I am doing this. Aith is part of my future, and I am his.
The mating ceremony is held in a massive cave just outside the castle, where I had to walk down a petal-covered footpath with hundreds of elves cheering my name and throwing more petals. It was pretty, but at the same time, I am practically naked in front of a lot of people, and that is like a nightmare come true for me. I try to ignore everyone's faces and just wave until we get to the large doors of the cave. The doors are two massive stone leaves, meeting together in the middle. They are very detailed, every vein and smooth skin of the leaves has been captured. I have to admire the intense detail that has gone into them.
A loud horn is blown somewhere before the doors are pulled open, and the wind chooses that point to blow my hair into my face. I gently push it away to see the empty cave inside. At the back of the cave is a massive waterfall, which looks like it has millions of tiny lights inside it that fall into the shallow lake below. The lake goes out the other sides of the cave, and stood on the bridge in the middle is Aith. He has the same colour paint on as I do, covering his entire body that I can see from behind, including a remarkable view of his firm ass.
"This is where I leave you. The ceremony is private, and we will meet you when it is over," Maya tells me, respectfully bowing her head low, and I do the same before watching her walk to the side. I know the bow was more for the public watching us than anything else. I turn back to the cave, willing my nervous feet to walk forward. As soon as I get inside, the doors are shut behind me, and Aith looks back, his eyes very slowly drifting all over me before he offers a hand out to me.
"Beautiful is not a strong enough word to describe you in this moment. No word is enough, Snow," he tells me, and everything in me seems to change as I take his hand. Aith is my future, we were brought together by fate, and I feel like I've always known him. Maybe a deep part of our souls always have known each other somehow.
"What do we do then?" I ask, looking up at my soon-to-be mate. He is so handsome, but the paint just adds more definition to him.
"We need to walk through the waterfall. The water itself is pure magic, and somehow, it creates the bond if we are destined for each other. If we come out on the other side with no bond, then we are not meant to be," he explains to me, and that makes me nervous as much as it excites me.
"Well, we should find out then, huh?" I ask, and he nods, though he looks more sure and confident than I feel. Aith tugs on my hand, nudging me to walk with him across the stone bridge. The water splashes onto my skin as we get closer, and to my surprise, it is warm instead of cold. We both don't stop, mainly because I need to know if we are destined like we both think we are. For wolves, it is easy—the males just know and tell us. For vampires, it is much the same, but elves have always kept their way of mating a secret from the rest of the world.
The warm water blasts onto our bodies as we step through, washing away the paint, and the world seems to slow down as we walk through the waterfall. A buzzing noise fills my ears and, when I open my eyes, I can feel Aith as if he were me. We are connected in the most intimate way, and I feel his emotions, his love and lust for me. There is so much more there, but those two emotions cloud everything else. They mix with mine, and everything else is so intense as we come out of the water. I wrap my arms around Aith's shoulders, pressing my lips to his before he can talk, before I even look at where we are. I don't care, not at this moment, I only want my mate.
"And you have me," Aith whispers in my mind, answering my unspoken question. His arms lift me up as we kiss, and I pull my eyes open as he lays me down on the moss covered stone. It is warm at my back as Aith covers my body with his and slowly starts kissing his way down my body. I moan as he spends time licking and sucking at my nipples before leaving them to kiss my stomach, each kiss heading further south. Aith's hands slide under my ass, lifting me up as his tongue dives into my clit, sucking and flicking until I can't fight off my building orgasm. Just when I'm so close, Aith stops, and I sigh in frustration as he climbs up my body. I hook my legs around his back as he looks down at me, rubbing his thumb against my bottom lip.
"When my mate comes for the first time, I will be inside you to feel it, to cherish it and remember how you look. I want to feel you lose control, to really be mine." The moment Aith says "mine", he thrusts deep inside me, and my back arches from the incredible pleasure. I feel all of his pleasure, his lust and desire for me through our bond as much as I feel my own. He thrusts in and out of me, slowly but surely getting me closer with each time he hits that spot. Aith takes my lips with his as he picks up speed, and within a few thrusts, I cry out from my orgasm. Aith groans against my lips before spilling himself inside me, my name repeating itself through our connection.
"Mate. My mate," Aith possessively whispers across my lips, briefly kissing me. My heart beats fast in my chest, not just from the sex, but from everything Aith makes me feel. I'm falling for him, and I have eternity to fall more.
"Your son is so handsome and kind," I say after Aith tucked him into bed after the long wedding party. I was impressed I could stay awake for such a hectic and long party, let alone Aith's little boy, Gaelin. I know Arisa and Gaelin are going to get along so well when we introduce them in the future. They are both cheeky and cute. Together they will get anything they want, I’m sure of it. Technically, Arisa has been named a princess of the elf realm already, and I’m pretty sure she will be thrilled about that. She is always dressing up as a princess and saying she wants to be one when she grows up.
"Thank you, he is a credit to us all," Aith replies, pulling me closer and kissing the side of my head. I smile up at him as we walk down the corridor and turn around a corner towards my room that we have agreed to sleep in tonight, but suddenly, we see two guards running our way. They come to a halt as we stop, and they bow low before one of them decides to speak first.
"There is a letter of urgent matter for you, your Highnesses," the guard says, offering Aith a sealed scroll. I'd recognise that seal anywhere—it is the shifter queen’s. Aith doesn't pause as he rips it open and rolls it out, holding it open with his hands.
"It says the current invite expires at midnight. There is to be a masked ball, and all guests must be inside the castle by tomorrow night," he tells me before offering me the scroll to read myself. After reading the long letter, I sigh and roll it back together.
"The honeymoon period is over then. We need to go," he gently tells me, and I nod, knowing we can't have tonight like we planned. I need to get inside that castle, one way or another, though I feel safer with Aith at my side.
"Your parents assumed the message might be of this nature, so they called for a portal maker after receiving this," one of the guards says. Aith steps forward and
places his hand on the guard’s shoulder for a brief second.
"Thank you for bringing me this news, Feno," he says. "Now can you get my weapons and clothes ready? I want you to be prepared to leave with Vaeril and ten other guards. You will wait outside the castle, and if there is anything of concern, let my parents know to send the elf army."
"Of course, my prince." Feno bows before very quickly walking away. Aith looks to the other guard.
"Vaeril, please escort the princess to my mother before calling the guards to protect my son until I return. I want my son kept within the walls because he is the heir if we don't come out of that castle,” Aith commands, and I hate that he has to say that at all.
"Of course, my prince. It will be an honour," Vaeril states, bowing his head before Aith turns to me. He kisses me gently before taking my hands in his, and we don’t need to say anything about how worried we both are. No one knows what is in that castle, and my bond with Erik is long lost; I don’t think I’d know if he were dead. The queen might have murdered everyone in the castle and not cared about the rest of the world. We might be walking into our own deaths.
"Mother will help you prepare, but we might be going into a fight, so make sure you hide some weapons on you," he suggests. “I will never leave your side unless you wish it, but in case we are outnumbered, I need you ready.”
