Oscar smiled through a sob and turned his face into the prince's broad chest. From the outside, it seemed romantic; even Octavia clasped her hands in glee over their intimate embrace. If only she knew just how terrified Oscar was in that moment. As he allowed himself to be moved about the dance floor, he recalled every decision which had led him here, every moment of indecision which had pushed him along the path which led to this moment.
One year ago, he thought he'd made the worst mistake of his life, that nothing he ever did could top it. He'd been hated and mocked, faced death and imprisonment, and lost what he'd loved most. He'd been so certain that nothing in his life would ever top that catastrophic year.
He couldn't believe that he'd been so very wrong.
Chapter 4
The party died down quickly after Olivia—or whatever her real name was—departed with Burges to her quarters. Alfred made small talk with the guests for a while, putting on the face of someone over the moon in love. Anger boiled in his gut, but he locked it away to be dealt with later. The deception, he decided, would not go unpunished. It wasn't enough to force the boy to present as a woman for the rest of his life; he would pay dearly for his manipulation. A predatory smile lit Alfred's face as he imagined every possible punishment he could inflict on his bride without raising suspicions.
"Well, I suppose I owe you an apology," Brennan said, extending his hand. "Your future bride is beautiful and her eyes shine with intelligence. She will be an appropriate addition to the royal court."
"Apology accepted." Alfred grinned, taking his brother's hand. "Better to make love than war, right?"
"Right," Brennan said, firmly. "I do hope you aren't harboring a grudge against me. My priorities have always been our kingdom and your happiness, in that order. I do believe this union will satisfy both needs beautifully."
"I agree," Alfred said. "Your impudence, however, will not go unaddressed. I do have my reputation to consider."
"Of course," Brennan said, with a bow. "Name the time and place, and I will be happy to play along."
"Play?" Alfred scoffed. "Bring your best, Brennan. I will beat you fairly, as I always have."
"Right," Brennan said, with a grin and a wink. "You couldn't possibly be bested by your own brother."
"Have I ever?" Alfred asked haughtily.
"Of course not," Brennan said, patronizingly. He leaned close to speak quietly in Alfred's ear. "Because it would be detrimental to our kingdom if your subjects saw you beg for mercy."
"Are you suggesting that you let me win?" Alfred asked, lacing his voice with unspoken threats.
"I would never!" Brennan objected, but the twinkle in his eye belied his words. "I do, however, suggest that if it's a fair fight you want... you should probably leave the audience at home."
Brennan winked and turned away to find his wife. The crowd was beginning to thin, and Alfred was suddenly too busy bidding his guests farewell to obsess over Brennan's cocky manipulations. Thoughts were shoved aside, into the same corner of his mind as the problem with Olivia, the two issues stewing together to breed a foul mood; a mood which he would indulge in the second he was alone in his quarters. He kept a pleasant smile plastered on his face until the last guest departed, then stormed into his castle and into his room as the last threads of self-control snapped. A light tap on the door announced Burges, who entered without waiting for Alfred to answer. This usually didn't bother Alfred, but tonight it was like sandpaper on his raw and wounded pride.
"Sire, your betrothed is settled into her quarters," Burges informed him.
"Where did you put her?" Alfred asked, sharply.
"In the bedchamber beside yours," Burges answered. "As you requested."
"Good. Now off you go, I don't want to see you until morning."
"But your bath..."
"I am a grown man, aren't I? I will draw my own bath. Leave me!"
Burges bowed and backed out of the door, leaving Alfred alone to pace and fume. He needed an outlet for his temper, and he suddenly regretted sending Burges away. He shook his head at the thought. No, Burges didn't deserve his temper. But he knew exactly who did. He strode to the bookcase in the corner of his room, pushing the seemingly solid stone wall beside it in just the right spot. As the bookcase swung open, Alfred was sadistically pleased to hear a gasp and little scream from the other side. He strode through the opening, intent on giving the deceitful omega a piece of his mind.
The image which greeted him on the other side stopped him short, distracting him from his anger. The omega stood in the doorway of the private bathroom with a towel wrapped around her—his, Alfred corrected—hair, and one around his waist. Small, firm breasts sprouted from his masculine chest, revealing the fact that the man had given birth. Straight lines and firm muscles made up his slender body apart from the small, soft breasts. The subtle softness between his hips accented the fact that he had born a child.
"Where is it?" Alfred demanded.
"Where is what?"
The breathy, feminine tone was gone, replaced by a comfortable tenor pitch. Alfred found the natural voice pleasing, which made him angry. He didn't want to be attracted to this person, nor did he want to find comfort in his masculinity; he wanted to be furious and punish this person for what he'd done.
"The child," he said, deliberately maintaining the harshness of his tone.
The omega's eyes filled with tears, and he flushed scarlet with shame. He covered his face with one hand and sank to the bed, his shoulders shaking with silent sobs. Alfred crossed his arms against his first impulse, hanging onto his fury for dear life. He refused to let this person manipulate him again, though the sight of this pale, thin, freckled creature dissolving before him tugged at his heart. He couldn't afford to be empathetic. In this case, as in many cases before, it was his duty to be heartless.
The omega sniffed and wiped his eyes, refusing to meet Alfred's. He stared at his toes, taking deep, cleansing breaths as Alfred waited impatiently for an answer.
"Well?" he demanded without conviction.
"Um... the child... yes, I had one."
"I can see that."
"Right, well... he was taken from me."
"By whom?"
"My mother," the omega sighed, pitifully.
"And why would a mother take her son's child?"
"It's... painful to talk about," the omega said, pleadingly.
"If you are going to be a danger to my offspring, I have a right... no, a duty to know. Tell me."
"I won't be a danger," the omega promised.
"Tell me the story."
"May I dress first?"
Alfred ground his teeth impatiently.
"Make it quick," he said, turning toward the bookcase. "I will return in two minutes, and I want the whole story."
"Yes, your highness."
As soon as the prince left the room, Oscar yanked open the massive wardrobe and pulled a plain sleeping shirt from its hanger. There were no underthings which would fit him properly, so he found a loose-fitting pair of linen trousers. Feeling slightly less vulnerable, he took a seat on the small pink couch which sat across from his oversized four-poster bed. The room was larger than any of the rooms in his aunt's house. So large, in fact, that he could reasonably imagine spending all of his time there and never feeling stir-crazy. Which was good, he decided; there was a decent chance that Prince Alfred wouldn't let him out of his quarters any time soon. He folded his hands in his lap and arranged his thoughts. He wasn't happy to be spilling his secrets, especially not to a man he'd just met; a man who seemed more interested in restoring his pride than he was in really getting to know him.
Exactly two minutes after the prince had left, he returned.
"Are you ready to talk, or should I tell Burges to prepare the interrogation chamber?" he asked, his eyes dangerously dark beneath his perfectly manicured brow.
"I'm ready," Oscar said. "Threats are really unnecessary."
"And again, you decide to inform me what'
s necessary in my own palace. You will have to learn your place, omega."
"Apologies," Oscar said, through gritted teeth. "Would his highness care to sit, or would he prefer to stand and glare?"
Oscar slapped a hand over his mouth as soon as the words were out, shocked at his own recklessness. The prince merely raised an eyebrow and stood a little taller.
"Apologies again, your highness," Oscar mumbled, skootching back into the corner of the couch. "I don't know what came over me."
Prince Alfred nodded sharply and pulled a throne-like chair from its place by the wardrobe and set it across from the couch. He placed his arms on either armrest, settling back with a royal air.
"Your story," he said, shortly.
Oscar cleared his throat.
"When I was younger, I took a lover. When we began, I didn't know that he was married, nor did I know that he held a high office in the royal court. He was a duke, but he told me he was a farmer. He was married to a woman, and they had a number of children. I didn't know any of this, you understand. All I knew was that he was charming and wonderful and took a great deal of pleasure in my body."
Oscar sighed as the old wound ached in his chest.
"When I became pregnant, I told him. He lost his temper. He beat me, told me I was trying to take everything from him. He told me that I'd brought shame to him and his family. I didn't understand. I ran away, took comfort in my best friend, and told her the story. I showed her a picture of him that I had taken without his knowledge... he refused to be photographed by me, but I wanted something to hold when the nights were long and I felt lonely... and she told me who he was. She, um... she liked to talk. Within days, the whole town knew what had happened, and within a week the entire kingdom was talking about it. My mother hid me in the attic when the royal guard came looking for me. She told me that there was a bounty on my head, that the baby and I would both be sentenced to death if they found me. I don't know how true that was, but it wouldn't surprise me. In retrospect, he was abusive and controlling. I wouldn't put it past him to demand my life."
Oscar watched the prince's expression shift to something unreadable and watched as his cheeks colored for an instant. The look passed so quickly that Oscar thought he must have imagined it, and he kept telling his story.
"They gave up their search after a few months, and I had the baby in secret several months after that. It was then that I discovered that my sister had been wearing false bellies. She had convinced her friends and neighbors that she was pregnant. My mother orchestrated the whole thing. They fabricated a lover, a traveling salesman or some such thing. Anyway, when I had the baby, my mother took him from my arms. I held him for three minutes, and then he was gone. She sent me away in the dead of night to come here and live with my aunt. She told me that my aunt was the only relative I had left who would have anything to do with me."
"What kingdom do you come from?"
"Garaidh."
The prince stiffened slightly, his eyes darkening dangerously. When he didn't say anything, Oscar's nerves got the best of him and he began babbling.
"So, yes. I've had a baby. I am a proved breeder, which is the only reason I agreed to this at all because, on the off-chance that you found me alluring, it wouldn't really be a deception about your ability to make babies, because I absolutely can, it would only be a deception about my actual gender, which I figured would be essentially irrelevant if you were just trying to get your brother off your back and I didn't honestly believe that you'd want me, because who would? I don't make a very pretty girl, I don't think, but I'm not really a good judge of pretty girls anyway, but I really didn't think you'd notice me at all. I was just trying to make my aunt happy because she's been so good to me this last year, especially at the beginning when I couldn't stop crying, and I didn't want to let her down. I hope you understand I wasn't trying to deceive you, it was just my way of showing her how grateful I was for her, and—"
"Alright, alright," the prince said, holding up his hands. "I think I understand. So, when was the last time you saw your son?"
"The night I had him," Oscar sighed. "I haven't been home since."
Chapter 5
Alfred's head throbbed painfully. Of all the kingdoms in the world this omega could have chosen to birth an illegitimate noble in, Garaidh was the most politically complex. Their nobles and the nobles of Nead were blood related, and had been bickering for generations over territory, and spats broke out between the two packs rather frequently. Alfred believed that the omega hadn't known what he was getting into; but his very existence threatened the security of the kingdom, his own reputation, and his place on the throne.
"You should have told me," he said.
"I'm sorry, sire, but I did suggest that we get to know one another prior to announcing an engagement."
"You suggested...! These secrets of yours, they aren't favorite foods or tastes in music. Do you have any idea what this will do to the kingdom if it gets out?"
"I never said that I wanted you to know my favorite foods! I said we should get to know one another! I never expected you to want me, and if I'd known..."
The omega trailed off, crossing his arms over his gently feminine chest.
"If you'd known what?"
"If I'd known that you were just as vicious and entitled as every other royal I've encountered, I would have stayed home."
Rage ignited in Alfred's skull, launching him to his feet.
"You dare say that to me?!"
"Well somebody should!"
Alfred's temper nearly got the best of him, and he stomped across the room, out of reach of the little omega.
"I should have you executed for your deception," he growled. "Publicly beaten for your impudence! Flogged for daring to defy me in my own house!"
"Well, get on with it then," the omega snapped. "The sooner you get rid of me, the sooner Brennan will mobilize his coup, and the sooner this kingdom will have an alpha they can look up to."
His words stopped Alfred in his tracks.
"I am the only alpha this kingdom needs," he said, forcefully.
"No, you're the only alpha this kingdom has," the omega argued. "From what I can tell, you have yet to prove yourself worthy of the title."
"How would you know, foreigner? You've only been here for a year!"
"Yes. And in that year, I've seen your subjects panic because humans were encroaching on their farmland, with no response from the palace. I've seen your subjects toil in squalor while you live in luxury. I've seen your people come together late at night in bars and basements to organize unsanctioned border patrols and aid for their ailing neighbors. Your kingdom is falling apart, and you're too busy throwing parties to notice!"
"Throwing parties at my brother's insistence! Do you know what I was doing when I heard about the coup? I was organizing a battle plan against the humans! This hunt for a wife is what is interrupting my court, a hunt which the people insisted upon!"
"Because they didn't think you could do it," the omega told him. "They didn't think you would put your own carnal tastes aside long enough to find a breeder. It wasn't an ultimatum, it was an excuse to dethrone you."
Alfred's pride screamed that the omega was making it up, that he was just pushing his buttons to make him angry. But somewhere, in the part of his mind where he tucked away the dissatisfied looks and snippets of whispered conversation, where he stored the dissatisfied grunts from his advisers and Burges's frustrated sighs, he knew the omega spoke the truth. He was failing, and everyone knew it but him. His pride and his temper clouded his mind, making the truth difficult to see. They were all just jealous, he'd tell himself. They didn't understand the big picture. They just needed to stick with it, work a little harder, try a little more. He had never doubted his own decisions. He knew how to run the kingdom, if only each part of it did what he told it to do. He was beginning to see that his methods had somehow painted a portrait that he didn't recognize.
"What do they want from me?" he ask
ed.
"They want you to do your duty. They want you to hear their concerns and address them. They want you to be an alpha they can rely on, not some selfish naive child playing with people as if they were toys."
"Is that what they see?"
"I'm afraid so."
"Is that what you see?"
The omega didn't answer. He looked away, running his fingers along the arm of the couch.
"Please answer me."
"Yes. That's what I see. You saw me tonight, decided you wanted me, and told me it was happening ready or not. You decided that you knew who I was after two hours of talking and dancing, decided that I was the right person to rule the kingdom with you. That was wholly irresponsible. You didn't know me from Adam, and you were ready to put the kingdom in my lap."
"I would have supervised you, obviously."
"Oh, yeah, sure, and if I were an enemy spy or a power-hungry alpha undercover, I would have allowed you to supervise me. What if I wanted to kill you? I could have done that already. Did you even check up on me before you proposed?"
Alfred shifted uncomfortably.
"Well, yes, Burges looked you up."
"And?"
"And... he didn't find anything. There is no Olivia Masc anywhere in my kingdom."
"Exactly. And yet, rather than take the time to figure out who I was and what I wanted, you went forward with the engagement anyway."
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because you fascinated me. Because you were the only omega at the party who didn't look frightfully boring."
"Which means you prioritized your own amusement over your kingdom's safety."
Alfred opened his mouth to object, then closed it again. What could he say? Burges hadn't waited for an order before looking into the omega's history because he'd known he wouldn't get one. Once he discovered that the omega wasn't who they said they were, Burges came to him immediately. And what had he done with that information? Nothing. He'd been distracted by the male scent he'd caught. And once he discovered that the omega was male, what had he done? Blackmailed him into betrothal to save his pride. He had his reasons, plenty of good-sounding, solid-seeming, flimsy as hell reasons to do what he did. None of them had anything to do with the actual safety and security of his kingdom.
Wild Ride: An M/M Shifter Mpreg Romance Bundle Page 65
