One Thing Leads to Another

*Hezzlie*

I don’t know why I’m nervous. I walk into Rowan’s office, and he leads me over to the sitting area near the window. Seems like we are always having important conversations in the shadow of my father’s castle. I’m not sure why that is, but if I ever figure it out, I’ll probably know my mate a lot better.

I clear my throat and proceed to attempt to choose the best words to tell him that Natalie wants to go away for a while. I can’t tell if he’s slightly angry already or just has a lot on his mind. I know he has important matters to tend to with the looming war, so this seems pretty minor, but I don’t want to make him mad. 

“Hezzlie?” he asks as I’m still thinking. “What’s going on? Is everything okay?”

“With me, yes,” I say, giving him a small reassuring smile. “It’s just… it’s Natalie.”

“Natalie?” I can tell that’s one of the last names he expected to come out of my mouth. “What’s up with Natalie?”

“Well, she’d really like to visit a neighboring kingdom for a while,” I begin, watching his forehead furrow in confusion. “You see, she had a friend who once lived here, and it’s been a long time since she’s seen him. She knows now might not be the best time for her to go, what with the war and all, but she says she’ll be out of harm’s way, and it’s just for a little while.” He’s still staring at me as if I’m speaking a foreign language. “She said she used to be friends with Cory before his family moved away. Honestly, I think she believes they might be mates. I guess she wants to find out for sure.”

“Did you say Cory?” Rowan asks me, his expression shifting from concerned irritation to something slightly more friendly but also still annoyed.

“Yes,” I say as I nod. “Do you remember him?”

“Of course, I remember Cory,” he tells me. “We were good friends back when his family used to live at the castle, but that was ages ago. It was long before my father was killed. He was a good guy. Would’ve made a great warrior. Unfortunately for us, his mother met her second-chance mate, and they moved away.”

“That’s what Natalie said.” I don’t know a lot about second chance mates, but I hope I never have the need to find out what that’s like for myself. I’m perfectly happy with my first chance mate, thank you very much. “Anyway, it sounds to me like she’s always had a crush on him, and she just wants to know if it’s possible that he’s her mate. She said they haven’t been allowed to leave the kingdom since before my father attacked.”

“That’s true,” he says with a nonchalant shrug. “It was too dangerous. It’s certainly not less dangerous now.”

“But she said it’s, like, an hour away, and it’s away from the fighting. She’s not really needed here at the moment, is she? It seems like there are plenty of maids to do the daily chores.” I hope I’m not offending him, but so far, everything I’ve said is true–at least, to my knowledge.

“It’s not a matter of her necessarily being needed here at the moment,” he begins, stroking his chin in thoughtful consideration. “I just have to be careful. If I allow her to leave, then others may want to go, and I can’t have everyone gone at once.”

“Who is in charge of the staff?” I ask. “Is it Wilma?”

He nods. “I suppose so. At least, until we have a new Luna Queen. Then, technically, you’ll be in charge of them. Not that I expect you to oversee the day-to-day chores or anything of that nature. You’re certainly allowed to put someone else in charge of that. Wilma–or whoever you’d like.”

The idea of me being in charge of the maids and other workers in the house is a foreign concept to me. I’ve never been in charge of anything before. I think I’ll leave all of that to Wilma. “Well, we could make sure that Wilma understands that only one person can be gone at a time. If people have places they want to visit, they have to ask off in advance and make sure their duties are covered–like any place of business.” It seems simple enough to me. I know that’s how my summer jobs always were, and Mom’s workplaces, too.

“That seems fair,” he says, and I’m startled at how easy this conversation has been. I fully expected him to get upset and just say no for no’s sake. “I suppose Natalie can leave for a bit, but if war breaks out, we’ll need her to come back–if it’s safe to do so. We will need everyone’s help if there are injuries.”

I don’t like to think about that. The idea that people from our kingdom could be hurt in the defense of the pack hurts my heart, but I find myself nodding along. “I should probably get some medical training from James myself,” I say, thinking aloud. “I don’t even know how to tie a tourniquet.”

“I’m sure he’d be happy to show you the basics, but hopefully, most of the casualties will be on the other side of the border.” Rowan has a confident look on his face that sets me slightly at ease, but I’m also worried. I suspect there are people on my father’s side of this conflict that would rather stay at home and not fight at all. I’d hate to see anyone injured because King Solomon can’t get his head out of his ass.

“I talked to King Michael–he’s Abby’s king,” he continues. My head rocks back and forth as I show him I’m still with him. “He said  that they might be willing to join us. He had no idea that your father had allowed his wizard to weaponize Abigail. Of course, your father claims it wasn’t his doing, which only makes him look weak. If he has a wizard running around his castle casting spells on people without the king’s permission, then who is really in charge over there?”

I can’t help but look at the castle. It always seemed like my father ruled with an iron fist, but Rowan has a good point. I never did trust that Alistair. “So Michael is willing to help us defeat Solomon because of what they did to Abby?” I ask for clarification’s sake.

He shakes his head. “He wants some moonstones as well.”

That makes my eyebrows shoot up. “You’re willing to give those away?”

“Not give them away.” He looks at me as if I have no idea what I”m talking about–and maybe I don’t. “Bargain with them. They are only powerful in the right hands and with enough of them.”

I start to consider what that might mean. What if a clan of witches gets a hold of them and uses them against us? I can’t possibly be as powerful as the older witches who have known their strengths their entire lives. “I don’t know about that.”

“It’ll be fine,” he assures me. “I’ve already spoken to him about it. He wouldn’t let them fall into the hands of anyone who would use them against him, so they won’t use them against us either.”

He has a good point–as long as we are allies. I’m not sure how long alliances last in these kingdoms, though. It’s all so foreign to me. And I’m still not sure who we can trust.

“All right,” I finally say. I start to stand. “I’ll go give Natalie the good news.”

Rowan tugs me back down onto the couch next to him. “Why are you leaving so fast?” He has a teasing lilt to his voice that draws me right in.

“I don’t know,” I admit, smiling up at him coyly. “I guess I thought you had work to do.” 

“Work can wait,” he tells me, and then, his mouth is on mine, and his tongue parts my lips, and the rest of the world fades away as his hands explore my body. Before I know it, I’ve toppled us both onto the couch, with Rowan beneath me, and I’m practically an animal pulling off his clothes like a mad woman.

He chuckles beneath his breath but doesn’t stop me. Instead, he helps me, and soon enough, I’m straddling him, both of us completely naked, as his hands wander up to my peaked nipples, and his cock fills my dripping wet pussy completely. I sigh and climb the ladder toward ecstasy, my eyes closed, and my head tipped back. The noises coming out of my mouth as electricity pulses through my limbs are unrecognizable to me. When I finally let go, I call his name and whimper loudly several times until my body finally stops spasming, and his warmth fills me in a gush of bliss.

I collapse on top of him, his heart pounding beneath my ear. He starts to laugh as he wraps me up. “Well, I wasn’t exactly expecting that,” he whispers, his fingers threading through my hair. “But I’ll take it.”

I look up at him, a sheepish grin on my face. “I guess you have powers of your own, Alpha.”

He kisses my forehead. “Together, we’ll be unstoppable.”

I sure hope he’s right. I’d hate to think about what may happen if he’s wrong.