The Wolf Prince´s True Mate: Alpha Male BBW Pregnancy Fantasy Romance Page 6

  “The Diadem of Akara,” he breathed. “Said to have been worn by the Mother Goddess herself when she first walked on this world.”

  His gaze snapped down, meeting hers. “Who are you?” he demanded.

  Lifting her chin, she replied in a steady voice. “I am Ilyssa of Emberi.”

  “Emberi!” Mardell looked over at his son. “What have you done?”

  “Nothing more than to guarantee peace between our kingdom and the kingdom of our long-sworn enemy,” Alaric said smoothly.

  He moved to stand beside Ilyssa. “I know what you were planning, Father, so I sought another means of opening lines of trade to the resources Lobishome so greatly requires and which only Emberi can provide. Together, Ilyssa and I intend to bring about great changes – first and foremost, a truce between Werewolf and Human.” He shook his head. “It’s time to put the old ways to rest, Father. If we don’t, we will all perish.”

  Mardell regarded Alaric for a long, silent moment. At last, he began to chuckle, a low rumble of amusement.

  “You have shown admirable Alpha initiative, my son,” he said. Looking at Ilyssa, he sighed. “While I am not thrilled that you have chosen a Human bride, because she wears the diadem I have no other recourse but to give this union my blessing.”

  “Your blessing is accepted,” Ilyssa said, one corner of her mouth curving upward. “Although knowing your son as well as you do, I’m sure you are aware that we would have proceeded without it.”

  Mardell lifted his eyebrows at her statement, without a doubt unaccustomed to being addressed with such audacity by anyone – particularly a Human. He gave a bemused snort.

  “It would seem you have found a woman as worthy of being Queen as your mother had been,” he told Alaric. “Strong, bold, outspoken.” He nodded. “Such a woman is not only worthy, but also to be respected. Even if she is Human.”

  Returning to the throne, the king motioned for Ilyssa and Alaric to turn and face the court.

  “My people,” Mardell said, addressing them in a loud, booming voice that carried through the large hall. “Behold your future King and Queen! Let the proclamation be issued and the preparations commence for the marriage of my son Alaric, Crown Prince of Lobishome, to Ilyssa of Emberi, beholder of the Diadem of Akara. Long may they reign!”

  “Hail, Alaric!” the court cheered as one. “Hail, Ilyssa!”

  I can’t believe this is happening, Ilyssa thought, looking around the room at all the Werewolves chanting her name. She saw the Human servants standing in uniform at their posts; one, an elderly gentleman with silver hair, caught her eye. He nodded, and she could swear she saw him mouth the words ‘thank you.’ Any doubts Ilyssa may have continued to harbor dissipated in that moment, and she acknowledged the old man with a smile.

  With King Mardell dispatching couriers to every kingdom, Ilyssa allowed Alaric to drag her away from the crowds to a more secluded area of the palace. They wound up in a small, private courtyard filled with fragrant, late-blooming flowers and trees heavy with seasonal fruit. Alaric led her to an ivy-covered gazebo at the garden’s center.

  “That was exquisite!” he said. “Oh! I could not have been more proud as I was in that moment when you told Father we would have done this even without his consent.” He laughed. “It would seem as though the Mother Goddess and The Fates have come together at last, and I thank their guiding hands for delivering us into each other’s lives.”

  He took her face between his hands and gazed down into her eyes. “You, Ilyssa, are a remarkable woman…and I will honor you every day of this journey we have chosen to make together.”

  “You talk too much,” Ilyssa said.

  Reaching up, she hooked him around the back of the neck. He offered no resistance as she pulled him down, their lips coming together in a passionate kiss. Alaric tore his mouth away and began to lick and gnaw his way along her jaw to her throat. Ilyssa tipped back her head to give him access, groaning.

  “Oh, you have no idea how much I’ve been thinking about this. I know the first time was more or less for business purposes, but I couldn’t stop hoping it would happen again.”

  “I will be more than happy to see that it happens every night,” Alaric breathed against her neck. He kissed her shoulder and then pressed his mouth beside her ear. “After all, we are to be wed. I believe this is one of marriage’s many perks.”

  “So it is.” Ilyssa laughed and then shuddered as his strong hands moved over her body, caressing her through the gown. Then he turned her to face the other way and began unlacing the back. Alaric guided the dress off her arms and down over her hips until it pooled around her ankles and left her wearing nothing but the diadem and a smile. He pulled her back around to face him, looking her over in the afternoon sunshine filtering down through the ivy. Bending, he kissed her lips before dipping lower, lifting one of her breasts to meet his mouth. Ilyssa watched him suckle; she could feel him hold her nipple between his teeth while flicking it with his tongue. One of his hands roamed down over her belly. He stroked her mons before pressing a finger down along the crease in search of her damp center. Ilyssa’s thighs quivered. She clutched at his hair with one hand and his coat sleeve with the other, holding onto him for support.

  Just as Ilyssa thought he would bring her to peak with those wonderful long fingers alone, Alaric released her altogether and stepped back. He stared at her as he began stripping off his own clothes.

  “You are a bountiful woman,” he told her, his voice low and husky with need. “I want to lose myself in you in every way. You’re so soft but you can be so hard, so strong.”

  Naked, he stood before her, his cock already at full mast. “Once I had that first taste of you, I’ve craved you every moment since. I want to do more than just mark you – I want to make you mine.”

  She smirked. “What’s stopping you?” she asked.

  The next thing she knew he had her in his arms, lifting her off her feet effortlessly. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his narrow hips. His hands supported her under her ass, fingers digging into the fleshy mounds of her buttocks as he shifted her and pulled her down onto his cock. Ilyssa let out a delighted cry.

  Alaric carried her over to a marble bench and lowered her down onto her back while still buried inside her. Bracing one hand above her head, he grabbed her under one knee and hoisted her leg up over his shoulder. He began to drive into her with deep, powerful thrusts. The whole time, he stared down at her, watching her. Ilyssa writhed and arched against the cool stone beneath her. She covered her breasts with her hands and began plucking at her own nipples. Looking at Alaric, she caught her lower lip between her teeth and gave him a coquettish smile.

  “Fuck me,” she ordered. “Give me the wolf!”

  Her commands served their purpose. Alaric began to pound into her, careful not to hurt her but powerful enough to make her whole body sing. He moved faster, and she flowed wet around him, but just before she could finish he pressed himself deep inside her and let out a broken wail to mark his completion. He lowered his head to her shoulder as his body trembled. Ilyssa held onto him, stroking his hair and his sweaty back. Alaric kissed her neck. She felt him slide out, leaving her with a dull, unsatisfied ache.

  To her surprise, Alaric moved down along her body. Kneeling on the gazebo floor, he caught her hips and dragged her toward him until her ass rested at the edge of the stone bench. Ilyssa’s eyes widened as Alaric grinned before bending to bury his face between her thighs. His hot tongue danced around her clit, occasionally darting down to lap at her swollen labia. Ilyssa flailed for something to grab onto. She wound up with one hand clutching the bench beneath her and the other fisted in his hair.

  “Oh! Oh, you dirty boy!” she gasped and then laughed, delirious with arousal. Her toes began to curl. “Alaric – oh, I’m there, I’m there!” She broke off with a lusty cry, her hips shaking from the force of her orgasm.

  When she opened her eyes again, she saw Alaric standing over her
in full wolf form. Surprised, Ilyssa grinned, delighted by the sight of him.

  “I know I told you to give me the wolf,” she said, “but I didn’t think you’d take me seriously.” Sitting up, she reached out to touch his sleek, black pelt.

  “Turn around so I can see the tail.”

  He obeyed, and Ilyssa giggled as she ran her hands down the length of the bushy mass.

  “It occurred to me you only saw me this way in battle,” he said. He glanced down at her over his shoulder. “We can take this form at will, not just during great bursts of adrenaline-fed rage.”

  He pivoted to face her again and bowed down so she could touch his ears and trail her fingers along the length of his snout to his cold, damp nose.

  “I wanted you to see both sides of me.”

  “I like it.” Ilyssa continued to pet him. “Your voice is deeper when you’re like this, kind of growly. But it’s nice.”

  Standing up, she wrapped her arms around him and pressed her cheek against his chest. She liked the way the fur felt against her bare skin.

  “Mm,” she said. “You know, back at the camp the winters could get so cold that we would sometimes have to share our beds with the hunting dogs.” She smiled. “This is going to be so much better. No fleas, for one.”

  Alaric chuckled. “Not a one,” he said, and enfolded her in a warm embrace of strong arms.

  Chapter Six

  Ilyssa knew it would be a matter of time before word reached Emberi of the impending nuptials, especially when the bride-to-be wore a priceless heirloom long held by that kingdom’s ruling family. Within the week, as Lobishome transformed into a spectacle of garlands and banners bearing hand-painted images of Prince Alaric and his future wife, an ambassador arrived from Emberi. It came as a great surprise to everyone when that person turned out to be none other than King Willem’s wife.

  “Jessana, Queen of Emberi,” Mardell said addressing the elegant woman dressed in the rich purple and red robes of her kingdom as she stood before the throne. Alaric held a position beside him, one hand resting on his father’s shoulder. “It is an honor to welcome you to Lobishome.”

  She bowed her head in acknowledgement. “It is an honor to be so welcomed,” she replied. She looked around, her waist-long braid of dark brown hair swaying with the movement.

  “On behalf of Emberi, please allow me to congratulate you on the impending marriage of your only child. May you live to see your grandchildren’s grandchildren.”

  “A generous blessing,” Mardell said, smiling. “In turn, allow me to express my deepest condolences to you on behalf of the loss of your own son. News of his passing reached us last winter. Despite any differences our kingdoms may have had, I imagine the death of one’s child to be as devastating as the passing of one’s spouse.”

  He pressed a palm to his chest. “Ten years have passed since the death of my beloved wife, and I still grieve.”

  “Let us not speak of such melancholy matters,” Jessana said, holding up one delicate hand. “I have come to see the one who bears the Diadem of Akara.”

  Up until that moment, Ilyssa had watched the exchange from a doorway hidden behind a tapestry. Her heart pounded fiercely in her breast. Taking a deep breath, she smoothed her suddenly damp palms down over her new dress, one of several tailored for her over the past few days, and stepped out of hiding.

  “You would be here to see me, then,” she announced.

  She shot a glance over at Alaric, who treated her to an affectionate smile as she crossed the room. Jessana turned to face her; the queen’s beatific smile faltered. Ilyssa stopped before her and curtseyed, the light glinting off the diadem as she moved.

  “Hello,” Ilyssa said, “Mother.”

  Jessana’s blue shimmered with unshed tears and her lips quivered.

  “Hello, my daughter,” she whispered, and then reached out, pulling Ilyssa into arms.

  “’Daughter?’” Alaric exclaimed.

  Ilyssa looked up at him, seeing the shock registered on his face. King Mardell appeared to be just as startled by this discovery. Alaric sailed down from the dais and stared at Ilyssa.

  “You never told me you were a princess of Emberi!”

  Ilyssa offered an apologetic smile. “The key word here is ‘were.’ I didn’t tell you because I no longer considered myself to be a member of the royal family after I ran away.”

  “You are and always will be my child,” Jessana insisted. “Not a day passes that I don’t think of you.”

  Ilyssa softened at her mother’s sentiment. “Did you get the flowers?” she asked.

  Jessana smiled and nodded, dabbing the tears from her cheeks with her fingertips.

  “The white Everstars,” she said. “Yes. Every time I find one sitting on a windowsill, I know they could only come from you. They’ve always been my favorite. Strong and hardy, able to withstand the elements year ‘round…just like you. They only grow in the forest, too, which told me that’s where you must be. I considered sending out scouts to look for you but I knew if I forced you to return you would only leave again.”

  She reached up and cupped her daughter’s face in both hands “Oh, my dear Ilyssa...look at you! You’ve grown into such a beautiful woman. I’ve missed you so much, all these years!”

  Ilyssa covered one of her mother’s hands with her own. “I’ve missed you, too,” she said, fighting back her own tears. Seeing her mother cry threatened to tip her over that edge.

  “But you know why I left. I swore I would never go back, not until things changed.” She pulled her mother’s hands down and held them. “Those changes are about to begin.”

  The queen looked up the diadem her daughter wore. “Yes,” she said. “Your father was enraged when he heard. He threatened to dispatch his armies but his generals have all issued proclamations that they only serve the one who wears the diadem.”

  Her forehead creased with a gentle frown. “How did you even come by it, Ilyssa? Your father kept it so hidden, not even I knew its location!”

  Ilyssa hesitated before replying, “I got it from a woman named Karolyn.”

  Jessana’s eyes widened. “Karolyn!”

  “She claimed to have ties to the royal family,” Alaric provided. “It was our understanding that she had been married to your late son, Prince Selvin.”

  “Yes,” the queen said gravely. “She is my daughter-in-law, and the mother to my only grandchild.”

  “So Father did allow Selvin to marry a Werewolf!” Ilyssa said.

  Mother’s expression darkened. “That woman is no Werewolf,” she said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Selvin had shared your views about the integration of Werewolves into Emberi,” Jessana said, looking at Ilyssa. “When people began to make accusations of inequality, your brother announced that he would dispel the rumors by taking a Werewolf as his wife. Karolyn seemed like such a wonderful person, at first, but shortly after the wedding I began to notice something unsettling about her. Whenever I would walk through the city with her and we would see a Werewolf in beast-form, Karolyn would become agitated, as though repulsed by the sight. To this date, I have never seen her change. Finally, I asked Selvin if he had ever seen her transform. He hadn’t. He would make excuses for her – and he continued to do so, even after Karolyn began to make their daughter wear a peculiar collar, silver with black moonstones.”

  “She wanted to control the child.”

  At the mention of the collar, Ilyssa saw Alaric rub his neck and immediately felt a rush of guilt, remembering how she had used one to subdue him.

  “She makes her wear it all the time,” Jessana said. “Chelle will cry and pull at it, wanting it off. Once, while I was playing with her in the gardens, I removed the wretched thing. Karolyn came out and saw what I’d done, and she became enraged. She told me if I ever undermine her parenting again, she’ll take Chelle away and I’ll never see her again.” Her eyes misted up again. “My granddaughter is miserable and there is nothing I c
an do about it.”

  “It sounds as though this Karolyn harbors a deep resentment for her own kind,” King Mardell said, coming down from the throne to stand with them. “While rare, it does occur. Werewolves who loathe what they are, and will go to any lengths to deny their true nature.”

  “What has Father said to this?” Ilyssa asked.

  Mother shook her head and averted her eyes. “What he always says,” she muttered. “Strangely enough, he gets on well with Karolyn. Probably because she hates Werewolves as much as he does. But he refers to Chelle as a ‘half-breed monster,’ and refuses to have anything to do with her. Selvin would argue with him all the time, telling him there had to be changes. He even accused him of driving you away.”

  “’You,’” Alaric breathed. He turned to Ilyssa, staring at her as though he had just experienced an epiphany. “The other night, when we met with Karolyn, she sniffed and said ‘you.’ She recognized you.”

  “I don’t know how,” Ilyssa said. “I never met the woman before.”

  “Yes, but she knew your scent. It’s part of what ties you to your family, even when you’ve been apart from them for long periods of time.”

  “You still haven’t explained why Karolyn gave you the diadem,” Mother said.

  Ilyssa and Alaric exchanged looks. “She didn’t give it, precisely,” Ilyssa said. “She and Alaric had engaged in secret talks about uniting Emberi and Lobishome, and she claimed to have something which would ensure the kingdoms’ cooperation. As soon as I saw the diadem, I knew what she meant – but then Karolyn said there would never be a union, and that’s when she attacked.” Ilyssa touched the queen’s hand. “Karolyn is dead, Mother. She killed one of my friends and was about to do the same to me.”

  Jessana pressed her fingers to her mouth but could not stifle her gasp of horror. She looked at Alaric.