Page 55 of The Princess and the Pack

“Yes,mybond mark.” I grit my teeth, trying to hide the fury dripping from every word. “I’m such a lucky alpha. The queen is the stuff of fables.”

Niall smiles, blowing out a relieved breath. “She is a rare beauty indeed, Your Majesty. I’ll be on my way, then, unless you require anything else?”

I wave him off, thanking him for his time as he leaves with the tray of dishes.

When the door closes and it’s only me and my packmate, I shift my gaze back to him. The venom I want to spit must be shooting from my eyes because, for all that my packmate is massive, he looks positively frightened.

“Now, Cillian,” he says with great caution—like I’m some wild animal who may strike if he makes the wrong move.

“You must be out of your fucking mind!” I roar.

“Of course I was! You don’t understand?—”

I scoff, cutting him off. I understand very fucking well how tempting she is. “I do, actually. You’re not the only one who touched her, Sloan. You think I didn’t want to sink my teeth into her perfect throat?We agreed to wait.”

I can’t believe this. My level-headed friend. Our prime alpha—the one who’s supposed to keep us grounded—is acting like a fool in love.

Fuck’s sake.

All right, so perhaps he is—and so am I. But what are we meant to do with this?

“This is all to do with you anyway,” he huffs.

“Me?” Surely I’m mishearing him, and he didn’t try to blamemefor his inability to keep his fucking teeth to himself.

“You’re the one who madeuswait. I told you this would end badly. Now our omega is on the edge of her heat, smelling good enough to send me into a rut. And shebegged meto bite her. If you think you would’ve denied her—think again.”

I groan, tearing at my hair. My head is so full of mush. I’m exhausted and angry, but at the same time, I know he’s right. She wouldn’t have been able to finish asking before I’d have claimed her. If she had indicated her readiness on our wedding night, I would have done the same.

But if she asked Sloan…Gods.

Some of the panic eases as I come to a realization.

If she asked Sloan to bond with her, that’s…grand. It means she could really want this.Want all of us.

“You’re a fucking eejit,” I grumble.

I’m confused, if I’m honest. I’m happy for him—this is what we wanted. But without the court knowing of our pack, things have gotten decidedly harder now. We’ll have to lie, and lying about something so wonderful doesn’t sit right with me.

“Aye. But a lucky eejit.”

I chuckle, reaching across the table to grip Sloan’s hand in congratulations. “What was it like?”

Sloan sighs with so much damn whimsy. “Magical, brother. Indescribable. You’re going to love it.”

Yearning claws at me, wrapping itself around my heart and squeezing until it feels as though my chest might cave in. I want to feel our omega nestled right in my soul, where I can keep her safe and nurtured. She’s the most precious thing in the world to me—her and this pack.

“I’m happy for you, Sloan,” I say, seriously.

His brows shoot high as he bellows out a booming laugh. “Goddess wept, Cillian, if that’s what you call happy, I sure as fuck don’t want to see you angry.”

I swat at him, smiling. Always one for the jokes, my packmate. Always bringing lightness to the heaviness of our world.

Gods love him.

“You made our lives complicated, is all.”

He shrugs. “Uncomplicate them. You’re the gods-damn king. You could decree we all walk around on our hands and knees and those simpering fools at court would drop to the ground to stay in your good graces.”

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