Page 42 of His Impossible Elf Mate
“No, dear one. Not you. Never you.”
Had I spoken that aloud?
“I feel your doubt. No. You are my joy, the reason I regret my lie.”
Lie?
“When we arranged to come to Sweetwater, I asked my party and the elves that followed to hide something very important from you all for fear of how it would affect how you viewed me. I have since come to regret it because I know none of you would have treated me any differently had you known. It hasmeant there has been some distance between us as the longer it went on, the more the omission felt like a lie.”
“T? What is it?”
The silence built between us until it was almost painful.
His eyes fluttered closed. He took a deep breath, centering himself, then opened them, looking at me so mournfully, I felt like I would cry at any moment.
“I am the Crown Prince of the elves. The current and only heir to the throne.”
“What?” I stumbled away from his reaching hands. “What the fuck?”
Breathe, my alter urged.He is still your elf. Calm down and think.
Right, I agreed with my wolf.I just need to think.
How could this be? I searched through my memories, willing it to make sense. It didn’t take long for it all to click into place. The elf who had started saying ‘Your Highness,’ but had turned it to ‘sir’ then the way they all the elves turned to him for guidance. Even Ívarr at times. I had thoughtit strange. Now it all fit.
But where did I fit? The man, elf, I was in love with, was a prince. Not just a prince, actually, the only heir to the throne. One day he would be king!
“Where does this leave me? What about us?” Were we just temporary? Were all his sweet words a lie? All the promises he made just waiting to be broken.
“You are not angry?” T frowned.
I laughed, it was a shaky sound, but there was humor there. “No, T. Confused, worried, scared. Not angry.”
“This changes nothing between us,” he said firmly. “You are my heart, Axel. Without you I would surely fade.”
I wasn’t quite ready to hear him. “We knew something was off. That you weren’t telling us something. Being a secret prince wasn’t what we thought—“
“I am curious to know what you thought.”
“Anything from a secret family to an illness. Someone did have a government official as a guess.” I chuckled. “Seems Kade won the betting pool.”
“You really don’t mind?” He reached for me again. This time I went into his arms, resting my face against his neck. “I swear the only thing I have lied about is my status. What I feel for you is unchanging.”
“Just tell me what it means for us,” I pleaded, desperately clinging to him.
As stupid as it sounded, T being a secret prince wasn’t a problem to me. A scorned mate, a family, a hundred other scenarios had gone through my mind.Just not that. I really wasn’t angry about it either. Only really worried about what it meant for us as a couple.
He was pensive for a moment. “It will be difficult for them to accept you, but I want you by my side. Always. Whenever I see myself as king, in a long distant future, the goddess willing, I see you next to me, as consort. It will be a hard road, yet I believe we will gain acceptance.” He paused, kissing the top of my head to soothe me. “Once we figure out the fertility crisis, I should look for a surrogate, so that I can have an heir. Once we have a suitable heir in place, the pressure will be off us.”
“Just as easy as that?” I drawled, rolling my eyes.
“It will not be easy,” he conceded. “There are many who see shifters as lesser. Their opinions will only be changed by getting to know you, and through you, the pack.” His voice faltered for a second. “Though I cannot give you the baby you so desire, I will ensure you do have a child of your own. We will raise them as siblings, though only the elf child can be the heir to my realm.”
“You’ve thought this through.” His faith and plans were reassuring.
“I’ve thought of nothing else.”
Yes, that helped. His solid confidence we could make it work, no matter the obstacles in our path.
