Prologue
Tick.Tick.Tick.The sound of the clock's hands slowly moving was the only sign that time was, indeed, moving forward.I bounced my knee up and down anxiously under the long dark oak table as my father and the council continued their debate. My thumb twirled the ring on my middle finger. The last gift my mother ever gave me - a gift she had made from a bracelet she received from Selene herself.I didn't want to be here, never wanted to be here. But today, my presence was necessary as it was a meeting about the kingdom.The debate continued. It had continued for the last half hour now.A debate I had no say in, really.Which was funny, considering it was about me and my role as future King of Gardenia and all realms.I couldn't stop my mind from wandering for the hundredth time, thinking of all the other things I could be doing right now.Anything was more important than talking about whether or not I should be wed before I am crowned.I let out a long sigh, sinking further into my chair. The wooden arm dug into my side, adding another distraction. My future continuing to be discussed as if I wasn't even there."-Damon should be wed before he is crowned King. It will show a unified front. With a Queen by his side, it will show solidarity. A King can't rule without a Queen. It is unjust and unbalanced," Lord Folic continued. I watched as my father's jaw tensed.He was at the end of his patience with the council. His emerald eyes darkened as they narrowed at the old Lord of Elves."I don't see why him being married determines whether he will be a good ruler or not," My father mused, his voice now an unnatural calm."You don't understand because you were mated with our late Queen before the ceremony. Its tradition, either he finds his mate or finds a suitable suitor to accompany him on the throne," Lord Folic continued."Are you calling me daft, Lord Folic?" My father asked. His voice held an icy tone.Lord Folic straightened in his seat, swallowing hard, his skin paling, his eyes widening as he shook his head."No, not at all, your majesty. I-I'm just stating facts. It's custom-" Lady Ophelia cut in before Lord Folic made matters worse."I think what Lord Folic is trying to say is that before you and Queen Athena were crowned. The predecessors selected a Queen best suited to benefit our kingdom. Fae rarely find their mat-""I know how you used to run things, Lady Ophelia. But times have changed. If Athena were here, she would," My father paused, leaning forward, placing his hands on the dark oak table. The table groaned with the increased weight. The pain in his eyes as he spoke of my Mother, his mate, made my stomach turn in recognition of that pain.She should still be here, still be ruling our world. But instead, she wasn't, and now I was forced to rule a kingdom I had no interest in ruling, especially not one that required me to be forced to marry someone I didn't know or care to know.Lady Ophelia sank in her chair as my father locked eyes with her, continuing to speak."Athena would have suggested a change and enforced a new ruling to allow Damon the freedom to choose. He was never meant to rule this Kingdom, not so soon anyway. He is still so young compared to most magical rulers. He needs more time to get settled before having to marry. Or at the very least let him try to find his mate,""Unfortunately, ruling a kingdom does not allow such luxuries. Especially with your Queen now gone, you need the advantage that marrying another royal bloodline would give you," Drake, my father's best friend, Beta, and Royal Advisor added.I could see the fire in my father's eyes. His magic rose to the surface in response to his irritation showing just how close his wolf was to the surface. Another word from one of the council members and he would snap, which would be suitable for anyone, no matter how the council was for an outburst from their king.I sat up straight, leaning my elbows on the excellent wooden surface. I cleared my throat before speaking."Don't I get a say in all of this? Considering that I will be the one getting married after all." I said, cutting in before my father could snap.Everyone turned their attention to me as if forgetting I was even here.Lord Folic cleared his throat, nodding."Of course, Lord Damon. Your input is always appreciated," I resisted the urge to scoff at him. My input never seemed to matter before now. The older council members always seemed to know better than my father or I.I leaned back in my chair, looking up at the clock. If I got out of here now, I could still make the end of training and blow off some of this steam I had been building while sitting here.I turned my attention back to the table, all eyes on me. I rested my chin on my hand."If I am to marry, to better the kingdom, I want to have fun with it. I want one night. One night, one giant ball with all the eligible heirs. No courting, no visiting other kingdoms or realms. Whichever heir gains my interest, I will marry them. No questions asked, no arguments,""But, Lord Dam-," I held my hand, shaking my head."You said that it was important for the kingdom. What kind of king would I be if I didn't take the kingdom's best interests to heart? I have six months before I am to be crowned King. So you have one month to make the arrangements," I paused, leaning forward."Considering how much you have pushed the matter, I am positive that will be more than enough time," I stood from my seat, speaking to no one in particular as I straightened my black jacket.The jacket itself was another annoyance. It was itchy and uncomfortable, suffocating, unlike my fighting leathers. The gold embellishments were also tacky. Everything about this was restricting. But in a world of royals, you dressed nice, smiled when necessary and only showed the people what they wanted to see."Now that that is settled, I have a matter regarding the new Royal Guards Captain that needs to be dealt with," Before anyone else could speak, I turned from my chair and walked out of the council room. I resisted the urge to run as their voices grew loud, trying to catch my attention before the doors closed behind me—a heavyweight settling on my shoulders.In one month, I would have to face the truth that I had been avoiding these past three years.In one month, I would have to accept that my mate was never coming and that I would be forced into a loveless marriage to please the council and my people."Your father would understand. He could sway the council into buying you more time," My wolf muttered as I walked towards the training grounds."He's already had to deal with the loss of his mate a year ago, Helix. So why should he have to deal with the death of ours too?"Chapter 1 - BrotherhoodDamonThe swords sang as they clashed together. Training took place throughout the training grounds as my men worked towards finishing up their session for the day. It was an odd feeling knowing that soon I wouldn't be leading them as their captain but as their King. No longer the one they awaited to hear orders from. A few of the guards paused to nod their heads in greeting as I made my way toward the soon-to-be Captain of the guards. "You're putting too much weight on your front leg. It's what is throwing off your balance when you go to strike," Apollo said, correcting one of the newer recruits. Then, he took a stance, showing the young Fae how to stand. "Watch how I do it," Apollo moved into his stance, facing one of our more seasoned guards, Katrina. She was smaller than most of the guards, but what she lacked in size, she made up in speed and attitude. She was one of the fiercest warriors in the training groups, even competed in the summer solstice tou
Chapter 2 - Forgetful ThievesDamonEveryone we talked to have the same answer. As if their minds had been wiped clean of any encounters they had with the pirates. And it was no different for the tavern owner we spoke to now. He spoke as if his mind was stuck in a haze. First so sure he could retrace his steps of the last few days only to have him wrinkle his brow in confusion as he tried so hard to remember what happened. "It's the oddest thing; I just can't remember," He murmured to himself, rubbing the back of his neck. His brown eyes held a dullness to them. "It's okay, Lloyd. If you remember anything, let us know," Apollo said once again, placing his hand on the tavern keeper's shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze. The male was a Bear shifter. In his prime, he would have been someone I hoped I never crossed paths with. He still held his head high and radiated a power that made most fae watch carefully. The energy that demanded respect and compliance. No one that wanted to keep
Chapter 3 - Head in the cloudsAloraMy life has always been lonely. A princess locked away in a tower, unknown to the people and world around me. A girl who just wanted to be loved so badly that she stayed in that tower night and day so that she might one day know what love felt like.It was for my safety, my mother would tell me, to protect me against our enemies. The world was full of monsters, and until I could protect myself, I was to remain indoors. Hidden. But the Empress of Dreams had secrets like many others in the world. The daughter she wanted so badly that she used her own blood and magic to create me.Made. Thats what I was, not born but made.It was that magic that they would seek out and try to steal; to harness a whisp of my mother's power was enough to destroy a kingdom. To be made by it was unfathomable. So I did what she said like a good girl. I accepted her punishment for stepping out of line without a fight. I never asked for forgiveness because I knew I deser
Chapter 4 - Bitter TruthsDamon Two weeks had passed since I stood in the office of the 'Lady Captain.' Still unable to shake the weird feeling I felt from her. Unable to shake the feeling of the strange magic in the air that surrounded her and her ship. The memory of her eyes, full of starlight, now burned into my mind. The reason for her visit not sitting right with me. The way she seemed to appear on that ship, a ship that was way too nice for someone of her status to own. And the fact that I only encountered one crew member the whole time I was aboard was unsettling.Odd, everything about her was odd and left me with more questions, more suspicions. She may not be the pirate who messed with one of my villages. The time of her arrival made it not likely, and that skeleton crew of hers made it not plausible. In all the last twenty-five years that I have been involved with the capital and kingdom as a whole, I have never met someone like her. And in all my years as the Captain of
Chapter 5 - Stakes AloraThe sun kissed the horizon bringing the trip to an end as the shores of Findara, the village just outside the palace grounds, came into view.I let the air of the salted waters fill my lungs one last time. Taking in the feeling of the open-air against my skin as we moved quickly towards the port. Once we docked, the ship would vanish again, and my freedom with it. I never knew what to expect when I returned from my voyages. My mother wasn't exactly an open book and her mood changed with a flip of a hat. I just hoped that coming home with a lead on a new item to claim would please her and give me the upper hand for once."We could delay the arrival a few more days," Helga suggested from my shoulder. Returning to her tiny winged form upon entering the portal that led to the dream realm.The pixie was the closest thing I had to a friend in this realm. Not many beings in the realm of dreams paid attention to me or knew who I actually was. The ones who did were t
Chapter 6 - Delirium Damon"You sure you can handle all attention on me tonight?" I teased Lir as I took one last look in the mirror. I wore a black jacket with golden swirl embellishments on it. The tail of the jacket reached the back of my thighs. I left it open, revealing my tucked-in white shirt, tie, and black breeches. I also wore black dress shoes. Lir scoffed in response. "The only thing I have to worry about is making sure the pompous arse of a future king doesn't get himself too drunk on wine while trying to impress all the eligible suitors," I could see his teasing grin in the mirror. His onyx hair was to his shoulders now, and soon, it would be long enough for him to put up again. He told me about what had happened, how important it was in his culture, and his beliefs to have long hair. It was a symbol of power and status, and though he didn't want that life for himself anymore, he still wanted to hold tribute to his ancestors.I couldn't fault him for that. In a way,
Chapter 7 - Beautiful NightmareAlora"You have two pouches of pixie dust. One to get you into Gardenia and one to get you back," Helga instructed as she sat on my shoulder. I bit the inside of my cheek, my nerves making me anxious. My freedom was riding on this; I couldn't mess this up. I wouldn't. "Why can't I come again?" Helga huffed, crossing her tiny arms across her chest. "Because having you there might blow my cover. I can get in no problem with a bit of dream magic to make the guards believe whatever I tell them to without raising suspicion. But, if you come, I'll have to use more magic, and it might set off their wards. Too much is riding on this to risk it," She let out another huff as she ruffled her wings, spreading pixie dust all over my shoulder. "And if you mess this up, it'll be all for nothing. Just let me come, Lor. I can make it easier for you," She persisted. I swiped her from my shoulder, pinching her wings between my fingers. "Hey, put me down," She demanded
Chapter 8 - Dramatics DamonMy entire body felt heavy, like I was waking from a sedated sleep. Except I didn't remember falling asleep. My neck ached, and my mouth was extremely dry. My eyes felt heavy as I slowly forced them to open. I stared up at my bedroom ceiling, the sunlight beaming through the stained glass windows. I couldn't remember how I got here or what even happened last night. The last thing I remembered was dancing with Geraldine. Or was it Tabitha?I didn't really care to remember her name.I cleared my throat, the dryness making me wince. "What the hell happened?" I muttered to myself, my voice coming out gravely as if I had spent the whole night with my mouth wide open. Considering how heavy my entire body felt, I couldn't dismiss the possibility of it being true.I felt Helix stir, but even he was quieter than usual. I furrowed my brow as I sat up, rubbing my hands down my face. I paused, pulling my hands away. Something was off; the warmth I usually felt on