The Alpha's Weakness Episode 1: An Omegaverse Romance Serial

by Arabella Green

  “When?”

  “Somewhere between your story about sleeping with a servant and your retelling of the first time you ate a mealworm.”

  “First and last time! It was an accident! And a goddamned secret!” I said hysterically.

  The alpha said nothing, only gesturing to the bed again. I crossed the room and sat down on the edge of the bed, quickly burying my head in my hands. Apparently I’d been a lot drunker last night than I’d thought. I didn’t even want to know what other sordid things I’d told him.

  “Maria,” he repeated, “it’s alright. Nobody knows you’re here but me. And we didn’t have sex.”

  My head popped up. “No?”

  “You passed out at the tavern, so I brought you here to sleep it off.”

  “But why here of all places?”

  “I live here.”

  “The castle has a prostitute on staff?”

  “I’m not a prostitute,” he said, clearly holding back a chuckle.

  “But you said-”

  “I said nothing. You came to that conclusion on your own.”

  “Oh.”

  I stared down at my hands, my fingers fidgeting ceaselessly. I couldn’t recall a time I’d been more embarrassed in my whole life. And, all things considered, that was a difficult status to achieve. I cleared my throat and stood too quickly, causing me to stumble forward a bit.

  “Thank you for looking after me. I’ll get out of your hair,” I mumbled, rushing back toward the door.

  “Wait,” he commanded. My omega forced me to stop just short of the door. I cursed under my breath.

  “Wait,” he said again, gentler this time, “There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “Come, sit down. Relax for a minute. You’re as jumpy as a damn rabbit.”

  I bit my lip and nodded, returning once more to the bed. I took a deep breath and met his gaze.

  “Alright, I’m all ears. I suppose at the very least I owe you that much,” I said.

  He looked at me earnestly, eyes wandering over my face. My unwelcome omega basked in the alpha’s attention.

  “Last night, you said you’d do anything to get out of being mated. Is that true?”

  “It is.”

  “Then I have a proposal for you to consider.”

  If I’d been in my wolven form, my ears would have perked forward. Garett leaned back against the ornate headboard and ran a hand through his hair. His bicep flexed as he moved. My omega purred, but thankfully I kept the sound from slipping out.

  “You need a noble to court you, and I need a noblewoman to court. Maybe we can come to an agreement,” he started. I nodded, not entirely sure where he was going with this.

  “We can enter into a formal relationship as a means to achieve both of our goals. Once we both find a more permanent solution, we can dissolve our relationship without ever committing to being mated.”

  I stared at him, unable to process his words.

  “You want to pretend to court me,” I said. “Why in Sampsons fiery pit of death do you want to do that?”

  “To gain the favor and trust of the court.”

  “You’re a wannabe noble?”

  “I’m your king.”

  Chapter 4

  “You’re joking.”

  “I’m not.”

  “You’re…,” I trailed off.

  “Garett Pierce of Bloodstone,” he supplied.

  “What in God’s name were you doing at the Drunken Gnome?”

  “Same thing as you. Avoiding that stupid party.”

  I frowned, hardly comprehending his words. A real king wouldn’t do something so boneheaded as rebuff his people. But then, the king hadn’t shown up the night before.

  “Why?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “I don’t trust the people here. You were right when you said it’d make the most sense for them to kill me and appoint a noble as your new king. It’s safer to avoid large gatherings. They’re only one step removed from an angry mob.”

  “So you got drunk in a tavern instead.”

  “More or less.”

  “No wonder no one likes you.”

  “I’ll remind you that you were there with me,” he said evenly.

  “Yes, but the ball wasn’t thrown to welcome me to Highever.”

  “It was a welcome party?” His eyebrows shot upward, surprise overtaking his features.

  “Of course it was, you idiot. It’s tradition to welcome new rulers with a show of the best our land has to offer.”

  “I see.”

  “If you’re trying to gain favor with the court, you must learn at least something about our customs. This kingdom lives and dies by tradition.”

  Garret nodded, entirely unaffected by being called an idiot by his subject. He couldn’t have had a noble bone in his body. That or the court of Bloodstone differed from Highever’s in ways I couldn’t even imagine.

  “You’re right. That’s exactly the insight I need,” He said. “It’s why I ask that you let me court you. Teach me. Let me show the court that I seek to mate with one of their own. In return, I’ll protect you from being forced to mate this alpha who smells like a pineapple.”

  A pineapple? When had I told him that? A fresh, somewhat duller wave of embarrassment washed over me. No more drinking. Ever.

  “My father said I must be mated by the next full moon. He won’t settle for a courtship.”

  The idea, as cockeyed as it was, strung along my dying hope. My father would never go for it. Even so, I wished Garett could have shown up a day sooner.

  “Not even if your suitor was the king?”

  My breath caught in my chest. The stupid bastard was right. A nobleman never refused an opportunity to marry into royalty. I looked at Garett, my eyes alight. In my hungover glory, I must have looked insane. But that didn’t matter. My dying hope fluttered with fresh signs of life.

  “You’re bat shit crazy, your highness. But I think this just might work.”

  “Is that a yes?”

  “Yes!”

  Chapter 5

  “The king has a lot of nerve demanding an audience the day after he failed to show up for his formal welcoming,” Father grumbled, pacing the length of our living room.

  I smoothed my skirt from my seat on the oversized settee. The roaring fireplace sent sweat trickling down the back of my neck. I felt like a roasting weenie.

  My father shared my discomfort. Though his wasn’t from the heat. He stalked back and forth, fingers fidgeting behind his back. I said nothing, silently enjoying his irritation.

  “His highness will arrive at any moment. Is there anything you need, alpha?” My mother asked as she entered the room.

  “No. Both of you will sit back and hold your tongues.” He looked at me, “Especially you.”

  “Yes, father.”

  With that, he walked over to the mirror above the writing desk and messed with his thinning hair. My mother sat beside me and leaned in close to my ear.

  “I hear the new king is quite handsome,” my mother said in a hushed voice that my father couldn’t hear.

  “I’ve heard something like that too.”

  “It doesn’t hurt to look.”

  My father grumbled to himself on the other side of the room, pulling his wiry hair over his balding forehead. My mother, an omegan beauty with thick black hair and bright blue eyes, didn’t fit at his side. It didn’t help that he was old enough to be her father. My heart sympathized with her. It couldn’t be easy being mated to a man twenty-five years your senior.

  At that moment, a servant led Garett through the living room doors. My stomach flipped at the sight of him. He’d dressed for the occasion. Gone was the tunic, instead replaced with the snug fitting regalia of the court. My mother stiffened at my side.

  “Welcome to our home, your highness,” my father said, meeting Garett with an outstretched hand.

  “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Sir Du
Lac. I’ve heard much about you.”

  I nearly scoffed. Not from me, he handn’t.

  “All good things I would hope.”

  “Of course.”

  “Please, make yourself comfortable,” Father said, gesturing to an open chair. “What brings you to us this evening?”

  “I’ve come to see you about your daughter,” Garett said, an air of easy confidence about him. I’d envy it if I weren’t so impressed.

  “Which daughter?” Father’s voice was gruff.

  “Maria.”

  Father’s eyes were like daggers in my skull. “Whatever she’d done, I assure you we’ll pay for any damages. Her punishment will be swift.”

  “Don’t misunderstand me, Sirrah. She’s done nothing wrong. Quite the opposite. Your daughter is an enchanting omega. I’d be honored to court her. With your blessing, of course.”

  Mother grabbed my hand and gave it a quick squeeze. A sudden energy radiated from her small body.

  “Maria? You wish to court Maria?” Father asked slowly.

  “I do.”

  Father looked back and forth between Garet and I, a small frown set firmly in place.

  “Excuse me for being forward, but I find it hard to believe you would have any interest in her. Have you even met prior to today?”

  “We’ve been in correspondence for nearly two months. She sent me a kind letter upon my coronation.”

  “She did, did she?” My father eyed me, his jaw taught.

  “I can understand your hesitance, but I assure you I’m not asking on a whim. I’ve put a lot of thought into this. It’s a serious proposition, one I don’t take lightly.”

  I gnawed on the inside of my cheek, enthralled by Garett’s show; he was a damn good liar.

  “As much as I would love to give you my blessing, I’m afraid Maria is already spoken for. She’s betrothed to Terry Brecken.”

  “I’d heard as much. I’ve sought out the Breckens and made my intentions with Maria clear. They’ve agreed to withdraw their offer if you’ll allow me to court your daughter.”

  “How thoughtful of you to get so involved,” Father said. His voice dripped with a venom that could be lethal. Garett seemed unphased.

  “I care deeply for Maria. I’ll do whatever I can to make her mine.”

  “You understand that she’s flighty, don’t you? She’d twenty-four and never seriously considered any mate. By entering into a courtship rather than accepting a betrothal, I fear she’d be further risking her chances of ever truly committing to an alpha.”

  “I’ll win you daughter over. She’ll want for nothing with me,” Garett said, smiling my way.

  Breathe. One breath in. One breath out. In. Out. Why was this so hard all of a sudden?

  “Are all men of Bloodstone so sure of themselves, highness?” Father asked.

  “Only when we’re right.”

  A tense silence settled over the room. All of us looked to my father, who had an unmasked scowl of malaise. I picked anxiously at my cuticles. My mother wrung her hands in her lap. Garett merely leaned back in his chair.

  “Very well. I give my permission and my blessing. But understand this: if there is ever a point where I doubt this courtship will end in a formal bonding, then the relationship is over.”

  * * *

  “You were incredible,” I whispered to Garett as we moved through the front door of the Du Lac manor.

  “Don’t sound so surprised.”

  I rolled my eyes and slapped his upper arm. A charming grin pulled at his lips. He extended his arm in invitation. My heartbeat fluttered like a hummingbird’s wings. I wound my arm around his, enjoying the way his scent surrounded me when we touched.

  We walked out through the front courtyard, back toward the palace. The walk would be long, but it would give us much needed time to devise the next steps of our plan. It didn’t hurt that the weather in Highever was beautiful this time of year.

  Tall oak trees lined the cobblestones streets, their leaves all various shades of blood orange and crimson. The sun sat low in the sky, dusk quickly approaching. Light winds brought in the smells of the forests that grew around Highever on all sides. A walk sounded wonderful.

  “As a warrior, you must have travelled often, right?”

  “I did.”

  “Are there any other places as lovely as Highever in the autumn?”

  Garett was quiet for a moment. His dark eyes took in the colorful streets.

  “To the east, there’s a small village of bear shifters who cultivate a flower that only blooms when it’s cold. They grow it everywhere there’s open soil. By this time, the whole place is overrun with them.”

  “I’d like to see it someday,” I said, trying to picture the scene in my head. “There’s a lot I’d like to see.”

  “What’s stopping you?”

  “What isn’t stopping me? I’d never be allowed to travel on my own.”

  “You’re a grown woman,” he said, eyeing me as though I sprouted a second head.

  “Tell that to my father.”

  “Your lands are strange. Impractical.”

  “They’re your lands now too,” I replied. Chewing on the inside of my cheek, I meditated on how to phrase the question I’d so desperately wanted to ask since that morning. “You don’t seem like you have any ties to Highever. Why overthrow the king of a kingdom you don’t care about?”

  “Warriors conquer the weak.” Garett’s expressive face turned stoic. Jaw set in place, he offered no other explanation.

  “That can’t be the only reason,” I pressed.

  “What’s the next step in cementing our courtship?”

  The abrupt change in subject threw me off guard. I pulled back, untangling our arms. Garett glanced around and, seeing no one, let out a deep breath.

  Despite being so close to him, I hadn’t noticed his stress.

  Our touch annoys our alpha, my omega whined.

  I ignored her. What Garett thought of my closeness was irrelevant; all that mattered was how others perceived our relationship.

  “Well?” He asked again upon my extended silence. I flushed.

  Focus.

  “There’s a built in honeymoon phase of sorts,”

  “Meaning?”

  “After a courtship is initiated, the alpha takes his omega on a hunt. You know, to prove that he can provide for her and all that. If they still like each other after that, then the Demonstration Tasks begin.”

  Garett’s face twisted in confusion. I couldn’t hold back a giggle at his quizzical expression.

  “Everything you people do is so involved,” he said.

  “How do alphas court omegas in Bloodstone?”

  “Alphas shower omegas with gifts, then take them to bed. If you’re compatible, you form the mating bond. It’s simple.”

  I wrinkled my nose. I wouldn’t be the first to advocate on behalf of Highever’s traditional ways, but the Bloodstone courting ritual sounded underwhelming.

  “Doesn’t that leave a lot of room for error?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “If you base everything on sexual chemistry, then you could end up eternally bound to someone you don’t even get along with.”

  “Good sex can fix any problem,” he said, smirking.

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  “You obviously haven’t had good sex.”

  I opened my mouth to argue, but the words died in my throat. My sexual conquests hadn’t been mind blowing by any means, but they weren’t all bad. Unfortunately, that didn’t do much to strengthen my argument.

  Garett slowed his pace. He reached out one hand and grabbed my hip, pulling me flush to his chest. Every place where we touched burned on my skin. My mind stilled. I leaned into his touch. My body moved of its own accord. Breathless, I tilted my head to the side to bare the scent gland on my neck.

  He released me in an instant.

  I stood there, looking at him shocked and bewildered. My omega wanted to cry. My rat
ional mind wanted to yell.

  “What the hell was that?” I said unevenly.

  “The proof to my point.”

  “What?”

  “Compatible alphas and omegas move together instinctively; they’re in tune with each other. The better the sex, the stronger the instinctual tie.”

  My head spun. Was he insinuating we were, to some degree, compatible?

  “Nothing about that was instinctual. You grabbed me.”

  “I didn’t force you to bare your neck,” he said simply. The smugness of his tone hiked up the temperature of the blood flowing through my veins.

  “That means nothing.”

  “So if sir citrus pulled you close, you’d show him your gland?”

  I gaped at him. He spoke as if he thought he knew me better than I knew myself. Which he absolutely did not.

  “Maybe,” I spat out. “If I felt like it.”

  “Does that mean you felt like submitting to me?” He asked, a glint in his eye.

  My entire body seemed to be covered in an invisible rash. Every inch of me was hot in a decidedly not fun way.

  “I didn’t say that!”

  “So it was instinct?” he said, a bemused eyebrow raised in my direction.

  “I didn’t say that either!”

  “How would you explain it, then?”

  “M-my ear itched. I was trying to scratch it on my shoulder.”

  Garett’s gaze met mine. I stared into his greenish brown eyes, panic flitting through my mind. An ear itch? Really?

  Then the alpha did something that broke through my discomfort. He laughed. A deep, belly laugh that rang out in the empty street. I tried to maintain my straight face, but it was impossible. His laugh was infectious. I succumbed to his voice, losing myself in a string of unbecoming chortles. All at once, everything was fine.

  When the sniggering died down, Garett looked younger and more relaxed. He offered me his arm again.

  “Forget the castle. Join me at the tavern?” He asked. “We should celebrate.”

  I shook my head. “I am never drinking again.”

  “I’ll buy.”

  “I’m in.”

  Author’s Note

  Thank you for reading the first episode of The Alpha’s Weakness. I hope you enjoyed it! There’s nothing I love more than reading and writing romance serials. It’s exciting to begin this journey with characters who have been yelling at me to be written for nearly a year now.