“I’m sorry, Princess. It just slipped out. It’s really not as bad as you think. It’s kind of romantic,” Amalia pleaded from behind Marcus, who was currently shaking his head at his sister’s antics and simply stepped aside. Amalia squeaked and quickly moved behind Godric instead.
“Are they normally like this?” Godric asked, but didn’t move from his spot shielding Amalia.
It was General Jensgar, the head of her royal guard as well as Marcus and Amalia’s father, who answered. “They were raised together. Marcus, Amalia, and Princess Helena—they can’t seem to help themselves. Then, of course, add Giselle and Radulf in the mix and I’m never quite sure what to expect. I know the princess is safe and cared for, but the trouble they get into has become legendary.”
“I’m beginning to get the idea,” Aldric commented. “You don’t have to answer the question, little one. If it makes you uncomfortable, I’ll ask another.” Helena could have kissed him for giving her a way out, but she was determined to be truthful with him. Lies were not the way she wanted to start a relationship.
“‘Little one,’ I like that…though I’m betting that a lot of people are little compared to you.” Helena was touched by the endearment and hoped Aldric continued to use it.
“My size doesn’t scare you, does it?”
Helena had the distinct impression her answered mattered deeply.
“Not in the least. I’ve been told you’re an honorable man who hasn’t given any indication he would use that strength against me.”
“Never. No one would dare harm you.” Aldric growled, causing more than one guard to look around, searching for some unseen threat.
He’d removed his jacket and rolled up his shirtsleeves when they came out onto the balcony, so Helena took advantage and hugged Aldric’s huge scarred arm. She felt him pull back then looked up into Aldric’s shocked face. Thinking she had gone too far with her open show of affection, she pulled away and sat on her hands.
“I’m sorry. Sometimes I’m too forward. It’s part of my nature. My powers make me more empathic and sensitive to others as well as a little more hands on with people. By hands on, I mean I like to hug family and close friends—not a different form of hands on, because I’ve never done that. I’m an empathic healer. It’s just the way I am and…now I’m rambling.” She hung her head to hide her reddening face.
Aldric placed his large finger under her chin and gently raised her head so she could look into his happy blue eyes. “But you’re beautiful when you ramble, Princess. I think you misunderstand why I am surprised. Not many people are comfortable with my scars, let alone get close enough to touch them. You have to know there are more scars that you can’t see. I was involved in many battles before peace came and my body carries the memories of that time.”
Movement on the balcony stilled as if everything hushed for a moment in time as this brave man revealed himself to her. Again, she searched for the words to try and explain how she was feeling, even if she didn’t quite fully understand these feelings.
“I see your scars, Aldric, and I’m aware there are more. It would be callous and uncaring of me to not recognize what each one means to you.” Helena gently ran her fingers along a five-inch scar that snaked up across the back of his hand and continued up his right forearm before blending into his alpha markings. “But I see the man underneath. I see you, and that’s the man I wish to get to know, scars and all.” She raised her hand and traced the jagged scar that ran down the side of his handsome face, praying that she hadn’t just ruined everything.
Aldric’s breathing hitched and he didn’t say a word—obviously to drive Helena insane, which was working. She was about to lose her damn mind.
“What does it mean when your jewel turns green, little one?” he asked.
“It means I’m uncertain, unsure,” she admitted.
“Well, we can’t have that now, can we?” There was that sly grin again. “I would like to continue this conversation tomorrow. I don’t want to keep you out late this first night, or your uncle may have words with me, whether you wish it or not.” His smile was warm and comforting, making Helena fall just a little bit further for the man.
“You want to see me again?”
“Of course, little one, there’s nothing I want more.”
Her stomach was doing somersaults, her heart was racing like she’d run through the woods, and her knees felt melty, even sitting down. Drawing a deep breath, she tried to lock down her emotions and sound composed.
“Do you like horseback riding? I could show you, your family, and friends around our lands after we spar tomorrow morning.”
“I would love to. We have quite a large stable on our lands as well, and many of my people enjoy riding.”
She released the breath she’d been holding, grateful that he made this so easy. “Perfect, I’ll let my attendants work out a time. Maybe, if we make it to a third date, I’ll tell you about why Amalia said what she said,” she teased, releasing her joy.
“I’ll hold you to that, Princess.” Aldric graced her again with that deep laugh, the one that made her feel warm and happy.
“I hope you will.” Helena was filled with excitement and affection as she stood to leave.
“Your gold is swirling with red?” Aldric mentioned as they made their way back to their small group.
“You can see the color change in my jewel?” she asked, a bit confused, considering she had tried to suppress any show of emotion.
“Yes, it’s gold with swirls of red.” He looked concerned. “Is something wrong?”
“Giselle?”
“Gold, my princess.”
“General Jensgar?”
“Gold, Princess Helena.”
“What’s wrong?” Aldric stared down into her eyes, his arm securely wrapped around her lower back.
“I’m not sure. Most of the time, I’m able to control any outward appearance of my emotions through my jewel. That ensures everyone around me only sees the gold of contentment and happiness. It seems, though, you are able to see my true emotions even if others cannot. No one has ever done that before.”
“Are you upset that I can see them?” he asked quietly.
“No, I’m not upset—confused and excited, but not upset.” Understatement much? “Thank you for a wonderful evening. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.” She waited barely a heartbeat before Aldric bent and kissed her on the cheek.
“Until then, little one. Sleep well.” He brushed his cheek across her jaw in an obvious show of affection—as well as making certain he’d left his scent on her.
Helena walked away with her ladies, surrounded by her royal guards and Lothar. As was custom with all omegas being courted by an alpha, members of Aldric’s security staff would now be with her as well.
She had heard Aldric’s advisors mention that more of his warriors would be arriving tomorrow, as well as family and attendants. Before she made it through the balcony doors, she remembered Aldric’s question. She turned and quickly ran back to him. He held out his hand for her to take when she approached.
“It means happiness and affection.” She pointed at her stone before rising on her tiptoes to kiss Aldric on his cheek. Okay, he had to bend for her to reach, but she still kissed him before she all but ran from the balcony.
Helena stopped to say a quick goodnight to her aunt and uncle before exiting the ballroom. She knew they had questions but would respect her privacy and wait until they were away from prying eyes and ears.
She all but floated back to her private suite of rooms, only to be brought up short by a bouquet of red roses waiting for her in front of the closed main doors. Two of her royal guards stood on either side of the entrance to her private domain.
General Jensgar motioned for the princess to stop before he approached his guards. “Who sent these roses and how did they get here?” General Jensgar’s voice came out as a growl, demanding answers. No one should have been close enough to deliver flowers to her private
suite of rooms. Helena noticed Lothar on his cellphone, talking in hushed tones.
“The maid, Maria, brought them up at nine-thirteen p.m.,” Erwin, the older guard, answered. “She stated they were delivered to guards posted at the front gates from a flower shop in town named Blooming. We confirmed with the flower shop’s owner that the flowers were indeed ordered in his shop by a man who paid cash to have them delivered. There was no name and no card. We checked for any devices or poisons, but the flowers are safe. We were unsure the protocol for such things and decided to leave them outside for the princess to decide what she wishes to do with them.”
She could tell Erwin was nervous, afraid he had done something wrong to endanger her. She could feel his fear from over five feet away and automatically sent calming reassurance toward him.
Erwin turned toward her. “I’m sorry, my princess. I would never place you in danger.”
“Of course you wouldn’t, Erwin. You have protected me for many years. You guard me with great loyalty and honor,” she assured him. He was truly a trustworthy guard. “I’ve just never had flowers delivered to me before. I’m honestly not sure how to deal with it.”
General Jensgar turned toward Lothar. “Did you reach Alpha Aldric? Does he have any idea who sent the flowers?”
“No, I just spoke with him and he most definitely doesn’t know who sent the flowers. At least, that’s what I could make out between the growls and after Godric finally took the phone.” Lothar’s eyes had shifted to the gold of his wolf while he spoke. “No one should be initiating uninvited contact with the princess.”
“What do you wish us to do with them, Princess?” General Jensgar asked out of respect for Helena. She knew he wanted them destroyed.
“If they aren’t from Aldric then I don’t wish to have them in my rooms. Perhaps you could take them down to the kitchens and have the staff enjoy them instead of destroying them.” She was beginning to feel a cold chill work its way down her spine, an omen.
“A perfect solution, Princess. Marcus, please take the flowers down to the kitchens,” General Jensgar ordered before facing Helena. “Princess, don’t worry. Everything will be fine.”
Helena hadn’t realized that she had let her emotions slip, but the fact that she felt safe around her people explained why it sometimes happened. Still, she got herself under control and felt her jewel return to gold.
“What does blue swirling green mean?” Lothar asked as he shifted his phone away from his ear.
“Worry, concern, and sadness. This—” she indicated where the flowers had been “—feels wrong to me. They didn’t even leave a note. It has me a bit nervous to think that someone is forward enough to do such a thing.” She knew the rules were strict when it came to mating an omega, and then add the fact that she was a princess, it increased the rules tenfold.
Someone had to either be insane or desperate to even try such a thing, which wasn’t a comforting thought. In the not-so-distant past, omegas were stolen and held hostage for their powers. An omega was seen as property to be used and abused as their captors saw fit.
“Let’s get you settled for the evening, Princess. You have a big day tomorrow with your alpha.” Amalia tucked her hand into Helena’s as Giselle did the same on her other side in a show of comfort and support.
Lothar and General Jensgar led the way into Helena’s suites, checking every nook and cranny as they went, but thankfully found nothing out of the ordinary.
Helena, Amalia, and Giselle settled into their nightly routine as her guards took up posts in their usual positions outside her doors in the main sitting area and balcony. The joy of her first meeting with Alpha Aldric wouldn’t be dimmed by the mystery flowers.
She had plans with her alpha and concentrated on that and not some faceless person who she would probably never meet.
Chapter Three
Aldric was furious. How dare someone try and initiate contact with the princess. Helena had approached him and him alone. She didn’t shy away from him because of his size or his scars. In fact, she clung to him when they danced and talked on the balcony. She was kind, funny, and amazingly down to earth for a princess born to royalty, and all he and his wolf wanted to do was go to her suite to make sure she was safe. Lothar explained how Helena had been upset by the delivery, and Aldric couldn’t bear the thought of his sweet omega sad. He would fix this and make her feel safe again.
“When will our people arrive?” he asked the group of trusted men around the meeting table in his suite.
He, Godric, Lothar, and General Jensgar were reviewing detailed maps of the grounds and palace, arranging for his princess’s security. Theron and Tofa were making arrangements for his arriving family, staff, and warriors.
King Leonidas had immediately authorized the combination of resources between the king’s and Alpha Aldric’s people to keep his niece safe after a second delivery of flowers was brought to the gates. The king didn’t appreciate the veiled threat to her security. In fact, he had growled his anger loud enough to be heard across the palace. Then he sent a few of his men to question the flower shop owner to get a detailed description of the man who had purchased them.
It may have seemed odd to be so concerned over the flowers, like they overreacted to anyone outside the packs, but the rules had been set in place hundreds of years earlier to protect the omegas from people who would abuse their powers. If someone were to mate with Helena and then use her powers to send out feelings of peace and tranquility to opposing armies, those armies would be slaughtered.
Omegas had varying degrees of power covering many areas in nature. In the past, wars had started over kidnapped omegas, and no one wanted a return to those days.
The next morning King Leonidas clarified Princess Helena’s powers so Aldric and his people were better equipped to protect her. The king explained that she was a combination of her mother’s and grandmother’s powers. Helena could transmit varying degrees of emotions and feelings of comfort that she used to aid others in healing great trauma. What shocked Aldric was that she had the power to heal recent injuries to a person’s body; both gifts she inherited from her grandmother. From her mother, the king’s sister, Helena inherited the power to communicate with and control flora and fauna.
The king also shared that in so many ways Helena felt more vulnerable than most omegas because she was orphaned at two years old. The only connection she had to her mother was the power Helena inherited.
There were those who would find attaining such an omega as a great prize, but Aldric had no intention of letting them near the princess. If this was the fight his little sister had predicted, then Aldric was more than willing to take on all comers.
“It’s six-ten a.m. now, Alpha. Your family and our warriors are scheduled to arrive within the hour. The GPS on the Land Rovers indicate they will arrive on time. The remaining rooms in our suites have been readied in case your family wishes to clean up before meeting the royal family,” Theron explained, clearly pleased that everything seemed to running like clockwork so far.
“First, we meet with the warriors. Before anything else, I want my men along with the royal guard watching over Helena. I don’t want to alarm her or her ladies by confronting them with strange men at our sparring session or at the stables. With that in mind, I want Godric and I to perform the introductions to my warriors, staff, and family over breakfast with the royals. King Leonidas will be informing Helena of the change in plans when she wakes. He didn’t want to disturb her after last night’s incident, and I completely agree.”
“None of us want Princess Helena upset, but she’s tough. I bet she’ll keep you on your toes, big brother, and I for one can’t wait to see the fireworks.” Godric grinned before refilling his mug with coffee. “Besides, I can’t understand how someone would want to frighten the princess. She’s like light and joy in a cute package.”
Aldric’s fangs burst through his gums and a deadly growl rumbled up his throat, freezing everyone in the room. “Mine.�
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“Yes, brother, yours.” Godric sounded calm, but he’d taken two steps backward before speaking. “She’ll make a great sister. That’s all I’m interested in. Well, maybe that and Amalia, but I’m pretty sure Marcus and the general here might try to castrate me first.” General Jensgar smiled evilly at Godric before extending his fangs and nodding in agreement with that plan if he went anywhere near his daughter.
“Why is everyone growling at me? I’m trying to figure out why anyone would try to scare her,” Godric grumbled before gathering papers from the table and placing them in a folder.
“Until she’s mated to a strong alpha, Princess Helena will always be a target,” General Jensgar explained. “There are those who would view her as a prize. Once she’s mated and her powers are bound with her chosen alpha, she will be stronger and safer. Of course, there will always be those who wish to kidnap a princess, but those will be far fewer.”
“We’ll keep her safe, alpha. You concentrate on spending time with the princess and getting to know her. Judging by how happy she was last evening, I think you’re well on your way to becoming her choice,” Lothar assured him. “Our combined forces will provide two layers of security—one group shall shift into their wolves and patrol from a distance, and the other will remain close.” He continued to circle various possible security concerns on the maps.
The next fifty minutes passed quickly while plans were made, and soon Theron announced the arrival of the rest of their party. Aldric, Godric, and Lothar met the caravan of black SUVs as they pulled up to the front entrance of the palace. Cassandra burst out of the second vehicle, running full-out toward Aldric, who caught her easily and twirled her high in the air, making her squeal with delight.
When he brought her down into his arms for her customary big-brother hug, Aldric sensed Helena. The happiness warmed him like the waves of heat you feel coming indoors after being out in the cold. He wasn’t the only one either; many of his pack stood glancing around to see if anyone else had noticed.
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