Page 13 of Crowned By The Blood Alphas

Chapter Five

King Tovik

Ihave faced a ruthless pack of Hollowborn on my own, in the dead of winter, with my flesh sliced open and venom burning through my veins.

I have crossed the Blood River in the frigid cold and didn’t so much as flinch while the icy waves rolled over my head.

I once killed a man using nothing but the iron buckle from his own belt.

None of these things made me as nervous as I am right now, waiting for the princess to walk through the door.

I have been waiting my entire life for her. Now, I’m about to step into this moment and my hands are shaking.

“Stop pulling at your collar,” Cassius says, as calm as ever.

“It’s choking me,” I say, tugging at it again.

“It’s a tunic, not a Greyholm mercenary,” he says with a laugh.

“I’m not used to it.”

He laughs again. “That I know. I can count on my right hand the number of times I’ve seen you in a shirt. I hardly recognize you with your nipples covered.”

I don’t know how he can make jokes at a time like this.

Our mate, our queen, is in the castle. We will be dining with her in moments.

My wolf is on full alert, pacing inside me, more eager than the time we faced three converging packs of Hollowborn. He wants to get out and mark her. He wants to make her ours.

“I knew she would be human,” I say as we linger outside the closed doors of the dining room.

Cassius is leaning casually against the stone fireplace with a cup of bitter mead in his hand. He is looking as calm as he does before every battle, but I can smell the anticipation beneath the mead and smoke.

His wolf is pacing just as violently as mine.

“You were right about that,” he says as he takes a long sip. “Was it just me or did she look like a goddess?”

I haven’t been able to get the beautiful image of her out of my mind. The magical vision of the princess is burned into my brain where it will stay forever. I can’t stop obsessing over that image of her standing there helplessly in that gorgeous pink dress. Her silky blonde hair with all those ribbons. I’ve never seen anything so breathtaking.

I would have marched down on the spot, thrown her over my shoulder, and brought her back to our room if Cassius wasn’t there to stop me. I didn’t like all those eyes on her, watching what’s ours. I wanted her all to ourselves, but Cassius said we would make a better impression on her at dinnertime. He said a shower would work wonders on swaying her opinion.

Now that the dinner bell is about to ring and I’m all dressed up in these ridiculous clothes, I’m having doubts about that.

My wolf growls, not caring what we’re wearing. He just wants to see her, scent her, touch her, mark her. He wants it all.

The bell rings and Cassius takes one last sip before placing his cup on the stone mantel. “It’s time, Tovik.”

I take a deep breath and follow him out.

My mind is racing as we step into the royal dining room. The long table is empty. My wolf snarls in impatience. Where is she?

Suddenly, on the other side of the room, the door opens, and she’s there.

Our Vaela. Our Queen.

“Gods alive,” Cassius whispers under his breath when she walks in.

My eyes are locked on her. My lungs forget how to breathe.