I remain seated on the countertop watching as Lance leaves with Anton and still reeling from what just occurred between us. He is sending such mixed signals that it is leaving my head and heart both torn and confused. At this stage, I am not even sure which choice I would make.
I have always stuck to my principles to keep my personal and working relationships somewhat separate. I like being friends with the rest of the staff and I find it makes working much easier. But, if you mix in a relationship, as a couple and it doesn’t work out for whatever reason then interactions after that are bound to become strained and awkward which I have always wanted to avoid at all costs.
Add in on top of that the increased strain of dating my boss and the pressure is too much to even bear thinking about. Best to forget it ever happened and avoid falling into the trap of similar situations in the future. With my mind made up I jump down and make my way to my room to get some rest
“Matt, find Simon and Tim. I want the three of you to walks the agitated horses out and to put them into one of the empty paddocks to calm down. Go!”“Yes, Rayne!”After he leaves, I look around the stables carefully, but I don’t see anything unusual so, I leave and walk over to the hay barn instead.As soon as I enter, I can smell something that doesn’t belong here, so I follow the smell and find a box that is emitting some kind of pheromone. I bend down to inspect it when I hear something to my right that causes me to freeze place.“Ssssssss, Chchchchchch!”Slowly, I turn my head and in the corner of the barn, near a small hole in the wall, I see it, a Rattlesnake!I attempt to assess the creature from a distance, and I estimate that it is about 4ft in length which is the common average for an adult. It has dark diamond-shaped patterns along its back, which tell me that I am dealing wit
My anxiety at not knowing what is happening inside the barn, or what condition she is in is suffocating me. The moment I see her exit the building instinct overcomes me and I pull her to me immediately so that I can make sure that she is unharmed.Unfortunately, I am not the only one present that is concerned for her as the rest of the staff are gathered around wanting to see her.“Rayne!”“Rayne!”“Are you okay?”“What happened?”Many voices chorus out around us, and I struggle to reign in my temper as they are distracting me from assessing her myself.“I am fine lads. Please calm down.”“Rayne?”“Yes, Sir?”She faces me with confidence and purpose as she answers me.“Are you sure you are, okay? What happened?”“I went inside to find out why the horses in the stable were agitated. I figured it was s
Acting fast, I pin the snake’s body as close to its head as possible with the stick to stop it from moving. It thrashes and hisses angrily, so I waste no time in placing my knife back into my pocket and using my free hand to grip the snake at the base of its skull to prevent it from biting me.“Sir! What happened? Are you okay?”I turn and see Rayne running across the paddock, fear etched across her features as two staff members push the cart towards us for Bree to be placed onto.“Yes, Rayne, all is fine. I just need someone to fetch me a pillowcase to put this snake into.”“Why is it still alive?”“Because although they are a threat to us, snakes are still honored by the ruling family in Serpentia, so they deserve the chance to be moved back to their homes. Besides these snakes have been lured here somehow so they are not the ones who should be punished.”“I see, that does make se
I am shocked that there was another snake here and so close. I wonder if Bree hadn’t sensed it and startled the way she did if she would now be dead from a bite instead of waiting for Lance to fix her leg. It still amazes me when I think of him as an Equine veterinarian. Of all the professions and subjects that I thought he would choose to study, that was not one of them that I believed he would be allowed to do. The King has always been strict on the education of his children, I wonder if this was something that the Queen was able to influence, and I am eternally grateful to her for it. I set the box on my sofa and walk to my desk phone to call Sam. I could have used my mobile outside, but
Bang!I jump and thankfully I had just finished my coffee, otherwise, I would be wearing it. I look up and I see a tired and angry looking Lance standing in my doorway.“Sir? What happened?”“Exactly when did this business meeting become a social call?”I glance at Sam who is gripping his cup tightly in his hand as he avoids eye contact with Lance, and I get angry.“This is hardly a social call Sir. Sam arrived not too long ago to take the snake away as you requested. I simply offered him a drink before he has to go again.”“Well, I can see that drink is long finished, so it is time for him to leave.”“Sir, you shouldn’t be so rude, he is helping us after all. I had to call him off of another job to come back here for this snake.”“That is what I pay him for so of course, he is helping. But that pay does not include flirting with my staff.”&ld
I couldn’t leave things as they were, I felt bad for snapping at her and then after she yelled at me, I realised she was right. My jealousy got the better of me and I lost control of my senses. I don’t want to lose her friendship and although I know we agreed that nothing is to happen between us, the idea of her being interested in anyone else drives me insane. In the deepest recesses of my soul, she is mine and I will not let anyone else have her.But all she is willing to give me is her friendship so I either have to convince her to give me a chance or give up and try to convince myself to accept just being friends.I enter my bedroom and strip off as I head into my bathroom for a shower. Today was a rough day, it was the first time I have performed surgery on a living subject and all I can do now is hope that I did a good enough job to prevent the mare from going lame.If this surgery proves successful it will form the base for my entire new busin
He throws his head around trying to get the halter off, but I simply pull on the rope and turn his head down to the left which makes him turn his body left and begin to walk backwards. I release the rope tension slightly and he races forward again. I pull back and he walks back, I release, and he jolts forward. I repeat this many more times until finally he stops jolting forward each time I release, but he still tries to buck me off on occasion. After twenty more minutes, he finally tires and stands completely still in the center of the pen. I lean forward and pet his neck whispering calming words in his ear, his ear flicks indicating he hears my voice and that is enough for me. I gently press my heels into his hocks, and he walks forward as I wanted, I tug the rope left and he moves left until we reach a section of the fence where I can climb off of him. I climb down and keeping my hand on him I move to his head where I remove the end of the rope from his no
Something isn’t right with Lance. During the year after he returned from rehab, things had gotten better, he hadn’t been as angry or quick to lay the blame down on someone, then two months ago the news of the deaths of the Royal family of Tigrivale broke over the news and something in him changed. He became distant from me and reduced our interactions to the bare minimum. It hurts that he has turned his back on our friendship without an explanation, not a single word, but I don’t want to give up on him. I have seen glimpses of the true him in there and I don’t want to lose him to the darkness again. Whatever is playing on his mind to push him to do this I want to be there to help him through it. Tonight, we are all going to the bar to enjoy a well-earned night of fun and I want Lance to join us to bond with the men. I know he can’t drink any alcohol, but he can at least enjoy himself for a few hours. Knock! Knock! “Enter.” “Evening Sir.”
“Ash, my son. Long ago our ancestors were given a great gift, the ability to become wolves to protect those we care for. You are a direct descendant of the first wolf King. However, the ability to shift out of our human form and become wolves has been lost to us for about a hundred years. My son you are special, and this is a gift to embrace, but you must learn to control your emotions, or you will put us all at risk. Be cautious of who you allow yourself to become close to, for there are others out there who share this gift. They are in hiding, for now, waiting to see if a worthy Alpha will appear to them. You must prepare yourself for the challenges ahead.” That is what my mother told me after the first time I shifted into a wolf when I was ten and since that day, nothing has been the same. I have tried to control my impulses, I really have but it feels like something is missing and no matter what I do, I still ‘wolf out’ when situations become too much for me. Today I am once ag
Snaking my right arm around her waist I turn quickly and move her, so she is on her back on the bed. She squeals in surprise from the movement but quickly begins moaning again as I cover her body with my own to pleasure her from head to toe. When I finally sink into her, we both are delirious with lust, and I lose myself completely to the feeling of being joined with her until that moment when we both hit our peak and I release everything I have into her loving how she sounds beneath me. We collapse together on the bed, and I pull her into my chest wanting to hold her close. “Lance.” “Hmm.” “Have you noticed that sex between us has changed since we came to the castle?” “How do you mean? If you mean that it feels better, then I would have to agree.” “I wasn’t saying that, although it is true. But you have changed. You’ve stopped pulling out at the end.” I freeze at her words because she is right, normally I wouldn’t hesitate to pull out before I release but since moving here, I’
I am standing with King Thrane listening to him prattle on about some issues with trade having difficulty entering and leaving his Kingdom when my eyes wander across the crowd looking for Rayne. My gaze meets hers across the room and just the mere sight of her helps ease the boredom and annoyance I am feeling having to stand here with Thrane. The man is insufferable. I am ashamed to admit that there was once a time when I acted just as pompous as him with arrogance added in for good measure. Unfortunately, I need him as an ally, so I am forced to listen and play nice with him. But my eyes continue to follow Rayne as she is drawn to join the dancers. My conversation is forgotten when the children all surround her and join in with the dancing creating quite a show. All of the mingling guests pause in their conversations to stop and watch which is simply phenomenal. All of these Nobles and Royals are standing simply watching my wife dance with the kids of some of them, while she is o
A shadow passes over Drakes’ features, and I wonder if he is recalling something bad. It’s difficult to determine if this is a personal memory or one of Ash. I reach out and pat his arm which snaps him out of his thoughts, and he smiles at me. “Sorry. But don’t let us keep you from speaking with the others. You have many people to meet with today. We can catch up any time.” I nod and take Lance by the arm. He leads me through the crowd some more before a server calls out to us. “Majesties, Lords and Ladies please make your way to your seats, the banquet is about to begin.” Everyone is quickly seated, and the servers promptly appear with plates of food for everyone. Each meal has been carefully arranged to meet the dietary needs of each Kingdom, and from what I see as I glance around the room everyone is pleased with their meal. “Was this your design Rayne?” I lean closer to Lance to make sure our conversation remains private. “Of course. As Queen, I need to be aware of any sli
Taking the blood oath with Lance was something I never could’ve imagined. The feeling that pulsated through me as his blood mixed with mine was like being encompassed with pure heat that I could follow through my veins. Then I had to drink from the chalice and that feeling spread through my organs completing the process. Tim and Simon tried to explain it to me so I would be prepared but this feeling is nothing like what they described. And despite the intense heat, I do not feel any form of discomfort, instead, I feel safe, protected, and strong. Once I get my bearings, we complete the ceremony, and my crown is placed on my head. It feels strange and there is a weight to it despite how dainty it looks. So far, I have managed to progress to this point by focusing on each step but when Lance presses his lips to mine to seal the ceremony with our kiss, he lights a fire within me so fierce I have to grip his arms to remain standing. I am now his wife and the Queen of this Kingdom. But
As I wake the next morning, I turn over to reach for Rayne, but instead, my hand falls onto cold sheets and I find a note with my name on it. My King, It’s our wedding day. Thank you for such a wonderful night. I would have loved to give you a kiss this morning, however, I cannot allow you to see me before the ceremony, so I slipped out while you slept. See you at the altar. Love Rayne. I groan knowing she is right, but my body wants her, and this is going to be torture having to wait. Reluctantly I drag myself up and groggily survey the room, I find all my clothes for the day are neatly arranged around the room ready. I head to the bathroom to shower and shave so that I am presentable today. When I exit with only a towel around my waist I hear knocking on my door. “Enter!” I call out and, in walk all the male staff ready to help me dress for the day. Three hours later I am ready in my royal blue three-piece suit, complete with a white shirt and crimson red paisley waistcoat
I wasn’t expecting Lilli to announce her departure so soon but as I look into her eyes, I can see she is missing her son and no doubt there are other pressing matters for them to attend to. “Of course. Say hello to that young boy of yours for us. I hope you will honour us with your presence at the wedding?” Lilli smiles and her eyes twinkle like emerald gems. “Of course, we will be here! Royal weddings are a big event, and I would be distraught to miss yours.” I grimace a little knowing that I never attended hers which makes me begin to feel awkward. But in true Lilli style what she does next puts me completely at ease about it. “Honestly Lance, do you really think I would be upset about you missing my wedding? The last thing I wanted to do was taunt you by parading Drake in front of you. And also, I knew your father wouldn’t allow you to attend because of how things turned out. So, in short, you are forgiven for not attending an event you weren’t even informed of.” I smile and
I place my hand on his and give him a gentle squeeze. “What do you need from me?” He looks into my eyes and reaches over to cup my cheek. I lean into his touch and meet his gaze waiting for his answer. “Would you be willing to attend the hearing with me? I won’t make you watch his sentence if you don’t want to, but I would feel better having you with me while I confront him.” “Of course. Let me dress a bit smarter to match the occasion and I will do whatever I can to help.” His shoulders sag in relief and I place a kiss on his cheek. “I may be new to this and have a lot to learn about how I can support you. But I am willing to learn and do what I need to. Whatever you need.” “Thank you, Rayne.” I head upstairs to change and then return to the kitchen twenty minutes later in a dress suit. Lance smile in appreciation and placed a gentle kiss on my cheek so he won’t mess up my makeup. He then leads me to the large conference room where the other officials are waiting for us. Tak
We party into the early hours of the next morning and when everyone finally disperses to their own homes, the sun is just beginning to rise on the horizon. I love seeing Lance to happy and almost completely carefree. I know the fate of his brother must be weighing on him along with the new added pressure of being king. But I also know that he will be a great king now that he is being given the chance. Yes, he was almost king of Dracovia, but I don’t think he would have been able to settle there. Something deep inside me is telling me that he was never meant to rule with her. That their alliance between the two countries is stronger for them not being a couple. I could just be projecting my own feelings but somehow, I don’t think that that is the case. Lilli is lovely and so open about everything that happened, yes there are things I don’t know about their time together but if I am honest with myself I don’t need to know. It’s their past and it should remain that way. I feel Lance