I rise with the dawn, the same as every morning and head to the stables to begin my chores for the day. I love my job, working on this ranch raising horses to one day serve the country on behalf of the Royal Family is extremely rewarding. We breed them to enter the Royal Cavalry, but many farms rely on horse labour as well, so we breed the larger ones for that too.
The one other responsibility we have is capturing the wild mustangs for the Royal ‘coming of age’ ceremony when a Prince or Princess turns 18 or when an existing Royal horse dies, and they require a replacement. It is up to us to break in the replacement horse and make sure it is suitably trained to perform the required duties when delivered to the owner.
It has been a few years since a mustang was last brought in to be broken, so for now, we just focus on our foals. There is a mare in the stables now who is close to giving birth, so I have been visiting her every spare moment I have, to check on her health and make sure everything is going well.
I begin by letting the other horses out into the paddock to roam, then get to work mucking out their stalls. I lay down fresh bedding hay and then fill their feeders before I calmly approach the back stall where she is being kept. I don’t wish to spook her, so I keep my movements slow and predictable.
“Good Morning, Misty, how are you doing today?”
She chuffs in response and swishes her tail; she seems calm and in good health. She is standing towards the back of the stall facing the window.
“Would you like to go for a short walk outside?”
Her ears twitch in response to my question and she turns to look at me, before walking over to the gate where I am standing. I raise my hand and stroke her neck gently, she leans into my touch and closes her eyes, enjoying it. I slip her bridle over her nose and once it is secure, I open her gate then lead her out.
“There you go, a nice bit of morning sun and a little stretch of your legs.”
We walk a short circuit around the yard and then I lead her back inside. I secure her outside her stall, then I go in to clean it out. I put extra bedding in here so that she has a soft place to lay once she goes into labour and once her feeder is full, I lead her back in and secure the gate.
I bump into Matt outside, and smile, he is new and still getting used to how we do things here.
“G’morning Rayne. Done with the stalls already?”
“Hello Matt, yes all sorted. I even took Misty for a little walk to give her some exercise.”
He looks surprised.
“Wow, you did all of that yourself without any help. Now I feel guilty that I wasn’t here.”
“Don’t worry, it was my turn and besides, I enjoy it. Just don’t let Tobias find out. Okay?”
I wink at him and smile, causing him to blush a little.
“Hmm, yeah, okay thankyou Rayne.”
I slap him on the back of his left shoulder and hold him close.
“Tell you what, how would you like to watch me doing some training in the paddock? Lightning could do with a few extra lessons on the high jumping course.”
“Sure okay.”
He smiles widely, and we walk over to where the riding gear is stored. Once I have my gear on, I go to the paddock and call Lightning over. He is a young colt, only about 2 years old and still a little feisty but he is a talented jumper, so I take him to the jumping field every chance I get.
His grey coat shines in the morning sun but you can always tell him apart from other grey horses because he has a black mane, and the contrast is striking. His hazel eyes meet mine as he approaches the fence and I hold up his bridle to show him we are training today. He stands close and patiently while I fit it on and then Matt helps me lift the saddle onto his back.
I mount Lightning and walk him out of the group paddock and over to the jumps. Matt lets us in and then goes to sit on the fence to watch.
I love riding, horses are such intelligent creatures, and they learn new skills quickly. But they have a few of their own tricks too and a deep instinct to protect, which I admire. I have always believed that they understand us on our level and as such, I don’t use whips when I train. Simple pressure with my heel to encourage them to jump when the obstacle approaches is all the person on the back needs to do. I’ve seen people fully kick the horse to get it to move and it pains me to see it.
To me, that just shows that the owner and the horse are not connected properly and therefore the owner is oblivious to how unhappy their horse is. Unfortunately, I am unable to change anything that those people do, as they are upper class and I am a lowly ranch hand, invisible to most people.
Except for him.
I catch myself thinking of the one person who always treated me as his equal and I am surprised at myself. I haven’t thought about him for years, not since he was sent to the Royal Academy where all the nobles are taught the skills to one day rule.
I try to shake these thoughts off by focusing on Lightning, but the more I try, the more thoughts of the past invade my mind.
***Flashback***
Rayne age 8
“Mummy! Mummy! Is it true? Is the Queen really coming here today?”
I jump around my mummy excitedly as she tries her best to complete her cleaning duties.
“Yes Rayne, they are coming to stay for a few weeks and while they are here, they will be taking a look at the health of the horses.”
“They? Who else is coming?”
“The youngest prince is going to be visiting too. Now please dear, go on outside and play, so I can finish working before they arrive.”
She pushes me gently toward the door and I run through the big house ducking past other people before I finally pass through the front doors. I am so excited, it is the first time the Queen has come here to stay, and she is even bringing one of her sons with her.
I wonder if he will want to play with me.
There aren’t any other kids on the ranch my age, so I am often left alone. When I am really bored, I go to watch the horses, but maybe now I will have a friend to explore with.
I play near the front of the big house for a long time, then finally I see the carriage in the distance. I jump up and run inside calling out.
“They are here! I can see them down the drive!”
The adults panic and rush to finish their jobs, before lining up outside the front doors to wait. My mummy scoops me into her arms and carries me out with her before setting me at her feet. I stand straight and tall because I want to make my mummy proud, and I want the Queen and Prince to like me too.
The carriage stops, and the driver walks to the door to let the Queen out. She is beautiful, her long black hair is clipped back so that it doesn’t blow about in the wind and her brown eyes are kind yet firm, as she addresses everyone around me.
“What a lovely sight, to see you all here to greet us. I am looking forward to spending a relaxing time here.”
We all bow low to her and she turns to the carriage.
“Come along Lance. Time to go inside.”
I peek up and see a skinny boy with black hair that matches his mummy, but his eyes are much darker, almost black and I cannot look away. I feel drawn in and I don’t know why. But as I stare at him, I realize that he is shy, he doesn’t want to leave the carriage. Finally, he takes the Queen's hand, and he clings to her skirts as they walk inside.
“Mummy, why is the Prince so shy?”
I ask her after the Queen and her servants are gone.
“I don’t know sweetie. But since he is your age, maybe if he sees how confident you are, he will start to feel the same. Just promise me you won’t talk to him unless he speaks to you first. Understand?”
I nod then smile and decide to make sure to show him just how fun the ranch can be.
“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