Page 5 of Ruined By His Alpha King
The yellow nymph flew to him with unerring grace, the antlers clutched in his hand.
“Alpha son, king you will be.” The youthful nymph tilted his head, yellow curls falling into place as if swimming through water.
“I will trade you for those antlers. I will give you your name back,” Stamel smirked, the smile fading as the nymph laughed.
“No. They are far more valuable than my name. They are a prince’s antlers, after all.” He clutched them to his chest and floated a few steps away.
“I will give you as much honey as I can carry, too.” Stamel watched anxiously.
“Why? What does the boy mean to you?” Catpaw grinned.
“I wish to marry him.” Stamel nodded succinctly. Seidrik was very important at that moment.
“I shall take my name and the honey, but I also—” The memory faded off, always a blank spot. Stamel recalled taking honey from their caravan and bringing it to the nymph and receiving the horns, surely… But he could never recall the nymph’s true name or what else he’d asked for. He only remembered the nymph’s parting warning. “Your omega brother will have everything in your stead. Despite what he will say, the Croatens crown he will take.”
And in that moment, Stamel grew very wary of his beloved little omega brother.
Chapter Four
Stamel
The goddess will provide.Stamel had to keep telling himself that. With a three-year-old running about his hall, he got precious little sleep, and his sons had missed him terribly during his lockup. They had to know it was for the better good.
“Tyran!” Stamel whipped around to snag the little round-faced boy who glared up at him with foreign eyes. “Are you misbehaving for your nursemaid?”
Camelia, a lovely woman who’d been in service to the family since her grandmother’s childhood days, came scurrying by, her pale hair in messy disarray. “Do you need a break, missus?”
She shook her head. “No, no! I can handle it.”
“Can and should are two different things. Now, would you like to go get a nap and some lunch or something? The servants sent word that I’ve an hour or so yet before I have anywhere to be.” Stamel smiled as Camelia gave a curt nod and tucked her hair into place. She gave Tyran a quick kiss to the top of his head and scurried away.
“Dadda!” Tyran wiggled in Stamel’s arms, and he lifted the little boy above his head, jostling him in midair. The youngling laughed and spread his arms like all the world was right.
“You’re overdue for a nap, yourself, my boy.” Stamel put the little one on his hip, his mind elsewhere. Just months ago, he’d sworn to himself that the goddess had forgotten him, that he’d done everything right and she’d gone silent. And still yet, despite the fact that Lumic never wanted the throne, he was taking it because of what Stamel had done. His own betrayal had seen to the thing he feared most.
I fucked up. Badly.
Kimbel would be coming home soon from his boarding school. Letters written told of a change in station, a new home in Liaberos for the boy and their family with more promise. Stamel missed him so dearly.
Stamel rocked with Tyran as he paced his living quarters while the child wiggled and giggled until his head dropped onto Stamel’s waiting shoulder with a soft snore of exhaustion. “Good job, my little one.”
As easily as one could, Stamel placed the child in a sleeping cot by the window, warm sun dancing over his cheeks as a breeze as cool as autumn’s promise kept him still.
And no sooner than the boy quieted, a polite knock turned his attention to the door. A timid thing full of something that Stamel yearned for. “Oh, my precious boy.”
He opened the living quarter doors to stare down at thebeta. Seidrik’s eyes drifted away, his face a mask of surliness and lips pouted almost unpleasantly. After a quick glance around, Stamel tilted his head up and stared at him.
Seidrik’s eyes watered with something greater than fear. Tired bags darkened the skin beneath his eyes and his lips bore fine lines and chapped skin that they’d not so long ago when last they had a clandestine meeting. Stamel smiled. “I thought you’d been avoiding me.”
“I’m here, now. Aren’t I?” Still, his gaze drifted. The blue in them refused to meet his own. Fine golden locks had darkened with age in an almost unnatural way, and Stamel brushed his fingers over the side of Seidrik’s head, inhaling deeply the scent of darkwash, a base for quill ink made from the fermented shells of morningberry nuts. It cast the lightest brown of hue to his hair, set in with citronelia juice as a fixative.
“Mm.” Stamel’s noise of disapproval came almost involuntarily. The beta had defaced himself purposefully. “How dare you?”
“How dare I? How dare you! Try to kill your brother!” Seidrik pulled away but Stamel reached for him, grasping his slender wrists.
“A lapse in judgment trying to gain power.” Stamel leaned in and took a deep breath, inhaling the light scent of omega buried deep beneath incense. “But how dare you mar what is mine?”
Stamel made a grab for Seidrik once more, clutching his face to force it toward him. Terrified, wide, blue eyes stared up at Stamel. Timid as he ever was, Seidrik whimpered. “I have to hide my features. You know this.”
