Page 8 of A Mate for the King
Chapter Three
Cora wasn’t sure what she had expected when she disclosed her magical heritage to the Fireheart alpha. She was the product of a bruja mother and a shifter father, star-crossed lovers who should have never been but were and as a consequence lost their lives. But not before creating Cora, an omega despised by her own clan’s alphas and only tenuously accepted by the rest of her pack.
Not that Cora truly considered herself a member of any pack; as an orphan she was clan, but pack?
No, never that.
And now, All-Mother knew why, Cora was in front of the Fireheart alpha, the single most powerful alpha she had ever encountered, and her king. Or soon-to-be-king, at least, and he was taking all of it in stride. Upon her announcement, all the alpha had done was give her a jerky nod and then ask:
“Are you alright?”
“I-ah, yes,” she said, wincing, and looked down at her wound, which was still bleeding freely.
“I tried to stop the bleeding but I just… I’m sorry.” The words came out in a rush as she tried to calm herself with a deep breath.
The last hour had been a nightmare and now the stress and adrenaline of it all was crashing around her, and before she knew it Cora was falling to her knees in front of the Fireheart alpha. Her wolf was howling for her to submit. To give in to his command and accept his decision. If he took charge of things, it would be so much better for her. He would know what to do. She tilted her neck to the side, baring her throat to him in silent offering.
“None of that.” He crouched down beside her and to her shock whipped off his shirt. “Let me see. I’ll help stop the bleeding with this.” The alpha tore his shirt in half and gestured for her to remove her hands.
“You shirt?” Cora blinked at him, her mouth dry at the sight of the muscular physique now on full display mere inches from her.
“My shirt’s the best I have, but we’ll get it properly tended to back at camp,” he told her, and clicked his tongue at the sight of the three crude puncture wounds at the top of her shoulder, just a few inches shy of where a mate’s bond bite should go. His eyes moved unbidden to that spot as he worked at securing the wound.
Cora held back a longing sigh as she studied the alpha. He had formidable appearance, wild even, as every bit of him was purposefully honed muscle. Playing into the air of wildness about him was the unruly mass of dirty blond hair that fell just past his shoulders, and her fingers itched to see how soft it was. His face was stern with a square jaw covered by a thick but neatly kept beard, an aquiline nose, strong brow, and a mouth that Cora would give her magic to have on her. She swallowed thickly and tried not to think about how easy it would be for him to lean close to her, push his lips against her skin—how it wouldn’t take much pressure for the alpha to give her his teeth, to break the skin and mark her.
All-Mother, she wanted that.
“Thank you,” she demurred instead.
“You’re welcome,” th alpha murmured, and swallowed hard, forcing his gaze to the knot he was tying off. “I only wish I had come sooner.” He stood then and then paused. “May I?” he asked.
“Sorry?”
“Carry you?” he clarified. “I mean, may I carry you back to camp?”
“I can walk,” Cora said, moving to stand, but she only made it a step before she swayed.
He grunted at the sight and before she could take another teetering step forward he swept her up in his arms and against his chest as he turned back toward the camp.
“I’m fine, honest,” Cora protested weakly, but he was already moving.
“You’ve been through a less than ideal start to your heat. Let me take care of you.”
“You want to, ah, do that?”
He snorted at her question. “Have you smelled yourself? Even with all the magic buzzing about, you’re amazing.”
Cora blushed. “Oh.”
“I’m Zehr,” he offered, seeing the pink blush on her cheeks.
“I know,” she whispered and bit her bottom lip. “Everyone knows.”
Zehr chuckled. “Good.”
“What were you doing so far out here?” Cora asked quietly.
She was grateful for his appearance but why had the world’s most important alpha been in the woods?Didn’t he know they were only full of danger and magic?Who would let him wander alone so close to his coronation?
