Rick sat at the grand marble desk that he had placed in his quarters. He sighed and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes. It had been a long day of planning for the ball. All day he had been hit with different requests and documents to sign off on in order to get the ball planned in time. Many of the different foods and wines were being imported from the four realms and he had to sign off on each one individually. As he looked over a paper regarding a small bakery that would be supplying the bread for the event he was hit with an overwhelming feeling of sorrow.
It instantly brought a snarl to his lips and he growled softly. His mate was upset. The wolf inside him wanted him to run to them and rip the throat out of whoever had made them feel that way. That's when the feelings shifted and he realized that his mate wasn't just upset. They were mad at him. Mad that he hadn't come for him. He wanted to roar in frustration. His duties to his kingdom were keeping him separate from his mate and now they were feeling like he didn't want them. He tried to send thoughts of encouragement and desire for his mate through the bond but it was abruptly pushed away until he could barely feel them at all.
He stood from his desk, kicking his chair away and trudging over to the balcony's open doors. He made his way outside and gripped the stone under his hands so tightly he could hear it crack under his strength. He wanted more than anything to go searching for his mate in that very moment but he couldn't. There was too much to do. He thought once again to the ball and hoped for his sanity and the sake of his advisee committee that he would find his mate there. If he didn't he would go searching. He wouldn't wait any longer.
It had been a little over a year since he'd felt his bond begin and with each passing day the feeling grew. Worst of all, if his mate was an omega, as they usually were with alphas, they'd be going into their first heat soon and the thought of another alpha laying its hands on his mate nearly drove him mad. At the thought, the wolf inside him howled, its fangs dripping for the taste of blood. Rick quelled his anger the best he could as he looked out over the landscape. He could see the twinkling lights of the villages being lit as night fell. Somewhere among those lights, laid his mate, sad and alone.
"I'm coming for you." He growled.
The next couple days went by in a flash of colors and sounds. Morty couldn't handle the feelings coming through his bond with his mate so he pushed them to the back of his mind while he worked. He planned to open himself back up after the ball but for now he needed to focus on helping his family prepare. When the day of the ball rolled around he was nearly dead on his feet but he pushed through it. A carriage came around evening to pick them up. His mother and Summer had put on their best dresses, their hair primed and prepped to perfection. Morty was wearing his best dress pants which were black and tight fitted. They sat high on his hips and he had a new white dress shirt tucked into them. His mother had insisted on getting him the new shirt no matter how hard he protested. She had even slicked back his usually unruly auburn curls. He had to admit as he looked at his reflection in a mirror, he looked pretty good.
His mother popped her head into the room to tell him it was time to go but then paused as she took in his appearance. With a soft smile she came up behind him and rested her hands gently on his shoulders. "You're growing too fast Morty." She said softly and he turned to face her. "Don't worry mom. I won't be leaving you anytime soon." He said and she smiled sadly, knowing he was referring to the fact that his mate had yet to come for him. "Who knows Morty…Maybe you will meet them tonight. Let's go." She said softly. The thought gave him a little bit of hope and he smiled weakly before following her out the door.
Rick was feeling slightly excited yet frustrated as the patrons of the ball began to flow in. He could sense that his mate was nearby but for some reason they had closed their side of the bond off and he couldn't pinpoint them. Music flowed softly through the air as people chattered back and forth. The bravest of the guests came up to his throne to bow and show their respects while the others milled around casting fearful looks at him. As was expected of them, each eligible omega from every realm was escorted up to him to meet. None of them stood out and his anger was only growing and growing. Where are they? He thought in anger.
He knew his scent was wafting through the room, causing a tension one could cut with a knife but he didn't care. One of the advisors from his council approached him with a respectful bow and whispered in his ear. "My lord, maybe it would help to…" He chose his next words carefully, "hurry things along…if you started the dance." He suggested. The last thing he wanted to do was dance with someone who wasn't his mate but the prospect of getting the night over with was too great. He stood slowly and cleared his throat. The room went silent and every pair of eyes turned to face him. He made his way down the stairs and up to one of the random omega's he was supposed to dance with. Begrudgingly he held out his hand and bowed slightly.
"May I have this dance?" he asked and looked into the omegas eyes. The small man cast his eyes down submissively and nodded before shakily reaching out to take his hand. The music started up again suddenly and people began to pair off. Everything about it felt wrong to him. This wasn't his mate and this dance didn't belong to the random omega on the other end of his arms but he pushed through the frustration as the music picked up.
Morty stood in the kitchen of the castle nervously wringing his wrist in his hand. As "servants" for the night, they were not allowed to be out in the ballroom unless it was to assist someone or refill a table with food. Summer was pouting in the corner while his mother milled about, taking to the other people who were picked to cater the event. Morty could hear a light waltz playing out in the hall and the soft notes helped to calm him slightly. At least I don't have to see The Blood King. He thought to himself. The unofficial title was something that had been whispered around since he was young. Fear rolled off him at the thought and he turned away to listen to one of his mother's conversations hoping it would help to calm him.
Suddenly, a well-dressed servant came rushing into the kitchen and locked eye's with him. "You boy!" he called and made a beeline for him. His anxiety shot up instantly and he fiddled with the hem of his shirt nervously. "Yes sir?" he responded and the man eyed him for a moment as if deciding something before nodding to himself.
"The bread table needs to be refilled." He stated and Morty felt his panic rise even more.
"Go and tend to it." He instructed and Morty nodded numbly before grabbing a covered basket that was full of their fresh rolls. He gave his mother a reassuring look before following the man out and into the blinding light of the ball room. It was overwhelming. The lights, the scents the sounds were all too much and he froze for a moment. The man turned around clearly annoyed and barked at him in a gruff voice. "What are you doing standing there? Hurry up or your family won't be paid." He commanded and Morty forced himself to move. His families table was set up in the corner of the ball room and he tried to restoke it without being noticed but to his dismay, a familure voice sounded from behind him. "Well hello, hello sweet heart." The voice chimed and Morty slowly turned to see Tomas. He was dressed in royal blue with embroideries of gold.
He sidled up to Morty and blocked his path once again. Morty wanted nothing more to escape the room. People were dancing and he knew that somewhere in that crowd was a great presence that he assumed to be the king. He did not want to meet the alpha and the fear rolled off him in waves. Tomas noticed him looking around nervously and he grinned wickedly before sliding forward and grabbing Morty's wrist in his hand. He pulled the small boy forward and into his arms. Morty tried to push him away as he knew that he would get in trouble for being in the ballroom for too long but his alpha grip was too strong.
"Come sweetheart, dance with me." He said in an overly sweet voice. Morty's desperation was slowly growing as the end of the waltz came and the group began to disperse. Tomas saw him eyeing the crowed and he grinned showing off his fangs. "There will be another song soon love come with me." Morty had had enough. He ducked and shoved Tomas away without thinking. The man stumbled back a few feet and then looked up at him in shock. Suddenly, his alpha sent got stronger and Morty could smell the rage coming in waves. Before he could apologize Tomas strutted forward and struck him hard across his cheek with the back of his hand. Morty's head jerked to the side with the force of his hit and tears immediately sprung to his eyes. He lifted a hand to cup his injured cheek. He had disrespected an alpha and he was going to pay for it. He turned to face the alpha in order to apologize when he realized the entire room had gone deathly silent. Even Tomas was silently staring over his shoulder at something. The pungent smell of fear rolled off of him so thick that Morty nearly choked on his own breath.
Slowly he turned to see what Tomas was staring at and his heart nearly beat out of his chest. There stood the king. He was dressed completely in white with blue silk embroideries and hints of gold. He was tall and his unusually light blue hair was slicked back but what stood out the most, was his icy blue gaze. As Morty met his gaze by accident, something clicked and the whole world stilled. Suddenly, it was if everything else had disappeared leaving only him and the king. For some reason, he was sure he had met the man before. For some reason, he was sure that he knew this man and though he had expected to feel fear in this moment, all he felt was the strong impulse to go to him and that's when it hit him.
The Blood King Sanchez was his long-awaited mate. "Alpha…" He didn't hear the words even as he spoke them.
Rick was all too happy to get away from the omega in his arms as the waltz slowly ended. A few people came up to greet him and he gave them short replies, trying to get away as quickly as he could. He was just about to head back to his throne when he heard a loud thud ring out into the air. The smell of fear hit the air and he jerked his head in the direction of the scent.
Standing in the corner of the ball room was an alpha dressed all in blue but the alpha was the least of his concerns because standing next to him, holding a hand to his cheek was a small boy. The moment his eye's alighted upon his trembling figure he knew. He could feel it like an electric shock that lit every vein in his body ablaze. As the boy turned to look at him, the world stilled. He had impossibly green eyes and a strong jaw that wasn't quite fitting for an omega but looked perfect on him none the less. He was dressed in simple servant's clothes that fit the curves of his legs just right. At last Rick had found him. The one thing his soul had been reaching towards for years was now standing in front of him. The boy looked him in the eyes and in an instant Rick knew that he understood as well.
"Alpha…" he whispered and suddenly Rick was moving. He walked straight past his mate and towards the alpha who had been staring at him in fear. In a blur of movement, he was grabbing the man by his throat and slamming him into the wall. There were gasps of shock from behind him but he couldn't care less. "You dare put your filthy hands on my mate!" he snarled and Tomas's eyes widened in shock. He glanced at Morty before looking back at Rick.
"I-I- didn't know!" he gasped out scrabbling wildly at Rick's hand around his throat. Rick snarled once again and leaned forward until he could taste the fear in the roof of his mouth. "Well…It's a little too late for that isn't it?" he snarled before squeezing. All the anger he had built up in the past years seemed to flow out of him in that moment and it resounded in a sickening pop and crack that sent blood flying. It splattered his face and suit but he didn't care. There were screams from behind him but none of that mattered. He released the man and his limp body slid down the wall before slumping to the ground.
Satisfied, he turned to face his mate. The boy was staring at him with a look of wonder on his face instead of fear. Rick slowly walked forward and reached a hand out to cup his cheek. The boy starred for a moment longer before closing his eyes and nuzzling into his palm. The touch and it was all the confirmation he needed. He reached forward and lifted the boy off the ground with ease. He turned and walked past everyone in the room, who were staring in horror, and through a door that led out of the ballroom.
Morty was frozen to the spot, he couldn't move- wouldn't move, even if he wanted to. He didn't even flinch when his mate squeezed Tomas's throat so hard that it burst in his hand. Blood spattered his face but he didn't care. He felt King Rick's satisfaction at the kill and in turn he was satisfied too. Every pair of eyes in the room were staring at him but it meant nothing compared to the icy blue eyes that were looking at him now. He watched in wonder as the king walked up to him slowly. He reached out his hand and cupped Morty's cheek with it. The touch was electrifying. In the blink of an eye, he was being lifted off his feet and into Rick's arms.
The man carried him out of the room and through a corridor. He knew he should be worried about his family but in that moment, nothing else mattered but the feeling of his alphas arms around him. He kept his eyes on the man's face as they climbed up a set of spiral stairs and down another dark corridor. He wasn't sure where they were going but his answer came sooner than expected when Rick opened a door to reveal a grand room. A giant king-sized mattress stood to the center of on wall. It had a canopy above it with silk curtains and gold tassels. The rest of the room was adorned with little amenities like a personal bar in the corner and a grand marble desk in the other.
The alpha laid him down gently on the bed and then sat down beside him. Morty wasn't quite sure what was supposed to happen now but he was more than happy to simply stare at his mate. Never in a million years, would he imagine that his mate would be such a powerful alpha, let alone the Blood King. A moment ago, he had been afraid to even see the man but now he felt no trace of fear as the man leaned over him and placed a chaste kiss to his forehead.
"I'm sorry." Were the first words he spoke to his him and Morty's eyes widened slightly. The alpha was apologizing to him. "Why?" he whispered in response, looking into Rick's deep blue eyes. The man closed his eyes and pressed his forward against Morty's. "For not finding you sooner." He replied. Morty was frozen for a moment. For the past year, he had been desperately waiting for his mate to come to him with no luck. Now his mate was apologizing for it and they were together. Nothing else mattered. Before Morty could think about it, he was reaching up and cupping the man's face in his hands. "It doesn't matter…You're here now." He spoke quietly and the man closed his eyes once again. "What is your name?" he asked quietly without opening his eyes. "Morty." He replied and then it hit him. He pulled away from the man with wide eyes and slowly backed up the bed before lowering himself till his forehead was touching the comforter. "I-I'm sorry my lord. I've been improper." He stammered. In the moment, he had completely forgotten that he was a simple peasant talking to his king.
There was a moment of silence between them and then Morty felt a hand slip underneath his chin. His face was tilted up to meet the kings icy blue gaze. "There is no need for that between us. You are no longer a peasant. You are my mate. You may call me whatever you like and eventually, you will rule beside me." He replied and his deep voice sent shivers down his spine. There was only one thing Morty wanted to call him in that moment. "Alpha…" he whimpered, and in the blink of an eye, the king was on him.