Ethan’s POV

​I was losing my grip on reality. I made a low sound in my throat, a growl that was pure wolf, as I reached for the neckline of her maid’s gown. I pulled the fabric down, exposing her pale, smooth shoulders. I didn’t wait; I buried my face in her neck, sucking on the soft skin there, marking her as mine before I even moved lower.

​"Mate..." she whimpered, and the sound of those words sent a jolt of pure electricity to my gut.

​I moved my mouth lower, my breath hot against her skin. I reached for the lace of her bra, popping her breasts free. They were perfect—firm, tipped with pink, and aching for my touch. I took one nipple into my mouth and sucked hard, swirling my tongue around the peak until she cried out, her back arching off the stone wall. I was going wild. A voice in the back of my head told me to be a gentleman, to take her somewhere soft, but I couldn’t stop. She was like a tonic in my blood, a drug I had been starving for my entire life.

​Casey moaned, a raw, needy sound, and she grabbed my hand, pulling it down and guiding it under the heavy fabric of her gown. Fuck.

​I slid my hand up her thigh, my fingers brushing against the silk of her panties. She was already dripping, the heat radiating off her making my head spin. I shifted her underwear to the side and tapped against her entrance. She was soaking wet, ready for me. I slid a finger inside, and the tightness of her made me freeze.

​My heart hammered against my ribs. She was so small, so narrow. Was she a virgin? The realization hit me like a physical blow. Pride, admiration, and a fierce, burning love filled me. Knowing I would be the first—the only one to ever touch her like this—made my wolf howl with possessive joy.

​I gently pushed my finger deeper, stretching her, and she gasped into my mouth, her legs trembling. I began to move in a slow, rhythmic thrust that mimicked the act of love, and we both moaned into each other’s lips. Our wolves were pouring through the bond, a symphony of need and recognition.

​She was driving me insane. Her small hands went for the zipper of my pants, her fingers fumbling with the metal, and I knew I was seconds away from losing all control. I wanted to take her right there, against the cold stone, but she was my mate. She deserved to be worshipped. She deserved a bed of roses, not the dirt of a training field.

​I pulled my mouth from hers, breathing hard, and gently withdrew my hand. I caught her wrists, holding them firmly. "No, baby," I gasped, my voice a wrecked shadow of itself.

​Her eyes fell, filled with a hazy, desperate lust. "Please... I want you. Now."

​"I know," I groaned, leaning my forehead against hers. "I want you so badly it’s killing me. But not like this. Not here."

​She swallowed hard, her chest heaving as her bare breasts brushed against my skin. "I’m a virgin," she whispered, her voice trembling.

​"I know," I said, kissing her brow. "And I want to be your first. I will be your first."

​"No!" she cried out, her eyes snapping to mine. "You don’t understand. If we don’t do it now... it will be too late."

​I frowned, my protective instincts flaring. "Why would you think that? Casey, look at me. I’m not going anywhere."

​She shook her head, tears welling in her sea-blue eyes. "I haven’t been honest with you. I’m not who I said I am. I’m not Casey... and I’m not a maid." She took a ragged breath, looking like she expected me to strike her. "I’m Princess Rebecca. The one your Alpha is supposed to marry."

​The world stopped. My eyes widened, my brain struggling to connect the beautiful, wild girl in my arms to the cold, political bride I had been dreading. This was Rebecca? The legendary healer? The woman I was supposed to marry in a deal of convenience was actually my fated mate?

​I was speechless, but she took my silence for panic. She gripped my shoulders, her voice urgent and raw.

​"I don’t want to marry your Alpha," she pleaded, her hands sliding back down to my waist. "I want you. Make love to me. Do it now. Cum inside me... I’m ovulating. If I get pregnant with your child, the wedding will be called off. They won’t want a spoiled princess. Then we can be together. Please... save me from him."

​I stared at her, my heart breaking and soaring at the same time. She wanted to ruin her reputation just to stay with a warrior. She was willing to give up everything for me, not knowing that I was the man she was trying to escape from.

​She became more desperate, her hands trembling as she grabbed my face and pulled me into another kiss. Her fingers went straight for my zipper again, struggling with it. She was ready to throw her entire life away, ready to sacrifice her honor and her future as a queen, just to belong to a man she thought was a nameless soldier.

​I kissed her back, but the weight of the frustration I’d felt all morning was gone. It was replaced by a surge of pure, golden joy. My wolf was doing backflips in my chest, howling at the moon even though it was broad daylight.

​I caught her hands, stopping her from unzipping my pants. I laced my fingers through hers, pinning her wrists gently against the stone wall on either side of her head. I pulled back just enough to look into those sea-blue eyes, which were now wide with panic and confusion.

​"Please," she sobbed, her chest heaving, those perfect pink nipples grazing my bare skin with every breath. "He’s going to claim me. He’s an Alpha... he’ll be cold, he’ll be cruel. I can’t let him touch me. Not when I’ve found you. If you mark me now, if you put your seed in me, he won’t want me. Please, let me be yours."

​I looked at her, my heart swelling until it felt like it would burst. I couldn’t keep the secret anymore. The irony was too beautiful.

​I leaned in, my lips brushing against her ear, my voice dropping to a low, possessive growl that made her entire body shiver. "I can’t do that, Rebecca," I whispered.

​"What?" she gasped, trying to pull her hands free. "You’re rejecting me? Because I’m a princess?"

​"No," I chuckled, the sound deep and rich with relief. I pulled back and gave her a slow, predatory smirk—the look of an Alpha who had just found his greatest treasure. "You don’t have to ruin yourself to escape the Alpha."

​I leaned down and captured her lips in a soft, lingering kiss, one that promised her a lifetime of worship. When I pulled away, I kept my eyes locked on hers.

​"You don’t have to run from him, because the man you’re standing with... the man whose scent is already all over your skin..." I paused, enjoying the way her breath hitched. "Is Alpha Ethan."