As Amber's father's eyes don't leave me, Alec's large hand slowly touches my waist before he pulls me to his side.

"You look stunning, little wolf," he whispers as he kisses my cheek. As our eyes meet again, most of my nervousness fades away.

"You are too, mister wolf," I answer, even if I did not really pay attention to how he was dressed.

As we part and both take our position on one side of the altar, facing each other, I notice how monarchial my mate looks in his apparel.

He wears a black morning coat with his family blazon and military status. He wears a gray waistcoat, which is perfectly fitted to his muscular body, and a white shirt. His marine blue tie makes him appear even more powerful than he is. Gray and black-striped trousers and black shoes are the last parts of his perfect apparel.

He's never worn that many clothes since I met him, and I wonder how long it would take me to undress him.

I seriously miss his body.

You should stop staring at me like that, or I'll never be able to wait to mark you, little wolf.

Alec's voice takes me out of my thoughts, and my cheeks blush.

I pass one of the strands of hair that were left free around my face behind my ear.

"Dear Blue Lakes Pack members. Dear Council members. We are all united tonight to witness the mating of Prince Alexander Joshua Grayson, heir to the Crown, and his fated mate, Olivia Selene Evans, firstborn of former Alpha Michael Evans. Miss Olivia Selene Evans chose Miss Katherine Amelia Landers as her witness. Prince Alexander Joshua Grayson chose Jackson William Willburg as his witness. I, King Gregory Emmet Grayson, will lead the ceremony," Alec's father states solemnly.

He moves his hand to invite Kate and Jackson to move to each of his sides. Then he takes my left hand and cuts it with a silver dagger. He then grabs his son's left hand and processes the same way. Finally, he takes both our hands after he puts the blade down. My bloody palm joins Alec's one, and he intertwines our fingers. Then, his father links our hands with a gray piece of cloth made of silk.

As our bloods melt with one another, a new power grows in me, and Alec stiffens. His eyes are glowing green.

Blood falls into the silver cup as our hands still bleed because of the silver blade's effects. A glowing silver light engulfs Alec and me when I hear the drops touch the cup.

I know this does not happen in usual mating ceremonies, and the loud gasps of surprise around us make me understand it is not a common event even among the lycans and royale bloodlines.

Before I can react, Alec moves fastly close to me and pulls me against him. His mouth crashes against the nape of my neck, and his fangs elongate to enter the thin skin. A burning sensation grows in my neck, and it soon rushes through my whole body. A warm liquid drools on my neck, and the metal smell fills my nostrils. The feeling is better than anything, and I can't prevent myself from moaning.

After a few seconds, Alec gently licks the wound, stopping the blood flow.

Alec lets go of my hand, and the piece of cloth falls to the ground. Strong hands grab my waist and lift me. I instinctively wrap my legs around Alec's waist.

My left arm finds its place around his neck, while my right hand ends in Alec's hair, and my head falls against Alec's shoulder. I turn my head a little, so my lips meet his neck. I bite his marking spot, my teeth growing inside his flesh. I hear people chatting around us, probably shocked at my move to mark him as usually only male wolves mark their mates.

I sincerely don't give a damn.

My guts know this is what I have to do. I move my head slowly after a few seconds, making sure not to be rough, and lovingly lick the wound.

I move, my arm still wrapped around my mate's neck and my right hand caressing his cheek.

"I love you, Alexander. I promise you I'll protect us from whatever is ahead of us," I speak, all the people surrounding us becoming blurry.

"I'll protect you with my life, Olivia. I love you," his husky voice whispers to me before his lips crush on mine. His lips are made of ecstasy. Our kiss is passionate, and I wish we were all alone for it to never end. Then, after what seems to be only a few seconds, but that probably is longer, a loud but amused sputter breaks our world of love.

I groan a little, annoyed by the action.

As I realize the stutter comes from the King, I blush a little.

"Well, that was... intense and surprising. But I suppose the wonderful light means that the Moon-Goddess blesses this mating. I won't tell you to mark each other as you obviously fulfilled this requirement," he chuckles.

"Maybe you could put your mate down, son," Alec's father says.

That's only when he mentions it that I realize I'm still wrapped around my gorgeous mate, like a koala would stick to its branch.

Alec puts me down as I unwrap myself. He brushes his hair with his hand and takes my hand. As I glance at my left hand, I notice that the previous bloody cut is already healed.

"Before we all enjoy a well-deserved meal and party, I would like to crown Miss Olivia Grayson, as she is Alexander's mate," the King says.

"Olivia Evans-Grayson, father," Alec says to his father.

"Olivia mentioned she would like to join our two names," he adds, facing the Council members.

"Alright. Do the Council members agree with Miss Olivia to be named Evans-Grayson and not only Grayson?" the King asks as he turns to the Council.

All the members nod in silence. Liana smiles gently at me, then at her son.

"Fine. Do all the members agree with Mrs. Olivia Selene Evans-Grayson to be crowned as Princess of the Royale family tonight?"

I nervously look at all the members, and my eyes stop on Amber's father. All the members agree with my coronation, except for Amber's father, who stays silent.

"Andrew. This must be a unanimous decision. Do you agree for Olivia to be crowned tonight, or do you want to wait a whole year?" Alexander's father addresses Amber's father.

He stays silent as he stares at me with insistence when his eyes finally stop on my belly.

"It seems the next generation of Graysons is already on its way. I won't go against the Moon-Goddess decision as she seems certain this woman has all it takes to become one of the royal family's members as she already blessed your son and his mate with a pup," he says, getting up.

As he comes closer to me, Alec pulls me to him, and Jackson takes a step forward. The King stops Jackson and lets Amber's father come before me.

Our eyes meet, and a mixture of anger and curiosity fills his almost dark eyes.

"You'll still have to introduce yourself more properly to the Council to gain our trust. Being a princess does not mean you'll have all Council members on your side... yet," he whispers to me. Alec groans at him, but I put my hands on my mate's forearm.

"I'll be happy to talk to the Council. This is the future Queen's duty to make sure the Council, and so our people, feel safe by our side," I answer him. Surprisingly, I am filled with confidence now that I see the man so closely. He is strong and clever, and his wolf radiates from him. However, I know I would win a fight against him. Selene was given to me to protect wolves and lycans against something much bigger than a Council member. I just needed to understand it, and this ceremony gave me what I needed to finally trust my wolf and me.

"Good to hear, Princess," he answers with a smirk. He then turns and goes back to his seat.

Liana gets up, bringing one large box with her.

The King carefully takes the cup and the piece of cloth that previously fell on the ground to empty the altar so his wife can put the box on it. The King sets the cup and the fabric inside as she opens the wooden box. The Queen takes out a crown that she approaches from Alexander. He bows his head so his mother can put the royale symbol on his head.

"Prince Alexander, here is the crown that is legally yours as our firstborn," Liana speaks loudly. Then, she takes a second crown from the box. This one is smaller and shines gray. It is not silver, but probably white gold. A large diamond is in the middle, shaped into a Crescent Moon form.

"Princess Olivia, we are grateful for the Moon-Goddess to grant our son such a beautiful mate. If you accept to take responsibility for our people and promise to be fair and kind and become a protective figure for our kind, come closer, please," she says to me. Her voice is incredibly sweet.

I take a step forward and bow slightly.

"That would be my honor, Queen Liana," I answer. It's not long before I feel the stunning jewel on my head. Liana lifts my chin slowly.

"Welcome to the family, Olivia. We've been waiting for this moment for so long," she answers before she hugs me. Then, she lets me go quickly to walk to her son.

"Welcome to the family, Olivia. May the Moon-Goddess ensure you have a wonderful and long life, Princess," Alec's father answers before he kisses my decorated forehead.

He then turns to the crowd.

"I think we can all go back inside to enjoy our beautiful guests' meal," he says before he claps his hands. The crowd cheers, and some gray and blue fireworks illuminate the night sky.

Before I can react, some hands take me away from Alec, and I have wet tears staining my skin as Kate cries as she hugs me.

"You're officially a princess, girl. I'm so happy for you," she sobs before I have other arms wrapped around me.

"My baby girl is leaving the nest. You were beautiful up here, Liv," my mother says, holding me tightly.

"I'm so proud of being your mother."

"Thank you, mum. You are the best mother I could have had," I answer, a little overwhelmed by all of this.

As I look for Alec, I notice he is still up there with his parents. I pass from hand to hand, members of my pack congratulating me. I spend minutes that seem to last hours thanking people for their kindness, telling them how proud I am of being born here and how thankful and proud of them I am. As people keep coming when others walk away to return to the packhouse, a loud voice clears the way before arms wrap around me.

"Okay, everybody. Let Olivia breathe, please. Go eat inside, and you'll have plenty of time to congratulate and enjoy her after dinner and during the ball. Let's go. Everybody moves," Elijah's voice shouts to the crowd.

Thank you, Eli.

I answer my brother after the crowd finally disappears.

You seemed to drown under the sea of arms around you. Think about using your aura, sis'. You're more powerful than anyone else, remember?

He laughs internally at me before he takes my hand and takes me a little apart.

Yeah. I still have to think about that. But, you know, twenty years of no wolf leaves some bad habits.

I frown and chuckle.

"Well, I enjoyed being the protective brother. I suppose I'll have to let this job to this guy for good," he says out loud as we join Alexander, ending our little private chat.

"You better take care of her once you're back at your place. Prince or not, I will kick your ass if anything happens to her," Elijah says to Alec.

"Don't worry, Eli. I told you from the start that I would take care of her. This was an oath, not just words. Thank you for taking care of her all these years," Alec answers with a smile before extending his hand to my brother.

"No problem, Alec," my brother answers before grabbing Alec's hand and shaking it.

"Try not to be too long. All eyes are on you. High school surroundings are not that far, and I made sure the place was empty. Just saying," Eli says as he lets go of Alec's hand and blinks an eye at him.

"Copy, Alpha Elijah," Alec answers before grabbing my hand. He starts to walk, and I follow him as Elijah walks back to the packhouse.

"Where are we going, Alec?" I ask my mate as he hurries his pace.

"Apparently, the high school," Alec answers quickly.

I stop him, and he halts before turning to me, his eyes questioning me as I sit on the ground.

"What are you doing, Liv?" he asks.

"Do you truly expect me to rush through our territory with these high-heels?" I answer as I'm about to undo my shoes. Alec crouches beside me, and one of his nails turns into a claw. He shreds the straps around my ankles.

"Done. No more shoes. I did not like them anyway," my mate says as he throws me over his shoulder. I clap my hand on his butt.

"They were my favorite, Alec," I say, laughing.

"Perfect. Then I think these shoes were beautiful and you'll buy as many as you want later. Right now, they were annoying," he answers, gently smashing my butt.

To my surprise, our way to the high school passed quickly. The road probably seems shorter as we spent the whole time exchanging words that definitely turned on both of us. My face being so close to his perfect muscular butt was definitely a great help for horny comments to escape my lips.

He walks to the school gym and opens the door. The place is dark as the moon is the only thing providing light through the windows. As he steps inside and closes the door behind him, he puts me on the ground.

"The gym?" I ask him, frowning.

"Reminds you of something, Mrs. Evans-Grayson?" he asks me with a smirk. I close the distance between us and put my hand on his far too-dressed torso.

"I vaguely remember sharing a moment with a man in a gym one day. He definitely wore fewer clothes than you do, Mr. Grayson," I answer as I unbutton his waistcoat.

"Vaguely? Seriously?" Alec asks me with a husky voice.

"Perhaps you could help me remember more clearly as I guess you were part of the thing," I answer with a suave voice, pulling his shirt out of his pants to pass my hands under it. My palms explore his torso, and thousands of sparks erupt in my body. Warm hotness already grows in my deepest core, my whole body craving for my mate.

Alec only makes a few steps, pushing me slowly, before my back hits the cold metal door.

"I can smell your arousal, little wolf," Alec whispers in my ear before kissing the mark on my neck, arousing me more than I already am. I pass my hand on the fresh scar on my mate's neck - the sign he is mine and only mine forever.

As I touch it, he moans before a growl escapes his throat. His right hand slowly moves down to end his way on my breast after he pushed the dress away. He cups my breast, caressing my nipple. This time, it's my time to growl with pleasure.

My lips find his mark, and I kiss it slowly. Alec stiffens under my action, and I can't stop myself from licking it.

"You're playing a dangerous game, Liv," he answers.

"You started it by taking me there, Alec," I answer, biting his ear lobe.

"But maybe you don't feel like playing the whole game?" I whisper in his ear.

Male ego.

That's the trigger all women should know how to play with, and that's the little lock I unlocked to free my mate's wild part.

As soon as the last words escape my mouth, Alec's hands run under my dress to meet my lace underwear. He pushes it aside, and his middle and index fingers enter my not-that-innocent core while his palm pressures my swollen clit.

"You have no idea how much I've missed your body, Liv," he says before his lips crash onto mine. As I part my lips with a moan, his tongue finds its way to chase mine.

The pleasure with Alec has always been something magic. But today, knowing that there's no threat lurking around us, at least for a moment, it feels even more extraordinary. My hands instinctively find the first buttons of his shirt to undo them.

Each thrust of his fingers stops me from unbuttoning his shirt as ecstasy grows inside me. My moans turn into groans, then into growls. I grab his hair, tussling them, as I can't do much more to stay on my feet.

Alec ends our kiss and stops his thrusts, taking his fingers out of me, licking my juices on them.

Frustration soon replaces my excitement.

"What if we end the game here, for now, little wolf?" he says with a smirk.

"Don't you dare!" I answer with a growl.

Before I can control myself, my hands are on his pants, unbuttoning them and pushing them down.

As soon as his manhood is freed, Alec grabs my butt and lifts me up. I wrap my legs around his waist, and it does not take a second before his thick length enters my wet pussy. Each of his thrusts meets my hips movements, the sounds of our bodies' encounters echoing in the empty gym. We are nothing but two beings enjoying their other half as if we've been apart for years.

His dick hardens as my walls always stiffen more around his manhood. And then it comes, the last long howl of relief as my whole body breaks with one deep and unbelievable orgasm. As I cum, I feel Alec's fluids filling my insides, knocking at my core one last time.

I put my lips on his, kissing him, throwing waves of happiness through our mind-link.

I love you, mate.

That's all we say simultaneously, the whole place around us being completely silent like nothing else existed around us.

If only it could stay like this forever.