CheckMate

Chapter Eight

Princess Francesca’s POV

His wolf is like none I’ve ever seen before.

Sure, that’s probably what every she-wolf says about her mate, but I’m not exaggerating in the slightest when I say it. Caterina leaps gracefully over a small stream to land beside him. The majestic, powerful Orion, who makes every other member of the species look like a scruffy stray dog in comparison.

His coat is a shiny light shade of tan. Different from any other Alpha wolf I have seen. His eyes are piercing blue, Gabriel’s aura shining through them as if he is the one who is truly in control at all times, even when he is at his most wild and animalistic.

He glances down at me from the side and I swear I have to hold Caterina back from purring like a damn pussycat. I bet that would really make him laugh.

His eyes dart straight ahead and he takes off like a bullet from a gun, his pace relentless as I struggle to keep up behind him. For some reason, I push myself harder than I have ever had to before. I feel this need to prove to him that I can match his presence and he doesn’t go easy on me in the slightest. He barely gives me a second glance as he powers on ahead, jumping over fallen logs and navigating this forest like it’s already his home from home.

Usually when I come out here, I’m tethered to a member of the king’s guard. They take my lead. They go where I go and there is not much pleasure in it for me. But right now at this moment, I’ve never known freedom like it. The wind echos through my fur, the fresh air awakens my senses, the challenge sends adrenaline pumping through my veins.

I don’t know how much time passes before he turns on his heels, leading me back the way we came before.

Orion slows down a few paces ahead to a stop in the thick trees by the edge of the forest and turns his huge head to meet my gaze.

I know what is about to come. It’s time for us to shift back, but to my surprise he doesn’t move.

He doesn’t hide.

He doesn’t turn away.

Those blue eyes stay with mine as the animal in him disappears and the man is left behind to take his place.

I watch as he stands there before me unmoving, the gentle sun radiating from behind him. It’s rays reaching out across the trees to create an atmosphere of warmth and sheer magic.

“I know what I said before… but I can’t wait any longer,” he says calmly into the empty forest.

I don’t need any further convincing.

I close my eyes and let my human form come through to the surface.

When the transformation is complete, I smile gently at the sun that warms my skin.

I open my eyes and I feel a rush like no other.

The look in his eyes as he takes all of me in, has my heart thumping with both pride and delirious joy.

The emotions emanating from his powerful presence wash over me like a tidal-wave and and I can feel them all individually as if they are my own.

His desire.

His adoration.

His love.

We are both completely hypnotised by one another.

My eyes drift over his broad shoulders and arms that curve and dip like a heavenly masterpiece, sculpted by the Goddess herself. I gulp as my eyes move down his chest, which is moving rhythmically like mine, and down those abs that cause my gaze to linger for just a moment. And then I let myself go lower. The sight of his manhood causing deep, burning longing to soar through me. My body responds instantly, sending pleasurable tingles to rest at my throbbing, wet core.

My clit aches to be touched.

My skin burns underneath the surface.

Despite my previous se.xual experiences, I have never shared a more intimate moment with a man.

He takes a step forward, his crystal eyes filled with inexplicable desire and need as they drag over me from a distance.

It’s then that I see the small tremor of his hand.

The small vulnerability reminding me of the man who shares a body with this divine being.

He takes another few steps towards me and stops in place.

“Gabriel…” I breathe out slowly as his eyes trail over me once again slowly. “How do you feel right now?” I ask, my chest rising and falling gently. I need to know if he feels this intensity as much as I do.

The quiver in his hand stops as his eyes find mine.

“Jealous…” he answers.

I stare back, furrowing my brows in confusion, lifting my hand to brush the hair from my face delicately. “Jealous?” I ask hesitantly, worried that our conversation from earlier isn’t over.

He nods.

“Of the hand that touches your cheek...”

I gasp lightly as it falls back gently to my side.

He takes another step closer.

“Of the hair that drifts across your lips.”

I tilt my head to the side to let the soft breeze capture it.

“Of the sun that caresses your skin...”

I swallow nervously as he takes another few steps, coming to a stop in front of me.

“And how do you feel, Princess?” he whispers, lifting his now strong, steady hand to rest it on my face.

I close my eyes and breathe in deeply before looking up into his eyes.

“Alive.” I whisper in return.

Suddenly, I hear the sound of twigs breaking and trees rustling and my eyes dart to the side to see four members of the king’s guard step into the forest.

I throw my hands up across my breasts automatically and Gabriel pushes me behind his large frame as he turns around in a rage.

I gasp as the forest floor rumbles beneath our feet and let out a small yelp in surprise when a large tree breaks in half, sending its once solid trunk crashing to the ground in front of us.

The noise rings out all around as the tree settles in place, it’s large, leaf- filled branches disguising us from our audience.

A burst of air leaves my lungs.

I should be afraid after what just happened, but I’m not. I feel… exhilarated.

Gabriel turns to face me, his eyes drop down to the floor, the trembling hand stills and he clears his throat, holding his head high.

“Sorry, Princess.” he says calmly, but I can see there is doubt lurking in his eyes.

“Don’t apologise.” I say, taking a step towards him. “Never apologise to anyone for the power that you have inside you.”

I take his hands in mine, holding them together as I lift them gently to my lips.

His brows knit together and his body relaxes as his forehead rests against mine.

Despite the interruption, we are being drawn together again like magnets and neither of us can take it much longer.

“Princess!! Princess are you okay? The king requires your presence… and yours, Commander Knight!! Princess??” a voice asks worriedly, breaking the tension in the air.

Gabriel’s eyes scrunch together tightly and he steps away from me, placing his hands behind his head before he opens them again.

“I’ll be back with your clothes.” he nods respectfully, turning to walk towards the king’s guard.

I wait for a few seconds before I creep over to the tree, watching through a gap in the leaves as his naked body strides towards the men waiting there, standing to attention.

“Every single one of you… leave.” he says with quiet dominance.

No one questions his authority. They turn and walk ahead of him back towards the castle gardens.

I step a few paces back and hold my hand over my chest, shaking from the intensity of everything that has just happened.

***

Alpha Gabriel’s POV

I straighten up my tie in the mirror before grabbing my suit jacket and pulling it over my shoulders. I check my watch to see I still have ten minutes to spare before I need to be downstairs.

It’s only been a couple of hours since I saw her last but it feels like too long. After our run in the forest, I couldn’t help but let my guard slip. I shifted back into my body and I was frozen, unable to move until I saw her. All of her.

To my f*****g sheer delight, she didn’t leave me wanting.

I can still picture her standing there now, her wild red hair floating in the breeze, her pale skin reflecting a perfect golden shade in the sunlight, her warm hazel eyes, her round pert breasts, the peachy-pink colour of her hardened n*****s, the curve of her shapely ass…

I could go on an on. Every part of her is now ingrained in my mind and it’s an image that will never go away. Even if I lose my f*****g wits, even if I grow to be a senile old man, l’ll never forget it.

She’s mine, and I knew at that very moment, that she would be forever.

I lift the bottle of scotch from the top of the dresser and pour some into a glass which I lift up before walking over to the window to look out over the palace grounds.

My eyes are drawn to the maze of tall hedges and beyond to the forest which is growing darker under the setting sun.

“Hey man, you ready?” Rhys asks, his voice entering my brain through the mind link.

“Yeah, come in.” I answer, standing still as the door opens behind me.

“You alright?” he asks as he walks across the room, I nod at the bottle of liquor and he pours himself a glass.

“So, any more ideas what tonight is all about?” he asks tugging at the top button on his collar.

“No, the king said we were to be ready for dinner this evening. Apparently he has a surprise for Chesca and I.” I answer, turning around to face him.

He raises his eyebrows and takes a swig from his glass.

“Sounds good… I can’t believe it man. We come here for a mission and you end up part of the royal f*****g family. Only you Gabriel,” he smirks as I chuckle in return.

“It has been a bit of a whirlwind, I won’t lie.” I answer, Chesca’s beautiful face in the forest popping into my head all over again.

“Did some digging… like you asked.” Rhys states quietly, setting his glass down on the table.

“And?”

“Griff is pretty popular with the King’s Guard but tends to keep to himself. He doesn’t really party or drink with the other soldiers. Doesn’t have many women around. He keeps a low profile unless he is giving out orders.”

I nod as he lists the information.

“What about his relationship with the king?”

Rhys shrugs.

“Not much to report there… most of his duties centre around training. He isn’t party to a lot of the royal meetings that happen in the castle. Commander Wade is the king’s main advisor.”

He stops for a moment and looks around awkwardly, clearly trying to chose his words carefully for what he is about to say next.

“Rhys… just spit it out.” I order authoritatively, preparing myself for the anger that is surely about to hit any minute now.

“A lot of people seem to think that he and the princess are an item. They spend a lot of time together. He is able to go to parts of the castle that no one else can, including her own private wing.”

I toss the drink back and wince slightly as I slam the glass down on the window sill.

She said that there is nothing between them. That their acquaintance was nothing more than friendship, but as I’ve learned over the years, there is no smoke without fire.

“Listen Rhys, I want you to keep an eye on him. Keep pressing the guards for information carefully. There’s something not right about this asshole. When I get the chance I’ll do a search of his room. See if it turns up anything.”

Rhys furrows his brows as he shoves his hands in his pockets.

“Of course, Alpha… but you could always tell the Princess we are watching him. You could ask-“

“No.” I interrupt quickly.

He looks at me questioningly.

“She once told me that the royal court was like a game of chess. So we play the game. We move in silence until it’s time to say f*****g checkmate.” I state, buttoning my jacket and putting my game face on. “Let’s go.”

We make our way down the palace stairs and we are greeted by some royal servants who direct us towards the palace entertainment room.

We step inside to see that is is a scaled down version of the ballroom with the same elaborate decor. The only difference is it’s smaller size and the fact that it is filled with strategically placed items of furniture for both conversation and relaxing.

“Ahh Commander Knight. It is good to see you again.” the king smiles before I bow to him respectfully.

He shakes my hand and nods at Rhys in turn.

“My invite was very mysterious, I know, but trust me, it will all become clear soon.” he laughs as he gestures to his servants to fetch us some drinks.

I smile in turn as my eyes scan the room. It’s filled with a few faces that I recognise and others that I’ve never seen before. Commander Wade is here, of course, along with other high ranking members and then I notice Griff by the entrance at the other side of the room. He looks on edge and keeps glancing over his shoulder.

His behaviour immediately has me suspicious.

“Don’t take your eyes off that fucker.” I state to Rhys through the mind link as the king launches into stories about the expensive paintings and artefacts around the room. I feign interest as he points to a suit of armour in the corner of the room. It’s a human artefact of course, so I’m not all that bothered. It’s what he says next, that peaks my interest.

“I hear you went for a run with my daughter today.” he states outright, studying my reaction.

“That’s right, Your Majesty. Our wolves were eager to meet as I’m sure you can imagine.” I say carefully.

It’s then that it dawns on me that I have completely no idea about his mate situation. Before I made the journey here, I heard that the queen died a long time ago but I have no idea how it impacted on the kingdom or the family.

I guess Chesca and I still have a lot to learn about each other after all.

My thoughts are interrupted when the doors to the room are opened wide and I am f*****g dumbfounded to see my parents standing there looking back at me.

“Your face is a picture, kid!” my dad’s voice enters my mind through the mind link and I can’t help but grin at him as he and my mom make their way into the room.

Despite the grandeur of this palace, the presence of the king, along with the highest ranking wolves in the country, neither of them look remotely intimidated.

Of course they don’t.

This is f*****g Kade and Annie Knight we are talking about.