CheckMate

Chapter Four

Alpha Gabriel’s POV

I try knocking on the door again but there is no reply. “Go inside!!” “I can’t go inside Orion. Shut the hell up!” “You can go inside. She’s our mate!! She’ll be pleased to see us!” “I said no.” “You're such a f*****g kill joy Gabriel. For once in your life, listen to me. I know what I’m talking about.” “Orion, I’m not going to just barge into her room."

I lift my hand and knock the door again.

“Hey, are you alright there Gabriel?” a voice asks me from the end of the corridor.

I turn my head to see Griff standing there wearing his tux with his hands tucked into his suit trousers.

Shit.

It probably looks suspect as f**k, me standing in the middle of the women’s corridors practically beating someone’s door down. I can’t bring myself to care though, the truth is that I couldn’t wait any f*****g longer.

Since the minute that I met her today, I’ve been on tenterhooks until I could see her again.

She’s everything I dreamed she’d be. I hardly know her and I'm already spellbound. There’s no denying it.

I’ve spent the past couple of hours recreating the image of her in my mind over and over again. Her soft porcelain skin with a sprinkling of cute feminine freckles. Her bright hazel eyes that lean more towards green than brown. Her fiery red hair that curls gently down by her elbows.

She’s absolutely stunning in every way. So much so, I’m ashamed to say I’ve had a tough time keeping my thoughts gentlemanly.

I can’t help it when I’ve waited so long for her. I’ve been waiting to meet my mate for years and now that I have, it’s like a part of me has now been unlocked and I have no f*****g clue how to handle it.

The mate bond is a gift from the Goddess and it now means more to me than anything else in my possession. From a young age, my parents instilled in me the importance of embracing the bond. Their own love story taught them that the Moon Goddess doesn’t make mistakes when pairing wolves together. I listened to them. I took it seriously, as I have done with everything else in my life, and I waited patiently for the day to come.

Now it’s here, I’m like a crazed lunatic.

“I’m fine… I’m just looking for someone.” I eventually reply as he walks towards me with a smile on his face.

“Who are you looking for? Maybe I can help.”

I drop my hand from the door and turn to face him.

“Juliet Woods.” I answer honestly. “She’s my mate.”

He lets out a laugh and shakes his head in disbelief.

“Really? Juliet?” he asks in amusement.

“Yes. Why?” I ask, as Orion snarls defensively in my head.

“Nothing… it’s just... I know her and she’s a handful. Good luck to you man!” he answers slapping me on the back.

I furrow my brows and my fist tightens automatically.

“What do you mean?” I grit out between my teeth.

His expression changes immediately when he takes in my serious demeanour. I’m usually calm and collected in most situations but this flood of conflicting emotions is like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I swear if I didn’t have as much control of Orion as I do then he would have taken a swipe at Griff already.

“I just mean she’s feisty… I’m sure you’ve noticed already if you have spoken to her for more than a nanosecond.”

I furrow my brows in confusion.

Sure, my mate seemed to be able to handle herself, but I wouldn’t say she came across as a handful.

I suppose she’s still a stranger to me and, if I’m completely honest, I don’t know a single damn thing about her.

“She’s not a stranger!! She’s our mate!” Orion growls out in my head, unhappy with my train of thought.

Truth be told, his mood has been foul since I let her walk away from us earlier today, but what was I to do? Order her to stay by my side when she has her own duties to attend to? I wouldn’t stand in the way of her doing her job if it’s what she wanted.

“Listen Lover Boy, l got to go head up protection duty but I’m sure Jules will be at the ball. The princess doesn’t go anywhere without her.” Griff grins in amusement.

I nod my head as he pats my back sympathetically and walks off down the hallway.

I head back the way I came, finding the staircase that leads to the warrior portion of the house. These rooms are reserved for high ranking King’s Guard members only.

“There you are! Any luck tracking down your mysterious mate!?” Rhys asks, meeting me halfway down the corridor.

“No… she wasn’t there but Griff said she will be at the ball.”

“They let servants into the ball?”

I scowl at him in return.

I have no problem with her position in life, but hearing someone call my Luna a servant has my wolf raging in the back of my mind again and I can’t say that I enjoy it either.

“I didn’t mean it like that, Alpha… she’s my Luna. I understand that, of course.” Rhys adds, correcting himself.

“It’s fine, I know what you meant.” I reply impatiently. “Come on… we need to get to this ball now.”

***

“Champagne sir?”

I nod my head and lift a glass from the tray as Rhys follows suit.

“Damn, we have been to some fancy ass balls over the years, but this really takes the cake.” he chuckles as we both take in the surroundings again.

The Grand Ballroom is decorated in a similar style to the rest of the palace but is elevated tenfold. Enormous chandeliers with thousands of sparkling crystals hang above our heads like imposing balls of light. Intricate gold paintwork designs snake their way up the walls creating mind-blowing patterns that seem to confuse and intrigue the eye all at the same time. Heavy, amber curtains drape over the wide glass doors that lead out onto the huge balcony that wraps around the palace walls.

The coloured artwork that adorns the high ceilings is in perfect contrast to the white and black shiny floor that resembles a marble chessboard.

“Yeah… you don’t see this every day.” I grin as I lift the glass to my lips.

“Imagine this was your home… how crazy would that be?”

“Crazy.” I reply, furrowing my brows again.

It suddenly dawns on me that I’ve been so excited about seeing Juliet again that I haven’t even considered how she would feel about leaving this place behind.

Does she have family here?

Would she want to leave with me?

I shake the unwelcome thoughts from my head.

“Holding it together?” Griff’s voice asks from behind as he walks towards us both.

“Just.” I reply honestly as I finish the rest of my drink.

“This calls for something stronger. Whiskey?” Rhys asks, raising an eyebrow.

I nod in agreement as he turns to Griff questioningly.

He refuses.

“No thanks. I’m on duty tonight.” he answers before Rhys disappears to find something to settle these f*****g irritating nerves.

“You’re not used to this are you?” Griff observes with a smirk.

“No.” I answer bluntly, pinching the bridge of my nose. “When do the Princess and her ladies arrive?”

“Soon- well actually, speak of the devil… you're on, Lover Boy.” he chuckles, nudging my arm.

I look up eagerly to see him nodding his head towards the large staircase straight ahead of us where a woman is walking down the steps carefully.

I watch as she walks, eventually reaching the bottom step where she stands with her hands clasped in front of her.

“I have to give it to her… I never thought I’d see the day Jules had a mate. A respectable one at that.” Griff smiles encouragingly. “I wouldn’t go over there yet though. She’s still working.”

“What are you talking about? That’s not Juliet…” I say in confusion, examining the woman with the blue dress once again.

It’s then that I realise that she is the woman who my mate was with today, but suffice to say I didn’t catch her name.

“Uhh… I can assure that that woman is Juliet Woods. Trust me.” Griff replies, looking at me as if I’ve lost my f*****g mind.

“No it’s not… Juliet has hazel eyes and she has red hair.”

Suddenly, his jovial smile fades from his face and he stares back at me intently.

“Red hair?”

“Red hair.” I answer, looking back into his challenging eyes that are growing narrower by the second.

The room falls into silence.

The double doors at the top of the grand staircase open wide, causing everyone to stop in their tracks.

The stare down between Griff and I ceases as my eyes are drawn upwards like magnets.

“HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, PRINCESS FRANCESCA ISADORA VIOTTO CONTI.”

The voice disappears and is followed by the sound of footsteps.

And then she appears through the doors.

The Princess.

My mouth suddenly goes dry. My mind goes blank and I stand there staring for what seems like a lifetime.

If possible she looks even more beautiful than before. Her red hair is pulled up into an intricate hairstyle, with delicate tendrils dancing around her beautiful face. Her small frame is hugged by an impressive gown that makes her look like the perfect picture of elegance and class.

I take a step forward.

She takes a step forward.

She looks over the silent ballroom and her eyes meet mine from afar.

I’m completely frozen in time. Stood still in a moment that is sure to stay with me for the rest of my life.

She smiles softly and I swallow in reply.

I watch as she moves towards the stairs, her hand gliding over the golden marble as she makes her way down slowly.

Before I realise it, I am walking towards her. My eyes never leaving hers for a second.

In my peripheral vision, I can see the crowded ballroom watch my movements with burning curiosity.

I don’t even spare them a second glance. They might as well not even be here.

All I can see is her.

The scent of her fills my nose the closer I get.

Orion is barely hanging on by a thread and I have to keep shoving him back so I can focus on moving my feet.

I stop in front of her at the bottom of the steps and bow to her in a show of respect.

My mate.

My princess.

“Your Highness.” I say gently, standing back up to place my hand out in front of her.

A slow smile spreads across her face and her eyes sparkle under the light of those crystal chandeliers.

She places her hand in mine and the sparks ignite. Spreading over my body like blazing wildfire.

All the while, I hold those hazel eyes in my gaze as I bring her hand up to graze against my lips softly.

Suddenly, a hand lands heavily on my shoulder and I’m broken from my trance unceremoniously.

“You do not have permission to touch the princess. Remove yourself at once.” Griff’s voice grits out quietly.

The ballroom is eerily silent.

My mate furrows her brows worriedly but I only smile at her gently in return before turning around to face him, shrugging his hand from my shoulder as I go.

I step towards him and look into his eyes unwaveringly.

My aura grows as the power inside of me collates. His challenging gaze falters as the lights begin to flicker ever so slightly around us and the floor begins to rumble gently beneath our feet.

The crowd begins to whisper amongst themselves, a few gasps permeating the frosty tension that hangs in the air.

“What are you?” Griff whispers, his eyes growing wider.

“STAND DOWN COMMANDER GRIFFIN.” a commanding voice then sounds from above.

My concentration breaks.

I look up to see King Stefano watching us intently.

“COMMANDER KNIGHT… YOU MAY PROCEED.”

Griff’s jaw tightens but he takes a step backwards and bows his head in acceptance.

I turn back towards the princess who has a look of worry etched across her beautiful face.

I take her hand in mine again and gently rub my thumb over her soft skin.

The action seems to relax her just a little and I watch as her shoulders fall down a fraction.

“May I have the honour of this dance, Princess?” I ask carefully.

She nods regally and holds her head high as I lead her down through the curious onlookers into the middle of the empty dance floor where the music begins to play, just for us.