Ascension Saga (Interstellar Brides): Book 4

The arousal had faded. I had begun to wonder if, after reaching nearly thirty years with no mate, my body had simply gone mad. For there was no mate to be found, only that scent. Elusive. I caught the barest whisper of it here and there.

I felt as if I were hunting a ghost. Or, worse, losing my mind.

And so I’d been curious to know the answer. Eager to find the one who had awakened me. Every time I searched my childhood home, I could only hope to

breathe in that elusive, addictive scent.

And in the days since, I’d grown frustrated—my cock only grew harder each time I caught the scent—my body more and more eager to fuck. To mate. To satisfy the female who’d been mysteriously taunting me.

The EMV came to a stop at the mansion’s entrance and I stepped from the vehicle into the cold air, my cock once again as it had always been, asleep. But there was a newfound eagerness in my steps as I made my way to the front door.

The servants greeted me and I handed my coat to a familiar face. Sometimes, it was good to be home.

Home. Perhaps, if I found a mate, I would return to the mansion and raise my children here, where my father could spoil them and my mother dote on them, lavishing them with a bit too much attention.

The idea of finding my mate consumed me, even now, as I went to face a traitor, I thought of her. Wondered what she looked like. What noble family she had been born to. For I had come to believe it was, indeed, a female who eluded me, for the scent of her mocked me from everywhere in this home. The library, my old bedchamber, even the coat closet. I was constantly aroused at my parents’ home and that made me crazy. I should be worried about this mole who had been caught, not eager to breathe in that mysterious sweet scent and have my cock rise once again.

For the first time in my life, I wanted to fuck. The desire had been dormant because… well, because. An Aleran male didn’t have his cock awaken until he found his mate. Before that moment, he felt arousal, but never got hard. I could stroke my cock and never find satisfaction or completion because my body was waiting for The One. But who the fuck was she?

I ran my hand over the back of my neck as I walked down the ornate hallway. My parents didn’t go for simple when they could show off their fortune.

I followed the sound of voices to my father’s office, strode in ready to beat the shit out of the traitor with my own fists. My pent-up energy needed an outlet and I was pleased a male without honor would provide one. Zel was dead, but this other… he would answer for his sins, or else.

I took in my father, my mother and three guards with their backs to me, all facing the long sofa positioned in front of the now-cold fireplace. If he wasn’t working at his desk—situated before the tall window that looked out over the property’s back lawn—he often sat there to read. This was his sanctuary and it was strange to see so many people within.

My mother heard my entrance and turned. “Thordis, I’m so glad you’re here.” She came over to me with her usual grace, put her hand on my upper arm. Her gray hair was pulled up into the customary bun, the lines in her face deeper than usual. Her lips were pinched. Her normally stoic face showed a mixture of worry and anger. “She was found searching through my bedchamber.”

I heard the word she and scented the dark forest at the same time. But this time there was much more than a hint of the erotic scent. My cock stirred, swelled. My body hardened into aching stone and my mind went blank. No longer just a male, I felt an instinct rise in me I’d never felt before. Powerful. Dominant. Ready to hunt…

Fuck it. Inwardly, I growled. I had to regain control. This wasn’t the time for my cock to—

“She?” I asked, confused, pulling myself together enough to pick up on that one word.

My mother turned and pointed. At her.

Long brown hair was coiled around her shoulders like the finest silk. Her eyes were large, a deep color that looked like sun-dried honey. Her lips were pink, and full. Ripe for kissing. And her gaze, when it locked on mine, was defiant. Rebellious.

My body, my mind, everything became consumed with one word. Mine. All I could think, all my brain, my body could consider was mine. Mine. MINE.

My mother stood between us, blocking my path to the female I was meant to claim, to fuck. And she was talking. Why was she still talking? “Yes, son, it was one of the maids. It was obvious she wasn’t cleaning beneath my desk in my bedroom, and when I asked her what she was doing, she said she was tidying.”

As my mother spoke, I stared at the maid. Her long hair was tucked behind her ears as if she weren’t vain, if style wasn’t a requirement. She was garbed in the simple household uniform, but it didn’t hide the swells of her breasts, the narrow waist. With her sitting, I couldn’t gauge her height, but she looked slight, as if I might be able to pick her up and carry her off to my bed without any strain.

It was her eyes though, the color of nature, that hooked me.

I didn’t see fear in their depths, as if she’d been caught and was afraid for her life. No, I saw defiance and a hint of… peace. But after a few seconds of staring, they widened, as if she hadn’t been surprised to be caught, but to see me. Something passed between us, some… current I didn’t understand, but my cock liked.

Her full lips parted and a pink flush crept into her cheeks. Goddess, she was lovely. My cock agreed. There was no question, no doubt, that she was my mate. The one I would keep safe and whole… mine. Forever.

And fuck! She was the mole, the traitor who’d been trying to have the princess killed. Her. She was responsible for the deaths of several Jax family guards. The one to drag our name through the mud with the media. It seemed impossible by looking at her. She was a maid, for goddess’ sake. Or was she?

My cock didn’t care who she was. What she was. My mind though, needed answers. And since the police had supposedly been called for, I needed them now before she was taken away.

I strode over to her, the Jax guards stepping back to clear my way. Taking hold of her arm, I tugged her to her feet and then across the room.

“I want to speak to her myself. Alone,” I called, but not turning to look at either of my parents. I didn’t give them time to argue, for we were through a side door and into the library before they could say a word. I shut the door behind me, spun her about and pressed her against it. Capturing her wrists, I lifted them up so they were by her head, my body keeping her pinned.

Fuck, she felt good. Soft in all the right places. Warm. And her scent. Yes, wild gardens, damp forests. She was what had been taunting me, awakening me.