Prologue
Caol’s eyes popped open, but all he could see was a thick head of hair. His face was buried in the dark blond mane as he spooned the male against his naked chest. He inhaled the familiar scent of his lover deeply as he nuzzled his nose farther into the wavy locks.
His lover who was also his beta servant.
His beta servant who was also, as it turns out, the unwanted son of a king.
His arm tightened across Beck’s chest and he shifted until his morning erection nestled between the crease of his beta’s muscular buttocks. A place he knew very well. A part of his beta that Caol had worshipped time and time again.
Was it wrong that the beta servant assigned to him so many years ago, when he came of age, had been his lover for almost as long?
Maybe, according to some. Like his late father, King Solomon. Or the current king, his eldest brother Kai.
But no matter how many times Caol, the fifth and youngest alpha-born son of the late King Solomon, promised he’d stop rutting with Beck, he couldn’t.
Truth was, Beck didn’t want him to, either. Even when Caol, with good intentions, sent Beck back to his own quarters in the beta servants’ section of the compound, Beck would sneak back into his bed in the middle of the night. There was rarely a morning that Caol didn’t wake up with the beta in his arms.
No matter what anyone said, the connection between the two, an alpha Selkie prince and his beta servant, just felt right.
They had a special relationship. A deep love and affection for each other.
While his brothers all had their own betas, who they loved and treated as part of their family, Beck had always been more to Caol.
No matter how many lovers Caol had, be it human, betas, and even forbidden omegas, he always came home to Beck.
His beta never said a word about it. He didn’t have to. After years—almost a decade and a half of being together—Caol could easily read Beck’s expressions and his moods.
Even when Caol would return reeking of another male, Beck would only give him a pointed look and then help him clean up.
He knew Beck wanted to be the only male in his life, but that wasn’t possible. Caol was obligated to find his fated mate, an appropriate omega to produce heirs. By law he was expected to produce pups. He couldn’t do that with Beck.
Quite simply because betas were infertile.
But also, because Caol wasn’t certain he could only be with one male for the rest of his days on this Earth and in the Great Sea. He wasn’t sure he’d ever be satisfied with just one. Even if it was the omega who was his fated mate.
Honestly, that scared him.
Not just due to the fact he should be loyal to his future omega, the future pater of his pups, but the fact he’d have to give up Beck. Not necessarily as his servant, but as his lover.
No, Beck looked forward to helping raise Caol’s sons, even if he didn’t whelp them himself. Caol knew Beck would treat any sons born to his prince as his very own. He would be fiercely protective and loyal to his alpha’s offspring.
That was another reason why Caol loved Beck so much.
While they never admitted to each other out loud how deep their love and devotion was, they both knew it was there.
When his father had sent him away for months to travel the globe, as punishment the king had ordered Beck to stay behind. His father knew it wasn’t the sending him away from his family that was penance, it was keeping Beck from Caol that would hurt him the most.
It had. And in those months during his travels to almost all the Selkie colonies around the world, Caol had gone a little wild in his loneliness. He had searched out companionship, even in the seediest corners of each colony. He had partaken in random rutting. Even with omegas in heat, completely out of their minds, begging for any alpha to relieve their suffering.
Caol—though he never admitted it to anyone, not even Beck—had done wrong. He’d rutted with omegas during their oestrus. Omegas who were not his. That was not only forbidden, but illegal by Selkie law.
Each pump of his hips... Every knot he gave an omega who was begging for the cooling effect of his seed... Every drop of cum milked from him as he gave these omegas what they cried for... was wrong.
He knew it when he did it. He knew it now. And he regretted every omega he bred. Even worse, he didn’t wait around long enough to see if any of those omegas ended up carrying his son.
He didn’t want to know. Because if they had, that was proof of his wrongdoing.
If the Royal Council ever discovered his misconduct, he not only could be banished, he could be put to death.
And that would just plain suck.
Chapter One
“You are the last unbonded son of Solomon, Caol. We need to stay on good terms with the Royal Council, so you must do your duty by taking a mate and it can’t be Beck. As much as you and Beck want that, it can’t be. So, I’m sorry, but you cannot take a beta as a bonded mate.”
Caol stared at his eldest brother, Kai. The current reigning King of the North sat behind a new, more conservative desk in the royal library with their beta brother and Kai’s assistant, Aegir, standing behind his right shoulder.
Aegir spoke up, “It’s true, Caol, the Royal Council is getting impatient. The Selkie Seekers have rounded up six omegas of noble blood to present. They keep contacting me to schedule a Presentation Ceremony.”
“I don’t want it.”
Kai leaned forward and growled, “You don’t get a choice.” He sat back, shook his dark head and ran a hand down his face, clearly in frustration.
Well, Caol was just as frustrated. “All of you have produced enough heirs for the throne. There’s no reason I need to.”
“It’s law.”
While Caol couldn’t argue that, he wanted to. But there was no point. “You say you don’t want to be like Father, but here you are, Kai...”
“This wasn’t Father’s rule, it’s the Royal Council’s. The law is written in the scrolls. You know that. We have put off the Presentation Ceremonies as long as we could. The Council accepted the delay while you were traveling and doing business for the Northern Colony. Though, they have no idea what that business was about.”
Over the past couple years, Caol had traveled the globe, visiting other Selkie colonies in search for more sons of Solomon who had been traded away because they weren’t alpha-born. It turned out to be a common practice in some kingdoms, though a highly-kept secret.
It was during one of those many trips that Caol found Aegir, Marlin’s full-blooded beta brother, in the Southern Colony. He also found Zander, Zale’s full-blooded omega brother, in Laurentia, who, unfortunately, had been taken and severely abused by a selfish alpha who was not his fated mate. And in the Caledonia Colony he found his own twin, Caspian, who was omega-born and had been sent away and separated from Caol solely due to his gender.
Three sons of Solomon, that they were aware of so far, had been traded like livestock by their own father because they were not born alphas.
Of course, there had been a fourth son. Douglass. But, thanks be to Poseidon, that beta was no more. He’d been tossed out to sea without his seal skin for the crimes he committed against their family, which included the murder of King Solomon, his own father.
Besides Aegir coming to live in the castle, Caspian had been brought home, as well. But because he was an omega, Caol’s twin remained on heat suppressants until he could find his fated mate.
Zander still lived with Meesha in the nearby town of Seaport. His recovery from the awful physical and mental abuse he’d experienced was a slow process and he preferred to reside with Kai’s former human nanny. They all took turns visiting him on a weekly basis, hoping one day he would join them in the castle.
Kai pulled Caol out of his thoughts. “We can’t keep putting it off, brother, as much as you would like to.”
“You put our brother and king in a precarious position with the Royal Council, Caol. He’s risked a lot already by accepting Nic, a hybrid, as Marlin’s mate. If they ever find out the truth...” Aegir dropped his head and shook it. He had a thick head of dark brown hair like the rest of them, clearly a trait their late father passed on to his offspring. He lifted it again and continued, “And we can’t forget that Nic was never branded.”
“And won’t be,” Kai added. “Neither will your omega, Caol. I won’t allow it. We must do everything we can to keep the Council off our backs and from demanding proof.”
“While I appreciate you taking a stand on the branding without the Council’s backing, I know I put you... us... for Poseidon’s sake, our whole colony at risk by delaying my mating.” Caol took a step toward the desk and his oldest brother. His voice caught when he whispered, “But I love him, Kai, I do. Now that the time has come, I don’t know if I can give him up.”
The king frowned. “The male loves you, too, that’s obvious.”
“It would be like taking Luca away from you.”
Kai’s blue eyes narrowed, and he shook his head. “No. Luca is my fated mate. Beck can never be that.”
“Maybe not fated, but he could be my mate.”
“No, Caol, he can’t. He can’t produce pups. We have discussed this numerous times, and honestly, I’ve become weary of the topic. My answer isn’t going to change. You must start the search for your fated mate. An omega,” he emphasized. Kai glanced over his shoulder and addressed their beta brother. “Contact the Seekers and schedule the first presentation.”
Aegir nodded, his navy-blue eyes, filled with sadness, on Caol. Being a beta, he knew what it was like to be in Beck’s shoes. While both were the sons of kings, neither were considered worthy of being royalty because of their gender. Betas were considered workers. Nothing more. They were forbidden to hold a royal title or rule a colony.
“You need to break it off with Beck. If I must, I can find you another beta servant. We could send Beck away to make it easier.”
How in great sea gods would sending his lover away make it any easier?
Caol’s chest tightened and he rubbed at the ache. “Kai,” he whispered.
Kai raised his palm to stop him. “If you don’t break it off, when the time comes that the fates find your mate, it may destroy him, Caol. Because whoever your omega ends up being, will not accept you continuing your affair with your beta. You’re being selfish by continuing this inappropriate relationship between the two of you.”
Caol opened his mouth, but Kai raised his palm again. “You two are more than just ‘family,’ Caol. We see it. We see your interactions with each other. Think rationally, please. Beta servant or not, Beck’s a part of our family. Just like Vin, Ford, Jordan and Kenn are. Believe it or not, we’re all concerned about how you becoming bonded will affect him.”
Out of sheer desperation, Caol said, “But he’s the son of a king.” Like that would make a difference. It wasn’t his bloodline that was the issue, it was his gender. His inability to produce pups.
Of course, he got the answer he expected. “It doesn’t matter.”
Caol closed his eyes, his fingers curling into fists at his sides. “If he was only an omega...”
“He’s not and never will be. Caol, I’m sorry, but as your king, I’m putting my foot down. This must end immediately. Don’t make me send Beck away.”
Caol opened his eyes and stared at his brother. He could see it in his oldest brother’s face. Not only the care and concern he had for Caol, but he could see the conflict, too. Kai was aware of how attached he and Beck were. But as king, it was also his duty to follow the laws, at least enough to keep the Council from isolating their colony by exiling it from under their rule. To have that happen could possibly destroy not only their kingdom, but their citizens. They would be forbidden from accepting new Selkies into their midst, to bring in new blood. Eventually, their future generations would be inbred, which would weaken their bloodlines, cause mental and physical issues and make them more susceptible to diseases. Their colony would surely die a slow death.
Caol did not want to be the reason for that tragedy. He did not want his admittedly selfish love to be the cause of the Northern Colony ceasing to prosper, or even the end of its existence.
He bowed his head in respect to his brother, his king, and forced the words past his lips. “I’ll do my duty and take part in the Presentation Ceremonies. The search for my fated mate can commence immediately.”
He forced his head up when he heard Kai’s sharp breath. His brother should look relieved and happy. He did not. He appeared just as disappointed as Caol felt. Kai was a good king. A fair king. He loved his brothers. He only wanted them all to be happy.
Kai knew this would not make Caol happy.
But they didn’t have a choice.
Caol had put his oldest brother between a rock and a hard place.
“I’m sorry, brother,” Kai said softly. “I love you and I love Beck. He’s been more loyal to you than you have been to him. I know this will hurt you both, but it must be done. I’ll let Beck decide whether he remains as your beta servant. If he decides he cannot, then you must let him go. Understood?”
Caol’s nostrils flared as he dropped his gaze once more to the floor. His guts twisted, and his heart pounded when he nodded. “Understood.”
“I love you, brother,” Kai whispered.
Caol nodded once more, turned on his heels without lifting his head and left the library without a backward glance.
****
Beck was on his knees, his arms encircling Caol’s thighs, his head pressed to his alpha’s stomach. “I cannot, my prince.”
Caol’s fingers combed through Beck’s hair, trying to soothe him, but it wasn’t working. Especially when Beck felt those fingers trembling.
This was killing his prince just as much as it was him.
“I cannot,” he repeated a little louder. “You cannot make me leave.”
“You don’t have to leave. Kai is leaving the decision up to you.”
“Kai is no better than your father!” Beck spat out.
“You know that’s not true. Father would’ve had you or me, or the both of us, banished. Kai would never do that. He’s being generous by letting you decide whether to stay as my beta or go elsewhere.”
“I love you, my prince. I do. I know we don’t say it, but you know it’s true. Because of that, I can’t go elsewhere!”
“Beck... I love you, too—”
“This is all because I was born the wrong gender!” Beck pushed to his feet and threw himself into Caol’s arms. “If I was born an omega, this wouldn’t even be an issue.” The prince’s arms circled him tightly, and Beck pressed his face against Caol’s neck. “I have been nothing but loyal to you. To this family.”
“I know,” Caol whispered.
Beck could feel and hear his alpha swallow hard. His voice shook as he whispered, “I don’t want to go.”
Caol hugged him tighter and murmured in his ear, “Then don’t.”
“I also don’t know if I can serve you every day and watch you be with someone else.”
Caol’s chest rose and fell against Beck as he inhaled deeply, then growled, “We never should have started this. I never should have started this.”
It started out as youthful exploration and fun all those years ago. Beck had been assigned to Caol as his beta when the prince came of age—which was similar to a human male hitting puberty—early at thirteen. But by the time Caol was sixteen, and Beck barely seventeen, they had begun to notice each other. Not in the way a beta and an alpha prince should. It started with brushing up against one another, as if by accident. Then finding reasons to touch when they were talking or standing close. They used any excuse for physical contact. Eventually, it turned to kissing. Then, as they got older, things became more serious.
They were each other’s firsts. But while Beck had no one other than Caol, Caol became what their race called a “Selkie slut.” He not only rutted with the betas in the king’s stable, he began to head to Seaport to find both human and hybrid lovers. He went a bit wild and was out of control by the time he was twenty.
Beck was never enough for him, but the prince always came home to him, no matter who he rutted with. Beck was the one who slept by his side night after night.
Except during those trips that King Solomon sent the youngest prince away on. Beck was sure Caol was rutting with others during his visits to other colonies. He’d been gone for months.
Beck had a feeling Caol’s uncontrollable sex drive was one way he was compensating for not having the love of a father. Or a pater, since his pater supposedly perished during his whelp. The king had been a cold and uncaring man, more worried about traditions and impressing the Royal Council, as well as other nobility, than caring about his own offspring.
He had pups because he needed to continue his royal bloodline, not because he wanted to have sons to love and cherish. Solomon did his duty as king and ruler of the Northern Colony and that was it.
Beck didn’t like what Caol did, finding others to fill a need, a gaping hole, that could possibly never be filled. However, because Beck was also born to a king that wanted nothing to do with him, he understood it. He accepted it.
Maybe he was a fool to do so. But he was a beta. Caol was an alpha prince. He couldn’t demand Caol to remain true.
After Caol returned from his solo travels over a year ago, he had seemed to settle down for the most part. He stopped seeking lovers in Seaport. He was no longer visiting the stable of betas. He never complained once when Beck would sneak into his bed in the middle of the night. No, Caol would awaken and take Beck as if he was his mate. They would find pleasure in each other’s arms.
Night after night.
Though, Beck secretly hoped he’d finally become enough for Caol, he should’ve known it wouldn’t last. Because according to Selkie law, Beck would never be an acceptable mate. Especially for a prince. Eventually Caol would be obligated to find his omega, to bond with his fated mate, and to produce sons.
The prince couldn’t do that with him.
And now, Kai had finally put his foot down. It was the youngest prince’s turn to have omegas presented to him in an archaic ceremony set up by the Selkie Seekers.
They couldn’t avoid it anymore.
They couldn’t ignore Caol’s obligation as a Selkie prince, as an alpha.
Caol needed to find his mate, or Kai would risk the Royal Council punishing the whole colony by banishing them all from the rest of the Selkie race.
Their selfish love could risk the lives of thousands of Selkies.
And neither he, nor Caol, wanted to be responsible for that.
“Can we continue until you find your omega?” Beck murmured against Caol’s throat.
“Kai wants us to... He wants us to break it off... now. Not later. But...”
Beck lifted his head and glanced at his alpha. “But?”
“I don’t see any harm in what you just suggested.”
“But if we continued, we’ll be going against the king’s order? That means if we get caught, it’ll be me who’s banished, my prince. I would lose everything. You. The opportunity to raise your sons. The only family I’ve ever known.”
Caol curled his fingers around the back of Beck’s head and pushed his face against his chest. “I’m sorry your family discarded you.”
The deep rumble of his prince’s words against his cheek sent warmth through him. “Like trash.”
And once again, he was going to be discarded. Unworthy of royalty. Not only his own father, the late King of Baltica, but his own prince lover.
“Again, I’m sorry we started this so long ago. I never expected what we began as curious boys to last so long.”
“Me, neither. But, my prince, there’s no one I want other than you. While you have had many, I’ve had no one else. My loyalty has always been to you.”
Caol blew out a ragged breath and it ruffled Beck’s hair. “I am sorry for that, truly. I cannot take back the actions of my past, Beck. I’ve come to realize in the past year or so that I’ve been very foolish. And careless. Not only with who I’ve rutted with, but with you. With your feelings. I cannot apologize enough.”
“I realize you needed to sow your wild oats, as the humans say, because you are an alpha. You needed to spread your wings before they are clipped when you find your fated mate.”
“You should’ve been enough for me,” he murmured against Beck’s hair.
Beck tried to keep the despair out of his voice when he admitted, “The truth is, whether I like it or not, I never will be.”
“So where does that leave us? Aegir is contacting the Seekers to schedule the Presentation Ceremony. What do you want to do, my beta? Don’t think of what’s best for me but do what’s best for you. I love you enough to let you go if that’s what you need.”
Beck squeezed his eyes shut, trying to hold back the tears, as he held onto Caol even harder. “I cannot leave you, my prince. I cannot. While I’m unable to whelp your sons, I can help raise them, love them as if they are my own. Because in a way, they will be. I’ll always love you, even if I cannot be in your bed.”
“I hate this,” Caol growled. “Holy Neptune, do I hate this with every fiber of my being.”
“You’re a prince, my alpha. You must do what’s best for your kingdom, for our colony. You must take an appropriate mate and produce heirs.” His attempt at sounding sensible was killing him. He was used to sharing his prince with others, but to no longer have him at all?
Finally, the first tear escaped and rolled down his cheek. He’d been able to contain them until now. Until the reality hit him hard that he would have to give up the love of his life. His true mate. Whether the fates agreed with that or not. Whether the king agreed with that or not. Whether the Royal Council agreed with that or not.
Beck knew it to be true.
Caol’s thumb swept over his cheek, brushing away the hot tears that now ran freely. He tucked his fingers under Beck’s chin and lifted his face. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen you cry.”
“How can I not? My heart is ripping in two.”
“As is mine, my beta.”
His alpha’s face was blurry because, once they started, he couldn’t stop those tears. “I’m sure I will come to love your omega just like Vin, Ford, Jordan or Kenn love your brothers’ omegas.”
“I’m not sure Kenn loves Nic as much as Vin loves Luca.... Or Ford loves Del... Or Jordan loves Finn.”
Beck sniffled, though he couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s true. Even so, whoever the fates decide is your mate, I will do my best to love him as much as you will.”
“I couldn’t ask for a better beta,” Caol whispered. “You could be bitter and angry, but you are not. Throughout the years, throughout my wild ways, you have remained loyal and true. I truly do not deserve you.”
“Well, you’re stuck with me,” Beck said firmly. He fisted his fingers in Caol’s shirt, but stepped back slightly so he could watch the prince’s face when he asked, “Can we...? One more time? Please?”
“If Kai finds out...”
“No one will know but us. I won’t stay all night. I’ll leave afterward and come back in the morning to help you break the fast like a good beta servant should. I’ll do what I need to do to serve my alpha prince and keep it at that. I promise.”
For Poseidon’s sake, if he’d known last night would be the last time to be with his prince, he would have treasured every second. He’d been exhausted and fell asleep quickly after they rutted, even with Caol still knotted inside him.
He would have forced himself to remain awake for the rest of the night.
If he’d only known.
So now, he needed to be with Caol one more time. If this was truly the last opportunity, he wanted them to take their time so he could remember every minute of it. “Please, my prince, please. Make me yours once more. I won’t ask this of you again.”
Caol dropped his head and brushed his lips over his. Beck grabbed his head and pulled him down, crushing their mouths together, encouraging Caol to kiss him harder, deeper.
With a groan, his alpha dipped his tongue in between Beck’s lips and began to explore the recesses of his mouth. His head slanted, sealing their mouths together tighter. The fingers he still had clutched in Caol’s shirt tightened, pulling him closer once more.
Disappointment swept through him when the prince pulled free. But his blood turned quickly from cold to hot when Caol asked, “Is the door to my quarters locked?”
Beck tried to keep his excitement contained as he said, “I will check, my alpha.” He rushed through the wing, made sure the door was securely locked and quickly headed back to Caol, who hadn’t moved an inch.
“We’ll also lock my bedroom door this time. I don’t want anyone finding us together.”
Beck nodded as he captured Caol’s hand and dragged him up the stairs to his alpha’s bedroom on the second floor.
He practically pushed Caol into the bedroom, slammed the heavy wooden door behind them, slid the lock home and then leaned against the door, eyeing his handsome prince.
“When I slip into your bed at night, you’re already naked. This time I want to watch you disrobe. I want to remember this forever.”
Caol’s blue eyes darkened as he turned to face Beck. “Suddenly my beta has become very bossy.”
Beck smiled. “And you will give me that today.”
Caol cocked a dark eyebrow. “I will?”
Beck nodded, his bottom lip caught between his teeth as Caol began to slip the buttons of his shirt free, his eyes clearly drawn to Beck’s mouth. Beck released his lower lip and then slid his tongue over it instead.
Caol’s hand hesitated halfway down his shirt. “Beta.”
Beck’s lips curled at the end and he tilted his head. “Yes, my alpha?”
“I don’t see you removing your clothes.”
“No, you don’t. I don’t want anything distracting me from you.”
Caol snorted softly, then continued unbuttoning his shirt. When it was loose, he dropped it off his shoulders, then tugged his undershirt over his head, letting that fall to the floor, as well.
The prince’s body was nothing short of spectacular. His shoulders were broad, his chest practically hairless but muscular, his stomach flat enough that a distinct six-pack was noticeable, his waist narrowed to lean hips. But below that...
Beck licked his lips again as Caol’s fingers began to unfasten his pants.
When they both discovered their attraction to each other all those years ago, they were practically boys. They were both gawky, skinny and immature. Over the years, they had matured and developed as Selkies should. His alpha becoming taller and broader, but Beck was no slouch. They both remained lean and muscular with all the swims they took together in the Great Sea.
Beck’s heart squeezed. He would also miss those special times. Once Caol found his mate, they would swim together instead. Beck would only be in the Royal Cave to assist his prince and his omega with their skins and help them after their swims. Just like the rest of the betas to the king and the princes did.
Betas were not invited on the royal couples’ swims. And Beck had never been included in the past when Caol swam with his brothers. They had found other stolen moments to swim together, when the others were occupied elsewhere.
Now that would end.
He pushed that sadness away because he shouldn’t be unhappy when his alpha was dropping his pants and his boxer briefs as well as kicking off his shoes and socks.
No, he should be remembering this for the future, since it would be all he’d have left of his lover. This last time. This memory of their last rut.
“I did as you demanded,” his prince’s deep voice washed over Beck, causing a shiver to skitter down his spine and his cock to rise. “Now what would you have me do, my beta?”
Beck’s heart began to race. “Will you leave it up to me?”
“That’s what you wanted, wasn’t it?”
Yes, it was. But still... His alpha giving up control wasn’t like him. But he was not going to complain. Or say no.
