Mated To Alpha Gregory

Lilith’s POV;

Ever since I got here, mealtimes have always been the same, just Adams and me. I couldn’t help thinking if that is how it was before my arrival.

I imagined if he ate alone or if there had been another woman, but almost immediately, I pushed those thoughts away from my mind because it was obvious that Lexi, my wolf, was beginning to feel jealous.

After Julia told me that it was time for dinner, she walked with me the same way she had always done, and surprisingly, there seemed to be a feast prepared on the table. I tried, but was unable to guess what was going on.

I hadn’t thought much about it when I noticed Ben walk up to me, grinning as he made to say something before another voice interrupted him.

“Brother! I never thought I’d get to see your face.”

I slowly turned around, the first word he had said registering in my brain. He had just called Ben his brother, and this wasn’t Adams, although the resemblance was uncanny. The only difference being that this one had very dark eyes, and his hair was bleach blonde.

For some reason, it seemed as though it wasn’t the first time we were meeting. But I couldn’t figure out where I had seen him before, so I shoved the thought behind.

“And you must be the damsel who successfully captured our brother’s heart.” His smile looked genuine, and his eyes tinged with warmth, unlike Ben’s own, which seemed like he was always up to no good.

“Your majesty,” he said, bowed slightly, and then straightened his posture. I realized that when he smiled, he looked even more like Adams.

“I’m Raoul, one of the Alpha King’s brothers. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. And apologies for missing your wedding ceremony, an error on my part.”

I nodded but said nothing. Just like a gentleman, he pulled out a chair for me, and I sat down, having thanked him quietly.

From my peripheral vision, I saw Ben texting on his phone. He was too engrossed in whatever he was doing to mind us.

Adams must’ve prepared a feast because he wanted me to meet his brothers.

“Brothers!”

This one had a loud voice, and both Ben and Raoul turned their faces to look at him as he approached us.

He patted Ben’s back, earning a glare from him, and fist-bumped Raoul. The thing I noticed was that all the brothers looked alike. This one had a small earring on his left ear and lots of chains on his neck.

“Bartholomew!”

“You must be the lady of the moment,” he said as he bowed. “Your Highness. Bartholomew Gregory, at your service.”

I nodded, then smiled slightly, noting how familiar he looked, though I thought nothing about it. I saw him turn to Raoul, and they began to chatter amongst themselves while we waited for Adams, who was uncharacteristically late. One thing I had known about him after spending almost a month with him was that he liked to keep to time.

While still keeping my expression neutral, I glanced around to take in my surroundings. Julia was still watching me from a distance. I couldn’t say why; could it be that Adams told her to do so? Ben was still engrossed in whatever he was doing on his phone; his brows pulled together in concentration.

“Our brother will come.” I glanced at them and realized that they must be talking about their last brother. I listened in on their conversation while fixing my eyes on the person walking towards us. From his gait, I knew that it was Adams and not another one of their brothers.

“Your Highness,” they all stood up as soon as he got to the table. Their smiles, except for Ben’s, who wasn’t even smiling at the moment, seemed ingenuine. Do they all desire to take the throne from him?

“Brothers,” he nodded curtly. “I’m sorry for coming late.”

“Common, you’re the Alpha King.” You’re allowed to be late.” The one who had introduced himself, as Bartholomew said with a smile,.

He sat down beside me, with the other brothers facing us.

“Our big brother isn’t here.” He stated it as a sigh expelled from his lips.

“Were you expecting him to be here? When he disappeared, leaving the throne to you?” Raoul said something incomprehensible under his breath. It was obvious that he didn’t want Adams on the throne.

“You want the throne?” I didn’t look up, but knowing Adams, I was sure that he was glaring at his brother.

“You’re still quiet today, my queen,” Ben said, and I glanced up at him. I wanted to tell him that I was fine, but I felt someone’s hand on mine and looked down to see that it was Adams’.

“Thank you for your concern, Adams said, but she is fine and does not need your help.”

He gazed at me, a small smile playing on his lips. “I want you to meet my brothers.”

“Brothers, I wasn’t happy that you all didn’t come to my wedding as a family. So, I believe I have to invite you all to dinner to meet the newest member of our family.”

“Isn’t she the one from the family of traitors? The one demoted to an Omega?”

It was Raoul’s voice. Honestly, I managed to keep my expression neutral, even though his words broke my heart.

I already knew that they were going to be thinking about that and was surprised that no one had mentioned it, especially Ben. I had assumed that they were all scared of Adams.

“Raoul?”

“Yes, Your Highness?”

“Have you been in the dungeons before?”

“Wait. Do you want to throw me into the dungeon because of a harmless question? Me! Your elder brother? I really do not blame you; it’s our elder.”

“Careful now, Raoul,” Ben interjected, earning a glare from him.

“The meal is going to get cold,” I said upon seeing how angry Adams was already.

Another figure walked towards the table. I frowned, wondering if it was the last brother. To my surprise, as he got nearer, I saw that it was Ronan.

“Alpha,” he said, bowed a little, pulled out a chair, and sat.

“What is this? You invited your Beta to a family dinner?” Raoul chuckled with disbelief as he glared at Ronan.

Adams ignored him and began to eat. I followed as well, but I still listened to Raoul lament about how he was going to ruin the reputation of the kingdom.

“I believe they’ve all introduced themselves to you,” Adams questioned, looking at me, and I nodded.

The dinner afterward went smoothly. I could still feel Raoul’s gaze on me, but I didn’t let that affect me in any way.

After dinner, Adams stood up and held out his hand to me, which I took quickly. Ben’s voice startled me.

“Brother, you should let your woman hang with us. She should get to know us, you know, as in-laws. Perhaps we could even give her some tips to make you happy,” he winked, his eyes still twinkling with mischief as always.

Adams ignored him, and we walked together towards the garden. From my peripheral vision, I could see Julia behind us.

“I’m sorry about everything. It’s just,” he rubbed his forehead, an action I’ve seen him do several times if he’s trying to tell me something.

“I don’t trust my brothers, any of them. They’re all like sharks, waiting for me to slip so they can swallow me. They don’t like that I’m in power.”

I said nothing but felt like telling him about the conversation I had heard earlier. The one where Julia said that Ben was going to reclaim his position soon.

“Anyway, I don’t think you should ever be alone with them. They’re up to no good.”

I nodded, and he continued. “You see, I’m the last of five brothers. When our father died, the next king should’ve been my brother, our eldest brother. But for some inexplicable reasons, he abdicated, naming me the new king.” He paused, making me wonder if the memory of that hurt him.

I was like that, too. A responsibility I didn’t want was shoved on me, but I had no choice but to take it.

“My brothers didn’t take it well. They begged, warned, and threatened me to give it up. I wanted to, but things kept happening that prevented me from doing so.”

I glanced at him to see the hurt in his eyes. “I love my brothers. I love them a lot, but this throne is like a curse. It’s drifting us apart from each other.”

“Your Highness!” Someone called out, making him halt in his tracks.

Ronan appeared in front of us and bowed.

“Here, your highness,” he said, handing over a sealed envelope to Adams.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

As soon as he saw it, his expression changed, and I needed not be told that whatever that envelope contained wasn’t good at all.