The Rightful King

Scott/Robbie | 004

Scott

            The day had gone quite smoothly if he was being honest with himself. Inviting fifteen people into his home for an indefinite amount of time was a little disconcerting, but nothing that he wouldn't eventually get used to.

Scott wasn't quite sure he'd ever get used to the idea of looking for a mate.

Being mated wasn't an entirely new concept, of course. The continuation of the Wilkey bloodline almost entirely rested upon his shoulders (that's not to say he doesn't have siblings; they just weren't legitimate and therefore didn't really count) and he was an Omega. He had mostly expected for an Alpha to be chosen for him, have a few children, and spend most of his time bedding pretty Omega maids and his Alpha guards while his husband had his official concubines. But now his father was dead, and therefore unable to choose someone for him. Which meant he got to pick for himself.

Despite the limitations put upon him, like picking between fifteen people, he still got to make the decision. That was much more than most royal Omegas ever got.

So yes, it had gone well. He had briefly introduced himself to each of the Suitors, and they all had such distinct personalities, but only a few stuck out in his mind.

Particularly an Alpha named Allen.

His Council had gotten to choose the Alphas that he was inviting to the Palace (despite the random drawing that they had advertised), and most of their choices had been obvious politically speaking, but Allen's parents were also socialites who were renowned for their distaste for the Crown. They were highly conservative in their values, from believing in monogamous mating to the notion that Omegas and Betas were the "weaker" ranks. He had no idea if their son shared these values, but he wouldn't last long in the Palace if so. Scott had no use for monogamy or the idea that he should submit to an Alpha just because of his disposition.

A knock on the door to his chambers interrupted his musings. He stood up from his bed, slipping on a silky robe over his pajamas to maintain some decency, before going to answer it. He wanted to be annoyed that his night was being interrupted, but perhaps it was someone seeking to warm his bed tonight. A cute little Omega maid had been eyeing him today, hiding behind fluttering lashes and red cheeks.

Colin was standing at the door.

The first thing that hit him was the bitter scent of angry Alpha. It had him tensing up, instinctively wary of the person before him. Scott didn't bother with trying to invite Colin inside, clearly the Alpha wasn't here for a good time, and he didn't want the scent stenching up his room. "Yes?" He questioned, leaning against the doorframe.

"Explain this." He growled, pushing what seemed to be a magazine toward his chest.

Scott clumsily took it, too shocked by the informality to even scold him, as his eyes scanned over the cover. The headline, "The New King's Secret Lover?!" was printed in bold letters across the top. This wasn't too terrible, gossip magazines were constantly speculating about his love life, constantly grasping at straws for anything to talk about. No, it was the cover picture that was incriminating. It was of himself, on his back, the black sheets of his bed framing him as he stared into the camera through hooded eyes. His lips were kiss-swollen, and his shirt unbuttoned, a hand that wasn't his splayed across his pale chest. A rather pretty picture, he remembered Colin taking it, but he didn't think it was so pretty printed onto glossy magazine paper. The red arrow pointing out Colin's mating band on his ring finger wasn't so pretty either, nor were the words speculating him sleeping with mated Alphas.