Within their dreams (Reverse Harem)

Chapter 6

Leo's POV

When Owen waltzes into my office grinning, I'm overwhelmed by her scent. It pours off of him in waves, invading my space until I can't concentrate on anything else. I don't bother looking up, refusing to react to him despite the smell of caramel mixed with the slight tang of her arousal making me dizzy.

I stare at my computer screen, the words merging together in a blur.

"Need something, or are you just going to hover?"

"Are you jealous, brother? After all, you had her to yourself not too long ago."

"Not jealous, bored. If you want to brag about your conquest, please do so elsewhere. I have work to do. Clearly, you're choosing to ignore your own duties in favour of a warm pussy."

"She's our mate, asshole. And I left her because apparently I was urgently needed at the palace. Care to explain why that is?"

My right eye twitches. I ignore his question, flicking my eyes away from the screen to look at him. He's dishevelled, the buttons of his shirt buttoned wrong and his hair falls across his forehead messily, covering his eyes slightly. Another eye twitch.

"You fucked her." It was a statement, one that we both knew was true. My stomach tightened when he grinned, closing his eyes briefly as if he was reminiscing. White hot anger flooded my body as if I was on fire. I shouldn't feel jealous, especially when I'd felt her core clench around my fingers as she came. But I hadn't had sex with her and part of me was angry I couldn't be there to share in that experience with him. I pushed the anger down however, annoying myself for feeling this way. I wasn't planning on having a happily ever after with her, not when she's human. But then my mind wanders back to that moment in the alley where she seemed anything but.

No, I'd kept my distance from her for a reason. Although despite ignoring her texts and no longer frequenting the human realm to catch a glimpse of her, she never fully left my thoughts. I instead spent the time trying to find out everything I could about Ivy, searching for something that answered what happened that night, or the reason her scent smelt every so slightly other.

So far, I've found nothing. Ivy was an orphan, though I couldn't find anything on her birth parents. She was abandoned outside a fire station, where she was sent to a group of foster homes to grow up until she eventually moved into the tiny flat she now resides in. Everything about her life screams normal. She has the same routine every week and barely speaks to anyone other than her neighbour or boss. Her life is so utterly, mundane and human. Which makes the entire situation even more infuriating. If she was more, then maybe I'd consider completing the bond. As it stands, there's no good reason for me to accept her as my mate, especially when it means bringing her here. The council would eat her alive if they discovered she was human, and force me to choose another before officially handing my parents crown over to me.

My parents, the rulers of this realm, have been dead for years, forcing Owen and I to step in their place as rightful heirs to the throne. While I've thrown myself into it, Owen spends most of his time pissing off the council, leaving me to clean up his mess and smooth things over. However, until we have chosen appropriate partners to rule at our side, we remain Princes of the realm. And there is no way the council will deem Ivy as an appropriate match, mate bond or not.

"She is magnificent. Sex with her is unlike anything I've ever experienced. The way she sounds, her body, the way her pussy feels gripped around me..."

"I got it," I state, the twitch in my eye returning.

"But I barely got to enjoy it before you interrupted us."

Satisfaction makes the corner of my lip turn up slightly.

"So, please tell me what was so important that I had to leave my mate's arms to come and deal with."

I stand from my desk. Though we were similar in strength, I was a few inches taller than my brother.

"The council requested a meeting. You cannot keep avoiding your duties, especially for a girl." In truth, I knew he'd gone to see her, and despite my attempting to ignore it, I could feel her pleasure trickle through the bond that I tried so desperately to squash deep down inside me. I hadn't exactly lied about the council meeting, but I also wanted to separate the two of them before I made my way over there too. While sharing a mate with my brother didn't bother me, the idea of him being with her when I was trying to distance myself made it much more difficult.

I round the desk and make my way to the door, Owen trickling after me. And, despite telling myself I wouldn't throughout the entire meeting and the remainder of the day, by nightfall I was stood outside Ivy's door, knocking softly and waiting with baited breath as her footsteps drew closer and she opened the door.