The Alpha King Declared Me His Mate Under A Love Potion, But Denying Him Will Literally Kill Him
Part 2
They threatened me with execution if I dared to leave his side.
His golden eyes tracked my every movement with a desperate, feverish hunger that belonged to a bonded mate.
We spent several exhausting days actively investigating the massive castle, desperately trying to find the real culprit.
I tried my absolute hardest to maintain a safe physical distance from him, terrified of his intoxicating scent.
But every single time I forcefully pulled away from his gentle touches, he literally withered in agonizing pain.
The royal healers severely warned me that denying the fake bond would physically kill him within days.
While we were questioning a palace servant named Brenda, who twisted her apron with trembling hands, I made a terrible mistake.
I accidentally let go of Brian’s warm hand.
His knees buckled immediately, sending him crashing onto the cold stone floor.
A fine tremor ran through his muscular limbs, and his skin lost all its color.
The panicked healers hastily rushed his unconscious body to his luxurious royal chambers.
“Simply holding hands isn’t nearly enough anymore,” the head healer declared grimly, her eyes wide with panic.
“His wolf forcefully demands complete, uninterrupted intimacy to survive the night.”
She looked at me with an expression of pure, desperate command.
“You must get into his bed and provide immediate skin-to-skin contact,” she ordered firmly.
I stared at my boots and bit my lip, knowing I had no choice if I wanted him to live.
Trembling, I slowly shed my heavy outer layers of clothing.
I slid beneath the sheets of his bed.
I tentatively pressed my much smaller body flush against his freezing, broad chest.
“Please wake up,” I begged him repeatedly, my voice breaking with rising, uncontrollable fear.
Slowly, agonizingly slowly, his glowing golden eyes fluttered open.
They were dark, clouded with terrible fever, and, hungry.
He suddenly pulled me fiercely against him, eliminating the last fraction of space between our bodies.
He captured my trembling lips in a searing, bruising kiss that stole my breath and my logic.
How am I possibly supposed to survive this intense intimacy when I know his consuming love is just a temporary potion?
Part 3
Brian’s kiss deepened, sweeping away every logical thought Megan possessed.
He tasted like honey and desperate need, his mouth slanting across hers with bruising possession.
Megan gasped against his lips, her hands rising to tangle in his thick bronze hair.
A low growl vibrated in Brian’s chest, a sound of pure male satisfaction that echoed in the quiet room.
His hands mapped the curve of her spine, his touch scorching through the thin fabric of her chemise.
Megan tried to remind herself that this was just magic, a false bond forged by Brenda’s misplaced potion.
But the heat radiating from his body felt undeniably real.
Brian pulled back a fraction of an inch, his golden eyes blazing with adoration.
“Why are you crying?” he asked, his thumb brushing a tear from her cheek.
Tears spilled over her lashes, tracking down her temples and disappearing into her hair.
“Because it’ll be awful when it stops,” she whispered, her voice trembling.
Brian’s expression softened into something devastatingly tender.
“Then let’s not stop,” he said simply.
“Ever.”
He looked so sincere, speaking as if their happily-ever-after was the easiest thing in the world.
“I’ll love you forever,” he promised, his voice rough with emotion.
That impossible promise made her chest ache with a profound, terrifying longing.
Megan let out a sound that was half laugh and half sob.
She abandoned the last of her resistance and let him kiss her again.
This time, she kissed him back with everything she had.
She lost herself in the slide of his lips and the eager thrust of his tongue.
The solid weight of his body pressed her deeper into the mattress.
His hands sought the hem of her chemise, fingers grazing the sensitive skin of her thighs.
She lifted her arms, allowing him to pull the garment over her head and toss it aside.
There was finally nothing between them but bare skin and an all-consuming want.
The heat built rapidly between their bodies, erasing the chill that had threatened to kill him moments ago.
His hands traced the shape of her hips, pulling a sharp gasp from her throat.
The quiet room filled with the sound of their harsh, desperate breathing.
Megan lost herself completely when he finally moved over her and claimed her.
They didn’t sleep much that night.
Every time Megan tried to drift off, Brian would pull her closer, burying his face in her neck.
His lips brushed against her pulse point, sending fresh shivers down her spine.
Later, as the first rays of dawn crept through the heavy curtains, Megan awoke slowly.
Brian’s muscular arms were wrapped securely around her waist.
Her cheek rested flat against his broad, muscular chest.
His heartbeat thudded against her ear, strong and steady now.
It was no longer racing with the terrifying fever that had nearly claimed his life.
His breathing remained deep and perfectly even.
Megan tilted her head back to look at his sleeping face.
His features were relaxed, the usual heavy burden of the crown completely absent.
I love him, she thought, the realization hitting her with the force of a physical blow.
The truth settled over her like a sunrise, inevitable, illuminating, and absolutely terrifying.
She loved him.
She had fallen completely, irrevocably in love with this beautiful, earnest, devoted man.
He was a man who looked at her as if she were his entire world.
Someone cleared their throat near the foot of the bed.
Megan’s head whipped around, panic surging through her veins.
The head healer stood just inside the room, her hands folded neatly in front of her.
“Oh gods,” Megan yelped, scrambling backward.
She grabbed the heavy silk sheets and yanked them up to her chin.
“How long have you been standing there?” she demanded, her face burning with humiliation.
“We just arrived,” the head healer said calmly, ignoring Megan’s obvious distress.
“And we have excellent news.”
The healer offered a tight, professional smile.
“We have completed the antidote.”
Megan felt the blood drain from her face.
“We can cure his majesty,” the healer declared.
Megan’s heart sank into her stomach like a lead weight.
The crystal vial gleamed brightly in the healer’s outstretched hand.
It was filled with a thick liquid that shimmered like moonlight on a calm lake.
Megan stared at the small glass bottle, still pressed tightly against Brian’s side.
“That was fast,” she said, her voice coming out hollow and terribly distant.
“Now that Brenda gave us her exact recipe, the brewing process was quite simple,” the healer explained.
The older woman took a confident step closer to the enormous bed.
Brian stirred at the sound of the approaching footsteps.
He cracked one heavy golden eye open and immediately found Megan’s face.
A devastating, sleepy smile spread across his lips.
The sight of that smile made Megan’s heart clench in painful anticipation.
Then, his lazy gaze drifted past her shoulder to the glowing vial.
The warm smile vanished instantly.
“Your Majesty, if you’ll be so kind,” the healer said, offering the vial forward.
“No,” Brian said flatly.
He buried his face in Megan’s hair, inhaling her scent deeply.
“I beg your pardon?” the healer blinked in shock.
“I said no,” his muffled voice rumbled against Megan’s neck.
“Now leave us.”
The two younger healers standing by the door exchanged nervous glances.
“Your majesty, you are currently under the dangerous influence of a love potion,” one of them began tentatively.
“And I have never been happier,” Brian interrupted without bothering to open his eyes.
“Why would I voluntarily put an end to it?”
The head healer looked at Megan with a helpless, desperate expression.
Megan swallowed hard, forcing herself to speak past the massive lump in her throat.
“Brian, you have to take it,” she whispered, her hands shaking under the sheets.
He turned his head to look at her, his golden eyes wide and filled with profound betrayal.
“I don’t have to do anything,” he argued.
His voice rose in a petulant, childish manner that contrasted sharply with his massive frame.
“I am the king.”
Despite the crushing weight on her chest, Megan felt a tiny smile tug at the corners of her mouth.
She reached up, her trembling fingers gently cupping his strong jaw.
“Yes, you do,” she said softly, pulling her hand free from his desperate grip.
“This isn’t real.”
“You think you love me,” she continued, her voice breaking on the words.
“You think we should spend the rest of our lives together.”
“But it’s not your actual choice.”
She watched the painful reality of her words hit him.
He looked startled, then deeply, profoundly hurt.
“Megan, you deserve to fall in love with someone you actively choose,” she interrupted before he could argue.
She kept her voice as steady as she could, even as her entire soul screamed in protest.
“Not someone you want because dark magic forced your hand.”
Brian shook his head violently, sitting up fully and ignoring the sheet slipping down his waist.
He reached for her with both hands, grasping her shoulders tightly.
“I do want you,” he said, his tone turning agonizingly earnest and desperate.
“Why do you keep saying these awful things?”
“You don’t even know me,” Megan argued, tears springing to her eyes.
Her voice cracked terribly on the final word.
She stopped talking, realizing what a massive hypocrite she was being.
She had fallen completely, irrevocably in love with this man in less than a single week.
Hot, fast tears finally spilled over her lower lashes and tracked down her cheeks.
“Take it, Brian,” she pleaded, turning her face away so he wouldn’t see her cry.
“Please.”
“Why?” he demanded, shifting his hands to cup her tear-stained face.
“Give me one good reason.”
“Because I’ll never be happy,” she cried out, the brutal honesty tearing from her chest.
“How can I possibly be happy knowing the man I love wouldn’t feel this way without a magical enchantment?”
Brian froze, his thumbs pausing their gentle strokes across her cheekbones.
“Wondering every single day if today is the day the potion finally wears off,” she sobbed.
“Wondering if today is the day you wake up and look at me like I’m a total stranger.”
“Every time you touch me, every time we kiss, I will always believe it’s the potion talking and not you.”
She met his stunned gaze.
“How can I live the rest of my life like that?”
A heavy, absolute silence fell over the massive royal bedchamber.
“You love me,” Brian said quietly, profound wonder coloring his deep voice.
Megan wiped her eyes frantically.
“That’s not the point,” she sniffled.
“You love me,” he repeated, this time with absolute, unshakable certainty.
Megan looked away, unable to bear the blazing triumph in his eyes.
“Megan,” he said, and there was so much raw emotion in the way he spoke her name that it physically hurt her.
“Potion or not, magic or not, I love you.”
He leaned closer, forcing her to look at him again.
“And I know that fact won’t change when the potion is gone from my system.”
“You can’t possibly know that,” Megan whispered, her voice thick with unshed tears.
“Then let me prove it to you.”
He pulled back just enough to look her squarely in the eyes.
“I will drink this cure right now.”
His voice turned fiercely determined.
“But afterward, you are going to let me court you properly.”
He gripped her hands tightly in his own.
“No potion, no magic, just you and me.”
Megan let out a heavy, exhausted sigh.
“Brian, please,” she begged.
“Swear it,” he demanded, his golden eyes burning into hers.
“Swear you’ll give us a real chance.”
Megan shook her head slowly, feeling more hot tears slip free.
She simply didn’t have the strength to fight him anymore.
“Fine,” she threw her free hand up in a gesture of defeat.
“I swear it.”
She offered him a watery, sarcastic glare.
“Happy now?”
“You promise you won’t run away the moment I’m cured?” he asked quietly.
“I won’t,” she lied smoothly.
Because of course she would run the moment he fell asleep.
She simply wouldn’t survive seeing the polite indifference return to his eyes.
“All right,” Brian said, sounding completely resigned to his fate.
He reached out and plucked the crystal vial from the healer’s waiting hand.
He uncorked the small bottle and raised it slowly to his lips.
“I will love you forever,” he declared to Megan.
Then he threw his head back and drank the shimmering liquid in one gulp.
For a terrible, agonizing moment, absolutely nothing happened.
Please, she prayed silently.
Please let the healers be wrong about everything.
Then Brian’s golden eyes went completely unfocused.
The empty crystal vial slipped from his numb fingers and bounced harmlessly onto the thick rugs.
“Brian,” Megan gasped, lunging forward to catch him as he swayed.
He fell backward against the pillows, his massive frame going entirely limp.
“The antidote rapidly drains the drinker of their energy,” the head healer said calmly.
“He will need to sleep for quite a while.”
“How long?” she demanded, clutching Brian’s large hand against her chest.
“Several hours at the very least,” the healer replied, stepping forward to check his pulse.
“When he finally wakes, the potion’s dangerous influence will be completely gone.”
“Couldn’t you have mentioned the fainting part before?” she snapped angrily.
Brian’s eyes were already drooping shut as exhaustion overtook him.
Still, he managed to blindly reach out and grope for Megan’s hand.
“Don’t leave,” he murmured, his voice slurring heavily.
“You promised.”
“I won’t,” she whispered back, blinking away a fresh wave of tears.
His eyes closed completely, and his breathing evened out into a deep, restorative slumber.
“He is perfectly stable,” the healer announced.
“The antidote is taking its intended effect.”
The healer pulled the heavy blankets up over his bare chest.
“When he wakes, he should have absolutely no memory of his time under the potion’s influence.”
Megan gasped, her hand flying up to cover her mouth.
“No memory?” she repeated, her voice rising in panic.
“What exactly do you mean by that?”
“It is an unfortunate side effect,” the healer explained, offering a sympathetic frown.
“The love potion creates powerful false emotions.”
The older woman began packing her medical supplies into a leather satchel.
“The antidote thoroughly cleanses those false emotions from the body.”
“But since emotions are intrinsically linked to memories, the cure will erase the memories, too.”
Megan stared at the healer in absolute horror.
“Why did you not tell us any of this until after he took the damn potion?” she spluttered furiously.
“I was deeply worried he wouldn’t agree to drink it if he knew the full consequences,” the healer said.
She looked somewhat apologetic, but mostly just relieved.
“It was for his own good,” she added defensively.
Megan wanted to scream until her throat bled.
Instead, she sat in stunned silence, watching Brian sleep peacefully.
His handsome face was completely relaxed, completely unaware of the tragedy unfolding.
She reached out with a trembling hand, brushing a stray strand of bronze hair away from his forehead.
She sat by his side for hours, memorizing the sharp angle of his jaw and the curve of his lips.
Finally, when she couldn’t bear the impending heartbreak for another second, she leaned down.
She pressed a soft, lingering kiss to his warm forehead.
“Goodbye, Brian,” she whispered softly.
She climbed out of the massive bed, gathered her scattered clothing, and left the royal chambers without looking back.
The very next morning, a royal servant arrived at the modest townhouse where Megan’s family had been staying.
Megan had spent the entire night staring blankly at the ceiling, completely unable to sleep.
“His majesty has awakened,” the young woman announced brightly when Megan opened the heavy oak door.
“How is he?” she asked, hating how incredibly desperate she sounded.
“He is quite well, my lady,” the servant smiled cheerfully.
“The royal healers say the cure was completely successful.”
The servant folded her hands neatly.
“He remembers absolutely nothing of the potion’s terrible influence.”
Nothing.
The cruel word echoed violently inside Megan’s aching head.
“You may resume your normal life,” the servant concluded before turning and departing down the street.
Megan stood frozen in the doorway, desperately ordering her heart to stop being so stupid.
Brian was perfectly fine and healthy.
That was the only thing that truly mattered.
She turned slowly to find Heather standing in the doorway of the small sitting room.
Her sister was still dressed in her nightgown, her blonde hair heavily mussed from sleep.
“What’s happening?” her sister asked, rubbing her tired eyes.
“We’re going home,” Megan said, forcing a layer of false brightness into her tone.
“Go pack your things right now.”
“But what about the king?” her sister asked softly, stepping closer.
“I thought you and he had formed a connection.”
“It was a complete misunderstanding,” Megan interrupted sharply.
She turned away so Heather wouldn’t see the devastation written all over her face.
“It was nothing more than magic.”
A heavy, oppressive silence filled the small hallway.
When Megan finally glanced back, Heather was looking at her with overwhelming sadness.
The deep understanding in her sister’s eyes made Megan’s chest ache violently.
“Stop looking at me like that,” Megan snapped, her voice cracking halfway through the sentence.
“I am perfectly fine.”
And then, she wasn’t fine at all.
The burning tears came in a massive, uncontrollable wave.
Great, heaving sobs tore from her throat, shaking her entire frame.
Her knees abruptly buckled, giving way under the crushing weight of her grief.
Suddenly, Heather was right there, catching her before she hit the wooden floorboards.
“I’m fine,” Megan sobbed directly into her sister’s shoulder.
“Shh,” Heather whispered, rocking her gently back and forth.
“I know.”
And Megan simply stayed there and cried until she had no tears left.
One agonizingly long month later.
The only time Megan felt anything remotely close to peace was when she was riding.
The beautiful bay horse had been a generous gift from Tyler.
He had presented it to her the exact day he and Heather had officially gotten engaged.
Megan had given them her full blessing without a second thought.
She had finally realized that just because she was desperately unhappy in love, Heather shouldn’t be doomed to the same fate.
Craig and Brenda had also married in a quiet ceremony two weeks ago.
Megan had heard all about the guard’s wedding through the relentless palace gossip that eventually filtered down to their small town.
Not every single love story ended in tragedy.
Apparently, only Megan’s story was destined for heartbreak.
But at least she had this wonderful horse now, and she genuinely loved the gentle creature.
She expertly guided the mare through the winding forest path.
She let the steady rhythm of the hoofbeats and the whisper of wind through the leaves wash over her tired mind.
Out here in the deep woods, she didn’t have to think about golden eyes or false promises.
A frightened deer suddenly burst from the underbrush ahead.
Its white tail flashed brightly in the dappled sunlight as it bounded away through the towering trees.
Megan pulled back on the reins, bringing her horse to a halt.
She sat quietly, watching the elegant creature disappear into the deeper, darker woods.
The distinct sound of baying hunting hounds echoed from somewhere in the far distance.
A royal hunt was clearly underway.
She was just about to turn the mare around and head home when she heard heavy hoofbeats approaching fast.
“I’m afraid you are much too late,” Megan called out loudly without bothering to turn around.
“Your prize is long gone by now.”
“Well, that’s a terrible shame,” came a deep, resonant voice from directly behind her.
It was a voice so incredibly warm and familiar that it made her stomach drop to her boots.
“For me, that is, not for the lucky deer, obviously.”
Megan’s hands tightened convulsively on the leather reins.
Her entire body went entirely, painfully rigid in the saddle.
“Now, you wouldn’t mind telling me which direction it went, would you?” the man asked.
The voice was much closer now, right on top of her.
She could hear his massive horse moving steadily through the dense bracken.
The rider was slowly coming up right beside her.
Megan kept her terrified eyes fixed firmly straight ahead.
Her heart was pounding so hard and fast against her ribs that it actually hurt.
“That way, I think,” she managed to say, her voice tight.
She jerked her chin vaguely toward the deeper, more treacherous woods.
Then, she yanked the reins, turning the mare sharply away from the rider.
She desperately pointed her horse back toward the main path leading into town.
But the tall rider deliberately spurred his mount forward, stepping directly into her escape route.
He skillfully blocked her path, forcing her to bring the mare to a sudden halt.
He was forcing her to look at him.
Megan slowly raised her head and met Brian’s golden eyes for the first time in an agonizing month.
He looked absolutely breathtaking, every single inch the powerful Alpha King.
He sat tall, regal, and perfectly composed astride a truly magnificent black stallion.
He was dressed in impeccably tailored, dark leather hunting gear.
His bronze hair was playfully windswept, giving him a roguish charm.
His golden eyes were bright and incredibly sharp with the lingering thrill of the chase.
Megan vividly remembered those exact same eyes looking down at her in the royal bed.
She remembered him pressing soft, reverent kisses to her knuckles one by one.
She absolutely hated how much physical pain it caused her just to look at his handsome face.
“Well,” she said, praying her voice sounded much steadier than she currently felt.
“Good luck with your hunt.”
She shifted her weight, moving to carefully guide the mare around his massive stallion.
“Wait,” Brian called out sharply.
Megan’s hands began to tremble violently on the reins.
“Please,” she heard him say, his tone dropping in volume.
The word was spoken so incredibly gently that it made her chest ache all over again.
She obediently stopped the mare, but she absolutely refused to look back at him.
“Do I know you from somewhere?” he asked, genuine uncertainty coloring his deep voice.
That simple, innocent question broke something fragile deep inside Megan’s chest.
She squeezed her eyes tightly shut for a brief second.
“No,” she said firmly.
Then, she urged the mare forward with a swift kick of her heels.
“Wait,” Brian called out again, his voice rising in panic.
But Megan was already moving quickly down the dirt path.
Hot, stinging tears blurred her vision as she guided the horse into a much faster pace.
This painful encounter was precisely why she’d been strictly keeping away from the royal court.
She knew she couldn’t bear to see that look of polite, stranger’s indifference in his eyes.
Though perhaps this confusing interaction was actually even worse.
Because there had undeniably been something profound in his expression.
It was a faint, lingering echo of recognition.
And for one foolish, desperate second, that look had given her terrifying hope.
“Wait, please come back!” he shouted, making her glance nervously over her shoulder.
Brian was aggressively riding after her, pushing his black stallion hard.
Megan gaped in shock, then whipped her head back around.
She kicked the mare forcefully into a full, reckless gallop.
She couldn’t do this right now.
Seeing him chase her simply hurt far too much.
“Miss, please!” she heard him cry out over the pounding hooves.
“Go away!” she called back, urging the mare to run even faster through the trees.
But as she frantically fled, an unbidden memory surfaced in her mind.
She saw Brian in bed, weakly holding that shimmering crystal vial.
She saw him looking at her with absolute, desperate intensity.
“Promise me you’ll let me court you properly,” his memory-voice echoed.
She shook her head violently, desperately trying to dislodge the painful image.
“Promise me you won’t run,” he had begged.
“Darn it,” she muttered under her breath.
She pulled the mare to a sudden, sliding stop, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Her heart hammered frantically against her ribs as she waited.
Her hands were shaking so badly she could barely hold the reins.
“You’re an exceptionally good rider,” Brian said, sounding completely breathless.
He sounded almost exhilarated by the wild chase.
“Thank you,” Megan replied stiffly, still stubbornly refusing to turn around.
“You’re not turning around,” she heard him note with mild surprise.
Then, a soft, nervous laugh escaped him.
“I usually shift into my wolf form when I want to move that quickly through the woods,” he explained.
“Well, perhaps you should have done that,” Megan replied coldly.
She finally turned her head and the angry words died instantly in her throat.
Brian stood perfectly still right beside her horse.
He was completely, gloriously, and undeniably naked.
“Oh!” she squeaked, her face instantly flooding with scorching heat.
“You actually did shift,” she stammered, averting her eyes to the treetops.
“I did,” Brian confirmed, genuine amusement lacing his deep voice.
Then, his tone shifted to something far more contrite.
“I sincerely apologize.”
“I completely forgot that humans are a bit more uncomfortable with sudden nudity.”
“I was going to say lack of clothes,” he added, a nervous, breathless laugh escaping him.
“That is the exact same thing, isn’t it?”
Despite herself, Megan slowly turned her head back to look at his face.
He stood there on the forest floor with wide, hopeful eyes and deeply flushed cheeks.
One of his large hands hovered awkwardly near his side, like he wasn’t sure what to do with it.
“My name is Brian,” he said, his initial confidence giving way to raw nervousness.
“I know perfectly well who you are, your majesty,” Megan said.
She focused intensely on the bridge of his nose, trying desperately not to look below his chin.
He looked highly startled by her tone, then incredibly hopeful.
“You do?” he asked eagerly.
“Then we truly have met before today.”
“You are the Alpha King,” Megan pointed out with a heavy sigh.
“Literally everyone in the realm knows who you are.”
His handsome face fell slightly at her logical explanation.
“But we have actually met before, haven’t we?” he pressed, taking a bold step closer to her horse.
“I feel deep in my bones like I know you.”
He inhaled deeply, his nostrils flaring slightly.
“Your scent is…” he trailed off, looking overwhelmed.
Megan looked away quickly, her heart pounding a frantic rhythm.
“Please cover yourself,” she demanded, quickly unfastening her heavy riding cloak.
She pulled it off her shoulders and tossed it directly at him.
The thick fabric hit him squarely in his bare chest.
“Of course, my lady,” he murmured, catching the garment smoothly.
“My deepest apologies.”
“I simply wasn’t thinking clearly.”
She heard the loud rustling of fabric as he hastily wrapped the cloak around his waist.
When she finally dared to look back, Brian had gone entirely still.
The dark cloak hung loosely around his hips.
He was staring up at her with eyes full of absolute, undeniable awe.
A faint, charming flush still colored his high cheekbones.
“Have you ever heard the legends of faded bonds?” he asked breathlessly.
Megan frowned down at him, confusion mixing with her lingering panic.
“Um, yes, I have,” she replied cautiously.
He smiled, a sudden, blinding expression that was as bright as a summer sunrise.
“Well, I strongly believe that you are my mate,” he declared boldly.
Megan gaped at him, her mouth falling open in sheer disbelief.
“No,” he said quickly, shaking his head side to side.
“In fact, I don’t just believe it.”
“I know for a fact that you are.”
“The very moment I saw you sitting on this horse, I…” he trailed off, struggling for words.
He laughed again, the sound entirely filled with pure, unfiltered wonder.
“It is exactly like my soul instantly recognized yours.”
Pure, unadulterated horror crashed over Megan like a physical tidal wave.
“Oh no,” she breathed, shrinking back in the saddle.
Brian blinked up at her, his radiant smile faltering slightly.
“That is definitely not the reaction I was hoping for, but I…”
“No, you have been given another potion,” Megan interrupted him frantically.
“What?” he blinked in obvious confusion.
“A love potion,” she elaborated, panic rising in her chest.
Then, complete understanding slowly dawned across his handsome face.
“You’re her,” he said quietly, his voice dropping to a reverent whisper.
“The nameless woman I supposedly fell in love with because of Brenda’s love potion.”
“The one I was told I forgot about.”
He took another slow step closer, the heavy cloak slipping slightly on his hips.
“It was you the entire time, wasn’t it?” he asked gently.
Megan looked away, her throat feeling painfully tight.
“Yes,” she admitted, the single word feeling like razor blades on her tongue.
“Well, it seems you may have unfortunately relapsed,” she added bitterly.
Brian threw his head back and laughed, a bright, joyful sound.
It was a sound completely at odds with the incredibly tense situation.
“I assure you, I have not relapsed,” he said confidently.
“I clearly remember absolutely everything I have ingested since this morning.”
“And I can absolutely promise you there was no magical potion involved today.”
“Then perhaps that expensive cure didn’t work properly,” Megan argued desperately.
“We should really get you back to the healers immediately.”
“I am perfectly fine, my lady,” he said soothingly.
“I assure you, my mind is completely my own.”
“You were just spouting utter nonsense about me being your true mate,” she pointed out.
“It wasn’t nonsense,” Brian protested, sounding almost completely indignant.
“You are my true mate.”
Megan groaned loudly, a terrible sense of deja vu washing over her entirely.
“You don’t even know my real name,” she pointed out exhaustedly.
Brian paused, considered her words carefully, and then smiled again.
It was a soft, incredibly hopeful expression.
“Then let me learn it,” he said, taking one final step to stand directly beside her stirrup.
“Let me truly know you.”
He held out his large, calloused hand to her, his palm facing up in an open invitation.
“Will you let me court you properly?” he asked softly.
Megan stared down at his outstretched hand.
It was the exact same hand that had held hers tightly for days while he suffered.
She wanted to spur the horse and run away, desperately wanting to protect her battered heart.
But she had promised him.
She had sworn she would give him a real chance.
So slowly, hardly daring to even breathe, she reached down from the leather saddle.
She placed her trembling, gloved hand securely into his warm palm.
Three incredible years later.
The royal wedding was absolutely everything Megan had once sworn she would never want.
It was incredibly excessive, hopelessly romantic, and completely borderline impractical.
“Stop fidgeting so much,” Heather scolded gently.
She adjusted the delicate crown of white roses in Megan’s hair for the third consecutive time.
“You look absolutely perfect.”
“Ridiculous is the exact word you are actually looking for,” Megan muttered.
She eyed her reflection critically in the massive silver-backed mirror.
“All this endless fuss for what?” she complained affectionately.
“To give your king a magnificent excuse to cry in front of the entire public,” Heather said with a teasing grin.
Megan couldn’t stop the radiant smile that instantly tugged at her painted lips.
“He is completely ridiculous, isn’t he?” she asked fondly.
“I personally think it is terribly romantic,” Heather said, securing the final white rose with a pin.
It had taken three long, challenging years to finally arrive at this exact moment.
Three years of Brian patiently, persistently, and openly courting her.
He had spent every single day proving over and over that what he felt was entirely real.
Because even after that dramatic day in the sunlit forest, Megan had been absolutely terrified.
How could she possibly trust that the faded bond was real now?
She had painfully watched him fall completely in love with her under totally false pretenses.
According to the royal healers, the potion had only forcefully intensified a faded bond.
It was a faded bond Brian would have inevitably felt for her regardless of magic.
Faded mates inherently recognized each other on a deeply profound, soul-deep level.
But that natural recognition could often be incredibly subtle.
It was usually just a gentle, insistent pull toward one another.
The misplaced love potion had taken that gentle pull and forcibly turned it into an all-consuming need.
Still, the psychological damage had been done, and Megan had a terribly hard time trusting her own happiness.
But Brian had never complained once about her lingering doubts.
He had courted her properly, letting her completely set the pace of their relationship.
And when she had finally asked him, her voice breaking, how he could be so infinitely patient with her fears?
He had simply smiled that devastating smile of his.
“Because you are absolutely worth waiting for,” he had answered truthfully.
The heavy wooden door to the dressing room swung open smoothly.
Brian stood there in his full, magnificent royal regalia.
His golden eyes were already shining with unshed, happy tears.
“You are so beautiful,” he whispered, his voice incredibly thick with emotion.
“That’s it,” Megan groaned playfully.
“The royal wedding is officially canceled.”
Brian laughed, a rich, joyous sound that filled the room.
“Not a chance in hell,” he said, stepping forward to offer her his arm.
“I have waited far too long for this specific day.”
“Well,” Megan pretended to think about it seriously.
“If I truly must.”
“Oh, you absolutely must,” Brian said, leaning down to kiss her forehead gently.
“Because I love you.”
Megan sighed softly, a wide, genuine smile tugging at her lips.
“Yes, I know you do.”
“Good,” Brian said softly.
Then he offered his arm once more.
Together, they walked out the door and stepped directly toward their happily ever after.
THE END
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Disclaimer
This story is a work of fiction inspired by real events. Names, characters, and details have been altered. Any resemblance is coincidental. The author and publisher disclaim accuracy, liability, and responsibility for interpretations or reliance. If you would like to share your story, please send it to [email protected].
