~Onyx

My mother paces in front of me, a murderous tension lengthening between us.

"My response was perfectly reasonable," I insist.

Her face shifts between at least three different expressions. Shock, anger and frustration.

"Reasonable?"

I shrug. "I didn't kill him."

Were I not so concerned about Sienna's presence, and so pleased at the hospital's official opening, I would have gutted him right there.

"That shopkeeper went and blurted out the whole story to the entire town!" Her face tints slightly red in her anger.

I've lived with this woman long enough to inure me to her tendencies. What did she expect me to do? Simply let the man call my friend a whore?

"They don't know it's true."

"Of course they do. Your reputation precedes you, Alpha." Strands of hair drift around her face, having fallen from her intricate braided hairstyle. It's enough of an implication to suggest her stress and frustration.

"I was protecting a member of my Pack," I note simply, folding my arms over my chest. "He called her a whore."

This entire scene reminds me so greatly of childhood.

I'm banished to a chair while my mother rants and raves in front of me, scolding me for one thing or the other. She's changed absolutely nothing about her office too, which sinks me deeply into such memories.

"This is what I was talking about. This behaviour is unacceptable," she seethes, her heeled feet clicking against the wood floor as she paces. "Any more of this and your proclivity for protecting this girl will get out to all the other Alpha's who are currently salivating at our borders, looking for a weakness."

I supply her with a bland smile, trying to comply.

"It won't happen again," I assure her.

Chances are it will. I'm no Saint.

"I don't believe that to be true." Her stare chills my skin. "We are announcing her as your mistress in three days, then I am bringing the marriage candidates here until you pick one."

I rise to my feet, my mother entirely unfazed by my towering height.

"By exposing Sienna to the whole Pack, you're putting more of a target on her back," I growl.

"Her face is plastered over every newspaper in your Pack. The amount of shared renditions of her is absurd. Everyone wants to know who the Alpha's best friend is."

"I'm certain this won't protect her." My fingers tighten into fists at the thought of anyone harming her. Today was bad enough. He's lucky he didn't lay a hand on her, otherwise he would lose what could cause him to make that mistake again.

"People respect mistresses more than friends. We've been over this," mother exasperates, tossing her hands up.

I wipe my hand down my face, frustrating eating away at my calm façade.

"I just...give me more time."

Seeing her look of disgust, hearing her rejection is too much for me to bear right now. Once I offer this to her, there is no going back.

Our friendship will never be the same again...

Mother's mouth opens, ready to spew some kind of protest when her office door opens.

Sienna walks in, staring down at a tiny blue glass bottle in her palm.

"Lucia, I retrieved that herbal ointment for your face..." She glances up. "Oh, hey Onyx."

Fuck.

"Come in dear." My mother smooths the frustration from her face, sweeping her arm to encourage Sienna to join us.

She looks between us, sensing the residual tension."Am I interrupting something?"

"Of course not." Lucia grabs her arm, tugging her to her side. "This is excellent timing."

"It is?"

"Mother, don't," I want quietly.

Sienna's deep brown eyes look to me for answers that I can't give her right now. She is well aware that being pulled into a heated meeting with my mother and I isn't a good thing.

"I'm assuming my son hasn't spoken to you about the changes that will be going on around here?" Mother asks lightly, glaring at me in a way that warns me not to manoeuvre out of this conversation.

"He's told me that women may be brought in for him to select a wife," she says warily. "I mean, you told me that too."

My mothers smile is cold. "No, not that."

"What then?"

I shift uncomfortably. I hate feeling cornered, especially by my own mother.

It's not like this is an easy conversation to have. I have no idea how Sienna is going to act. Were I in her position, I don't think I would take this well at all.

"Go on Onyx. I believe this is your news to share," mother prompts.

There's absolutely no room for me to sidle out of this conversation. It must be done.

"It looks like my mother will not be needing you to work for her any longer," I tell her uneasily. "I mean, we are ready to offer you a...promotion, of sorts, that will replace your job."

"Wait, what?" She looks a little panicked.

I rub the back of my neck, grimacing. "I've made some mistakes, Sienna."

"Get on with it, son," mother prompts, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Sienna takes a wary step back. "What's going on?"

"Too many people know about you, about how important you are to me," I tell her tightly. "You're in danger."

Her eyes widen and she looks to Lucia for help. Unfortunately my mother has no interest in fishing her out of this one.

"From who?"

"Everyone, but mostly those beyond my Pack borders who are looking to exploit me," I explain steadily.

This needs to be as professional as possible, because feelings are going to be very quickly involved. In a normal circumstance, I would have just had my way with her and would be rolling over in bed to offer her the position.

"Has threats been made against me?" The urgency in her eyes has my stomach twisting.

"Not yet, although we anticipate that at any moment you may be targeted for being my friend. For being close to me," I tell her gently.

"I'm safe here though, right?"

"To an extent." I close my eyes. "I want you to be my mistress."

When they open again, Sienna is staring at me in cold silence, her mouth parted in shock.

My mother looks at me, unsure of how to act. She's not very good with overwhelming emotions.

"Your what?" Sienna breathes.

I step forward, taking her hands into mine. They are clammy and limp, the shock still stunning her stiff.

"The title will offer you much more protection. You'll have far stronger guards both inside and outside of the manor and it will be assumed that you will be in my room at night, that you will be by my side often. This limits any attempts for assassination," I explain to her slowly, so she can understand every word.

Sienna is reasonable, but I can tell she is struggling to comprehend this offer.

"I don't understand..."

My mother smooths her hair away from her face before brushing me away so she can hold Sienna's hands herself.

"Most importantly, dear, you will be less of a target. Both male and female Alpha's are often forced to marry for wealth or power, so they keep someone close who they love, who they confide in. This person has a title, who is protected," she explains gently. "There has been an unspoken rule throughout history that mistresses are safeguarded against being targets of political upheaval."

"What if I say no?" She asks.

I feel my stomach twist in dismay. My fear is that she would rather leave here than accept this meaningless title change.

"Well, why would you?" Lucia asks.

"Because...I mean, Onyx and I are not romantically involved." She gestures between the two of us, the urgency in her eyes digging into my heart, causing an ache. "He's just my friend."

"What goes on behind the scenes means very little. It's just a title," I assure her firmly. "This title doesn't mean you are obliged to do anything a mistress usually would."

Her shoulders slump as she exhales slowly.

Ouch. I didn't expect her relief at not having to sleep with me to hurt so bad.

"That being said, you will have to keep up appearances in public. This is a ruse that cannot be exposed without risking making yourself more of a target," mother adds.

I glare at her. Now is not the time.

"So what, I can never marry?" Sienna wraps her arms around herself, disturbed at the thought.

"Of course you can." Mother squeezes her hand assuredly. "If you happen to find someone, we will dissolve the title and send you on the way. This is just an arrangement for however long you want to stay close to Onyx."

Sienna and I haven't talked much about her plans recently. It's just been assumed she would stay here for as long as possible.

It's my fault. I didn't allow myself to imagine her moving on with some other guy.

Sienna pulls her hands out of my mothers grasp, backing up. "I can't..."

She darts out the room at an unbelievable amount of speed that makes it feel like we were physically restraining her.

I start off after her. "Sienna!"

My mother grabs my arm, pulling my attention to her.

"Give her some time to think," she exclaims. "But not too much. You must convince her, son."

"Look how mortified she was." I point after her, nausea having rooted itself securely in my stomach. "I will not force her."

"You don't need to force her. But if she does not accept this, I will chop off her hair, change her identity and have her sent off to some remote village," she snaps.

Ever the more experienced, reasonable one, my mother is doing what is right for Sienna. My friend is in danger, and I can't allow myself to become too immersed in my emotions.

"Mother..."

"You will never see her again, Onyx," she insists coldly. "Do you understand?"

My jaw tightens, my teeth protesting but I hardly care.

"Okay. I'll talk to her."

~Sienna

I stare off into the distance, my knees pulled up to my chest, the back of my pants dampening against the grass.

Distantly, clouds grow thick and threatening, rolling mercilessly over the far-away settlements.

Up here, on this hill, I can almost see out to the ocean. At least I like to imagine I can, especially when there's no clumps of cloud blocking my view. Today I see little of the generous landscape.

Footsteps hurry from behind me. I don't glance over my shoulder.

"Sienna." Onyx sounds slightly out of breath. "I was looking everywhere for you."

He sits himself down next to me, looking laughably out of place amongst nature in his all black tunic and pants and brooding stature.

"Your ancestors did a good job securing this territory as their own," I mumble. "It's beautiful."

Clusters of lakes scatter haphazardly across the land, breaking up the endless forest and fields that can't seem to decide if they want to blend or not. We live up on a sprawling hill, allowing us to see much of the rest of the flat land.

I can feel his apprehension in the way he scans my face, in the way his breathing seems stilted.

"Many died to procure it, and many have died to secure it," he recites.

I turn my head. "That's what your mother used to tell me when I was younger."

"Me too. She got it from my father."

I never got to meet Onyx's father. He doesn't mention him often, and I don't press the issue. 

He sighs. "I'm sorry about that."

My brows raise. "The ambush?"

"Yeah."

I huff out a bitter laugh. At least I can safely chalk that up as one of the most uncomfortable experiences of my life.

"It's okay. I understand." I've taken the time to consider the proposition being made to me, and I've finally reconciled with the idea.

Its good timing that I've figured this out too. It's going to rain at any moment. The air is heavy and the wind is laden with the promise of a strong fall.

"So..."

"I'll do it." I straighten, pressing my shoulders back to convey confidence. "I'll be your mistress."

It's a bizarre sentence that tastes wrong coming from my mouth. Knowing it's bureaucratic nonsense and not a proposal to actually service my Alpha has made this pill a lot easier to swallow.

It's just a title. I don't actually have to fuck him...I don't think.

His lips curve upward in both relief and surprise. "Really?"

"It freaked me out at first, then I came out here and actually thought about it," I say, the wind rustling my hair loose from its tie. "Your mother is right."

"She loves you so much. She is frightened of seeing you harmed because of me.

"I get that."

And I do. I know I'm in danger here. Becoming his mistress is good logic.

"You need to think about this. Truly. Not just for a couple of hours, but for days, weeks even." Onyx takes my hands into his, squeezing tightly.

There's something about the earnest look in his large, almost black eyes that has my stomach twisting. The air is already starting to curl the edges of his hair around his face. I like when that happens.

I raise a sceptical brow. "Weeks? Your mother will wait that long?"

"No, but I don't care," he assures me. "This is a decision you need to make for the right reasons."

I'm not sure what the right reasons are. If I wanted to fuck him, maybe. That's what mistresses are traditionally designed for.

"You're my best friend, Onyx. I really love living here, and I can't imagine being away from you." I knot my fingers together on my lap. "I want to stay."

Eventually I'll have to move on. Onyx may fall in love soon, and I'll be even less of a priority. Soon, there will be nothing left here for me.

The doubt continues to battle with the relief in his eyes. "This may make finding a husband difficult."

I'm open to fun in the meantime. The next man I have something romantic with doesn't have to be my mate.

I mean, it could be years before I find the one I'm destined for.

"No it won't." I look out over the horizon.

"Why not?"

"I mean, it's hard enough with just you in my proximity, and I'm used to that." I laugh a little, thinking back to all the petrified faces of males who realised I was friends with the Alpha. "I'm only ever going to settle for my mate, and nothing, not even some faux title can stop that love."

"Good point." Onyx doesn't seem mad about that. I think he secretly enjoys terrifying all my potential dates.

Lucky for him, he doesn't have to try so hard.

"So, I'll do it," I say, focusing my pointed gaze on him. "But I'm not having sex with you."

Onyx's expression erupts into a rare, wild grin.

"I know, don't worry." He leans back so his elbows are in the grass. "Although no one else can know that."

"However will my reputation recover?" I rest my hand on my chest, acting aghast. "People are going to think I'm sleeping with you."

He rolls his eyes, but he can't hide his amusement.

Reality is, I'm the one with little experience and he's the alleged sex God. Then again, those claims have only come from him, and a girl I bumped into one morning who was slinking out of his room shamefully.

I believe it though. I mean, I can tell just by looking at him.

"Very funny," he mutters.

I smile smugly. "I think so too."

He tips his head back, closing his eyes. His relief is palpable, which means he was shouldering this burden for some time.

He needs cheering up.

"Can I tell you a secret?"

He looks at me. "Sure."

"I'm not a virgin."

He sits up properly, his eyes wide. I flush as his eyes sweep down my body like he's looking for the imprint of my past lover's hands on my body.

"What?"

"I snuck a guy into my room once..." I wince a little. This story is hopelessly embarrassing. It was not the first time I had dreamt of for many years, and to make it worse, it wasn't that long ago.

He cracks an amused smile. "When?"

"Like a year ago. It only happened once and it was awful," I groan as I recall the mess of a night.

I threw back a shot of some alcohol and let some guy seduce me. I smuggled him into my room, so unbelievably ready to lose my virginity, only for the entire experience to last less than fifteen seconds.

"And you didn't tell me?" Onyx presses his palm against his chest like he's deeply offended.

"I thought you would be angry."

"I'm not angry." He says that, but even he can't hide the slight chill in his eyes. "You're allowed to sleep with whoever you please."

"Oh yeah?"

"What was his name again?" His smile is wicked.

"Stop." I slap his arm playfully. "He worked here and he's long gone by now."

Honestly I wish I could take it back. I remember being upset that Onyx had a girl he was seeing and she was so pretty and graceful and she looked like she would be good in bed.

My immature, foolish brain thought I needed to be good at sex. I didn't get much of a chance to improve my skills when the entire experience was so short.

"You scared him off, didn't you?"

"Me? More like you." I roll my ankles around. "After he...you know, he freaked out so much at the thought of you catching him that he was gone the next morning."

I remember the terror in his eyes. It was almost amusing, because at that time, Onyx probably wouldn't have cared all that much.

"I'm sorry for ruining your shot at true love." He laughs a little, shaking his head in a way that causes his black strands to brush against his brows.

"Hardly." I shudder. "It took him about five minutes to figure out where to actually put his dick."

Onyx pulls a face. I doubt he has any problems in that area...

"I'm sorry your first time wasn't all you had thought it would be." He looks off into the distance.

I swallow thickly, looking away. Shamefully, I always imagined my first time to be with him. He may be hard, rough and terrifying, but I know he would have made it good for me.

In some ways, I felt like I was always holding out for him to offer, which now seems like such a ridiculous thought.

"Why are you telling me now and not then?"

"Back then I thought you would hunt the poor guy down and kill him," I admit.

"I said I would only hurt those who hurt you," he muses, the wind rustling the hair against his forehead. "As far as I'm aware, you weren't harmed having sex with this man."

I physically grimace at the memory of the night. After a year the memory of the moment hurts more than the actual act of sex.

"My dignity was," I grumble, hugging my knees. "And it did kind of hurt, which is surprising because he wasn't exactly big, if you know what I mean."

Onyx raises his brows, laughing like I've never seen him before. I'm glad my misery amuses him so much.

"It was your first time. It's supposed to hurt at first."

"Anyways, now I know he's probably put multiple Pack's between him and I, so I figure he's safe." I don't think multiple Pack's would be enough to keep someone away from Onyx if they wanted him dead, but the poor guy doesn't know it.

Onyx shakes his head a little. "He's safe."

We sit in silence for a moment, watching the dark clouds approach us. I know a storm is gathering, but I'll be out of here before it sets in.

"Have you done it since then?" He asks tentatively.

"No. The opportunity never came up," I admit with a sigh. Part of me wants to lie, to tell him I have tons of experience and he isn't the one excellent at seduction. It feels wrong to twist the truth, though.

His expression is unreadable. "What a shame."

"What about you? How many poor souls do you drag into that room of yours?" I grin, although there's a biting ache in my stomach as the words come out. "And I ask this knowing Lucia caught a girl in her panties and no top running around the halls in your wing of the house a few years ago."

"I've been with a few over the years." He shrugs, like none of it matters to him. "Not recently, though."

"Why not recently?"

He gazes at me for a beat too long. I feel the need to fill the silence, but I let him decide what he wants to say to me.

"Different priorities, I guess."

A drop of cool water lands on my arm, and then the tip of my nose followed by my head.

"Oh shit, rain." I stand swiftly. Rain means a storm could be coming. I need to be out of here as quickly as possible.

Sensing my urgency, Onyx stands too and grabs my arm.

"Let's get my mistress inside," he says, smirking. I shake my head and him and jab him in the ribs before rushing off back home.

~Sienna

I push Onyx's door open, stepping inside. "Knock knock."

His back is turned to me, his head bowed as he fiddles with his cuff. He looks effortlessly good in a pressed, tailored suit. He glances over his shoulder, then back at what he is doing.

"Oh. Hey." I circle around him, noting the lines of tension in his forehead as he struggles with his cufflink. I brush his hands off, and take over for him, clipping it into place.

"Look at you, all nervous." I smile.

"I'm not nervous," he dismisses. When my smile doesn't fade, his eyes narrow.

"Sienna. I'm not nervous."

"Yeah alright." I step back, gliding my eyes over his person.

"You look...nice." Today is the day. Onyx failed to push back on his mother's wishes, and now four women and their escorts are moving into the manor until he chooses one of them as his wife. I can already tell that this is going to be the most amusing time of my life.

I'm usually not privy to Onyx when he is seducing women. His obsidian eyes finally focus on me properly, and he draws in a deep breath. Since I've been officially announced as the Alpha's mistress, I'm taking more care in my appearance when greeting visitors.

"So do you. Anyone would think you're courting these girls."

He flashes me a rare smile that has something fluttering in my stomach. I look away from him, taking in his perfectly, almost obsessively neat room.

"Two of the girls brought brothers, so who knows."

"Remember, they think you're my mistress now." He shifts to his mirror, looking dissatisfied with whatever he finds lacking. I'm not exactly sure what he could possibly find fault in. I don't think there's a single part of him, physical or not, that I would change.

"The whole Pack does." I sigh wistfully. He sweeps his gaze back to me, a flicker of worry passing over his features.

"You're not having second thoughts, are you?"

"No, of course not." I smirk at the thought. "I'm not actually interested in these girls' brothers. This is about you concentrating on finding your wife.

His brows knit together with concern. "What if she's not one of them?"

"Then we will get a new batch," I muse. This process will be repeated, otherwise Lucia will choose for him.

"Or we try something else." He rubs his face, tense. I wish I could soothe his worries, but there is nothing I can say that would appease him.

I can't promise him he will fall in love, or that he can merely decide not to marry if that suits him. He must marry, and he must produce an heir.

"But it's expected that I select one of them, right?"

"You're the Alpha. Plenty is expected of you, but nothing can be done about it without you wanting it." I step forward, pressing my palms against the lapels of his jacket. My words are empty, but to me they mean something.

He is more than just an Alpha. He is more than what people expect of him.

"What would I do without you, Sienna?" He breathes. I smile it up at him before it falters.

"Are you kidding, your eyebrows look terrible! Was someone seriously going to let you meet the potential love of your life like this?"

He rolls his eyes. "I take back what I said."

I hastily rustle through his vanity for a pair of tweezers. I've been doing his eyebrows for years, and all the stress has led me to forget they need tending to.

"Sit down. Come on." I tug on the chair in front of the vanity, gesturing down at it.

"This is ridiculous," he mutters, but obliges me.

Holding the back of the chair with one hand, I lean over him. He eyes the tweezers apprehensively, ensuring I don't poke them out by accident.

I pluck a few hairs, before my arm starts hurting. Readjusting, I bump my arm against Onyx's face.

He sighs, reaching out to grab my hips. My gasp catches in my throat as he tugs me over until I'm straddling his lap, facing him.

It happens so suddenly I've forgotten how to breathe.

In all my years of knowing Onyx, I've never been in such a intimate position with him.

I can feel the hidden muscle in his thighs beneath me. If I inched forward just a bit, I'm sure I would feel the outline of his cock.

He rests his hands on my hips, looking effortlessly calm as he holds my gaze, assessing my reaction.

"Onyx..." My voice sounds a little strangled.

"Keep going," he murmurs.

My fingers are trembling slightly as I continue plucking his brow, getting rid of the most rampant hairs.

It's almost impossible to concentrate.

I can feel the blush heating my cheeks, embarrassment bleeding into shame. I hate that I'm turned on right now.

His fingers tighten a little more on my waist, slightly bunching up the fabric of my simple cotton dress. His breathing is slow and calm, although his eyes brazenly assess me.

"You have to promise to be nice to these women," I tell him softly, trying to distract myself from the way it feels like he's pressing me closer against him. I must be imagining it.

"I will."

"No acting uninterested, bored and don't do that relentless staring thing you do." I narrow my eyes in warning.

He raises his brows in faux innocence, like he doesn't know exactly what I'm talking about.

"You're not giving me any credit."

"No one ever sees the good side of you. The warm, gentle side of you that I get to see." I lower my hand, the plucking of his eyebrows forgotten.

One of this hands falls to my left thigh, which is bare since he's hiked up my dress a bit. His fingertips start drawing tight circles.

"That's how I like it," he insists, his warm breath gusting against my mouth.

"You're here to find love," I adjust the collar of his shirt. "You deserve love."

"I am loved. You love me."

"Yeah, but I can't give you heirs," I remind him, laughing breathily.

He adjusts his hips slightly, and suddenly they are pressed against mine.

My eyelids flutter and my breath catches in my throat.

He's hard.

He tilts his head to the side, tracking my movements with his keen gaze.

"Why not?"

"Because if I had your heirs, we would have had to..." I drift off.

I get the feeling that if I say the word sex aloud, I'm going to make some very foolish decisions that I can't go back on.

"To what?" He prompts, his voice low and rough, the sound travelling straight to my core.

My gaze finds his lips, and the urge to kiss him overwhelms me. It would feel so good to give in, if only I could be assured that he wants me too.

Drawing in a steadying breath, I focus back on his brows, plucking out a group of hairs a little harder than usual.

He jerks underneath me, groaning.

"Fuck that one hurt." He rubs his brow and I clamber off him, putting a few steps of distance between us.

"All done," I announce breathlessly.

He gets up, the sensual look in his eyes fading as he comes back to reality. Whatever just passed between us is something neither of us are going to acknowledge.

"Thank you for doing that." He rubs a hand through his hair. "Imagine the horror if I walked out of here with eyebrow hairs astray."

My smile is weak. "I left them wild enough to keep you ruggedly handsome, don't worry."

He looks good. Too good. He doesn't have to worry about how the girls are going to view him.

"Go talk to the girls. I bet you can't wait to tell them all about my flaws." He motions to the door.

It's at this moment I notice his forehead is damp, like he's hot and bothered. Did I do that to him? He was clearly hard, but that could have just been a bodily reaction that has nothing to do with me.

"And there are so many." I smirk.

He laughs, but it's strained. I sober from my amusement, which is mostly for show anyways.

"Hey, try smile, okay?"

He frowns. "I don't smile for strangers."

"Yeah I know. But someone in that room is going to be your wife. Understand?" I remind him, stuffing my hands into my pockets as I shoulder the door open.

He gives me a long look.

"Oh yes. I understand."