Chapter 220

I signed and kept my head tipped back, inviting him to kiss my neck. Charles obliged, working himself inside me with the magic he always seemed to conjure up, driving my excitement higher. My heels fumbled for a place to rest, and finally, I settled for wrapping my legs around him, gripping his hips with my thighs and locking us together.

Charles groaned and pulled us as tightly together as possible. And I wouldn't let him go. This left his movements small but the pleasure intense.

His rubbing quickly brought me to orgasm, and I tried not to make too much noise and call attention to what we were doing. I really didn't want to be held in contempt for defiling the judge's bench or some such.

A moment later, Charles got his release. He stepped back and tided himself, allowing me to do the same.

“Now,” he asked with a grin, “Are you ready to go outside and face your adoring public, my princess?”

“As long as you're by my side, I can face anything,” I agreed, hopping off the judge's bench.

4 Months Later:

My nerves buzzed with excitement, and looking out at the garden and the fountains did nothing to calm me.

The empire waist of my wedding dress hid my growing baby bump and made me look like a princess from a fairytale.

For the first time in quite a while, I found myself completely alone while Gwen, Cathy, and Jasmine were off seeing to last-minute details for the wedding.

Out on the lawn in front of me stood the pavilions that would hold the ceremony and the reception after. All over the palace greens, people wandered, and groups chatted, admiring the summertime gardens.

Today, I would marry my love, my other half, my mate, of all things, my alpha boss. And yet, here I was poised to outrank him. After today, he would be my king consort—not the official alpha king. But I would be a Luna Queen in my own right. The first in generations.

Perhaps that's why the former king had wanted a son so badly. But if the last year and a half had taught me anything, it was that a woman could change the world for the better, as well. And if I could bring about this sort of positive change for Orlune, then surely I could continue to be her ruler just as successfully.

At first, the public had been quite wary of me taking over as Queen. While they might not have liked the alpha king, I was an unknown. That's where Queen Yarrow had saved me. Being a master of public relations and image and perception after years of trying to combat the king’s slander, she arranged for me to take a very public pre-coronation tour.

Somehow, and I think it happened in the courtroom, though the goddess refused to have conversations with me the way she used to. Perhaps she had guided me down the path that she needed to and her hands-on time with me was done, but I never got her to answer what exactly she had done with my scent.

Somehow, starting that day in the courtroom, when the king looked poised to win, and then the court relaxed, everyone had been able to smell my scent. In fact, it's been strong enough to fill entire rooms. Like now, it even wafted through the garden above the scent of the blooming flowers, setting everyone at ease.

As a result, everywhere I went, I spoke to a willing crowd, bringing peace and understanding. They fully believed that I shared the truth with them. The same truth that I had worked so hard to build through my job came so easily now.

I'd even gone back into the palace press and rearranged things so that Kathy and Todd both had jobs there helping me run things and connecting me directly with the palace press. We encouraged the reporters to go out and find the truth: the good, the bad, and even the ugly so that I could deal with Orlune’s issues in a way that the press and the palace had never been connected before.

To my delight, Jasmine and Theo were now a couple. Evidently, somewhere in their being together while supporting me, they had discovered that they were each other's fated mates.

I had a feeling that my wedding was simply the start of a full wedding season. Cathy and Todd had announced their engagement about two months ago. And I'm sure neither couple wanted to outshine my day. But I looked forward to being able to give them something in return for all of their undying support of me. A wonderful wedding and a lavish honeymoon were only the start of what I would repay them with.

But today, I needed to focus on myself.

I turned my attention back to the mirror. My hair was carefully curled and pinned up on my head so that it cascaded down nearly to my shoulders, springing with each movement.

I was decked out in some of the Royal jewels. However, I had been careful to pick, with Queen Yarrow’s advice, a necklace and diadem that had belonged to my mother. I wanted to honor her at this wedding for everything that she had done in trying to give me a fighting chance at life. I could only hope the life I was living was worthy of her sacrifice.

I clasped my hands gently around the bump up at my waist. I told the doctors I didn't want to know whether or not I was having a son or a daughter. Because it honestly didn't matter. This baby would be so unbelievably loved.

The only person rivaling the child in my affections would be Charles. But unfortunately for him, he was going to have to take second place. I was already in love with this little critter who kicked and poked at me seemingly at every turn, especially at around three AM.

But the kicking was okay. My baby was a fighter, and that was how it ought to be. I wanted to leave Orlune with a strong ruler once my time as her queen was done.

Someone knocked on the door. “Are you ready, Elena?” Gwen called through the wood panel.

“I am,” I said, crossed the room, and opened the door.

Gwen let out a sigh. “I knew from the very beginning that you were just the right mate for my son. I would have taken you just as you were. But after having gotten to know you, I think the throne is definitely where you were meant to be. And I'm proud that my son will be at your side and that I will be able to call you daughter.” She leaned in and kissed my cheek.

We had decided that for all of his faithfulness, Theo would walk me down the aisle. At first, I felt bad about this, in case he still had feelings for me. But as his relationship with Jasmine grew deeper, I worried less that it was going to torture him. And he undertook the role with happiness.

He waited just behind Gwen, looking dapper in his tux. I gave him a smile and squeezed his hand.

“You look very handsome today, Theo.”

“And you look amazing.”

“I'm so glad that you're with Jasmine. She deserves a good man like you.”

He shook his head. “Today is not about Jasmine and me. Today is about you and Charles, and I'm so glad that you guys have finally reached this moment. What a time we had getting here.”

“Truth,” I agreed. “And you only had to go through half of it. But everything was worth it to get here.”