The Alpha Queen's Mate (Book 5 of The Regal Eclipse Pack Series)

Chapter 41

They left the bedroom and Nick led her down to the dining room. The Alpha, Beta and Gamma were already seated and chatting with each other, the Gamma and Beta Females with them. They all stood when Nick and Noelle entered the room. Nick again seated Noelle at the head of the table and sat on her right. He lifted her hand up to his lips and kissed it, his heated gaze on her. She gave him a smile.

The men looked the worse for wear and Noelle wondered how much they had drank last night. Based on the meal that was being served, no one had come down for breakfast and they were having it now. Not that she minded. She loved breakfast.

Once the meal was complete, Lucas and River took Nick out to see some different things and Elias turned to her. "I will give you a tour of the pack house now, if you'd like."

"I'd love that." She stood and followed him from the dining room, eager to see the home that her grandfather had met his first mate in.

It didn't take her long to realize that Alpha Elias was more interested in flirting with her than showing her around. He was charming, but she wasn't the least bit interested in him, and his tour was becoming rather tedious after a bit.

"So why hasn't he marked you yet?" He finally asked her point blank. He'd danced around the subject for the last hour until she'd finally wanted to yell at him to spit it out. Not that she had any intention of answering him.

"I hardly think that's any of your business, Alpha," Noelle retorted, as she slowly moved through the art gallery, looking over the paintings of previous Alphas and their families.

"I would have had my mark on you already," he said, standing much too close for her liking. He hadn't touched her, but she knew it was coming.

"He will soon." She didn't want to go into details of everything that had happened to her in the last few days. She'd had enough of repeating it, though she knew she'd probably have to again, but Elias didn't need to know about her personal life. If he was in her pack, it would be one thing, but he wasn't.

"Maybe he's not the one for you," he said softly before he touched her cheek.

Noelle stared up at him in surprise, and before she knew what was happening, he was kissing her. She immediately pulled back. "You kiss me again, and you will not like what happens." She glared up at him. She was starting to hate arrogant Alphas. They were really annoying her. They all seemed to think they could do whatever they wanted, and there would be no consequences.

He smirked at her. "I'm not afraid of you."

"You should be." She glared at him for a moment, then walked ahead, leaving him behind. She stopped in front of a painting of a beautiful young woman with dark hair in a gorgeous green gown.

"That's Sophia. She was mated to the Alpha King. Unfortunately, she was murdered before she could be fully mated to him," he said softly, his entire demeanor changing.

She could hear the sadness in his voice and her heart softened a bit for him, as she reminded herself that his own mate had also died not too long ago. It would have been harder for him than it had been for Caleb because he'd been fully mated to her. She was surprised he seemed okay. But then, she really didn't know him or how he'd been before. She wondered how much it had changed him.

Noelle looked up at the painting, studying it carefully. This was the woman Caleb had been mated to. If she'd lived... Noelle didn't want to think about it. She couldn't imagine her grandfather with this woman. Charlotte was his and he was hers. When she thought of one, she always thought of the other. They were a perfect match. Her grandfather absolutely adored her grandmother. She occasionally saw the way he looked at her, and had even seen them kissing a few times. Their love for each other was very evident, even after all of these years.

She smiled as she stared at the painting. The woman was beautiful and completely the opposite of Charlotte. She just couldn't see it. Not at all.

"Why are you so interested in this painting?" Elias asked her, interrupting her thoughts.

She had been staring at it for quite a while, she realized. "It's hard for me to visualize Caleb with her," she admitted, quietly.

"You speak as though you knew him," he commented, his gaze still on her.

She looked at him. "I do know him. He's still alive. I saw him yesterday."

His eyes narrowed as he studied her. "Since you joined Regal Eclipse, you know all of their secrets," he accused.

She shrugged. "I've been a member of Regal Eclipse my entire life, Alpha. And it's not really a secret, is it? Is there a painting of her sister, Sonya?"

His eyes flickered in surprise. "No there is no painting of her, though she looked very much like Sophia. How do you know of Sonya?"

"She tried to kill my grandma and caused her to miscarry," Noelle said softly, as she looked at the painting again. How anyone could want to hurt Charlotte, she couldn't fathom. She was a kind soul.

"You're a Remington?" Elias asked in shock, finally putting two and two together.

"Your Beta didn't tell you?" Noelle asked him smugly. Not her fault Lucas hadn't mentioned a member of the Royal family had came to visit. She supposed She could have mentioned it when she introduced herself but she honestly hadn't thought of it. She'd been more interested in informing him that she was Nick's mate.

"Must have slipped his mind," Elias muttered. "I'm surprised you don't wish to be mated to an Alpha." He straightened a bit like he was offering himself to her.

Noelle turned to him. "Nick is higher ranked than you, not that it matters, but he understands the demands of my position quite well. An Alpha must walk away from his pack for me."

"You'd wish to stay in your own pack over becoming a Luna?" Elias asked in surprise.

She studied him. He still wasn't getting it. "I will be your Alpha one day. My mate must be willing to submit to me. Most Alphas would struggle with that, especially since I'm a woman."

His eyes widened as it suddenly dawned on him and he cursed under his breath. "Princess, I'm sorry I tried to kiss you," he apologized sheepishly.

She smirked at him. "And where is my mate, Alpha?"

"He's with my Beta and Gamma at the training grounds," Elias informed her.

"Does he usually work with your warriors when he comes?" Noelle asked. She knew Ragnar did some, but she wasn't sure if Nick did or not. It was another thing about him she didn't know.

"He does."

"Then I want to change and go out there too." She looked at Sophia one more time, fixing the woman's beautiful face in her memory. Perhaps she'd ask Caleb about her one day.

"Alright."

"Do you spar, Alpha?" She asked curiously. She wouldn't mind paying him back for kissing her.

"Of course I do." He followed her out of the gallery and down the hall.

"Good. We should spar." Noelle stopped in front of her bedroom door.

He frowned. "I wouldn't want to hurt you."

She laughed. "You're funny. Let me change. You might want to as well. I'd hate to mess up your nice clothes."

"I'm not sure why you want to spar with me. You'll end up getting hurt," He said incredulously, his gaze flicking over her.

"You tried to kiss me." She glared at him.

Elias turned a bit red. He was going to kill his Beta for not informing him that Noelle was a Remington. It made him desire her even more, but what she said made sense. He'd have to give up his pack and submit to her. It would not be easy to do. "Fine. But I can't guarantee you won't come out of this unhurt."

"Me neither." She walked into the bedroom and shut the door in his face, leaving him standing there gaping in shock. The woman was very interesting.