Taming the Alpha King

Chapter 22

Belle's POV:

'Tobias?' I head up the stairs to our floor, but he is nowhere in sight.

'Belle? Are you okay? What's wrong?'

'Nothing sorry, I was just wondering where you were. I was hoping we could talk?'

I can hear Tobias release a relieved chuckle through our link, 'I'm in the kitchen dove.'

The smell of hash browns, sausage, and bacon fills the air almost making my mouth water. The sight of my mate with his grey sweats hanging loosely on his hips is what ultimately makes my mouth water, and I suddenly forgot what I can in here to say.

"Like what you see?" Tobias smirks and stirs the sizzling hash browns in the pan.

"Yes actually, I love bacon!" Tobias laughs at my comment and dumps all of the food on plates for everyone. Duncan enters the room mumbling a quiet hello and grabs two of the plates, I'm guessing to take to Isaac. Once he exits the room, Tobias motions me towards the dining table.

"What's on your mind love?" Love... that word made my heart flip. Do I love him? No, I can't think about that right now. First, I need to focus on the problem at hand.

He pats his knee inviting me to sit on his lap, but I pretend to not notice and sit at the chair next to him. It's not that I don't want to sit on his lap, I just know if I do I won't be able to think clearly.

"Nothing much... I was just thinking about the day you brought me home," Home. Another word that makes my heart fill with joy, "and was wondering how Alexander let you even step a foot near me." My mind goes back to that day and Alexander mentioning a deal.

The air becomes thick with the tension between us. I know this is a sore subject for the both of us, but I had no idea how else to bring up the situation.

Tobias sighs and shuffles his food around on his plate. "Well it wasn't easy. I struggled to get the elders to talk to me unscheduled, then I had to get through Alexander's border patrol."

"Elders? Why did you need to talk to the elders?" Isaac already told me, but I need the whole story from him.

"I was becoming desperate. Since Alexander had claimed you as his mate you were to rest under his care. I was desperate to get you back. My wolf took over and I slowly started to neglect my alpha duties." Tobias hung his head low ashamed to admit he neglected his pack. "When Duncan told me Alexander had forbade him from even visiting you I had to act quickly without starting a war. I told the elders the predicament we were in with you being our mate, so they decided that it would solve all of our problems. An alpha is stronger with their mate, so whoever you choose to mate will essentially be the stronger candidate for king."

Just what I feared. The future of the kingdom rest in my hands. "But that still doesn't explain why Alexander let you take me away."

"The elders had high opinions towards Alexander and his character. They were confident that there would be no reason for you to reject him, so they made it official that he had to follow the law and let you choose your mate. He had to comply or else."

"Alexander mentioned a deal that day. What did he mean?"

Tobias looks at me concerned and grabs my hands gently to comfort me. "When I told him this he finally realized his mistakes and how greatly they would cost him. As a result, he tried to bargain with me to have you spend a week with me and a week with him before you choose to make it fair."

My heart clenches. This is all too much for me to handle. "And you agreed to this?" My voice is low afraid of his answer.

"No, of course not. You're not an object Belle, not some pawn to play off in our royal predicament. You are my mate and I respect your decision of your happiness. I told him it was your decision to make."

And yet he never told me about it until now. Was he planning on ever saying anything? I shake off my doubtful thoughts. Why would I ever doubt Tobias? He's nothing like his brother.

Alexander... is it fair to compare the two when I hardly know him? I know I spent a month with him, but for the majority he spent worrying about his brother stealing me away. That can't be all that he is. Isn't wouldn't be fair if I didn't at least give him a chance to explain to me why he was the way that he was. Besides, this isn't just about my heart anymore. If I'm going to choose my mate, the next king of the wolves, I should see who will be truly fit for the position.

"Doing that would be the fair thing to do."