Blurb
Parker - He crossed realms to claim the man he loves.
Former beta of the Pryde Shifter Pack, Parker knew Aoi was his Solidas Amans—his mate—the second he laid eyes on him. But Aoi refused to admit they belonged together. Parker had always assumed it was because Aoi was the pack alpha's uncle. When Aoi unexpectedly returned to the Nyxian realm, even his own brother saw him as a traitor to the Pryde Pack. Parker, on the other hand, felt that nothing was as it seemed. Unlike the others, he'd spent more time getting to know Aoi, even when Aoi kept a solid wall up between them. Parker wasted no time going after him, with the sole goal of bringing him home. Things only became more complicated when he learned that Aoi was to marry the Nyxian king and become his king consort. Would Aoi want to return, or had the pull of being the king's consort been why he rejected Parker in the first place?
Aoi - He thought he had to surrender to the king, but his heart belonged to another.
As the high commander of the Nyxian guards, Aoi wore a mask he could never take off, even after he'd walked away from the Nyxian king and realm. He'd hoped to leave that world behind and start a new life, building the family he had craved for so long. As a wingless, powerless Nyxian in a realm where power was everything, he'd never dreamed he would ever have an Aimar… a mate. He didn’t think he was allowed to, even after living among the Pryde pack. Until one man caught his eye. Tall, muscular, with a commanding presence that broke through every barrier he put up. When he was taken back to the Nyxian realm, Aoi was forced to assume his role as the king's right-hand guard and his soon-to-be consort. Aoi believed he had no choice but to submit to the king’s wishes.
Only his heart belonged to someone else…someone he thought he would never see again.
As the Nyxian King tried to win his affection, Aoi clung to the one who held his heart as secrets about his origin slowly emerged, giving him hope and a new purpose in a life he had believed hopeless. Through conflicts, doubts, and the tyranny of the Nyxian King, one thing remains certain: Parker will claim his demon.
The Pryde Shifter Series must be read in order.
Sneak Peek
Aoi had walked through the door with his shirt torn and his face smeared with blood and black soot from the fire, but it wasn’t what Parker saw that mattered. He felt and heard. His beast was roaring, mate. The word sounded so raw it was almost feral. Parker wanted to rush over and pull Aoi into his arms, but he held back. Too much was happening at once, so he’d stood beside his brothers and watched, waiting for orders from their alpha, who was worried about his kidnapped mate.
“Betas and head enforcer, get our guest settled; we’ll work it out more in the morning,” Duncan ordered.
“Yes, alpha,” Parker, Charlie, and Sebastian said in unison.
Duncan nodded, then picked up Jordan and left them to handle Aoi and the others.
“Um...” was all Charlie managed before the front door swung open and Ayumi and Laxus rushed in. The second the Nyxian saw Ayumi, they dropped to their knees, a hand pressed to their chest.
“Greetings, Princess Ayumi and Lord Commander Laxus,” they said in unison.
Ayumi giggled. “I haven’t been a princess for a long time. I was struck from the family line, remember? You all can stand and drop the formalities.”
“You will always be our princess,” one man said, and the others nodded in agreement as they stood.
Parker couldn’t take his eyes off Jordan’s uncle as he stood gracefully, even in his disheveled state.
“Aoi, it’s been a long time. I’ve missed you,” Ayumi said with a tender smile. “But I must admit, I’m surprised you’re here.”
“And you, my princess. I wish we were meeting under better circumstances,” Aoi said in a low drawl that had Parker instantly hooked. He also noticed Aoi didn’t comment on anything else Ayumi had said, and if Parker had said he wasn’t curious, he’d be lying.
Parker watched Aoi, his eyes never meeting Laxus’s. Only when Laxus whispered something near Aoi’s ear did Aoi look up, and they stared at each other. Parker noticed there were no joyful hugs or greetings, even though they hadn’t seen each other in a long time. If it were Parker and his brother, they’d be all over each other like touch-starved pups needing to imprint their scents on each other. And that would be after a couple of hours, not years. But with Laxus and Aoi, it was as if they were strangers.
“Do you all have somewhere to stay?” Ayumi asked.
“The alpha’s provided lodging,” Aoi said softly.
“Aoi...” Laxus started, but Aoi cut him off, speaking in the Nyxian language that Parker found sexy as hell.
Parker’s skin lit up as if he’d been zapped. He had to cover the front of his pants, pressing the heel of his palm against his cock to keep it from getting hard. He couldn’t let their first official meeting be with him sporting an erection.
“Are you sure?” Laxus asked, and Parker heard sadness in his voice.
“I am,” Aoi said, his words carrying a soft finality. Parker saw Laxus’s shoulders droop.
“Very well.” Laxus turned to Ayumi, took her hand, and left.
Parker watched the whole exchange, confused by what had just happened, but it all went out the window when Aoi turned his blue-green eyes toward him, stepped away from the group he had come with, and walked over to Parker and his brother.
“I am Aoi, the second son of the house of Nakasima; my men and I are grateful for the shelter you provided. We do not have much to repay you, so we offer our service to you and your people.”
His words were confident, even though he was dressed in tattered clothes, with blood and black streaks on his face and skin. Parker knew the man standing in front of him was his mate. His beast purred, wanting to be close, and was upset that Parker was holding back. He did so because Aoi showed no reaction to their closeness and because his brothers were staring at him. No doubt his brothers were standing beside him, biting the insides of their cheeks to keep from laughing at Parker, who got tongue-tied around a pretty face.
Aoi was fucking gorgeous. His beauty kept Parker on edge every day, and his quiet strength was compelling.
“Um... yeah, I’m... I’m Park...” He cleared his throat, ignoring the strained cough beside him, and continued. “I’m Parker, the pack enforcer. The two next to me are my brothers, Charlie and Sebastian, the pack beta. You don’t have to worry about rooms or a helping hand. We’ll work all that out later. But let’s get you guys taken care of.”
“I’m sorry to bother you with this. I only meant to help the young prince. I didn’t expect others to follow,” Aoi said, his voice low and apologetic.
“None of that. You helped our alpha’s mate. Plus, you’re family,” Parker added.
“Family,” Aoi whispered.
“Yeah. I mean, Laxus is Jordan’s father; you’re his brother, so of course you’re family.” And my mate, was said in Parker’s mind.
Aoi lowered his lashes, hiding those gorgeous eyes. “I suppose.”
No one spoke as Parker stared at Aoi, trying to find the words, but his mouth stayed shut. All Parker wanted to do was reach out and tuck a strand of hair behind Aoi's ear, a gesture to acknowledge their mate bond. But an invisible wall already stood between them, severing their connection. It was certainly not the fairy-tale meeting he had heard about from the elders.
One look, one scent, one touch, and your Solidas Amanas would fall into your arms. Even with the wall, Parker could feel Aoi's emotions breaking through whatever crack there was. He could taste the worry beneath the sadness. Parker was about to release some of his pheromones toward Aoi to comfort him, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.
“Let’s get you guys settled,” Charlie said.
Aoi lifted his head and nodded.
“Come with me,” Charlie instructed, and the group followed him. Parker kept his eyes on Aoi’s back as they walked away.
“Any other time, you’re a little hellion, but the second you see a pretty face, you forget the alphabet,” Sebastian teased him.
“Solidas Amanas,” was all Parker said, drawing a surprised gasp from Sebastian.
“What? Him? Jordan’s uncle?”
“Damn, did you have to stress the uncle part? But yes,” Parker said. He had been trying to ignore the whole uncle thing, the age gap, and what Jordan would think when he found out he was his uncle’s mate. Sighing, Parker said little and went to help Charlie settle everyone.
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