Page 7 of A Hal for my Heart

“Good?” he rasped.

“Very.” I licked my lips, savoring the taste, then opened my mouth for another bite.

Hal made a choked sound, and I noticed his hand trembled just a tad. This time, I moaned with pleasure, already anticipating the wonderful taste. Why I hadn’t tried them before was a mystery. They’d just always seemed like something I wouldn’t enjoy. I decided to write it down in my journal later, and hopefully try one new thing every day from now on, broadening my palate.

A loud clang tore through the dining hall, startling both of us.

“I apologize,” Nial, one of the servants, said, looking anything but sorry as he placed more of those buns Hal adored in front of him. Nial smiled widely, his eyes fixed on Hal. He then leaned against my chair, making me almost fall off the damned thing as I tried to avoid his touch. In a flash, Hal jumped from his seat, and within seconds, he was at my side, grabbing the servant and pulling him away from me.

“Careful!” Hal chided, glaring at Nial.

Nial blinked innocently, then widened his eyes as if he had some great epiphany. “Oh! I completely forgot that Briar hates all touch! Like, no one is allowed to touch him. Like at all.” His voice rose high and shrill. “Such a weird thing, don’t you think?” he asked Hal, blatantly ignoring me.

I was bending my fork, I knew I was. I hated Nial. He always went out of his way to make me feel uncomfortable. Hal’s jaw tightened, and he opened his mouth to say something, but Nial wasn’t quite done, it seemed.

“I, however,” he purred, running one finger along Hal’s chest, smiling seductively at him, “enjoy an alpha’s touch very much. And my heat is just around the corner—”

“Good for you,” Hal cut him off, his voice flat and unimpressed. “Can we please eat in peace again? I wasn’t done talking to Briar.”

Nial blinked, his expression dumbfounded, as he reluctantly withdrew his hand from Hal’s chest. His voice was sugary sweet when he spoke. “Of course, Alpha Hal.”

“Leave us,” I said, a tad snappy, but damn, read the room, Nial!

Nial left us, but my mood was ruined after that. He’d reminded me of just how broken and cursed I was. Hal deserved an omega he could touch. There simply would never be a place for me next to him, even if I’d already started liking the alpha a little too much.

“I’ve made a decision,” Seb began, staring directly at Hal and me. He’d called a meeting, and I’d figured it would just be Seb, Elias, and me, as usual, but to my surprise, Hal and Gus were present as well, and now Seb seemed ready to make an announcement.

“I want two alphas to be my royal advisors in addition to the two of you,” Seb continued, eyeing Elias, then me. “I want alphas and omegas as true equals, and that means in the palace as well.” I nodded my agreement, loving the idea of having alphas in higher positions.

“And,” Seb said, giving me a smile, before his eyes landed on Hal. “I’ve decided Hal will be my first alpha royal advisor.”

“Me?!” Hal blurted, standing up from his chair, making it fall behind him. “But I don’t know anything about being a royal advisor!”

Seb smiled even wider. “But Briar does.”

Oh gods.

Chapter Four

Hal

Seb had asked Briar to go ahead and wait for me in the palace gardens. He wanted a word with me in private, he’d said, and Briar had instantly looked worried, then scurried out of the office.

“I want you and Briar to get to know each other so you can form a professional relationship,” Seb began. “I trust Gus with my life, and he trusts you, so I think you will be perfect for the role of royal advisor.”

Perfect. I mulled Seb’s words over in my head. We were still getting to know each other, but somehow his words mirrored my own thoughts. I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about Seb, but Gus loved and trusted him, and I trusted Gus. It would take some time to get used to this new way of living side by side with omegas, but I wanted to do whatever I could to help. Not just for myself, but for Ember and Lumi, too, and for my own children’s sake when I hopefully had some one day. I wanted my alpha and omega children to grow up as equals with the same opportunity for a happy, fulfilling life.

“I will do my best,” I hummed in agreement, and Seb relaxed.

“That’s all I ask.”

I was waiting for Seb to send me on my way ,but I got the feeling that there was more he wanted to talk to me about.

“Is that all, Your Majesty?”

Seb looked up at me as he seemed to contemplate something. “Not quite. There’s something…” he sighed, hesitating.

“If you are worried about Briar, then I can assure you I will respect his boundaries. He already told me he doesn’t like to be touched, and I will respect his wishes.”