Fated to the Alpha and the Angel

The Palace was buzzing with energy and magic when Daniel walked in. He had gotten off a flight from New York at Heathrow only minutes earlier, and the entire ride to the Palace had been so utterly human that sudden, surprising annoyance had swollen in his chest.

Maybe it was just Heathrow Airport and not mundane humanity that threatened to make Daniel tear his hair out.

But stepping into the Palace stripped away all of that. Daniel gave a sigh of relief as a bellboy took his bags, and stood silently for a moment, allowing the bustle and spark to settle on him like a weighted blanket. He was almost tempted to stick his tongue out, to see if he could taste the magic that floated on the air.

“Sir, we’re happy to have you again.” Evans, the hotelier, and manager of the Palace came to a prompt stop next to him. Evans had been welcoming Daniel to the Palace of Souls for five years. And he hadn’t aged at all in that time.

Evans had to be in his late fifties, but Daniel was just guessing. The man was shorter than he was with pale, pockmarked skin, and hazy green eyes. He wore wire-rimmed, round glasses and his sandy hair was swept neatly around his head.

He wore the same clothes that he had been wearing for five years too. In fact, Daniel had never seen him in anything else, even in those moments when Daniel left one of the hotel bars after midnight.

A three-piece, gray suit and white shirt. A silk, slate gray tie that was so perfectly knotted that Daniel was jealous every time he looked at Evans. And leather Oxfords on his feet that shone in the soft golden lighting of the Palace lobby.

“It’s always good to be back, Evans.” The hotelier inclined his head and started walking through the lobby.

The place was busier than usual, and Evans must have sensed his slight apprehension, and the questions that popped into his head as he looked around.

“We’re simply having a convention sir,” Evans spoke to Daniel as they stepped into the lift. “The Fae only get one week out of the year to mix with the rest of us. They’re taking full advantage of the Palace’s amenities.”

“That must be good for business.” Daniel replied, considering the presence of the Fae.

He had worked with a number of Unseelie Fae before in his job as a curse-broker. In fact, Daniel had worked with almost every type of being in the supernatural community.

But the Fae were some of the most beautiful beings he had ever seen. They were ethereal, and to his human eyes, they were akin to Angels.

And that was just it. Daniel was one of the few humans who had gained access to the world of the Palace and the various magical communities throughout the world. The world where magic was power, and where that power sparkled and trembled in the air like a livewire.

A world so apart from the human one, that Daniel had suffered from psychic whiplash in the first few years that he worked as a curse-broker.

The Unseelie would have relished the opportunity to continue working with him, if only to trap him in a promise.

Being a human in the world of the Palace made him vulnerable. That was why he was there. This time, his trip was personal, not professional.

The lift stopped on the penthouse floor, the floor Daniel always occupied, at Evans’ request.

His eyes had to adjust to the shining chrome-like lights as they stepped into the penthouse hallway. The lighting in the rest of the hotel was very different from the lobby.

Silver bright lights shone from the ceiling, and they reflected off mirrored walls. Daniel examined himself in one of the floor-length mirrors as Evans went ahead and checked that his suite met the hotel’s exacting standards.

Daniel was handsome, something he had accepted a long time ago. He had even used his looks as currency before he broke into the cursing business.

He was a little over six feet tall and had inherited his Jamaican mother’s dark brown skin. He had inherited her kinky hair too, though his hair was a dark auburn, something that he inherited from his Scottish father.

He had also gotten his hazel eyes and thick eyelashes from his father, and they sat neatly above his broad nose that his Jamaican grandfather had bequeathed to him.

“Sir? Your suite is ready. Your bags have been brought up. Should I arrange some entertainment for you?” Daniel blinked as he realized that Evans was standing in front of him.

“Uhm,” He cast his mind over the potential entertainment he could request. “No, I think I’ll go down to the Vault, and pick something out myself. I am expecting a guest later on, one of the employees at your magical services desk.” he told Evans, who nodded in understanding.

“That will be Catra, sir, our best witch and magic practitioner. I’ll send her right up.” Evans said, brushing invisible dust off the front of his coat.

“Can you arrange dinner for us?” Daniel asked, sighing as he tried to relax and push away the tension that had settled almost permanently on his shoulders.

“That I can do. Ms. Catra has always loved French cuisine sir. I’ll make sure you have an excellent chef for the evening.”

Some of the tension in his shoulders dissolved, and Daniel smiled gratefully at Evans.

“Thank you.”

“It is always a pleasure, sir. I believe your appointment is at six this evening. She is quite strict with her time sir, so remember to be up here by then.”

And with another gracious nod, Evans turned smartly and walked out of the room.

He knew the evening would be perfect. Everything would go well, only because that was what the Palace promised. Perfection. And Evans, who ran the place like a well-oiled machine, expected nothing less than perfection for his guests.

Daniel walked through the double doors to the suite and pulled off his sweatshirt as he walked. He kicked off his dragon-leather boots and pulled off his trousers and underwear, before heading straight for the shower.

The lights in the enormous bathroom flickered on when he stepped inside, and the shower taps opened with a wave of his hand.

He examined himself once again in front of the floor-length mirrors before he stepped into the shower.

Daniel hadn’t shaved in weeks, and his beard was full and slightly untidy from falling asleep on the plane. He had to get a haircut, and the gold ring in his left ear hung askew.

The tattoos that covered almost every inch of his body rippled as he flexed his arms and legs. He had tattooed protection spells and charms all over his stomach and chest.

Dragons and snakes and deer roiled and curled on his back and up his shoulders, before stretching up his neck.

A small tattoo of a star shone from his left temple, above a silver ring in his left eyebrow. The only part of his body that wasn’t tattooed were his legs. But he hadn’t ruled those out yet.

He had to do some manslaying too, Daniel thought, looking down at his thick, flaccid member. He was naturally hairy and while he liked that about himself, he wouldn’t be able to see himself soon.

The shower was hot and fragrant when he stepped inside, and Daniel felt the day wash away as he stood underneath the gushing water.

The Palace had provided shampoo and special conditioner designed for his thicker coil hair, and he let the liquid slip between his fingers gratefully. He would never have gotten that kind of service in a human hotel.

It was a little after two when Daniel stepped out of the shower and pulled on a dress shirt, a clean pair of trousers and his dragon-leather boots.

It was time to go down to the Vault.

Something that Daniel appreciated about the Palace and the world of magic as a whole was its attitude towards sex.

It was only after he had stayed in the Palace for the first time that he realized how prudish human society was. No one in the world of magic seemed to care much about gender, sexuality, or kinks. There were no barriers to sex, as long as everyone involved was a consenting adult.

It wasn’t like they were having sex in the streets, but the Palace and most other magical places had dedicated spaces for sex.

The Palace of Souls also catered to those who weren’t inclined towards sex at all. The magical establishment had a library that spanned four floors, a gaming room, and five cinemas.

It didn’t quite matter what you were interested in. The Palace gladly catered to every kind of being. And no one in this world batted an eyelid.

The Vault was one of those spaces dedicated to sex, and Daniel became aroused just walking in. The fragrance of sex hung lightly on the air of the lobby underneath the hotel.

The Vault was located in the hotel basement, and the giant expanse had two restaurants and a bar. It also had roughly eighteen separate rooms for groups or couples. There were also five larger rooms where entertainers performed.

After ordering a club soda, Daniel headed directly for the strippers. He had no interest in participating in anything, and simply wanted to blow off steam.

Dancers of all shapes and sizes adorned the poles. Except, they weren’t simply dancing.

Two women, both curvy and muscular, were grinding against one another, their bikinis long discarded. He swallowed hard as he watched them fondle the other’s heavy, full breasts. They switched positions then, scissoring each other, gripping one another’s thick, dimpled thighs as they rocked against one another.

His dick had hardened the moment he saw the two women and it strained against his zipper as he ached for release.

It was then that a woman on the other end of the room caught his eye. The room was quite empty, and quiet aside from the sounds of the two women nearing their climax.

The woman, whoever she was, was beautiful, and way out of Daniel’s league, no matter how handsome he was.

She stood up then, adjusting her dress, and he got a better view of her.

She was stunning. Her body was voluptuous, gracefully round, and he knew her face would only add to the perfection, if only he could see it.

Her breasts, ass, and thighs were thick and heavy. Her stomach curved adorably against the tight fabric of the dress. She wore heels and they highlighted her strong, muscular calves as she walked out of the room.

The woman’s long curly hair hung to her waist and obscured any view he had of her face. But when she turned, to walk out of the room, a flash of gold told him that she was wearing jewelry.

As he dragged his attention back to the dancers, who now wore strap-ons and were fucking each other slowly, he wondered how long she’d be staying at the Palace and if he would see her again.

***

Daniel spent hours wandering in and out of the entertainment rooms of the Vault while he wiled away time. He didn’t really take in any of the entertainment, because the woman from the stripper room still lingered in his mind.

He only wished he had seen her face. She was probably the most beautiful woman he would ever see.

Daniel headed up to his suite just after five. Evening had fallen by the time he stepped off the lift at the penthouse suite, and when he stepped into the bedroom, he saw that the sun had faded from the sky, leaving behind only an inky black expanse, broken only by the bright, harsh lights of homes and businesses across London.

The city was beautiful and so far away from Daniel that, for a second, his chest hurt, and he had to gasp for air.

Even though he was human, mortal, Daniel had not considered himself human for a very long time.

Not since he tattooed the first charm onto his skin.

There was no part of him that wanted to go back to that world, but sometimes he missed the petty normality of humanity. Sometimes he missed coffee and conversations about money and climate change.

He missed dating.

He hadn’t been with anyone in years. The people and beings he had fucked in the Vault didn’t count, because he didn’t even know their names.

Daniel hadn’t gotten to know anyone in so long. He hadn’t woken up next to a partner, a girlfriend or boyfriend, a consistent lover, in years. No breakfasts in bed, no date nights, no gifts on Valentine’s Day.

Maybe that was why he missed plain humanity suddenly. He had found a lot of love there.

Humans had so much love to give. No matter how mundane, or feral, or ugly, or dirty they were.

Daniel turned suddenly at a knock on the door, and he knew that Catra had arrived. He shivered, his stomach tightening, as a spark of anxiety lit like a flame inside him.

Catra was supposed to be the best and most powerful witch in the Northern Hemisphere. The fact that she was exclusively employed by the Palace proved that.

But Daniel could not help but feel nervous about what he was about to do.

He had changed into more comfortable clothing and walked barefoot across the soft, luxurious carpet. He was looking at his phone when he pulled the door open.

And he promptly dropped his phone when he looked up.

The witch smiled up at him with slight uncertainty as he gathered himself, picking up the phone, and letting her in.

Catra, the witch, was the woman he had seen in the stripper room.

Daniel shook his head, trying to get rid of the haze that settled on him before he walked up to her and shook her hand.

“Daniel Carver,” He introduced himself, “And you’re Catra…?”

She smiled. “Just Catra.”

Seeing her up close was so much better than from across a dark room.

Catra was breathtaking. Her skin was maybe two shades lighter than his, and lighter brown freckles were dotted across her nose and cheekbones.

Her eyes were large, hooded and a very light shade of brown, and rimmed with thick, black eyelashes.

Catra’s eyebrows were straight, thick, and dark, and her hair was lighter than he realized. Her spiraling curls were light brown with streaks of honey blonde shot through the tresses.

She had changed out of the dress she had been wearing when Daniel first saw her. Now she wore a pale pink shirt with gold buttons, and a pair of smart, black trousers.

But the outfit was hardly modest. Catra’s curves made the buttons of her shirt strain and as she walked into the room, he swore he could hear the seams of her trousers popping as her stomach, rounded hips, butt and thighs threatened to tear the fabric.

“So, what brought you to this decision?” She asked, looking him up and down. Her lips were full, and she had several gold rings hanging from her broad, proud nose.

“Well,” Daniel said, “It’s pretty hard being the best curse trader in the Underworld and being human. I already have a lot of targets on my back. I need to be able to protect myself.”

“I get that.” She murmured. He led her over to the two armchairs at the far end of the room, and they sat down.

Just then the penthouse suite’s door opened, and several hotel porters and a chef walked in.

“Sir and Madame, welcome to this meal. I truly hope you enjoy it because I put my heart and soul into it.” The chef, who introduced himself as Louise, saw Catra and his eyes widened.

A spark of unreasonable irritation shot through Daniel as the chef licked his lips.

“So, I have prepared one of the most decadent meals I could, all native to my home, the beautiful Paris.” Louise continued, “Have you ever been to Paris, madame? Then you know it is beautiful. Yes, so here we have, steak frites, French onion soup, chicken confit, and two decadent croque monsieurs.”

Catra smiled glossily up at Louise and Daniel heard the chef’s sharp intake of breath.

He rolled his eyes.

“It all looks so delicious Louise,” Catra gushed, leaning over. The chef’s eyes were drawn to her shirt. Her breasts were practically forcing the buttons open.

Daniel ushered the group out when Louise had finally gotten through the menu, shutting the door loudly behind them.

“Do you always do that?” Daniel was clenching his jaw in annoyance as he turned to Catra who was eating some of the onion soup.

He was irritated at the reactions she had garnered from the group. Was he jealous? Jealous of the attention that the witch was getting from virtual strangers?

They didn’t even know one another.

“Do I always do what?” Catra asked him innocently.

“Use glamors to make people fall in love with you?”

She shrugged and ran a small, plump hand through her hair. “It’s easier this way,” she said. “It is a form of protection. Beautiful women do not get hurt as often as everyone else.”

“Well,” Daniel said. “What do you really look like? I mean, I’m human. I can’t do much to you.”

Catra put the sandwich down and with a heavy exhale closed her eyes.

Daniel saw the changes as they happened. The lines of her face became softer. Her jaw was soft, her face rounder and fuller. Her eyes softened into a darker brown, and her mouth was smaller.

Her hair and skin went half a shade darker. When Catra looked at him, Daniel thought there was fear in her eyes.

Was she actually scared that he would do something to her because she thought she was less beautiful?

Daniel was fascinated by the real lines on her face. She was even more stunning than when she wore glamor.

He smiled weakly as he looked at her.

“I don’t think anyone is going to shit on you for looking like that.”

Catra gave a deep laugh.

“Whatever you say, Daniel.” His heart jumped at the sound of her saying his name. “So, have you decided what you’d like to become?”

“No,” Catra stood up, going over to the bed. “What do you suggest?” Daniel stood up too, following her.

He was conscious of the ties of his robe falling open, revealing his abs and chest and the tent in his joggers.

She turned to him, smiling. “I think you’d look good as a demon.”

Catra’s personal life had been going to shit, so she had not been at the Palace in weeks. The great thing about being a powerful witch- and having a boss like Evans- meant she picked her working hours.

For the most part, anyway.

Which gave her time to deal with the shit show that was her life.

But Evans had requested her personally for her latest client, Daniel Carver, and if the job went right, her bonus would triple.

There wasn’t really time to focus on the bonus though.

All Catra could do now was focus on her client and getting the job done.

Because if she didn’t, all Catra would think about was the positive pregnancy test that said she was almost four months along.

And she would think about Ryan, the father of her baby, and her eternal, chosen mate.

How the fuck had this happened? How had this become her life?

She smiled as pleasantly as she could at the bellboy in the lobby of the Palace as his jaw dropped at her presence.

Catra knew she looked good in the nearly sheer gray dress that beautifully highlighted her frame. It had a square neckline that gave only a hint at the cleavage that it covered, and it cinched at her waist, but stretched softly across the folds of her body.

The dress was a beautiful creation, gifted to Catra by a Fae of the Unseelie court. It was spun from molten silver and held together by fairy dust, and the magic imbued in it ensured that it would always fit her, no matter how much her body changed.

She followed the bellboy who had shaken himself out of his lustful stupor and was dutifully taking her bags up to her room.

They entered the lift and she jerked with surprise when she looked at herself in the reflective glass. Before she had known she was pregnant, she hadn’t noticed the way her body had changed.

But now she looked at herself in a different light. Her stomach was slightly more distended, her breasts were larger, and her hips had widened even more.

Catra swallowed as she considered the future.

She loved Ryan, and she loved their baby, and she knew she was privileged enough to take care of it. But this would mean staying with Ryan for the rest of their lives. Letting him claim her as his mate. Letting him mark her.

Ryan was a werewolf and Catra was a witch, and while it wasn’t unheard of, cross-species mating was still considered unusual. When they had met five months ago, the mating bond had struck like lightning. There was no denying it, no matter how hard the two had fought to stay apart.

Pleasure thrilled down Catra’s spine as she stepped out of the lift, following the bellboy. Images of her first time with Ryan were burned into her brain, and she felt herself become wet at the thought of his hands and tongue on her body.

She almost slammed right into the bellboy who had come to a stop in front of her suite’s door.

He blushed and she cleared her throat, her hand going to her stomach instinctively.

Every full-time employee of the Palace enjoyed permanent residence in their own suite in the hotel. Having spent the past five months in Ireland and then Manchester, Catra had almost forgotten how her home away from home looked.

But when she stepped inside, the tense knots all over her body started to relax. Her suite was still beautiful and luxurious and exactly what Catra needed to unwind.

She would be there for five nights. The client was rich, and the case was intricate, and she wanted to be close by in case anything happened.

In case anything went wrong.

The floor-length curtains sprang open with a wave of her hand, revealing enormous glass windows that gave stellar views of all of London. It was then that Catra saw the moon was rising. The moon was waxing crescent. In two more cycles, the moon would rise Full and beautiful.

And Ryan would be coming for her.

Catra shook the thought away, as she considered how much she had fucked her situation up. She had known, from the moment she met Ryan, what the process was.

When eternal mates found each other, they fell in love, fell into the sack, and then marked one another.

She had done the first two. But before Ryan could mark her and claim her as his, Catra ran away.

She wasn’t proud of her behavior, but the thought of being tied down for all eternity, of being someone’s mate made Catra feel empty inside. The thought scared her. Was that all that fate had in store for her?

Marriage, marking, mating, and babies? Because that was what Ryan expected from her it seemed. She loved him and right then she missed him, but she couldn’t take it back that she had run away from him.

When she called him afterward to explain, she could almost hear the most feral part of him growling down the receiver. He was trying to control himself, and when he spoke, it was in his usual gruff, calm Irish accent.

“You have until the next Full Moon.” He had spoken slowly, and she knew he was restraining himself from howling. “If you do not come back then, I’ll come get you. And you can decide to reject me for good or be marked.”

It was only fair. She couldn’t expect to waste his time. Catra kicked off her pumps and carefully pulled the Fae dress off her body. She pulled on a more form-fitting dress and higher heels and grabbed a clutch from her luggage before leaving the room.

All she wanted for her time at the Palace was to not think about Ryan or their mating bond that currently hung in the air.

She had time before her appointment with the client, and she wanted to get in a show beforehand. The Palace of Souls was famous for its entertainment, and Catra was horny and tired. Maybe she could pick up a toy or two and think about Ryan while she got herself off.

She ran a hand through her hair and then left the room.

***

It had been hard to focus in the Vault. Even though several men, women, and other beings there had offered to give her the time of her life.

Catra had left eventually.

A feature- for want of a better word- that came with the mating bond, was that neither Catra nor Ryan were attracted to anyone else any longer. The mating bond ensured that they were well taken care of in every way imaginable.

Sexually, emotionally, and mentally. They were perfect matches for one another.

Once Ryan marked her- because Catra was realizing that the event was inevitable- she wouldn’t ever need anyone else again.

So why did it feel so wrong, to imagine a future with her and Ryan and their kids, in the Cashel pack compound out in the wilds of Ireland?

It was perfect and Catra wanted it desperately. Yet, when she imagined that future, it still felt like something was missing. She headed back to her suite thirty minutes before her meeting and got into more professional clothes. She also got her tools out, and her work robes, just in case things got messy.

Her client waited for her in the penthouse suite, and her skin started tingling with anticipation and excitement. Catra loved magic and she loved money and tonight she’d be able to do a lot of magic and make a lot of money in exchange.

Would she be able to do magic once Ryan claimed her and marked her as his? Probably not. She wouldn’t be allowed to do anything remotely dangerous, and once he found out she was carrying his child and the heir to his pack, she wouldn’t be able to leave the compound.

And Catra wouldn’t mind doing all that if it didn’t feel like something was missing.

Being with Ryan made her happier than she had ever been. But she couldn’t ignore the feeling that they weren’t complete. Maybe when the baby came, she’d feel more secure.

She loved Ryan desperately, and she knew she wouldn’t stay away too long.

The penthouse suite had a separate lift and the silver doors slid open when she stepped in front of it.

She had done a little research on her client. Daniel Carver was a human who wanted to transition to a magical being. It made sense. It wasn’t a good idea to be powerless when you did business with vampires and demons.

Catra had completed the spell successfully twice before, and it was very dangerous. A spark of excitement skittered across her skin, and she knew that her eyes were no longer simply dark brown. They were glowing golden as the magic in her body reached for the surface, eager, desperate to be let out.

Catra needed to use her magic, or she would burst.

The lift came to a smooth stop and the doors slid open silently. The quiet opulence of the Palace never failed to impress her. When she stepped into the lobby of the penthouse, she saw that Evans was waiting for her. He had given her the instructions when she left the Vault. Now he inclined his head graciously before the double doors in front of them swung open with a wave of his hand.

The air changed as Catra stepped inside. She couldn’t identify the change, couldn’t see the source of it. She only knew that it felt like lightning had struck her heart, at the very center of her. And when she turned to look at Daniel Carver, who was waiting for her, only one word crossed her mind, over and over again.

Mate.