The night had come to an end.

Aston looked around as the others walked out of the library conversing amongst themselves, his thoughts going back to the events that had played out earlier in the evening. His mate had assaulted and forcefully made one of his elders submit to him in power, something that hadn't been done in hundreds of years. Lydia had been the selected casualty of Nicolai's rage in that moment due to her attitude against his species. Not something that he could have predicted at all. He had surprised himself in the matter with the capability of staying calm during the entire situation. 

Seeing Lydia's terror had made him neither happy nor sad, but felt that the actions that his mate had taken, something that needed to be done. Nicolai’s feral state had also given him the incentive to not ever have that version of his mate be pointed towards him. It had also strangely aroused him with the display of dominance. Aston had personally never seen so much rage within a person when he had seen the look in Nicolai’s eyes before gaining his attention from Lydia. What he had seen in those eyes had concerned him due to the darkness that seemed to be behind them. In his head he made a note to find out the source of that dark place within his mate.

“You look so far away” Nicolai’s voice broke through the silence.

Aston blinked as he snapped out of his trance, looking towards his mate seeing that he was watching him with careful eyes. Those gold eyes took his breath away as they analyzed him looking for any signs of things being wrong. He smiled at the man, finding it sweet that Nicolai was concerned and actually cared if he had gotten too lost in his thoughts. 

“It’s okay, I’ll always come back, you don’t have to worry about that,” Aston replied, still smiling at him. 

“Are you sure you’re okay, love?” Nicolai asked, getting closer to him.

Was he okay? Aston had finally accepted the position that Wyatt had left him and he also had a mate that was the equivalent to him in his own birthright. He was to be King. His face became neutral as it set in slightly, his talk with Rhea flooding back into his mind along with his decision. He had remembered his decision to take the reins from the elders, but he had not accounted for Nicolai coming into his life. 

“Yeah I am, it's just been a really long day today” he stated. 

“It really has,” Nicolai smirked.

“You could say that it is full of interesting surprises,” Aston smiled as he sauntered up to the male lion.

Nicolai had noticed that the others had left them to their own devices, his sisters wiggling their eyebrows at him suggestively. Aston being lost in thought had made it perfect for them to have a moment alone because the elders had had enough of him for the night. He had challenged their every statement during their negotiations, also getting his mate to challenge them as well, knowing that it silently irked them. Rhea and Emersyn had quietly snickered at their reactions, their doe-like eyes watching him behind fake smiles as he had put forth his own negotiations along with Aston. Aston's input had surprised them, his own negotiations putting a damper on their plans for the future of the clan and the pride.

“That's one way of putting it” he chuckled, noticing that Aston had gotten closer than expected.

The male tiger watched Nicolai with curiosity, silently becoming aware of them being alone together, his thoughts filling with the perverted faces of Rhea and Isadora. A blush lightly dusted his face as he suddenly also realized that they had not discussed sleeping arrangements with the members of the pride upon the ending of their meeting with the elders. 

Where was Nicolai going to sleep? 

The thought of Nicolai possibly sharing his bed had caused his blush to deepen to his core, Nicolai’s golden pools now watching him with interest. The look made the tiger squirm as he looked deeply into his mates eyes starting to feel butterflies in his gut. The feeling was something foreign to him, Aston had never felt so overwhelmed by a person in his life.

“Did the elders discuss the sleeping arrangements with you and your sisters?” Aston asked, looking up at the lion. 

Nicolai chuckled, causing heat to pool in Aston’s stomach, “Well it was kind of hard to discuss the arrangements with the little show that we had put on earlier. Besides I'm pretty sure they have gotten my sisters situated with the way that Isadora and Rhea swarmed them after the meeting. So I guess I'm all yours, love.”

Aston stared at Nicolai like a deer in headlights as his face burned with a blush at the words of his mate. He did not know what to do with himself. Nicolai stood before him awaiting his answer, his feelings of being flustered becoming surprisingly overwhelming. His thoughts raced, his eyes never leaving the golden gaze of the lion in front him.

“So?” Nicolai questioned, arching his brow at him.

“Oh... Umm... I can accommodate you in my room if need be. I mean my area of the house upstairs is really spacious and has more than enough room for the both of us. I mean... Only if you don't mind.... Sharing that space with me..” Aston sputtered.

Nicolai’s brow raised as he looked at Aston with an astonished expression, taking note of the sudden bravery of the man before him. Aston had made the notion that they would share the same room, even hinting at the possibilities of sharing the same bed. His mate never ceased to keep things interesting as he noticed that Aston was still waiting for his answer.

“Are you sure?” He coughed, trying to keep his composure, “I mean I wouldn't want to put you out.”

“It's not an inconvenience to me, but if you're not comfortable with it I can understand. We can find one of the staff to help us find you a room to stay in if we need to” Aston replied, making sure that his mate knew he would leave other options open.

“No, I would be honored to share your room with you tonight. No need to bother the staff” Nicolai smirked. 

Aston blushed once more as he stared at the smirk that was directed towards him, not knowing what could lie behind that smirk. Scenarios filled his head as he thought about what could come next once they reached his bedroom, his home within his home. Being alone with his mate both frightened and excited him, Nicolai was still an enigma to him even though they just met earlier in that day. 

“Well follow me then and we’ll see where we can get you situated”  he replied, turning away from his mate.

Aston walked from the hallway of the library’s entrance to the massive staircase that resided in the middle of the giant home. Nicolai followed Aston taking in the grandeur of the home, the rustic and elegant feel giving him a sense of comfort. The smell of the wood and nature that flowed throughout the home reminded him of running in his lion form, something that felt so free. He watched his mate walking in front of him in contrast to their surroundings, seeing that they fit perfectly with only one thing coming to mind. Simply beautiful.

Aston walked ahead of his mate, his thoughts running through his mind about what could possibly happen once he reached his room and that his mate was still close behind him. He wondered if Nicolai could feel the nervousness radiating off of him as they reached the staircase. He took in the feel of the home while feeling the lion at his back, hoping that he could feel a sense of grounding.  His mate's presence still flooded his senses as they reached his bedroom, throwing the thought of being mentally grounded out the window.  

Nicolai watched the way Aston's body moved as they turned the corner at the top of the stairs into the main hallway of the second floor. His eyes observing his mate's muscles move underneath his clothing, the muscles moving fluidly and powerful like that of the apex predator he harbored inside his body. His gaze traveled lower, noticing the tiger’s muscular thighs before seeing the taut jeans over the large round backside that he had failed to notice earlier. Nicolai’s mind broke. His brows raised into his hairline as his pants tightened gazing upon the beauty in front of him sitting under a slim waist. 

He felt the drool that was coming from his mouth, his pants starting to feel uncomfortable whilst trying to control his arousal from the sight. A realization hit him ‘He’s so perfect’, the thought repeating in his mind over and over his golden gaze not looking away from Aston. Finding his mate had been unfathomable until earlier that day, Aston became a blessing in disguise as he immediately looked past the physical appeal of the guy. Aston was a King like himself, a rarity in couplings in of itself, so he knew that together they would be considered a ‘power couple’, but a threat to others that were on the outside looking in. That troubling thought passed through his mind as well, drowning in his arousal for the tiger before him.

“Nicolai are you okay?”

Aston looked concerned, standing in his bedroom’s doorway as Nicolai’s eyes snapped up to meet his, a light blush dancing it's way across his face as he thought himself caught in the act. 

‘Damn even his blush is hot’ Aston thought, biting the inside of his cheek.

“Oh.. Umm... Yeah I'm fine, I was just really lost in thought is all” Nicolai stammered meeting the hazel eyes that captivated him, giving him a sheepish grin.

“Guess I'm not the only one that goes far away” Aston snickered remembering  their conversation from earlier.

“Well at least you were the one to bring me back love” The lion smiled, giving him a wink.

Aston’s face burned a fiery red at his mate's statement. He could never get used to the smile that graced his mate's face, and only for him in this private moment. The situation was still so new to him, so new that he still had yet to process what the bond was that he and Nicolai shared. The pull to be with him got stronger the more they spent time in the presence of each other, feeling whole for the first time in his life. A soulmate.

“Wow is this your room or a fucking apartment?” Nicolai coughed.

The comment had snapped Aston out of his stupor, Nicolai had managed to get past him during his gathering of his thoughts. 

“Oh”, Aston breathed. “Yeah, this is the chamber for the reigning King and his potential Queen/King to live in within the compound. Wyatt and the previous Alphas have lived here during their times as leaders and now it has been passed to me”. 

The master suite was enormous. Nicolai stood in the middle of a common area where a cream u-shaped sectional resided in the middle of the room, ravishingly comfortable being the only words to describe it. The room itself maintained the rustic feel of the rest of the home, the oatmeal-colored walls pairing well with the dark mahogany wood of the floors. A large tv was mounted on the wall opposite of the sectional fitting in with the modern rustic furniture of the common room, making it feel complete. The room was moderately lit giving the mates a relaxing feel, almost as if to set the mood for a world of endless possibilities. 

Nicolai stood in awe of the room surrounding him, everything within sight screaming at him words that could only best describe his mate's upbringing in the   simplest way. Wealth. Before him directly behind the sectional stood two massive barn doors pulled apart to reveal the master bedroom where a king-size bed lay looking like a massive soft cloud. 

“Holy Shit” Nicolai muttered taking in the beautiful surroundings

“Is it too much?” Aston asked, walking further into the entryway, closing the door behind him, “I know when I first saw it, it blew me out of the water with the luxury that these past kings had lived in.”

“It's not too much... It just takes a little getting used to” Nicolai answered looking  around observing the decor, “overall it's just slightly overwhelming, but it’s manageable.”

“It does take a sec to get used to, besides my parents' home is pretty much the same style but it isn’t as up to date as this ‘apartment’ is. Also you are more than welcome to stay here with me due to our new bonding.” Aston leaned against the side of  sectional watching Nicolai take in the rest of the room. 

“And what better way to celebrate the bonding by spending a night together in our new room” Nicolai looked at Aston’s now red cheeks with a flirty smirk.

Nicolai enjoyed the sight of Aston squirm under his gaze, seeing his body shift uncomfortably on the arm of the sectional as the tiger looked away from him. He never got tired of seeing his mates flushed expression at his actions, the deep red heat that could only be caused by him. Aston’s blush made him feel like he would lose control the more he caused it, to lick the beautiful rosy tint off of his mate's face. His restraint was beginning to fail him as he continued to feel enamored with his mate; he was not feeling like himself. 

“Well we’ll talk about sleeping arrangements here in a bit, it's been quite the day as you do know. I'm going to shower so you're more than welcome to make yourself at home and I'll get you some clothes once I'm done” Aston stated breaking his mate out of his trance. 

“Okay love” Nicolai replied feeling centered, “Don't keep me waiting long.”

Aston’s mouth formed a genuine smile that reached his eyes, a breathtaking sight that left Nicolai feeling winded and warm. The tiger nodded as he sauntered over to the bathroom leaving his mate to his own devices, ready to wash the dirt from the cliff from his body. Nicolai listened as the shower was turned on, the water falling onto what sounded like stone tiles. He looked around the room once more, noticing the comfortable feel of the suite, the glare from picture frames catching his eye from across the room. He walked closer to the area seeing photographs of his smiling mate accompanied by what he could only guess as friends and family, Aston’s hazel eyes piercing his being even through the photos.