My Mate Is An Omega
My Mate Is A Virgin Chapter 21

Jasper

POV

As Dree and I walked hand in hand towards the gym, I could feel my nervousness rise. I had been on these lands, which were supposed to be my kingdom, for less than an hour, and I was already on my way to meet my mate's family. It was surely the biggest step I would have to take ever since we met. I already knew her mother from my old pack's business meetings, so I didn't feel as intimidated in her presence. But when it came to the fiercest, strongest warriors of the clan... "Are you okay?" Andromeda's voice pulled me from my thoughts. I had to blink a few times before looking at her. "Your hands are sweating."

"Side effects of the heat, probably." I smirked, trying to conceal my hesitation. She simply arched an eyebrow at me, unamused. Of course, it didn't work. After all, she could feel everything I was feeling.

"Don't worry, Prince Jasper." Hearing Adriana address me by my new title made my head twitch. She had agreed to call me by my name alone, but she probably couldn't do it when we were in public. Considering how strict and traditional Queen Nymeia was, I could understand it. "The Huntresses don't bite. Most of them don't, anyway."

"That's...good to know, I guess." I laughed nervously.

"If you want some advice, just hold your head up and put on a straight face," my mate whispered in my ear. "Cat's can smell fear from a mile away. Don't give them ammunition, and you should be fine."

I took a deep breath, trying to follow her instructions. "Thank you, My Princess."

"Well, we're here," the right hand announced. The surprise almost caused me to lose my act, but I managed to collect myself before I did.

The second my eyes landed on the structure in front of me, I was awestruck. Absorbed in thought, I hadn't been paying attention to the grandiosity of my new home. We were in the center of the castle, and the gym my mate had previously mentioned looked nothing like I had expected. It consisted of a large hexagonal garden with tall pillars rising from each of its vertexes. The ground was covered in fresh green grass around four rectangular patches of dirt, probably designated for sparring. There were beautiful white roses growing up the glass walls. It was possible to see the snow falling on top of the circular glass ceiling, very similar to a dome, but the inside remained shielded and warm.

Soon enough, I noticed the seven lynx warriors scattered around the training grounds. Two of them were sparring, another three were chatting on a wooden bench, one was landing blows on a punching bag, one was stretching on the grass, and the last one was running across the perimeter. All my mate needed to do was clear her throat, and each of them immediately stopped what they were doing. At first, they seemed surprised, but it didn't take long for most of them to smile - and a couple of them to frown. "Princess Andromeda!" The girl who was running bolted towards my mate, beaming.

She seemed to be the youngest of the group, but that wasn't the most peculiar detail about her. With shiny pearly skin and thin, shoulder-length bright white hair, she seemed to have been kissed by the snow. Her small lips were of a shy shade of pink, almost blending in with her skin. Even her eyes were pale gray, entirely devoid of color. From her complexion, it was easy to tell she was an albino.

"Alula! Manners!" My mate growled, raising her head higher as the little ball of energy came close. She stopped inches before colliding with Andromeda, immediately bowing at her.

"I'm sorry, Princess. I'm just excited to know you're back," the girl - Alula, apparently - clarified in a saddened tone. It didn't take long for her smile to show again though. "And with our future King, at that!"

"Oh, yes. I wanted to formally introduce you to him before dinner." My princess smiled as she turned to me. I could feel all eyes on me, but following her advice, I just took a deep breath to conceal my nervousness as best as I could. "Huntresses, this is Jasper Stray, former Gamma of Diamond Tempest Pack, and your soon-to-be King."

"It's an honor to finally meet you, Prince Jasper!" The fair-skinned girl instantly lowered her head at me. "My name is Alula! I can jump higher than any other lynx in our clan!"

I couldn't understand the relevance of the last piece of information until my mate spoke again. "Alula joined our team a month and a half ago, right after she completed the Huntresses' Trials. Once females gain their counterparts at the age of sixteen, they have to participate in the trials, where they are tested and selected. Aside from joining the Huntresses Team, they are rebaptized with names that highlight their most notorious skill."

"Wait... You all grow up with one name, then it is changed to a different one?" I raised an eyebrow in both confusion and fascination.

"All of us, except for the Chief Huntress, also known as the Princess," the right hand clarified. She seemed to have understood my unspoken question just by the curiosity in my pale blue eyes. "After I completed the trials, the Queen renamed me Adriana, which means 'dark', because of my excellent night vision. My lynx's unique charcoal coat also grats us better camouflage at night."

"Alula means 'first leap', Prince Jasper!" The girl happily chimed in. "Because I can jump higher, I'm usually the one who is sent first to take down taller enemies!"

"That's really amazing." I smiled sincerely, feeling my hesitation partially melt away. My mate returned the gesture, holding my hand tighter as she led me towards the rest of the warriors, who were now standing in line.

"Next up we have Marina." Andromeda waved her hand at a short girl who looked to be around the same age as her. She had long, wavy blond hair that was darker on the roots and became lighter towards the tips. Her green eyes scanned me for a brief second before she bowed before me. "She is the greatest swimmer in our clan, as well as one of our best fishers."

"It's an honor to serve you, Prince Jasper," Marina said in a firm voice. She didn't seem thrilled about my presence, but the sole fact that she didn't look disappointed either was enough to make me relieved.

"And this is Calynn, our toughest warrior." My mate stopped in front of a woman who didn't seem to be much older than me. Her facial features were delicate, but stern. She had tan skin, medium-length hazel hair, and big, vivid blue eyes. She lowered her head, not paying a lot of attention to me.

"It's an honor to serve you, Prince Jasper," Calynn repeated Marina's exact words. When she lifted her gaze again, I nodded at her before moving along the line of warriors.

The next woman was the first who dared look straight into my eyes, holding her head up high. I tried my best to conceal the way she sent shivers down my spine, but I had a feeling she could see right through me. Her skin was of a reddish-brown shade, glistening like copper underneath the lights. Her curly, full deep brown hair was beautiful, yet powerful like a lion's mane. It made her look intimidating, though not as much as her honey-colored, soul-piercing eyes. "This is Laina," Dree continued. "She strikes quickly and silently, clearing the path for us to advance safely."

The woman was reluctant to lower her head before me. When she finally did, she didn't utter a word. I was concerned about the two previous warriors being neutral about me, but it was clear this one already hated my guts. Following my mate's advice, I swallowed dry and avoided showing any emotion as she led me towards the fifth huntress. I was stunned to find her smiling at me.

"Tessa has the highest kill count out of all of us. Because of her clean strikes, her enemies rarely last more than a few seconds."

The tan-skinned woman appeared to be one of the oldest in the group, probably around her mid-twenties. Her long, jet-black hair was wild and drenched in sweat, which showed just how seriously she took her training. Her light green eyes sparkled with sympathy as she took a good look at me.

"It's an honor to meet you, Prince Jasper." After bowing her head at me, she took me by surprise by stretching her hand out for me to shake it. "I heard wolves always aim for the neck. Bet you've landed some pretty clean strikes yourself." "A few, for sure," I replied, trying to sound more confident than I actually was.

"And this is her mate, Kindra." I was so distracted that it took me a few seconds to look at the huntress my Princess was pointing at. When I did, I froze. "Ever since she shifted for the first time, she has never been defeated in combat." You would think the woman who was mated to the warrior who was most welcoming towards me would at least tolerate me, but hell, not at all.

Kindra looked as powerful as her name sounded. Dressed in only a sports bra and shorts, most of her fair skin was exposed, as well as her many tattoos. Her side swept onyx hair was very short, except for the bangs that fell over the half of her face, covering one of her pale, grayish-green eyes almost completely. Her facial features were sharp, resembling the edges of a diamond, elegant and dangerous. I would say she was in her late twenties, maybe twenty-six.

And she looked even more irritated by my presence than Laina. In fact, I doubt she would have even lowered her head before me if it wasn't for her mate, who elbowed her in the ribs. She didn't even wince, but she took the hint to give me a curt nod. The way she squinted her eyes at me in disgust let me know I wouldn't get anything else from her.

As Andromeda lightly squeezed my hand, reminding me to keep my head high, I finally found the courage to look away from Kindra. I cleared my throat as I readied myself to meet the last of the warriors, but to my surprise, I felt uneasy - actually, I felt my mate's uneasiness.

I turned my attention to the final girl and was immediately shocked to see how similar she looked compared to my mate. She was tall, although not as tall as my princess, and her very long, full wavy blonde hair was just slightly lighter. With huge vivid blue eyes and plump pink lips, she looked a lot like a barbie doll.

"Lastly, this is Mackenzie. She's my half-sister," my mate revealed in a very unamused tone.

Before I could understand her reaction, the young girl threw her arms around me. "I'm so happy my sister has finally brought our future King home! And a very handsome one at that!" She giggled. I stiffened as she held me at arm's length, but I was even more stunned when she lifted her hand up to my face. "That ginger beard of yours is so unique and smooth...just like a lion's mane!" Was she talking about my light stubble?

"I've never seen a lion with that little hair!" Phoenix laughed inside my head. He had been quiet for so long, I was starting to think he was dead.

"Alright, that's enough!" My mate growled, yanking Mackenzie off me. "Show your Prince more respect!"

"I'm sorry, Prince Jasper." She finally lowered her head, but the playful smirk never left her lips. "I thought I should greet you more warmly, since we're family."

"Family or not, he's still your future king," Andromeda hissed. I could feel her powerful aura expanding, causing every other woman in the room to drop to their knees, except for her sister. "And I'm your future Queen."

"Of course." Mackenzie frowned.

"Of course, what?"

The blonde girl was visibly fighting the urge to roll her eyes. "Of course, Princess Andromeda."

"Now that's more likely." My mate smiled triumphantly, tightening her grip on me as we stepped away. "You're all dismissed. I'll see you at dinner soon."

"Link me if you need anything, Princess." Adriana bowed curtly at my mate, and her eyes soon landed on me. "Prince Jasper." She nodded before excusing herself.

The other warriors followed right behind her. Although they did not utter another word, I could feel Laina and Kindra staring daggers at me. Tessa showed me an apologetic smile as she ran after her mate. Alula beamed at me before frolicking out of the gym, while Mackenzie flashed me a wink. Marina and Calynn just nodded as they walked past me.

I never expected eight women who belonged to the same group could have such different personalities.

"Goddess, I'm sorry about that." My mate's voice pulled me back from my thoughts. I could hear her heart racing in her chest.

"About what?"

"Mackenzie," she spat, rolling her eyes. "She's immature and covets everything that I have. Including you, apparently."

"Oh?" I let go of my hesitation to show her a playful smirk. "Are you jealous, my Princess? Is this payback for how you teased me with your guard?"

"That was payback for how you denied me. Over and over for an entire month, if I may add," she scolded me before sighing. Her arm interlaced with mine, and she led me out of the gym on a stroll around the castle. "Anyway, what did you think of the girls?" I hesitated. "They are...nice."

"You don't need to lie."

"Well, some of them are." I shrugged before turning to her with a nervous, half-joking smile. "Should I be worried that the silent killer and the undefeated champion are the ones who hate me the most?"

"They don't hate you." She laughed, lacing our fingers as she rested her head on my shoulder. "They just take their jobs seriously, and they doubt your ability to defend our clan. As the days go by, I'm sure they'll notice how amazing you are, just like I did." She smiled sweetly.

"Let's hope you're right, My Princess."

When my pale blue eyes locked on her diamonds, she took my breath away. I found myself stopping to snake my arms around her waist and pull her closer to me. The bond between us became a lot harder to fight after we mated, but to be fair, I wasn't trying to run from it anymore. I moved one hand up to her face, caressing her cheek before I leaned closer. The moment our lips touched, I could feel the tension from earlier fading away. Andromeda was my addiction, my remedy, my life. Sadly, our kiss didn't last long.

Only a few seconds later, she pulled away as her eyes clouded over. As soon as they reopened, I noticed a hint of annoyance in them.

"It was my mother. She wants us to go to the dining room earlier to discuss some issues in private before the rest of the huntresses join us at the table."