Chapter 28 Please rise
SOMA
Night falls and morning drags in, but thoughts of Mason linger in my head. Is he safe? What if he didn’t make it out? He was wrong to say no one would care if he left. I do, but unfortunately, there’s no way to know if he’s okay.
“My lady, your bath is ready.” Jade’s voice snaps me out of a trance, and she whispers, “Are you okay, my lady?”
“What would you do if your friend left?” I blurt out. She frowns, and I try to explain without mentioning Mason’s name. “It was a plan for both of you to leave the pack, and now he’s gone.”
Her lips purse. “I’ll trust that he knows what he’s doing. For him to bring it up, he must have had a good plan. If he says he’s been thinking of it for a long time, then I’ll have faith in him and his plans.”
Right? I beam, and she smiles. Experience has taught me and Mason to carry out every activity carefully. He’s not careless. He must have made it out of Shadowspire safely.
That thought brings me relief, and I hurry to bathe. Jade helps me to style my hair, and as I’m getting ready to leave for breakfast, there’s a knock on my bedroom door.
“My lady, the king demands your presence. Alone.”
Jade and I pale. My heart skips, and I try to think of any sin I might have committed. Did I spend too much money on shopping? Did Dante tell him about Jimmy? Will he finally kick me out? I’m aware the only reason I’ve lasted this long is because of King Rowan’s order. No one dares to defy him.
On my feet, I tell Jade, “Eat without me.”
“It’s my fault.” She shakes her head, following me to the door. “I should have discouraged you from going to that store. If he blames you, tell him it’s my fault.”
“We don’t even know if that’s why he’s calling me,” I say, but my heart beats too fast. Fear spreads over her face, so I try to be brave. “Wait for me. I’ll be back.”
“Be… be safe, my lady.”
With a nod, I open the door, and a guard bows. He leads me through the palace, stopping at a set of thick doors. As soon as he knocks twice, the door opens. I take a deep breath before entering, but I still falter when I spot King Rowan. He’s not alone. Lilith and Brynne are with him.
Brynne scowls, his disgust present as his eyes sweep over me. King Rowan sits behind his large desk, his hands squeezed as if he wants to strangle someone. Maybe me.
Knowing no one will rise to my help if he kills me causes my heart to stutter. I dart a worried glance at Lilith, but she doesn’t smile. Did I do anything? Why are we here?
“Lady Soma,” Alpha Rowan greets. I bow, immediately remembering my manners. “No need for that. Please rise.”
My spine stiffens, but I raise my head. He gestures to the empty seats across his desk. Lilith is on her feet, and so is Brynne. He must know why I’m here because he’s pissed.
As soon as I slide into the chair, Lilith occupies the one next to me. Brynne remains standing beside his father, his hand clamped around the top of the king’s chair. What’s wrong?
Whatever this is, I can feel we’re both at the center.
“How’s palace life treating you?”
“Fine, Your Majesty. It’s a lot, but I’m adjusting nicely.”
“I’m told you’ve been informed about the academy,” he says. His tone tells me he doesn’t expect an answer, so I remain quiet. I’m not sure how the academy will function, but I’m certain I’ll survive after attending a high school where bullying was the order of the day. “That’s good. But that’s not why I called you here.”
“May I ask why I’m here?” I whisper.
“Lilith has received a vision. Brynne’s mate is close,” he explains. The priestess avoids my gaze when I turn to confirm. I’ve always known her to be powerful, the closest contact to the Moon Goddess, but I’ve never fully understood the scope of her powers. “I’ll need her to perform the mate-bond ritual between you and my son.”
The implication of the king’s words lands too slowly, and my mouth opens when I finally process it. Being the Luna automatically means I’ll be Brynne’s wife and queen, but I can avoid intimacy. It’ll be strictly business. We’ll sleep in separate rooms. He can have mistresses, and I won’t care about them.
But being his mate changes that. I’ll be subjected to heat, his emotions, and his desires. He’ll have control over me as much as I’ll have over him, but if I’m an omega who can’t shift, he has more to gain. A tyrant like him will misuse that control and bond, leaving me at his mercy. It’s too much power, and I can’t let him have that.
They must have read my thoughts because the king shakes his head. “This is not a request, Soma.”