Bailey POV
Everywhere I looked, my pack members were busy in preparation for the ball. I instructed Callum and Cody to get themselves ready and looked towards Thomas and Damien who stood waiting for their own orders. "I want you two inside the marquee at all times. Get dressed and place yourselves close to the exit. I want you to keep a close eye out for my mate."
"Does that mean you've agreed with Riley's ultimatum?" Thomas asked bluntly.
I raised a brow "It means that I support Riley's choices but I hope to be able to speak some sense into her" I growled, while Damien merely looked amused "no more will be talked about on this subject."
I hadn't seen Riley since the incident and I walked towards the bedroom, uncertain what I would find. She was angry, more than ever before. I knew I shouldn't have kept the news about Tiana and the others from her, but I hadn't thought she would take the news as badly as she had. I never thought she would openly declare war on the shifter kind for heaven's sake. That was overdramatic and yet, as I'd stared into her eyes, part of me had realized she meant it. She was prepared to fight for the rights of her kind. It was admirable, but the ball was not the right type of situation to use as a means of gaining support. I thought she would understand that.
You don't know our mate as well as I thought you did. Do you think any time is going to be the right time to bring up the killing of innocent sirens? There is a reason that it's never brought up in social circles. Shifters would rather pretend that it's not happening or be blind to the unfairness of the situation than help resolve what has been a problem for over a hundred years now. Changing their minds is going to be one of the most difficult things that Riley or you will ever face. The ball is the perfect time to start garnering support for your cause and prove to Riley just how much she means to you.
I ignored my Lycan's voice as he chuckled inside my mind. He approved of Riley's methods. Admired her for standing up for what she believed in. I gritted my teeth and knocked on the bedroom door, waiting until I heard her melodious voice through the door.
"Come in."
I pushed the door open, stepped hesitantly inside, and shut the door. Only then did my eyes lower to meet hers and I stopped in shock. For a moment I was speechless. She looked so beautiful, like a princess. Not just any princess, I thought as I took her in, my breathing becoming shallow, but a mermaid princess if such a thing existed. She had dressed not to hide her siren side but rather to show it off. The gown was a shimmery silver color that matched her hair with tones of blue at the bottom, the sleeves off the shoulder, and gathering on her upper arms. It gathered tightly at the breasts and there were pearls on the neckline and undersides of the bodice. Her hair was loose, sweeping over her shoulders, with little ringlets at the bottom, curling slightly just below her bottom.. She wore seashells in her ears as earrings and a tiara consisting of pearls and shells that matched her dress and jewelry. She was a mermaid queen. She wore no shoes but her toes were painted a gorgeous turquoise blue color and she wore a seashell anklet. Her eyes were filled with defiance as she looked at me, daring me to speak out about her outfit or the way she looked.
She looked every inch the siren she was. There was no mistaking it. No hiding it. She was openly declaring who she was and showing off her lineage. I swallowed hard. "You look beautiful" I murmured, unable to take my eyes off of her.
For a moment she observed me, her eyes narrowing. "You don't feel it's too much?" she asked tilting her head and looking at me closely "Or too reminiscent of what I am?"
"Riley," I said sharply, crossing the room and taking hold of her arm as she looked up at me, anger still on her face "I have never been ashamed of you or what you are. I love you" I told her firmly as she glanced up at me beneath fluttering eyelashes "all of you, siren side and all. I just don't want you to get hurt because you're my mate and it's my job to protect you" I finished.
"But I don't need your protection, King Bailey," she said quietly, although something flickered in her eyes and the expression on her face relaxed slightly "My people do. I will not hide behind false niceties and pretend to be anything other than who I am, not even for your sake," she told me, her eyes glittering "and I meant every word that I said. Either you are here to support me in my endeavors" here her voice cracked ever so slightly as I tried not to show my emotions at her ultimatum "or you're here to reject me."
"You're the mother of my unborn child Riley" I snapped, feeling frustrated as she stared at me "Do you think I would simply be able to walk away from that" I argued.
"I told you to make a choice," she said unsteadily, her eyes beseeching me "and I hoped it wouldn't be the wrong one" she whispered, her voice breaking "because I can't tell you how much it's going to hurt to lose you, but I'm prepared to do it if it comes down between you and my kind."
"I choose you damnit Riley" I shouted, losing my composure as she stared at me, the blood draining out of her face "It's always been you. Do I think that perhaps this idea of yours might be foolish and pigheaded, yes" I answered myself as she glared "but it's also admirable, courageous, and the exact thing I expect from a Luna Queen. You're meant to be there for every kind of race, not just the shifters and Lycans. The sirens are just as deserving of the Luna Queen's attention are they not?" I said heatedly "and I recall you mentioning some vampires helping you to escape. This world needs you to be at the helm because you have a conscience that a lot do not. They need you to call them out on the wrongs they are doing, and to finally end this useless fighting between packs and races, that doesn't do anyone any good. Be there for your sirens and your kind" I urged her, staring down with as much love and determination as I could muster while her lips parted in shock "but be there for everyone. Don't discriminate."
Tears welled in her eyes. "I was so afraid that you would make the wrong decision" she breathed, as I pulled her into my arms and lifted her into the air, her hands cupping my face as she looked earnestly into my eyes "and I couldn't bear the thought of losing you" she admitted.
"Sweetheart, as long as you live, I'm yours. For better or worse, we are mates and we are partners. I love you" I told her, as a tear trailed down her cheek "and that means loving every part of you."
I kissed her, feeling the softness of her lips against mine, an earthy moan emitting from her lips as I eagerly delved inside her mouth, my tongue caressing hers, my hands keeping her raised in the air with ease. She felt light as a feather. I had hated this. I hated feeling separated from her and this antagonism between us. I sought to reassure her of my love and my confidence in her, deepening the kiss while my lower region began to have another reaction, causing her eyes to widen slightly as I slowly and reluctantly lowered her to the ground, grinding against her meaningfully.
"Bailey" she giggled, her eyes beginning to sparkle "We don't have time for that," she said, her voice cracking with laughter.
"I can't help it" I growled, even as I began to stride towards the closet and fetch my suit for the evening "You look so stunning it's impossible to resist you" I teased over my shoulder.
"Bailey, what do you think the reaction will be when we go downstairs?" Riley's voice halted me as I stopped in the process of putting my pants on.
I didn't pretend to misunderstand her. She knew better than that. Instead, I looked her right in the eyes and gave the biggest smile I could muster. "Whatever the reaction is, it won't matter. They'll show the appropriate respect or they'll find themselves missing their heads" I told her gruffly "You are the Luna queen and nothing else matters."
She relaxed while I continued to get ready. Soon we would exit the pack house together and enter the marquee, King and Queen, greeting the Alpha and Luna's of the pack and overlooking the mating ball. Tonight would mark the beginning of a new era with Riley the first of her kind to be Luna Queen, but I was certain that she would not be the last.