Chapter 144 Reunited
Coban's POV
Were still in the war room. The paperwork piled high. We are going through a list of names Caden and I came up with. There is so much work to be done now.
The doors open. They come in one by one. They are bloodied and exhausted, but they are alive.
Elliott. Kevan. Mark.
Darien and Lucian are already standing near the wall. They're silent as always. Their eyes scanning every inch of the room.
Before anyone even has a chance to speak, Brandi is on Elliot.
She slammed into his chest. She throws her arms around his neck as she kisses his jaw, then his cheek, then finally landing one on his mouth like she needs to prove he's real. That he's alive.
"You're bleeding." she scolds. Elliott grins lazily.
"They missed my heart." she rolls her eyes at him and gives him a stern look before she crashes her lips back to his.
Tina barrels straight into Mark. Her fist pounding his chest before she kisses him hard.
"You idiot!" She breathes. "You absolute idiot." Mark laughs and shakes his head. "Love you too sweetheart."
Sabrina is much quieter. She presses into Kevan's side. Her forehead against his chest. Their arms locked tight around each other like they're anchoring theirselves to each other. Kevan exhales for the first time all night and wraps her in fully. They all finally sit down. Their mates claiming their laps.
The room breathes again.
"Alright." I say "Reports, one at a time."
They speak in order. They say what went right. They mentioned what nearly went wrong. What to watch out for next time. There was no egos and no overlap. Just warriors accounting for war.
When they are all finished, I look at them three. My eyes flickered around the room. They land on Darien and Lucian. They still stand in the same spot.
"We need three Alphas." The room stills. I turn to Kevan first.
"You're our Beta. You're first choice." I say, as I arch my brow and stare at him. Kevan he doesn't even blink. He shakes his head once.
"Sorry. No can do. My loyalty is here. To you and Caden. To the palace, to the crown. Always." he says as Sabrina nods her head at what Kevan just said. There was no hesitation.
I nod my head. Caden and I both expected that.
I look at Mark. Mark leans back in his chair. He crosses his arms as Tina is sitting sideways in his lap. I don't have time to ask. He doesn't give me the time. He jumps right in.
"Oh! Absolutely not!" He says immediately. "You see this face?" he gestures at himself. "This is a palace face. Not an alpha face."
My eyes stay locked on him. So is every eye in the room. I Arch a brow. "I mean" he continues, he's grinning ear to ear. "Unless the job comes with a throne, unlimited snack, and the ability to mouth off without consequences." he laughed, and everyone covers their mouths to hide their chuckles.
"Mark" Caden warns but he has a grin on his face with his warning. Caden shakes his head at Mark's behavior.
"I'm kidding." he laughs. "Well mostly, but it's a no from me as well. I'm where I'm supposed to be." he nods his head with finality. Tina kisses his cheek and whispers to him. "Thank you Mark. I didn't want to leave."
I turn to Darien and Lucian next.
"Another set of twins could rule." I arch my brow and wait on their answer.
Caden and I already discussed our options. So far, we have been exactly right on all our choices so far. We both knew our men, our family are loyal to us.
They both look instinctively at Trixie. Then at Roxie, sitting in Darien's lap. Roxie gasps. "Me? Oh no no no no no..." she grips Darien's shirt as she shakes like a leaf.
Darien chuckles and shakes his head. "With respect My Kings. This palace will fall apart without us." he says, and then Lucian speaks up. "We can't trust no one to protect her. Or both of you." he said as he smiles at Trixie. Trixie gives Lucian and Darien a huge smile. "Thank you" she says softly.
Lucian smirks. "Also, I don't do paperwork." a ripple of laughter moves through the room. I exhale, smiling despite myself.
Then I turn. "Elliott" the room quiets once again. Elliot looks down at Brandi. He whispered something into her ear. He pulls back and they locked eyes. She in return whispers in his ear.
"You two do know that your shifters. You can mind-link." I say as another round of laughter spills through the room. She nodded at him once, firm and proud.
He looks back up. "I'll take Black Moon. It's close to the palace and I finished that fight. If I'm allowed to choose." he says as he raises a brow.
I nod. "Good. Yes, you can have that one. The choice is definitely yours."
I straighten up once again in my chair. I adjust Trixie on my lap.
"You and Brandi pack immediately. Elder Roy we'll meet you there. He'll swear you in as Alpha and Luna."
Brandi's eyes go wide. Then they soften a bit before they go fierce.
"No celebrations yet." I add. "That comes later. We all remember how Benjamin's and Trinity's went." I say, as I shake my head.
Elliot stands, Brandi still in his arms.
"Understood." he nodded.
All of a sudden, Trixie gets the hiccups. These are very loud. By the sound alone, they have to hurt. Then the lights go off.
"What the Hell!" Caden says as he's looking around.