Chapter 15: Chapter Fifteen

“Finnegan! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

“Hey Aunt Lana–Uncle Reagan,” he acknowledged them in turn, beaming that idiotic grin.

Finn Woulf, in addition to being one of his few friends, also happened to be a cousin on his father’s side–and a reliable source of information and grunt work.

The pair shoved the woman between them at his mother’s feet.

“Your Highness, I’m so sorry, I-I didn’t have a choice, they made–”

“What the fuck are you going on about?! How rude, to just barge into Her Majesty’s sitting room like this!” A screeching sound was made.

Suddenly the demure creature was gone, replaced by a raging–*albeit tiny*–beast, as the girl across from him stood, her voice unsteady as she addressed out of turn.

*Not so unassuming anymore*.

“Sit down,” his mother commanded.

He watched as the girl swallowed, clenching her fist as she did as told. Her heart was sprinting.

“What do you think you’re doing, Finn?” His mother repeated herself, the exhaustion clear in her tone as she helped the woman off her knees. “Are you alright Ms. Grace?”

“It was me who helped the girl.” Her tear-streaked face–hardly lined by age–twisted to face the girl.

Ms. Grace was among those closest to Rowan, having been his nanny in his younger years, though one wouldn’t believe she was as old as she was if it weren’t for the grey of her hair. She knew practically everything there was to know about him.

Including the details and location of his mate mark, which he’d taken to concealing from the age of six.

“Lies!” She snarled, daring to bare her teeth.

“Watch your tone,” Rowan spoke calmly, his tone even, as he reproached her.

She had at least half a wit to whimper, sitting back with her fist balled in her lap.

“It seems, there are those present who would twist the hand of fate, Auntie.”

Finn approached the tense female seated at the table. She began to tremble when he came to rest behind her, his Alpha presence enveloping her.

Rowan realized then that he hadn’t bothered to hear her name.

Before any words of protest, the girl’s hair was tightly ensnared in Finn’s fist. He dragged her head forward, exposing the back of her neck where Rowan’s mark proudly sat.

“Let go of me!” She squirmed, threatening to free herself from her gown. Finn’s grip was firm, his body locking her chair against the table.

“Relax, sweetheart, I don’t want to touch you any longer than I have to.”

His fingers were gentle when he pressed; two fingers tracing from the top down.

Rowan felt the beginnings of a sear on the back of his neck, grinding his teeth as he shook the compelling need to protect the ‘*mate*’ in front of him.

She released a pitched scream, renewing her fight against Finn’s hold.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry..”

His former nanny sobbed, apologizing over and over as she collapsed again at the feet of his mother.

The girl’s scent filled the room–her true scent, as Finn continued to trace her neck, muttering words that were covered by the girl’s shrieks.

He was sure it felt just as painful coming off as it did going on.

Rowan observed mildly, watching until the mark was completely removed.

The room was silent save for the labored breathings of the female shifter, and the continued sobs of Ms. Grace.

A snarl came from his mother.

“You thought you could *fake* my son’s mark?” Her chest was rising and falling at a faster rate, her nails clicking as they extended.

A whimper escaped the female as she shrunk, her body leaning in his direction.

A deep-seated growl ripped through the air, this one laced with power.

It seemed his father had finally had enough. Rowan’s eyes turned to follow.

“Given this grave disrespect,” his usual calm tone gone, “I think it would be appropriate for the consequences to match.

His father moved to stand beside him, his voice reverberating with a trickle of his Alpha power. It was more than enough to make the girl across from them nod in agreement, defeated by his pressure.

She white-knuckled a handful of her dress.

“Good. You, as well as the other lady of your clan, can go pack your bags and leave immediately.”

Her wide eyes began to tear.

“We will send word ahead of you that your clan is henceforth stripped of its official status.”

Her frame took on a paler shade as his father bared down. He was positive she held her breath.

A snicker to the side drew attention to Finn.

“What?”

Rowan shook his head.

His father turned toward Ms. Grace, his presence diminishing slightly in his visible disappointment.

“And you.. the last person I would think of, to receive a betrayal.”

She didn’t answer.

Couldn’t even look in his direction.

She clung to his mother’s feet now, Morgan shifted uncomfortably as she tried to assist the queen.

“In light of your service, you will be removed from your current duties and thoroughly investigated by our courts. The source of this magic will be rooted.”

“Thank you–oh! Thank you, Your Highness.”

Rowan stood, moving through the drama of the room to rest against the wall next to Finn. He wasn’t needed to handle the fallout of this affair; his parents wouldn’t turn a blind eye.

“What a mess,” his mother sighed, one hand stiff against her hip, the other kneading her temples, “it’s late, but in the morning, please inform the candidates of the change in the course of events.”

Morgan nodded, her stylus gliding across the tablet.

“Let it serve as a warning.” His mother fixed a heated glare on the girl, who continued to fist at the fabric of her dress.

Amazingly for a shifter, she turned paler.

“How desperate. They left the trail wide open,” Finn breathed, crossing his arms.

Rowan didn’t respond as he watched two guards escort the perpetrators from the room.

With that taken care of, he could search for his true mate–the one who fancied hiding behind this joke of a farce.

He smiled, intrigued.

What creature would readily give up an Alpha and a throne?

He liked her already.