Chapter 29 Control yourself
BRYNNE
“Father,” I speak for the first time since Soma walked into his study. “You cannot be serious.”
But Father ignores me. I knew it was important when he summoned me to his study this early, but I didn’t realize it was a vision. My eyes find Lilith, hoping she will say something to end this madness, but she agrees with Father. She wants this too.
For someone who always opposes Father as often as she can, she’s being too complacent about this issue.
“We need to know if you two are truly mates,” Father continues. Soma’s face goes ashen. At least I’m not the only one who loathes the idea. “And you’ll say yes to it.”
“No. I do not consent,” I protest. “I’m not her mate.”
It’s bad enough that they are forcing someone who’s not my fated mate to be my Luna, and now they want to force me to take the ritual? So, Lilith or Soma can manipulate it like they did with the Luna selection?
Thankfully, the mate bond ritual requires the consent of at least one party. I have plans. If they insist on her being Luna of Shadowspire, then so be it. But I’ll have my women, I’ll have my affairs, I’ll have my quarters.
Whatever she does with herself or in her spare time will be her business. Before the people, we will act like one, but behind closed doors, she’ll be all alone.
“Lady Soma was chosen by the Moon Goddess to be our Luna,” he says. “And now the high priestess has received multiple visions that your fated mate is close.”
“Cut the crap, Father. Her name is Soma. She’s no lady.”
“Do you think it’s just a coincidence?” Father asks like I didn’t interrupt.
Bullshit. That’s what it is. A ploy. Dark magic. There must be something Soma did. Something we don’t see.
How can a mere omega, a weak wolf who can’t heal from the littlest wound, be my fated? It’s hard enough that she’s going to be Shadowspire’s Luna, but to bond her to me? For eternity? Knowing that life and death can be affected by our bond?
That’s cruel, even for the Moon Goddess.
If I’ve not found my fated mate yet, then it’s because she doesn’t exist. If Soma is truly mine, we won’t need a ritual. I would have felt her, and if I didn’t, James, my wolf, would have on the first day we ran into her. But none of them is even considering this.
They seem to lose their senses where Soma is involved, so I turn angry eyes to her. She hasn’t spoken a word.
Does she want this?
Being the Luna will grant her power over the pack. Isn’t that enough? Being my fated mate will give her power over me. We will be bonded. I’ll feel everything she feels. Her pain. Her joys. She’ll feel mine, too. I don’t want that, and neither should she, because it’s total surrender.
“Say something, Soma,” I spit out. “Tell him no.”
“Control yourself, Brynne,” Father says. His tone is so calm that it forces me to shut up. I focus on Soma. If we work together, nothing will happen. “We won’t know for sure until we conduct the ritual. Right now, we can’t overlook any possibilities.”
“About that,” Lilith speaks up for the first time. My gaze narrows at her, but she dismisses me without a word. “I’m afraid we can’t hold the ritual at this time, Your Majesty.”
For real? My hand clenches at my side, and I try not to fist-bump the air. This is the best news I’ve heard all day, and my day has barely even begun.
“Why not?” Father asks.
“Because we need the moon to be at its peak to harness its full power, and we can only get that on a full moon. Without that, there’s no way to confirm the mate bond.”
Father scoffs. “A full moon?” His face hardens, and my excitement fades when the implication dawns on me. I’ll still be trapped with Soma unless she takes up my offer to leave. “But that’s an entire month away. We can’t afford to waste one month training and educating a girl who might eventually turn out to be a mistake.”
Soma flinches as if he hit her, and Lilith swallows. A month might not be bad. That’s more than enough time to convince her she’s better off running with her lover.
“That’s the only way, Your Majesty,” Lilith states. Her head dips, but her bow feels defiant. Like she’s only being respectful because we are here. Mother used to maintain the balance between them, but in her absence, the friction has worsened. “If we are to conduct the ritual, we will have to wait until the next full moon.”
When she turns to Soma, it’s with a soft smile I’ve never seen her use with anyone, not even Kade. Oh, he needs to see this. I’ll have fun being the messenger, letting him know this royalty wannabe wants to steal his favorite priestess.
“About Soma being a mistake, I know for a fact that the Moon Goddess never makes a mistake.” Her gaze shifts to Father, and her smile dies. Anger burns in her eyes. “To constantly insist my prediction is wrong, that I might have made a mistake, is quite frankly… insulting. I have served you all my years, Your Majesty, and I’ve not failed. If you do not trust my judgment, I might as well quit.”
Silence descends on the room. I’m not Father, but I feel just as chastised. Another person wouldn’t have lived an extra second after using that tone with Father, but he only exhales. I stare at Lilith, seeing her in a different light for the first time. Has Soma bewitched her? She’s never defied Father before, much less in front of others. They always argue, but eventually they reach a conclusion that keeps both parties happy.
“This matter is of importance. We can’t let sentiment cloud our judgment,” Father mutters. But the moment Lilith attempts to rise, he backtracks. “We’ll wait.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.” On her feet, she says, “I’ll be on my way now. I have other matters to attend to.”
Without waiting for Father to dismiss her, Lilith walks out. This time, I wonder if I’ve missed something. As important as she is, she’s still expected to obey her king.
Why is he letting her off so easily? Since the questions have no answers, I push them out of my mind and slump into the chair she vacated. Soma leans away from me, and I stifle a bitter laugh. I don’t want to be around her either.
“May I be excused now?” I ask Father.
“You need to stop fighting this,” he replies. My fingers close around the armrest, my knuckles turning white from the pressure I apply. “You’re the crown prince, Brynne, and your title comes with so many responsibilities. Your duty to the crown should come before any personal issues.”
“Right,” I mutter.
He ignores my sarcasm and turns to my partner. “Soma, you can go. Your classes resume on Monday.”