Chapter 66 Rage - Aleksandr’s POV
"And what makes you think any of these... candidates... will succeed where seventeen others failed?" I demanded, fighting to keep my voice level as Skoll's rage burned through me.
"Numbers, probability," Kane replied smoothly. "The previous attempts were isolated, one at a time. This approach casts a wider net. And frankly, Your Highness, we're running out of options."
"Are we?" I turned to Nora, who had remained silent thus far. "Elder, you've been uncharacteristically quiet. What's your assessment?"
Nora's weathered hands lay flat on the table, her silver-streaked braid falling over one shoulder as she met my gaze directly. "I believe hasty actions rarely yield optimal results, Your Highness. But I also recognise that appearances must be maintained, especially in times of uncertainty."
There was something in her tone, a subtle emphasis that suggested layers of meaning beneath her words. But before I could question her further, Kane pressed on.
"The ball serves multiple purposes," he said, his voice taking on the persuasive cadence he used when addressing the full court. "It reassures the kingdom that steps are being taken to address the curse. It provides a controlled environment to assess potential mates. And it demonstrates that the crown remains strong despite... recent setbacks."
The last words were carefully chosen, but their implication was clear. Amelia's departure was being viewed as a failure, a weakness. My failure.
'She didn't leave!' Skoll howled, his fury matching my own rising anger. 'Mate wouldn't abandon us!'
"Amelia," I said, my voice dangerously soft, "is not a 'setback' to be overcome."
"Of course not, Your Highness," Blackstone said quickly, though the insincerity in his tone made my skin crawl. "Miss Lovelace's departure is regrettable. But it does indicate she wasn't the one. If she were truly your mate, she wouldn't have—"
The words died in his throat as I surged to my feet, the chair behind me crashing to the floor. I felt my face changing, bones shifting beneath skin, claws extending from fingertips that pressed into the ancient stone table hard enough to leave marks.
"Choose your next words with extreme care, Councillor," I growled, the sound barely human.
The fear scent that flooded the room was immediate and potent—Kane and Blackstone both physically recoiling, their wolves instinctively submitting to an alpha's rage. Only Nora remained unmoved, her ancient eyes watching me with something that might have been understanding.
"Your Highness," Kane ventured after a moment, his voice notably less confident, "we meant no disrespect to Miss Lovelace. But the facts remain, she's gone, the curse continues, and time grows short. Eight weeks until your hundredth birthday. Less, if the current acceleration holds."
I closed my eyes, forcing the beast back, feeling my bones settle reluctantly into their human configuration. When I opened them again, the fear scent still hung heavy in the air, but Kane and Blackstone had composed themselves, their expressions carefully neutral once more.
"Fine," I said finally, the word tasting like ash in my mouth. "Send the invitations. Hold your ball. But understand this—" I leaned forward, my gaze moving from Kane to Blackstone and back again. "I make no promises about the outcome. And if any of these women are harmed because you rushed them into the presence of a cursed king, the responsibility falls on your heads, not mine."
Relief flashed across their faces, quickly masked beneath professional composure.
"A wise decision, Your Highness," Kane said, inclining his head slightly. "We'll see to the arrangements immediately."
"Indeed," Blackstone added, already shuffling the papers before him into a neat stack. "You've made the right choice, Your Highness. For the kingdom and for yourself."
The practiced smoothness of their responses, the readiness with which they moved forward—it all suggested they'd been confident of this outcome from the start. As if my agreement had been a foregone conclusion, my resistance merely a formality to be overcome.
I righted my chair but didn't sit down again. "If there's nothing else, gentlemen, I believe we're done here."
They rose, offering the formal bows protocol demanded, though their relief at my departure was palpable. I turned without waiting for further pleasantries, striding from the chamber with barely controlled fury simmering beneath my skin.
'Ball won't work,' Skoll muttered as we made our way back toward my office, his earlier rage giving way to dejected certainty. 'No wolf but Kaela. No mate but Amelia.'
"I know," I murmured, too low for the guards we passed to hear. "But it buys us time."
Time for what, I couldn't have said. To grow accustomed to her absence? To accept the inevitable end that awaited me? Eight weeks—less now, with the curse accelerating—until madness claimed me completely. Until the wolf consumed the man, leaving nothing but a beast in a king's clothing.