Chapter 12 12

Chapter 12 12

Oberon’s POV

I stood in the throne room, Eudora beside me, waiting for Alpha Morgana to be announced. My jaw was clenched so tight it ached, my entire body congested with anticipation. I’d heard of Morgana. Everyone in the werewolf territories had. She ruled the Night Fang pack with an iron fist, a fierce, all-female warrior pack that refused to bow to male authority. I have a feeling that meeting her can go very badly very fast. Eudora stood next to me on her straight back and, at the first look, stern face, but I could feel her anxiety. The mate bond was vibrating, revealing to me her hastily beating heart and tense muscles. Steady, I whispered to her under my breath.

She looked at me, surprise flickering in her soulful purple irises before she nodded slowly, chining a bit higher. The double maple doors opened with a bang, sound that echoed around the room. Morgana. She was like force of nature. Nearly as tall as me, with silver streaks in her hair, puled back into thick braids for battle. Her eyes were Eudora’s but colder, harder. She wore aback blood of a leather armor and several weapons strapped onto her body.

Warrior queen personified. Behind her, a girl that looked to be as young as Eudora followed. She walked with a warrior’s sure trudge, her dark brown hair pulled back severally, and his hand rested near her sword hilt. Twenty more woman shaped up behind them, clearly trained warriors all. They Large, with sharp stares wheelchair roved around the room in search for threat.

My own guards tensed, hands moving to weapons. The air crackled with potential violence. Morgana’s gaze swept the room, taking everything in with a tactical assessment. Then her eyes landed on Eudora, and something softened in her expression.

“Niece,” she said and it was not a question. Her voice was like a whip and rose above the tension in the room. “Are you well? Have you been harmed?” Eudora stepped forward slightly, and I felt the immediate loss of her nearness.

“Aunt Morgana, I am fine. This is unexpected.” Morgana’s eyes narrowed. “Is it? Your entire family is slaughtered. You are forced into marriage with their killer. Did you expect me to simply accept it?” Her words were like slaps.

I felt my jaw clench, anger rising hot in my chest. “The princess agreed to the marriage freely,” I said, my voice cold enough to cut through the tension in the room. Morgana finally looked at me properly, and the contempt in her gaze made my blood boil. She scrutinized me like I was something terrible she had stepped in.

“Did she?” Morgana asked. Her tone was full of unwelcome shock. “Or did you give her a choice between marriage and death?”

“Aunt, please,” Eudora said, but Morgana’s hand came up, silencing her. The tension in the throne room seemed stifling. My warriors were ready to fight. Morgana’s warriors looked equally prepared. One wrong word, and this could turn into a bloodbath. Then the princess did something that both surprised me and defused some of the anger inside me. She placed her hand on my arm. Her touch was slight, gentle, yet managed to lessen my anger.

“Aunt, please,” she said, and her voice was much stronger now. “The marriage serves a greater purpose. It prevents war with the witches. It protects what is left of our people.”

Morgana studied the hand on my arm. I saw something shift in her expression, calculation replacing some of the anger. “I see,” she said slowly, though her tone suggested she saw more than Eudora intended to reveal.

The other woman stepped forward, and I noticed Yamal tense beside me. “I am Marjah, your cousin. Your aunt sent me to stay with you. To ensure you are truly safe,” she said to Eudora, though her eyes swept over me and my warriors with clear suspicion. It was also clear from the way she said it that she expected to find that Eudora was not safe. I wanted to throw her and the other woman out. I wanted them out of my palace, questioning everything, watching everything.

But then I saw the hope that lit up Eudora’s eyes. The way her face brightened over the thought of having family near, of having someone from her old life, someone who cared about her. And I couldn’t say no.

“Marjah is welcome to stay,” I said stiffly.

“As a guest and companion to the princess.” Yamal stepped forward from his position beside the throne. “I will arrange appropriate quarters,” he said neutrally. Marjah eyed him for a moment.

“I am sure whatever you arrange will be adequate,” she said coolly. “But I will be in a room near my cousin. To ensure she is safe.”

Yamal’s face darkened. “This palace is secure. We do not need outside eyes questioning any part of our security.”

“Then you should have no problem with me staying close.” Marjah’s smile was equally sharp. I could see where this was headed. Yamal was already on edge, his wolf straining just below the surface. Marjah certainly looked like she wanted to start something.

“Enough,” I snapped. “Marjah will have quarters close to the princess. Yamal, ensure that is arranged appropriately. I will hear no more of this.” They both looked like they wanted to protest, but neither dared. The rest of the morning passed with formal pleasantries and arrangements. Morgana’s warriors would make camp just outside the palace gates.

Marjah would act as Eudora’s companion. Regular reports would be sent and received by the Night Fang pack. Finally, the meeting was over with, and Morgana drew Eudora away for a private word. They stood against the wall, bending their heads close together in hushed conversation. It was impossible for me to overhear any of it, but it was not hard to read their body language. Morgana pressed forward; Eudora’s face flushed, and she shook her head vehemently. Whatever her aunt said, she was going to deny it. As they split up, Morgana strode up to me directly. Close up, she was even more formidable. Battle scarred arms and eyes that held half a century of warfare.

“I am leaving my niece in your hands, Lycan,” she murmured. “But be warned. Should any come to her, treaty or not, I will burn your kingdom to the ground. I will murder every one of you, and I will do it slowly.” The threat should have made me mad. Should have made me order her out and damn the consequence.

No, I locked gazes with her. “Your niece is my mate, and she’s my queen,” it came out more intense than I meant to. “She’s under my protection. I’ll rather die before I allow any harm to come to her.”

It was a strange thing to say, and I was shocked by how true it was as soon as the words got out of my mouth. Since when did I start caring to protect Eudora than to seek vengeance? Morgana’s eyebrows raised a tiny bit as she watched me for a long moment, her purple eyes saw way too much.

“Ah The mate bond. That’s the game-changer. That makes it messy indeed.” I nodded

“Yes… ” She nodded slowly; there was less animosity to her expression.

“Well, perhaps there’s hope for you both yet. But take heed, Lycan King, if you harm her, there’ll be nowhere you can hide when I come for you.” With that threat, Morgana made her leave, she walked out from the throne room in a way that was just as grandiose as its entrance. The doors closed behind them, and I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.

Yamal came up at my side, his expression troubled “That went better than expected.”

“Barely,” I sighed.

“Her cousin’s going to be a problem,” Yamal scowled. “Marjah woman is looking at everything as if it’s a threat.” Despite the trouble ahead, I couldn’t help but smile lightly “She looks at you as if your personal threat.” He snorted before I continue. Before we could continue, a nervous servant rushed forward.

“Your Grace, there is a woman here to see you. It’s said that the message is urgent and concerns the Ruminants.”

“Lady Esmeralda, Your Grace. She says she has intelligence about Ruminant movements near the border.” Yamal stiffened beside me.

“My sister is here?” His voice was carefully neutral, but I caught his concern behind the words. Esmeralda. I hadn’t seen her in over a year – not since our relationship ended very badly. She also happened to be his sister. Well, half-sister — but dragon social structure could be complicated. I’d been with Esmeralda for most of my life. She’d grown up alongside me as my intended mate. Everyone had assumed we’d eventually bond. But we hadn’t. There had been no spark, no connection other than the one we had was forced and familiar. I’d ended things harshly, and she hadn’t taken it well.

“Let her in,” I said, trying to ignore both the warning from Yamal and the sinking feeling in my stomach. The servant ran off to follow my command. Yamal pulled back with a worried look.

“This is a bad idea, you know how she gets.”

“She has intel on the Ruminants; we need to know more.”

“Just be careful.” The door opened and Esmeralda walked through. Of course, she was as beautiful as I remembered. Long dark hair that streamed down her back. Emerald eyes that had once shown nothing but love toward me. A body no man would be able to resist. But none of those were why my gut plummeted. No, that was saved for the way her eyes connected with mine the moment she walked in. They were familiar and needy, possessive even, as if we were still together. She made her way toward me with a smile, the kind that said she was winning a game.

She said my first name, an almost semblance of a sigh that hung in the air between us. As she stood in front of me, rather than greeted her with a customary side kiss on the cheek, she moved to embrace me. Caught off guard, I didn’t hug her back, nor did I push her away. I didn’t want to insult her, nor did I want her to think we were in some kind of relationship still. That’s when I heard the footsteps behind me.

It was then that Eudora had entered the room once more and came to a sudden stop upon seeing the woman in my arms who then approached and uttered a sniff to my cheek in greeting, Esmeralda.