Chapter 70 Courtyard Accusation
Kira’s POV
I was in no way ready for the scene in front of us.
The gates creaked open like they were announcing the season finale of the trashiest reality show ever, and there it was pure chaos on full display.
Caroline…Adrian’s mistress was for some reason flat on her back in the middle of the courtyard, dress hiked up, hair looking like she’d been dragged through a hedge backwards. In her arms was a screaming little boy, kicking and howling like someone had stolen his candy and his puppy at the same time.
A full audience had already assembled. Council elders in their fancy attires, guards pretending they weren’t loving every second, servants peeking from doorways, and…of course…Lady Margaret front-row center, arms folded, lips pursed in that signature “I smell scandal and I’m here for it” expression.
The moment we stepped through the gates, Adrian moved. Not dramatically…just half a step forward, placing his body slightly in front of mine. Not shielding me like I was fragile, but like the space directly beside him belonged to no one else. His shoulder brushed mine, deliberate. Heat rolled off him in waves, and I hated how my traitor body leaned a fraction toward it before I caught myself and locked my stance.
The second Caroline spotted us, she cranked the volume to eleven.
“She did it!” she shrieked, jabbing a trembling finger straight at me like I was the villain in a telenovela.
I actually looked behind me, stunned…half-expecting her to be pointing at someone else.
Nope.
She meant me.
She continued wailing. “That vicious entitled princess ordered her maid to burn my son’s leg! Look what she did to the first prince of the throne!”
The kid wailed louder as though on cue. Caroline yanked up his tiny pant leg, revealing a nasty, blistered burn..,red, raw, and definitely painful.
My jaw actually dropped for half a second.
I felt the shift in the air before I saw it…his fingers flexed at his sides like he wanted to reach for me but knew I’d rip his hand off. His gaze flicked to the burn, then to Caroline, then slowly…back to me.
There was no doubt in his eyes.
Only offense.
Like the accusation itself was an insult to his blood.
I’d binge-watched enough dramas back home to recognize this exact stunt…jealous mistress pretends to hurt her own kid, blames the new woman, cries pretty tears, wins the male lead’s sympathy. Classic move.
Except…this was real life. That burn was real. That kid was really crying.
Who the hell burns their own child just to make another person look bad?
Caroline clutched the boy tighter, sobbing hysterically. “He can’t heal yet! His wolf hasn’t awakened! He’s just a baby and he’s in agony all because of her!”
I stood motionless as the crowd exploded into whispers. One elder stepped forward, beard quivering with outrage. “Your Majesty, mate or no mate…this is an assault on royal blood! The future prince has been harmed under your roof!”
Another chimed in, “Justice must be immediate! The offender must pay!”
Lady Margaret added her poison, voice dripping fake sorrow. “Such cruelty in one so young…one does wonder if she’s truly fit to stand beside the king with such a malicious heart.”
Wow! This has been a really long day, and I would rather be in that Dark Zone than here.
I turned slowly to Adrian, crossed my arms, and raised an eyebrow so high it nearly touched my hairline.
“Well?” I said, loud and bored. “Go on, Your Majesty. Punish me. Right here. In front of your adoring public. I’m dying to see how this plays out.”
I expected him to hesitate. To look conflicted. Instead, his hand moved…fast…sliding to the small of my back, fingers splayed wide and firm, pressing just enough that I felt the heat of his palm through the thick hoodie. His thumb brushed once, slow, along my spine…like he couldn’t help himself…and then stilled.
Just then, Caroline rolled onto her side for extra drama, clutching the kid like a shield. “My baby…your child…needs justice! His father…the king…has to protect him!”
Adrian’s eyes turned a dark red. A growl rolled out of him so deep the ground practically vibrated. Every voice in the courtyard cut off instantly. Even the kid’s crying dropped to a sniffle.
His hand stayed exactly where it was on my back. Possessive. Unmovable. Then he took one step forward, voice low and lethal. “Who exactly crowned this boy prince?”
Dead silence. No one answered.
It wasn’t what anyone expected. In fact, I had wanted him to lash out at me. So I’ll have more reason to hate him. But instead, he’s acting like we are lovers.
Adrian scanned the crowd slowly. “Because I don’t remember naming any heirs. So why is everyone throwing that title around like it’s fact?”
Caroline’s mouth flapped open. No sound came out.
I turned to her, tilting my head like I was studying a mildly interesting bug. “You’re one hundred percent sure I told someone to burn a child’s leg? Me? Personally? Why would I even bother? We’re not competing for the same man here, sweetie.”
Caroline found her voice again, shrill and cracking. “If we’re not competing, then why do you get everything handed to you on a silver platter? New maids, sleeping in the king's chamber, the king’s attention…while I get nothing! Nothing! Even after I gave him his first son!”
I let out a loud, exaggerated groan and threw my hands up. “Girl, take him. Seriously. Gift-wrapped. Free shipping. I don’t want him. Never did. You can have the whole brooding king package…crown, curse, emotional baggage, all of it. I’m not your rival. Stop throwing stunts like this around. You’re hurting your child.”
The second the words “I don’t want him” left my mouth, Adrian’s fingers tightened on my lower back…hard. Not painful, but a clear warning.
His head turned just enough that I caught the flash of red still bleeding through his irises. His voice dropped, meant only for me, rough and low: “She can’t have me because I’m already yours. But, say that again, princess. See what happens in front of everyone.”
His hand slid an inch lower, thumb tracing the curve of my hip through the long hoodie…like he needed the contact to stay sane. The possessiveness wasn’t loud. It was quiet, steady, and terrifyingly certain.
I groaned as Caroline glared at me darkly with hatred. “You’re not helping,” I muttered to Adrian, but he didn’t say a word.
Instead, he flicked two fingers at Thomas, who was biting his lip so hard to keep from laughing I thought he’d draw blood.
“Take the boy to the pack doctor. Immediately. Instead of getting actual medical help like a sane parent, she’s flopping around on cold stone milking the moment.”
As Thomas left with the boy, Adrian faced the crowd again…specifically, the council, his voice cutting like a blade.
“Let’s make this extremely clear, so even the slowest among you gets it. The princess is my mate. She will be your queen. End of discussion. I will fix the succession laws, burn the rulebook if I have to…but she will sit on that throne beside me one way or another. And my mate?” His arm slid around me, unyielding. “She could set someone on fire and I’d hand her ice cream to cool off.”
I rubbed my temples. “You’re making it worse.”
“You’re welcome,” he murmured. Then softer…dangerously…“Let them try to hurt or bully you again. I’ll paint the courtyard with anyone who touches what’s mine.”
He let that hang for a beat.
“Challenge her, question her, gossip about her…and you’re challenging me. You’re spitting on my crown. Anyone feeling brave today to try it out?”
I rubbed my temples hard. “You’re literally making it worse,” I muttered again. Why can’t he just stick to his mistress and leave me alone! “You just slapped a neon ‘KILL ME’ sign on my back. Thanks, Adrian.”
He inched closer, like he wanted to say something, but I shrugged him off, looking Caroline dead in the eye and saying it loud so everyone could hear it.
“For the final time…I don’t want your baby daddy, Miss. Keep him. Marry him. Have ten more dramatic courtyard babies. I’m good,” I said, feeling Adrain stiffen beside me.
One council member coughed awkwardly. “With all due respect, your majesty, a future queen should not speak so…casually about rejecting the king. It’s unbecoming and uncultured.”
Lady Margaret smiled like a snake. “One might question whether a female who publicly discards the king is worthy of the title at all. Standards must be upheld.”
Adrian’s growl came back full force…windows rattled. “I wasn’t kidding. First volunteer to be made an example…step forward. Now.”
You could hear a snowflake land.
Everyone suddenly found the ground fascinating. Lady Margaret’s mouth snapped shut so fast I swear I heard teeth clack.
Meanwhile, Adrian kept himself busy. His thumb brushed the sensitive skin at the base of my neck…once. Twice. Like he was soothing himself more than me. Like touching me was the only thing keeping him from lashing out.
And then…through the parting crowd, I spotted a face I wanted to see so much.
A face that made my heart actually skip in excitement.
Someone I’d missed like oxygen.