Chapter 41
Chapter Forty-One
Colbie
W hen the goddess transports us into the main arena of the colosseum, the noise is deafening. The crowd roars with excitement as they notice us on the center stage. I look around, and behind us are the crowns encased in their display cases. Each of the mate crowns are black with different colored gems and flourishes on them, but they are a matching set. The middle crown is a shiny, silvery white and doesn’t look like any metal I have ever seen before, with blue green gems the same color as my hydra. Lucas and his queens join the others in the VIP box to the side of the stage. I see my grandparents sitting in there. My grandpa waves, and my granny dabs at her eyes with a tissue. I smile at seeing them, pleased that at least some of my family was able to attend. I’m pissed because my father deliberately avoided coming because of my mother, and she couldn’t even be bothered to appear.
I turn my attention to the goddess, who has stepped forward. As one, the shifter population gets down on one knee and bows their heads. I guess it’s hard to dispute the existence of gods when they appear in front of you. Aramis has this otherworldly glow around her, obscuring her from the crowd. I guess she doesn’t allow just anyone to see her true form.
I don’t really pay attention to her words, instead scanning the crowd for possible threats. Are any of these people going to challenge me for my position? Are they going to make me possibly kill someone at the start of my rule? I don’t want to be a queen who rules over her people because they fear her, but I do want their respect, so if it’s going to take a challenge to get it, then I guess I’m okay with that. I will take the queens’ advice, though, and shift as quickly as possible.
Most of the expressions in the crowd are a combination of awed and excited, and while the atmosphere is tense, it doesn’t feel aggressive, just anticipatory.
“I have blessed Queen Colbie with eight mates in hopes to usher in a new age in shifter relations. They are all fully mated, and I have the pleasure of crowning your new kings. Please step forward and remove your hoods so I may place your crowns on your heads.” The goddess gestures for my mates to come forward.
Almost like they rehearsed it, they move forward together, removing their hoods and letting their capes drop dramatically to the ground. The guys are in full warrior mode, strapped with weapons on every part of their body, and they wear fierce expressions on their faces. They are a formidable bunch, and the crowd ripples with surprise and awe at the sight of them. I hear mutterings of surprise as they recognize most of Watch Team One, but I also hear questions about who the other three are.
Aramis steps in front of Gryffin, and he ducks his head as she places his crown on it. “I give you King Gryffin, white tiger.” She moves down the line, repeating her actions with each of my mates. “King Jeremy, phoenix. King Hunter, dragon. King Liam, polar bear.” There is a noise of discontent, and my eyes go to the source. I see four men, one slightly older than the others, and I can tell these are Liam’s father and brothers. They all look a little like him despite his shock of white hair and piercings. They are broader, almost overweight, which is not something I have seen in a shifter before, and they all wear scowls of disgust. I see a couple of soldiers moving through the crowd in their direction, but they don’t do anything, just position themselves in case they are needed.
The goddess pauses and looks in the same direction. She glares at Liam’s family, and two of the brothers visibly shrink back into the crowd, but the father and remaining brother cross their arms and stupidly stare down the goddess. Are they brave or just fucking dumb?
She must decide they aren’t a threat, because she continues. “King Brodie, wolf.” I brace myself for the reception of the next three. I’m sure there is going to be some sort of reaction. “King Lennox, pegasus.” There are ripples of movement and murmurings from the crowd, but nothing outwardly hostile yet. I look around the arena and notice a crap load more soldiers. Bryson is prepared to subdue a riot if need be. “King Micah, mer, and finally, King Titus, fairy-fae hybrid and Chaos Kingdom assassin.” Aramis drops that final bombshell, and the crowd starts to shout.
“Hybrids are outlawed in Aramis.”
“An assassin? Holy shit.”
“What the fuck?”
“Wow, I can’t believe the queen has an equine, mer, and fairy as mates. That’s amazing.”
Positive and negative reactions echo all around us, but Aramis ignores them before turning her attention to me.
“Colbie Karridge. Do you promise to honor and protect your people from any who may wish to do them harm, and uphold the values of Aramis Kingdom from now until the end of your reign?”
“I do,” I reply as she approaches me, sparkly crown in hand.
“Then I crown you Queen Colbie, ruler of the shifter nation, until your death or you choose to step down and hand the crown to one of your descendants.” She places the crown on my head, her voice ringing out over the crowd. “I decree that Colbie will be the final human chosen as a shifter ruler, and her bloodline will now carry the responsibility.” This announcement has everyone forgetting about what species my mates are, and they are stunned into silence.
“Long live Queen Colbie, may she reign in peace and prosperity.” Aramis’s voice thunders through the colosseum, and as one, the people get down on one knee.
“Long live Queen Colbie,” the crowd responds, and the magic slashes across my body, burning into my very soul. I grit my teeth and clench my fists as pain like no other spreads through every nerve ending as the final bit of ruler magic assaults my body.
“Almost there,” Aramis whispers to me, and my mates send me reassurance, pride, and love through our bond, but there is also a sense of pain from them. I pry my eyes open and see that they are also battling some kind of power influx, their bodies glowing like stars in the sky. A ripple of surprise flows through the crowd, and there are more shocked reactions and comments, but I can’t focus on any of them. I’m gasping for air, and my body is coated in a fine sheen of sweat when the pain finally recedes, but I didn’t fall or falter, and as I lift my head and look out over the crowd, my body starts to glow with power.
“Although the queen challenge has nothing to do with anything I chose, I will honor shifter tradition, and I ask you this—is there anyone who considers themselves more worthy than my chosen who wishes to challenge Queen Colbie for her crown?” Aramis glares out into the crowd, almost daring someone to go against her.
The crowd still murmurs, and I watch as it parts, Liam’s remaining brother stepping forward. “I challenge King Liam to his mate position,” he calls out, and I jolt in surprise.
“Is that allowed?” I mutter out of the side of my mouth to the goddess, and I feel her own surprise.
“It’s never happened before,” she replies, glaring at Liam’s brother. We both turn to look at Liam, who grins with undisguised joy. He gives the goddess a small nod, and she shrugs throwing her hands into the air, looking exasperated.
“Why the fuck not. Anyone want to challenge the actual queen?” The crowd looks around, some even look hopeful that someone is brave enough to challenge me.
Again, the crowd parts, and Gianna walks through, looking smug. “I will challenge the queen who usurped a ready-made bond group who was meant for one of us instead of picking from her marked potentials, and when I win, I will take the crown and her mates for myself, and I’ll keep the spare.” She points at Liam’s brother, who blows her a kiss and gives her a wink.
“Eww,” I mutter childishly. “Those two deserve each other.”
“You dare to question my decrees?” The goddess’s voice reverberates around the arena, her gaze laser focused on Gianna. I have to give Gianna credit. She either has big lady balls or is completely batshit crazy, because she just shrugs and nods.
“Yes.”
“So be it, but I’ll have you know Colbie wears the matching mate mark for this bond group. It is as it should be,” the goddess announces. The crowd, which had been looking a little rebellious after Gianna’s statement, settles when the goddess tells them this.
“Well then, clear a space. You will strip and fight until someone either submits or dies.” Bryson moves from the VIP area, taking control of the challenges. “The king challenge will be first.”
Liam steps out of the line and starts stripping off his clothes. I grit my teeth and begin to growl under my breath. I do not like all those thirsty female and male eyes on my mate. I glare at the crowd, and anyone who meets my eyes drops their gaze to the ground, bowing their heads and submitting to my dominance.
“Aww, baby, you know I only have eyes for you.” Liam approaches me, now completely naked, and gives me a quick kiss and a wink. “But hold onto all that aggression, and we can angry fuck later,” he promises before jumping down from the stage and stalking into the fight ring. Liam’s brother does the same thing, then the goddess waves a hand, and ten thrones appear on the stage.
“We may as well take a seat and be comfortable while Liam eviscerates him,” she says, unconcerned, and gestures for me to take one before claiming the seat next to me. The guys join us, but I can’t get comfortable despite the cushioned seat under me. I’m too tense, biting my lip as I wait for the fight to start.
“First to kill wins, unless one concedes,” Bryson tells them, and they give him short nods. Liam’s brother roars and shifts, a huge brown grizzly bear taking the place of his human form. He snarls and starts to run toward Liam, who just fucking stands there.
“What the fuck are you doing? Shift,” I scream, forgetting about being the polite and regal queen with my concern for my mate.
The rest of my mates are shouting words of encouragement too, but none of them look worried. Even my new mates are relaxed. Nox even goes so far as taking out his phone and checking his messages.
The grizzly is quick, and he swipes at Liam, who hasn’t even shifted yet, with a huge paw that has claws that look like daggers.
Liam just dodges to the side and laughs. “Is that all you have? You’ve become fat and slow since I saw you last, Lionel,” he taunts. “That’s what happens when you’re a lazy fucker who treats his pack like slaves.”
The bear roars again and charges once more, his thunderous stride echoing through the colosseum as he barrels toward my polar bear. Again, Liam dodges to the side, swift and light of foot, his muscles rippling with the movement. I hear a sigh of admiration and find Gianna staring at a certain part of him with longing. I jump to my feet, clenching my fists.
“Shift and finish this,” I command my mate, completely done with this shit. He’s definitely going to get an angry fuck later. How dare he flaunt what is mine in front of all these women? Especially that fucking bitch.
He chuckles and winks at me, feeling exactly how pissed I am at him, but my glare turns into a look of surprise when, unlike his usual shift, which has his body contorting, he is enveloped in a cloud of purple magic, and when it clears, we see his polar bear.
“Holy fuck,” Gem mutters as we take in Liam’s shifted form. I guess the magic must have enhanced my mates as well as me. His polar bear is almost double the size it was before. He rears up, pawing at the air while roaring loudly. The crowd shrieks and moves farther back as Lionel charges once more, undaunted by the monster polar bear in front of him.
“Fuck, Lionel’s animal is in the driver’s seat. No rational thought, just pure instinct. He’s going to die,” Gryffin, who is on the throne on my other side, mutters.
Lionel rears up onto two feet and lunges at Liam with his front paws extended. I scream when Liam doesn’t move, just swipes at him with one of his massive paws and sends the bear flying backward, blood splattering the crowd as he lands heavily on the sandy ground. A puff of dust forms around him before it settles back down.
When it clears, Lionel is still, a pool of blood staining the sand ruby red as he bleeds out from the massive claw mark across his chest. I can see muscle and sinew in the gaping wound. His chest shudders as he takes a final breath before it stills, his sightless eyes staring up at the sky.
Liam killed his brother!
He lets out a bone-shuddering roar and rears up, pawing at the air in a frightening display of dominance. Shifters all around the cleared area drop to their knees in submission. I search the crowd, looking for Liam’s father, and when I find him, I don’t like what I see. Instead of the expected grief, his father looks furious, and there’s a calculating gleam in his eye. He melts into the crowd without a backward glance for his fallen progeny.
“King Liam is the undisputed winner,” Bryson declares loudly, and the crowd shouts and stomps their feet in approval. There’s a flash of purple light, and Liam shifts back to his human form. Brodie jumps up and runs over to him, slapping him on the back and wrapping his discarded cloak around his shoulders. I send him a wave of gratitude through our bond for covering Liam, and he gives me a playful wink. They move back and take seats on their respective thrones.
“Queen Colbie?” Bryson gestures for me to stand.
The goddess gives me a nod of reassurance. “Kill her. You don’t need to be constantly looking over your shoulder,” she recommends, and I grimace. That’s not the kind of advice I was hoping for, but what more can I expect from a primal deity?
I step forward, and Gem moves with me, assisting me by drawing the zipper down on my dress.
“You’ve got this. Just shift immediately. You’re faster and way more powerful. You should get her to submit instantly,” he coaches, but I’m laser focused on Gianna and don’t respond to him. My creatures are baying for blood. I don’t want to kill her, but I will if I have to.
My dress pools at my feet, and I feel my cheeks heat with embarrassment. I’m left standing in my panties, as there was no need for a bra in this dress. All eyes are on me as I peel my underwear down my legs. I hear murmurs of admiration, and there is a spike of lust from our bond. My mates’ gazes are on me, and this seems to infuriate Gianna. She makes a show of stripping, throwing her dress off to the side with a flourish before doing the same with both pieces of underwear.
“Same rules apply. There is no conclusion until someone submits or dies,” Bryson warns us. We both nod our acknowledgements, and Gianna doesn’t even wait for him to say anything else before she shifts. The crowd shouts in encouragement, and I see money exchange hands, but there are many more looks of disappointment at Gianna’s behavior, and this gives me confidence. Gianna finishes her shift, and she stands there, a small red fox, snarling at me. I can’t stop the snort of laughter that leaves my mouth.
“She’s a fox?” I turn to look at my mates, feigning surprise at her creature. We were just talking about her before the coronation, after all. “You could have told me she wasn’t anything challenging.” I see the amusement in their eyes at my comment.
Naughty girl, you just pissed her off , Hunter warns me telepathically, sounding amused, before his voice turns anxious. Shift now. I turn forward and see her running toward me.
I let my hydra take control, and she bursts out of my skin in a flash of light, towering over the cleared area. The crowd falls into awed silence as my hydra’s eight heads let out an ear-shattering roar that has the whole stadium full of shifters falling to their knees in submission. Gianna’s fox skids to a stop not far from me.
You could hear a pin drop, but when my hydra focuses on the tiny terror that was charging toward us, we find her cowering with her head beneath her paws, a puddle of urine staining the sand beneath her. She yelps, jumps up, and flees through the crowd, which is still on their knees, and no one stops her retreat.
I hear Nox chuckle behind us. “I guess that means Colbie wins.”
“I’m still going to make sure she can’t come for her again,” Titus growls, and I understand that Gianna’s days are numbered if my assassin has her in his crosshairs.
“Long live Queen Colbie,” a voice calls from somewhere in the crowd. I recognize it as my grandpa’s, and when one of my heads turns to look at the VIP area, my grandparents are the only people not on their knees. As humans, they wouldn’t be subjected to the alpha dominance within me. I lean in and give him a lick on the cheek.
“Get away, you,” he says, laughing and pushing my head away from him as the crowd takes up the chant.
The goddess stands and gestures for me to shift back. I do, and I redress, and once again, Gem helps me with the zipper.
“Now that we have established she and her mates are the right shifters for this position—something I already knew,” the goddess says sarcastically, “she will announce her council.”