Chapter 26 Caelan #2
Her expression went fierce, protective. My wolf preened at her reaction. My mate, wanting to defend me.
“They’re dead now,” I assured her. “The ones who attacked. They’ve all been dealt with.”
“Good.”
I pulled her close, tucking her head under my chin. The water lapped against our bodies, warm and soothing, but my mind was already working through the puzzle that had been nagging at me for days.
“The immediate threat of the war has been neutralized,” I said. “But I suspect someone close orchestrated it.”
“What do you mean?”
“The attack came too quickly after I left. Too coordinated. They knew the exact moment the throne was vulnerable, when my father was alone without my support.” I’d been piecing this together for days, my mind working through it even while my body was occupied with my mate.
“Someone on the inside tipped them off. Someone who knew our schedules, our weaknesses, our movements.”
“A traitor.”
“In the inner circle.” My jaw tightened, a growl rumbling in my chest. “I just don’t know who yet.”
Riley was quiet for a moment. Then: “Should we get dressed? Meet with the others? Maybe you can figure out who it is if you watch them.”
I sighed. I didn’t want to leave this bath, this bubble, this perfect moment with my mate.
But she was right. And my duty as alpha prince demanded it. As usual.
“Yes. We should.”
We dressed and made our way to the council room.
Riley was wearing clothes Thessa had brought. Simple but elegant, in deep blue that brought out her eyes. She looked regal, like she belonged here. My wolf swelled with pride at the sight of her. My mate, walking through my castle, wearing my kingdom’s colors.
The corridors were busy now. Servants paused to bow as we passed.
Guards stood at attention. Everyone stared at the woman on my arm, curiosity and speculation in their eyes.
The rumors had spread, clearly. The prince’s mysterious mate, arrived through a portal in the midst of heat, causing chaos in the war room.
I kept my hand on the small of her back, a possessive claim that my wolf demanded. Mine. She is mine. Let them all see.
When we entered the council room, everyone was already gathered. The conversation stopped, every head turned, and they stared.
Nothing subtle about it. Just open, blatant staring at the woman on my arm.
Riley tensed beside me. I took her hand, squeezed once. A silent reassurance from alpha to mate.
“Everyone,” I said, my voice carrying through the room with natural command, “allow me to formally introduce my mate. Riley Hawkins.”
The silence that followed was deafening.
Then my mother rose from her seat, gliding forward with the grace that decades of queenship had perfected. She was smiling. Warm, genuine, curious.
“It’s lovely to finally meet you properly,” she said to Riley. “I’m Elspeth. Caelan’s mother.”
“Your Majesty.” Riley started to curtsy, stopped, clearly unsure of the protocol. “It’s... thank you for... I’m sorry, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”
My mother laughed softly. “You’re family now. You don’t need to bow.”
My father approached next. The king, massive and intimidating, his expression unreadable as always. He studied Riley with the same calculating gaze he used on enemy generals and political rivals.
“So,” he rumbled. “This is the woman who’s had my son so... distracted these past weeks.”
Riley’s chin lifted, meeting the king’s gaze without flinching. “I prefer ‘focused,’ Your Majesty.”
Approval crossed my father’s eyes. “She has spine. Good. You’ll need it in this family.”
My wolf swelled with pride. My mate had just faced down the king and held her ground. Of course she had. She was magnificent.
Patt was next, grinning broadly, clasping Riley’s hand with both of his. “Welcome to the madness. I’m Patt. The handsome brother.”
“The only brother,” Thessa interjected, appearing at Riley’s side. “Which makes the title meaningless.”
“Still handsome.”
“Debatable.”
And there it was. My siblings, competing for my mate’s attention within thirty seconds of meeting her. I should have expected nothing less.
I watched my family surround my mate, warmth spreading through my chest. This was what I wanted. What I’d imagined during all those sleepless nights during the war. My mate, here, accepted, loved.
Then I noticed the council members still present. Seven of them in total. Soren and Vix among them, plus five others who served as advisors on matters of territory, trade, military strategy, and diplomacy. They’d stepped back to give the royal family space, but they were watching. Observing.
Soren in particular was staring at Riley with an expression I couldn’t read. His face had gone pale, his eyes wide, with the look of a man who’d seen a ghost.
Interesting. And suspicious.
A growl built in my throat before I could stop it.
“Soren.” My voice cut through the family chatter with warning. “Is there a problem?”
The man startled, his gaze jumping to me. “No... I... forgive me, Your Highness. I was just...” He swallowed, visibly composing himself. “She reminded me of someone. For a moment. My apologies.”
I filed the reaction away. My wolf marked Soren as someone to watch, to investigate.
Before I could press further, another voice cut through.
“How cute.”
Of course. Vix. Because this moment couldn’t go unspoiled.
She was standing near the back of the room, arms crossed, her expression a perfect mask of disdain. Her brown hair caught the firelight as she tilted her head, studying Riley with distaste.
I tensed immediately, a protective snarl building in my chest.
I knew that tone. Knew what Vix was capable of when she decided to be cruel. She’d been after me for years. Pushing, suggesting, making her interest known in ways both subtle and overt. I’d rejected her every time, but she’d never accepted it.
And now she was looking at my mate with calculation in her eyes.
“Vix,” I said, warning clear in my voice. “Choose your next words carefully.”
“I just think it’s adorable,” Vix continued, ignoring the warning. “The prince’s mysterious mate. So... exotic.”
“Vix.” Thessa’s voice was cutting. “Shut up.”
“I’m simply welcoming her to the family. Isn’t that what we’re all doing?”
The tension in the room spiked. Riley’s hand tightened in mine, but when I glanced at her, she didn’t look afraid. She looked... calculating. Sizing up an opponent.
My wolf rumbled with approval. My mate had claws of her own.
“I think,” my mother said smoothly, “that perhaps those who are not family should excuse themselves. We have private matters to discuss.”
It wasn’t a suggestion. It was a queen’s command.
The council members filed out. Some quickly, others reluctantly. The five lesser members went first, followed by Soren, who cast one final, unsettling glance at Riley before disappearing through the door.
Vix was the last to leave. She paused at the threshold, shot one final look at Riley, calculating and cold, and then she was gone.
The door closed behind her, and I exhaled, some of the tension leaving my shoulders.
With the council gone, the atmosphere shifted.
My mother settled back into her chair. My father remained standing, arms crossed. Patt and Thessa flanked Riley protectively, which, knowing my siblings, was exactly what they were doing. My wolf approved. His pack was protecting his mate.
“So,” my father said. “It is true. You mated a human.”
“She’s not human,” I said immediately, moving to Riley’s side, my hand finding the small of her back in a possessive gesture. My wolf bristled at the implication that I would mate someone unsuitable to their eyes.
“She appears human. She smells...” My father inhaled, frowned. “She smells of wolf. But barely. Her wolf is almost... invisible.”
“That’s because she hasn’t shifted much.” My voice was firm. “She was born a wolf, but her blood was dormant. The claiming awakened it.”
“Dormant?” My mother leaned forward, curiosity brightening her features. “How is that possible?”
“She was raised in the human world. Her parents made her flee through a portal when she was a child. She had no idea what she was until the claiming triggered her first shift.”
Understanding dawned on my parents’ faces.
“A dormant wolf,” my father murmured. “I’ve heard of such things. Rare, but not unheard of. Wolves who were separated from their packs as children, raised without knowledge of their heritage. Their wolves go quiet, waiting.”
“Waiting for what?” Thessa asked.
“For a trigger to wake them,” my father said. “Usually trauma. Or...” He glanced at me. “A mate bond strong enough to break through the dormancy.”
“She’s a white wolf,” I added, and there was pride in my voice. Pride that I couldn’t and wouldn’t suppress. “Pure white. Rare and special.”
“White?” My mother’s voice rose with interest. “A white wolf?”
“Yes. She’s absolutely stunning. I hadn’t seen any other wolf like hers.”
A look passed between my parents. Surprise, perhaps, or recognition of significance. White wolves were creatures of legend. Prophesied wolves. My mate was special.
“And even if she were human,” I continued, steel entering my voice, my alpha presence expanding to fill the room, “she would still be my mate. I would have claimed her regardless. She is mine, and I am hers. That is not up for debate.”
“No one is debating it,” my mother said gently. “We’re simply trying to understand.”
“What my wife means,” my father added, “is that we want to know more. About her. About where she came from.”
The tension in the room eased slightly. Riley relaxed beside me.
“You mentioned her parents fled,” my mother said. “From where? Do you know which pack they belonged to?”
“House Mirabelle.”
The reaction was immediate.
My mother went still. My father’s expression shifted. Even Patt had a surprised expression.
“Mirabelle,” my mother breathed.
“You know the name.”