Chapter 10 #2
“I’m well aware that one of you is Anna’s chosen mate and the other is her fated mate. But at this point, it is difficult to discern the difference since she’s not fully mated or marked by either one of you, and she doesn’t remember taking steps to bond with her chosen mate,” Dad said.
So much disapproval laced his voice that goose bumps rose on my forearms under the golden bracelet.
Dad looked at Hayden and then Torin, slowly staring them down as if he was the only predator in the room. Dad wasn’t afraid of either man when it came to his daughter and looked ready to pounce on them.
“I’m giving you a chance now. The person who chose Anna as a mate without her consent should step forward now, and his punishment would be milder.”
Milder? As in banishment of the territory or dungeon time as opposed to death.
Dad crossed his arms and watched both men with so much intensity that I thought I would crumble to the floor.
But neither man stepped forward or said anything.
Hayden was his usual self with a silly grin, and when I looked at him, he winked at me.
I sighed.
Torin’s body shook next to mine. The trembles were small, but I was sure Dad noticed. The Alpha’s chest rose and fell fast. But that wasn’t anything unusual for Torin where I was concerned.
“I see.” Dad paused. “I thought about why one of you would choose Anna as a mate without speaking with her first. My first thought was about this person becoming a King by her side. Maybe the chosen mate was after the King position. But then Torin knows he would have difficulty becoming the King, so we’re left with Hayden to be the chosen mate. ”
Hayden’s smile widened, and my eyes grew broader. Why was he so calm? Dad had just accused him of violating the kingdom’s law. You couldn’t become a chosen mate without the other’s consent, usually when the fated mate died.
Hayden put his hand over his heart. “My King, you know how I feel about your daughter, even if she’s a bit slow to figure it out.”
Dad nodded as if he’d known all along, and Hayden never showed any interest in the throne. He once told me that he was happy that Dad had assigned him as my bodyguard, as it was the ideal situation to always be around me.
But he never intervened in Dad’s politics, gave unwanted advice, or showed interest in becoming a leader.
“But then Alpha Torin could be interested in the throne. What if, during one of his encounters with the vampire Queen, she ordered him to aim at the throne as her spy and infiltrate the werewolf kingdom from within? So, the chosen mate could be Torin as well.”
Dad watched Torin for every little muscle twitch of his body. And Torin didn’t disappoint when he let out a low growl. At the werewolf King.
I held my breath and looked at Dad. Dad’s eyes narrowed at Torin, but he remained quiet.
A long, awkward moment of silence followed, during which my throat grew dry and my palms damp.
So maybe the dark witch was right when she said both men held secrets that could hurt me.
Finally, Dad let out a heavy sigh.
“Anna has asked me for time, during which I won’t interfere until she figures out a solution,” Dad said and pointed to the three of us.
“Although there is only one clear solution for me. We are also on the verge of going against a much stronger enemy. Cordelia will show up tomorrow, and it won’t be an easy fight, so I’m postponing our discussion about mates. ”
I breathed easier because Dad understood my confused feelings and was giving me time.
He straightened up and stepped in front of Torin. They stood toe-to-toe, eye-to-eye.
“If you want to remain in the kingdom, Alpha Torin,” Dad said, “you’ll have to make sure no one knows about you being the Princess’s second mate, and you’ll have to stay out of the other Alphas’ radars.
They’re onto you and would wait for any opportunity to kick you out.
Today I dismissed Mark, but I won’t be able to do that again. ”
Torin had slipped his usual stoic mask on.
“Did I make myself clear, Alpha Torin?”
“Yes, my King,” he said and bowed slightly.
Dad wasn’t mean. As a King, he was trying to prevent a divided kingdom, making us easy targets for enemies.
He dismissed us, and the three of us strolled out of the study and into the hallway with Torin ahead and Hayden behind me.
I wouldn’t be able to get to the magic book today, but if I woke up earlier and made sure my parents were out of their bedroom on time, I could still have a chance of opening the witch book with my blood. I was hoping to find anything to help me fight Cordelia tomorrow.
Suddenly, Torin halted, and I collided with his back. Hayden pulled me gently back by my shoulders.
I peered from behind Torin, and my gaze locked with Layla’s. She smiled and focused on Torin, ignoring me and Hayden.
“Alpha Torin,” she said in her sickly sweet voice, and my gag reflex kicked it, so I swallowed hard. “I have something to talk to you about.”
“I’m busy now, Princess,” Torin said in his cool voice, making me smile.
“But it’s something you would want to hear,” she said, moving quickly to his side.
She grasped his forearm and lifted on her tippy toes. Torin never allowed anyone to touch him, but he let her. She whispered something in his ear, and Torin’s body stilled.
I wished I had supernatural hearing. I wished I could read Torin’s mind.
He shook his head slightly and walked with big strides downstairs without a word. Layla dashed after him, keeping up. I would guess that he agreed to talk to her.
“Layla is up to something,” Hayden said from behind me while I watched the empty hallway.
“My thought exactly. What did she say to him?”
“Something about mates,” Hayden said and gently twisted my body around to face him. “I don’t like it, sweetheart. Stay away from her, okay?”
“But what exactly does she want? I know she blames me for Uncle Derek’s death, and she has always resented me for being the first Princess.”
“Does it matter? She wants you dead, and I won’t let her hurt you,” Hayden said. “You’ll have to tread carefully in the kingdom for now. But I’ll be next to you.”
Torin knew of my strained relationship with my cousin, yet he’d walked away with her.
He’ll come back to me, I said to myself.
But then why did my stomach twist and coil like a nest of vipers stirred from sleep?
I made an excuse about needing some sleep and went to my room with Hayden’s fiery stare piercing through me.
Every step in the opposite direction of Torin’s felt like wading through a swamp.