Chapter Seven
Saphyra
T he afternoon had been perfect. It showed me what life could be like, if only my mates would listen. We could build the fantasy I’d hoped for, if only they were willing to try.
They left me at the door to my quarters, saying they had duties to attend. Doing what, I could only imagine. The alphas had lives and important jobs before they’d come to get me. I was sure their responsibilities had piled up in their absence. Grey was a trained physician, which was in high demand, no matter where he was. They were all much too busy to spend any more time with me. I should be grateful for the time we had, and I was, but the pull to be with them was strong. Too strong to just ignore.
Everything I wore was slimy with rain and clung to my skin. I toed off my boots and peeled out of my damp clothes, and dropped them on the floor. There must be something else in here to wear. The closet attached to my quarters was large, and I wandered from rack to rack, searching through the wide array of gowns. The space was more like a dressing room than a wardrobe, but it was usually filled with maids, so I hadn’t realized quite how large it was, and I hadn’t had time to explore it on my own.
Most of the contents were heavy brocade and velvet dresses with delicate matching slippers, but I found a small selection of pants, shirts, and boots that were better suited for the outdoors. And even better, I could put them on by myself.
I stripped out of my underthings, pulled on a fresh set, and slipped into a clean outfit. The pants were a bit snug in the hips, but the shirt was stretchy and soft and felt wonderful.
As I was wiggling into a pair of fuzzy socks, I heard a noise from the other room. My heart rate picked up as anxiety raced through my veins. Ever so quietly, I padded to the connecting door and peeked through the crack.
A sigh of relief whooshed out of my lungs, and I walked into the bedroom. It was just Violet, Aster, and Hazel, the maids most often assigned to assist me.
“Stars, you three surprised me. Say something next time,” I said with a smile to soften the harsh bite of my startled words. They’d scared me, but I was being paranoid. No one was getting inside the mountain, let alone into my chambers.
Violet was the first to reply. “Your Majesty, I apologize. I didn’t know you were here. We can come back later if you prefer.”
“No, don’t be silly. Stay if you’d like. I’m sorry for the mess. It rained a bit and I never quite got all the way dry.” I hurried over and gathered up the clothes I’d left on the floor.
Aster’s brittle blue eyes narrowed, and her lips pressed together in distaste as I passed her to drop the soiled garments in the basket by the door. When I turned my attention back to her, she was the picture of demure friendliness. Maybe I’d imagined her sour expression. Hazel was busy studying the rug, no reaction on her face, as if she hadn’t picked up on anything unusual either.
“Your Majesty, don’t bother yourself with that. We came to tidy up,” Aster said in a clipped voice as she moved to my bed and dragged the blankets off.
The half dry puddle Ghost had left on my sheets earlier wasn’t obvious, but the maids must have noticed because they stripped the bed carefully, avoiding touching the mess from my earlier activities.
Stars, how embarrassing. Would I ever not be embarrassed in this place? It seemed like my perpetual state of being.
Violet must have recognized my discomfort because she said, “That’s enough for now, girls. Run that down to the laundry. I’ll finish up. Thank you.”
Dismissed, Hazel and Aster snatched up the wash and headed for the door. Just before it closed behind them, Aster glanced over her shoulder, staring daggers at me before vanishing down the hall.
After a few moments, with only the rustling of Violet making the bed to break the silence, she spoke. “You needn’t concern yourself with those two. They’re discreet. They won’t tell anyone any of your personal business. It’s just that…” She trailed off, as if considering the best way to explain. “It’s just that Axion, Valyx, and sometimes even Alexi were favorites among the girls. And I think they might be a bit jealous of the attention you’re getting. I’m sure once you’ve bonded with whomever you’ve decided will be king consort, they’ll settle down.”
Her comment surprised me. The thought of anyone being jealous of me, or interested in my mates, wasn’t something I’d considered. I knew they were virile young men, and I couldn’t have expected them to be celibate before they’d met me, but veiled hostility from my own maids? No, I didn’t like that at all.
While she’d been talking, I stood frozen in place, but I shook it off and hurried over to help her make the bed. “I see.”
“Don’t worry yourself, Your Majesty. They’re just silly, young things.”
They must have been near the same age as me, maybe slightly older, and Violet herself couldn’t have been much older than that. Irritation thrummed behind my eyes, and I worked to even out my breathing. Violet was only doing her job and trying to make me feel better. There was no use being upset at her for any of this.
“I don’t have any intention of doing that, Violet,” I said as I fluffed a pillow.
“Of doing what, Your Majesty?” she asked.
“Of choosing only one to bond with.” I smacked the pillow a little harder than was absolutely necessary before putting it back in its place.
“Well, if not one of them, perhaps you’ll meet someone at the coronation ball that you’ll like better. That reminds me. There’s a dress fitting tomorrow, and Alexi delivered a special soap you are to use prior to the event. There should be more than enough until you’ve bonded and your scent changes. I left it in your bathing room.” She gave me a warm smile as we finished making the bed. “There now. All clean.”
It might be all clean, but I missed the heady scent of ocean fog that the old blankets held. Now that the soiled bedding had been taken, it was drifting away, and I was sad to have it go.
As appealing as pining over men all day, holed up in my room, sounded. I wasn’t going to let Aster’s bad attitude ruin my mood. I had an idea.
“Violet?” I waited until she looked up at me. “If I asked you to take me somewhere, would you do it?”
She gave me a wry smile. “I really shouldn’t, but you are the queen. It’s my job to do what you say.”
That’s how Violet and I ended up scurrying through corridors and service hallways, exploring maintenance closets and every other nook and cranny on the top level of the capital. The place was nearly deserted, and we had free rein of the royal wing. The administration ward had a few clerks walking between offices, but we made a game of dodging them.
There was little to fear here. The administration staff were mainly betas, unaffected by an omega’s scent. The alphas were all housed in the levels below, and only a very select few had clearance for this section of the city. So, our antics were unlikely to be discovered.
Exploring with Violet was an entertaining diversion from the boredom of sitting in my room, studying out-of-date history books. I didn’t really think I’d get in trouble for it, but the rush of sneaking around was exhilarating.
I stopped in my tracks and Violet stumbled into my back, barely catching herself before falling. The sound of footsteps had me spinning around to face the frazzled maid. “Hurry, hide!” I giggled quietly as we rushed to a maintenance closet, and she punched in her code just in time for us to slip inside before whoever was coming saw us.
I held my finger to my lips, shushing my co-conspirator. We were both smiling like maniacs, struggling to contain our laughter.
The deep voice drifting down the hall and under the door we hid behind was unmistakable. I recognized it immediately. It was Lex.
“Now that the queen is in place as a figurehead, the Pharanax Alliance will have to listen to us. We need more military support, and they have it. Omen won’t be enough. They haven’t listened to the Regent, but an emissary from the legitimate queen will get their attention.” Lex’s voice trailed off as he moved past our hiding place and down the hall.
Figurehead? Emissary from the queen? I had no such emissary. What in the Stars was going on with military alliances that I knew nothing about? What was Lex doing? I wasn’t smiling any longer, and a weight settled in the pit of my stomach.
“Violet, do you know what he was talking about?” I asked in a hushed tone. I didn’t think anyone was in the hall anymore, but right now I especially didn’t want to be found.
“I’m not entirely sure. I know the Regent had been trying to contact the Pharanax Alliance about a partnership, but they wouldn’t speak with him. They have unique views on, well, a lot of things,” she answered in an equally quiet voice.
Not for the first time, I wondered if Lex had saved me because he cared, or for a more political reason. Aside from the picnic, he had paid me very little attention, and after what I’d just heard, it made me wonder if he had any feelings for me at all. It hurt to consider I might just be a pawn in his game, or a stepping stone to elevate his status.
The near miss with Lex and my runaway thoughts soured my mood. “Let’s go back. It’s almost time for dinner.” Not that I had much of an appetite, but I didn’t want to run into anyone else in the corridors, especially Lex.
We took a shortcut through a service hall and arrived back at my room in record time. I’d memorized Violet’s security code during our adventure, and was looking forward to being able to navigate the upper level quickly now that I knew where everything was. I probably shouldn’t have done that, but I was sick of feeling like a prisoner in what was supposed to be my home.
No one joined me for dinner in the dining room, not even Grey. I picked at some sort of stringy game meat and root vegetables that Violet had brought from the kitchen. It made me wonder where everyone was, and what they did while I sat alone.
I needed some answers, and I knew there was only one alpha who I might be able to convince to tell me. I just had to find him.