Chapter 13
Raffe chuckled while inching in front of me as we came into the room. Despite the carefree sound, his body was rigid, and he took deep, ragged breaths to stay calm.
The hot presence of his anger returned inside me—a damn near constant emotion for Raffe lately, and I hated it because it was all due to me. My blood jolted.
“Don’t be dramatic. I didn’t ruin everything.” Raffe scoffed. “You always say you leave the theatrics to Mom, so let’s keep it that way. Only a handful of people know about Skylar and me, so you can control the message.”
Control the message. I didn’t like the sound of that.
King Jovian swung his gaze at me and glowered. The strange presence in my chest crept forward, pushing harder than before. The longer he stared at me, the more intense the sensation became, and when his eyes glowed, that presence churned until I thought it might leap from my chest.
I averted my eyes, taking in the nicest room I’d ever seen, especially for a study. That weird presence in my chest grew hot, a feeling similar to Raffe’s anger. Now, it felt as if part of me was upset with myself for breaking eye contact.
But breaking eye contact was the best way to handle bullies. When an imminent threat presented itself, like the king, you didn’t escalate things with a challenging stare.
Silence descended. My skin crawled, and I focused on the wall to my right, where two gigantic wooden bookshelves flanked a small cutout.
“Anything you have to say, you can say it out loud to my mate.” Raffe’s voice deepened, determination bleeding through each word.
That must be why King Jovian’s eyes were glowing. He was pack-linking with Raffe. A shiver ran down my spine, contrasting with the heat from Raffe’s emotions and the presence.
“This is wolf business,” King Jovian growled. “Which doesn’t involve her, seeing as she’s human. She may smell like a wolf, but that’s only because of your stupidity in claiming her. Or is that something you’ve conveniently forgotten?”
A deep rattle rumbled from Raffe’s throat. I kept my attention on the bookshelf and noticed a picture of King Jovian, Queen Tashya, and Raffe. The king stood in the center, wearing a black suit, with the queen on his left, her dirty-blonde hair pulled back and makeup emphasizing her fair skin and gray eyes. She wore a regal black dress that matched the king’s suit.
My focus settled on the image of Raffe.
I’d never seen him look like that. He wore his typical blank expression, the one that was intimidating and screamed not to mess with him, but he was wearing a black suit that, even in the picture, showed off the outlines of his muscles. A little scruff made him look slightly older, but his piercing blue eyes held the type of man he truly was if you knew what to look for. The yank in my chest took hold and urged me toward the real Raffe.
My mate stepped in front of me, blocking me from Jovian’s view.
My blood jolted again, and I clenched my jaw. Whether intentionally or not, by stepping between his dad and me, Raffe had removed me from the conversation, but I couldn’t voice my concerns without King Jovian overhearing me, and I didn’t want to contradict Raffe when we were supposed to be presenting a united front. I kept my mouth shut.
“I claimed her, Dad.” He lifted his chin, a muscle twitching between his shoulder blades. “You’ll have to accept this. She is my mate—my equal—so you might as well include her in the discussion because I’ll share everything with her when we get out of here.”
My chest relaxed. With everything he’d done for me and for us, I had to believe we would weather the storm and come out stronger.
“Your equal?” King Jovian spat. “If that’s the case, why are you blocking her from my view? That contradicts everything you’re saying and reinforces what I already know. You screwed up.”
My breath caught, and I flinched. King Jovian was Raffe’s father. Did King Jovian see regret in Raffe’s eyes when I couldn’t? Did being captured make Raffe question that I wasn’t strong enough to be by his side? Or had me questioning him about the warehouse photo made Raffe question whether we should truly be together? If either were the case, he couldn’t do a damn thing about it since he’d bitten me.
Acid burned my throat as the core question slammed into me.
Did Raffe feel trapped with me now?
Raffe fisted his hands. “I didn’t screw up, and I don’t regret my decision. The only reason I’m blocking her is because I don’t want you taking out your anger on her. Smell the air, Dad, and you’ll see that I’m not lying.”
Some of the weight on my shoulders vanished. He didn’t regret claiming me, though that didn’t mean he wasn’t hurt by it. Knowing I needed to be the type of woman who didn’t hide, wanting to be worthy of Raffe, I placed a hand on Raffe’s back to let him know I was there. Then I moved up next to him because his dad was right. If Raffe was proclaiming I was his equal, he needed to show it beyond words.
I squeezed my shoulder blades together so that I stood tall.
“If she’s your equal, she can handle it,” King Jovian sneered, and the hatred I saw in his eyes had my lungs seizing.
I’d seen numerous people who didn’t like me or feared me, thanks to my strange blood, but this was something else.
Something more.
My blood fizzed, and I could read his disgust and rage clearly. If I’d been a bug, he’d have squashed me without hesitation. Between his disgust and the raw power he radiated, I wanted to step back, but I also wanted to march toward him to prove that I could. Once again, it was as if I had two personalities at war with each other. My mouth often got me into trouble, but I could usually control it when I knew saying something would go too far.
Then again, my mouth had a mind of its own. “Well, here I am.”
“If you don’t start talking, then Sky and I will go back to campus. We’re missing another day of classes because you demanded that I come here.” Raffe stepped closer to me. Our arms brushed, and the connection between us buzzed.
King Jovian grimaced and shook his head. “I should’ve known something was off when you pulled wolves from our pack and other packs on campus to find her.” He waved a hand between Raffe and me. “But claiming her? Have you lost your damn mind?”
“I know it’s not ideal,” Raffe started, and I gasped.
Pain squeezed my heart, and the presence in my chest jostled, mirroring my shock and hurt. He sounded like he had when we’d been dating in secret and Keith had walked in on us in my bedroom. He’d made it clear then that he’d wished he didn’t feel a connection with me, which was damn similar to what he’d said now.
Maybe my questions about the photos had done more damage to us than I’d realized.
“Not ideal,” King Jovian parroted back. “That’s putting it way too mildly.”
“Let me finish.” Raffe cut his eyes to me, hurt reflected in them once more. I swore I heard his voice in my head say, Of course she thinks the worst.
Before I could question it, he continued, his irises burning a bright icy blue. “It’s not ideal, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. It took Skylar leaving me to realize I never want to be without her again, and her kidnapping taught me that I don’t want to live without her in my life.”
My face burned, and my heart galloped. Once again, I’d thought poorly of him without giving him a chance to finish. He’d said exactly what I needed to hear, but I didn’t deserve his loyalty after my horrible assumptions.
“There’s more at risk than just your place as my heir.” King Jovian pulled on the hem of his white button-down shirt, which was wrinkled. “I determined a way to appease the Eastern wolf shifters, only for you to ruin it the moment it was solidified.”
Now would’ve been a nice time to be able to pack-link with Raffe to ask what this was about.
Raffe pulled me to his side. The warmth of our connection settled my blood to a low fizz, and the presence inside me eased back. Even the rage and hurt in the spot where I could feel Raffe’s emotions lessened slightly. It was amazing how we both reacted to a simple touch between us.
“We need to put the East in their place. That’s what you’ve said before.” Raffe arched a brow. “Don’t use something that’s not a real threat as leverage to get between Sky and me. It won’t work, and you should know that, seeing as you and Mom claimed each other and have a similar bond.”
“I’ve sheltered you from the growing threat Eastern wolves pose.” King Jovian paced in front of us, his bare feet barely making a sound on the rug. “They plan to separate from us and name their own king. That’s why I was there—to mend the gap between us.”
That sounded ominous. A knot formed in my stomach as I waited for the punch line. Whatever it was would be something King Jovian thought Raffe would listen to.
Raffe tilted his head and remained silent.
“You’ve been betrothed to the Atlanta alpha’s daughter. You’re to claim her and move to the city to integrate into their society. You are to learn the struggles they face and find solutions for their complaints.”
A lump formed in my throat, making it impossible to swallow. I hadn’t seen that one coming.
“It wasn’t your place to make any such agreement.” The veins in Raffe’s neck bulged, and his arm clamped tighter around my waist. “You don’t get to choose my mate. Only I can decide that, and I’ve chosen.”
King Jovian’s nostrils flared. “Raffe, this isn’t about you. This is about our people. That’s more important than anything else, and it should be an honor for you to do something to benefit our rule.”
That presence inside me lunged forward again, and my blood fizzed so high it almost hummed despite Raffe’s touch. This man wanted to come between me and my mate, and the scary part was that it might work.
“There’s one problem you seem to be forgetting.” Raffe placed his fist to his chin. “I’ve already claimed a mate, and that can’t be undone. Not that I would anyway. You promised something that wasn’t yours to give.”
“Like fuck I did.” King Jovian marched across the room and got in Raffe’s face. “I’m your father and king. Or did she make you forget that along with your place in our hierarchy?”
My blood inched a breath away from a hum. I couldn’t control it, not with King Jovian trying to come between Raffe and me. The urge to hurt this man surged along with the presence inside me.
Raffe released his hold on me and stepped closer to his dad, their chests touching.
I thought when Keith and Raffe got into an argument, it was a pissing match, but nothing compared to this. Their eyes glowed as their wolves surged forward.
“She hasn’t made me forget anything, but none of this matters. The choice was made, and I have absolutely no regrets. Besides, she’s my fated mate, which trumps everything.”
His dad threw his head back and laughed. The sound was loud and unhinged. “I don’t know how you managed to lie without the smell, but that’s impossible, and we both know it. Fated mates haven’t happened in centuries, and it would never happen between a wolf and a human.”
“I’m not only human.” I was so tired of everyone tossing that word around like I was nothing. “I’m an arcane-borne. My blood holds power.” The words had slipped from my lips even though I’d been warned not to share this information with anyone. But maybe, just maybe, his dad would react differently with that knowledge.
King Jovian’s face paled as his entire focus turned to me. “What?”
Raffe’s brows furrowed. “You’ve heard of her kind?”
“She needs to go.” King Jovian pointed at the door. “I don’t care if she takes your car, but she needs to get out of here. You and I will go to Atlanta, where you’ll meet your betrothed. There’s no point in waiting until graduation. We’ll talk to Supreme Priestess Olwyn so you can finish your courses online.”
Something was off. He was angry, but fear was making him push Raffe harder. The thought of Raffe with someone else pushed my blood to a hum.
Raffe clenched his hands. “I’m not going. It would be pointless. Skylar is my mate. It’s done.”
“You can’t claim the Eastern heiress, but you can marry her. Make it legally binding in the eyes of the humans and live with her far away from this human who’s messing with your mind.” King Jovian rubbed his hands together. “In time, you’ll see that this was the right choice. Besides, your mate bond isn’t complete yet and never will be because she’s not a shifter.”
My blood hummed, the power flowing through my veins as my anger, Raffe’s anger, and the anger of the presence inside me blurred into one.
“Everyone will see that you made a mistake and rectified it, bringing peace back to the wolf shifters here in the States.”
“No,” Raffe and I bellowed. The presence inside me clawed at my chest while my blood went beyond a hum to a vibration, spinning out of control, ready to push power out everywhere.
Raffe’s hands fisted like he was struggling to maintain control. “I won’t walk away from Skylar and marry some woman who will never hold a candle to her.” He pointed at me and bared his teeth. “I don’t fucking care if the East breaks away because being with Skylar is what’s best for me and what makes me the best choice to lead our people into the future.”
The vibration centered under my feet, ready to reach out and defeat the threat in front of me. Sounds grew louder, and I could hear Raffe’s and King Jovian’s every heartbeat.
King Jovian’s eyes glowed brighter. “You don’t have a choice.” Power radiated from each word, stalling my blood for a moment. “Your alpha commands you to leave Skylar and go to Atlanta to do what’s right for our kingdom.”
“Don’t you fucking dare,” Raffe said through clenched teeth. “I will never forgive you.”
“That’s a risk I’m willing to take.” King Jovian hovered over him. “Bow to my will as your alpha and king.”