Chapter Eleven
“Gods,” Rian muttered, pacing the length of the conference room like a caged wolf. “That was… intense.”
“Yes, it fucking was,” Joshua shot back, arms crossed tight over his chest. “Mareken looked pissed.”
Dominik huffed softly. “He always looks pissed. He was actually calmer than usual.” He paused, shaking his head in awe. “Did you see how fast his demon submitted to her though? Fuck. She really is the perfect Queen.”
“I’m just grateful she agreed to hear us out,” Cameron said, voice quieter, more measured. “Now we need to figure out how to say this without making it worse.”
The words had barely left his mouth when the double doors opened.
All four of them straightened instinctively.
Katarina entered first, unhurried, composed, the room seeming to rearrange itself around her presence. Her red gown flowed like liquid flame, her expression open but sharp with attention. Flanking her were two forces of nature given form.
Mareken, radiating dark, coiled power and Kael, heat shimmering faintly around him, eyes alert.
The four men dropped to one knee without conscious thought.
Katarina laughed softly, warmth instantly cutting through the tension. “Gods, please rise, boys. You know you don’t have to do that...especially in private.”
They stood.
Rian rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassment flickering across his face. Joshua released a long, slow breath like he’d been holding it since the court. Dominik didn’t quite meet her eyes but nodded respectfully. Cameron bowed his head anyway, old habits hard to break.
Mareken dragged a chair forward and sat, then tugged Katarina smoothly onto his lap. “Come here, Kitten,” he murmured.
Kael moved behind them, fingers threading casually through her hair.
The display: casual, intimate, unapologetic, made all four of them stare.
Katarina smiled, unbothered. “Alright,” she said gently. “Why don’t we start at the beginning?”
Rian finally stopped pacing. He inhaled deeply. “We were tracking our assignment when we scented her. We thought she was human. She was walking the streets with a child.” His jaw tightened. “My wolf… kind of lost it.” He winced. “And he—”
“Scared her,” Joshua cut in, taking the weight without hesitation. “She thought we were trying to kidnap her. She ran. Not just back home, she took her brother and left town.”
“We tracked her three cities over,” Cameron added. “Tried to approach without risking exposure. We wanted to bring her to the Council so you could introduce her to the Society.”
“When—” Dominik started.
All four of them exchanged a look.
Katarina’s brows lifted slightly. “When…?”
Rian exhaled. “When she hit us with a blast of power.”
Mareken and Kael stiffened immediately.
Rian rushed on, words tumbling over one another. “She felt cornered. Truly believed we were there to hurt her. We would never...but she panicked. She didn’t even know she had any abilities.”
“Wait,” Katarina said, one hand lifting.
Every one of them went silent.
“You’re telling me,” she said slowly, eyes sharp now, “that your mate, whom you and her both believed to be human...is a caster?”
“Yes, High Queen,” they answered almost in unison.
Kael leaned forward, voice rough. “Where is she now?”
Mareken’s gaze burned. “I don’t see her with you. Are you telling us you left an unregistered caster unattended, without following protocol?”
Dominik stepped forward, spine straight. “Please understand, High Leader. We tried. We truly did. The moment we realized she wasn’t human...and that exposure was no longer the issue...we tried to explain everything to her.”
Joshua spoke quietly then, eyes fixed on the floor. “It’s my fault.”
Katarina’s head snapped toward him. “What is?”
Joshua swallowed. “After we explained what casters were… I tried to ask whether it might’ve been her father or her mother. When I mentioned her mother…” He grimaced. “She was—”
“Furious,” Cameron finished gently. “Rightfully so. She grabbed her brother and ran again. We tried to track her, but it was like she instinctively shielded herself from us.”
Katarina said nothing. For several long seconds, the room held its breath.
Then Kael spoke, voice measured. “Is there any information in her file indicating where she might have gone?”
All four of them went rigid.
Katarina noticed, but it was Mareken who growled. “What are you hiding?”
Dominik answered carefully. “There is no file. Only her name...Anabelle Wyatt...and her half-brother, Emmett. Nothing else. No address history. No parental records. It’s as if it was wiped clean.”
He shook his head. “We don’t know which faction she descends from. We don’t even know if her parents are alive.”
“And what exactly are you asking of me?” Katarina said then, her High Queen voice settling over the room like a mantle of authority.
Cameron stepped forward, solemn. “We aren’t asking for favors. We are deeply grateful you saw us and decided to give us a chance to leave Zaninsk. We would never put you in a compromising position, my queen.” He hesitated. “We just… need advice.”
“Advice on…?” she prompted gently.
“She doesn’t know anything about our community,” Rian said, voice raw. “Only that there are factions, and that she’s a caster. She’s obviously terrified enough to run from us. We’re her mates. We just want to help her.”
Dominik continued, steady but strained. “We know she must follow protocol to become registered. We just don’t know how to approach the situation. Given that...”
Joshua took a step forward then, hands clenched at his sides. “Given that you were once unaware of your mates, and of our existence, we thought you might understand or direct us on how to proceed.” His voice cracked. “We just want to protect her.”
Silence fell again.
Katarina studied them, really studied them. Four powerful males, battle-hardened and feared across realms, standing uncertain and afraid over one woman who didn’t yet know the extent of what she truly was.
She rose slowly from Mareken’s lap.
The room seemed to shift with her movement.
And when she spoke, every one of them listened.