17. CHAPTER 17
We look great, my wolf tells me as we admire the clothes fit for a king adorned with all the medals, some of them we’ve earned and others not so much.
I lick the palm of my hand and try to put one stubborn strand of hair back in its place. It’s important that everything goes perfectly. My father will make sure that the abbey is full for today’s special double event. Its back room is not as cozy as the Grey Manor, but it provides plenty of privacy for me to gather my wits before the main show.
We do fill the uniform quite nicely, don’t we?I say, quite proud of myself for all the muscles I’ve gained through the hard and demanding training exercises that Blaine put me through.
That’s one thing, and the other that definitely helps is that our face isn’t as bloated anymore and the bags under our eyes are gone,my wolf adds, referring to the side-effects of excessive use of alcohol and drugs.
I give myself a small smile in the mirror, then polish the buttons on my jacket with my sleeve. It’s not the first time today that I’m doing it, but it’s the only thing that makes me feel useful and focus on something else. I hate to admit it, even to myself, but I’m quite nervous.
We’ve been preparing for this our whole life, my wolf says, trying to soothe my frayed nerves. Unfortunately, he’s only making it worse because I’m blanking on all the lessons and protocol rules that have been drilled into me from a very young age.
A knock on the door brings me out of my reverie. I throw an anxious glance over my shoulder.
“Garren?” Gavin’s voice comes from the other side. “I was hoping I could have a moment with you before the coronation.”
“Come in,” I tell him, and turn back to the mirror to take another look at myself. The reflection is perfectly positioned so I can see Gavin when he enters.
My youngest brother comes in wearing his full royal regalia, representing the Lafayettes. The blue and white colors of his clothes are a stark contrast to the Grey’s uniforms, which are black and red.
“Those colors agree with you,” I say to Gavin to break the silence when he doesn’t say anything and just stands at the door, staring at me.
“Oh, umm, thank you,” Gavin says and glances down at his uniform as if he’s forgotten what he’s wearing. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but you look like a true king, Garren.”
Am I going crazy or was that a compliment?My wolf asks, and I’m not exactly sure if he’s making a joke or not.
“Thank you,” I tell him, then turn around to properly look at him. “I didn’t expect to see you before the coronation. Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s perfect,” Gavin replies with an easy smile, his massive and muscular body relaxing. “I’ve actually come to ask you for a favor.”
“Oh?” I ask, my brows raised in surprise.
“I didn’t want to do this in front of everyone because it’s a private matter, and I didn’t want you to feel pressured into answering against your wishes,” Gavin says, talking way too much for someone who’s trying to look relaxed.
He’s nervous, my wolf comments, pointing out the obvious as always.
“Do you want to sit down?” I ask, gesturing at the small sofa that the abbey provided me with for this occasion. The royal events will drag on long before I’ll be asked to make an official appearance.
“Thanks,” Gavin says and sits down, buying himself a moment to gather his thoughts. “As you well know, Leia is pregnant.”
“Oh, yes,” I confirm with a smile. “You did mention something about finally sharing the gender of your little heir.”
Gavin looks me in the eyes, his shining with pure joy and happiness. My heart constricts with regret for losing so much time bickering and arguing when we could be a team. At least now, we have an opportunity to start anew and build two united kingdoms.
“It’s a boy,” Gavin announces quietly, keeping his voice low enough just for me to hear in case there”s anyone on the other side of the door.
“Congratulations!” I exclaim and stand up, then pull him into a brotherly hug when he follows my lead.
“Thank you,” he says again, grinning from ear to ear. “Actually, that’s where that favor comes in.”
“I’m listening,” I assure him and though we pull away from the embrace, we don’t sit back down.
“Leia and I were talking and we’re hoping that you and Alyssa would agree to be little Lyon’s godparents,” Gavin whispers, and though his face is glowing with happiness, his eyes are shining with barely veiled worry.
Speak,my wolf howls when I’m too stunned to reply.
I shake my head and blink my surprise away. The corners of my mouth curl up into a wide smile as my brother has invited me to be a part of his momentous and joyful occasion.
“It would be my absolute honor,” I tell him, meaning every word of it. “I can’t wait to tell Alyssa.”
“Thank you, Garren,” Gavin says and clasps my bicep. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to finally have a brother. You should be proud of the person you’ve become. I’m sorry that I couldn’t see your potential. I’m sorry that I made it harder on you, instead of helping you to get there.”
“Don’t be,” I say with a slight shake of my head. “Looking back now, I consider myself lucky that I didn’t get my ass handed to me more often. I was a douchebag.”
“Yeah, you really were,” Gavin agrees with a chuckle. He pats my arm again, then takes a step back toward the door. “I should go now. You’ll do great, Brother.”
“Thank you,” I say and clear my throat to cover the emotion in my voice.
I’ve always been jealous of Gavin. He was allowed to do it all and he seemed to have it all. Only now, I see that he had to work very hard to get somewhere in life. I hadn’t realized just how much he had to give up to be able to marry Leia. I’m glad that it worked out well for him. He deserves the best, and it’s about time that I stop standing in his way.
It takes another half an hour of waiting after Gavin leaves. In that time, the abbey finally fills up, and I’m being summoned in front of the altar to attend my own coronation.
The ascension process has been in the works for what seems like forever, and today is its last day. After the coronation, I am officially the Grey King, and while my father agreed to stay on as an occasional advisor, he made it clear that he wanted to catch up on the lost time with my mother.
I exit the abbey through the back door, then sit in the royal car to be driven to the front where I’ll enter. It’s all about making an entrance worthy of a king.
Our secret service has made it their mission to keep humans away from the abbey and its neighboring blocks. This historic occasion is meant for wolves only, and to be reported only by our official channels.
The moment that the car stops in front of the abbey and the chauffeur opens the door for me, the trumpets sound to announce my arrival. With my head held high and my eyes locked forward, I walk into my future.
The guests stand up as one when I enter the abbey. I sense their eyes on me as I pass row after row all the way to the altar. My family is sitting in the front, and even though I know she’s not there, I still search for her.
It’s your fault for believing in those old and silly superstitions, my wolf gently chastises. Plenty of grooms have seen their brides before the wedding and nothing bad happened to them.
Are you willing to take that risk? I counter. After everything we’ve been through, after everything we’ve done, we’re finally happy. Are you willing to take a risk and lose it all?
Well, when you put it that way...my wolf allows, and even though he doesn’t physically have them, I can sense him rolling his eyes.
Since we’ve scheduled two massive royal events in one day, my father allowed me to shorten both of them by only sticking to the highlights. That’s why as soon as I arrive at the altar, I’m being escorted to a symbolic throne, but I don’t sit. Instead, I turn toward the guests and wait for the archbishop to say his prayers to Fenrir, Lupa, Hati, Skoll, Medeina, and Akkadian. He doesn’t name the other deities, but he does his best to humbly pay respects to the ones he didn’t mention.
While he’s making his speech, I allow my eyes to take in the grandeur of the abbey. Its walls have been donned in the black and red colors of the Grey family. While the flower arrangements are all in bright red, the rows are adorned with black ribbons. The carpets are a nice mix of black and red, with the red being through the middle part while the dark marks the sides.
The archbishop’s assistants carry over the scepter and the crown. It’s the last part of the coronation, followed only by everyone kneeling, and then me making my first speech as the new Grey King.
I am too nervous to properly listen to the archbishop as he hands me the scepter, but I do my best to keep it up without shaking too much. The crown is too big and too heavy to be used on a daily basis, but its value is incalculable.
“Long live King Garren Grey,” the archbishop announces after what seemed like an eternity of what I thought was cut out from the official event.
“Long live the king. Long live the king. Long live the king,” the guests echo as one.
My eyes travel along the first rows of seats, noting my and Alyssa’s family. No one seemed to have questioned Alyssa’s absence yet, but they’ll get their answer soon enough.
Dark Hunters are in a row of their own, Esme among them. Her face is hidden behind a dark veil to keep her scars protected. Even her wolf can’t completely heal them, but in a couple of weeks, they’ll further settle and some may possibly disappear. She’s here to show support both for me as well as Alyssa. She’s the only one that I offer a small smile before facing the rest of the abbey as their newly appointed king.
With the scepter in my hand and the crown on my head, I finally sit down as the Grey king. It’s at that moment that the guests sink on their knees, lowering their heads in respect. There are only two people left standing, only two that aren’t expected to bow.
While Gavin and Leia make a stark contrast to the kneeling crowd, they don’t radiate any disrespect or ill will. Quite the opposite, because they both meet my eyes and slightly incline their heads in a polite acknowledgment from one monarch to another.
After an appropriate amount of time has passed, with my scepter in hand and the crown on my head, I stand up again. The crowd, including Gavin and Leia, sit down while I make my way to the microphone that has been put in front of the altar for my speech.
I can’t wait for this to be over with, and I can be reunited with Alyssa again. The speakers in the back room are on, so I know she’ll be able to hear my every word.
“My fellow brothers and sisters,” I say into the microphone that amplifies my voice, so it reaches even the furthest corners of the big abbey. “As your new king, chosen both by our gods and the legitimate blood that’s running through my veins, I accept the role to lead our kingdom into prosperity. With my guidance and your help, we will thrive and grow.”
I take a moment to pause, giving the people a chance to process my words before I tackle the two big topics, one that shouldn’t stop being taboo, and the other that we shouldn’t hide from anymore.
“In the spirit of all that, my first order of business as your king will be to address the threat that’s been looming on us for far too long,” I say, my voice firm and serious. Several gasps come from the crowd, but I don’t budge and only confirm their suspicions. “Yes, people, I am talking about the witches.”
A hushed murmur spreads like wildfire, but I don’t immediately shut it down. I watch it spread, smelling the fear in the air as the guests are forced to talk about our mortal enemies. It’s good. It’s something I can use to rally them the way I want.
“With the help of my brother, King Gavin, and his lovely wife, Queen Leia, we have managed to combine the forces of two kingdoms. Therefore, we were able to strike the witches twice as hard,” I say, allowing myself a small, triumphant smile in hopes that they’ll perceive it as confidence.
You’re doing great, my wolf tells me, carefully studying the crowd’s reactions as I speak.
“The threat is real, people,” I continue, making sure that I come off sounding as strong and determined. “While we managed to get them into hiding for now, we can be sure of one thing. They will recover again, and they will come back to finish us off. You might be asking yourselves, what has changed now? We’ve been enemies for so long, but what’s so different now is that they’re willing to step up their game and kill every last one of us.”
I pause for effect again. My eyes briefly meet Gavin’s, and he gives me a subtle nod. The coronation is the best time to address this delicate but important matter.
“Right now, the witches have a new young leader who’s both ambitious and ruthless,” I say into the microphone, making sure that everyone hears my speech. “It’s the worst kind of combination, and let me tell you one thing, that witch really doesn’t like us. She’s uniting covens and inviting other witches to come to New York where the first stage of extermination will take place. We have to start laying down some plans and take the battle to them. I’m afraid that I have to begin my reign with a declaration of war. As of this moment, the wolves are at war with the witches!”
Gavin’s the first one to start clapping, followed by the rest of the guests as they give me a standing ovation. It’s not an ideal way to start my reign, but I don’t have any other choice. If we don’t do anything to protect us, we might not survive as a species.
I think it’s safe to say that you have the support of your kingdom on your side, my wolf tells me, a hint of pride in his voice.
That’s only the first step of what we need to do,I reply. The worst is yet to come. You know the same as I do that it’s not over until it’s over.
Geez, do you have to be so gloomy on your wedding day?my wolf teases, trying to lighten up the mood as well as gently nudge me to move ahead with today’s events. It’s safe to say that we’re both looking forward to some alone time with our mate.
I lift my hand up, wordlessly asking the crowd to calm down. When they sit down again and the silence stretches across the abbey, I give them a little smile.
“I have a little surprise for you,” I say into the microphone, excited to share the news. “You haven’t only attended my coronation, but you’ll also be the guests for my wedding.”
Another hushed murmur spreads amongst the crowd, but I ignore it and turn to the archbishop instead to give him a nod to go ahead. As my best man, Gavin gets up and walks up to the altar to stand by my side. Together with the rest of the guests, we turn toward the front door where Alyssa will walk through.
I always thought that my coronation would be the most important event of my life, but it doesn’t come even close to my wedding. That’s the one I’m truly excited about. That’s the one that will change my life for the better. That’s the one that will make me fight for the survival of my species until the very last breath I have. That’s the one that’s my future.
The front door opens and my lips part when my eyes fall on her. I’m without a doubt the luckiest son of a bitch that has ever lived.
You really are, my wolf confirms, sounding just as breathless as I feel.