Chapter 20
Chapter
Twenty
Not only had my wolf spirit been taken from me, but my crown had also been stolen last week. Yet, even without them, I still felt like the rightful werewolf Queen.
At first, while living among the humans in London, I believed ascending the throne was a burden I didn’t want, but now I considered it my newfound purpose.
For Torin.
Fading guilt still reminded me that I’d become the werewolf Queen for the wrong reasons, but I was now more than ever determined to protect my people and uphold my duty.
With such responsibility came sacrifice and acceptance of my destiny.
What I’d once viewed as a burden now became my opportunity for a change in the human realm.
As the vampire Queen desired, I would bring the war to her territory. Victoria must have thought that as the new werewolf Queen, I would make the same hasty mistakes my father had thirty years ago.
But she was wrong.
I grew up thinking I was human, and I’d lived for seven years among the humans, changing my perspective of the supernaturals.
Perhaps it was my father’s sense of pride, or maybe the teachings passed down by his royal predecessors, but the notion of seeking assistance from hunters and vampires was alien to him.
In his eyes, they were adversaries, not allies.
In the past week, I’d recruited allies who would join me today for a board meeting. But first I gathered them all in the marble hall to discuss my intentions.
Looking around, I admired the circular shape of the hall where my new allies stood. Its symmetry created a sense of unity—the topic of my talk today.
My heart pounded against my chest, and I swallowed the dryness in my throat. Hayden pressed the side of his body into me as if knowing I was a nervous mess on the inside while putting on a strong front for our allies and the kingdom people.
But standing next to him was both a blessing and a curse. The solidified mate bond between us pulled me relentlessly toward him, making my body yearn for my mate, responding to his presence with an intensity that threatened to consume me.
Like humans on their honeymoon, newly marked mates spent time in their bedroom. The thought that most she-wolves with new mates got pregnant in the months following the marking ritual made my body shudder.
Hayden’s scent invaded my nostrils, a familiar and comforting mix of pine and citrusy fragrance.
The warmth of his touch was like a blanket on a cold night.
Deep within my soul, I knew that giving in to the temptations of the flesh would only lead to heartbreak, and a sense of betrayal would settle in my tightening chest for the rest of my life.
Each time I stood by Hayden’s side, the struggle began anew—and today was no different.
The invisible force of the mate bond tested my resolve to stay true to myself.
But the way Hayden sneaked subtle touches on my face, brushed the side of my arm, or gently caressed the small of my back awakened desires I wasn’t sure I could suppress much longer.
I gave my head a slight shake. What am I doing?
All supernatural eyes aimed at me at the moment, and here I was, fighting my urges. I was about to open my mouth when Hayden leaned in, his minty breath tickling my ear.
“My Queen, if you keep having naughty thoughts, I’ll have to carry you to my bedroom.”
My body froze, and I lifted my gaze to him as more blood rushed to my face.
“You can tell that?”
He winked. “I can smell your arousal, especially since I’m more in sync with your needs and feelings now.” The heated look he gave me caused goose bumps to prick on my forearms. “When are we moving into the same chambers?”
He raised his eyebrows.
I was running out of excuses, finding myself more divided. The primal part of me bonded to Hayden whispered seductively in my ear, urging me to surrender to the pleasure and ecstasy he promised.
How easy it would be to fully accept him, ignoring his wrong actions three years ago. Forming a mate bond between us without my consent was almost the equivalent of Victoria turning Torin into a vampire without his consent.
Torin. Whenever my thoughts took me to him, I restrained myself from Hayden.
“Not yet, but I will,” I said, but my voice shook at the end, betraying me.
My desire for Hayden wasn’t true love, but a carnal connection he’d forged between us. Yet, here I was, having sealed my destiny as his mate.
I’d built my own prison.
I shuffled my feet restlessly. Sooner or later, I would have to move into the same bedroom with Hayden and share the same bed, and—
His hot breath on my face jolted me out of my thoughts.
“Are you wearing a turtleneck sweater to hide your mate marks?”
On the brink of a war, I didn’t want to worry anyone about what was happening to the Queen, and I didn’t want to be questioned about the mate mark when I didn’t have the answers.
Hayden didn’t want to give me the answers.
“It’s cold outside, and…the marks are unusual,” I said. “And you haven’t explained to me why they keep growing.”
He graced me with his charming smile. “I told you I’ll explain after we return from the war. I can’t have you distracted now when you have to focus on defeating Victoria.”
I groaned, making him chuckle.
“Will the mate marks cover my entire body?”
When Hayden nodded, I couldn’t stop the gasp from escaping my mouth. My pulse raced.
“How come you don’t have them?” I prodded. “Is it because I couldn’t mark you in the way you did with fangs?”
Leaning over, he kissed my forehead. “Maybe.”
A collective “aww,” some chuckles, and more whispers came from the crowd around us, causing my mind to fully awaken, focusing on my purpose in the marble hall.
I ground my teeth.
While glancing over the various groups of people who had taken different sides in the hall without mingling, I called on my courage. As I stood under my favorite ever-lasting chandelier, I cleared my throat, breaking the silence.
“Even if we were adversaries, now we are allies as we begin a new era.”
As I began to speak, the kingdom people spilled inside, standing by the marble columns, but most of them listened from outside, my voice loud enough to carry through the opened windows and doors.
“I’ve recruited the vampires, hunters, and witches to forge an alliance with the werewolves and change the course of our realm’s history,” I said, and Hayden’s arm brushed mine.
“I understand the distrust plaguing our relationships, but if we want to defeat the vampire Queen, we’ll all have to learn how to have each other’s backs.”
I darted my gaze around the spacious hall, and I made eye contact with every supernatural or human.
The hunters stood bravely among the supernaturals, steely determination etched on their faces.
Earlier, I had asked them to leave their weapons outside the hall.
A phone call to Adrian, with shrieking Tammy in the background, had ensured that the hunters joined my cause.
Lucy, the mate of the vampire spy the Alphas killed, brought about twenty vampires who had had enough of Victoria’s cruelty. With their ethereal beauty and piercing crimson gazes, vampires stood out in the crowd.
They stepped closer to the three witches draped in flowing robes, their eyes shimmering brighter than anyone else’s. The coven of the three witches was still not fully on board with my mission, but at least they showed up today. They had not been thrilled when I summoned them two days ago.
The three women listened to what I had to say without inviting me into their cottage.
I explained that their neutrality would empower our enemy more, and their help was necessary to ensure I restored the balance of power in our realm.
I also told the witches that if we didn’t go against the vampire Queen now, her crimes would only become more cruel and frequent in the future.
I sent the witches a grateful glance.
The air crackled with unease as we all attempted to find our place in this new era. Although I’d refused it for a long time, my calling was to unite the people and dissolve the barriers that had long divided the human realm.
“We are here to protect our loved ones and our lands from the vampire Queen,” I said and felt all eyes on me.
People’s expressions ranged from skeptical to curiosity to awe.
“The war we face requires the strength of unity, the merging of our unique abilities,” I said in the voice Dad had taught me to use with his Alphas.
In the silence that followed, I found the faces of the Alphas, frowning with squinted eyes in displeasure. Tension radiated off their rigid muscles as they kept glancing at the hunters, vampires, and witches.
Tough.
Ignoring them, I continued. “Our goals are aligned, our purpose intertwined. I ask the kingdom people to show hospitality to our allies and our new friends to show patience and tolerance.”
A few heads nodded in the crowd of supernaturals and humans, and their smiles encouraged me. A murmur of agreement rippled through the gathered people. I hoped I would guide them to a safer and united future and not to their doom.
Clenching my hands, I took a deep breath. Besides Hayden, who could read me even more easily now, I didn’t want to worry anyone about the insecurities that plagued my mind.
If I couldn’t kill Cordelia, how would I kill Victoria? Would I turn into a dark witch if I somehow killed the vampire Queen? What if I lost the war? The thought of the werewolf kingdom falling into despair and ruin under my reign made my stomach churn.
I will win. I have to.
Half the battle was making the right preparations and leading the war with the right people, which I was doing now.
I will win.
I finished my talk, and after a moment of mingling, the kingdom people dispersed. The high-ranking supernaturals and Adrian headed to the boardroom, following my father. Hayden and I were about to exit the marble hall when the three witches intercepted us.