Chapter 48

Oz

Pacing restlessly, the weight of my decision pressed heavily on me. I was going to have to kill the king. My best friend. My savior. My brother.

There was no way around it. I couldn"t live in this world without my fated mate. It was either me or him.

Dion could provide Stella with the life she deserved, but he would never love her in the way I did. I seriously doubted he would be faithful to her. Not when I saw two of his regular playmates lingering in the halls waiting for him to finish talking to the future queen so they could service his cock.

Was he seducing Stella right now? Only to turn around and whet his wick with these two, then more later? It would devastate Stella.

I"d felt her heartbreak when she thought we"d planned to share her between us. I"d known from the moment I got the lay of the land back in Bite Me, from the time when she"d gasped from the simple act of me sweeping her off her feet and into my arms, from that heartfelt request that I not reject her, all this woman wanted was to be loved and cared for.

Dion would break her heart. The man was incapable of fidelity. I was his only monogamous relationship. Even then he tried to share his conquests with me.

I would not share Stella with him. I wouldn"t share her with anyone. So that brought the argument back full circle: I had to kill the king.

The silence on the other side of the door was killing me. I could wait no longer, so I burst into the throne room. There were no guards to stop me. I was the highest ranking of all the king"s protectors. No one would assume that I meant him any harm.

Dion looked up at the intrusion. He was sitting with his head bent toward Stella. Stella sat beside him on the throne, looking like she belonged there.

My steps halted at the sight of her. She looked regal, happy. Without a care in the world. I wanted to preserve that sight for all time.

She opened her mouth, preparing to aim words at me. My ears perked wanting to hear anything she said.

Dion lifted his hand toward her in a stop motion. "I believe my best friend has come to challenge me for your hand."

I nodded. I swallowed. I said, "I love you." Though those words could have been directed at either of them.

Dion had saved my life. Had been a friend when the world was cruel.

Stella had given me life. Had been a beacon when I thought I was alone.

I didn"t want to live without either of them. But when had life ever been kind to me? I would lose today. It might be my friend. It might be my fated mate. It might be my life. There was no way I was walking out of this unscathed.

Dion shrugged out of his shirt and came at me with claws bared. "This should be good."

I threw the first punch. It connected with his jaw. The feel of it was heavy with sorrow. We had once been friends, allies in this chaotic world of shifting loyalties and uncertain futures. But now, driven by fate and the unyielding demands of destiny, our claws were locked in a deadly dance.

"What do I always tell you?" Dion grinned as he licked the blood away. "With power comes pussy."

"Hey!" called Stella.

There was offense in her voice. It momentarily distracted me, allowing Dion to get a hit in. He lunged at me, his claws gleaming in the light of the chandelier. There was no room for sentimentality.

With a roar that echoed through the throne room, I met Dion head-on, our claws clashing in a flurry of violence. Each strike was fueled by the memories of our friendship, by the pain of betrayal and the desperation of love.

I fought with everything I had, every ounce of strength and skill that I possessed. Dion was stronger than me. The man was born from gods. But my heart would not let me back down. I had a purpose, a reason to fight, and nothing would stand in my way.

The room filled as the battle raged on. Guards and courtiers alike lined the walls. More than once, Dion had to tell the guardsmen to stay back and not interfere. He might have spoken too soon.

I felt the tide turning in my favor. I knew my king"s weaknesses. I"d been studying them all these years. I"d never pulled my punches, but I"d never had any intention of taken the man out. Until now.

He managed to get his forearm around my neck. I let him lock my head. I let him feel like he had the upper hand. I let him think that he"d won. And then I delivered a final, decisive blow.

The king fell to the ground, his body crumpling beneath the weight of my attack. I stood over him, victorious but heartbroken. All I felt was a sense of loss.

"Are you two done now?"

I glanced up at Stella. She looked far from impressed. Not happy at all. She looked annoyed.

"Depends," Dion groaned, clutching the family jewels from his place on the ground. "Let"s see if he"ll strike the killing blow or not."

Dion trained those obsidian eyes on me. It"s when I realized I"d made a mistake. He was prone on the floor. When I"d glanced up at Stella, he could"ve easily reversed our positions. But he hadn"t.

He and Stella shared a look that held more words than any verbal conversation. It was a silent understanding that passed between them, a language I wasn"t privy to. Had they already bonded? If they had, why could I still feel my connection to her?

It didn"t matter. I"d lost any advantage I"d gained as the king climbed to his feet.

"Oz, you"d better keep that attitude if you want my blessing for mating my cousin."

Cousin? The word echoed in my mind, but the revelation of its meaning was slow in coming. Cousin? That meant family. That meant not fated mates.

"I"m trying to decide if I"m pissed that you would"ve tried to steal my girl or if I"m happy about how much it would"ve torn you up to try. Because if she had been my girl, your scrawny ass wouldn"t have stood a chance."

The words hit me like a wave. They washed away the dread and the resolve to fight. I didn't have to challenge Dion. I had his blessing. Relief flooded through me, mingling with the pain. I laughed and tasted iron.

The tension in the room lifted, replaced by a celebration. People clapped and cheered. Dion walked away from me and took his seat at the throne. Two women came to him, eager to kiss what I"d hurt.

Stella's hands glowed with healing magic as she reached for me. I went to her. I would always come whenever this woman called. I let her magic wash over me, feeling the wounds begin to close, the pain start to ebb.

"I never lied to you," I said. "I promised to never reject you, to protect you, to worship you, to love you. I just didn"t think I had the right to do so."

She didn"t say anything. She continued to touch my flesh even though it was now healed and knitted back together.

"I don"t presume I have that right now, but I will still keep every one of those promises until my dying day. Except the dying for you part."

She scowled up at me. She looked like an adorable kitten when she did. Just then I saw it: the vision she had when we were back in the swamp. I saw the cubs we would share. The modest house we would grow old in. The friends who would surround us like family… including Dion"s fated mate.

"I want to live for you, with you. I"ll fight to stay in this world beside you because though I know my best friend is a great warrior?—"

"I"m the best warrior," Dion interjected, receiving healing attention of his own from now three women.

"No one will protect you the way I do. No one will love you as fiercely as I do. No one will give you the loyalty that I will give."

"Hush," Stella said, pressing her lips to mine. "I accept."

She accepted me. The brother who hadn"t been able to protect his sibling. The son who"d lost his mother"s love. The friend who had nearly betrayed his king for fate.

Stella"s kiss absolved me of blame. Her lips poured more love into me than I could have ever hoped to possess. Her mouth solidified where my loyalties lied.

Something shifted in me. I was no longer a fractured, broken thing. Stella"s love made me whole.