Chapter 15

Fifteen

LYRA

I t was a bumpy truck ride home.

I was sitting on Kodan's lap like before on the back of the truck while one of the Wild Wolfmen drove.

Luke was standing at the edge of the truck, the wind making his whip around his face. He looked deep in thought, and I wondered what he was thinking about.

We were almost at the palace, and my heart raced with the anticipation of seeing my mother again. I missed her a lot while living with Kodan since I was her support after Vanessa came into the picture.

"Do you think the Shadow Wolf…I mean, your brother is here?" I asked, suddenly fearing for the safety of my family.

"He wouldn't be that dumb to show up here, but I don't think he's aware of what he's doing," he said, holding me tighter against him on his lap. I leaned my head against his chest, trying to relax. "How are you feeling, little princess?"

"I feel fine, just a little warm," I said, attributing it to the heavy fancy gold dress I wore today.

I was also highly aroused for no reason.

I was sore between my legs from being knotted by Kodan. It was a good ache, and I craved more of it. I wanted more of him, and I felt like we should have had sex last night. My pussy tingled throughout the bumpy ride, and behind me, I could feel his hard-on pressing against me.

At least I wasn't the only one suffering, which brought me some comfort. He was trying to distance himself from me, and I was not fond of that feeling. I was used to him trying to pounce on me.

"Have you come to a decision yet? About us?"

"I haven't," I said.

The truth was that I was conflicted. I loved having Kodan near me and his raw, powerful sigma energy that brought out my soft side. I loved being intimate with him in every way. There was a potential for true love to grow if I allowed it.

At the same time, I could easily go back to the life I was living. The life of lavishness and comfort. And maybe get a second chance with a proper alpha pack.

But the last thought almost made me puke. I needed more time, and I couldn't give him an answer right then.

Walking toward the palace, I wasn't expecting a parade of people cheering for me. The crowd of people grew, surrounding our vehicle.

Some of them flicked off Kodan and cursed him out. I wasn't prepared for the different reactions and volatile emotions as we walked between them towards the palace.

"Princess! Can you sign this?" begged a young girl wearing a pink tiara and a pink dress who looked about eight. She held out a fluffy diary with a pen.

"Sure," I smiled, setting pen to paper.

"What is this?" said Kodan gruffly, watching me write my name out in large cursive letters.

"Apparently, I've gained the people's trust by marrying you," I said. "It's a big deal for an omega to marry a sigma. And they know I did it to save them."

"Because sigmas are outcasts…" said Kodan. It hurt me to hear him say it. But it was true of Howl's Edge. We had a long way to go before everyone was treated with the same respect as alphas.

Reporters surrounded us, even though Luke and one of Kodan's men tried to block them off. We slowly made our way to the palace. Comments and questions peppered me from all sides. I couldn't focus anymore on any single person.

"Princess Lyra, are you happy with your new sigma husband?"

"What happened to your other alpha husband? Did Voss leave you already?"

"Did Voss not satisfy you in bed like Kodan can?"

I grabbed Kodan's hand and pulled him to a stop.

"Let's keep going," said Kodan.

"No, I want to make a statement," I said, gripping his hand as a lifeline. I grabbed Luke's hand, too.

"What are you doing?" said Luke, turning to me. He was running on adrenaline, trying to protect me, but I was hindering him.

"I want to talk to them," I said loudly over the noise of the crowd.

"Are you insane?!"

"It'll be fine, Luke."

"I'll give you a few minutes then," said Luke, giving me room to talk to them and standing at my side instead of barricading the front. A small beta woman with short purple hair shoved one of the microphones to my face.

"Princess Lyra, are you happy with your new husbands?" she asked.

"Yes, I am," I answered. "I would like to say that my sigma husband, Kodan, has been amazing and gentle with me. I don't understand any of the hate, but he is good to his people and to me. Even though I don't come from his village, he treats me with respect."

I could feel Kodan's gaze pierce through me at my words. He was probably shocked.

I was just expressing the truth of what I felt.

"Do you prefer a sigma over an alpha?"

Honestly, the questions were starting to anger me. But I had to keep my cool.

"I think they are both amazing," I said, and the reporter's eyes widened.

"Is it true that a sigma's knot is bigger?" the reporter winked.

"Okay, this is getting out of hand," said Kodan, pulling me away from the reporters.

Luke strong-armed his way in front of us, and I followed him through the path he created. My teeth were clenched, and my body was shaking. I was literally seething inside from the reporter's lack of respect.

We walked into the palace, and when I stepped in, nervousness set into my stomach.

"Daughter!" shouted Armon, who was talking to his counselor just inches from the door.

"Hi, father," I said when he pulled me in for a bear hug.

"I was wondering what the commotion was outside," said Armon, with a concerned look in his gaze. "Is everything alright, daughter? You are not divorcing already, are you?"

"No, everything is fine," I said, patting his arm. Sometimes, I forgot how old he was getting. His goatee had gotten longer, and the wrinkles on his face were deepening. After losing one father, I couldn't bear to lose another, even though they didn't treat my mother as well as they could.

"Then what's the matter?" asked Armon.

"I have a situation to talk to you about," Kodan interjected.

"Come, come," said Armon, waving us into the palace. "Let's talk with everyone regarding this matter."

We walked into the throne room, and I saw Mother yelling at the new omega, Vanessa. Vanessa was standing there with a smirk on her face, her red hair in small curls around her face.

"You have no right, absolutely no right, to take over my closet," said Mom. "How could you throw all my clothes on the ground the way you did? No respect!"

"Listen, lady," said Vanessa, stroking her pregnant belly as if gloating. She saw us enter the throne room since we were in her line of sight. So she chose her words carefully since my father was there. We agreed that you're going to a different room. Just something a bit smaller since you're not sleeping with your husbands anymore."

I stood there shocked for a minute, then I walked over to my mom and grasped her elbow in comfort.

"What?" my mom said irritably.

Then she turned around, and upon seeing me, she collapsed into me, hugging me tightly. I could feel her tears of anger drench my dress. Was this what she had to deal with now?

"Just ignore her, Mama," I said. Vanessa let out a light laugh, and I saw her kiss my father before sashaying out of the room.

"I'll go get Dravin and Arther," said Armon, walking away from the situation to grab my other fathers for the impromptu meeting.

Mom broke the hug and proceeded to hug Kodan and Luke.

"It's so nice to see you all again," she sniffed. "Thank you for bringing my daughter back, even if it's just for a little bit."

"It's nice to see you too," said Luke, returning her embrace.

"Have you been nice to my daughter?" she asked Kodan with a teasing smack on his arm. He let out a chuckle, his wide-set shoulders slowly relaxing around my mother's presence.

"You should be asking your daughter if she was nice to me," Kodan teased.

"At first, everything was rocky," I said. "But we're still learning about each other."

I didn't want to mention anything about Kodan's offer- that I had a way out of the entire marriage. I didn't know how I felt about not seeing Kodan again.

"That's good to hear," Mom said. Then she turned to some of the beta servants. "Please get them something to eat and drink."

We sat on the couches in the living area, and it felt so weird to sit there. It felt comfortable, like sitting on clouds after sitting on the hard floor of Kodan's living room.

I couldn't wait to go to my room after this. I wanted to show Kodan my childhood bedroom and introduce him to a comfortable bed. Maybe that would motivate him to get us a real bed.

"We are all here now," said Armon, plopping down onto the couch across from us.

Upon seeing Dravin and Arther, my heart glowed as I hugged them both. Without Vanessa in the way, it felt like the old times. Although we weren't too close, we still talked once in a while when my fathers weren't busy with Royal Pack duties.

The servants brought us chilled water and little round sugar cookies. Everything felt like a luxury to me.

"What is happening, Kodan?" asked Dravin, crumbs of the cookies in his beard. "Armon said you had something to tell us."

Kodan began to relay what happened in Howl's Edge and about the Shadow Wolf's escape.

"I was hoping to leave the princess here for a while until I can capture him," said Kodan. "I figured it would be a lot safer here."

Armon jumped up.

"If the beast is out there, I will send reinforcements," he declared, his goatee bobbing in excitement. His eyes were wide with the thrill of the hunt.

"That's not needed," said Kodan, nearly rising from his chair. I could hear the controlled tension in his voice. He was trying to maintain the peace with my family while protecting his own.

"I'm sure Kodan can handle it. Are you excited that I'll be staying here for a while?" I said, sensing the rising tension with my fathers, who wanted a fight with the Wild Wolfmen.

"Of course," said my mom, her face glowing.

"She'll be here just until I capture him," said Kodan. While my fathers argued with Kodan about reinforcements, I yawned tiredly. I needed to get away for a moment.

I picked up a few plates to bring them back into the kitchen.

"What are you doing, Lyra? The servants can get that," my mom said.

"It's okay. I can help out a little," I said, and my mom raised her eyebrows.

"I think living out in the village was what you needed," she said. "You've grown in just a few days."

"I guess," I laughed as I walked away to the kitchens.