Chapter 105

Creed had insisted on keeping me with him as the four of them entered the tent that was being used as an impromptu war room. A map of Khean and beyond was spread across the table, small markers symbolising much more powerful forces. I'd never been allowed to see anything like this at home, even though Stormare kept scrupulously out of military conflicts, but it didn't take much for me to put two and two together. Markers clustered in Lanzene and Matteau represented the bulk of their forces. The fact that it took such a long time to mobilise their troops, to organise and send so many men and war machines north to the Kheanian border was currently all that protected us from an all-out attack.

Then there were the other markers.

James, the new Duke of Fallspire, had been forced to shoulder his father's mantle: moving markers around, identifying the different powerful factions within Khean, using different markers to quantify how many men each lord was likely to provide if they chose to get involved in a civil war. But all I saw was waste.

The wolf shifters were justifiably furious at being disregarded and dismissed. I had grown up with sniggering tales of the beast men, but as I squeezed Creed's hand and looked up at him, I understood. He was so massively powerful in his half wolf form that any man here that chose to confront him would be little other than a bloody mess seconds later. That was reassuring, I wasn't ashamed to admit. Creed glanced down at me when I continued to stare, smiling slightly at my inspection. He was my mate, my protector, and that allowed me to let out a sigh that came from the depths of my soul. But while I might revere him for that feeling of safety, too many humans on the continent—or most importantly, within Kheanian borders—took that power for granted.

"We won't be fighting any more wars, no more of our males will be sent away from their fated mates to serve in the army," a big wolf shifter with an air of command about him said to the growling agreement of his fellow shifters. "Not without a serious renegotiation of the treaty between us and humans, one with conditions much more favourable for us."

"Your case has been made"—James said with a sniff, provoking some of the other lords around him to nod—"eloquently. Khean will not survive absent an alliance with the wolf shifter nation."

Nation, that was an interesting word. It inferred a level of independence, of self determination that I'd never heard anyone use before. The wolf shifters seemed to hear that too, if the rumbles from their quarters were an indicator of anything.

"Even if we managed to get every lord in the country to call upon his bannerman to fight under the one flag." The lords all started to snort and snicker at James' words. "It wouldn't be enough."

"The intelligence we've received about Lanzene and Matteau show they have spent the many years we have kept them from our borders at war," one of the human soldiers said. "That creates chaos and death and destruction, but they have gotten very good at the art of war. They have technology, machines we haven't seen the likes of. High command spoke to the king…"

His eyes strayed almost guiltily to Arik.

"But my ‘brother' paid little attention to it."

He moved forward, every inch the prince, not realising he was the only one who stood with that wide legged stance. With his arms crossed against his chest, he raked that hard blue gaze over everyone here. I knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of it, able to feel, hear him from before.

"You don't want me…"

His voice was a poisonous whisper inside my mind, the hiss of a snake warning me to keep the hell away, but I was like some stupid child. It took me gripping Creed's hand fiercely, my muscles locking tight to stop myself from going towards him, because I was fairly sure I knew what would happen if I did.

I'd been quietly horrified after I'd bitten Arik, but it seemed the only reasonable response in the moment. The hot, coppery taste of him filling my mouth was a perfect externalisation of the war being fought inside me. The need to push his hand away and draw him closer, forcing Arik to bury himself to the hilt inside me. The other was to slap him hard, to demand that he do the work to make himself worthy of me if he thought he lacked in some way. Biting him cut through the snarl of ambivalence that raged within me, allowing something to settle. And other things I was not ready to face to rise up.

"This king so many of the lords have supported"—Arik skewered some of the nobles in the tent with his gaze—"the one whose orders the army has followed." Soldiers now were treated to the same look. "And the wolf shifters stood by and allowed Magnus to take the throne; the powers in this land have supported in one way or another the reign of a sadistic, petulant child. He would have disregarded calls to upgrade the military's equipment because it didn't reflect glory upon him nor get his dick hard. We are utterly unprepared for an attack on our borders. We have allowed our armed forces to become completely reliant on the wolf shifters for our protection, then fallen into an attitude of complacency. No…" He scanned the faces of the wolf shifter contingent. "Contempt for them."

His eyes dropped to the map and a furrow formed between his brows.

"Khean has become a viper's pit, where everyone is out for themselves, only engaging with what will affect them personally. That will be our undoing. Lanzene and Matteau have not had that luxury. Waging constant war is a huge drain on their resources, but to survive it has made them tough, capable and most of all, taught them all the best ways to decimate a population. These are the enemies we face. Where is the king?"

The accusation in Arik's voice was clear and I found myself standing straighter as a result.

"Where is he?"

His gaze raked across the crowd, so someone felt forced to answer, a soldier stepping forward.

"We've received word from the general. He's approached the king multiple times about the issues, but…" The man paled. "He and his courtiers are preoccupied by… other things. The king does not… seem interested in responding to the general's requests to mobilise what troops he has to the border."

"A king too busy fucking to pay attention to what's coming for him," a lord said with a smug smile. "A general that's hamstrung by the chain of command. Seems like a perfect opportunity to attack. If the army is forced to sit on its hands, it won't interfere when we appear at the gates of the capital." His eyes found Arik. "The true born son will dethrone this usurper that has sat on Prince Arik's throne for far too long."

He jerked his sword out, the blade shining even in the lamplight.

"King Arik."

"King Arik!" cried another, then another, until the tent was filled with the sound of it.

"You wore the crown of antlers," the wolf shifter representative said. "The stag chose you."

So why did I see the golden doe right then. My brows jerked down as I saw those two beautiful fawns, all eyes and legs, still growing into their full strength, only to be hunted down by another contender to the throne. I frowned then, just as the crowd grew more boisterous. Wine was found from somewhere, as was beer, but while everyone else seemed intent on drinking themselves stupid, I slipped out of the tent.

I was never likely to get far without at least one of the four of my mates following me, and when I heard footsteps behind me, echoing in the quiet of night, I turned, expecting to see Creed there. Imagine my surprise when I saw Arik.

"You've no head for beer, princess?" he asked me.

"It's terrible stuff," I admitted with a shake of my head. "Why on earth would anyone drink anything as bitter as that. I understand the roseblood now, because it at least softened the aftertaste."

"I have roseblood, if that's what you need."

He pulled a small leather pouch from his belt and then held it out to me.

"That's how we got in this trouble in the first place." I tried to smile and failed. "Perhaps we shouldn't compound our sins with more."

His eyes studied me, seeming to take all of me in with just one glance.

"You're scared." His words made it sound like he was mocking me and my whole body stiffened, air sucked in, ready to be expelled in an angry retort. "Jessalyn…" How did he manage to say my name like it was a caress against my skin? "I thought this is what you wanted. You set us a challenge to prove ourselves to you and—"

"I'm a silly girl, aren't I?" I stared him in the eyes as I marched forward. "Just a pampered, coddled little princess. My uses are largely decorative and procreative." I slid my hand down to my stomach. "And perhaps I've fulfilled one of those purposes already."

But that was the problem. I saw Geneva and Benny then, Desiree's rambunctious kids, as well as those that lived on the packlands. The children of the women at the pump in Cheapside. For some reason I hadn't thought of them when I issued my challenge. What had transpired to bring us to this point, to have lords and soldiers, wolf shifters and low born men all banding together against a common enemy.

It could mean the death and destruction of so many, and as if to confirm my fears, I heard the ragged cry of a baby far off in the camp.

"I wanted to survive," I said hurriedly, the words forced out, otherwise they wouldn't come at all. "Everything I've done was to that aim. Slipping away from the inn with those men." I watched Arik's jaw tighten at the mention. "Trying to find a place on the packlands, then issuing you that challenge. Every single thing came from a selfish desire to live, but not just for myself."

My fingers sank into the folds of my dress, worrying the thick brocade.

"I wanted Fern and the other female wolf shifters to be free of the king's guards' attentions. I wanted Elder Wren to continue to oversee the packlands, keeping the peace. I want Desiree to live without fear, earning good money from the palace kitchens for honest work. I want Geneva to be able to find her own passion, free of the fear of sexual or physical abuse. I want Selene…" I saw her and Rose then. "I want her to be free to follow her heart." I nodded slowly, the haze in my mind seeming to fade away. "I want all of us to be able to do that and I couldn't find a way without making you king. While Magnus rules, no one is safe. No one."

"I want that too…"

Arik's admission seemed to cause him real pain, because he rushed forward, taking my hands in his and holding them tight. "I'd given up thinking about it because the rest of the world seemed so fucking complacent about my brother." His forehead landed against mine. "At first I was angry at the entire world for not seeing through the fine clothes, past the golden crown he wore, and at the monster that lay beneath. I burned with a need to force everyone to see it. Deprived of fuel, a fire will only burn for so long."

He moved slowly, so slowly, as if he needed to give me all the time in the world to pull away, but I wouldn't. I'd claimed him as mine, the taste of his blood still in my teeth.

"But you had to light me back up, didn't you? I watched you do all of these stupid things, just trying to survive and I remembered what it was like. To thrust your middle finger up in the air when faced with your fate, refusing to go easily. You burned through years of resignation, of defeat, using every single moment I gave in as fuel to set me on fire."

His mouth brushed against mine, not a kiss, not yet.

"You forced me to burn for you." His hands slapped down on my arms, holding me tight, but I felt no fear. No, instead something else curled down low in my stomach. "Leaving me gasping and naked, more vulnerable than I've been in years."

"You say that like you're the only one," I replied in a hoarse whisper. "You gave me roseblood the first night we were together, setting every nerve ending on fire, but those flames never went out, not the next day or any other day after that. Don't you understand?"

"Pretty sure we've all been burning with it." Both of us jerked apart to find Silas strolling over with a sly smile, Creed and Roan in tow. "But we're going to have to tamp that shit down. We've been given our orders. The entire force marches on the capital at first light, Your Majesty."

He started to bow formally to Arik who shook his head sharply.

"Do not start calling me that, brother. The last time I wore a crown, someone I loved dearly was killed for it, so let's not tempt the gods anymore. Bed." Arik's eyes glittered as he looked back at me. "That's what we need. We're a day out of the capital, but it'll be a long, hard ride."

"So we should get some practise in now?"

I let out a yelp as Roan swept me into his arms. "I'll have you riding like a seasoned horsewoman by the end of this." His kiss burned my lips like a brand. "Though you might be a little saddle sore tomorrow."

"To sleep," Arik ordered. "All of the libidinous urges you can stir will be satisfied when we kill the king."

"Regicide, then a celebratory orgy." Roan grinned as I gasped. "I like it. Well, you heard the commander…"

Later we settled down in Creed's tent, several other bedrolls placed together to form a bed. I found myself wedged between the lot of them, a curious kind of calm settling over me. Perhaps it was the weight of Creed's arm because he couldn't seem to allow me to get further than arm's length away. Perhaps it was the long, slow breaths each took, filling the tent with their sleepy sighs, but as my eyes fell closed and sleep took me, I remembered. We were riding to war tomorrow, taking the first step towards freeing all five of us from Magnus' tyrannical rule. The last thing I remembered was smiling at the thought of that.