Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Penelope

A lfred stalks off to speak with his people, leaving me to deal with the fallout alone, which is only as much as I deserve.

Cedric, my father's advisor, moves off, already barking instructions at his young assistant, who is scribbling the notes down awkwardly using a quill and paper he just whipped out of his satchel. Cedric is a man who anticipates every eventuality in this and all things, it would seem.

We are in the middle of a field. A great horde is gathered not so far away. They no longer have a reason to seek war—with the weather changing, they will likely make haste for their homes. But it is also prudent to usher them on their way with something to place them into a congenial state of mind, and guards have already been sent to the city to gather compensation in the form of carts laden with goods.

Barbarian riders similarly beat a path to and from their main army, carrying orders and news from Alfred and his men.

What do they think of me?

I'm not sure what came over me, what made me point out that we had been together unchaperoned and, further, to demand we be married. I have had lovers aplenty who were obviously with me while unattended. What I did with Alfred could not justifiably be considered any more scandalous.

Only, it felt different with him, more intimate, more… everything.

My actions, on reflection, were reckless—it is a trait I harbor and one I have rued the consequences of on occasion. I question what madness gripped me to force a lifelong commitment to a man I barely know.

And why it feels so right.

Shifters have fated mates. Maybe alphas and omegas do, too. But I am entirely ordinary in that regard—a beta, which I am grateful for lest I be wedded to some awful alpha at the high king's behest.

No such otherworldly forces were acting upon me, nor was there anything else I might call upon as an excuse. In the moment, it was more that I could sense he was about to slip from my life, and the thought of that devastated me.

I saw my father's eyes widen after my bold declaration… and the slight lifting of his lips. I don't believe my words shocked him in the ways one might presume. Nor do I believe he is concerned about the threat of the high king declaring war.

My speaking in front of his courtiers and personal guards would cause some ripples if they were broadcast far and wide, but it is unlikely they will travel far. My father's inner circle would not remain so for long should they gossip about every bit of nonsense that leaves my lips. I have never flouted my previous lovers, but neither did I hide them. News of me being alone with a man, barbarian or not, hardly warrants the reaction it got, which leads me to only one conclusion as to why my father acted as he did…

"A barbarian," my father says slowly. Now we are alone, out of earshot of all but his advisor, who is fully occupied with his planning.

"He is different," I finally say with a helpless shrug.

My father raises both brows. "He certainly is… This is what you want?"

It is not really a question, although it is phrased as such. I have already surmised he has set in motion life-changing events because he believed it was what I wished.

Okay, maybe a little of his haste might be relief in finally gaining a match for me that comes with benefits.

I nod, finding it hard to meet his eyes—which is not me at all. Nor is the heated blush creeping up my cheeks. "He made an impression upon me." Impression seems an inadequate word to describe Alfred. He must be seven feet tall if he is an inch, yet that is not the only reason my eyes slide back to him. "He disciplined me," I blurt out, thankful that no one is close enough to hear this before I go for broke, and add, "I probably deserved it."

My father chuckles. "That was more detail than I needed, especially when one is a king who does not like the thought of any man disciplining his beloved child, whether or not she deserves it."

"It wasn't right to keep the omega nor to offer her up for political gain."

His expression softens. "I know you do not always agree with my actions, Penelope. A king holds power through many and various means. It is a precarious balance, and the ground can shift beneath you anytime. I was still weighing up my options when the decision was taken off my hands."

There is no mistaking the dry undertone of his words nor the part I played in forcing his hand.

"I have lost one alliance and gained another in the stead," he continues. "Perhaps a more powerful one." He stares across where Alfred stands among his men. They are all big strapping alphas, and Alfred stands above them all. "You wrong one barbarian, and you wrong them all, it would seem… and shifters and centaurs. I believe the strength of our kingdom has grown by a considerable amount. Now, we need only to civilize the brute you would marry."

"I am not sure if that is going to be possible," I say honestly.

My father only smiles. I know he loves me well, but he also understands the political game. The legacy my grandfather left has continued to flourish under my father's rule. "Being a successful ruler is about more than holding power. At times, we must play games that do not fit well with our ideals, not because we are cruel, but because we must if we are to survive. And this is about surviving. I am a powerful king. Ours is the largest kingdom. Yet, we still answer to the high king, who is distracted by the lover he has taken. I would have our kingdom prosper through the good times and the more challenging ones." His eyes turn distant as he surveys the horde before us. "This alliance will do us well. It will make those who would seek to challenge us think twice. Stories of this mighty army and our alliance will soon reach our neighboring kingdoms and the high king himself."

Snow begins to fall.

I see Alfred move away from his people, and without even cursory hesitation, his eyes find mine.

My breath catches. He is such a primal male; one my body is doomed to react to in an equally primal way.

I have had lovers. I know what other men's cocks look like. But none of them were alphas. I cannot imagine how my body might be conquered by that monster that swings between his legs.

He is all very proportional, and he is a very big man. I am strong and supremely fit, but I am also small. I don't quite know… cannot quite work out how we might couple, how all of him might fit inside me without a great deal of pain.

Fears aside, I know alphas take beta mates. Never once have I backed down from a challenge.

I'm not about to now.

Alfred

Matters are progressing with the necessary speed, given the weather is closing in. My instincts want to take my woman to my clan and claim her there, but I also recognize she is an only child and heir to a Hydorian kingdom.

If I want her, I must relinquish my world and go to hers.

My clan is my life, my home, and part of my blood.

But I also see that through this, I will also serve the clan, for the alliance does not only benefit Louie but us.

Us?

What is us anymore? The lines feel blurred between the two, and likewise, between the future I expected to live and the one stretching out before me.

"She is your one," Jack Ralston says, providing an unexpected source of counsel as the sides mingle on the grassy, snow-covered plain leading to Pershore. Carts laden with supplies have begun arriving, and after gathering the bounty, the clans, herds, and shifters begin to disperse.

My eyes go to Penelope, looking more fucking scandalous than any clanswoman dressed in hide ever could in the black leather assemble she favors. I want to peel her out of it again and take her on the snowy ground so no one is mistaken about my claim.

I turn back to Jack. "I never expected I might feel this for a beta—this compulsion that cannot be denied."

"To an outsider, your actions might seem strange, to relinquish your role as clan king for a woman you only met yesterday," he says. "But to an alpha, and more so a clansman who likewise met his one while stopping to get his horse shod, it does not seem strange at all."

"It was like this with your Hazel?" I ask.

His smile takes on a longing air, and his gaze turns distant. "For certain. She was a stroppy little thing stomping about her father's home, banging a bowl of stew down with enough force that it nearly ended up in my lap. Her father was putting out his stall with a mind to me mating her. I was a widower for a year and had no desire for another mate." His distant look returns to me. "It took me by surprise how much I wanted her, how I was ready to change everything for her… even putting up with my younger brother because I knew he would want her too."

"I am not fucking sharing Penelope," I say, with unintended heat.

Jack chuckles. "Well, sharing is not for every man. Fen and I were always close, and it seemed natural to do so. But that is the way of the clans. A man or woman always knows what is right for them... Also, you have a lot of fucking brothers."

"Aye, and I love them well, but happen I would still put a thumping on them if they glance at Penelope with interest."

"An alpha, particularly one of the barbarian ilk, is a determined beast when he latches onto his one," Jack says with a grin. "I wish you well, Alfred. The alliance will not hurt the clans, although I saw the calculation in the king's eyes when he saw the horde we assembled might be his to call. I do not envy you navigating life in such a city, but I also trust you to keep the bastard in line and to bridge the gap between our cultures. We are not warriors for hire when he has a squabble with a neighboring kingdom. If we are to support him should the need arise, he must treat us as equals. The princess is the heir to all that. Her place is there, and yours with her. Espen has always been a good second. He will step up to the role of clan king."

"We best begin our journey back." He places his hand on my shoulder. "We have the farthest to go… and it will take longer now we have a cart full of fine produce to take with us."

The decision is made. I will leave my clan in the capable hands of my brother, Espen. I have every faith in him. Not only him, but he has the support of my other brothers, and there are five of us in total. A bird has been sent to the borders where two of my brothers serve in the war against the Blighten—time for them to return home and support the clan.

"We will need to make haste on the dress fitting," the king's advisor announces in his sharp voice that is already grating on my nerves. "Along with her betrothed." His snooty nose lifts in the air as he turns my way. "We will likely need to source extra material. We assuredly do not have any that will work for his great girth."

"Mate," I push through gritted teeth. "And what do you mean by girth? Are you implying I am fat?"

"Mate, husband, it matters not the terms one uses," Louie says, waving his hand.

It matters to me. No way are they going to parade me down an aisle.

"We do need to progress with the fitting," his advisor continues. "I will arrange it for later this afternoon."

"Well, that's not going to happen," I say gruffly. "I need to get back to the clan."

That pulls everyone up.

"Clan?" the king asks.

Penelope, who has been worryingly quiet, narrows her eyes on me in a way that makes my palm itch to spank her deserving ass.

"I need to put my affairs in order. I'm a clan king. I cannot simply abandon my post. An announcement must be made. I must formally pass responsibility to my brother."

"You are not going without me," Penelope says, lips tightening.

"I do not think that is advisable, daughter," Louie says. "What if you were snowed in there?"

"What if he gets snowed in there with all those barbarian lasses? I have heard how they are. Trying to get their hands on his" —I arch one brow wondering where this is going— "girth."

"It is not my fucking girth lasses fight over," I mutter, wondering who the fuck she has been talking to in the short time I was busy.

"I am going," Penelope says, folding her arms. She does not stomp her foot, but she might as well.

"Fine," her father says, glaring at me as though he is likewise worried I'm about to rescind my offer to wed… mate his daughter.

I suppose he will lose considerable face if he comes away from this with nothing to show, and I knock up a barbarian lass while putting my affairs in order.

"But you will need to take a dozen guards with you and return before nightfall lest this snow sets in."

"I am not used to taking orders," I say, eyes narrowing on the king. He may preside over many times the number of people I do, but I'm not fucking one of them.

"Neither am I," Louie says. "And I would prefer you not to leave for your clan at all."

I can admit he has a point, and I would be wise to meet him in the middle.

"I shall allow the guards so long as they don't have a mind to start trouble in my clan."