Chapter 26

26

CHARLOTTE

T heo whistles, low and long, when I emerge from my room. I fiddle with my hair, nervous about meeting with my mother, but also about Killian seeing me dressed like this.

A pair of earrings, expensive ones, were waiting for me when I got back. Edmund must have dropped them off, knowing I'd never have anything like that. Touching them once again, I pray I don't lose them. They're probably worth a month's wages.

"That is… wow." Theo stands back and smiles, hands on his hips. Shaking his head, he nudges Ryker in the ribs. "Who knew what this girl was hiding under all that black tactical gear?"

Ryker gives Theo some side-eye and ignores his comments, having enough sense not to get drawn into discussing my figure.

"Are you ready?" Ryker asks, all business.

Everyone on the team has their role tonight. It's a dry run for Friday, when we'll have a much bigger crowd in attendance. I resist the urge to wipe my sweaty palms on the front of my thighs; that kind of behaviour won't do if I'm to convince anyone I'm in line to become the next princess.

"Nobody is ever ready for my mother," I say bitterly, dreading the conversation I'm about to have.

This is the exact opposite of what she wanted from me. She only arranged to have me planted here so I could somehow magically ensure Elodie was the only one getting quality time with the prince. The last thing she thought would happen was that I'd be the one pushing Elodie out.

"It'll be fine." Theo assures me, but considering his thin smile, he wouldn't swap positions with me for the world.

With a weary sigh, I let him escort me from the bunkhouse and help me into the golf cart waiting outside. "Your carriage awaits." Theo performs a deep bow as I climb in, while Ryker ignores our antics and focuses on the surrounding area, scanning the expansive lawns for any sign of a threat.

"She's still a nobody, Ryker. We don't have to suck up to her for the next hour or two, at least." He gives me a gentle shoulder, and I smile nervously at him. "Then we'll have to start worrying about her, too. Way to make more work for us, Charlotte." Theo's words are meant as a joke, but they still strike a chord within me. After this meal, I'll be a liability for the prince, and a way to potentially manipulate him if his enemies can't get to him directly. We might not be marked, but if he feels the same pull that I do, he'd never let anyone hurt me.

For that reason alone, I need to be extra vigilant when I'm alone.

I'm still pondering how I can secure my room better when our short trip to the palace is over.

Theo hurries around to help me down from the cart, and I'm grateful, not used to walking in heels as high as these.

"Your mother waits in the library." Edmund advises, his expression softer than when he was in my room earlier. "She's… displeased… that she's been brought here before dinner. I wouldn't suggest leaving her waiting." His tone is sympathetic.

He knows whatever telling off he got is mild in comparison to the one I'll be on the receiving end of.

"Thank you." I give him a small smile before disappearing inside.

The hall is ominously silent. I suspect the palace staff that have steadily arrived since the prince moved in have opted to give my mother a wide berth. If I could, I'd do the same.

"Mother," I say warmly, pushing open the heavy, wooden door, entering the dim room. The sun is beginning to set outside, bathing the room in a pale orange glow through the old, arched windows.

"Charlotte?" My mother freezes, brows furrowed, looking me up and down. It takes all my willpower not to fidget under her scrutiny. "What is the meaning of this?"

She knows something is up. Her rough and tumble warrior daughter is dressed in an expensive dress and killer heels, and she's been corralled into the library without explanation.

"You might want to sit down." I suggest, knowing she will not take this news well.

Eyes flinty and suspicious, she perches on the edge of a desk rather than taking the armchair I gesture toward.

"Less of the amateur dramatics, Charlotte. Tell me what's going on."

Pushing back my shoulders, I take a deep breath and just blurt it out. "Elodie won't be dating the prince, because I am."

My mother stares at me, motionless, and for a moment, I think either she hasn't heard me, or she's had some sort of stroke. But then suddenly, she shoots to her feet and marches toward me, a poisonous look in her eyes.

"You?" She looks me up and down with disdain. "When he could have Elodie?" Her derisive laugh is like a knife to the heart.

"Is it really that ridiculous? I'm from a good family, we've been working closely together, and we… there's a spark that's worth exploring."

I have to be careful to neither lie nor give too much away. My mother will pounce on any inconsistency.

"A spark? Oh, Charlotte, what have you done?" Shaking her head, she walks back to the window and stares outside, hands clasped behind her ramrod straight back. "He might be enamoured with you now, because you've been having a bit of fun , but do you really think that will last? And then what? You'll have ruined your sister's chance with him, and your reputation will be in tatters when he inevitably casts you aside for someone more suitable."

Lovely words for a mother to speak to her daughter, and she means every last one.

"You really think that little of me?" A numb feeling washes over me. I should be mad, should be furious, really, but instead, I feel nothing. Maybe I knew she would be like this, cruel and uncaring, but it still has me a little stunned. "He doesn't like Elodie like that. I'm not standing in their way."

Mentioning Elodie was a mistake, and I see the wolf flash behind my mother's eyes.

"You fix this, Charlotte. End it with him and make sure Elodie is the one there to comfort him and pick up the pieces. Right now, before this dinner happens, and there's no going back."

Frozen, I watch my mother stab her finger into my chest, snarling, before issuing me a final ultimatum.

"If you don't do it, I'll make sure you never get a permanent spot on Zane's squad, and I'll sell you off to the first alpha I can find who enjoys breaking in with a mate who doesn't know her place."

I knew my mother favoured Elodie, but to hear those words come from her mouth is devastating. She wants me to sacrifice my happiness, or she'll condemn me to a lifetime of brutality at the hands of a stranger?

Too stunned by the viciousness of her words to speak, I stare back, my world crumbling around me. I'm ready to turn and leave, to get away from this evil woman, just as the door flies open, crashing into the wall behind it, with a loud bang.

Picture frames rattle, and a chunk of plaster hits the floor.

"Get your hands off her." Killian is here, red faced and furious, his voice low and deadly. He crosses to my mother in two long strides and grabs her hand, twisting her wrist back painfully as she extends her claws and tries to swipe at me.

My mother whimpers as he forces her to shuffle backward and drop into the couch against the wall. Releasing her hand, he growls an order not to move, before turning to face me.

His wolf is right there, staring at me, a storm of emotions swirling behind those smoky eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asks softly, moving toward me tentatively, like I might bolt if he spooks me.

"I'm fine," I whisper as he takes my hands and brings them to his lips, kissing my fingers before pulling my arms around his back and forcing me to hug him.

"I'm not," he mutters angrily, and I smile. He needs this comfort as much as I do, so I allow myself to give in and lean into his warm, hard body. Once I'm wrapped around him, he buries his nose in my hair and inhales deeply, in and out, until his racing heart calms.

Killian turns us to the side so my mother knows he's addressing her but never looks at her. Instead, his expression softens as he touches my earrings gently, letting his knuckle brush the side of my neck as he lifts his hands away.

"If you ever touch Charlotte again, I'll have you thrown in the dungeon for treason."

Unable to help herself, my mother spits out. "Charlotte is no royal. All I'm doing is giving my daughter some sage advice. When you cast her aside, who do you think will be left to pick up the pieces?"

Killian turns on her, his growl ferocious, as he looms over her now, forcing my mother to submit immediately, head tilting to the side as she bows down in front of him.

"You're already on very thin ice, Cressida. I know about your father's connection to the queen. Unless you want that widely known, I think it's in your best interest to stay away from my… date and pay more attention to your job than my love life."

My mother nods painfully, before Killian releases the stranglehold he has on the room.

"Leave us, and one cross word to her, one insult, in my presence or otherwise, and I'll come for you." His threat isn't an empty one. I can hear the seriousness behind his words, and so can my mother.

With one last spiteful glare in my direction, she hurries from the room.

Killian stares after her, standing with his back to me, his shoulder pulled high and tense. Although he's lifted the heavy atmosphere in the room, it's now charged with something else.

Feeling awkward, I fix my dress and touch my hair, anything to avoid thinking about the static energy bouncing back and forth between us as he continues to stare a hole through the door.

"Thank you. Threatening to throw her in jail was probably a bit unnecessary, but…"

Killian spins around to face me, eyes wild. He prowls toward me, and I step back nervously, knowing his wolf is firmly in the driver's seat now.

"I wanted to kill her. I only stopped myself for you." Teeth down, his features dark, and lit up by the almost red sky outside, Killian looks dangerous, to both my heart, and my pussy.

"Thanks?" I squeak, not sure if it's appropriate to thank someone for not killing your family.

He continues to press forward, crowding me until my back hits a bookcase. "I like your earrings."

My heart hammers in my chest. "Did you…?"

Are these a present from Killian? My mind spins as he eases closer, his scent sending my libido sky high.

Instead of pressing his big bulk against me, like I want him to, he looks down the long line of my body, the corner of his mouth tipping up in a predatory smile.

"You look delicious. Good enough to eat."