9. Adrianna

9

ADRIANNA

I t doesn’t matter how much I try to breathe through it, sensing the media behind me, capturing my every move, is nerve-wracking and I hate it. My father prepared me to be a fighter, not a public figure. Or maybe he did, I just didn’t realize how much it would feel like being examined under a microscope.

I get the media being there when I address the kingdom, I need them in order to reach every citizen, but now, as they track my every move with every step through the wrought-iron gates framing the castle, it feels a little unnecessary.

“Does the media really have to be here for this?” I ask, peering at Arlo out of the corner of my eye. He keeps his gaze straight ahead, acutely aware of the audience we have.

“No, but we don’t really have a choice,” he offers, and I sigh.

It doesn’t matter that there are people standing between us, blocking me from view as best as possible, I still know they’re there. With Arlo to my left and Flora to my right, Brody, Raiden, Kryll, and Beau create a semi-barrier around us. It’s protective, maybe a little possessive on Raiden’s part at least, but I’m grateful for it nonetheless.

The cobbled path evens out as the front door nears, and my heart lodges in my throat.

“Nervous?” Kryll asks from behind, and I nod.

“Am I that obvious?” I don’t want the kingdom to see my vulnerability. That’s not the transparency they need. They need me to be strong, they deserve it, but this place has the power to burn me without even a spark.

“I’ve got you, Princess,” he murmurs, his hand ghosting down my arm as discreetly as possible.

“She’s a queen now,” Flora chimes in.

The words make me fake gag and she chuckles as Kryll speaks. “She’ll always be my princess. A princess to the dragons for all of eternity too.”

His words warm my soul, encouraging me to take the remaining steps needed to officially declare the castle my new home. Old home? Am I returning? It doesn’t feel like it. Fuck if I know.

Coming to a stop at the entryway, I turn to Beau instead of reaching for the door handle. “When will my family be here?”

“Soon. I don’t want any lurkers making the transition difficult for them,” he explains, pointing toward the gathered crowd at the gates, and I nod.

“Thank you,” I breathe, running my hands over the blades that line my clothing as I turn back to the door, unable to prolong the inevitable any longer.

My nerves fry with every inch I edge closer, and I’m certain I’m going to set alight when I reach for the handle, but before I can feel the metal in my grasp, the door swings open. My jaw falls slack in slow motion as my pulse throbs in my ears, waiting to see who is here to invite me into my home.

“You’ve got this, Alpha.”

I’m leaping through the air before I can think better of it, catapulting toward my wolf, who envelops me in his arms.

“How are you here?”

I squeeze my arms tight around his neck before I lean back and he slowly lowers my feet to the floor with a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. “I saw your little speech, quite impressive.”

A man of few words, but they mean so much. I worked over that speech for hours with my other men, and his presence was missed, but knowing he got to hear it makes me happy.

“Ready?” he asks, offering me his hand, and I nod nervously, looking down at his palm for a moment before I intertwine our fingers.

“Of course the wolf shows up and takes all the glory,” Raiden grumbles, earning a snicker from the rest of the group as I step over the threshold.

The panic and pain I expect to consume me doesn’t come, and after a few moments, I exhale the breath I didn’t realize I was holding.

“Unfortunately for me, I’m part of the reason this place is going to cause her pain,” Cassian admits, and I squeeze his hand tightly. I can’t deny his words, but I can support him just like he does me.

“Of course he has a good excuse for it as well,” Brody adds as the doors fall closed behind us, leaving us to stand in the foyer.

“What rooms feel overwhelming to you?” Flora asks, and my first instinct is to deny such a thing, but it seems this is a whole group experience now, and I don’t mind it all that much.

“All of them?” I say with wince, turning to her, and she smiles. She steps toward me, reaching for my free hand, and I sigh. “No, I’m going to be okay, honestly. It’s just surreal,” I state, looking up at the high ceilings and the intricate staircase that leads upstairs.

“Whatever you need, Addi, we’re here for all of it,” she murmurs, squeezing my hand as she leans into my side, and I nod.

“Thank you. The same goes to everyone. We’re here as a team. Not just for the kingdom, but for each other. If we want to survive this, we have to be the support system we all need,” I explain, earning a round of murmured agreements.

Cassian kisses my temple, his touch and presence completing me. We’re all here. Even if it’s just for a moment, it’s worth it. Feeling the strength of my four men, along with the three friends that add to our inner circle, I feel stronger than ever.

“We’re here to make new memories, forge a new future together,” Kryll states from behind me, and I swoon at his words. Glancing over my shoulder at him, a soft smile tilts my lips up.

“I like the sound of that,” I muse as the sound of someone’s cell phone chimes.

Searching the group, everyone’s attention draws to Beau as he steps back from us, eyes scanning his cell phone frantically before they lock with mine.

“I’m glad something sounds good because my news doesn’t.”