Page 9 of Heir of Draga

Adelina looked up in surprise as sudden understanding dawned on her. “It won’t matter because of what I’ve done to serve them.”

He nodded and cupped her cheek tenderly. “There are no laws against what you are, but you are also a royal. The people hold sway over your life. If William and Asher are unaware I would tell them. It’s best to hear it from the source rather than from an outsider. And if they feel as Giselle does, it would be best to get ahead of the problem. The people will need the royal family united as things become more dire.”

Adelina blinked and pressed her palms flat against his throat, the pad of her thumb caressed his Adam’s apple. So much trust and love for him to allow her such an intimate and vulnerable touch.

“You do so much for me, protect me in ways I never would have thought I needed. Is it because you love me?” Her heart was his, yet she felt so frightened of the future. Adelina was only twenty cycles old and the only relationship she’d ever had, had not been a relationship at all. And Alpha had only been hers for one solar day. Then there was the issue that she and Varan had never had the opportunity for an actual courtship. “We’ve never spent time together like couples do, how can you be so sure?”

“Because I know you, I’ve seen all of you.” Varan took his hands out of his pockets and pulled her hands from his neck. He placed a kiss in one and tugged her into his arms. “I know you better than any of the cula’ting people in this palace.” Then he grinned. “Except perhaps Nadyah.”

Then he kissed her soft and sweet. Adelina melted into his arms and breathed in his spicy scent – like cinnamon. He’d settled that small, niggling doubt somehow and he’d never once asked her why. “You’re too good to me,” she murmured.

“You’re mine now. For the rest of my life I’ll strive to be more than just good to you.”

Adelina nodded and took a step back, ignoring the slight heat on her cheeks. Varan was hers, and would be officially for the entire galaxy to witness in less than twenty-four hours. “Are you ready for our first war council meeting?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” Varan offered her his arm and Adelina took a deep breath before taking it.

Giselle was not Raena. To her knowledge there was no one who needed a beheading. There wasn’t some drama to reenact, and the current concern was getting the two inner shields erected and all of their people out of the Outer Rim. Soldiers would be deploying the same day Adelina and her warriors left. It would be a sendoff to remember.

The two of them were quiet as they made their way through the palace. Signs of the upcoming wedding were everywhere. Servants rushed to and fro with flowers and chairs and what have you. It reminded Adelina of her coming-of-age party, when her father and Raena had still been alive…

So much could change so quickly and if Raena’s death hadn’t been a suicide, then none of them were safe.

“Princess!”

Adelina paused and waited for Alpha to catch up. She smiled at him and wished she could give him a hug, but there were too many eyes and everyone knew of their past relationship. “Alpha, I’m glad to see you. Things have been a bit of a mess lately, haven’t they?”

His expression was serious, eyes unblinking, but he nodded. “I wish I could still guard you.” Alpha glanced at Varan then. “I know you have plenty of protection with your fiancé, and you are quite capable yourself after everything I’ve taught you…but after what happened with Raena I worry.”

Adelina’s smile faltered and she tried not to think about how he’d lied to her that day before he’d beheaded a traitor, spraying her with blood before the entire council.

“Yes, well lucky for me I am able to hold my own, though I’m never quite alone. Varan and Nadyah are always nearby.”

Alpha nodded and followed after her when she headed to the lift. The three of them entered when a footman opened the doors. They rode up to the twelfth floor in silence. Adelina had nothing more to say to Alpha. Their paths had diverged so dramatically since her coming-of-age party.

The doors slid open and voices made their way down the hall. Adelina stepped out first, practically pulling Varan along despite him being the one escorting her. She wanted to know what Giselle had planned for their people, what would happen while she was away, and what she could do to assist when she returned.

Because Adelina had no intention of going back to the safe confines of the palace before the war was over. Not until she knew her people were safe from the Neprijat. She would lead what forces she could whether the Hai Galaxy gave them aid or not.

“Princess Adelina, I’m so glad you could join us,” Giselle said. There was that sharp tone to her voice that Adelina had never heard directed at her until her sister had returned from the border.

A few nobles winced at that tone – different yet similar to Raena’s.

Asher and William looked surprised to see Adelina at all, but Asher hid it better than her sweet, barely eighteen cycles old brother could. William may be a soldier, but he had never been able to dissemble well.

The war council was in the same room as every other council meeting but Adelina had never seen it set up in such a way with an actual table and chairs – holograms displayed for everyone to study.

“Sister, there is a place for you here,” Asher said, noting the indecision in her eyes as Adelina studied the table. It seemed only the nobles were allowed chairs.

Those nobles eyed her but they moved to make room for her and Varan. Adelina sat next to her brother and made a mental note to thank Asher later. Then Veri grinned at her and Adelina admired the sharp, predatory gleam the female always seemed to possess. No one would think twice to question such a lady.

Adelina smiled back and tried to emulate the way Veri showed her canines, letting her own lengthen. When Veri’s grin widened she knew she’d accomplished the task. Adelina set her hands wide on the table. “I hope I didn’t miss anything vital, my queen.”

Giselle’s eyes narrowed at the title they both knew Adelina only used out of formality. As the heir protocol didn’t demand such strictness from her, but protocol could also be a weapon. The nobles and courtiers glanced at each other, unsure of the new dynamic between them.

No one understood what had happened during those witching hours the night their father finally slipped from this world. No one but Joslynn knew, her face grim as she put two and two together.

“We were discussing the evacuation orders,” Asher explained. He tapped the large, circular table and more holograms popped up. The entire system was displayed with various colors showing which route each planet in the outer rim should take.

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