Page 122 of Pain

“You’re k-kidding, right?” I stammered.

Zandren shook his head. “Go up and sit with him. Comfort him. This will hurt.”

I gaped at Zandren. “And you’re handling this like it’s just a walk through the fucking park. This is your father’slegwe’re talking about. We’re in a cave, all of us injured, while Lerris, Howar, and Raver all escaped, and you want Maxar to amputate it like this is some sixteenth century war wound? We have hospitals now. Proper surgeons and medicine. We need to get him to a medic.” I glanced at Anysa for help. “There’s gotta be a healer-mage around here, right?”

Zandren’s expression was sad. “This is my father, Little One. And I’m devastated. But we can’t move him. He’s too big to move, too weak to shift. This is what he says needs to happen and we have to honor his wishes. We’re also sitting ducks here. There could be more explosions.” His throat bobbed as he swallowed and met his dad’s gaze. “Right?”

Ryden made a weak noise of agreement, then focused on Maxar and gave my mage a nod to proceed.

I’d never seen Maxar more serious than he was when he sunk to his knees beside the big bear. I brought Ryden’s head into my lap and gently stroked his velvety ears. “Thank you,” I murmured as my tears fell into his fur. “You didn’t have to do that.” Enormous, soulful brown eyes burrowed themselves into my heart. “I want to call you Papa Bear. Okay? Does that work for you?”

Ryden’s tongue darted out, and he licked my wrist right before letting out an agonizing growl as Maxar removed his leg from his body with some kind of sharp instrument he had made out of fire. Ryden’s breathing through his nose became quick and shallow, and he made noises of pain. I pressed my hand to his head and funneled good, calming thoughts into his mind. I dug around for happy memories, and placed him in a meadow, frolicking around as a cub himself.

“There we go,” I whispered as the smoke from the amputation and cauterizing dissipated into the air. “Well done.”

As I stroked his head, Ryden slowly shifted back to human form. Now that his leg was gone, his body could focus on repairing the rest of him, and he was already strong enough to shift. I quickly averted my eyes until Zandren locatedthe big bear’s clothes and tossed him some pants, though he’d split them into shreds when he shifted abruptly earlier.

“Hang on,” my bear said, darting to the bag we packed. He brought out another pair of enormous sweatpants and tossed them at his dad. “Shifters always pack more clothes than necessary.”

Ryden quickly tugged on the sweats, then I helped him sit up. “I’m abdicating,” he said, his words hoarse as he glanced up at his son.

“Dad …” Zandren protested. “No. You’ll be fine.”

“No. I won’t be. The king … or queen … needs to be the strongest of their kind. And I’m not anymore. Many bears and cougars have challenged me in the past and I’ve defeated them all. Now … we all know I couldn’t. I am old, and this …” he pointed at his stump, “makes me unfit to rule.”

“You must make the royal decree,” Anysa said, dropping to her knees beside Ryden. “It will pass to Zandren, and all will be made aware of the change. That you are alive, but have abdicated to your son.” She met Zandren’s gaze. “Prepare to be challenged.”

I inched close to my mate and rested my hand on his thigh as we all kneeled down beside the shifter patriarch. Zandren’s complexion was whiter than normal, and his brown eyes focused like lasers but on nothing in particular, simply straight ahead at the wall. “Pooh Bear,” I whispered, squeezing his thigh.

Zandren blinked a bunch and met his dad’s gaze. “I … I’m not sure I can.”

“Of course you can,” Ryden said with a smile. It was hard not to stare at all the blood around the man’s mouth. I kind of thought that would disappear with the fur when he shifted back into a human, but turns out, it didn’t. “You’re my son. Zandren Roarke Thorne. The strongest shifter alive, and the best son a father could ever ask for. You’ve watched me lead for years. You’re ready.”

“Butcanhe?” Maxar asked. “Can he be the King of the Shiftersandking consort to Omaera?”

Ryden frowned, then shrugged. “I don’t see why not?”

Anysa lifted a shoulder as well. “I know the rules better than the back of my own hand and that’s not listed as a violation anywhere in the Council Diaries that I can think of.”

Ryden nodded. “Then, I royally decree, here and now, in theAntruminus Neutralitima, that I, Ryden Cortelius Thorne, King of the Shifters, do abdicate my throne to my son, Prince Zandren Roarke Thorne; to be known henceforth asKingZandren Roarke Thorne, King of the Shifters, and king consort to the Queen of the Realm.”

“God, that’s a long-ass title,” Maxar breathed. “I’m not saying that every time. I’ll tell you that for free.”

Despite the seriousness of the moment, I smirked. Leave it to my mage to cut the tension with humor.

A flash of lighting and a rumble of thunder lit up and shook the cavern, but luckily, no more stalactites dislodged from the ceiling.

“So, wait, is Omaera now the queen consort to the Shifter King too?” Maxar asked. “And Zandren is a double king?”

Anysa nodded. “She is. And yes, he is.”

My mage shook his head. “Damn.”

“You are king consort to the Queen, Your Majesty,” Anysa said to him. “You do know that, right?”

Maxar blinked a few times. “I guess I forget about that part. Feels weird to be aking.”

“You’re telling me,” Zandren murmured.

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