Page 14 of Owned By Four Alphas

“I don’t have thetimeto babysit them, as I’m too busy trying to keep this pack safe from the many different attacks it currently faces.IncludingOrdovic, which is something I had thoughtyouwould be able to deal with!”

Selena was getting agitated now, her head whipping between Kaelen and Ronan, her hands clutching her stomach. Her breaths were coming in shorter, her silver eyes growing teary.

“Perhaps,” Malek’s voice was frosty and cool, “you two might take that particular discussion elsewhere. Or had you forgotten that your mate is currently in distress?”

“Fuck, sweetness, I’m sorry, it’s just—”

“Ronan,” Kaelen’s voice brooked no room for argument, “it would be incredibly useful if you could go and join the wolves and dragons. Explain this little mishap to them.”

Ronan paused, before nodding stiffly, grasping his goblet and lumbering over to the shifters with a well-honed easy smile on his face. Fortunately, everyone seemed preoccupied with a troupe of performers in the center of the hall, acting out the defeat of Theldir around an ornately carved ten-foot-tall marble volcano.

Selena shrank into the chair between Elian and Kaelen, anger rolling off her in waves.

“Selena,” Elian said, pushing his bottom lip out and looking at her from under his eyelashes, letting his pheromones roll freely from him. “I’m sorry, little dove, I only wanted a bit of fun!”

“A bit of fun!” Selena’s voice was full of fury. “What about Sarya, do you think that was fun for her? Being forced to mate that—that—pigand then being publicly humiliated over it?”

Elian sighed. He had suspected that perhaps this may have been a bad idea, but Hagas had been rubbing him the wrong way for years. And this way, Selena could show to the Fae that she had some teeth. He honestly couldn’t see what the problem was.

“That’s not how our kind work, little dove. All these strapping males will have seen how elegantly she handled the situation, how demure and polite she is to her mate despite the unfortunate circumstances of their match,andhow utterly pathetic Hagas is. I’m willing to bet he’ll have at least five challenges to the mating bond before the night is out. She’ll end up with someone much better suited. Really, I did you and her a favor.”

Selena opened her mouth to argue, but Kaelen got there first, his voice crackling over Elian’s skin. “Do not speak to her like that.”

“Like what? With honesty?”

“With manipulation. You undermined her by tricking her into doing something she did not consent to do, no matter what the outcome. How do you think our people will react to a ruler who can be so easily led astray by her mate?”

Elian scoffed, sitting higher in his chair, “Oh, so now you’re the champion of her freedom. A few hours ago, you were threatening to physically force her into submission.”

“That isnotwhat I was doing.”

“Hah! Who’s trying to manipulate her now?”

“Stop it,” Selena hissed, wiping furiously at her eyes and the tears that threatened to fall. Instantly, Elian felt a bolt of shame, wincing at the sight of his mate so upset.

Perhaps he had misjudged this particular incident.

Kaelen tried to pull her into his side, but she pushed him away. A flash of hurt crossed the dragon’s face, and his hands balled into fists.

“Both of you,” she said, her voice wobbling slightly, “you’re just as bad as each other. Trying to control me, undermining me, tricking me. Just because Kaelen was a controlling dick earlier, it doesn’t give you permission to also act like a fool!” She jabbed a finger into Elian’s chest.

“And you!” She turned to Kaelen, “You don’t get to act all high and mighty after this morning because he thought it would be funny to purposefully mislead me.Both of youare in the wrong!”

Elian exchanged a glance with the dragon. Kaelen’s jaw was working, and he ran a hand through his dark red hair, eyes flashing. Raising an eyebrow, Elian fought back a scoff. Therewas no chance in this life or the next that Kaelen would ever apologize to—

“I’m sorry,” the dragon said, and Elian’s mouth fell open.

Selena gaped at him, her eyes wide and hopeful. It was in moments like these that Elian remembered how young she was, how soft. She sat next to an enormous brute of a dragon shifter, easily twice her size, all hard muscle and anger where she was soft round curves and kindness, and she still looked at him with baseless yearning.

Kaelen’s jaw clenched again, his eyes fixed on some distant spot. “I overstepped this morning. I do have concerns about your safety, concerns that it would please me greatly to discuss with you, but I was wrong to try and impose my will on you like I did.”

“So are you going to let me explore the city alone, or with Malek, without getting so angry?”

Kaelen opened his mouth, then shut it again. A moment passed. A moment too long. And just like that, all of Selena’s gentle hope was gone again, melted away back into fury.

Stupid dragon.

“What is the point of an apology if nothing changes!” she hissed.

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