Page 8 of Owned By Four Alphas

“I’m not denying that if Kaelen had his way, you would be tied to our bed and never allowed to leave,” he continued. “But some days, I’m inclined to agree with him.”

Shivers ran down her spine as Elian cupped the back of her neck with his hand, the other gripping her waist with familiar possessiveness.

“I’m not sure Ronan would have any complaints, either. Until you can control your magic, you are vulnerable. Until we have complete control of the realm, you are vulnerable. And youcan stomp your little foot all you like, but at the end of the day, we will keep you safe. Whether you like it or not. Are we clear?”

She bit her lip, hands braced against the hard muscles of his chest, the omega within her whimpering and begging her to submit to him.

She managed a terse nod.

“Excellent!” Elian’s gaze brightened and he released her, looking down to the clothes piled at her feet. “Now, shall we prepare for the feast later? I’m assuming you still want to do a speech?”

She nodded again, her fists balling at her sides.

He was right. Of course, he was right. She had no idea how to manage the nobles, how to convince them that she only wanted peace and prosperity. They looked at her and they only saw a scared little girl standing in the enormous shadow of the Forest God.

She remembered her dream. Her father stood amongst the trees. Perhaps he was trying to talk to her, to tell her what to do? Because she truly had no clue how to do it by herself.

Kaelen was only trying to protect her, she knew that. And whilst she didn’t agree with how far he went in pursuit of her safety, she also didn’t know how to reassure him that she could take care of herself when she didn’t even fully know what she was dealing with. He and Elian did so well moving amongst the nobles—Elian, with all his scheming and his pretty words; Kaelen, able to command an entire room with his mere presence.

She had none of their abilities. She was trying to learn, trying to prove herself. Practicing her magic, learning thehistories, conversing with the people. None of it seemed to be enough.

Shaking her head, she pushed away that line of thinking. It would do no good to wallow. She had to keep trying.

Taking a fortifying breath, she looked up at Elian. “Yes, I still want to do a speech,” she said, “and I think I need your help with it.”

Elian clapped his hands together with glee, “Of course you do! I am, after all, a master orator.” He winked. “In more ways than one.”

Chapter 4 - Ronan

“This place reeks of dragons,” muttered one of the young alphas trailing reluctantly through the airy corridors of the palace, following Ronan to the quarters assigned to them. They were dripping wet, having been caught in the beginnings of a gathering storm, and were trailing water over the pristine floors.

“Peace, Vallin,” retorted Thyrius, his second-in-command. “The dragons are allies, and we expect you to act as such.”

“Just last year we were brawling with them at the borders, now we have to play nice? It’s complete bullshit—”

“Silence,” growled Ronan, a headache developing from the constant griping of his young charges.

They had arrived as a surly group, all alphas, all young and champing at the bit to prove themselves. There were no omegas, or even betas, amongst the group to calm the alphas’ more violent inclinations. Thyrius had told him that the betas and omegas hadn’t wanted to leave their territory out of fear of the human threat.

Ronan knew well enough how his people felt about the humans. He’d lost count of the number of times he’d had to reassure the other alphas that his pack had everything under control. It seemed more and more like a losing battle.

He did wonder why some of the older, more battle-hardened alphas hadn’t joined them in the Marble Halls. Instead, he was stuck babysitting this rowdy lot.

“At least the dragons know how to drink,” chimed in another wolf, elbowing Vallin in the side. “The fucking Fae justmince about with their weak-as-piss wine worrying about their hair.”

As the boys roared with laughter, Ronan fought back a growl. It would not do to underestimate the Fae, especially not in their own territory.

“Oi, Ronan,” Vallin said, apparently feeling braver than he should. “You’re mated to a Fae, is it true they like it up the—”

“Silence,” roared Ronan again, this time spinning on his heel to square up to the alphas, imbuing his voice with every ounce of his considerable dominance. The wiser ones shrank back in the face of an older and stronger alpha, but Vallin seemed ready to accept the challenge. “LordElian is my pack brother, not my mate, and more important than that, he is your host. By the grace of his goodwill, you have been invited here, and if you continue with this foolish bravado, I shall have absolutely no issues offering you up to him myself. Are we clear?”

Vallin’s eyes darkened. “Yes, Alpha.”

“Follow,” Ronan growled, stalking through the halls. For a while, the boys remained quiet, but of course it couldn’t last.

“What’s that sound?” Vallin said, cocking his head. In the distance, the clang of metal against metal echoed through the stone, alongside the grunts and snarls of males fighting. Against the sound of the storm building strength outside, the sound was faint, but nevertheless unmistakable.

The young alphas raced forward, ignoring Ronan’s warning growl, giving chase to the sounds of battle.

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