Page 24 of Lycan King's Claim
My concern for her gnaws at the edges of my consciousness, but something is up with her. I don't understand why I care where she is. She is marrying my mate. I should hate her, still I find I can't. Some part of me understands she is in a bad situation just as I am.
12
While scrubbing the marbled foyer, a murmur of voices from behind the massive billiard room door catches my attention. I can't help but inch closer, curiosity piquing as I recognize the tone of Queen Adina and King Rehan. Their hushed conversation drifts through the thick wood of the door.
"I will not lose my son. This is the only way," Queen Adina's voice trembles with a desperation I have never heard before.
"You do this, and something happens to that girl. He'll never forgive you. He'll go crazy without her," King Rehan retorts, his voice a low rumble. My brows furrow in confusion, my heart pounding in my chest.
"He's already crazy; he has been for years. It's just now starting to show because of the pressure he's under. King Vin returns today; the wedding is tomorrow, and it's the only way to delay it; the Council can't refuse her. They'd be breaking the very laws they created," Adina's voice drops to a whisper, her words a chilling wind on my spine. The wedding! It's tomorrow!
"Exactly, it's tomorrow. There is no stopping it now. She'll never register," Rehan warns. "Unless..." Queen Adina's voice trails off ominously.
"He'll lose it, don't think I am intervening. You’re forcing his hand, and have you even asked her how she feels about this?” Rehan's words resonate in my mind, amplifying my confusion.
"Well, have you got a better idea?" Adina hisses back, the cold steel in her voice chilling me to the bone. "We are losing him; this wedding is breaking him, and it is breaking their bond. He is dead without her, and the Council will put him down if they find out what he’s been doing.”
“How long can we cover up for him, Rehan? Think about this! Speculation has already started, first the hotel and then the pub. What's next, a fucking school full of children, a hospital?" she hisses at him. Hearing footsteps, I gasp, and I barely have time to pull away from the door when I hear them approaching. I return to dusting, my mind racing, each stroke of the duster fueling my growing unease.
The rest of the day creeps by, a dull, oppressive weight hanging in the air. I notice Xandros' conspicuous absence, his usually imposing presence not watching from the shadows, taunting and haunting me like a ghost. As dinner comes around, the heavy oak doors of the dining room swing open to reveal Xandros, his jaw set, his eyes dark.
He takes his seat beside Carina, who is engrossed in her phone. Xandros glances at her phone, but she pulls it away. He shakes his head at her before his eyes find me standing along the wall. I avert my gaze. “Sienna?” he calls out, and my eyes go to Queen Adina. She nods for me to answer her son, and tears burn the back of my eyes. Wandering over to him, I refill his glass when he suddenly pulls me on his lap. He buries his face in my neck and sighs.
Now this situation is awkward. I’m sitting on my mate’s lap at the dinner table, where I’ll be serving him. Also, while sitting next to his wife, who is too busy fiddling with her phone that she hasn’t even noticed me, or if she has, she simply does not care.
“I’m sleeping in your room tonight,” he murmurs below my ear. Great, not only does he get married tomorrow, he needs to throw it in my face tonight by making me his whore. Hearing more footsteps, I know it must be King Vin and I hastily climb out of his lap, earning a growl from him, he reaches for me, his fingers tugging at the back of my dress, but I move back to my spot along the wall. I had heard the cooks talking about his arrival for dinner earlier; I was hoping I would be in bed before he arrived, as always, luck is not on my side. The cooks hate when he’s here because they have to infuse the wine with their blood. Xandros nudges Carina with his elbow, and she glances at him when Xandros clears his throat, nodding toward the entrance. The moment her father strides into the room, her eyes widen.
"Daddy!" Carina exclaims, leaping up from her seat. "And Mom, you're here!" Her excitement fills the room as she rushes over to greet her parents. But then she pulls back, her face going pale under the weight of the attention focused on her. The room holds its breath, the silence thick and palpable at her strange behavior.
"Of course, I'm not going to miss my chance to walk my little girl down the aisle," King Vin announces, his voice echoing in the quiet room. I feel my heart drop into my stomach, and my blood runs cold at his words. I wonder briefly if it will hurt when he marks her, or when they have to consecrate the marriage.
Carina’s mother, Queen Anita, stands beside him, her beauty striking. She’s the spitting image of Carina, only more regal, more imposing. Unlike her daughter's, her fangs are bared openly, and I can't help but shudder. The reality of tomorrow's impending event sinks in, a sense of dread washes over me. Darkness falls upon the room, and I can't help but feel that everything is about to change.
That my life will get worse from this day forward.
“But the wedding is not for another week,” Carina protests, confusion etched across her face. Xandros, however, his face ashen while he fumbles with his tie, his gaze darting towards me. A heavy silence stretches across the room, all eyes riveted on the tense scene unfolding before us. “Xandros couldn’t wait. He changed the date and brought it forward,” King Vin’s announcement shatters the silence, his words crashing down upon us like a wave.
Carina’s startled laughter fills the room, a harsh counterpoint to the tension lingering in the air. “That’s much too soon; I still need to get my dress taken in,” she protests, her eyes darting toward me before flicking back to Xandros. I feel a chill run down my spine at her words. The sudden shift in her demeanor is jarring. Why the sudden change? Last week, she would have jumped at the idea of marrying Xandros in a potato sack if she had the chance. Queen Dresden waves me forward with a polite smile, making me wonder if she knows who I am. I grab the pitcher of water, and I am about to fill her glass.
Just as the confusion threatens to overwhelm me, Queen Adina’s words slice through the chaos. “Well, she’ll marry Xandros straight after the challenge,” The impact of her announcement hits me like a blow to the gut. The water pitcher slips from my grasp, its icy contents drenching Queen Anita’s lap. As I scramble to clean up the mess, the room erupts in chaos.
“You little whore, look what you’ve done!” King Vin snarls, his hand swinging towards my face. I flinch, preparing for the impact, but it never comes. “Touch her and lose your hand. You dare come into my son's kingdom and abuse my staff.” King Rehan’s furious intervention halts Vin's hand in midair. His grip is firmly, holding Vin's hand inches off my face. I swallow, seeing how close I came to being shamed in front of everyone present.
King Vin’s mocking laughter echoes in the tense room, the situation spiraling out of control. I notice Rehan wasn’t the only one who reacted. Javier was barely just off the king, and Xandros’ claws sink deeply into the table. “Automatic reaction,” Vin dismisses Rehan, his attention shifting to Xandros.
“You told me your mate challenging for your hand was not an issue,” His words ignite a spark of hope in my chest, only to be extinguished by Queen Adina’s cold retort.
“As his mate, Sienna has every right to challenge for my son's hand, King Vin, and we have to respect that decision. It is the law.” The furious look in Xandros’ eyes tells me all I need to know; he wasn't aware of this the same as me, yet when he looks at me, I know I won't be getting out of this unscathed.
“I haven’t heard word of this from the Council. How can she challenge the day before the wedding?” King Vin demands. Only this time, Rehan answers. “She can challenge right up until the final minute of the wedding!” King Rehan states, his eyes blazing as he tosses his napkin onto the table.
“This is ridiculous. They’re already legally married!” King Vin’s protest falls on deaf ears, his frustration mirroring my own. “On paper, Vin, but not by bond. Until he marks your daughter, and it's made public, she is within her right,” Rehan’s stern voice reverberates in the room; the impact of his words leaving me breathless, he’ll mark her. I knew he would, but hearing it spoken really drives the notion home. Would it kill me, or would it be some bizarre love triangle?
As King Vin's piercing gaze lands on me, the reality of the situation comes crashing down. I have the power to challenge for Xandros' hand, but at what cost? The kingdom, my life or Carina’s. It somehow does not seem worth it. The thought of him marrying her sickens me. But still I can’t find it in me to hate her. And to think, Adina wants me to fight her?
The cacophony of idle chatter and boisterous laughter grates against my already frayed nerves, every word a stark reminder of the impending nuptials. Stifling the bile rising in my throat, I finally manage to croak, “May I be excused, please?” The four simple words sound hollow, a pathetic attempt to escape the unforgiving reality threatening to engulf me. I stumble on my feet, the room spinning, as a cold dread seeps into my bones.
I'm barely halfway up the grand staircase when a vice-like grip pulls me back, my heart lurching in my chest. Strong arms wrap around me, and Xandros' scathing whisper cuts through the thick silence like a knife.
