Rebelling the Alpha King

Chapter 11 - An Equal

Aiden

I tend to wake up before anyone else. My usual sleeping pattern is quite aggressive. On a good day I'll get around six hours. Most nights it's about three to four. There's just a lot to do every day and never enough time.

The only person who has it worse than me is Ezra. He's an incredibly light sleeper whereas I would say I'm much harder. Regardless, every morning he's already waiting for me outside my bedroom door—promptly at four-thirty in the morning. How he manages to juggle his responsibilities and family life is beyond me. It's one of the many reasons I respect him and Joanna so damn much.

Whereas Killian is cranky without his ten-hour beauty sleep, my wolf chuckles and I can't help but agree.

Ezra and I are walking through the castle garden this morning. My mother used to spend a lot of time here. It's one of the most serene places on the castle grounds. During the day, it's full of nymphs and researchers. The plants pleasantly tended to. I know what I'm allowed to touch and what I'm meant to stay away from.

"Well..." Ezra says as I bend down to pluck a few flowers. "Last night was interesting."

The air is still crisp and cool from the night. The rays of the sun rising slowly, surfacing over the horizon. I look down at the flowers, pulling a few that I hold in my hand.

I know that dinner last night didn't go how either of us planned but I also expected it to be tense. I guess I just didn't expect Sloane to storm out and be so disheartened by the idea of being Queen. I sigh out, "It's fine Ezra."

"Is it, Your Majesty?" Ezra brushes his own hands against the flora. Some of them cringing back from his touch. There are certain flowers that aren't...human. They come from all sorts of supernatural realms and have all kinds of powers that are used in potions, spells, and medicines.

"I know that my Mate wouldn't be thrilled to have the Crown." I shrug it off.

"She's a bit aggressive..." Ezra smirks. "Good luck."

"Ezra..." My voice warning.

He places his hands up in defense, "I'm just making an observation, Your Majesty. I would argue you're much more level-headed. And a bit of a softy."

I ignore his comment, "The Crown uprooted her life, Ezra."

Defending Sloane feels...natural. I know fully well she probably wouldn't care if she knew I was defending her.

She should...my wolf huffs.

"What life?" Ezra asks under his breath. "We know nothing about her."

I finish picking a few flowers before moving onto the leaves or smaller buds for adornment. "I understand her fear of the Throne. Maybe she'll need time to open up to me."

The thought warms me in a way I never thought it could. My wolf purring with the idea. We just need to get to know her and her us. Ezra isn't wrong though, Sloane isn't afraid to be antagonistic.

I turn to Ezra, asking quite pessimistically. "Do you think she'll warm up to me?"

Ezra blinks a few times, "You're joking, right?"

I look away as Ezra let's out a small laugh. He bends down to pluck a green flower from the stem. He places it against his nose, taking a small breath and smiling. I know that's Joanna's favorite and I notice how he holds it delicately between his fingers. He takes out a small notebook from his coat pocket where he presses the flower in. He always does this for Joanna.

Smiling at me Ezra says, "If you could successfully get the Grasslands and Highlands to come together, you have plenty of skill to get your Mate to like you, Your Majesty. Not to mention the work you did with maintaining relations with our Elder vampires and wolves."