I continuously clench my teeth together as I dance trying to keep my composure in check. Royal women from each one of the realms have been passed to me on and off as everyone dances to the music. I have not paid attention to any one of them though really, my mind is thinking of where my intended mate is and with whom.
Princess Peregrine has been gone nearly twenty minutes with Timber hot on her heels. He saw my expression, the warning I had given him in it, and had completely ignored it. He was a typical hot-headed creature of the land; all instincts with no regard for anyone else. His kingdom will most likely pay at the expense of it in the future, I am sure of it.
I let out a relieved sigh when I see the princess reenter the hall. She is wearing a smile that I know a certain someone had put there and I have to swallow my agitation with that fact down. I cannot show my disdain for their relationship here. I cannot do this now, not unless I want a fight to break out between our two kingdoms.
Her eyes find mine and her expression immediately falters. She knows I know, as she should. I am her king and I am observant, something so blatant would not go without me seeing it. Once she is in front of me I can smell it, him, all over her. I immediately glance around the room to see if anyone else had picked up on it but the only creatures who would are the ones from the mountain and land realms. They each have an impeccable sense of smell. Luckily, it would appear that none of them had sensed it or if they had they had studiously ignored it.
"I asked you to give me a chance, princess. This is not giving me a chance." Her eyes are immediately downcast, not meeting mine.
"It is not about giving you a chance or not." She murmurs almost inaudibly. "It was about letting him know where I stand for my kingdom and my realm." Her words make me smile. She had finally set him in his place, told him where she belongs. Hopefully he will understand now, especially since in just a few months he will be in her same position.
"I am happy to hear it." But just as I say the words I look up to see an arrogant Prince Timber entering the hall. The smirk on his face is all I need to know that she had indeed not told him of her need to be by my side. I steady my breaths and continue saying to her, "I need you to trust that what I am about to do is not out of jealousy. I am trying to protect you." I wrap my arms around her small frame and immediately begin lacing her with my claiming scent.
To anyone else it would appear harmless. During such a ceremony as this, celebrating the union of two creatures, claiming is encouraged. The act is to show everyone you want to belong to one another, which is exactly what I am trying to show to the room before me. I am not trying to lead onto the fact that my intended is coated in another male's potent scent, even if he had not claimed her.
After I finish scenting her I let her go, giving her a full-fledged smile even though a larger part of me wants to reprimand her for her carelessness. She looks up at me, giving me an almost sheepish look. "I am only trying to protect you. Whatever bond the two of you have is strong enough for me to catch. We cannot let the other royals catch that as well. Do you understand?" She gives me a quick nod. "Good. I told you I would always try to make things well."
"I know, my king." She finally looks up at me but the guilt is still there, etched in her features. "Shall we dance?"
"Yes, princess, let us dance." I begin to lead her in much the same fashion we had been dancing before. The look on her face slowly turns from one of worry to one of happiness and for that I am grateful. We go step by step until the song changes, signaling us to change partners.
The moment I see the partners we are about to exchange with I want to immediately decline. Because there is Prince Timber with an arrogant smile on his face as he hands over Princess Alaska. We switch partners but just before we do Princess Peregrine's eyes catch mine and I hope to give her my sincerest pleading face.
I take the Land Realm's princess in my hand and begin dancing with her cordially. I maintain a gentlemanliness all until I begin to smell something there is no way I should be smelling. My pace and steps immediately still as do the Princess Alaska's. I am sure she can smell it just as well, if not more than myself.
It is not just us who stops either. Every single royal in the room does as well. I hear several gasps afterward knowing exactly what is happening. Prince Timber's claiming scent hangs heavy in the air, alerting all of the realms to exactly where his priorities lie. They lie with my intended and not with his realm.
I walk away from Princess Alaska immediately when I hear a set of growls erupt from Prince Timber. His father is standing aside him, trying to pry his arms from my intended, whispering things to him fiercely. The words are not working because his growls only get louder and he clings to the princess even tighter.
"Son, let her go." A deafening snarl from Timber quiets the rest of the room. "Let. Her. Go." The strength of his voice is nearly astounding for such a fragile man. The tenor alone makes you aware of just how strong a king he was in his time. "TIMBER!" His voice booms, making Timber's arms slowly let go of the princess.
I clear my throat knowing the next words will not be perceived well by my intended. "I am going to have to ask all of the Land Realm to leave my kingdom. You will tell your prince that he is not allowed to claim things that are not his."
"Indeed King Raven, we will depart first thing in the morning." King Kenai replied to me firmly to which I give him a curt nod of the head. I would prefer they left right at this moment but I do not want to cause any more tension than there already is.
"Prince Timber, back away from Princess Peregrine." His grey eyes find mine and hold them defiantly. With that I know he will not leave her willingly. "I will ask you only once more to walk away from her and return to your chamber for the duration of your stay."
"Son, do as King Raven has said." But the king's words do not get through to him.
"Guards!" I call out loudly and no more than a second later is the room flooded with men surrounding us.
King Kenai looks at me incredulously. "Your men are forbade to lay a hand on him!"
"He is forbade to lay his hands on her." My voice is firm. "And absolutely forbidden to claim what is mine."
"She is not your property and she is not an object." Timber spits out at me viciously. "She does not belong to you."
"You know the laws of our kind and you are in my realm; my kingdom. I should have you executed." A loud growl comes from my side coming from the king of the Land Realm. "Guards, take the prince back to his chamber, lock him in and guard the door."
Several guards immediately reach for him but the prince fights, lashing off whoever tries to grab ahold of him. He growls and tears at every single hand, showing exactly where his dedication lies. It is not with his people it is with her, my intended. With every swipe of his hand and roar from his lips he shows us that. He shows us all that; every single realm.
Once they're able to grab ahold of him his body starts violently trembling and I know exactly what is going to happen next. He is going to shift and if he shifts he will hurt whoever is in a close radius.
"Back away!" I command loudly and they all do, all but Princess Peregrine who is right beside him as he violently combusts into his wolf form.
Prince Timber stands in front of her gigantic and protective. He snaps and growls at any guard who dares step forward, trying to retrieve the princess. I roll my head back and stretch my neck preparing to do something I have not had to do in a long while. But just as I am about to shift Princess Peregrine completely surprises me by walking in front of Timber's wolf.
"Princess, you must not. He is not in control." King Kenai reaches for her, looking worried but she just holds a hand up to him wordlessly.
The princess kneels in front of him and he immediately stops growling, lowering his head to nuzzle her. She leans forward and whispers something is his ear as she softly caresses the fur on his chest. It is such an intimate and forbidden gesture, not to mention unnatural, and when I look around I see that the entire room of royals has their eyes on the two of them; watching them in disbelief.
"Sir Gregory?" Her voice asks loudly as she stands to her feet.
"Yes, Princess Peregrine?" He steps forward from the crowd and she turns to address him.
"Will you please escort Prince Timber back to his chamber?" He looks at her in disbelief and then looks at me questioningly.
"Take him directly there. My guards will follow." He nods and then walks up to the prince. Without another word Sir Gregory and the large wolf that is Prince Timber saunter out of the room.
The immediate quiet that takes place afterward is eerily uncomfortable. The king's of the Sea Realm and the Mountain Realm are looking between King Kenai and I warily. This is how The Great War had happened. Fated mates breaking their vows to be with other creatures. The gradual depletion of the creatures in our realms happened and then the war that ensued almost wiped us out entirely.
"Everyone disperse. The celebration is over." All of the royals in the room heed my word, all but the princess and the land king.
"He is young." King Kenai said, finally breaking the silence between the three of us. "Creatures of the land act on instinct. He was being attacked, you cannot blame him for shifting. It was his instinct."
"It is forbidden to shift in a realm that is not your own without permission. He will receive punishment before you leave." He nods his head at my words understanding I have to do something. "I could have his life for what he has done this evening." His features harden. "You are lucky your heir is leaving with it."
"What is his punishment?" Princess Peregrine asked.
"Twenty lashings and he will never be permitted to enter to the Sky Realm as long as you are in it." I watch her features contort into a mixture of hurt and anger but she doesn't say anything. She just turns and walks out of the room away from me, without a single word.
A/N:
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The beautiful cover at the top was made by my talented friend and fellow author Van_Carley
Thank you, mi piña fina!