I turn my attention to the goddess, who has stepped forward. As one, the shifter population gets down on one knee and bows their heads. I guess it’s hard to dispute the existence of gods when they appear in front of you. Aramis has this otherworldly glow around her, obscuring her from the crowd. I guess she doesn’t allow just anyone to see her true form.
I don’t really pay attention to her words, instead scanning the crowd for possible threats. Are any of these people going to challenge me for my position? Are they going to make me possibly kill someone at the start of my rule? I don’t want to be a queen who rules over her people because they fear her, but I do want their respect, so if it’s going to take a challenge to get it, then I guess I’m okay with that. I will take the queens’ advice, though, and shift as quickly as possible.
Most of the expressions in the crowd are a combination of awed and excited, and while the atmosphere is tense, it doesn’t feel aggressive, just anticipatory.
“I have blessed Queen Colbie with eight mates in hopes to usher in a new age in shifter relations. They are all fully mated, and I have the pleasure of crowning your new kings. Please step forward and remove your hoods so I may place your crowns on your heads.” The goddess gestures for my mates to come forward.
Almost like they rehearsed it, they move forward together, removing their hoods and letting their capes drop dramatically to the ground. The guys are in full warrior mode, strapped with weapons on every part of their body, and they wear fierce expressions on their faces. They are a formidable bunch, and the crowd ripples with surprise and awe at the sight of them. I hear mutterings of surprise as they recognize most of Watch Team One, but I also hear questions about who the other three are.
Aramis steps in front of Gryffin, and he ducks his head as she places his crown on it. “I give you King Gryffin, white tiger.” She moves down the line, repeating her actions with each of my mates. “King Jeremy, phoenix. King Hunter, dragon. King Liam, polar bear.” There is a noise of discontent, and my eyes go to the source. I see four men, one slightly older than the others, and I can tell these are Liam’s father and brothers. They all look a little like him despite his shock of white hair and piercings. They are broader, almost overweight, which is not something I have seen in a shifter before, and they all wear scowls of disgust. I see a couple of soldiers moving through the crowd in their direction, but they don’t do anything, just position themselves in case they are needed.
The goddess pauses and looks in the same direction. She glares at Liam’s family, and two of the brothers visibly shrink back into the crowd, but the father and remaining brother cross their arms and stupidly stare down the goddess. Are they brave or just fucking dumb?
She must decide they aren’t a threat, because she continues. “King Brodie, wolf.” I brace myself for the reception of the next three. I’m sure there is going to be some sort of reaction. “King Lennox, pegasus.” There are ripples of movement and murmurings from the crowd, but nothing outwardly hostile yet. I look around the arena and notice a crap load more soldiers. Bryson is prepared to subdue a riot if need be. “King Micah, mer, and finally, King Titus, fairy-fae hybrid and Chaos Kingdom assassin.” Aramis drops that final bombshell, and the crowd starts to shout.
“Hybrids are outlawed in Aramis.”
“An assassin? Holy shit.”
“What the fuck?”
“Wow, I can’t believe the queen has an equine, mer, and fairy as mates. That’s amazing.”
Positive and negative reactions echo all around us, but Aramis ignores them before turning her attention to me.
“Colbie Karridge. Do you promise to honor and protect your people from any who may wish to do them harm, and uphold the values of Aramis Kingdom from now until the end of your reign?”
“I do,” I reply as she approaches me, sparkly crown in hand.
“Then I crown you Queen Colbie, ruler of the shifter nation, until your death or you choose to step down and hand the crown to one of your descendants.” She places the crown on my head, her voice ringing out over the crowd. “I decree that Colbie will be the final human chosen as a shifter ruler, and her bloodline will now carry the responsibility.” This announcement has everyone forgetting about what species my mates are, and they are stunned into silence.
“Long live Queen Colbie, may she reign in peace and prosperity.” Aramis’s voice thunders through the colosseum, and as one, the people get down on one knee.
“Long live Queen Colbie,” the crowd responds, and the magic slashes across my body, burning into my very soul. I grit my teeth and clench my fists as pain like no other spreads through every nerve ending as the final bit of ruler magic assaults my body.
“Almost there,” Aramis whispers to me, and my mates send me reassurance, pride, and love through our bond, but there is also a sense of pain from them. I pry my eyes open and see that they are also battling some kind of power influx, their bodies glowing like stars in the sky. A ripple of surprise flows through the crowd, and there are more shocked reactions and comments, but I can’t focus on any of them. I’m gasping for air, and my body is coated in a fine sheen of sweat when the pain finally recedes, but I didn’t fall or falter, and as I lift my head and look out over the crowd, my body starts to glow with power.
“Although the queen challenge has nothing to do with anything I chose, I will honor shifter tradition, and I ask you this—is there anyone who considers themselves more worthy than my chosen who wishes to challenge Queen Colbie for her crown?” Aramis glares out into the crowd, almost daring someone to go against her.
The crowd still murmurs, and I watch as it parts, Liam’s remaining brother stepping forward. “I challenge King Liam to his mate position,” he calls out, and I jolt in surprise.
“Is that allowed?” I mutter out of the side of my mouth to the goddess, and I feel her own surprise.
“It’s never happened before,” she replies, glaring at Liam’s brother. We both turn to look at Liam, who grins with undisguised joy. He gives the goddess a small nod, and she shrugs throwing her hands into the air, looking exasperated.
“Why the fuck not. Anyone want to challenge the actual queen?” The crowd looks around, some even look hopeful that someone is brave enough to challenge me.
Again, the crowd parts, and Gianna walks through, looking smug. “I will challenge the queen who usurped a ready-made bond group who was meant for one of us instead of picking from her marked potentials, and when I win, I will take the crown and her mates for myself, and I’ll keep the spare.” She points at Liam’s brother, who blows her a kiss and gives her a wink.
“Eww,” I mutter childishly. “Those two deserve each other.”
“You dare to question my decrees?” The goddess’s voice reverberates around the arena, her gaze laser focused on Gianna. I have to give Gianna credit. She either has big lady balls or is completely batshit crazy, because she just shrugs and nods.
“Yes.”
“So be it, but I’ll have you know Colbie wears the matching mate mark for this bond group. It is as it should be,” the goddess announces. The crowd, which had been looking a little rebellious after Gianna’s statement, settles when the goddess tells them this.
“Well then, clear a space. You will strip and fight until someone either submits or dies.” Bryson moves from the VIP area, taking control of the challenges. “The king challenge will be first.”
