Nikolai makes a sound that might be a snort or might be him choking on his own tongue. Hard to tell with him.
"There's quite a bit of proof, actually," Plague says dryly. "But that's beside the point now."
Before anyone can respond, the massive doors at the far end of the throne room open with a resonance that seems to vibrate through my bones. The Queen enters, and even my irreverent ass has to admit she commands the space in a way that makes everyone else fade into the background.
Queen Amaya is elegance personified, tall and graceful with sharp cheekbones and full lips that speak of beauty that's aged like fine wine. Her eyes, so like her sons', scan the room with an intelligence that makes me understand exactly how Surhiira has maintained its power through the apocalypse. This is not a woman to be trifled with, despite the serene smile playing at her lips.
Plague bows deeply, and Revi follows suit. The rest of us manage awkward attempts at showing respect—except Knight, who just stands there like a mountain that's decided it doesn't give a fuck about royal protocol. Cosima is the only one who clearly knows what she's doing as she curtsies elegantly, like she's been in the presence of plenty of royals and dignitaries before.
And I suppose she has.
My heart rate kicks up as the Queen walks directly toward us, her robes whispering against the marble floor. Every alpha instinct in my body screams danger as she bypasses her sons entirely and heads straight for Cosima, her stone-faced guards in tow. Nikolai actually takes a half-step forward before catchinghimself, and Geo's hand drifts toward where his gun would normally be.
Knight's growl is so low it's more vibration than sound, but it's there, a warning that if this woman so much as?—
"There you are!"
The Queen's voice is warm, delighted even, as she stops directly in front of Cosima. Before any of us can process what's happening, she reaches out and takes Cosima's hands in hers, her smile genuine and almost motherly.
"My dear child," Queen Amaya continues, her eyes bright with what looks suspiciously like tears of joy. "I've been absolutelydyingto meet my future daughter-in-law."
The silence that follows is so complete I can hear my own heartbeat thundering in my ears.
Future daughter-in-law?
Well. I wasn't expectingthat.
Chapter 33
COSIMA
My mouth opensand closes like a fish gasping for air, and I'm pretty sure I look like a complete fucking dumbass, but what the hell am I supposed to say tofuture daughter-in-law?
Queen Amaya's eyes crinkle with amusement at my obvious confusion. "Oh my dear, you look positively stunned. Come, sit. We have so much to discuss."
She waves a hand, and servants materialize from nowhere like they've been summoned from the shadows. Within minutes, they've arranged an elaborate spread on a low table surrounded by floor cushions that might well be made of spun gold. And the food they're laying out… holy shit. Golden pastries that smell like heaven, fruits I've never even seen before, meat so perfectly cooked it's practically glowing, and wine that catches the light like liquid rubies.
"Please, everyone, make yourselves comfortable," the Queen says, gracefully lowering herself onto a cushion with the kind of elegance that makes it look like she's floating rather than sitting.
We all exchange glances before awkwardly following suit. Knight has to practically fold himself in half to sit on the cushion, and even then he towers over the rest of us. Geo winces as his injured knee protests the position, and Nikolai eyes the food like it might be poisoned, but he seems hungry enough that he's thinking about it anyway.
The servants are all eyeing Knight warily. So is Prince Revi, for that matter, but even if I'm sure the Queen has noticed something is amiss about the giant alpha, she maintains the mask of the perfect hostess.
"Don't," Geo growls under his breath to Nikolai, who's already reaching for what looks like some kind of glazed meat.
Nikolai jerks his hand back, hissing, "I'm not a fucking animal."
"Could've fooled me," Geo mutters.
I kick them both under the table and Prince Revi chuckles into his wine.
Plague clears his throat, his usual formal mask sliding into place. "Your Majesty, if I may explain. I've been evaluating these alphas as potential replacements for?—"
Queen Amaya waves him off with the casual authority of someone who's never had to repeat herself in her life. "That can wait, my dear. Right now, I want to get to know Azarel's lovely mate and her..." She trails off, her gaze sweeping over my alphas with obvious curiosity. The pause stretches, and I can feel them all holding their breath, waiting to see how I'll define whatever the fuck this is we have going on.
"My pack," I say firmly, meeting her eyes with more confidence than I feel and trying to pretend I don't notice the alphaspreening around me. "But… Your Majesty, I think there's been a misunderstanding. I'm not Azarel's mate."
Not anymore.
