“She was not—”
“She doesn’t need to, you fool!”
A paw gently tugged him away, preventing him from assaulting the offending male.
“Brother, he doesn’t know who she is. Don’t fault him for his mistake,” Royak explained. He let go of Zirene’s shoulder as his voice hardened, addressing Karwyln. “But that doesn’t mean you are excused for your actions. This is a welcoming party, yet you threatened—”
A small cry for food sounded, halting Zirene’s dominant display.
Everyone eyed the lobby, looking for its source.
“Shh. It’s okay, Meti. Your mother has you,” Selena whispered.
Zirene turned around to face Selena, who continued to stand behind her nestmates. She was looking down at the sling, cradling her arm as she pulled down one of her dress’s straps. She held the sling up to her breast as she made a purring sound, and a suckling sound filled the room. The matching slings her nestmates wore held her—their—cubs.
Karwyln was going to strike her while she was defenseless and carrying one of his sired cubs.
He hissed in realization.
Selena flinched. She pulled the sling close and stared directly at him.
“If I knew this was how you would welcome me, I would have refused to come. Not that it would have mattered since your family rules the Aldawi Empire,” she snapped. “Am I supposed to fear for my clan’s wellbeing? It seems you didn’t tell them who I am. Is that because you are ashamed?”
The flames in her eyes burned him, challenging him to answer, but for the first time in his life, he was speechless. This wasn’t how he wanted things to happen—the room tense and on the defensive, each party unsure about the other. He knew it would have been foolish to believe she would come running to him, smiling with open arms… but he didn’t wantthis. He’d made another mistake, not factoring in her feelings once again. Instead of welcoming him with joy,she looked at him in anger as she doubted and questioned his motives.
Claps rang out behind him. His ears flicked back in annoyance before pulling his attention away from Selena.
“This is the first time I have seen you unable to respond, brother.” Royak stepped beside him and whispered, “What are you going to do to correct it?” Royak pulled away. Zirene’s gaze followed his brother as he walked around him and stepped up to the protective shield Selena’s nestmates formed around her.
“I apologize for the foolish actions of my guard,” Royak soothed. “I will make sure he is disciplined. Let it be known; there is nothing to fear from the Aldawi. We welcome you and your clan among us. What can we do to correct any harm done?”
Selena glanced at him before turning her gaze to Royak. Here she was, feeding one of her cubs and talking to the Heir of the Aldawi throne in front of a lobby filled with two parties, still wary of each other as the tension continued to simmer. He was amazed she wasn’t fazed by the dominant aura that filled the room by both Royak and himself. They were the only ones who weren’t pressed to the floor.
“I am sick and tired of having things kept from me. It seems your brother kept his true identity hidden while keeping my identity from everyone else. How is he supposed to protect me when everything is a secret?” She eyed both of her nestmates. A moment later, they lowered their defensive shield around her and slowly stepped away. A small smile lit up her face as she stepped between them.
That smile should have been for him.
She peered down at the sling held against her breast and slowly readjusted her dress, halting her purr in the process. She placed her hands inside the sling and walked up to Royak.
“Prince Royak Zarcaw, Heir to the Aldawi Throne, do you want to meet my firstborn, your niece, Meti?”
Gasps rolled through the lobby.
“You know what you just did, don’t you?” Royak asked gently.
Selena was calling Zirene out for keeping everything about them a secret, changing all of his meticulous plans right before his eyes.
Selena looked directly at Zirene. Her eyes burned with a passion, which in any other situation would have made him purr in response. She was his equal in every way—intelligent, passionate, and caring—yet he’d never seen this fiery side of her. She’d always had her sassy moments but never the commanding presence she held now. If she were an Aldawi, she would have been lethal defending what was hers.
“You are going to claim me as your mate, right now. You sired my cubs, and I won’t settle for being just a Seedbearer, where you only come around whenever it suits your needs.” She removed her daughter from her sling and held her close to her neck. “I know traditionally, based on his income, the male would give his Seedbearer private land to live on.” She pulled her nestmates closer to her and tilted their heads to expose their matching bite marks at the base of their necks. “Well, I want to claim you as my own, too. This will establish you as a part of my clan.”
Laughter rolled from Royak. “It seems you have found your match, Zirene. May the Stars and Fates smile on you. She just made your plans easier while stating her own.”
How could she know about their laws concerning Seedbearers and their gifted land? The law stated they could only provide Aldawi offspring to the male who established a deal with her. By impregnating her without her consent, she took it a step farther and stated he must allow her to mark him as a mate. She offered herself to be marked by him because thatis what royals did to their Seedbearers. She would fulfill both roles of Seedbearer and mate to him, so she could keep her clan protected.
Kaede’s reports about her dream to live peacefully as a large family came back to him.
What she didn’t know was he’d already prepared the land for her and made plans to deal with the Circuli. He didn’t need to mention that until they had some privacy. Hopefully, sooner rather than later.
