They both made begrudging noises of agreement and I felt a huff of laughter rumble out of my chest.
This must have been what the gods had foreseen for my fate—no longer was I the lonely king with too many people relying on me—now I had a pack that was mine because of who I was, not what I could do for them.
Chapter Thirty
“You fancy the queen, yes?” Vivienne asked, nearly making me spit my mead out right at the dinner table.
“What do you mean by that?” I shot back, coughing as I tried to regain my composure. Luckily the rest of the great hall was full of chatter and laughter so no one looked our way.
“I mean that you wish to kiss her,” Vivienne replied, taking a pert sip of her own drink.
Having my sister so close again was wonderful in many ways, but she was also the only person in Logres who dared to question me like this without fear of meeting the sharp end of my blade.
“What could possibly have convinced you of such a thing?” Even to my own ears my question sounded too high-pitched and false.
Vivienne’s blonde brows lifted as she glanced from me to the head table where Guinevere was busily chatting with Arthur.The two seemed closer than ever—not to mention Gawain’s constant presence hovering just behind them.
The three of them seemed to move in sync with one another, further highlighting that they had indeed come together as a pack.
It was also not lost on me that both Bedivere and Merlin seemed to be missing mealtime with more regularity. I had seen the pair taking a walk outside earlier, their faces serious as they spoke.
I had known that they had grown up together when they were boys, but even still I knew that they had never been as close as they seemed to be now.
And it all seemed to hinge on the omega who was throwing her head back and laughing. The sound carried over the cacophony of voices, reaching my ears with a sweetness that made me want to get up and go find out exactly what had made her laugh like that.
Vivienne eyed me, her lips pressing into a thin line. “Perhaps because you cannot seem to keep your eyes off of her, Lance.”
Jerking my head away from the head table, I just shook my head. “Do not say words you do not understand out loud, Vivienne.”
Vivienne had seemed to adjust to life in Camelot with an ease that surprised me and her personality seemed to be blooming like a rose as well. Back in the castle of our father, Vivienne was quiet more often than not so as not to trigger King Ban’s wrath, now she said what she felt, spurred on by the queen who seemed to do the same.
The pair had grown closer than I ever thought possible for two omegas, and while Guinevere never allowed my sister into the room she shared with the king, they were often seen walking arm-in-arm around the castle and whispering in each other’s ears.
I had thought that Vivienne would be treated poorly as many of the omegas in Benoic could hardly stomach being around one another. Our stepmother was such an omega and Vivienne had shared with me that she was hardly allowed out of her rooms during the day and was only allowed out in the garden when the queen was not out and about.
It angered me that my only little sister had been treated so poorly and I had all but ignored it in my quest to become one of Arthur’s knights.
“I may not understand such kinds of love,” Vivienne told me with a sniff, her eyes darting back over to the queen. “But even I can see you feel for her.”
“She is a married woman,” I reminded her.
Vivienne snorted and rolled her eyes. “As if I have not heard the rumors from the servants. They say that our queen accepts more than her husband into her bed—”
I slapped a hand over Vivienne’s mouth.
“Hush,” I hissed frantically, eyeing Agravaine who sat closest to us. The alpha, who had been previously one of the most raucous members of our round table, seemed to be defeated after his disinheritance by his father. But the alpha paid us no mind as he stared into his cup with a doleful expression.
Turning back to my sister, I shot her a look that could curdle milk. “You would do well to never repeat that toanyone, Sister, or I fear you will put your beloved queen in danger.”
I stood, pushing my plate away.
“Lancelot—” Vivienne called after me, guilt in her voice, but I ignored her and left the hall.
It was blessedly quiet outside and I let the cool air calm my frayed nerves.
Arthur, Guinevere, and Gawain, it seemed, were playing with fire and I did not know how to stop it. These rumors would continue to spread until they either denied them outright oracknowledged them and faced the wrath of a people who could not understand what a pack was.
And hells if I was not jealous with the desire to join in myself. Danger be damned.
