I take a deep breath, then another, and another. I will not cry.
I am the High Queen.
My chemistry with Asmo was undeniable, but that was all it was. He’s right. He’s not a good male. He’s been an asshole to me this entire time. He’s made it clear he doesn’t want this. I was a fool for thinking otherwise.
I take another breath and stand, forcing tears down as I rise. I exit the alcove and walk back to the princes. Barrett, August, and Koa are in a lively discussion about something that I don’t care to listen to right now. Marik sits on the couch in the same spot as before. He eyes me as I approach.
“You okay?” he asks.
“Yeah,” I say, forcing myself to smile.
If he notices Asmo’s absence, he doesn’t comment onit. He pats the seat next to him, and I sink into the couch, grateful to be near him. I force myself to pay attention to the conversation for the next hour, but I’m in a daze the whole time. My thoughts are frenzied, flitting from the loss of Asmo and the impending decision I must make.
I end up excusing myself from the night, blaming my early departure on an upset stomach.
I barely sleep. My dreams are filled with nightmares of me marrying each prince, but when I get to the altar, it’s the osseris smiling at me, his filthy claws reaching for me as I say, “I do.”
The next morning, with approximately four cups of coffee in my system, I meet the Herd. When I open the door, everyone is seated, waiting for me. They all stand when I enter.
“Marik’s my choice,” I say without greeting or even sitting down.
Elle smiles and nods in approval. Ivan and Luca just nod in acceptance.
Despite the horrifying dreams I had, I woke up, and I just knew. Marik makes the most sense. He’s the only one I’ve actually gotten to know. August and Koa are great, but I never got to know them the way I got to know Marik. He’s the obvious choice.
“We’ll begin the wedding preparations,” Ivan says. “In the meantime, we’ll ask the other princes to head back to their respective courts.”
“I’d like to tell them myself,” I say.
Ivan nods.
“We’ll need to release a statement as soon as possible about the engagement,” Luca says as I turn to leave.
“When will the wedding take place?” I ask.
“A week from now. That’s the quickest we can make all the arrangements.”
I take a deep breath, feeling my lungs fill with air. “Thank you all.”
I head back to my room, fighting the panic that’s threatening to consume me. I’m the High Queen, and this is the first of many hard decisions I’ll need to make in this role. This is just a fact of the position. Having to talk to the princes won’t be the first hard conversation I’ve ever had, and it certainly won’t be the last one I’ll have to have as the High Queen. But it still sucks.
I spend the next thirty minutes in my bathroom, rehearsing my break-up speeches for each prince, the rock in my stomach growing bigger and bigger. As much as I want to hide in my wing forever and avoid these conversations, I decide to go ahead and face this head-on.
Two guards escort me to the guest cottage. Barrett opens the door when I knock, grinning when he sees me.
“Mae!” He pulls me in for a big hug, and my anxiety lessens with the embrace.
“Hey, Barrett,” I say. “Do you know where the other princes are?”
“August and Koa are inside. No idea where Marik and Asmo are,” he says, gesturing me inside. The guard follows behind me, earning a look from Barrett.
“Sorry, Ivan insisted,” I say.
Barrett leads us into the living room, where, fortunately, August and Koa are not. I glance at the stairs and ask, “Will they be able to hear any conversation we have here?”
He gestures down the hall and says, “If you’re looking to have a private conversation, the dining room might be better.” He leads us to the dining room, and I take a seat at the light oak dining table, settling into a comfortable white dining chair. The guard stands like a statue in the corner of the room, his gaze settling on a spot in the corner of the room.
Barrett sits across from me and stares at me. “What’s going on?” he asks.
