The Elf's Royal Match (Book 4 The Wolves of Winter Valley)

Chapter 26 - Backfired Royal Scheme

Natasha POV

The tension was palpable as Seth, Harmony, and I walked the remaining pack members to the front door. I could feel the nerves rolling off Sinead, and it concerned me. The woman was a phenomenal warrior. She’d marched fearlessly into battle against another pack, defended her mate against six full-grown men by herself, and here she was trembling after challenging one to a weapons-free, bare-knuckle, free-for-all.

The King’s panther was suppressed. It would just be the two of them in that ring. While not her specialty, Sinead still excelled at hand-to-hand, and I had complete faith that she would win, so why was she nervous? There was only one way to find out, and after saying goodbye to Adam and Megan, I decided to ask.

“Sinead, what’s wrong?”

“What do you mean?” she asked, turning wide eyes in my direction and gnawing on her bottom lip, giving away her discomfort.

Colt drew her closer and touched his lips to the side of her head. “You’re nervous, my love. Your whole body is vibrating with it. I imagine the Alpha is curious as to why.”

“I’m not….” Sinead began but cut herself off when she met his gaze and found him staring at her with one brow raised. That look was universal and a silent declaration that lying was futile. She forced out a breath. “I’ve never done this before.”

“You’ve never done what before?” Colt asked.

Sinead stepped away from him and began to pace the foyer. “I’ve never…killed…anyone and I have to kill King Rohan tomorrow.”

“That’s not true,” I interjected. “You killed Kenton Alexander’s witch two years ago.”

“No, I didn’t, actually. I turned her into a tree. She’s still alive, just in a different, less harmful form,” she admitted with a shrug.

I gaped at her, suddenly curious about whether or not the witch’s consciousness remained intact. Could she think? Could she feel pain? Was she being mentally tortured? If she was, would it be more humane to leave her as she is or send a team up to cut her down and put her out of her misery?

“What about the other wolves that fell during that battle?” Seth inquired, dragging me back to the conversation at hand. “Surely, you took out a couple of them.”

Sinead shook her head. “No. I wounded and subdued a couple, but I didn’t kill any. I’m not sure I can kill.”

I stepped around Seth and went to my friend. Just as I reached out a hand to stop her restless movement, I felt the tug of a channel in the back of my mind and opened it.

Yeah?

Alpha. We have a situation at the Twin Pines Cabin. King Rohan has requested your presence.

What’s going on?

Apparently, he’s changed his mind about fighting Sinead tomorrow, and King Yasser is having none of it.

I’m on my way.

After closing the channel, I returned my focus to Sinead. “You may not have to,” I told her, then turned to Seth and Harmony. “King Rohan is asking for me. I’d like you two to come along in case there’s trouble.” Sinead and Colt started forward, but I stopped them. “Brody is outside waiting to escort you back to your apartment. I’ll come to you after I’ve finished at the cabin.”

Both protested as I ushered them out of the packhouse and to the waiting, SUV which was understandable given that the situation directly affected them. However, while Sinead and Colt had the right to know what was happening, their presence could turn a volatile situation into a dangerous one really quickly. And diplomacy required that I act cautiously to avoid risking anyone’s safety, including the Kings and their entourage.

Seth, Harmony, and I watched the SUV drive away, then climbed into the one Zeke sent to collect us for the two-minute drive to Twin Pines. I snuggled in between my mates, soaking in the sparks of our mate bond and allowing them to calm my nerves. I was supposed to be reducing my stress, but thanks to King Yasser and his hateful agenda, it had increased exponentially.

Harmony squeezed my hand three times, bringing a smile to my face.

“I love you, too, my queen,” I said aloud, then grinned at Seth. “I love you both. Now, let’s get this mess cleared up, so that we can have a quiet dinner, just the three of us,” I added as the SUV came to a stop.

King Yasser was red-faced and screaming at King Rohan when we stepped out of the vehicle while the younger man stood stoically, and the Queen shielded herself behind the Grand Master. The Elders stood back, watching with confusion etched on their faces. Based upon their expressions, I assumed that King Rohan’s change of heart held no precedent within the werewolf community.

“YOU COMMITTED TO IT! YOU ARE BOUND BY CONTRACT! YOU MUST FIGHT!” King Yasser yelled as he poked King Rohan in his chest.

Seth jammed his fingers into his mouth and blasted a shrill whistle, silencing the raging patriarch. King Yasser glared at us then stepped back and straightened his jacket. Calmly, I approached the men and positioned myself between them.

“King Rohan, you asked to see me?” I inquired as I faced him, deliberately turning my back on King Yasser.

To my surprise, King Rohan lowered his eyes and bowed his head in a show of respect. “Yes, Alpha. It seems that I was not given all of the information I needed to make a sound decision when it came to accepting Princess Elian’s challenge. Her skill as a warrior was not disclosed to me until just prior to arriving at the cabin.”

“THAT IS IRRELEVANT! YOU ARE REQUIRED TO HONOR THE AGREEMENT!” King Yasser screeched.

I sent a withering look over my shoulder and waited for him to snap his mouth shut in disgust, then returned my attention to King Rohan. “Please continue.”

“I am a king, Alpha. In my culture, royalty does not fight, our pride members do. We are not trained in combat, at all, and challenges, such as this one, are extremely rare. After what I’ve learned, it’s very clear that facing Princess Elian tomorrow will result in my death. I am not prepared to die for a mate I no longer want.”

King Yasser erupted again. “YOU ARE CONTRACTED! YOU MUST ACCEPT HER!”

“I AM CONTRACTED TO ACCEPT A WOMAN! COLTON IS A MAN!” King Rohan shouted back.

My patience was wearing thin, so I turned to King Yasser, staring him down. “If you interrupt one more time, I will have you escorted into the cabin to await my summons to return.”

He opened his mouth to retort but was quickly silenced by Grand Master Morris whispering in his ear.

“I’m sorry, King Rohan but I am a little confused. If you’re not trained to fight, why did you accept the challenge in the first place?” I asked, resuming my position.

“I accepted purely out of obligation. You see, I am bound to King Yasser by the very contract that binds Faiza to me…I’m sorry…Colton. It was an agreement forged between our parents and my father paid a handsome dowry to insure our pairing and the uniting of our prides. I have no intention of pairing with Colton. I can’t. He is a man and I require a woman. But I thought if I helped return him to his parents I might be released from the contract to find a more suitable mate,” he admitted with a shake of his head. “I can’t do that if I’m dead. I wouldn’t be able to do it if I survived either. King Yasser has made it clear that he will force me to honor my father’s commitment.”

“I see. This is quite a perplexing situation, Your Majesty. If you please, I’d like a moment to confer with The Elders. I don’t have any experience with challenges or the laws regulating them but they do,” I informed him.

Again, he dipped his head. “Of course, Alpha, thank you.”

With a nod, I stepped away from him and walked over to the Elders, who were looking on in stunned silence.

“I yield to your wisdom, Elders. My knowledge of this process is extremely spartan and my experience is nonexistent,” I said, lowering my head in respect.

Elder Yuri lifted a hand and motioned for the Grand Master to join us. “Grand Master, we have never encountered a situation such as this before and I feel it would be best if it was decided jointly,” he advised the man as he arrived at my side.

With a sigh, Grand Master Morris ran a hand through his long wavy black hair and studied the small group with tired, green eyes dotted with brown flecks. “I appreciate being included but I’ve never dealt with anything like this myself. I’m not quite sure how to proceed.”

“May I say something before you decide?” I asked the men.

Elder Yuri nodded. “Of course, Alpha. This does involve members of your pack.”

“I believe that there is more to this than we know. None of it makes any sense. Why would King Yasser withhold information about Sinead’s fighting skills? Why is he so adamant about King Rohan fighting a battle he knows he can’t win? Something about this just feels off,” I stated.

The Grand Master stroked his beard as he considered my opinion. “I agree, Alpha.” He thought for a moment longer, then lowered his hand and scowled over his shoulder at King Yasser. “He could be planning to cite our assassination law to force you to surrender Colton to avoid a species war.”

Elder Yuri frowned. “Assassination?”

“Yes. As King Rohan pointed out, royalty doesn’t fight. Challenges such as the one set forth by Princess Elian are rare and never end with the death of an opponent. Our culture reveres our royal families. The death of a royal family member weakens that pride. So, if a royal family member is killed it is viewed as an assassination and the killer is to pay for it with their own life. If the killer is of another pride or species and their leadership doesn’t surrender them to the injured family for punishment, war is declared against the killer’s entire community,” he explained.

Elder Yuri and I looked at each other, then at the Grand Master. “And with both of Colt’s mates dead, I have no grounds to keep him from taking Colt. He could cite your policy for severing ties with the pride to force me to surrender Colt to him or risk my pack and my Alpha medallion,” I added.

The Grand Master nodded solemnly.

“Elders and Grand Master, I humbly ask that you allow King Rohan to rescind his agreement to Sinead’s challenge. There is no reason for two people to die so a third can be tortured at the will of a mad man,” I requested with a bow of my head.

“We concur,” they said in unison.

I shook each man’s hand and thanked them, then strode back to join the two angry kings.

“King Rohan, your request to rescind your agreement is granted. This also means that your claim on Faiza Yasser, now known as Colton Nagy, is forfeited. Do you accept these terms?” I asked him, lifting my voice to be heard over King Yasser’s screams of outrage.

“I do,” King Rohan answered.

“If it is your wish, I will provide you with transportation to the airport so that you may return home. Isabella will meet you at the entrance to Winter Valley to remove your binder,” I said.

King Rohan nodded, then offered his hand.

Behind us, King Yasser continued to howl his objection. “WE HAVE A CONTRACT! YOU CAN’T RESCIND! I OWN YOU! I WILL HAVE YOUR CROWN, RAHIM!

Zeke opened the back door to the SUV that had transported the Kings to the cabin and waited while King Rohan climbed inside. “Please take King Rohan to the airport and wait until he has safely boarded. Isabella will be waiting at the gate to remove his binder,” I instructed him, then channeled Izzy.

After I closed the channel, I heaved a deep breath and turned to face the belligerent King. “King Yasser…”

“TURN OVER MY DAUGHTER!” He shouted as he stalked toward me. “YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO KEEP HER FROM ME! SHE IS A CRIMINAL AND MUST BE PUNISHED!”

I watched him approach, doing my best to keep a straight face. It was unbelievable how intimidating this man believed he was when we both knew I could break him into a dozen pieces if I chose.

“Colton has found his mate and is now a member of my pack. You have no claim on him,” I reminded him calmly.

He stepped closer, bringing us toe to toe, and snarled at me. “Have it your way, mutt. I, King Jabir Yasser, declare war on the Winter Valley pack for harboring a known criminal and helping her escape justice… I will destroy this entire pack if it’s the last thing I do. I will gut everyone you love before your eyes, then I will do the same to you. Your corpses will be displayed as a lesson to anyone else who attempts to defy me.”

While his threat held no real weight, the horrible images it painted in my mind enraged me and snapped what little hold I still had on my temper. I held out my hands to my mates who came forward and clasped them without question. A great wind swept us up into the air, leaving us hovering just a few feet above the ground while a bright light enveloped us, and bolts of lightning shot out in all directions.

I met King Yasser’s frightened gaze. “Bring your army, King Yasser. Do your worst, but the end will be yours not ours. You have my word. We will show you no mercy.”