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

Chapter 25 - Outmatched

Colton POV

Fear took hold of my heart and squeezed until I could scarcely feel it beating. Royalty did not fight. We were not trained for battle. But even an untrained panther could destroy an elf. Like wolves, panthers were strong with teeth and claws that could shred flesh with little effort and the ability to heal any nonlethal injury within seconds, minutes at most. Their flight capability and flexibility made them more agile than most species, which helped keep their opponents off balance until the panther could strike the killing blow. I was scared for my mate.

Sinead was a talented warrior, but I doubted she could take on a full-grown panther and win. When she faced my father’s warriors, she had been protected by supernatural law, forbidding exposure to humans. Since they were not on pack land, they were not shielded by Winter Valley’s magical protections. This fight would take place under the cover of those enchantments. So, nothing was preventing King Rohan from shifting and slaughtering my love before my eyes.

The images that spun through my mind chilled me to the bone, but there was nothing I could do. Sinead had made her decision, the gauntlet was thrown, and I was powerless to stop it. When Natasha explained that King Rohan's panther would be suppressed and that he would have no access to his enhanced abilities, I breathed a sigh of relief. Sinead had single-handedly defeated six of my father’s trained warriors. A single King with no combat training would be child’s play.

I was astonished when he accepted and very nearly laughed out loud, but one look at my beautiful mate stopped the sound before it escaped. The fight was practically already won, and yet, she looked as though she was going to be sick. As I watched her, it dawned on me that she’d probably never killed anyone before, and death was the only path to victory.

“King Yasser...” Natasha began, yanking me out of my thoughts. “...to ensure that there are no attempts to apprehend Colton prior to the outcome of Sinead’s challenge tomorrow morning, you and your party will be housed in two of our largest cabins under guard and your panthers will be suppressed...”

“You expect us to stay here at your mercy without our panthers to defend us?” my father roared as he surged to his feet.

“I assure you, Your Majesty, that you will come to no harm while you are here,” Natasha said with a hint of irritation. “It is my responsibility to ensure the safety of my pack as well as my guests. I don’t know you, but what I do know is proof enough that it would be foolish of me to trust you. These are my terms. You can accept them, or you can leave the property and await the results of tomorrow’s challenge at a hotel nearby.”

My father slapped his hands on the desk and leaned forward menacingly. “Listen here you insolent little bitch...”

Seth was over the desk and lifting my father off his feet by his throat before he could finish his insult. Sinead started around the desk, but I stopped her when I saw my father lift his hand with claws extended. Adam and Drake surged forward, reaching for my father’s arm as his hand descended.

“Enough!” Isabella shouted and raised her hands palms out towards my father and Seth, then jerked them outward. The two men were suddenly flung apart by an unseen force, then seemingly paralyzed when Isabella closed her fists. “You both forget manners. Natasha is Alpha and you will show respect, Your Majesty.” There was no mistaking the fact that my father’s title left a nasty taste in Isabella’s mouth. It was evident in her expression and tone. To Seth, she said, “You forget diplomacy, Beta. Is vile, but His Majesty still guest.”

Isabella looked to Natasha, who nodded, then let the men go.

My father collected himself, but his face remained red with outrage. “Your Beta has made my point, Alpha,” he said with a huff. “Me nor my people are safe here without the protection of our panthers.”

Elder Yuri stepped forward. “You have my word that Alpha Quincy-Raymond will ensure your safety, but to put your mind at ease, myself and my brethren will stay in Winter Valley with you.”

“I think that’s reasonable, Jabir,” The Grand Master of Prides agreed. “I will also be here to make sure that all proper protocols are followed to the letter before, during, and after the challenge.”

I could tell by the look on my father’s face that he knew he had been backed into a corner and had no choice but to agree to Natasha’s terms. My mother fidgeted nervously while King Rohan stood rigidly at her side, awaiting his decision.

“Fine!” he finally snapped. “We will agree to your terms.” He stepped around Seth and stared down Natasha. “I don’t trust you or your mutts either, Alpha, but I won’t give up my right to witness this woman’s death or my daughter’s arrest,” he added, then turned to me. “I have waited a long time to see you punished for your crimes, Faiza. You will not escape me again.”

I started to bow, but stopped myself, fighting against a reflex long ingrained within me. He was not my King anymore, unless by some strange turn of events, Sinead lost the following morning, my father held no power over me. So, I stiffened my spine and stared directly into his eyes without flinching. “You will continue to wait, Father. I have complete faith that my mate will be victorious tomorrow and my debt to you will be erased.”

“Your faith is misplaced, Daughter. You will leave this hovel in chains when it’s done,” he spat, then turned as Natasha’s office door opened, admitting six armed warriors.

“Isabella, if you would, please place the binders on our guests before they are escorted to their accommodations,” Natasha instructed coldly.

Isabella stepped forward, reaching into the messenger bag slung across her body. From it, she withdrew four thick leather bracelets with large flat black stones in the middle. King Rohan was the first to present his wrist, followed by my mother, then my father, and finally, Grand Master Morris.

After the bracelets were in place, I watched from the safety of Natasha’s office as the warriors escorted my parents, King Rohan and Grand Master Morris to their waiting cars. Isabella stopped by each of my father’s guards and fitted them with a bracelet while they looked at their King in confusion. My father offered only a curt nod as his instruction to comply, then climbed into his SUV.

King Rohan POV

I was absolutely disgusted. When I agreed to wait for King Yasser to track down his daughter, I was under the impression that she was just a woman dressing as a man. The Faiza Yasser I met today was no woman. She possessed no feminine features at all. Looking at her, no one would have guessed that she was a woman. Her face was masculine with thick, well-groomed facial hair, and the tuft of black curls at her throat revealed that she had more chest hair than me. Faiza Yasser may have been born female, but she wasn’t any longer.

My stomach churned a bit at the thought of taking her as my mate. The alliance with her father’s pride was one that my own father had coveted. So much so that he’d eagerly agreed to the contract that kept me bound to King Yasser while he hunted his wayward daughter. My father even refused to give up his throne until Faiza and I were forever paired. Fortunately for me, he gave up that notion after twenty years of waiting. He was ready to retire, and no law said that I had to be fully mated before I ascended the throne. It was preferred but not required.

The contract was enough to satisfy my parents’ need for assurance that the future of the pride would be secure. However, after 50 years of waiting, my father’s impatience won out, and he demanded that I cancel the contract, but I refused. I was the King and no longer under obligation to obey his whims. Besides, I wasn’t in any hurry to mate as I was enjoying the freedom of dallying with every willing female that crossed my path.

Alas, even I had to admit, after 68 years, that it was time for me to mate and produce an heir. I had just decided to cancel the contract and join with another princess from a neighboring pride when King Yasser called and informed me that Faiza had been located. Now, I was locked into an agreement to fight a woman to the death for a mate I didn’t want. All in the name of male pride.

“You’re really going to fight Sinead?” the young wolf next to me asked as we wove through the streets of Winter Valley.

I turned my head, gazing at the young pup who dared address me. His blue eyes danced with mischief beneath unkempt red hair as if the very thought entertained him.

“She challenged me for the right to take my mate. I will, indeed, fight her and I will win,” I said with a dismissive wave of my hand. The man started to laugh, then covered it with a cough when I whipped around to glare at him. “A woman’s impending death is nothing to laugh about!”

The young warrior swallowed hard but still struggled to conceal his grin. “You have no idea who Sinead is, do you?”

“She’s a princess and she’s a woman. That’s all that is relevant to me,” I answered and returned my gaze to the front of the vehicle.

“Sinead is one of our best warriors. Only the ranked members of the pack can match her. She bested a witch almost two years ago when another pack tried to kidnap our Alpha and just recently took on six of King Yasser’s warriors by herself using only a broadsword. I know you’re a King and all, but if I were a betting man, I would be putting my money on Sinead,” the wolf said, then folded his arms across his chest and returned to surveying the landscape outside the window.

He was right. I knew none of these things about the woman whose challenge I’d accepted. King Yasser claimed to know very little about the woman who claimed to be Faiza’s destined mate. He knew enough to discourage me from embarking on what I’d just discovered was a foolhardy mission. I seethed as I realized that King Yasser was willing to sacrifice me for his own wounded pride.

When the SUV stopped in front of the cabin where I was to spend my final night, I charged out the door and up to King Yasser, fuming.

“What have you done, Jabir?” I demanded. Queen Samirah scurried behind her husband and ducked down low.

King Yasser’s eyes widened as he sputtered. “What do you mean? I’ve done nothing!”

“No? When were you going to tell me that Faiza was mated to a one-woman army? When were you going to tell me that she’d bested six of your warriors single-handedly and with only a single blade for a weapon?” I shouted at him while the rest of our entourage looked on in shock. “I had a right to know what I was agreeing to when I accepted that challenge! By remaining silent, you’ve signed my death warrant!” I stalked away from him, running my restless and shaky hands through my hair. I was going to die. That woman was going to slaughter me over a man. A f*****g man! I wasn’t gay. I had no interest in taking another man for my mate. There had to be a way to stop this. Maybe the Alpha would allow me to concede without sacrificing my life. Turning back to face the group, I addressed the young warrior who had enlightened me about my opponent. “Would you please summon your Alpha. I’d like to rescind my agreement and go home.”