Rain Vale
I hadn't expected Caelan to agree. I was playing with fire that could burn me, but time wasn't on my side, not if I wanted to have some sort of control over my life. Rejecting Caelan wasn't only returning him to the disposal of his ungrateful brother.
Yes, I had done my investigations, and there was nothing to write home about Vegas Moonfang and his pretentious mother. Rejection meant I accepted an alpha of my family's choice who would be married to me, and without doubt, it would be a man who would be loyal to them and not me, a man who would torment me and see me as nothing but a weakling. No. A man who hated me and them was better. That I could live with.
The marriage was accepted, and this time, I came more prepared.
The arena was yet again filled with curses, snorts, and angry murmurs.
"How could the goddess curse our king with such a son?" one of the elders cried bitterly.
"The moment his mother died giving birth to him, I knew he was nothing but problems," Elder Logan Cowell, the king's right hand, snorted without pretense.
Meanwhile, Vegas and his people sat with complex emotions. Selene Moonfang clearly carried scorn; she had not expected the child she had rejected to be favored, while Vegas Moonfang was visibly clenching his jaw so much I feared his teeth would sink into his gums.
"The ceremony is adjourned," my father declared, his voice low and steady from behind. "This matter will be handled privately."
He stormed away, and so did my brothers, the elders, and the Moonfang delegation. No one was allowed to leave the arena, not when the king had not dismissed the crowd.
I turned to the guard holding the chains.
"Remove the chains."
My voice sliced through the arena.
The guard hesitated. "But… my prince,"
"Remove it now."
With so much hesitation, he unchained Caelan, who weakly fell into my embrace. He was scared, weak, and drained. The metal chain hit the rough floor, echoing into the distance.
Aside from defying the laws of the land and the king, I had every intention of making them wait. So instead of helping Caelan to the council hall, I helped him to the guest chamber temporarily assigned to me.
With the help of Viola, a trusted maid and daughter of my late mother's attending lady, we made sure Caelan's wounds were cleaned and helped him change into more comfortable clothes. Though he refused food, I made sure to force water down his chapped lips.
When the guards came to call on me for the third time, I knew my father's patience had long crossed the line, so we didn't keep them waiting.
I pushed Caelan into the huge, towering pillars of the council hall. Angry gazes landed on us immediately like predators staring at their prey.
"Rain, what is the meaning of this charade? First, you accept and declare a crippled alpha as mate, and now you dare to keep the entire council waiting?" the king's thunderous voice roared.
"Father…" I bowed.
"Don't call me father. I am no father to a backstabbing lunatic," he growled.
"You mistake rebellion for strength, Rain, and this is one of those times. Denounce the fallen alpha of Moonfang, and I promise on my honor to talk your father into allowing you to settle with an alpha of your choice and liking," Logan Cowell added.
"Then what happens to the royal proclamation?" I asked.
"Don't start again, Rain. The proclamation I gave was nothing you read out there, so don't play mind games with us. We aren't children," Marcus hissed from the side.
"If you wish to retrieve your bride properly… You will do so without my treasury, without my seal, and without my soldiers."
Rain nodded. "Then it's settled, then. I shall retrieve my bride in seven days from now."
"Be a man, Rain. Do the needful and stop moving in circles. You've done enough saving him from death," Cassian mocked.
I was anything but a weakling, and saving him was not only my duty as heir but as his mate.
"So you all sit there and throw words, but if I may… will these same words and line of thinking be the same?"
"Enough!" the king growled. "The kingdom is waiting, Rain. Make a decision now."
"I made one a long time ago, Father… You all just refuse to acknowledge it."
I turned and grabbed Caelan's hand.
"He is the only alpha I want. And rejection is out of line."
"You ungrateful brat!" the king roared.
"I have accepted my mate, and the wedding arrangement will begin."
I turned to the Moonfang convoy.
"Moonfang will receive their alpha with every honor, dignity, and grace. He should, under no circumstances, be mistreated."
I paused and stared directly at his brother.
"One complaint, and you will see the rot of an omega heir."
The king drew in a long breath, then smiled, a thin, dangerous smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"If you wish to retrieve your bride properly," he paused, glancing at Caelan before continuing, "you will do so without my treasury, my seal, and without my soldiers."
I glanced at my brothers, and they all wore proud smiles, even the Moonfang envoys.
"If you can claim a mate and host a spectacular proposal, you should be able to spectacularly retrieve him without my name."
Of course, I had expected such. My father wasn't a king to give in. No, he was cunning in every way.
"Fine. And since I will be retrieving him without your seal, your treasury, and your soldiers… You do not get a say in when and how the retrieval shall happen."
"Don't be stupid, Rain… your wing was burned to ashes. You have nothing," Marcus roared.
"Apologies to Father. Don't risk it all for that, " Marcus barked.
"Stupidity is giving out a royal declaration with a fresh seal, brother… this mistake was your overconfidence. But since it worked in my favor, "
I bowed.
"Thank you for helping me have the grandest proposal the kingdom has ever seen."
The king's face darkened within seconds.
"What… bring the declaration," the king ordered.
Well, it was too late. I passed it to the guard, who handed it over to the king. The ink was dry, and every word I read carried the royal seal.
I may be weak, but I wasn't stupid.
Now let him fight his words, and the people will call him the king who ate his words.
"You!" the king slammed his hands on the throne. I was trembling from within…He could feel it too, but I would be dead before I let anyone else noticed.
"As per the decree, I do not need your personal seal, soldiers, or treasury. Under royal laws, and as heir, I have an assigned treasury, soldiers, and an emblem. I am heir, and I will retrieve my bride under my name. Not yours, father."