Hecate Nightbane, the Zeta of Omnia, ignored the King's glare. He wore a finely tailored robe of deep violet, the fabric smooth and well-made, and his gray hair was neatly cut, lending him a sharp and dignified presence. Like other Zetas, Hecate possessed the seer's gift. He was also the only man who treated Kallos like a stubborn child—a behavior the King tolerated, for rumors said Hecate had been the closest friend of Kallos's late father.
Hecate approached the throne with urgency. "You need to go now!"
Kallos looked at him in confusion. He knew the old man could be eccentric, but this was beyond his usual theatrics. "Go where, old man?"
Hecate reached out and actually dragged a stunned Kallos off his throne. "You need to get her! She is finally free!"
"What the fuck are you talking about, old man?" Kallos asked, trying to plant his feet. "Get who? And who is free? Can you please talk in a language I can understand?"
Hecate didn't answer; he just kept pushing Kallos toward the door. Aodhan stood by the dais, nearly dying with laughter. This was not the first time the Zeta had rendered the King completely powerless through sheer audacity, and it was always a sight to behold.
"Enough, old man!" Kallos snapped, finally wrenching his arm away, frustrated by Hecate's behavior. The man wasn't explaining anything and kept manhandling his King. Sometimes this old man forgot that Kallos was no longer the small boy he used to bounce on his knee, but his sovereign.
"If you're not going to explain yourself, Hecate," Kallos said, his voice calm but firm, "then I'll have no choice but to ignore you entirely." Without waiting for a reply, he turned on his heel and brushed past the glaring Zeta, striding back to his throne. He wasn't truly angry, but he needed to remind the old man of the hierarchy. How dare he barge in and start shoving his King without so much as a word of reason?
Hecate's voice rose. "You need to go and get your mate, our true ruler. She is finally free from her shackles."
Kallos stopped in his tracks, caught completely off guard. The air in his lungs vanished as if the atmosphere had suddenly thinned, and his heart skipped a heavy, staggered beat in his chest.
Aodhan stood frozen, his eyes wide as he glanced sharply at Kallos. The shock on the Lord Commander's face was palpable. What in the world is the old man on about? Kallos was their one and only true ruler. He had earned his position fair and square by eliminating the former tyrant, and thanks to his strategic mind, Omnia had been thriving ever since, with the people far happier than before. To suggest there was another ruler—was borderline treason. Aodhan shifted his weight, wondering whether Kallos would finally snap and throw the Zeta into a holding cell , or if he would follow the old man's madness.
Kallos turned slowly to Hecate, his expression shifting from amusement to a dangerous, low-burning intensity. "What the fuck are you on about, old man?" he asked, his voice a low, vibrating growl. "My mate is the true ruler of Omnia and used to be in shackles? Who in their right mind would dare shackle my mate?"
The temperature in the room seemed to rise as his Alpha aura flared. Aodhan took a wary step back. Why does it seem like the King is more worried about his so-called mate being in shackles than about her being the true ruler? Aodhan wondered. Well, that was the King Kallos for you—priorities twisted the moment his possessive instincts were involved. Hecate simply looked exasperated, his wild eyes rolling toward the high ceiling.
"Oh, don't be so stupid, Kallos," Hecate snapped, waving a dismissive hand. "Your mate is not just the true ruler of Omnia. She will be the ruler of Aethelgard. She will be the one to unite the fracture between the supernatural and humans in Aethelgard. And the 'shackled' bit was a figure of speech. You'll understand later. For now, focus!"
Kallos narrowed his eyes, his jaw working. "I have told you a thousand time to always talk in a language your King can understand. I am not in the mood for riddles."
"Then stop wasting time!" Hecate barked, stepping into Kallos's personal space. "You are dallying while the clock ticks. You need to find her first, before others reach her before you."
If his mate would be the Queen of Aethelgard, did that not make him the King of the entire realm? Kallos couldn't even seem to hear the warning. He was already musing, a slow, arrogant smirk spreading across his lips. The thought was intoxicating—until Hecate's last words finally registered.
His smirk vanished, replaced by a frown. "What 'others' are you talking about? Are you saying people want to hurt my mate for what she will become?"
Of course people would, he thought bitterly. What was I thinking? Someone like that would never go unnoticed.
The worry in his voice was sudden and sharp, his protective instincts already flaring for a woman he hadn't even met.
Hecate rolled his eyes at the King's late reaction. Ignoring the barrage of questions, he pointed a gnarled finger toward the exit. "Follow the East. Go to the eastern border and find her before another reaches her first."
"Hecate, calm down," Kallos said, trying to regain his composure. "You are doing it again—shouting orders without explaining anything. How sure are you that this so-called 'East girl' is actually my mate? Even though I wouldn't mind mating with her because of the prospect of ruling the world, I still wouldn't like to bind myself to someone who isn't my true soul-match."
"You idiot," Hecate whispered.
"Ouch. That hurt," Kallos deadpanned. "Not."
Hecate let out a long, frustrated sigh, looking as though he might spontaneously combust. "I am being serious here, Kallos. Supernaturally serious."
"I am being serious too," Kallos replied, though he was clearly enjoying the way he was getting under Hecate's skin.
Hecate knew they were getting nowhere if he didn't lay the cards on the table. He was dealing with a man who hated missing a single detail.
"Fine," Hecate groaned. "Your mate is bound to four mates. I want you to be her first mate. Call it petty, I don't care, but mating her comes with the Goddess's favor and blessing, and I want Omnia to experience that power first."
"Oka-a-ay," Kallos stretched the word out, his eyes gleaming with a mix of disbelief and sudden, fierce competitiveness. "Aodhan, get me my car keys. Now!"
Even though he didn't fully comprehend the celestial mechanics of a four-way mate bond, the idea of someone else reaching his woman first was unacceptable.
Aodhan rushed off toward the side wing. Kallos strode toward the door with purposeful steps, Hecate scurrying to keep up.
"Now, Hecate, tell me why the Goddess would make me share my mate with three other men. Am I not enough to satisfy her? How horny is this mate of mine that she needs four of us?"
Hecate reached up and smacked the back of the King's head with a loud thwack.
"Ouch! I'm your King, dammit! Show me some respect, you magical old man!" Kallos exaggerated, rubbing the spot.
"Be serious for once in your life, my King," Hecate hissed. "Your mate is the legend. A red wolf, an Ugnis. You know the tale of the red wolf, don't you? You are privileged beyond measure to even be among her mates."
Kallos's heart hammered against his ribs. A red wolf? An Ugnis?
"No way. Aodhan! Where the hell are the damn keys?"
Aodhan met them at the elevator threshold, dangling a key fob. "Here, Sire."
The three men stepped inside as Aodhan pressed the button for the underground garage. When the doors slid open, they were greeted by a sea of polished white cars, each gleaming under the overhead lights. Without hesitation, they made straight for a low-slung, powerful sports car.
"Aodhan, you're coming with me," Kallos commanded.
"Already on it, Sire," Aodhan answered, moving toward the passenger seat. He knew Kallos didn't like anyone else driving his personal vehicles, especially when the King was in a state like this.
"I am coming along too," Hecate announced.
Kallos gave him a brief, measuring look before nodding. He slid into the driver's seat, the engine roaring to life with a predatory growl.
"Aodhan, mindlink Arlo. Tell her she's in charge of the kingdom until we're back," Kallos ordered.
Aodhan nodded, his eyes closing for a second as he sent the message. Hecate buckled himself into the back, and the car zoomed off, tires screeching against the concrete.
It might have seemed that Kallos wasn't taking the situation seriously with his jokes, but more than anyone in the car, he was reeling. Who in Omnia didn't know the tale of the first Ugnis—how the red wolf had founded Omnia, and how the Hawthorne family had remained faithful to his memory for generations? Others might have dismissed the Ugnis as a mere fairy tale, but for the Hawthornes, devotion to the first red wolf was the foundation of their very existence.