Lyall
I stormed to my room in a fit of rage, not caring who I pushed out of the way in the process. I didn't go to the room I shared with Sheila.
Instead, I went straight to my room, and the fact that Aria had been here with me seemed to calm me down a bit. I sunk into the bed and my thoughts drifted to the earlier incident at the dining hall.
The fact that Mason got all defensive about Aria. My mate. And he even had the guts to take her hand and pull her out of the hall like she was his.
Hot red rage once again flowed through my insides. How dare Mason? I should have chopped off his hand where he stood.
Like pulling my mate out of the hall wasn't enough, I found him in a passionate discussion with her. What in the world could they have been discussing so intensely?
I shuddered as intense jealousy coursed through me. Were they sleeping together as Sheila suggested? I shook my head vehemently. That was not the case. If it was, I would have smelled his scent on her.
Then what was it? Was Mason after my mate now? I gritted my teeth, clenching my fists in anger. If Mason as much as makes any move on my mate I would make him regret coming back into this palace.
My hands itched to destroy something. Anything. Everything. But I chose to rein those feelings in instead. I didn’t want to destroy anything in this room anyway. A knock on the door brought me out of my reverie.
“Alpha!”
I let out a groan. Did Trenton not have other things to do? Why did he always follow me around like a lost puppy?
“What the hell do you want?!” I yelled, now more annoyed than angry.
“I need to speak to you!” Trenton yelled through the door and I rolled my eyes.
“I'm busy. Go away.”
“You know the drill, Alpha. Either you open this door or I break it down,” I bristled. That insubordinate little, “I'm waiting, Alpha.” He continued and I let out a sigh.
“Fine– Fine. I'm coming,”
I opened the door and Trenton had a plastered smile on his face which looked more like a grimace.
“Why is it so difficult to get some alone time here? Jeez!” I exclaimed with exasperation as he entered the room, shutting the door behind him. His smile instantly turned into a frown as he narrowed his eyes at me. “What now? What have I done this time?”
“Are you kidding?! You were supposed to get your mistress pregnant but then you chose now of all times to pick a fight with her!” My eyes widened. “Yes, that's right. I heard everything. You need to fix this, Alpha.”
I growled and I'm pretty sure my eyes glowed red because Trenton flinched slightly, taking a step back. “Watch your tone, beta.” I spat. Sometimes, people need to be reminded of their place.
His expression instantly turned sombre. “I'm sorry, Alpha,” He apologized and I nodded. I marveled at how fast news traveled in this palace. Did the maidservants and guards have nothing else to do but gossip? Were they so idle?
“I didn't mean to disrespect you. I'm only concerned for you and this kingdom, Alpha. Your throne and title are at stake and if you don't take this a lot more seriously, we could lose everything we've been working for all these years, just like that.”
He snapped his fingers and I understood. I could lose everything in a twinkle of an eye. My throne. My title. My people.
I let out a sigh. “I'm working on it, Trenton. You have to trust me.”
He gave me a small smile. “I trust you, Alpha. I trust that you'll figure this out.”
Without uttering another word, he made his way out of the room, leaving me to my thoughts. I paced around the room and bits of my anger slowly ebbed away which was soon replaced by worry.
I needed to tackle this issue of having an heir once and for all. In all truthfulness, I have been a bit distracted by all the drama going on but it didn't mean I was idle. Aria and I had sex several times without protection which meant that technically I was doing my job right.
But she still wasn't pregnant, which was no one's fault. These things take time. I let out a sigh. If only the Lycan Confederate could be a bit considerate and understand that the games could go on without the heir in sight.
My thoughts were interrupted by another knock at the door. I let out a groan. I just wanted to be left alone! A thought crossed my mind and I stood still. What if it was Aria? I shook my head, disappointed. It wasn't her. I could smell my mate's enticing scent from a mile away.
I could instantly tell who was at the door from his musky scent. It was Uncle Kendrick. Despite my sour mood, my face lit up with a smile. I would never admit it out loud but I adored Uncle Kendrick.
He was like a father to me and he represented everything I wanted to be. The respect I had for him was over the charts
Without wasting any more time, I opened the door. He stood at the doorway, his huge frame taking up all of the space.
“Uncle Kendrick,” I gave him a small smile which he returned. “To what do I owe this pleasure?” I stepped aside, letting him in.
“I just wanted to check in on you. You know, to see how you're doing.”
I rolled my eyes. “Let me guess, you've heard the gossip too.” I motioned for him to take a seat in front of the desk at the study area and I sat, facing him.
“Of course. Nothing gets past me in this palace.” He chuckled and I let out a laugh.
“Well, I'm doing pretty good. It's nothing to worry about.”
He nodded and his face turned serious. He cleared his throat. “That's not the only reason why I'm here. We need to talk about the Games, Lyall.”
I let out a groan. Not this again. As if the lecture from Trenton and the council wasn't enough. “Uncle-”
“No, Lyall. Let me finish.”
I clamped my mouth shut and listened.
“Look, I know the Lycan Confederate may be a bit overbearing right now but can you blame them? They are just trying to uphold a tradition. An important tradition that has been passed down through generations. The King must come with his heir or pregnant wife to the Games. That's how it has been and that's how it will always be. It'll bring huge shame on us if the tradition gets broken during our time and you know what happens when traditions get broken don't you?”
I let out a tired sigh. I kept hearing all this again and again and it was getting exhausting. But Uncle Kendrick continued speaking regardless.
“There will be punishment, Lyall, if you go against the tradition. You could lose your title as King and Alpha.”
“I know, Uncle,” I said, exasperated, and trust me, I am doing the best I can. “I just don't understand why having an heir is such an important requirement for the Games. I mean, it's not like the heir is going to be a participant, so what's the issue?”
Uncle Kendrick's face turned stern. “Do not question tradition!”
I raised my hands in surrender. “I'm not. I'm just genuinely curious. And come to think of it. I'd never heard of these Games before I became Alpha. I never heard of my parents attending any Games.”
Uncle Kendrick let out an annoyed sigh. “That's because you were too young to understand. This is important, Lyall. You have a breeder. Put her to good use.”
My eyes narrowed at the condescending way he talked about my mate but I quickly covered it up with a smile.
“I've heard you, Uncle.”
He gave me a satisfactory nod. “Now that that's settled, I have other issues to address,”
I let out an internal groan. Oh, dear goddess. More lectures? “Go on, Uncle,” I said with a smile that didn't quite match my internal turmoil.
“It's about the neighboring packs that have been living too close to our kingdom.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Blood moon and Yellowstone packs?”
“Yes. Has it come to your attention that they've been breaking into our walls and stealing from our people?”
My eyes widened. Stealing from my people? I did not know about this. “What? No one relayed this information to me!” I exclaimed.
Uncle Kendrick scoffed as a look of annoyance crossed his features. “I'm pretty sure, Trenton has but you've been so preoccupied with the drama between your women that you've completely neglected your duties. Get your priorities in order, Lyall!” He barked. “You're our Alpha and King before anything else.” He chided and my face coloured with embarrassment.
I knew he was right. I have been too distracted lately and Trenton was an efficient beta. He would have reported something as important as that.
“I'm sorry, Uncle,” I said quietly. “I'll do better.”
He nodded, his eyes softening. “You better. Now I've come up with a solution that could solve this problem.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Really? What is it?”
“How about we wipe out the packs altogether? We have too many enemies and we should start making examples of them.”
I frowned, furrowing my eyebrows. “Wouldn't that be excessive? I mean the reason they have to steal in the first place is because of us.”
“They lost the war. Of course, they had it coming.” Uncle Kendrick snarled.
“They lost everything. Their homes. Their families. They steal from us because they have no choice.”
“Stealing from us is unforgivable. They should be punished.”
“Uncle, how about we bring them into our kingdom?”
He stood up abruptly from the chair, eyes blazing with fury. “Are you out of your mind?! Bringing the enemy into our kingdom? That's the most absurd thing I've heard in my entire life.”
“It's not absurd, Uncle. Think about it. We can easily keep a close eye on them while they live right under our noses. They won't dare plot anything against us.”
“I won't stand for this? Giving the enemy shelter? Preposterous!”
“Uncle, I only ask that you support me. I intend to go through with it no matter what.” I pleaded.
He shot me an icy glare that almost made me rethink my decision but I stood my ground. I refuse to kill off a pack that was already down and defenseless. Without uttering another word, he stormed out of the room, shutting the door with more force than necessary.
“Well, that went well.” I slumped in my chair, letting out a tired sigh. I rubbed cold fingers on my temples, sending a quick message to Trenton through the mind-link. I needed him to come back here immediately.
A few minutes later, I heard a soft knock on the door and I let out a sigh. Trenton was finally here. I went to the door but my eyebrows furrowed in confusion. It wasn't Trenton at the door, it was someone else.
I swung the door open and I corked an eyebrow at a somber-looking Sheila.
“What do you want, Sheila?” I asked tiredly.
“I just needed to talk to someone. You have a minute?”
I opened my mouth to say something but she cut me off.
“I'm sorry, you look exhausted. I should leave you to get some rest.”
As much as I didn't want her company right now, I could tell that something was bothering her. It wouldn't be right to leave her alone. I had no romantic feelings left for Sheila but she was still an important person to me.
“Wait, Sheila. We can talk.”
Her eyes brightened which in turn brought a small smile to my face.
“Would you like to take a stroll through the gardens with me?” She asked.