~ROWAN
I stood in the middle of the throne room, staring at the large grandfather clock.
It was time for dinner, and I'd invited Nyssa to join me, yet I was standing here, my body unwilling to move.
"I hope you know what you're doing," my lycan said simply in my mind. "If she finds out who you are-"
"She won't," I hissed. "This isn't about that."
"Isn't it?" he scoffed. "Are you going to lie to her forever? The selfless thing to do would have been to tell her the truth or let her go."
He was right about that much, but I'd never prided myself on being good or selfless. You don't get to be King by choosing the nice way out.
"Are you just going to leave her waiting for you in the dining room?"
"Of course not. I'll join her."
"When?"
Thankfully, I didn't have to respond because a knock on the door snapped me out of my thoughts. I turned just in time for the door to be pushed open.
A guard apologized profusely as Henry stormed into the throne room, his brows knitted together in annoyance and his cheeks a bright shade of pink.
He always had a penchant for getting upset. He liked having his way, then again, who didn't?
I waved my guard off and stared at Henry, waiting for him to announce the reason for his arrival.
I knew it had something to do with Nyssa.
He was definitely still in love with her despite having rejected her. I had no idea why he did what he did, but I didn't care.
"If this is a way to get back at me, consider us even. Leave her alone."
I raised a brow. "You are immensely full of yourself."
He growled low, his cheeks burning hotter.
If it were anyone else, they would've found themselves without a tongue, but Henry and I had too much history for me to kill him outright. No, he deserved to suffer slow.
"Let me remind you that you are my subject and my guest. You are also in my castle. If you growl at me again, you can be rest assured that your pack will be without an Alpha within the hour."
Embarrassment filled his eyes.
If I were anyone else, he would've challenged me, but he knew better. Not only was I his superior, I was far stronger than him on my weakest day thanks to my lycan genes.
"She doesn't deserve to be a pawn in your game," he hissed.
"And who said this was a game?" I crossed my arms over my chest. "She is my mate, and unlike you, I know better than to reject my mate for no apparent reason."
"You don't know anything," he spat. "I had my reasons."
"And I don't care what they are. Nyssa is mine now, and you will do well to remember that. If you try to hinder our agreement in any way, I will consider it an act of war. You know the rules binding packs, and you know that it is an offense to keep a male from his mate."
I had never seen Henry this wound up in my entire life.
A part of me almost felt bad for him.
He opened his mouth to speak and I waited eagerly for him to say one thing that would give me the right to beat his ass. I'd been waiting for the opportunity for years.
Unfortunately, he decided to use his brain and took a step back.
"This isn't over," he warned. "She's not yours yet. She still has to make the choice."
"Yes she does. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a dinner to get to."
I brushed past him before he had the chance to speak.
As I made my way to the dining room, I tried my best to calm the rage coursing inside of me. It was an unfortunate side effect of spending time with Henry. He had the ability to elicit such violent reactions out of me.
As soon as I got to the dining room, I knew something was wrong.
For starters, there were no guards outside.
I had strict rules regarding Nyssa. I'd instructed the maids to make sure a guard was situated outside the dining room. The only person who could have undermined that rule was…
I pushed the door open. "Hello, Aria."
My sister stopped whatever she was saying and smiled tightly at me. "We were just talking about you. I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever show up. I was telling Nyssa that you hate eating at the table."
I ignored her obvious jab and turned to my mate.
She looked uncomfortable. Her hands were folded neatly in her lap and her spine was taut.
"Lay off her," I warned Aria.
"I was merely talking."
"Talk nicely then. Do not scare her."
"I told you already, you're not being objective about this. What if this is all a-"
"Drop it, Aria, now!"
She let out a dramatic sigh. "Whatever."
She severed the mind link between us and stood to her feet, mumbling something about not being hungry.
She slammed the door behind her and I saw Nyssa's shoulders sag with relief.
I made a mental note to have a longer conversation with Aria about it.
"I apologize for her behavior. My sister is very… protective. Siblings can be like that."
"I wouldn't know," she mumbled. "I don't have any."
I winced at that admission. I knew she was an only child. I did all the research after I killed her parents.
"Is she older or younger?"
"Younger, by ten years."
Her eyes widened in shock and I couldn't help but bite the inside of my cheek to hold back a smile.
Lycans didn't age the same way humans did… she'd come to figure that out soon enough.
Silence so thick and awkward descended upon the dining room.
Neither of us spoke, save for the sound of our utensils scraping against our dishes. The tension was so thick I could cut it with a butter knife.
"I don't know how to do this," she admitted finally. "I've heard… things about you."
I sighed.
I knew this conversation was coming.
Placing my fork down, I turned to her. "Do you believe them?"
"Should I?" she shot back.
I didn't hesitate for a moment before responding. "Yes. I am whatever you have heard about me and more. Don't ever think for once that I am a good man. It will save you a lot of heartache."