Royal Affair

by Preston Walker

  And here came Don, arm in a sling and a web of thin scars destroying the beauty of his dark face. “Jace,” he said.

  Jace tilted his head, gesturing for Don to follow him as he took Keiran to the hospital. The doctors and nurses would be terribly busy, shifting patients around to make room for casualties, but he hardly cared. They would drop everything when he commanded them to, and they would examine Keiran instead. He was the future of the kingdom, and the potential two kingdoms. He had to be certain that both the omega and his child were okay.

  “Tell me what happened.”

  Don related the events quickly. After the first initial burst of fighting that lasted for an entire day, the attack became a deadly game of hide-and-seek. And that was where the castle warriors had the advantage, since they knew the layout of the building. At that point, more of the enemy were captured than killed and they were being tended to in the castle prisons by members of the Auroris police force.

  Jace nodded. It was exactly as he’d thought. A deadly attack carried out in desperation, with no prior planning behind it. “All of them will be charged. Gather our lawyers. I want every single person tried for terrorism.”

  Don gave a smile without any joy. “I knew you would want that, and so it is already done.”

  “Good,” he said, grimly.

  Arriving at the hospital doors, he pushed inside to find a scene that was just as crazy as the rest of the castle, if not more. Ignoring all of it, he grabbed a nurse and demanded that she fetch a doctor. Fear bright in her eyes, she did so.

  Jace turned to Don as Keiran was loaded into a wheelchair, frowning, but too overwhelmed to protest. “I need you to stay here with him. I have to check the prisons.”

  Don nodded, not protesting at all. “I understand. Go.”

  Pressing a kiss to Keiran’s knuckles, Jace said, “I love you.”

  Keiran growled at him. “I love you too, you sentimental dumbo. Now go!”

  Compared to the chaos of above, the prison beneath the castle was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard. Police officers lined the single exit, patrolling up and down the long hallway. There were prison cells on either side of that hallway, not communal but individual cells for a single person each. However, the number of captured attackers was so great that some cells held two or even three.

  Jace said nothing as he made his way down the hall. He didn’t speak, and no one spoke to him. Many of the prisoners didn’t even seem to notice they were being watched. Others looked up at him and then immediately dropped their eyes again, but not before he saw shame on their faces. Without a mob mentality urging them to lose their senses, they were just regular people who would never have a normal life again. The death penalty was illegal in Auroris, so these terrorists would all be sent to a maximum security prison… and they would never leave it.

  Someone tapped his shoulder from behind, and he whirled around, fangs bared, already halfway through shifting. It was Don. The man’s presence when he should have been up in the hospital with Keiran didn’t do much to appease him, but he forced the changes back and pushed away from the wall. “This had better be good,” he growled.

  “Jace,” Don gasped, and Jace suddenly realized how terrified his advisor looked. “You have to come back to the hospital!”

  Jace grabbed at his shirt and shook him. “Fucking spit it out! Is it Keiran? What’s wrong with Keiran?”

  “No,” Don choked out. “It’s not Keiran.”

  “Then?”

  “It’s your father.”

  Jace shoved Don out of the way and lurched forward. He hit the ground as a wolf and ran, legs pumping and his body a machine in motion. He reached the hospital in record time and slammed his shoulder against the door, knocking it off its hinges and barging into the waiting room. He ignored the startled cries of nurses and patients, pushing past all of them and racing deep within the halls. He had no idea where they were keeping his father at this point in time, but he followed the faintest of scent trails and managed to wind up at the correct room anyway.

  Sanjay stood just inside, hands folded and head bowed. “He’s going,” he said, and that was all. He left the room, leaving Jace alone with a man who already resembled a corpse.

  Labored breathing filled the room. Every machine was silent. No attempt was being made to keep the Head Predator alive, as per his wishes. And with his sunken eyes already closed, he already looked dead.

  Jace approached, setting his hands down on the mattress and leaning over the prone man. “Father,” he whispered. “Father, I’m here.”

  “Jace?” The word took so much effort that the old king couldn’t even open his eyes. Instead, he reached out with fumbling fingers. Jace gripped his father’s hand tightly.

  “I’m here, Father. I came as quickly as I could.”

  “You always were a good boy,” the Head Predator murmured. He said nothing else, and within a few minutes his breathing grew fainter until there was no breath at all. His chest stilled, never to move again.

  It wasn’t a beautiful moment. His father wasn’t capable of giving any important last words with a meaningful message; he hadn’t even been truly coherent. It was nothing at all, not even a goodbye. It was just an end.

  “No,” Jace whispered to himself. He stood. His legs tingled. He could hardly feel them. “This is just the beginning.”

  Moving like a man underwater, he left the dead and went to go find the one person he loved who was still alive.

  Chapter 23

  I never imagined I’d weigh like 200 pounds during my wedding.

  Keiran looked down at his body and frowned, although truth be told he couldn’t find it in himself to be grouchy. Not even Jace could be Prince Moody on a day like today, although soon enough he would be King Moody. Today was the day, their combined wedding and Jace’s coronation. However, today was even more than that. As soon as the coronation ended, the polls for voting to split Dexus into two kingdoms would open up. All the guests invited to the wedding and coronation would vote at the booth set up in the castle, and then head to the reception. It was going to be a full day, and an incredibly tiring one for an omega who was four months pregnant. He would be popping out a shifter baby any day now and he could hardly wait to meet their child.

  “You don’t weigh 200 pounds,” Jace said. They were both finishing dressing together. Their connection had become so strong that they could pick up on specific words in each other’s thoughts. Keiran hadn’t ever heard of that happening before, but then again, he hadn’t been around too many mated pairs and certainly wouldn’t have been forward enough to ask such a personal question. “Not even I would be able to carry you if that was the case.”

  Keiran scowled at him and threw a tie at his face. “You’re dumb.”

  “Good. That’s exactly what this kingdom needs, I think. A dumb king and his hormonal little prince boyfriend in charge of everything.” Jace smiled over at him and Keiran couldn’t help but to smile in return. He thought they were both dressed like idiots, covered in ruffles and way too many straps and buttons, but he was looking forward to being able to rip these outfits to shreds later on, so at least that was something. Maybe if he was lucky, he’d get a massage out of it. Maybe more, if he asked nicely.

  Hell, who was he kidding? Jace was always up for sex.

  A knock came at their door. “May I enter?” Don called.

  Jace glanced over at Keiran and then down at himself, both of them fully dressed. “No,” he replied. “We’re having sex.”

  “Now?” Don groaned. “We’re already late!”

  Jace rolled his eyes. “Come in, Don.”

  The advisor pushed the door open with one hand over his eyes, though he peeked dramatically between his fingers with a smile. “That was quick,” he said. “I would have thought you both might have built up some stamina by now.”

  Keiran laughed, mostly because Don was actually in a good mood for once and also because of the utterly offended look on Jace’s face. “I’m
about to shoot out a baby any moment now. What kind of endurance am I supposed to have?”

  The advisor gave a small smile. Keiran had found over the past few months that the man wasn’t all that bad, just very high-strung. He had mellowed out some as well since the siege, and Keiran wondered if it might be because of the scars on his face. They were long since fully healed, but they were still very visible, silver against his black skin.

  “Is everything ready?” Jace asked.

  “Everything has been ready for quite some time now.” Don gestured out the door. “Everyone is waiting for you, being rather well-behaved. So far. I would hate to have a riot on our hands.”

  “Then I guess we shouldn’t keep them waiting any longer.” Jace reached out to take hold of Keiran’s hand. “Are you ready?”

  Keiran looked up at Jace. His dark-haired, bronze-statue lover and soon-to-be husband. And then he thought of himself. Once scrawny but now chubby, carrying a load in his rear and his middle that didn’t used to be there. They didn’t look like a couple at all, not even when they held hands. They were too different, too separate… and that was fine. It was exactly the way things were meant to be.

  “I’m ready.”

  “Then let’s get going,” Don said, impatiently.

  Jace ignored him and Keiran did the same. This was their time now. Nothing could bother them. Together, they stepped out of the dressing room and made their way down the hall to stand in front of the open doors to the castle ballroom. Keiran swallowed nervously, listening to the chatter of a very large crowd. He could see them, all dressed in their finest clothes and looking every bit like his worst nightmare. He’d thanked his lucky stars that he didn’t have to stand up in front of those people at city hall, but he hadn’t been able to escape entirely. Even though this was a much smaller group, it might as well have been the whole world.

  “Easy,” Jace murmured, squeezing his hand.

  Easy… for you to say. You’ve had the training for this. His own training had thus far been limited to simple manners, not public speaking. And even though he only had to say two words, it might as well have been the same thing as far as he was concerned.

  “Are we ready?” the guard at the door asked.

  Jace nodded and the man turned, giving a signal to someone else. Keiran tried to watch to see who gave a signal after that, to follow the progress of the order, but it was beyond his understanding. Before he even really understood what was going on, Jace linked their arms together and pulled him through the doorway.

  Though there seemed to be no pattern to the layout of the room as far as Keiran’s fear-addled brain could detect, the shapeshifters who stood in their way parted and made a clear path for the couple to move through them. Keiran lagged slightly behind Jace, letting himself be pulled along. His heart was in his throat, the only thing keeping him from bolting being the viselike grip he had on his alpha’s fingers.

  They worked their way down a meandering path to the raised stage at the other end of the huge room. Keiran felt blinded by the grandeur of it all, so much so that he couldn’t focus on particulars. All he saw were impressions. A burst of flowers here, a splash of gold there. Light everywhere. An arch, in front of which stood a member of the council, a woman who hardly ever spoke at the meetings. Keiran liked her because she was quiet.

  Which was not serving to make him feel much better at a time like this, when someone so quiet stood so naturally before a large crowd. How on earth did these people do it?

  Jace led him around to the side of the stage, climbing the stairs and then reaching down to help Keiran stagger up them. Each one felt like a mountain scaled. If he’d been alone, he would have leaned back and held his stomach up to catch his breath. But he couldn’t do that here. Too many eyes. He could hardly remember how to move at all like this.

  They passed through the arch and came to stand in front of it. This part Keiran knew. He turned toward Jace, both of them standing far enough apart so that the council member could position herself between them. Jace clasped Keiran’s hands, eyes encouraging.

  Keiran gazed into that darkness, desperately searching for strength to keep him from running away. If he could run at all. Now that they’d stopped moving, his legs had forgotten how to work. He could hardly breathe and he felt certain that everyone could see him trembling.

  The music that he hadn’t even noticed playing until now wore itself down to a grand finish, and then there was only silence.

  The councilwoman cleared her throat and then spoke, her voice carrying out across the entire ballroom with the help of speakers. “Monumental times of change are upon us this day, as we enter into a new era. Hopefully, we will find peace, acceptance, and love, as these two wolves have done and will celebrate today. It is the end of Bartholomew Culvers’ reign, and the beginning of Jace Culvers’. A new Head Predator will be crowned today, but not merely crowned. He will be mated, forever joined with his love who came to us through unique circumstances.”

  Keiran mostly blanked out on the rest of what was said for quite a long while, since it was the story of how he and Jace had met and he knew that story already. All he did was look into Jace’s eyes, exploring the depths of love he found there. Daydreams passed between them, visions of hope for all their years to come.

  “Prince Jace, our hope for the future, our new ruler, will you accept Keiran Smith as your mate, your other half, and the wolf who completes you?”

  “I do,” Jace said. “I’ve come to tolerate him.”

  Laughter echoed throughout the ballroom. Keiran narrowed his eyes at Jace.

  “And do you, Keiran, our future prince, and the bearer of our future rulers, accept Jace as your mate, your other half, and the wolf who completes you?”

  Keiran gazed at Jace again, aware still of the laughter in the room. “Yes,” he said. “I take Jace as my more annoying half.”

  Hardly anyone in the room heard what he said due to the timing, but Jace laughed and that was all Keiran needed.

  “Very well. Fate has been decided. Keiran and Jace are forever joined.”

  Now was the moment when they were meant to kiss, but they had something a bit different planned. It wasn’t exactly the most elegant thing to do in this situation, especially since what they were about to do was normally a thing only done in the privacy of a bedroom, but it would certainly make a lasting impression on all those in attendance.

  Keiran closed his eyes and waited, bracing himself. Pulling gently on his hands, Jace drew him in and lowered his head. Their lips touched together briefly, mouths ghosting past, and then Jace bent his head even further and clamped his mouth around Keiran’s neck and bit down. His slightly-pointed teeth sank into the omega’s skin, hard enough to draw blood, hard enough to leave a mark that would last forever.

  At the same time, Keiran lifted up his hand and scratched at Jace’s neck, leaving three lines of blood slanting at an angle beneath his ear. They were not deep enough to scar, but they would anyway. Their bodies knew that was what needed to happen, and so it would be done. Better than any wedding ring, this evidence of their bond could never be lost or removed.

  The crowd roared;, shock and joy mingled. As the two wolves parted, the councilwoman turned to accept a red cushion brought to her by a page boy dressed in a tuxedo. Upon the cushion was a thin crown intertwined with strands of gold and silver stunned with gems. She placed the crown upon Jace’s head, and it fit exactly right.

  “Our new Head Predator!”

  The crowd roared even louder than before. Keiran just barely resisted the urge to cover his ears, and then he found himself being whisked away by Jace. The scenery blurred until he came to a standstill in front of the poll booth that had been set up in the main entrance hall. Closed and guarded before to prevent any trickery, it now stood open and waiting for the first vote to be cast. All across the kingdom, the same thing would be happening everywhere.

  Jace guided Keiran to stand in front of the booth. “You first,” he said, c
heerfully.

  Keiran opened his mouth to say something, but whatever it was ended up knocked out of his mind as a sudden overwhelming spasm shook through his entire body. Clutching at his stomach, he gasped and dropped down to his knees. He’d been having small contractions for the past few weeks as his body prepared for the birth, but this was something else. This was the real deal. The main event. The baby was coming.

  “Keiran!” Jace said, alarm sharp in his voice. He knelt and placed one hand on Keiran’s shoulder, but the omega shoved away from him and stood on his own. Wolves never gave birth in the presence of their mates. They simply didn’t. And though he loved Jace, Keiran suddenly didn’t want him near.

  “I’m fine,” he grunted. “I’m fine.”

  “Is it the baby?”

  “Is it the baby?” Keiran repeated mockingly, starting to shuffle away from the voting booth. “Of course it’s the baby, you dumbo. Get moving. I’ve got a baby to push out and I don’t want to be late for it.”

  Jace followed along, looking somewhat bemused by his mate’s behavior. “I should carry you.”

  “Touch me and you’ll lose a hand,” Keiran said, conversationally. He continued to walk toward the hospital under his own power, though by this point his insides were gripped by pain and he could hardly make himself move. Pressure gathered in his stomach. He could feel spasms rippling through him, the baby wriggling eagerly inside of him.

  He had only just made it through the waiting room doors when a nurse threw herself forward to greet him with a wheelchair. He lowered himself down into it, glad for the chance to get off his feet although it didn’t do much else to make him feel more comfortable. The nurse wheeled him away, and another moved behind them to intercept Jace. The alpha growled but the sound fell away as Keiran was pushed deeper into the hospital, away from him. Jace might have been the brand new king and the Head Predator, but the hospital wasn’t his domain.