Greymoor Academy: I Accidentally Bonded With Four Lycan Royals! novel Chapter 171

Chapter 171: 171. The Offer

Soren

"Your marriage to the princess was the last straw with the Council," Alden said quietly. "I see no path forward without... a forced abdication."

I didn’t answer right away.

My gaze was fixed to the pool below, where Maisie cut through the water in smooth, powerful strokes. The evening sun painted her skin in liquid gold, the scandalous light purple swimsuit clinging to every curve like a second skin. She laughed brightly and unrestrained as she pounced on Regina, dragging the redhead under with a splash. Juliette and Jenny joined the chaos moments later, turning the pool into a battlefield of shrieks and laughter.

Licking my tongue over the pointed edge of my fangs, I ran my gaze along the marks that stood out beautifully against her skin, and my Lycan purred with pleasure at the sight of it. How beautiful, how right it looked there. If I didn’t have to share, I would have made a canvas of her skin, leaving little marks everywhere I could, like the dent she had made on my soul.

A weight settled in my chest. I wanted to preserve this moment. Bottle it in a jar to revisit it whenever I needed to tell myself this was worth the shit options I was beginning to consider to keep her untouched like this. Radiant. Free.

I turned away from the window, lifting the glass of vodka to my lips. The burn did nothing to dull that weight in my chest. "That would be treason," I finally answered.

"This is less than ideal, Your Highness," Alden continued. "The Queen has made her terms clear and the Council stands with her. The only way to regain the Council’s favor is by ceding to their demands of breaking this marriage and taking Lady Tessa as your wife."

The glass cracked under my fingertips. "Treason it is, then."

Alden’s silence was answer enough.

I wasn’t divorcing Maisie. The very thought made my Lycan snarl with violent possession. I had only just gotten her to look at me with something other than hatred. To trust me. To smile at me. To let me hold her. I had only just gotten her back.

I would burn the world down before I gave that up again.

"I have grown weary of indulging this childish rebellion, nephew," she had said before we departed three days ago, smoothing the front of my coat with almost maternal affection. "Everything I have ever done has been for our people. One day, when you wear that crown, you will understand."

Her hand came to rest against my cheek. "Strip the girl of the title you so foolishly bestowed upon her. Restore it to Tessa. Forget this childish attachment before it costs you and your brothers everything. If this is simply a matter of type, I can arrange for others. Hybrids. Omegas, if you want. Women with the same coloring. Blue eyes. Brown hair. The same fire in their eyes, if that is what you crave."

I cocked my head, staring into her ever changing eyes. "And if I do not?"

There was a strange scent on her and her eyes glowed. "Then you shall have yourself to blame for what happens next, child. If you wish to rule, you will give the girl to me. Let her serve her purpose to our people as a breeder. You needn’t trouble yourself over what becomes of her. She will be cared for."

I had fought the surge of anger I felt as she stroked my cheek softly. "Your mother would’ve been so proud of the king you became."

"You are considering the Exile Queen’s offer?" Alden said, tearing me from my thoughts.

My gaze lowered to the little scroll resting on my desk.

The offer came through Jericho three days ago. Apparently, the only way Ryder Hunt thought to pass down the offer without the prying eyes of the Queen that surrounded every corner of the school, was by provoking Jericho into beating him into a pulp.

There were rumors that Ryder was a masochist. I supposed that bit was true.

My fingers tightened around the glass again as I mulled over Margaret Hunt’s terms.

I’ll admit, it was a bit disturbing that she was offering an alliance. I suppose it made sense that she thought we had the same common enemy. She had numbers. She had the weapons. None of which I had. If I wanted to protect my mate, I needed more than the brute strength of my brothers. I needed the Council. I needed the Blood Crown out of the Queen’s hands.

But was I willing to murder my aunt for it?

It was clear I needed her completely off the chessboard.

Her revelation of Maisie’s heritage had rendered my title as Crown Prince decorative. So long as I was wed to a traitor’s daughter, the Council would never be on my side. My aunt had seized control of the crown and wasn’t willing to give it back. My inheritance meant nothing if the people saw me unfit for rule, which she was working hard at making me appear.

Maybe she deserved to die for everything, but killing her would set off an unpleasant chain of events. And I didn’t want her putrid blood on my hands, anyway.

"No," I snarled. "She doesn’t like them. She doesn’t want them. They will never touch her. They’re savages."

"Experiencing what?"

She was mine.

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